Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell - the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. Daniel 7:20-22

1. The fourth beast represents the Roman Empire and is analogous with the legs of iron on Nebuchadnezzar's statue.
2. The Roman Empire ceased to be a persecutor of Christians by the fourth century AD after its adoption of Christianity as the state religion.
3. The ten horns represent the divisions of Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD) and are analogous with the feet of iron and clay on Nebuchadnezzar's statue.
4. The little horn arises later upon the head of the fourth beast uprooting three, apparently rival kingdoms, as it emerged.
5. This horn boasts of its greatness and becomes a persecutor of God's people. Its connection with Rome suggests a reemergence of the fourth beast in some future time.
6. What this horn represents is present on earth until the time "his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever." Daniel 7:26 Then the whole earth becomes the eternal kingdom of God.

The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
Daniel 8:8-12, 8:25

1. The goat represents the Greek (Macedonian) Empire (Daniel 8:21) and the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The large horn was broken at his death (323 BC).
2. The four horns that replaced the large horn represent the Greek Empire divided up among four of Alexander's generals:
   • Antigonus - Asia Minor
   • Cassander - Macedon
   • Ptolemy - Egypt
   • Seleucus - Southwest Asia
3. Another horn arises from one of the four. This horn represents the emerging Roman Empire which occupied the Greek mainland about the mid-2nd century BC.
4. The holy land came under the dominion of Rome by the first century BC. The "host of the heavens" may refer to the Jewish people who became subject to Roman persecution.
5. Rome ended the practice of Judaism with the destruction of Jerusalem and the second temple in 70 AD.
6. The little horns arrogance leads him in the end to the fatal confrontation with the Prince of princes. Daniel 8:25
7. This connects the little horn with the scarlet beast when it and the ten horns wage ware with the Lamb. Revelation 17:14

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them.
Revelation 13:1-3, 13:5-7

1. It appears the dragon calls forth the beast from the sea also called the leopard beast. The sea symbolizes the populous region around the Mediterranean from which arise the great civilizations and empires of the ancient world. Revelation 17:15
2. The physical description of the beast connects it with the four beasts Daniel saw in a dream. Daniel 7:1-7 These four were the historical enemies of ancient Israel beginning from Daniel's time as an exile in Babylon (605 BC).
3. The seven heads represent the foreign nations who have in the past or will in future attack and oppress God's people wherever they are.
   • Egypt
   • Assyria
   • Babylonia
   • Medo-Persia
   • Greece
   • Rome
   • Future Reemergent Rome?
4. The healing of the fatal wound amazes the whole world and brings about the reemergent Roman beast. It is the sixth head, therefore, that bore the scar of a fatal wound.
5. Who dealt the fatal wound? Rome under paganism was a persecutor of Jews and Christians. She ceased to be such when Christianity became the state religion in the fourth century AD.
6. The ten horns bearing crowns represent the kings of earth who join with the end-time beast. These are analogous to the ten horns on Daniel's fourth beast.
7. Just as the other entities mentioned, this beast stands in opposition to the God of heaven putting itself forward as the object of worship.

Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth.
Revelation 13:11-14

1. Just as water and earth are two different states of matter, it would appear the second beast arises from a vastly different region on earth.
2. The second beast having lamb-like horns but the voice of a dragon strongly suggests that this entity is a deceiver; a wolf in sheep's clothing.
3. It is the second beast who, by deception, is instrumental in the healing of the fatal wound which causes the world into worshiping the first beast.
4. The second beast is in fact further identified as the false prophet who is allied with the first beast and the kings of earth at Jesus' second coming. Revelation 19:20

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
Revelation 17:3,8

1. The scarlet beast, like the dragon and the beast that comes up out of the sea, has seven heads and ten horns, making an obvious connection between these three.
2. Daniel has a dream in which he sees four beasts coming out of the sea, one after another. These have been unmistakably identified as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
3. All of these at one time or another invaded, occupied, and oppressed Israel while expanding their empires. Their action against God's people is what qualifies them as being a beast.
4. These symbolize all the civil powers on earth throughout history that represent forces of evil, chaos, greed, and destruction in opposition to the law of God.
5. The harlot (Babylon the Great) who is shown riding the scarlet beast represents a false religious system that influences the actions of the civil powers in its attack on God's people.
6. Of the scarlet beast the angel says it "once was, now is not, and yet will come [again]..." The question is, when did it stop being a beast?
7. The apostle John lived at the time of pagan imperial Rome which had become a persecutor of Christians and Jews. Within three centuries Christianity replaced paganism as the state religion. Thus it could be said, the beast "now is not".
8. The beast that "yet will come" points to its future reappearance which, when it occurs, amazes the unsaved people of earth.
9. At this time the beast and the ten horns (kings) "hate the harlot" and unite to throw off the yoke of the woman and destroy her.
10. Why would they do this? The answer is given in Revelation 13:8. The beast sets itself up as the object of worship, even equal with God, with the aid of the false prophet.
11. In the final battle we find the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of earth confronting the Lamb of God and the army of heaven but they are defeated.

Then I saw three impure spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. "Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed." Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. Revelation 16:13-16

1. Armageddon, although a real location in northern Israel, is most likely symbolic for the final conflict between good and evil. It is mentioned in connection with the sixth plague.
2. The angel pours out his bowl on the river Euphrates which causes it to be dried up preparing "the way for the kings from the East."
3. Rivers are no hindrance not even for ancient armies, so this language is obviously symbolic.
4. The Euphrates flows from the mountains of Turkey then through Syria and Iraq until emptying into the Persian Gulf.
5. This therefore most likely refers to a change in the geopolitics of this region, such as we are witnessing today.
6. East of the Euphrates are the populous nations of central and Far East Asia. Could these constitute the kings from the East?
7. The demonic spirits issuing from the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet:
   • They looked like frogs. The use of this symbol may relate to the plague of frogs brought upon Egypt by Moses.
   • The frogs issued from the Nile and invaded every space where the Egyptians lived and drove them mad.
   • The influence of these spirits, supported by the signs they perform, create a madness leading to war.
   • "Look, I come like a thief!" In the midst of this dire prophecy comes the hopeful message for the saints to stand firm in their faith. 1 Thessalonians 5:2
8. The battle of Armageddon is quite possibly a symbolic reference to the final global war between east and west, which abruptly ends with Jesus' Second Coming. "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man... coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26.
9. At this event is forever ended the curse of rebellion on earth and in heaven caused by the the fall of man.
10. The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are no more. Humanity is redeemed and resides with God on the earth made new.