Beasts of Daniel / Babylon the Great

In the Bible, a mountain figuratively represents a kingdom or the ruler of that kingdom.  The 7 mountains and the 7 kings referred to in Revelation 17:9-10 are one and the same.  This beast is in the same
form as Satan; the heads represent earthly kingdoms that Satan has (or
will) rule over.

At the time John was receiving this vision (c. 95 CE), the angel tells him that 5 of the kingdoms represented by the heads of the beast had fallen, one head currently existed, and the other had not yet appeared.  The angel is giving John (and us) a time sensitive clue. 
Five of the symbolic heads of the beast had already lost the power they
once possessed.  Those 5 were:

(1) Egypt
(2) Assyria
(3) Babylon
(4) Medo-Persia, and
(5) Greece

Rome was the 6th kingdom, the one in power at the time the Apocalypse was written.  Therefore, there remains only one more kingdom, the 7th, left to come.

The dream recorded in Daniel 2 which was given by the Eternal to Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar helps us to put the pieces of this puzzle together.  This dream deals with the last five of the seven heads of the beast:

DANIEL 2:28 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.  Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:  29 As for you, O king, thoughts came to your mind while on your bed,
about what would come to pass after this; and He who reveals secrets has
made known to you what will be.  30 But as for me, this secret has
not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living,
but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and
that you may know the thoughts of your heart.  31 You, O king, were
watching; and behold, a great image!  This great image, whose splendor
was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome.  32 "This
image's ¹head was of fine gold, its ²chest and arms of silver, its ³belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its ⁴legs of iron, its ⁵feet partly of iron and partly of clay." 

If we look at this description objectively, it's clear that we have 5 kingdoms described here, not the 4 usually identified by Bible scholars.  Plainly the feet composed of an iron/clay mixture represent a
different kingdom than the one symbolized by the legs of iron.

DANIEL 2:34 "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.  35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found.  And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.  36 This is the dream.  Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king." 

Who or what does this "stone cut out without hands" represent?  Clearly this is symbolic of the Messiah and his inauguration of the Kingdom of God at his second coming.  Notice that the stone strikes the
statue on its feet.  This obviously indicates that the kingdom
represented by the feet of this image will exist at the end of this age
when Yeshua returns to the earth.

The prophets Isaiah (Isa. 2:2-4) and Micah (Mic. 4:1-4) both speak of the time when this stone will become a great mountain and fill the entire earth:

MICAH 4:1 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples
shall flow to it.  2 Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us
go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of
Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths."  For
out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem.  3 He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong
nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  4 But everyone shall
sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them
afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 

Now let's begin to identify the 5 kingdoms represented by the different parts of the image:

DANIEL 2:37 "You, O king, are a king of kings.  For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the
children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the
heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over
them all you are this head of gold." 

We are clearly told that the head of gold on this statue is Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.  Remember, a king represents his kingdom in the Bible.  What does the total image represent?  Because
we are given the starting point (Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian empire) and
the ending point (the commingled empire represented by the feet and
toes which is defeated by Messiah at his return), we can deduce that
this image represents 5 of the 7 heads that John saw on the beast of
Revelation 17.  The 1st and 2nd satanic kingdoms (Egypt and Assyria)
had already fallen at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  Therefore,
they were excluded from the image.

DANIEL 2:39 "But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the
earth." 

Just as Daniel foretold, Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon was followed by the Medo-Persian empire.  The Medo-Persian empire was conquered by Alexander the Great's Greek empire, which at its peak stretched from
India to Europe.

DANIEL 2:40 "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that
crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others." 

Although it had been around for several centuries, the Roman empire rose to prominence and great power on the world scene in the 1st century BCE.  With their compelling military might, Rome crushed the remnants
of the other kingdoms that had come before them.  Just as the image had
two iron legs, the Roman empire in its latter days was divided into the
Eastern empire based out of Constantinople and the Western empire
headquartered in Rome.

DANIEL 2:41 "Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the
iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay,
so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.  43 As you
saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay." 

This 5th kingdom, although composed partly of iron, is not part of the Roman empire any more than the Roman empire before it was part of the Greek empire.  These kingdoms are grouped together because they are
all earthly kingdoms that Satan has been (or will be) allowed to rule. 
This final, end-time empire will be a mixture of spirit beings (iron)
and human (clay).  This is the meaning of the mysterious statement
"they will mingle with the seed of men" found in Daniel 2:43.  At the
end of this age, Revelation 9 shows that the sons of God (fallen angels) and their hybrid offspring will once again roam free on the earth, just as they did before the Flood.

The one overriding principle about the Bible is that it was written about and for the people of God.  Daniel's interpretation helps us to correctly identify the kingdoms represented by the seven heads of the beast in
Revelation 17.  We can know that the kingdoms listed above are correct,
because each of those seven has or will exercise authority and rule
over God's chosen people Israel.  That's the common denominator that
ties these seven satanic human empires together and makes them
representative of all the kingdoms of this world ruled by Satan.

DANIEL 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever.  45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the ¹iron, the ²bronze, the ³clay, the ⁴silver, and the ⁵gold
the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after
this.  The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." 

Once again, we see that 5 are indicated here, not the 4 normally identified.  In verse 44, the phrase "in the days of these kings" refers to the ten kings represented by the toes of the statue.  We know
from Daniel 7:24 and Revelation 17:12 that these ten kings appear in the
end-time and give their power to the Antichrist.  This identifies the
time period of the kingdom represented by the feet or iron and clay. 
The Messiah will destroy this entire satanic system, which has ruled the
earth since the fall in the Garden, at his coming.

Now let's go back to Revelation 17 for confirmation of what we've just reviewed:

REVELATION 17:12 The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.  13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.  14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will
overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and
those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."  15 And
he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are
peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.   16 And the ten horns
which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make
her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up
with fire.  17 For God has put it in their hearts to execute His
purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the
beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.  18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."

Plainly we are told that the woman riding the beast represents the great city which rules over the kings of the earth.  In Scripture, two spiritual cities are discussed:

(2) Babylon the Great.

the earthly kingdoms Satan has been allowed to rule, represented by the
beast with 7 heads.

ECCLESIASTES 1:9 That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.  10 Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"?  It has already been in ancient times before us. 

Remember, as noted earlier, the Bible was written for and about God's people.  With this principle and Solomon's admonition directing our understanding, the specific identification of these beasts becomes more certain.

Let's look at the first 4 kingdoms represented in Daniel 2 and establish the pattern presented there.  The kingdoms started with Babylon and ran consecutively to Rome.  When we look at the situation of
the House of Judah at the beginning and end of the period when these 4
kingdoms ruled over the Holy Land compared to the situation of Judah
during the reign of the 4 beasts of Daniel 7, a fascinating "mirror
image" of events becomes evident.

Judah was an independent nation when Babylon (the head of gold) rose to power.  Although the fortunes of the Jews changed several times during the intervening centuries, by the time Rome (the legs of iron)
fell, the Jews had been scattered throughout the world by the Romans in
what came to be known as "the Diaspora."  Each of the 4 kingdoms of
Daniel 2 (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome) played a large part
(both negative and positive) in what happened to the Jews during this
time period.

As we examine the identity of the 4 beasts of Daniel 7, you'll see how this pattern of events is reversed during the time of these 4 kingdoms at the end of the age of mankind.  When the 1st beast rises up,
Judah is still scattered in the Diaspora.  After the 4th beast has
arisen, Judah once again becomes an independent nation.  By relating the
beasts to the animals representing them and end-time events affecting
Judah, we can identify who these entities represent.

THE FIRST BEAST

The 1st beast, like a lion with the wings of an eagle, represents Great Britain and her offspring, the United States.  The lion has long been the national symbol of Great Britain, and the eagle is the national
symbol of the USA.  The plucking of the eagle's wings from this beast
represents the separation of the American colonies from Great Britain in
1776.  With that event, the character of the British empire was
changed, as the prophecy shows.  Along with the eagle's wings, it lost
the heart of a lion, and that heart was replaced by the heart of a man. 
No longer did Great Britain inspire terror in the world, as the brute
power of a lion does.  Instead, it used human cunning to hold onto
power and territory.  Since then, Britain has gradually lost its
colonies and its might.

Being the 1st beast mentioned, Great Britain begins the story of the rebirth of the modern nation of Judah called "Israel."  It was Great Britain that initiated the return of Jews to the Holy Land through the
issuance of the Balfour Declaration in November 1917.  This
declaration, from British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to
Lord Rothschild, head of the Zionist Federation in Great Britain, was
written to show Rothschild that the British government supported the
objective of a homeland for the Jews in the Holy Land.  The British
hoped to realize further Jewish support for the Allies in WWI.  The
Balfour Declaration became the cornerstone of international support for
the founding of the modern state of Israel.

Five short weeks after the Balfour Declaration was published, British General Allenby captured Jerusalem from the Axis Turkish forces defending it.  By December 9, 1917, the Turkish army had fled the
city.  On December 11, General Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot
through the Jaffa Gate.

THE SECOND BEAST

The bear is the national symbol of Russia.  This 2nd beast that rises up has three ribs in its mouth, and these ribs tell the bear to "arise and devour much flesh" (Dan. 7:5).  In Hebrew, the word for
"rib" literally means "side" and can be used to refer to that which
supports something.   In Russia, the Marxist doctrines of the founders
of modern communism, Karl Marx, Frederick Engels, and Vladimir Lenin
have supported the aims and actions of Russia.   All of these men
promoted the worldwide spread of communist rule through force or
violence.  In their Manifesto of the Communist Party, Karl Marx and Frederick Engels wrote:  "The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims.  They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow
of all existing social conditions.  Let the ruling classes tremble at a
communist revolution.  The proletarians have nothing to lose but their
chains.  They have a world to win" ("Position of the Communists in Relation to the Various Existing Opposition Parties").
  Hence the ribs' announcement to "devour much flesh."  This Russia
has done; since its founding in 1917, communist Russia has been
responsible for tens of millions of deaths, many of them her own people.

Russia's part in the rebirth of Judah is much more negative than Britain's, but just as effective.  Several pogroms (mob attacks condoned or encouraged by the czarist Russian authorities) had taken place
against the Jews in Russia in the decades before the 1917 revolution,
forcing about 2 million Jews to flee to the United States and Europe. 
Because of the oppressiveness of the czarist forces, most Russian Jews
supported the Bolshevik revolutionaries.

However, both the Bolshevik Red Army and the counter-revolutionary White Army were guilty of mistreating and massacring Jews after the start of the revolution.  After the victory of the communist forces,
the Soviet regime came to regard assimilation and consolidation as the
only solution to Russia's Jewish problem.  In the face of Zionist calls
for a Jewish homeland, Lenin declared that "there is no basis for a
separate Jewish nation," and regarding a "national Jewish culture - the
slogan of the rabbis and the bourgeoisie - this is the slogan of our
enemies."

The Soviet government caused the financial ruin of most Russian Jews through the termination of private commerce and the seizure of property and goods.  Hundreds of thousands of Jewish families lost their means
of making a living.  These policies caused about 300,000 Jews to leave
the Soviet-controlled territories for the Baltic states, Poland, and
Rumania.

Russia's new atheistic communist government also waged a fierce battle against Russian Judaism and its leaders.  Heavy taxes were imposed on the rabbis and other religious officials to try and force
them to leave their positions.  A campaign was also initiated against
the Hebrew language.  The study of Hebrew was prohibited, and books
could not be published in the language.  These actions continued
through World War II and were the motivation for many religious Jews to
flee to the Holy Land after the War.

THE THIRD BEAST

The 3rd beast, the leopard with four heads and four bird's wings on its back, is somewhat more difficult to identify.  However, the characteristics of the leopard help us to recognize the entity it
represents in this prophecy.  Leopards are known for their swift and
lethal attack.  In a mechanical emulation of the fleet assault of a
leopard, Adolf Hitler's Germany waged blitzkrieg ("lightning war") against its enemies using Panzer
forces during World War II.   These cat-quick attacks disorganized
enemy forces through the use of speed, surprise, and superior firepower
and led to the Third Reich's conquest of mainland Europe during the
early years of the war.

Interestingly, another name for the leopard is "panther."   The big cats - the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and others - belong to the genus Panthera.  Not coincidentally, the Germans have long displayed an affinity for the big cats.  In fact, Germany's two main Panzer battle tanks in WWII were named the Tiger and the Panther.  Now the Leopard tank is the backbone of Germany's armored forces.

While the symbolism of the wings is far from certain, we can draw a clue from the pair of eagle's wings on the first beast.  Just as that pair of wings represented a nation (the United States), so also the two
pairs of wings on the back of the leopard could represent the Axis
nations which aligned themselves with Germany in WWII (Italy and Japan).

The four heads of the leopard represent the division of Germany into four regions after its defeat in WWII.  The eastern half was controlled by Russia, while the western half was split between Great Britain, the
United States, and France.  Later these western sections were joined
into what became West Germany.

History confirms that Hitler's Third Reich provided a great impetus for the formation of an independent Jewish nation.  The death of approximately six million Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, while tragic
beyond words, was not in vain.  Once WWII ended and the scope of the
Nazi plan to exterminate the Jews was grasped, there was much
international sympathy for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the
land commonly known as "Palestine."

THE FOURTH BEAST

The 4th beast takes us to the point of the rebirth of the Jewish nation.  This beast reverses the cycle originated at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon.  The 4th beast seen by Daniel, which appeared
to be horrible, strong, and unlike any of the others, has to represent
the entity which played the greatest role in the formation of modern
Israel.  This 4th beast represents the fledgling global government of
the United Nations.

The following historical information comes from the United Nation's web site:

The name "United Nations" was devised by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was first used in the "Declaration by United Nations"
of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of
26 nations pledged their Governments to continue fighting together
against the Axis Powers.

The United Nations Charter was drawn up by the representatives of 50
countries at the United Nations Conference on International
Organization, which met at San Francisco from 25 April to 26 June 1945. 
Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by
the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and
the United States at Dumbarton Oaks in August-October 1944.  The Charter
was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50
countries.  Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed
it later and became one of the original 51 Member States.

The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945,
when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union,
the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other
signatories.  United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October each year.
(History of the UN)

From the very beginning, the United Nations has had a great interest in the Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem.  General Assembly Resolution 181, issued by the United Nations on November 29, 1947, outlined the
formation of Jewish and Arab states in Palestine.  Additionally, it
called for Jerusalem to become an international city under the control
of the UN:

The City of Jerusalem shall be established as a corpus separatum under a special international regime and shall be administered by the United Nations.  The Trusteeship Council shall be designated to
discharge the responsibilities of the Administering Authority on behalf
of the United Nations. (A/RES/181(II) (A+B), Part III-City of Jerusalem, Section A-Special Regime)

The Jews accepted the UN partition of Palestine, eager to have a homeland of their own.  However, the Palestinian Arabs rejected the planned division of the land; with the help of the surrounding Arab
nations, the Palestinians sought to destroy the Jews and the hope of a
Zionist state.

This Jewish/Arab conflict led to the declaration of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948, and the ensuing Jewish war for independence.   Despite overwhelming odds, the Jews were able to defeat the superior
forces of the invading Arab nations through the intervention of the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Due to the Jewish victory over the Arabs,
the resulting Jewish state ended up being larger than that planned by
the UN.

From the beginning of the Jewish state, the United Nations as a whole has displayed an antagonistic attitude toward Israel.  Israel became a member of the UN on May 11, 1949; however, Israel is the only
member-state in the UN that has been prevented from belonging to a
regional group.  For this reason, Israel cannot be elected as a
non-permanent member of the Security Council.  This situation has also
prevented Israel from participating in much of the standard work of the
UN.  Israel cannot vote for or be elected to many of the UN's central
organizations.  This condition violates Article 2 of the UN Charter,
which outlines the principle of the "sovereign equality of all Member
states."

Following the Six-Day War of June 1967, the Middle East situation was discussed by the UN General Assembly, which directed the issue to the Security Council.  After lengthy discussion, a final draft for a
Security Council resolution was introduced by the British Ambassador,
Lord Caradon, on November 22, 1967; it was adopted on the same day.

Resolution 242, as it was known, established provisions and principles which were supposed to lead to a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.  One of the provisions in this Resolution indirectly dealt
with the city of Jerusalem.  The Resolution stated that the acquisition
of territory by war was inadmissible; therefore, the UN required
withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the territories it occupied in
the conflict.  Of course, this included the eastern part of the city of
Jerusalem, which had been under Jordanian control.

From that point forward, Resolution 242 became the cornerstone of diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.  Despite the fact that Jerusalem had been the ancient capital of Israel, and despite that fact that
Israel was not the aggressor in the Six-Day War, the United
Nations voted that Israel must return the territory it had taken while
defending itself against the Arab invasion.

In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, after Israel had fended off the Syrian attack on the Golan Heights and established a bridgehead on the Egyptian side of the Suez Canal, international efforts to stop the
fighting intensified.  US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger flew to
Moscow on October 20, 1973.  Jointly with the Soviet Union, the US
submitted a cease-fire resolution to the UN Security Council.  The
Council met on October 21 at the urging of both the US and the USSR, and
by 14 votes to none, adopted Resolution 338.

This Resolution called upon the warring parties to immediately halt all military activities, and to start implementing all parts of Security Council Resolution 242 promptly after the cease-fire.  Once again,
even though Israel had been the victim of an attack designed to destroy
them, the United Nations said they had to return the land they had
acquired while defending themselves.

Resolutions 242 and 338 have been the foundation of all UN relations with Israel in the past three decades.   Since the Oslo Accord peace talks began in 1993, Israeli leaders have done much to try and appease
the Palestinian Arabs and the UN.  The Arab people in general, and the
Palestinians in particular, continue to assert a claim on Jerusalem. 
They maintain that the eastern half of the modern city, which includes
the old city and the Temple Mount, is theirs.  The UN agrees that
Jerusalem is not the property of Israel.

On December 1, 1999, the UN General Assembly, by a vote of 139 to 1 (Israel), with 3 abstentions (Swaziland, Uzbekistan and US), held that Israel's imposition of its own laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem is illegal, null and void.  

Three thousand years of history apparently doesn't carry much weight with the United
Nations. 

It won't be long before the armies of this dreadful beast
encircle Jerusalem to enforce its mandates (Luke 21:20-24), just as the
Roman army did in the 1st century.

The United Nations, the "terrible" 4th beast of Daniel 7, will soon supplant the governments of the other beasts (the United States, Great Britain, Russia, Germany, and the rest of the world) and will begin to rule the earth in their place.  

The United Nations reportedly has the world divided into 10 administrative regions. 

When the United Nations government begins ruling the world after the destruction unleashed by
the opening of the 4th seal (Rev. 6:7-8), these areas will be headed by the 10 horns of the beast. 

These 10 kings (represented by the 10 horns on the 4th beast and the 10 toes on the statue of Daniel 2) will rule over these administrative regions.