“The fourth beast means a fourth kingdom that will be on earth.” Daniel 7:23 “The waters ... are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” Revelation 17:15

Answer: Animals mean empires or nations. Water means masses of people.

“The LORD will gather against you a people from afar... flying like an eagle.” Deuteronomy 28:49 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, disaster is coming from one nation to another, and a mighty storm is rising from the uttermost parts of the earth, and in that day those slain by the LORD will lie there from one end of the earth to the other.” Jeremiah 25:32.33

Answer: The eagle's wings signify speed. (See also Jeremiah 4:13; Habakkuk 1:6-9) Winds signify battle, turmoil and destruction. (See also Revelation 7:1-3)

Answer: Read Daniel 8, noting that the beasts in chapter 8 correspond to those in chapter 7. In Daniel 8:20, Medo-Persia is mentioned as the empire that appears before the goat - or Greece - in verse 21. This is the second world empire - the same power as the bear in Daniel 7. The empire was made up of two ethnic groups. The Medes arose first (represented in Daniel 7:5 by the bear raised on one side), but the Persians grew stronger (represented in Daniel 8:3 by the second horn of the ram, which was higher than the other). The three ribs represent the three main powers defeated by the Medo-Persians: Lydia, Babylon and Egypt.

Answer: The four heads represent the four kingdoms into which Alexander the Great's empire was divided after his death. The four generals of these kingdoms were: Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus. The four wings (instead of two as in the lion) signify extreme speed, which applied to Alexander's rapid victorious marches (Jeremiah 4:11-13).

Answer: The 10 horns represent the 10 kings or kingdoms into which pagan Rome eventually fell (Daniel 7:24). (These 10 kingdoms are the same kingdoms as represented by the 10 toes in Daniel 2:41-44). Barbarian tribes invaded the Roman Empire and seized various parts of it. Seven of these 10 tribes developed into countries of modern Western Europe, while three were wiped out and destroyed. The following section mentions the empires that were wiped out:

The Visigoths - Spain

The Anglo-Saxons - England

The Franks - France

The Alemanni - Germany

The Burgundians - Switzerland

The Lombards - Italy

The Suevos - Portugal

The Heruli - exterminated

The Ostrogoths - exterminated

The Vandals - exterminated

“While I was looking at the horns, behold, another small horn came up between them, and three of the former horns were plucked up before it; and behold, this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.” Daniel 7:8

Answer: The power of the “little horn” is shown next. We need to identify it carefully because the description of this power takes up more space than that of the other four realms combined. Why? Because the biblical characteristics identify this horn as the Antichrist of prophecy and history. No mistakes should be made in its identification.

Answer: Yes, God gives us nine characteristics of the Antichrist in Daniel 7 so that we can be certain of his identity. While some may find these truths of God's Word painful, we must be honest enough to accept them as His revealed will. Let us now discover these nine points:

A. The “little horn” or kingdom “grew out of those” - the 10 horns, which were the kingdoms of Western Europe (Daniel 7:8). It would therefore have to be a small kingdom somewhere in Western Europe.

B. It would have a man as spokesman at its head (Daniel 7:8).

C. It would wipe out three kingdoms (Daniel 7:8).

D. It would be “different” from the other 10 kingdoms (Daniel 7:24).

E. It would fight against the saints or persecute them (Daniel 7:21, 25).

F. It would emerge from pagan Rome - the fourth world empire (Daniel 7:7, 8).

G. God's people (the saints) would be “given into his hand” “for a time and times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25).

H. It would “blaspheme” the Most High (Daniel 7:25). The Bible says in Revelation 13:5 that the same power would speak “great things and blasphemies”.

I. It would be “subject to change time and law.” Daniel 7:25

Remember that all of these identifiers are taken directly from the Bible. It is not a matter of human opinion or speculation. Historians can tell you immediately which power is being described. All of these characteristics apply to only one power - the papacy. To be absolutely sure, let us examine all nine points carefully. There must be no shadow of a doubt.

“Wine makes a mocker, strong drink makes one wild, and no one who gets drunk with it becomes wise.” Proverbs 20:1 “Look not at the reddish colour of the wine, how it sparkles in the cup. It goes down easily, but in the end it bites like a snake and stings like an adder.” Proverbs 23:31.32 “Do you not know that neither the immoral... nor the drunkard... will inherit the kingdom of God? 1 Corinthians 6:9.10

Answer: Yes, each characteristic applies exactly. Please note points A - H below.

A. It “emerged in the midst” of the 10 empires of Western Europe.

The geographical centre of papal power was in Rome, Italy, in the heart of Western Europe.

B. It would have a man as spokesman at its head.

The papacy corresponds to this recognisable feature, because it has a man as spokesman at its head (the pope).

C. It would wipe out three empires.

The rulers of Western Europe were largely Catholic and supported the papacy in its expansion and authority. Three Arian kingdoms, however, opposed the papacy - the Vandals, Heruli and Ostrogoths. This prompted the Catholic rulers to either subjugate or destroy them. Dr Mervyn Maxwell, theologian and historian, describes the procedure in volume 1, page 129 of his book God Cares: “The Catholic emperor Zeno (474-491) negotiated a plan with the Ostrogoths in 487, as a result of which the empire of the Arian Heruli was wiped out in 496. The Catholic Emperor Justinian (527-565) wiped out the Arian Vandals in 534 and also broke the power of the Arian Ostrogoths in 538. In this way, the three horns described in the Book of Daniel - the Heruli, the Vandals and the Ostrogoths - were eradicated.’ It is easy to recognise that this characteristic also applies to the papacy.

D. It would “differ” or be different from the other realms.

The papacy also clearly fits this description. It entered the stage as a religious power and was completely different from the secular nature of the other 10 empires.

E. It would wage war against the saints and persecute them.

It is a well-known fact that the Church persecuted. The papacy itself admits this. There is plenty of evidence for this. Even conservative historians estimate that the Church may have killed at least 50 million people for the sake of their religious beliefs. We quote two sources:

1. “That the Roman Church has shed more innocent blood than any other institution is not doubted by any Protestant who knows history. ¹

2 In The History of the Inquisition in Spain, D. Ivan Antonio Llorente provides the following figures for the Spanish Inquisition alone:

• 31,912 people were convicted and died in the flames.
• 241,450 people were sentenced to severe penalties.

F. It would emerge from the fourth, iron empire - the pagan Roman Empire.

We will let two authorities have their say on this point:

1 “The mighty Catholic Church was, so to speak, the baptised Roman Empire ... The seat of the old Roman Empire became the seat of the Christian Empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus found its continuation in that of the Pope.” ²

2. “Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left behind ... came under the protection of the Roman bishop, who was the main figure after the emperor's departure. In this way the Roman Church itself pushed itself into the place of the Roman Empire, of which it is the actual continuation.” ³ And this point also applies to the papacy.

G. God's people (the saints) would be “given into his hand” “for a time and times and half a time.” Daniel 7:25.

Several things need clarification in connection with this point:

1. one time is one year, two times are two years and half a time is half a year. ⁴

2 The same time period is mentioned seven times in the Bible (Daniel 7:25 12:7 Revelation 11:2, 3 12:6, 14 13:5). Three times as one time, two times and half a time, twice as 42 months and twice as 1260 days. Based on the 30-day calendar of the Jews, these time periods all contain the same indication of time:

3 1/2 years - 42 months - 1260 days.

3 A prophetic day corresponds to a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6 Deuteronomy 14:34).

4 Thus the little horn (the Antichrist) was to have power over the saints for 1260 prophetic days, or 1260 literal years.

5 The rule of the papacy began in 538 AD, after the last of the three opposing Arian kingdoms had been destroyed. Its rule lasted until 1798, when Napoleon's general Berthier captured the pope in the hope of destroying both Pope Pius VI and the political and temporal power of the papacy. This period is the exact fulfilment of the 1260-year prophecy. This blow was a mortal wound to the papacy. However, this wound began to heal and is still healing today.

6 The same time of persecution is described in Matthew 24:21 as the worst for God's people. In verse 22 we read that it must have been so terrible that no human being would have survived if God had not shortened this time. God intervened. The persecution ended long before the pope's imprisonment in 1798. It is obvious that this point also applies to the papacy.

H. It would speak “great things” and “blaspheme the Most High (God).”

Blasphemy is defined twice in the Bible:

1. the presumption to forgive sins (Luke 5:21).

2. the presumption of claiming to be God (John 10:33).

Do these points apply to the papacy? Yes! Let us first consider the fact that it claims to forgive sins: “Does the priest actually forgive sins or declare them forgiven? The priest truly forgives sins by virtue of the power given to him by Christ.”

⁵ Furthermore, the papacy undermines Jesus' position by introducing confession to an earthly priest, thereby bypassing Jesus, our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1, 8:1.2) and only mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

Next we consider the claim to be God: “We (the popes) take the place of God Almighty on this earth.”

⁶ Another point: “The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he himself is Jesus Christ, hidden under the cloak of flesh.” ⁷

Obviously, this point also applies to the papacy.

I. He would “undertake to change the times and the law.”

In the next lesson we will deal with the “times” of this point. This is a main topic that needs to be considered and dealt with in particular. But what is the point of changing the “law”? Of course, no one can change this law, but isn't that what the papacy has tried to do? The answer is “yes”.

In its catechism, the papacy omitted the second commandment, which forbids the veneration of images, then reduced the fourth commandment from 90 words to 7 words and divided the tenth commandment into two parts. (Check this out for yourself. Compare the Ten Commandments in any Catholic catechism with God's commandments in Exodus 20:3-17). There is no doubt that the little horn of Daniel chapter 7 (the Antichrist) is the papacy. No other organisation could correspond to these nine points. And this is not new doctrine. Without exception, every reformer spoke of the papacy as the Antichrist. ⁸

Words that urge caution

Lest anyone think that we want to attack fellow Christians by identifying the little horn! Please note that the prophecy is pointing out a system and not branding individuals. There are sincere Christians in all churches, including Catholics. Daniel chapter 7 is simply a message of judgement and rebuke to a great religious institution that has compromised with paganism, like so many other churches that came after it.

Prophecy reveals the errors of all creeds

Other prophecies point out the errors of the Protestant and Jewish faiths. But there are sincere people in all religions. God's true people (of whatever faith) will always humbly accept the Lord's rebuke and not close their ears and hearts to Him in self-defence. We should be very thankful that God's Word deals with every issue with impartial honesty.

¹ W. E. H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, vol. 2, p. 40.

² Alexander Clarence Flick, The Emergence of the Church in the Middle Ages, pp. 148, 149.

³ Adolf Harnack, What is Christianity? (New York: Putnam, second edition, revised, 1901), pp. 269, 270.

⁴ The Amplified Bible, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1962.

⁵ Joseph Deharbe, S.J., Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion (New York: Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss, 1924), p. 279.

⁶ Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter “The Union of Christendom” (dated 20 June 1894) transl. in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII (New York: Benziger, 1903), p. 304.

⁷ Catholic National, July 1895.

⁸ R. Allen Anderson, Exposition of Revelation, p. 137.

Answer: In Daniel 12:4, the prophet is told to seal up parts of the book until “the time of the end”. In verse 6, an angel asked: “When will there be an end to such miracles?” Verse 7 says: “A time and (two) times and half a time.” The angel gave Daniel the assurance that the section of the book concerning the end-time prophecies would be understood at the end of the 1260-year period, i.e. after the time of papal supremacy, i.e. with the year 1798, as we have already learnt. So the time of the end began in 1798. Obviously, the book of Daniel contains important messages from heaven for us today. It is imperative that we understand them.

“But these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, and received the word with all readiness of mind, searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11

Answer: When you come across new biblical teachings, there is only one sure method: to compare them carefully with the Holy Scriptures in order to recognise whether they are in accordance with God's Word.

Summary

Many significant prophecies from the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation will be covered in the following study guides.

God gave these prophecies in order to:

A. To reveal the final events of this world.

B. Identify the participants in the final phase of the battle between Jesus and Satan.

C. To reveal Satan's sinister plan to deceive and destroy us.

D. To show the certainty of judgement God's people will be justified!

E. To exalt Jesus - his redemption, his love, his power, his grace and his righteousness.

Key figures are mentioned repeatedly

Key figures in the final battle between Jesus and Satan are mentioned repeatedly in these prophecies. These are: Satan, Jesus, the United States, the Papacy, Protestantism and Spiritism. Jesus repeats and expands on the messages of the prophets to ensure that his warnings of love are clearly understood.

The Antichrist is an organisation - the papacy. The term “eyes of man” in Daniel 7:8, however, refers to a leader. Revelation 13:18 speaks of a man in connection with a number. In Daniel 8, Greece is depicted with a goat and its leader, Alexander the Great, is symbolised by a horn. The same applies to the Antichrist. The papacy is the organisation. The incumbent pope is its representative. The prophecy in Daniel 7 does not say that popes are evil and Catholics are not Christians. There are many lovable Catholic Christians. The system, on the other hand, is called the Antichrist because it has usurped Jesus' authority and changed his law.

No. The Bible clearly states that everyone should have the freedom to decide for themselves in matters of conscience (Joshua 24:15) - even when people reject God and choose atheism. God granted Adam and Eve the freedom to choose disobedience, even if it caused them and Him pain. God cannot accept forced worship. Forced worship is the devil's way. God, on the other hand, tries to persuade people lovingly. History makes it clear that whenever the church enacted laws to impose faith, persecution and murder were the result. We can learn this lesson from the medieval story of the little horn.

We generally understand the term “anti” to mean “against”. In Greek, however, this word is translated as “in place of”. The Antichrist is guilty of usurping God's exclusive prerogatives. He claims:

A. That the priests can forgive sins, which only God can do (Luke 5:21).

B. God's law by removing the second commandment (image worship) and dividing the tenth commandment into two parts. However, God's commandment cannot be changed (Matthew 5:18).

C. That the Pope is God on earth.

Satan's original plan

Satan's original plan (in heaven) was to usurp God's place and authority. His goal was to supplant God and rule in His place. (See lesson 2). When Satan was cast out of heaven, he did not give up his plan, but pursued his goal with even greater intensity. Throughout the centuries he has endeavoured to discredit God and take His place (by various human means).

The Antichrist appears in spiritual garb

Satan intends to take the place of God in these last days by deceiving people into following the Antichrist, who claims to be religious and holy. The main purpose of the prophecies in the books of Daniel and Revelation is to show the strategies and traps of Satan and to lead people to seek their security in Jesus and his word alone and to be anchored in it.

The Antichrist will seduce many

The majority of mankind will follow the Antichrist (Revelation 13:3) on the assumption that they will follow Christ. Only the elect will be protected from this (Matthew 24:23, 24). Their security is based on the fact that they test every spiritual teaching and every leader against the Holy Scriptures (Isaiah 8:20). Religious seduction is omnipresent in this day and age. We cannot be too careful.

Yes, there have been many antichrists throughout history who have worked against the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, there is only one institution that fulfils all the prophesied characteristics of the Antichrist exactly. In chapters 7 and 8 of the book of Daniel and in Revelation chapter 13 you will find at least 10 characteristics of the Antichrist. These 10 identifying characteristics apply to the papacy alone.

Not at all! Not at all! God uses the symbol of a beast to represent a ruler, a nation, a government or a kingdom. This is how he describes governmental powers in prophecy. We also do this to a certain extent: Russia is depicted as a bear, the United States as an eagle, etc. The symbol “beast” is not used in a derogatory way. It is merely a synonym for “animal” or “creature”. Even Christ is referred to as a lamb by John the Baptist (John 5:6, 9, 12, 13). God uses the term “beast” to give us a message about nations and leaders - good and bad.