I recently read an article in the European news touting “a new world has emerged… Vladimir Putin’s world.” Russia’s military interventions in the Ukraine and Syria succeeded with a tepid world response. And Russia is not alone as a rising power on the world stage. China is boldly extending its hegemony over the South China sea, again with a tepid response, while gaining influence in the United Nations by pledging a billion dollars in funding. And there is no question of the rise of Iran’s influence. All world powers, super or not, realize the Iranians hold the keys to achieving peace in the Middle East. What does all this have to do with the end times? Over the last four years these nations have risen dramatically on the world stage. If they are the nations in the vision of Daniel chapter seven then the fourth beast may be on the verge of rising.
Few Christians realize that the visions in the book of Daniel reveal as much about the state of the world leading up to rise of the antichrist as they do about the antichrist’s rule. In the vision of Daniel chapter seven, four kingdoms rise in the end-times prior to the rule of the antichrist. In the vision, three states rise in world prominence prior to his rule (Daniel 7:3-7) and the fourth rising to prominence to eventually be associated with the antichrist (Daniel 7:23-27). The rise of the three nation states is a harbinger of the rise of the final state and the beginning of the Tribulation.
It is always a question of timing when interpreting eschatological prophecy like the beasts of Daniel. Is this God’s timing for the rise of the beasts or is the rise of China, Russia, and Iran just coincidental? They appear to fit the characteristics given in the vision as well as the choice of beasts used as metaphors. The lion is the only one of the four that rules a prided. It exerts its will over the members of the pride. The bear and the leopard are solitary animals, one known for its brute strength and the other for its cunning. The last beast is vicious and terrifying.
President Xi Jinping of China says his country is not seeking a world leadership role but China is ready to assume such a role. China believes the Western democratic model has reached its zenith and is creating chaos as it disintegrates. Xi Jinping promises the world stability with China’s “democratic” model. China fits the imagery of the lion as being made to stand and take leadership.
Vladimir Putin has succeeded in having the world recognize Russia as a world power once again with Russian military successes in Crimea and Syria. Russia’s indifference to the shooting down of a commercial passenger plane, the indiscriminate bombing of non-combatants, and the Assad regime’s mass murder by poison gas shows it has no hesitation when it comes to brute ferocity. Russia fits the image of the bear devouring much flesh.
The cunning of Iran cannot be overstated as evidenced by their manipulation of the United States and United Nations resulting in the Iran Nuclear Deal of 2015. Iran has subjugated Lebanon’s political rule through Hezbollah and since the Nuclear Deal they have extended their influence in Iraqi politics. Iraq, Syria, and Yemen are on the same path to subjugation as Lebanon. Even Russia understands that their continued influence in the Middle East is dependent on Iranian cooperation. There is much more that can be said about Iran but for now Iran certainly fits the leopard.
When ISIS was on the rise in Syria and Iraq it was tempting to label their Islamic caliphate as the fourth beast but, as recent events show, that association would prove faulty. The fault lies in that the politico economic conditions for the rising of the fourth beast haven’t happened as described in Daniel’s follow-on visions. A caliphate with shared allegiance does fit the imagery of the ten horns but the identity of the fourth beast depends on other details given in chapters eight and eleven. What these chapters tell is that Persia will rise in hegemony until a great warrior king, who is not the antichrist, comes from the west and reshapes the map of the Middle East, Daniel chapter eight. The warrior king’s rule is short lived, his empire splits and the antichrist rises to rule from the chaos, Daniel chapter eleven. The rising of the last beast comes not with the antichrist but with a great warrior king. There is no candidate for the great warrior king as yet but where he comes from does appear to be taking shape. I’ll save that for the subject of another post.
The world is being desensitized to the approach of the fourth beast by the continuous conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. When the warrior king comes it will appear to be more of the same but on a much grander scale and perhaps even welcomed in the hope that peace will finally be the end result. Christians may be caught unaware that when this great conflagration occurs in the Middle East it is the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision of the last beast rising. At that time the world will change dramatically. A sobering thought to think such a time may be near. Time will tell.
A quick note on why the lion, bear, and leopard have not been fulfilled historically with the rise and fall of Medio Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Daniel chapter seven verse twelve is clear that all the beasts exist at the same time and that after the fourth beast is destroyed the other beasts go into what can be understood as the millennial reign of Christ. Nothing in the Bible or in current affairs suggests these historical empires will rise again to fulfill the role of the three beasts.
May God bless you in your study of His word.