America in Bible Prophecy

and was told directly by God’s angel, “Those great beasts … are four kings” (7:17). This is one of many clues that the book of Daniel provides about Revelation’s beast from the sea. In fact, the books of Daniel and Revelation are like a key and its lock. In Daniel 12:4, we learn that Daniel has been instructed to lock up some of the prophecies given to him: But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. It is in Revelation 10 that we discover “a little book open” (v. 2). In Revelation lies the complementary half of Daniel’s prophecies, and it is by studying both books together that we can understand what God wants you to know about this “time of the end.” The Daniel Connection One important connection is Daniel 7 and Revelation 13. From the beginning of Daniel’s vision, you find noticeable similarities between these two chapters. For instance: And four great beasts came up from the sea (Daniel 7:3). And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). Not only do both chapters contain the symbol of “beasts,” but all the beasts depicted rise “out of the sea.” So what does “the sea” in Bible prophecy represent? Thankfully, we don’t have to guess—because an angel plainly explains: The waters ... are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues (Revelation 17:15). Remember, a beast represents a kingdom or nation. Here we learn that waters represent multitudes of people or large populations. That means these kingdoms arise from an area that is already heavily populated. Moreover, in Daniel 2, we’re told about a statue that is composed of several types of minerals, representing successive world powers that would hold sway over God’s people—the first four of which are Babylon, Medo-Persia, 7 BEAST VERSE KINGDOM QUALITY Lion with wings Verse 4 Babylon Lion with eagle’s wings, a common depiction of Marduk, the primary Babylonian god Bear raised up on one side Verse 5 Medo-Persia Two kingdoms, one greater than the other Leopard with four heads and four wings Verse 6 Greece Alexander the Great’s kingdom divided four ways Dreadful, terrible, exceedingly strong, iron teeth, different from all other beasts Verse 7 Rome Devoured nations by strength and cruelty, ascended to power as no other nation had before it During John’s captivity, he received an amazing vision from Jesus Christ about the last days; these prophecies are called “apocalyptic,” which means “revelation” or “unveiling,” because they reveal future events through symbolic imagery. The four beasts of Daniel 7 have characteristics that correspond to the real-world qualities of those world powers in Daniel 2.