Join us as we delve into the mysteries of biblical prophecy, interpreting the symbols and historical references outlined by Daniel. David Hawking brings clarity to the beasts of Daniel 7, examining the transition from historical empires like Babylon and Rome to their future implications. Through scripture, we explore the ultimate triumph of good over evil, as foretold by Daniel, and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom. Embrace this compelling narrative grounded in theological insight and hope.
The fourth beast of Daniel 7 is the one with ten horns. It is the seventh head, and out of that will come the eighth world empire, which will be one man, the Antichrist, the ruler of the world, who will come up among the seventh kingdom of ten nations, ten horns, and will quickly get the balance of power. He will quickly pluck up three, says Daniel 7. And then he’ll begin to speak pompous words. It is he who will make a covenant with Israel to restore its temple sacrificial system and guarantee its peace and security against its Arab nations and the nations of the world who want to attack her. And it is he who will pour out the wrath of the dragon against the people of Israel as they never have experienced in any previous time, including the Holocaust under Hitler.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is Hope for Today with Bible teacher and author David Hawking. On today’s program, it’s day three of our message in Daniel chapter seven called Vision of the Four Beasts. Four beasts, ten horns, a little horn that speaks great things. What does it all mean? And who are these beasts, really? Daniel wasn’t just seeing symbols. He was seeing empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and beyond. And when we lay this alongside the book of Revelation, the picture snaps into focus. The stage isn’t just set. The clock is ticking. Stay tuned. We’ll be back in Daniel 7 in just a moment. First, though, you know, if you’re serious about your spiritual life, I want to tell you about a powerful free resource that we have for you called Your Quest for God by Richard A. Bennett. This is a 161-page book free to download on our website, davidhawking.org, and we have it available in multiple languages. It’s a book that helps you learn how to appreciate, appropriate, and assimilate spiritual truth. And it just might be what you’ve been missing. Your Quest for God. Just click on the link, download it, you got it. Again, absolutely free at davidhawking.org. Now let’s get to today’s study. Here’s David with day three of his message, Vision of the Four Beasts, found in Daniel chapter seven.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ve got a problem here if we look at it in history. Trying to be specific with this is going to be difficult. But I think that we don’t come to some clear understanding until we get to the fourth beast, until we get to the ten horns, and we compare it with the book of Revelation. Up until that time, it’s a little confusing. For instance, why would Daniel have a vision that’s exactly like the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s in Daniel 2 when it has been several years after the death of Nebuchadnezzar? Are these four beasts really Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece? Well, let me tell you why folks believe that. First of all, in verse 4, we’re told that the first beast was like a lion. Another beast, the second, was like a bear. They say the bear refers to the Medo-Persian Empire. Folks, I have never seen this in all of history. I have never seen the bear being utilized in history of Persia. I just read it in the books like you did and assumed it. But I have that questioning mind. Amen? How come Persia herself never referred to itself as a bear? How come we never see that in history? But we all know in history there is a nation who refers itself as a bear. What is it? It is Russia. And the commentators before this century all held unanimously that it was Russia. Even before the Bolshevik Revolution. Even before the growth of communism and its devastation of the nations of the world. And the millions of people who have been assassinated and murdered under the banner of the great Russian bear. It’s very interesting. But let’s take a look at the third beast. Verse 6, after this I looked and there was another like a leopard. Now why does everybody think that’s Greece? There’s not one single indication in history that the leopard applies to Greece. Why do they refer it to Greece? Because they see the leopard as a fast animal. So because of Alexander the Great, they moved rapidly and conquered a lot. And also it says… It had four wings of a bird on its back. And because we know that Alexander the Great’s empire was divided in a fourfold way among his generals, by the way, several years after he died, but they finally got together and settled on it. And we have Cassander, who took Macedonia. We have Lysimachus, who took Thrace and Asia Minor. We have Seleucus, who took Syria and Persia. And we have Ptolemy who took Egypt. And so they say that’s what happened. A four-winged leopard, they say, can move faster than a two-winged lion. Back in verse 4. Is it not possible… that this leopard who comes to power in the midst of the continuance of the lion and the bear nation, though not what it perhaps once was, though the bear was never said to collapse, is it not possible that this is something different than what we may have ever thought before? For instance… Could not the result of handling the difficult Mideast problems result in some sort of an Arab empire with four mighty, powerful nations all looking at the issue of domination and power? Is that not a possibility? And again, come to verse 12, their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. Is it not a possibility? We simply don’t know. Well, let’s come to the fourth piece. Verse 7, after this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth. It was devouring, breaking in pieces, trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it. And it had ten horns. Would you go back to Daniel chapter 2, please, for a moment? In Daniel chapter 2, in describing… this great image. It says in verse 40, Folks, there’s not one word of that in Daniel 7. It says, yet the strength of the iron should be in it. You saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay, and the toes of the feet were partly of iron, partly of clay. So the kingdom will be partly strong, partly fragile. None of that in Daniel 7. You saw iron mixed with ceramic clay. They’ll mingle with the seed of men, but they’ll not adhere to one another just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and a king shall not be left to other people. It shall break in pieces, consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. All I’m saying is there are some notable differences. In chapter 7, verse 7, the beast itself is the final empire with ten horns, out of which will come the Antichrist. The beast is not Rome, who then will create a final extension of itself by two legs with ten toes. No, I think that’s wrong. Though the ten toes represent the ten kings, the beasts are different. The beast of the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2 is Roman Empire. But the beast of Daniel chapter 7 is the one that exists in the end time that has the ten horns on it. It is the confederacy of the end time. And who knows, maybe it will be the European Common Market. What we do know is in the midst of those ten kings, which form a confederacy, a beast that’s terrible, that will begin to dominate the entire world, we know that out of it will come a little horn that will soon prove to be the Antichrist. And that matches exactly with what we have in the book of Revelation. The character of that beast, dreadful, terrible, exceedingly strong, the Bible says. It conquers. It has huge iron teeth. It says it will devour the whole earth. Let’s jump down to verse 17 and look at the interpretation carefully. It says, “…those great beasts, which are four, are four kings.” which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Talking about the kingdom of the Messiah. So there’s a sense in which these are looked at as contemporary with the time of the end, not back before the time of Rome. Keep reading. Keep reading. Verse 23. Verse 24. And the ten horns of it are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom, verse 24. And another shall rise after them. He’ll be different from the first ones and shall subdue three kings. That’s the Antichrist that comes out of this. This fourth beast is the empire of the end time spoken of in Revelation chapter 17. Will you turn there please? Revelation chapter 17. In the prophetic picture of end times, they use the word beast a lot to represent world empires. And the heads of beasts to represent world empires and kings and kingdoms. In Revelation 17, there’s one consistent imagery throughout Revelation. And it is a beast with seven heads. And this beast of seven heads… It’s first mentioned in chapter 12, verse 3, if you want to keep your finger in 17. In chapter 12, verse 3, it’s described as a great fiery red dragon having seven heads, ten horns, seven diadems on his head. Now the great dragon is none other than Satan. That is clear from the passage in verse 9. The great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan. So Satan’s final master plan, which is under the control and sovereignty of God, yet he himself thinking that it’s not. Satan is providing all the energy and authority and influence of this final empire. And the Bible describes all the empires of the world that have been world empires, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the final confederacy, that’s seven, seven heads of It describes it as being Satan. So you ask me, what has Satan been doing? He is the God of this world. He’s the prince of this world. And through the world empires of this world, he has been trying to accomplish his purposes and to attack the God that we all love and serve. And to unleash his anger against him and against his people. And through these world empires, he has, according to the book of Revelation chapter 12, been persecuting the people of Israel. And every last one of them, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the final one, are ones that have inflicted terrible, terrible persecution on the Jewish people. At times have been kind to them, but most of the time have been unkind to them and persecuting them. Why? Because Satan is behind the whole business of world empires. Then you come to chapter 13. And it says, I stood on the sand of the sea, Revelation 13, 1, and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now watch this carefully. Verse 2 takes you back to Daniel 7. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard… His feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. How interesting. It picks up those three beast images in Daniel 7 and says this final beast, who we finally know is a world leader, an antichrist, but this final beast, he has… feet like a bear. He’s like a leopard, and he has a mouth like the mouth of a lion. How interesting. So they may be more symbolic in Daniel 7 of empires that we don’t understand how God is bringing things to a conclusion. Now come to chapter 17, please. Is everybody still hanging in there? Look at Revelation 17 now. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which is full of names of blaspheming, having what? Seven heads and ten horns. So in Revelation, the beast always has seven heads, ten horns. Then will you look, please, going down a little further in the chapter, Revelation 17, to verse 7. The angel said to me, Why did you marvel? I’ll tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was and is not… It was in existence, then it was not, and it will come out of the bottomless pit, and it will eventually go to perdition or destruction. Those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world. When they see the beast that was, it once was in existence, is not, it was a time when it wasn’t, and yet it is, it’s back in existence again. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. These are also seven kings. Five have fallen. Well, John wrote in the first century A.D., what were the five that had fallen? Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece, the only five world empires previous to John’s time. Five have fallen, one is. Well, what was existing when John wrote in 90 A.D.? Rome. And the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he continues a short time. And the beast that was and is not is himself also the eighth. and is of, or out of, the seven, and is going to perdition. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are all of one mind, they’ll give their power and authority to the beast, and these will make war with the Lamb, that’s Jesus Christ our Lord, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. And those who are with them are called chosen and faithful.” And he said to me, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate, naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. If she’s the religious portion of the paganism that’s existed, this satanic empire throughout history, then the political is obviously getting rid of her. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. The woman you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth. Babylon, the great mother of harlots, abominations of the earth. Now, where are we? The seven heads. Five have fallen. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece. One is Rome. Which head receives the fatal wound? Which head dies? Which head describes the beast that was, is not, yet will come up again? It describes head number six. Head number six received a fatal wound but will come back to life. It was the Roman Empire. It will come back to life as a ten-nation confederacy, a revived Roman Empire, somewhere in the same locations of the ancient Roman Empire. So the beast was, is not, and yet shall be. The fatal wound was to one of its heads, not one of its horns. The head that was wounded was the sixth one. It will come back to life as a confederacy. So the ten horns belong on the seventh head. So the seventh head of Revelation is the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7. Is everybody following now? The fourth beast of Daniel 7 is the one with ten horns. It is the seventh head, and out of that will come the eighth world empire, which will be one man, the Antichrist, the ruler of the world, who will come up among the seventh kingdom of ten nations, ten horns, and will quickly get the balance of power. He will quickly pluck up three, says Daniel 7. And then he’ll begin to speak pompous words. It is he who will make a covenant with Israel to restore its temple sacrificial system and guarantee its peace and security against its Arab nations and the nations of the world who want to attack her. It is he who then will break that covenant. It is he who will go into the temple rebuilt by Israel and will desecrate it and demand that he be worshipped as God. And it is he… who will pour out the wrath of the dragon against the people of Israel as they never have experienced in any previous time, including the Holocaust under Hitler. It is he who will be the one doing the damage in the last three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation period. And what will happen to Russia? They’ll still be there, just like Daniel 7 says. And they will invade the Middle East. It seems to me sometime previous to the Battle of Armageddon. When, I don’t know, but I expect it to happen shortly. The U.S. government knows that things are not settled in the Middle East. The U.S. government knows that one of the biggest supplies of military and nuclear weapons that have ever been found in the history of the world was found in Lebanon, and they are all Soviet weaponry, and they had a deal with them. The U.S. knows that. The U.S. also knows it so well that they are now putting the most amazing stack of military weapons in the nation of Israel and hoping nobody is watching. Folks, in a way, I want to kind of smile and laugh with you, but in another way, I believe we’re living on the brink of the end. There are too many things that have happened already. The Persian Gulf was a prelude, and I believe that it will be soon, and very soon, we’re going to see Jesus. Let’s close with prayer. Father, thank you for your wonderful word, and Father, we confess that it is not easy for us living in our time to try to interpret these marvelous prophecies. Lord, we may have been so far removed from the truth, we’d be utterly embarrassed and humiliated. But that’s all right. We acknowledge once again that whatever is the truth about these nations, you know. It’s in your mind, in your heart. And we’re not looking for the details of fulfillment there beyond what the Scripture dictates. We’re looking for the Savior from heaven. who redeem our souls, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray, God, that you would help us all to understand that heaven and earth may pass away, but God’s word will never pass away. That God’s kingdom will be established on earth, that Jesus Christ will rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. And we will rule and reign with him. And we say with the Apostle John, who wrote it the last book of the Bible, even so come Lord Jesus. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, that’s Bible teacher and author David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David will be back in just a moment or so to close out our study time, so do stay tuned. Right now, here’s David’s son, Matt, and we’re going to share a powerful resource that’s a perfect companion to our current radio series.
SPEAKER 01 :
The book of Daniel is quoted often in the New Testament book of Revelation. In many ways, studying both books gives us an exhilarating understanding of God’s prophetic plan for the ages. Daniel is an exceptionally revealing book of Bible prophecy.
SPEAKER 02 :
Daniel lived in an important time of ancient history, and his story helps us understand today’s world and live with joy and courage, doesn’t it, man?
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, his visions speak powerfully of the end times, and his writing continues to exalt the Most High God.
SPEAKER 02 :
And it’s interesting, Matt, that the accuracy and reliability of his remarks concerning future events have caused many to question his authorship of the book.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah, but we have a complete confidence that he not only wrote the book, but that God used him powerfully to bring his message to his people about what is about to happen in our time.
SPEAKER 02 :
And may God open our eyes as we study this divinely inspired writing. Well, David’s book study, Daniel Prophecies of the Last Days, makes the case through an exciting study of Daniel’s 12 chapters, bringing to life prophecy fulfillment, tying in historical accounts, and relating marvelous applications for all of us today.
SPEAKER 01 :
You can get Daniel Prophecies of the Last Days by my dad, David Hocking, for just $20 at davidhocking.org. That’s davidhawking.org, or you can call us in Canada at 1-888-75BIBLE. In the U.S., call us at 1-800-75BIBLE. And Bible by the Numbers is 24253. Well, and purchasing this resource by David Hawking from Hope for Today will build your faith and hope. And it will also help this ministry to continue sharing God’s word on radio, online, through video and print.
SPEAKER 02 :
Please do pray and consider joining our support team. Join with us, co-labor with us in ministry through a purchase or a donation. You know, when you give, you’re partnering with Hope for Today to keep God’s Word front and center. The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible. So thanks so much for anything you can send our way. We do need the help. And quickly before David returns, we want you to know that we understand that life gets heavy. You know, sometimes, and this might be where you’re at right now, you feel like you’re drowning in questions, pressure, loss, or maybe just everyday responsibilities. If that’s where you’re at right now, listen, you’re not alone. If you need prayer, we’re here for you. Now, this isn’t just a formality. We pray throughout the week for members of the Hope for Today listening family. We believe in the power of prayer, and we count it a privilege to bring your needs before the Lord. So do call on us in the U.S. 800-75-BIBLE. In Canada, dial 888-75-BIBLE. Bible is 24253. Or, of course, you can write to us at Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. That’s in the U.S. Or in Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO7OAKS, Abbotsford, B.C., V2SHP1. Reach out. Tell us how we can pray for you. We read and we pray over every request. God hears. Let’s stand together. All right, let’s get back to our study.
SPEAKER 03 :
Well, thanks for listening, folks. We’re in Daniel chapter 7. Verse 13 says, “…I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him, and it was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve him.” His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. You know, folks, we need to understand that the real conqueror of all, and a subject of Daniel for sure, is the Messiah of Israel, our Lord Yeshua. In verse 11, There’s a picture of the Ancient of Days. That would be the Heavenly Father. And the one who came up to him was the Son of Man, who came with the clouds of heaven. And he came up to the Ancient of Days. His kingdom, it’s an everlasting kingdom. It’ll never be destroyed. We need to understand that. Down in verse 27, it says, The kingdom and dominion and greatness of the kingdom unto the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And I say, praise the Lord.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, thank you, David. My friend, if you missed any part of today’s broadcast, you can listen again at davidhawking.org. And be sure to share these programs with a friend. Invite them to listen to this station or to go online at our website. Well, we’ve all heard about someone called the Antichrist. But in Daniel chapter 7, verses 19 through 28, we’re introduced to something bigger. A beast, a final kingdom, brutal, relentless, and global. And out of that kingdom comes a little horn, a coming world leader whom the Bible calls the Antichrist. The beast, that’s the system. The Antichrist is the voice. And together, they wage war against God and his people. Until that is, heaven intervenes. Well, don’t miss this incredible look at what’s still to come. That’s next time on Hope for Today.
Join us as we delve into the mysteries of biblical prophecy, interpreting the symbols and historical references outlined by Daniel. David Hawking brings clarity to the beasts of Daniel 7, examining the transition from historical empires like Babylon and Rome to their future implications. Through scripture, we explore the ultimate triumph of good over evil, as foretold by Daniel, and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom. Embrace this compelling narrative grounded in theological insight and hope.
