THE FOUR BEASTS

In the translation we are using (World English Bible), the word sky is used instead of Heaven, which is essentially the same thing—although, the word Heaven carries a spiritual connotation that is not found in sky; for Heaven is where the throne of God exists, and sky is a reference to the perceived physical canopy that surrounds the Earth—as in night sky and blue sky.

Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke out on the great sea.  Four great animals came up from the sea, diverse one from another. (Daniel 7:2-3)

The four winds of Heaven, like the four corners of the Earth, is a concept that means in every direction. The perception that existed among the ancients in respect to space is often lost on people today. On the one hand, knowledge is increasing, yet, on the other hand, knowledge is being lost. What the ancients learned and considered elementary regarding awareness of one’s environment is often missed by modern people, including environmentalists. Despite their emphasis on the value of ecological relationships, they tend to have a distorted view of these relationships in the context of existence. For we are individual entities that are placed within space, and our relationship to everything around us (that is objects, plants, creatures, humans and GOD) needs to be understood, if we are to truly understand ourselves.

When the Bible talks about the four corners of the Earth (in this case, the four winds of Heaven), this does not mean that the people in those days thought the Earth was flat. Instead, the idea of relationship means that place and direction matters. Geometrically, there are six directions. One is up, the other is down, and four face different directions, in opposition to another. North is opposite the South and East is opposite the West, just as the top is opposite the bottom. Although, these might seem simple, they need to be understood for they are critical for description, and purposes of definition. The ancients knew this; therefore they spoke in ways that reflected these truths, which are simply natural realities. Each one viewed life from one’s own perspective and understood this. Naturally when it came to direction, once the ideas of north, east, south and west were understood, the four winds of Heaven and the four corners of the Earth were understood to mean in every direction; for the ancients evidently thought in terms of natural vision. When a person looks in a particular direction, the area of vision is ninety degrees; therefore, if a person is standing anywhere on the Earth and looks to the North, East, South, and West, this will encompass four times ninety degrees to make up a full three hundred and sixty degrees—a complete circle. Four people standing together, back to back, will be able to see in four directions and this will mean they have every direction covered, even though each only views ninety degrees of the area in front of them from where they stand.

Even when we read that four winds are brought from the four ends of Heaven (Jeremiah 49:36), this does not mean that Heaven is flat. When we are talking about a place that is to be visited by the four winds, this means that from all sides shall a wind come and destroy and scatter in directions that cannot be determined. In the case of people brought to a place by the four winds of Heaven, this means that they were brought together from every direction, as if the Earth were a wheel within a wheel (Ezekiel 1:16).

The four winds come upon the sea and cause a commotion that brings forth four beasts. The sea represents the peoples of the Earth. The beasts that come forth are to do with people on the Earth. They are not creatures that hitherto did not exist, but are symbolic of certain types of people that will exist on Earth. In the Bible, water and seas can be equated with people. We see this in the book of Isaiah, where the uproar of the people is equated with the uproar of the seas.

Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! (Isaiah 17:12)

The beginning of the vision is saying that out of the people of the Earth there are going to emerge four very different beasts that represent spiritual forces that govern them. Satan roams the Earth and has spiritual authority over it. We read this in the book of Job:

 Now on the day when God’s sons came to present themselves before Yahweh, Satan also came among them. Yahweh said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered Yahweh, and said, “From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” (Job 1:6-7) 

In the book of Job, we see Satan in Heaven declaring what he does—roaming to and fro over the Earth. Of course, while Satan has authority over the Earth, he does not have authority over each one’s will. This is demonstrated in the book of Job. For, even though, Satan could harm Job physically, he could not take control of his will. The only way Satan can take over a person’s will is if a person lets him do it. While it is true that Satan can blind the minds of unbelievers, this is not quite the same thing as taking over their will. Once Satan has a person’s will, he will cause the person to suicide (cf. Judas—Luke 22:3; Matthew 27:5). For a person to take his or her own life is the ultimate rejection of God. God is life, and to reject life is to reject God. Job’s wife implored him to curse God and die (Job 2:9), but he refused. Instead, Job chose to acknowledge the truth: the Creator of life is the One who gives life and, therefore, it was only right to submit to Him (James 4:7). If God were to take life away from any creature, then as Creator, this is His right—not that of the created.

While Satan has authority over the Earth, God is at work still. He intends to accomplish His plan to bring many sons to glory. God’s plan is righteous and takes into account every consideration that could possibly exist, lest any created being were to impute a charge of unrighteousness against Him. For though Satan has authority over the Earth, and everyone who sins, God is working to bring about the redemption of every person possible. Not being cognizant of how God does this, we can find this difficult to understand. Moreover, if we are honest, we have difficulty understanding what God is doing in our own lives, let alone the lives of billions of people. Nevertheless, within the pages of the Bible, we have the prophetic word made sure: the written word of God bears witness to Lord Jesus Christ and His plan and purpose for the fulfillment of time.

This vision from chapter seven of Daniel is presented to us with symbolism that indicates this is about spiritual matters and not necessarily about political matters as we saw with the image from Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  The images in this dream are often interpreted as representing Babylon, Medo-Persia, Macedonia and Rome and they are brought over into this vision. However, the evidence is that this is not the case. As has already been pointed out, this is more about spiritual influences rather than political influences, even though the spiritual can influence the political and vice versa. The fact the lion has wings, and the leopard has wings, indicate that these two beasts are spiritual in nature and they are not to be considered as actual political kingdoms. The bear has no wings and neither does the fourth beast; therefore, there is an earthly element about these creatures that suggest political control of a carnal nature, even though these are spiritual influences that have arisen out of the people of the Earth.

We are told (v17) that these beasts are kings. However, we are told also that the fourth animal is a kingdom (v23) and not a king. In fact, this is a kingdom that has a number of kings. This suggests that the other beasts could also be kingdoms. When speaking of a king, maybe there is a spiritual being that reigns over each of these four kingdoms and influences what is taking place in the affairs of humans. These kingdoms could represent movements that were to take place throughout history. This being the case, we could historically consider what movements have taken place since Daniel until today that fit the criteria.

One of the difficulties we have with this particular prophecy is that we do not have an obvious starting point, as with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. In the explanation, only the fourth beast is given consideration. The other three beasts we are told nothing about, other than that they will arise out of the Earth but the saints of the Most High shall receive the Kingdom (vv17-18). 

The Old Testament saints received the Kingdom when they were raised from the dead. The Apostle Paul tells us that in Christ we are all made alive. Once Jesus was raised from the dead, in effect, the Kingdom of God had began to reign in the hearts of men. Those who were to be born into the Kingdom of God would receive eternal life, which means they had the power to overcome death and its sting, having been baptized in the Holy Spirit. The first of the saints to be raised from the dead were those who died before the resurrection of Lord Jesus. We read of this in the book of Matthew regarding the saints who were received into the immortal Kingdom of God. This is what the Apostle Paul refers to as the first fruits. Christ was raised first, then the first fruits.

For since death came by man, the resurrection of the dead also came by man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s, at his coming

(1 Corinthians 15:21-23)

 

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. (Matthew 27:52) 

The good news of the Kingdom of God is what John the Baptist preached would come; what Jesus preached was here in Him; and what the Apostles preached had finally come at Pentecost (Mark 1:14; Luke 8:1; Acts 8:12).

In the vision that Daniel had in chapter seven, there is the allusion that these kingdoms are competing with the saints of the Most High, which suggests that this has to do with a time after the Kingdom of God has begun to manifest on Earth—particularly so, after the saints had begun to receive the Kingdom from the day Jesus had risen from the dead and had been seated at the right hand of God.

These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever. (Daniel 7:17-18)

This being the case, this would place this prophecy in the Church Age and not before Pentecost. Notice Scripture bears witness to Jesus being at the right hand of God until His enemies are placed under His feet. The last enemy to be defeated is death. When death is completely defeated, Lord Jesus returns to reign on Earth.

Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.” (Matthew 26:64)

 

Yahweh says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.” (Psalm 110.1)

 

For David himself said in the Holy Spirit, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.”’ (Mark 12:36)

 

But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:55-56)

 

The last enemy that will be abolished is death. (1 Cor. 15:26)

 

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable body will have become imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: “Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

We have already established that the image of chapter two provides a timeline up until the resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ and the establishing of His kingdom on Earth among the saints on the day of Pentecost, which will continue to grow until the end of the age. Therefore, we are looking at the satanic influence that is competing with those who are proclaiming the Kingdom of God. The four satanic manifestations represented by the beasts that come against the Kingdom of God exist until the Second Coming of Lord Jesus Christ—which is important for us to understand.

As for the rest of the beasts,[i] their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, 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. (Daniel 7:12-14)

The First Beast

The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I saw until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand on two feet as a man; and a man’s heart was given to it. (Daniel 7:4)

The lion has wings of an eagle but becomes a man. The Devil roars like a lion but decides to bring in a counterfeit means of controlling the Kingdom of God by using a man, who presents as God’s representative on Earth.  When Constantine merged the religion of Rome with Christianity, this attempt at controlling the Church on Earth was effectively accomplished and, eventually, the vicar of Rome became known as the Vicar of Christ.

The following comes from gotquestions.org—as previously stated, an inter-net site that provides an often fifty-fifty (could be this/could be that – not really sure) interpretation to the Scriptures, which, in this case, instructively points the finger at the Pope as being the Antichrist:

The term "vicar" comes from the Latin word vicarius, which means "instead of." In the Catholic Church, the vicar is the representative of a higher-ranking official, with all of the same authority and power that that official has. Calling the pope the "Vicar of Christ" implies that he has the same power and authority that Christ had over the church. The title is derived from Jesus' words in John 21:16-17 to Peter, "Feed my lambs. . . . Take care of my sheep." This, according to Catholic reasoning, defines Peter as the Prince of the Apostles, the first pope, and fulfills the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18-19 (calling Peter the rock upon which Jesus will build His church).

For a better understanding of whether or not it is biblical to consider that a mere man is the representative of Christ, we turn to the pages of Scripture to find out what it says about Jesus' role in our lives, when He walked the Earth and what He continues to do right now. The letter to the Hebrews draws the comparison between Jesus and the high priest Melchizedek (Genesis chapter 14) and contrasts this with the old Levitical priesthood. The question posed is that if perfection could be obtained by following the law, why was it necessary for another priest to come (Hebrews 7:11)?

The writer of Hebrews answers the question and states:

 “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of power of an indestructible life. For it is declared, ‘You are a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.’ The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:14-19).

 

This makes Jesus superior to the priests, and more importantly, the high priests. This is the key text: “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:23-25).

 

This means that Jesus is our high priest forever. Since He is "holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, [and] exalted above the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26), He is unlike other priests in that He "does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once and for all when He offered Himself" (Hebrews 7:27). Men are appointed by the Law, and men are weak. But the Son was appointed by the New Covenant, and He has been made perfect forever (Hebrews 7:28). The ministry of Jesus is superior to the old, and it is founded on better promises (Hebrews 8:6).

 

The Bible says of Jesus that there is no other name by which men can be saved (Acts 4:12). There is only one mediator between God and men, and that is Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). We can now see that there is no biblical foundation for claiming to be a representative of Christ on earth. No man could do what Christ has done, or what Christ is now doing on behalf of humankind. But the title of vicar also carries with it another implication: the bearer has the same jurisdictional power of the official he represents. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus Christ is the one who says He will build His church; He never delegates this power. By claiming the title of Vicar of Christ, the reigning pope is, in fact, promising to do what Christ promised.

Jesus does indeed predict a “vicar” in the sense of a “replacement” for His physical presence here on Earth. However, this “vicar of Christ” is not a priest, high priest, bishop, or pope. The only biblical “Vicar of Christ” is the Holy Spirit. John 14:26 declares, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:16-18 proclaims, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” The Holy Spirit is Christ’s “replacement” on the Earth. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Teacher (John 14:26), and guide into all truth (John 16:13).

In claiming that the pope is the “Vicar of Christ,” the Roman Catholic Church rejects the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ’s priesthood, and grants to the pope roles that Jesus Christ Himself declared would belong to the Holy Spirit. It is therefore blasphemy to ascribe to the pope the title of “Vicar of Christ.”

We are to be lifted up on eagle’s wings by the Spirit of God and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, if we are saints of God. This is what the baptism of the Holy Spirit means for us. Just as Jesus was taken into the wilderness after the Spirit of God came upon Him, we too begin a wilderness walk in our lives. We become changed individuals who have a new orientation in our view to life, because our direction has changed. Instead of self-worship, or worshipping the god of this world by default, we are now able to worship our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, having been baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The lion stood up like a man and was given a man’s heart.  This could mean that it had a deceptive heart. Nowhere in the Bible do we learn of adult men having naturally pure hearts. Rather than being a man given wings, who seeks to be heavenly minded, we find this is a lion; a king of beasts that has the wings of an eagle—symbolically, representing a spiritual lion; in particular, the Lion of Judah (cf. Revelation 5:5). This creature then stands like a man; but it is a beast standing like a man. In saying that it is given a man’s heart, this could mean so that it can identify with men. Nevertheless, men have deceptive hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), but this does not mean they cannot repent and allow God to give them a new heart (Ezekiel 11:19). Having a deceptive heart is what comes when one puts one’s trust in man. Trusting man is be cursed of God (Jeremiah 17:5). For the lion to receive the heart of a man clearly indicates that this creature is going to identify as man. What better way would there be for the Devil to identify with humans other than claim to be the Vicar of Christ (a substitute Lion of Judah) and seek for people (even the saints of the Most High) to put their trust in him.

From what we can ascertain from the Scriptures, the first beast seems to represent the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church; which is an amalga-mation of heathen worship and Christian teaching.

The Second Beast

Behold, another animal, a second, like a bear; and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth: and they said thus to it, Arise, devour much flesh. (Daniel 7:5)

The bear with ribs is the second beast and there does not seem to be anything unnatural about this. The bear mauls an animal and it somehow has the sternum in its mouth with three ribs hanging out. The other feature about this bear is that it was raised up on one side. The bear is obviously having a meal, and is encouraged to devour much flesh.

King David, as a boy, killed both lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34-37). King David was a person who had a heart after God (1 Samuel 13:14).  Lions and bears are noted in the Bible to possess similar characteristics. For we learn the following:

He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

(Lamentations 3:10)

 

As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people. (Proverbs 28:15)

The account of two bears mauling forty-two youth (2 Kings 2:24) provides a picture of how savage bears can be. The bear in this vision is told to devour flesh. Of the four beasts, only the bear presents as ordinary, though this is still a spiritual influence within the hearts of men.  The other three are not natural beasts but unnatural. This suggests that the bear represents wicked rulers who prey on people with cunning or upon those at their mercy. Although there is nothing different in this respect to the Devil, but the element of savagery could indicate warriors or people who go to war.

As it happens, the Knights Templar formed around AD 1119, went to war, and ruled over Jerusalem and surrounds. What is more intriguing is that the Knights Templar became bankers (compare Proverbs 22:7), espoused Gnosticism[ii] and associated with masons. The secret society of Rosicrucians purports origins from the Middle East, and a later association with the Knights Templar in Portugal has also been recorded. However, being a secret society, its origins are not confirmed, only its association with the Masonic Lodge and the Knights Templar.

Historically, the Knights Templar organization supposedly ceased to exist when its leader the Grand Master Jacques de Molay was executed by Philip IV at Paris, France on March 18, 1314. Information about the Knights Templar is mixed, with researchers attempting to debunk existing material that supports the organization going underground. The people involved in the Knights Templar dynasty numbered upwards of 120,000. Executing less than one thousand of them does not necessitate that the organization disbanded—such a large number (120,000) suggests otherwise.

The document known as the Larmenius Charter[iii] lists the names of twenty-two Grand Masters of the Knights Templar from Jacques de Molay’s death until 1804. Although, those who say the Knights Templar ceased to exist decry this document, this is not the case with those who attest to its validity. Particularly, researchers who point to the historical evidence that suggests the Knights Templar had roots in England and Cyprus at the time, and when the lands they held in France were confiscated after the execution of their Grand Master, knights went underground, migrating to Scotland and Switzerland. Interestingly, there is even an argument made for the members of the Knights Templar being responsible for Belgium becoming an independent state—and, incidentally, Brussels is a city with seven hills.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, which has been able to remain visible throughout history, the Knights Templar had to seemingly disband to survive. History is a double-edged sword; because much is written that is mixed with exaggeration or outright untruth. Nevertheless, certain facts stand that point to the ring of truth. For what we do know is the Knights Templar existed. History tells us that they were murderous mercenaries, international bankers and delved into practices associated with the occult; although, at the lower levels of the organization, they presented a façade of Christian humility through the Cathars, which were Manichean[iv] with a possible cloak of Roman Catholicism to further confuse the uninitiated. Even though there is much mystery concerning the Templars, they still exist and connect with Free-masonry; which itself is shrouded with secrecy. Maybe pure happenstance is the reason that the Illuminati, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Gnosticism, and the Knights Templar all have an affinity, and they all subscribe to the dualism of the Manicheans—then, maybe not. 

Manicheanism is about obtaining salvation through knowledge, which is contrary to the Roman Catholic belief of salvation through the Virgin—who was really a symbol for love. This being what the Knights Templar originally presented to the Church by the first Grand Master of the order, Hugues de Payens.  Little is known about de Payens, apart from the fact that along with Bernard of Clairvaux (an advocate for salvation being obtained through the Virgin Mary)[v] the rules for the order were drawn up.

The Templars originated from the Cathars, who were believed to have espoused Manicheanism, an elaborate dualistic cosmology that incorporates the struggle against good and evil.  The lower echelon of the Cathars may have believed that they existed to perpetuate good, the higher echelon, which consisted of the Knights Templar, proved otherwise.  In the Book of Two Principles, we read an innocuous declaration that was believed and practiced by the ordinary folk, but certainly not by the Knight Templars:

Hence, this is the basis on which we can serve God and Christ, when we carry out their will with the aid of the true Father, namely, by alleviating hunger and other hurtful things among the creatures of the good Lord.[vi] 

In all probability, Hugues de Payens, with the assistance of Bernard of Clairvaux—an advocate of the Virgin as mediatrix for mankind, who was later canonized as a saint and declared a doctor of the Church of Rome—presented an acceptable premise to the Pope for the Knights Templar to receive the blessings of the Church. This also explains the confusion that exists regarding the beliefs of the Cathars. What Bernard of Clairvaux did enabled the Knights Templar to operate their crusades, which were nothing more than a plundering of Jerusalem and the surrounding territory.

As the Knights Templar became more powerful and arrogant in their dealings with the nobility through their banking enterprise, resentment against them grew. The Pope having learnt that the true Templar teaching excluded the adherence to the Roman Catholic beliefs regarding the Virgin, in preference for the dualism of Manichaeism, declared them heretics and issued a Bull to destroy them. For Manichaeism is about salvation through knowledge and excludes the Babylonian practice of the Roman Catholics that incorporates the Mother/Son motif, wherein salvation is believed to come through a virgin. The Bible, of course, teaches salvation comes only through Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Him alone.

Concerning Manichaeism, the Catholic Encyclopedia informs us:

Manichæism is a religion founded by the Persian Mani in the latter half of the third century. It purported to be the true synthesis of all the religious systems then known, and actually consisted of Zoroastrian Dualism, Babylonian folklore,  Buddhist ethics, and some small and superficial, additions of Christian elements.  As the theory of two eternal principles,  good and evil, is predominant in this fusion of ideas and gives color to the whole, Manichæism is classified as a form of religious Dualism…. The key to Mani's system is his cosmogony. Once this is known there is little else to learn. In this sense, Mani was a true Gnostic, as he brought salvation by knowledge.

Interestingly, the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia claims Manichaeism incorporates Babylonian folklore. Yet the Roman Catholics incorporate the mother-child motif that is promoted as the means of salvation rather the Son of God. This being how the organization itself came about when it was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire by Constantine, who mixed Babylonian symbolism and beliefs with Christian concepts. This identifies the spirit of the Roman Catholic Church as that of Babylonian. As it happens, the lion-eagle-man symbolism of this vision of Daniel, the majority of commentators claim refers to Babylon. In doing this they mistakenly begin seeing this as a duplication of the prophecy of Daniel 2, where the first kingdom was Babylon and the second kingdom was Persia. Yet we find that the Knights Templar reject the Babylonian virgin myth and adopt the Persian ideals. The parallels exist and, because of this, many people jump to conclusions and are unable to discern the truth; the reason being, they are not seeking the Holy Spirit to show them the truth. The beasts have to arise out of the peoples and continue until the end of the age, not cease to exist, as did the Persian Empire.

Clearly, research into the Knights Templar’s reign indicates that the symbolism, associated with the bear in this vision of Daniel, fits them. They used the cover of a religious organization, but in reality were like the bear that devours its prey as members perform their wicked acts and gain the upper hand over people. The introduction of usury and controlling the banks is attributed to the Jews. Rothschilds are accredited with the introduction of international banking, but the Knights Templar were doing this some six-hundred years earlier. The influence of the Knights Templar on European society as it went underground cannot be underestimated.

Surely, it has to be more than coincidence that Switzerland, a community of farmers who came of fighting age in AD 1315, when the Swiss Confederacy defeated the Habsburgs at the battle of Morgarten,[vii] after the death of Jaques de Molay in AD 1314. Moreover, the Swiss have a flag similar to the Templars, and are renowned for their banking expertise, engaging in similar practices of secrecy and the use of deposit boxes.[viii]

Many have referred to the ribs that the bear in the vision has as being three other nations. Ribs exist primarily to protect the organs of the body. When we look at the ribs in the Bible, we learn that Eve was made from the rib of Adam. Eve, being made from the rib of Adam, was created to protect the man from something, for we read that it was not good that man should be alone. Eve was created to protect man from loneliness. Although, the general view is that Eve was created as a helper for Adam. However, we are looking at symbolism and seeking to understand what the Scriptures mean by allowing them to self-interpret and provide a map for us to follow. This being the case, we conclude that ribs are created to protect the heart of the matter, so to speak, even help achieve desired outcomes. This suggests that the three ribs that the bear has in its mouth are the keys to protecting this kingdom.

The Knights Templar had an association with Richard the Lion Hearted, and were received in England. The British Crown were in debt to the Knights Templar, as were other kings in Europe. What is interesting, the City of London was given its independence during this time. When exclusivity of municipal corporations was reigned in under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, the City of London was permitted to retain its exclusivity. Today the City of London is known as the City of London Corporation and, effectively, outside of the domain of the English Parliament.

In the West, two other cities exist that are similar to the City of London, which also are self-governing: Washington D.C. (District of Columbia), and the Vatican. Washington D.C. is not actually part of the United States of America, even though it controls the other states. The Vatican exists in Rome and is self-governed, independent of any Italian authority. While all three cities have banks, only the City of London is known as the financial capital of the world. Washington is renowned for the Pentagon, the center for military control. The Vatican is known for its religious influence. Washington is controlled financially by the City of London, via the Fed. The Vatican is controlled financially by the City of London.

International banking is often accredited to the Rothschilds, who capitalized on it in the eighteenth century. When we dig deeper, we learn that it began with the Knights Templar, who probably influenced the Medici banking empire that emerged on the Templar’s heels in the late 1300s. More than this, when we begin to research international banking and dig beyond the economic aspect to understand the philosophy behind it, by digging deeper, we encounter the Freemasons that leads us to Rosicrucianism, Gnosticism, the Kabbala, and the Illuminati. The association of Jews and the Kabbala with the Knights Templars and the Cathars is rejected by scholars from mainstream orthodoxy, who dutifully obey their masters. Nevertheless, the correlation is affirmed time-wise, when one author from an Oxford University Press publication, dealing with the Kabbala, attempts to debunk any association between the Kabbalists and the Cathars. In other words, that the Kabbalists originated at the time the Cathars existed at the same location is merely coincidence. He writes

The first kabbalistic text with a known author that reached us is a brief treatise, a commentary on the Sefer Yezira written by Rabbi Isaac ben Abraham the Blind, in Provence near the turn of the thirteenth century. The Kabbalists originated in 13th-century Provence, which was at that time also the center of the Gnostic Cathars. While some scholars in the middle of the 20th century tried to assume an influence between the Cathar "gnostics" and the origins of the Kabbalah, this assumption has proved to be an incorrect generalization not substantiated by any original texts.[ix]

Writer Grigor Fedan, when writing his novel the Templars, Two Kings and a Pope, impressed the Knights Templar magazine editor[x] with the breadth and depth of his research. He discovered:  

Historical accounts tell that in 1307 when the king of France went after the Order of the Temple, there were approximately 15,000 Templars. Of these, about 3,000 were knights, 1,000 squires, and 3,000 sergeants. The rest were priests, masons, smiths, medical personnel, lawyers, financiers, clerks, cooks, farmers, and assorted other occupations. During the time the Templars were in the Holy Land, there were also "Associates," noblemen who served for some time in the Templars as punishment for a crime and did not take vows, but had to live like monks nevertheless. They underwent training and joined in fighting if deemed able, not as knights but in a lesser capacity. Most likely, there was a special place in the ranks for them.[xi]

Fedan claims, as do other researchers, that the Knights Templar were instrumental in the founding of Switzerland. He also postulates that they were instrumental in the creation of Belgium. Coincidentally—or is it—Switzerland is where the Bank of International Settlements is located, not to mention much of the world’s gold is stacked away in the vaults of Swiss Banks on behalf of undisclosed owners. And ironically, (city of seven hills) Brussels, Belgium, is where the European Government is located.

The hidden hand of the spirit of the bear with three ribs still exists and appears to have influence over the people of the world, as does the spirit of the lion with eagle’s wings and a heart of a man, which are important aspects of this prophecy, for these have to remain until the time of the end.

As has already been shown, the Knights Templar were a murderous outfit that profited from plunder and usury.  However, too many interpreters interpret the three ribs without consideration of their purpose. Based on what is essentially a guess at what the ribs might be, most interpreters tend to follow the historical pattern, as illustrated in the following comments:

The fierceness of the Medo-Persian soldiers is depicted in the bear of verse 5. When the Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon, they also conquered Lydia and Egypt. The three ribs in the bear’s mouth represent these three nations—Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. Medo-Persia ruled the Middle East from 539 to 331 BC

The leopard is an appropriate symbol of Alexander the Great’s empire, Greece. The Greek king conquered with the swiftness of a leopard flying with eagle’s wings. Why does this leopard have four heads? When Alexander died in a drunken stupor at age thirty-three, his four generals—Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy—divided up the empire. Bible prophecy is incredibly accurate.[xii] The Greeks ruled from 331 to 168 BC[xiii] 

In the Journal of Iconographic Studies, we see the reasoning why the traditional view interprets this vision as referring to Babylon, Persia and Macedonia (the Greeks).[xiv] Pavel Stefanov writes:

Daniel, gives us an example of these predatory nations that would attack Israel. He gives us a prophetic vision of beasts representing four empires that will devour Israel. His description of the third empire is probably influenced by the Babylonian winged lions which he encountered often in his daily life in exile: like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, an dominion was given to it” (7:6). An analysis of Daniel’s prophecies will help us to identify this figurative leopard empire as Greece, led by the victorious Alexander the Great. The speed, agility, the leopard-like strategy and cunning ability of Alexander’s armies to overcome forces much stronger than themselves is used descriptively here in God’s word to foretell the future from that period onwards and warn Israel of troubles to come.

When we consider the spirit that is associated with the Greeks, we are informed that they are secularists, devoted to reasoning, humanism and democracy. The Greeks of Alexander’s time were not so democratic, and traditionally the four heads are taken to represent the four generals that followed after him. While the similarities are remarkable when comparing the kingdoms of this vision with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the duplication seems unnecessary, and when we consider how it flows into the fourth kingdom, there is massive gap when it comes to the end of the age.  Whereas if we read the book of Daniel carefully, without jumping to conclusions, we see three visions that take different routes and explain how history unfolds until the First and Second Advents of Lord Jesus Christ.

The first vision, leads us straight to the Kingdom of God being established on Earth, the second vision shows us how the god of this world is attempting to take control and the third vision shows us how a fight in Heaven between warring princes pans out. Right now, we are discussing the second vision and have given consideration to the first and second beast.

The Third Beast

After this I saw, and behold, another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. (Daniel 7:6)

From the Bible we learn that a leopard is opportunistic, swift, and is identifiable in that it does not change its spots. (The Bible’s description of a leopard as swift compared to a lion is characteristic of a cheetah. For leopards and lions are clocked running the same speed.)

Therefore a lion out of the forest shall kill them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; everyone who goes out there shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many, and their backsliding is increased. (Jeremiah 5:6)

Therefore I am like a lion to them. Like a leopard, I will lurk by the path. (Hosea 13:7)

 

Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Yes, their horsemen come from afar. They fly as an eagle that hurries to devour. (Habakkuk 1:8) [hyperbole-used][xv]

 

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. (Jeremiah 13:23)

This description of the leopard as being easily identifiable, opportunistic, and swift to take down its prey would have to describe the spirit of this present age that is operating in the world today and manifests as atheism. Those who are of the socialist left claim that they want tolerant social cohesion and freedom of speech, yet they promote a godless agenda, taking every opportunity to supplant existing legislation with laws that oppose free speech. To this extent, they verbally savage those with whom they disagree and demonstrate no compunction as they swiftly resort to violence.

This unusual winged leopard with its four heads represents the Age of the Enlightenment. If we were to identify the kings of the first three kingdoms represented by these beasts, we would have to point to the Emperor Constantine, and even though not kings in the traditional sense, Hugues de Payens and Voltaire.

Voltaire is the key figure in the spawning of this Age of Enlightenment where the state and the church are separated, which he saw as an extension of the separation of the government and the monarch under the constitutional monarchy that existed in England. The importance of Voltaire is evidenced by the fact Oxford University has a department dedicated to him.  The department houses a collection of five hundred and fifty books that comprise studies into the Enlightenment. This is now known as the Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment, but was previously called Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century. [xvi]

Voltaire was not quite in the league of Locke, Kant and others of their ilk, but he became the voice for the enlightenment. He was not only anti-Roman Catholic, but anti-Jewish and anti-Christ, and was even said to be anti-God. Along with church authority, Voltaire saw no need for conventional morality, and become an advocate for humanistic virtues (relative morality, situational ethics) and utilitarian deism.[xvii] Although, there are contradictory claims that he stated he believed in God, became a Christian, and became a mason just before his death upon the encouragement of his good friend Benjamin Franklin.[xviii] In Wikipedia, we find this written about Benjamin Franklin:

Franklin was foundational in defining the American ethos as a marriage of the practical values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. In the words of historian Henry Steele Commager, "In a Franklin could be merged the virtues of Puritanism without its defects, the illumination of the Enlightenment without its heat." To Walter Isaacson, this makes Franklin "the most accomplished American of his age and the most influential in inventing the type of society America would become.” 

Many will tell us that the United States was founded upon the Bible and Christian principles. Bill Flax writing for Forbes writes:

Our nation was predicated on unalienable rights with govern-ance through family, church and community, each rightfully sovereign within its sphere. Human dignity, legal equality and personal freedom reflect biblical values imparted on Western Civilization, which retains these values in secular form while expunging their Author from public discourse…. Americans are frequently reminded of what the revisionists deem our greatest achievement: “Separation of Church and State.” [xix]

The separation of church and state is not part of the American constitution and the phrase "separation of church and state" itself does not appear in the United States Constitution. What we find instead is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Even so, Voltaire was very influential and besides Benjamin Franklin, no doubt he had some influence upon Thomas Jefferson. For Jefferson was a voracious reader, rejected organized religion, was a deist and Freemason, who espoused fundamental human rights and religious freedom. These are reflected in the United States Constitution as they were also written into the Northwest Ordinances of 1787, having been drafted by Jefferson in 1784.[xx]

Voltaire abhorred the Bible. He commended the popes that forbade reading the Bible;[xxi] which can only originate from the spirit of the Antichrist. Voltaire made his reputation defending those who rejected the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the Bible.[xxii]  However, there is a difference between a libertarian spirit and an atheist spirit. A true libertarian acknowledges freewill and justice. Atheists and Satanists resent the authority and rights that God possesses, as those from both camps seek to reign over Earth with the aim of excluding the Creator. Atheists do not want to honor any god, let alone the Creator, but they are unaware that the god of this world has blinded their minds. Satanists consider themselves the enlightened ones, and while Voltaire was not a Satanist (many claim he was a deist), he was doing the work of the god of this world and paving the way for atheism to flourish.

Henry Makow Ph.D. writes in Illuminati: The Cult That Hijacked The World:

The so-called "Enlightenment" (named for Lucifer, the "Light Bearer") was really a rejection of God's plan for man and a foolhardy assertion of human arrogance. The outcome of this perverse philosophy is that we increasingly live in a Judeo-Masonic solipsism based on defiance of God, nature and truth.[xxiii]

In Daniel’s vision, the leopard was given dominion, but there is no explanation as to where this dominion was. The clue is in the four heads. Biblical symbolism does not refer to the head to indicate kings or rulers—the exception being: “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.  They are seven kings…” (Revelation 17:9-10a). The reference is to the heads as mountains, which are seven kings, thus indicating that the heads do not represent the kings but the mountains do. Mountains are symbolically used to represent kings and kingdoms (Psalm 68:16; 48:1-4).  Isaiah speaks of the  "mountain of the Lord's House"  (Isa.2:1-2) as being the mountain above the mountains (i.e. kingdoms). Such was the stone that hit the image of Nebuchadnezzar that it filled the whole Earth; representing the Kingdom of God.  In respect to crowns, they may be placed on heads to denote rulership, but the head itself does not. The head represents leadership, knowledge, freewill and freedom; thereby, influence. The head itself does not represent the power that is invested in kings, even though kings may lead and be influential.

Yahweh will make you the head, and not the tail. You will be above only, and you will not be beneath; if you listen to the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I command you today, to observe and to do. (Deuteronomy 28:13)

 

He will lend to you, and you won’t lend to him. He will be the head, and you will be the tail. (Deuteronomy 28:44)

 

The elder and the honorable man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail. (Isaiah 9:15)

In the vision, the fourth beast has horns and these are explained to represent kings. The four heads of the leopard are not explained as representing four kings. This leopard represents one king or kingdom. But in saying that the kingdom has a king, in this instance, this does not necessarily mean a king in the natural sense.  For this is more a reference to a reigning sphere of influence that operates as an invisible ruler over the affairs of men. Voltaire is the king, even though he has no appointment as such; nevertheless, the spirit unleashed through him rules. In the case of this leopard, the four heads actually represent the four corners of the Earth, and atheism is to exert its influence and spread across the globe.

When we look at what atheism has wrought across the globe, we see that whenever it has reared its head to assert authority among the nations, it is a swift, fierce, violent demonstration of might. However, the wings on the leopard indicate that this is spiritual or ideological and not so much like the bear that represents the Templar Knights, which had no wings. The outcomes of atheism are brutal and savage; but atheists are not the ones who are attempting to rule the globe—Satanists are.

One of the interesting facts about attributing this kingdom to the Greeks, is there was no democracy during the reign of Alexander and his generals over their respective kingdoms. But because democracy supposedly originated with the Greeks, many interpretations of this prophecy incorrectly claim that Alexander the Great spread democracy. However, democracy spread across the world because of the Age of Enlightenment, which was spearheaded by Voltaire, in the company of the likes of Denis Diderot (materialistic atheist who promoted situational ethics), Jean Jacques Rousseau (inspirer of socialism), Adam Smith (father of economics), David Hume (atheist and moral relativist who saw virtue in pride) and others. This was mainly because of the so-called “libertarian influence” that came from the idea of separation of church from state, and state from monarchy.

Voltaire, along with others, influenced Jeremy Bentham[xxiv] mentor of John Stuart Mill, who laid the groundwork for economic philosophy that heavily influenced the growth and prosperity of the industrial age; which encompassed a form of socialism whereupon only those who were sufficiently educated were entitled to vote. Production was the result of labor, and distribution the domain of the elite. However, Bentham’s influence appears to have gone further than that of Voltaire. The following reveals how Jeremy Bentham’s influence extends into the present day:

He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the develop-ment of welfarism. He advocated individual and economic freedom, the separation of church and state, freedom of expression, equal rights for women, the right to divorce, and the decriminalising of homosexual acts. He called for the abolition of slavery, the abolition of the death penalty, and the abolition of physical punishment, including that of children. He has also become known in recent years as an early advocate of animal rights Though strongly in favour of the extension of individual legal rights, he opposed the idea of natural law and natural rights, calling them "nonsense upon stilts"[xxv]

Bentham is credited, however, with founding utilitarianism when he wrote An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Since Bentham, prominent utilitarians have included John Stuart Mill, Henry Sidgwick, R. M. Hare and Peter Singer. The philosophy has been applied to modern issues including the suffering of non-human animals. Specifically, utilitarianism has been applied to the ethics of raising animals for food.[xxvi]

Utilitarianism is a form of humanistic consequential morality where what is considered moral depends on the effects it produces (e.g. feminists are outraged when a person suggests that a woman is biologically designed to have children, but have no qualms endorsing infanticide, which is murder, because this frees mothers from the dutiful responsibility of raising children). Henry Sidgwick rescinded his membership to the Church of England and eventually described himself as an ethical hedonist. On the other hand, R. M. Hare, was not an atheist and he is renowned for his parable of a lunatic, which was directed at the atheist Antony Flew, who late in his life is believed to have yielded to commonsense and became a Christian, after having denounced his atheism—much to the chagrin of atheists, who claim that he never did; or that he had become senile; or the Christians, who were with him at the time, were liars.  Flew’s writings influenced many of the high profile atheists who were prominent at the turn of the twenty-first century. As a consequence of the publication of his book There is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed his Mind, atheists whom Antony Flew had influenced were in denial that he authored the book. Yet Flew wrote a rather telling review of Dawkins’ popular book the God Delusion and pointed out what is none other than a pervasive feature of the spirit of the current age and atheism in general:

The God Delusion by the atheist writer Richard Dawkins, is remarkable in the first place for having achieved some sort of record by selling over a million copies. But what is much more remarkable than that economic achievement is that the contents – or rather lack of contents – of this book show Dawkins himself to have become what he and his fellow secularists typically believe to be an impossibility: namely, a secularist bigot.[xxvii]

The leopard represents the kingdom that reigns during this age in which we live. The Bible states that a leopard does not change its spots. Likewise, many atheists claiming to be libertarian, and that they are opposed to big government, when given the opportunity, become totalitarian. Atheistic socialists are the same. They claim they desire to work for the common good of the public, but they too are instinctive totalitarians.

Peter Singer asserts that he is a hedonistic utilitarian; which really means that he believes in situational ethics. Singer is known to elevate the rights of animals above humans and is an advocate not only of abortion but also infanticide.[xxviii]  It is not too hard to extrapolate Singer’s philosophy of one that sees his version of the common good to be similar to the version that predominates governments ruled by tyrants or totalitarians.

However, the other kingdoms are also represented in the age we live. An atheist unwittingly attests to this in his book The Failure of Daniel’s Prophecies, wherein he assesses the historical evidence and demonstrates how he believes the book of Daniel had to have been written after the fact. In debunking what he says is the Evangelical Christian’s claim (the symbolism of the lion, bear and leopard represent Babylon, Medes and Persia—or Greece), he writes that Daniel says that these kingdoms have to survive “until the arrival of the Messianic Kingdom (Daniel 7:7,11-12).”[xxix] The atheist sees this as evidence that the prophecy is false. But as we have seen, the actual evidence indicates that the prophecy is not false, because these kingdoms are current. The spirit of the bankers who mercilessly bankrupt economies still lives on. The spirit of Babylon is still alive and well in the Roman Catholic Church. Yet Jesus said to the Church of Philadelphia, the age in which Voltaire and the international banker’s influence began to pervade the globe, that He would show the synagogue of Satan how much He loved His people.  The true church has grown and has entered into the Laodicean age, where, unfortunately, Voltaire’s influence, and particularly that of the international bankers, are causing what masquerades as the church of Lord Jesus Christ to become lukewarm towards the truth. The final age is about to come upon us, and this is when the kingdom of the last beast emerges, which is that described in the book of Revelation.

The last beast is much different to the other three beasts; so much so, that Daniel found himself fascinated by this and he only sought the explanation for this beast.

The Fourth Beast

After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, a fourth animal, awesome and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was diverse from all the animals that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

(Daniel 7:7-8)

This beast is remarkably similar to the beast described in the book of Revelation that has ten horns. In particular, the description of the beast in Revelation chapter thirteen appears to be a composite beast that was lifted out of Daniel chapter seven. For we read:

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. They worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his dwelling, those who dwell in heaven. It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. (Revelation 13:1-8)

Clearly, this beast is the merging of the previous three beasts. This beast looks like a leopard, has the feet of a bear, a mouth like a lion, seven heads and ten horns. Like a leopard, this beast has not changed; it seeks to rip apart its prey and devour it like a lion. The seven heads represent the seven continents of the Earth and the ten horns represent ten kingdoms or dominions. From the prophecy of Daniel, we know that three of these kingdoms are going to be uprooted by another king. This other king is the false prophet who will cause people to worship the beast. The three kingdoms that are to be uprooted are the three city states of Washington D.C., City of London Corporation and The Vatican. This is because the false prophet will take over the world’s finances that are controlled by the institutions within those states.

The District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), The City of London and The Vatican are corrupt representations of the cornerstones upon which civilization is built. The military headquarters are at the Pentagon situated in the District of Columbia. The world’s major banks are situated within the City of London. Religion is at the heart of The Vatican. Civilization requires a knowledge of right and wrong, laws and law enforcement. Essentially, religion is an outward expression of the conscience; civil law is required for commercial transactions and human interaction; government is required for law enforcement when violations of the law occur.

The false prophet that is going to appear on the world stage is going to cause people to worship the beast, because he is going to demonstrate he has the capacity to fix the world’s economic situation and bring peace to a troubled world by convincing people that he has extraordinary abilities. The false prophet could make out that he is an alien from outer space. This is what the Bible has to say about the false prophet:

I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon.  He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.  He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people.  He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.  It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed.  He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads;  and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:11-17)

There is every probability that the false prophet could claim that he is Jesus Christ, the Buddist Maitreya, the Shiite Imam Mahdi, the Kalki Avata (final incarnation of Vishnu), and seek to unite all the religions of the world as he brings in a New World Order under one government.  If the false prophet claims to be Lord Jesus Christ, the Beast will be claiming that he is God. How the beast manifests himself is open for speculation. There is every possibility that this will be some hybrid creature, possibly a human with robotic artificial intelligence (AI) functions that the Devil himself enters, just as he did Judas Iscariot. The Beast will then be seated on a throne at the Temple in Israel.

From the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days.  Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days. (Daniel 12:11-12)

The fourth beast is described as having been given its power by the dragon, who has seven heads, ten horns and seven diadems upon its head.

Another sign was seen in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven crowns. (Revelation 12:3)

 

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. (Revelation 13:1)

 

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. And on her forehead a name was written, “Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of The Prostitutes And Of The Abominations Of The Earth….The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns….Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.…The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour. These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast….He said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

(Revelation 17:1-5,7,9,12,13,15). 

This fourth beast is described symbolically to possess three different features: heads, horns and crowns. The heads we are told are mountains. The horns are kings. We are not told what the crowns (Gk: stéphanos[xxx]) represent; this is because we ought to know that these refer to the victor’s crown that was given to athletes in the form of a wreath, or a braided crown of thorns, as was placed on the head of our Lord Jesus (Matthew 27:29). However, in this case, the victor’s crown for those who rule in the world results from being spiritually in league with the Devil. The Pope wears a miter to signify that he is a victor in this world. The miter is what was worn by priests of the Philistine’s god, Dagon. The Roman Catholic encyclopedia informs us:

A Philistine deity. It is commonly admitted that the name Dagon is a diminutive form, hence a term of endearment, derived from the Semitic root dag, and means, accordingly, "little fish". The name, therefore, indicates a fish-shaped god. This the Bible also suggests when speaking of 

(fig. 6)

the Dagon worshipped in the temple of Azotus (1 Samuel 5:1-7): he had face and hands and a portion of his body resembled that of a fish, in accordance with the most probable interpretation of "the stump of Dagon" (v.5).[xxxi]

On the previous page there is a picture[xxxii] of a Mesopotamian sculpture with the god Dagon. He has the fish head miter that is similar to the diadem that is seen on the Pope’s head.

In Wales, there exists an ancient stone with the image of Dagon[xxxiii] carved on it. What this suggests is that the seafaring Phoenicians had visited Wales and possibly had a site dedicated to Dagon.  The implication is that Dagon is not only a local god, but being a fish, the god of the seven seas. Although this idea may be scoffed at by many, the fact is the Pope wears a diadem (often elaborately encrusted with jewels) that looks like Dagon, the fish god, and the Holy See (holy chair) supposedly represents Christ reigning on Earth. And there is the connotation associated with the play on the English word “See”, the seven seas representing the world and the fish god that appears to have greater symbolic significance than what meets the eye.

The seven heads with the seven crowns that belong to the red dragon (Revelation 12:3) represent the Devil himself and his rule over the Earth. The great harlot sits on the dragon with the seven heads and ten horns and, in doing so, she is positioned upon the waters of the Earth (i.e. seven seas) We are told (Revelation 17:15) that the waters the great harlot sits on are the peoples of the Earth. Therefore the Great Harlot that is called Babylon the Great (from Mesopotamia), rules over the seven seas (all of the world), even if this has not been truly successful from the papal throne, although the Roman Catholic Church is found in many nations from the South West Pacific Ocean travelling West around the globe from New Zealand to Alaska, USA on the North East Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, the Devil, while residing in the heart of the great harlot has still been able to hold sway over the other peoples of the world. For Babylonian worship is essentially the worship of human-made deities whether Krishna, Buddha, the Moon god, a desert jin, other gods, or ancestors; in fact, the worship of any god, other than our righteous Creator. Whatever is of man is of Satan and whatever is of Satan is of man. Lord Jesus made this clear when rebuking the Apostle Peter:

But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.” (Mark 8:33)

The appearance of the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision may have fascinated him, but this is a kingdom ruled by an oppressive ruler who will be bent on the destruction of those who do not submit to his dictates. There will be no place for the people of Earth to hide from him, unlike human rulers. For when the Devil is cast out of Heaven and down to Earth, the Bible tells us that his fury will result in great wrath (Revelation 12:7-12). Not only will he persecute the people of God, the Devil will have it in his heart to insist upon every one worshipping him. The Devil’s absolute reign on Earth will be as savage as a bear, as swift as a leopard, and as fierce as a lion seeking to dominate its pride, as king of the jungle. He will have use of the technology that turned the buildings at the World Trade Center into dust before they had time to fall to the ground on that fatal day, September 11, 2001.

The beast that comes out of the sea, comes out of the peoples of the world. This beast has ten horns with ten crowns. These represent the power structure that is given to the world. There were only seven crowns on the heads of the dragon when he was cast down to Earth. However, the beast that comprises the people of the Earth, who have sold their souls to the dragon, are to be given reign over ten regions and this is represented by the ten crowns on its horns. These will be economic blocs as indicated on the universal product code (UPC) found on every barcode placed on manufactured goods. What Daniel saw was the symbolic representation of this, as did the Apostle John when on the Isle of Patmos.

History has a habit of repeating itself—because God is in control and has set the boundaries on man’s habitation (Acts 17:26). What is worthwhile noting is the similarity between the following from the book of Daniel.

As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings. (Daniel 7:24)

 

Now will I show you the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he has grown strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. (Daniel 11:2)

Charles John Ellicott was regarded as one of the most outstanding conservative biblical scholars during the 18^th century, being appointed a professor at Cambridge University in 1860. What Ellicott has to say regarding the four kings of Persia and the attack on the city states of Greece is well worth keeping in mind. He identifies that history repeats and suggests that independent states will need to be conquered by the fourth king. Instead, of countries being merged into trading blocs that are ruled over by an administrator, the coming Antichrist will have to tackle independent countries similar to the Greek city states in order to establish his supremacy.

This is the commencement of the revelation promised in Daniel 10:14; and from this point till the end of the book the difficulties that have to be encountered in attempting an exposition are almost insuperable. It has been customary from the time of St. Jerome, if not from an earlier epoch, to explain most of what follows as referring to the Ptolemies and Seleucidæ. The difficulties which oppose this interpretation will be pointed out in the notes. It is a question whether, after all, the early interpretation is correct, and, if not, whether this revelation does not still await its complete fulfilment. The mere similarity which exists between certain things predicted here and what actually occurred in the times of the Ptolemies is not sufficient to limit the fulfilment of the prophecy to those times, still less to justify the assumption that the section before us is a history of what occurred from the disruption of the Greek Empire to the death of Antiochus. “History repeats itself;” and just as Antiochus (Daniel 8:23-25) is a type of Antichrist (Daniel 7:21), so the events and political combinations which preceded Antiochus may be regarded as typical of what will occur before the coming of the Messiah and the general resurrection, with a prediction of which (Daniel 12:2-3) this revelation concludes.

Three kings.—It is hard to say who these were. Cyrus being on the throne already, it is most probable that his three successors are intended—Cambyses, Darius, and Xerxes. Those four kings appear to have been selected whose influence was most prominent in its bearings upon Israel. Xerxes is called the fourth king because the reckoning dates from Cyrus, and the short reign of the Pseudo Smerdis is not taken into account. Not only do the riches of Xerxes point him out as the last king, but also his conduct towards Greece may be correctly described as “stirring up” against himself “the realm of Grecia.”

Against . . .—The passage gives better sense if translated, he shall stir up all, the kingdom of Greece, that is, amongst those stirred up the kingdom of Greece is most prominent. It should be noticed that at the time of the invasion of Europe by Xerxes, Greece was in no sense “a kingdom.” Such language is incompatible with an authorship during the Maccabee period.[xxxiv] 

The three kings that are to be usurped by the fourth king actually represent three UPC regions (USA—0, UK—5, Vatican—8) that are usurped by another who comes out of one of the regions and takes control of the greatest portion of the globe’s wealth that is controlled by these regions. Notice Daniel’s prophecy concerning the fourth king (referring to Artaxerxes) as having the most riches, which is a key indicator of where the Antichrist is going to come from. More than this, there is the military might and the propaganda machine that is able to control the hearts of the people, by appealing to their natural sense of right and wrong. A perceived issue of injustice being rectified will occur when this fourth king appears on the scene and people are going to believe that wrongs will have been righted.

In all probability the poor, the unemployed and under-employed will hail the introduction of a one world digital currency that will promise them the benefit of a living wage to raise their living standards, so they will not have to beg, borrow or steal to make ends meet, because they have been excluded from the socio-economic benefits of the middle-class. The middle-class will not resent the poor receiving money for nothing because they also will be recipients of the same benefit.

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[i] World English Bible has “animals” here, whereas it ought to have “beasts”. Therefore the word has been changed to beasts, even though they are more or less the same thing.

[ii] In 1831, following the July Revolution, Fabré-Palaprat published the Evangelikon, a Gnostic version of the Gospel of John that omits intra-textual commentary and the Resurrection narrative, preceded by an introduction and a commentary allegedly written by Nicephorus, a Greek monk of Athens, that carries the name Lévitikon. The Lévitikon contains an esoteric lineage from Jesus to the Knights Templar, and hints that Jesus was an initiate of the mysteries of Osiris, which were passed on to John the Beloved. Fabré-Palaprat claimed to have bought this vellum manuscript (allegedly dating from the 15th century), from a Paris second-hand bookstall on New Year's Day in 1814. It was translated into English for the first time in 2010.  Rev. Donald Donato, The Lévitikon: The Gospels According to the Primitive Church (Apostolic Johannite Church, 2010), cited in Wikipedia, accessed 2017.

[iii] The Larmenius Charter, allegedly written in Latin in 1324, listed 22 successive Grand Masters of the Knights Templar from 1324 to 1804, Fabré-Palaprat's name appearing last on the list. The Charter is named after Johannes Marcus Larmenius, who allegedly wrote the document and was allegedly appointed Grand Master by Jacques de Molay while imprisoned, also having the power to appoint his successor (Thomas Theobaldus Alexandrinus in 1324; the first name on the list). Peter Partner, The Murdered Magicians: The Templars and Their Myth (Barnes & Noble Books, 1993), 135.

If the document had been written in 1324, it would have been remarkable prophecy.

[iv] “Cathari,” in Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 303.

[v]William Smith, Catholic Church Milestones: People and Events That Shaped the Institutional Church (Indianapolis: Left Coast, 2010), 32.

[vi] “Cathar Two Principles,” Gnosis Library, accessed June 5, 2016, http://gnosis.org/library/cathar-two-principles.htm.

[vii] “Battle of Morgarten,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed May 29, 2017, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Morgarten.

[viii] Karen Ralls, Knights Templar Encyclopedia: The Essential Guide to the People, Places, Events, and Symbols of the Order of the Temple (Career Press, 2007), 132.

[ix] Joseph Dan, Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), 24–25.

[x] “The Knights Templar and Church Pedophiles,” Grigor Fedan, accessed June 5, 2016, http://grigorfedan.com/main/The_Knights_Templar_and_Church_Pedophiles.

[xi] “Knights Templar History,” Grigor Fedan, accessed June 5, 2016, http://grigorfedan.com/main/knights_templar_history.

[xii] That Bible prophecy is incredibly accurate is not the problem. The problem is just the many interpretations that are not consistent and amount to guesswork.

[xiii] “Unsealing Daniel's Mysteries – Lesson 7: Kingdoms in Collision,” It Is Written, accessed June 5, 2016, http://www.itiswritten.com/unsealing-daniels-mysteries-lesson-7-kingdoms-in-collision.

[xiv] Archimandrite Pavel Stefanov, “The Lion and the Leopard in the Bible,” IKON: Journal of Iconographic Studies 2 (2009): 51.

[xv] Habakkuk uses hyperbole when identifying the horses being like eagles, as fierce as wolves and swifter than leopards. However the fact that the leopard here is identified as swift, indicates that this is probably a cheetah, not a leopard.

[xvi] “Oxford University Studies in the Enlightenment,” Wikipedia, accessed June 5, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Studies_in_the_Enlightenment.

[xvii] “Voltaire,” New World Encyclopedia, accessed July 21, 2016, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Voltaire.

[xviii] Voltaire was a known womanizer; so was Benjamin Franklin. Claude-Anne Lopez, “The Incomparable Mrs. Franklin,” Time Magazine, July 7, 2003, http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1005155,00.html.

[xix] Bill Flax, “The True Meaning of Separation of Church and State,” Forbes, July 9, 2011, https://www.forbes.com/sites/billflax/2011/07/09/the-true-meaning-of-separation-of-church-and-state.

[xx] “Northwest Ordinances,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed June 7, 2016, http://www.britannica.com/topic/Northwest-Ordinances.

[xxi] Nicholas Cronk, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Voltaire (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 199.

[xxii] Lynn Hunt and Jack Censer, “The French Revolution,” Center for History and New Media, accessed June 8, 2016, https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap3b.html.

https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap3b.html—retrieved, June 8, 2016.

[xxiii] Henry Makow, Illuminati: The Cult That Hijacked the World (Silas Green: Winnipeg, 2008), 21.

[xxiv] Bentham also drew upon the works of John Locke, David Hume, D’Alembert, Beccaria, Helvétius, and Diderot.

[xxv] “Jeremy Bentham,” Wikipedia, accessed June 7, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham..

[xxvi] “Utilitarianism,” Wikipedia, accessed June 7, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism.

[xxvii] Antony Flew, “Review of The God Delusion,” Bethinking.org, accessed July 17, 2016, http://www.bethinking.org/atheism/professor-antony-flew-reviews-the-god-delusion.

[xxviii] “Peter Singer’s Bold Defense of Infanticide,” Christian Research Institute, accessed July 17, 2016, http://www.equip.org/article/peter-singers-bold-defense-of-infanticide.

[xxix] Chris Sandoval (pseud.), “The Failure of Daniel's Prophecies,” Infidels.org, 2007, http://infidels.org/library/modern/chris_sandoval/daniel.html#4.

[xxx]  stéphanos – properly, a wreath (garland), awarded to a victor in the ancient athletic games (like the Greek Olympics).

[xxxi] “Dagon,” Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent, 1917, accessed July 22, 2016.

[xxxii] “Vatican Symbolism,” Biblioteca Pleyades, accessed July 23, 2016, http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/vatican/esp_vatican138.htm.

[xxxiii] “Mesopotamian Britain,” Richard J. Oldale, accessed July 23, 2016, https://richardjoldale.com/2015/10/20/mesopotamian-britain-2/.

[xxxiv] Charles John Ellicott, “Commentary on Daniel 11:4,” Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, accessed April 11, 2017, http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/daniel-11.html.

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