Daniel’s Beasts and the Beasts of Revelation

In popular culture ‘the beast of Revelation’ is a notorious villain who could easily frighten even viewers of top-grossing horror movies.  The Left Behind novels portray ‘the beast’ as a sinister character named Nicolae Capathia, who also happens to be ‘the Antichrist.’  But what does the Bible really say about ‘the beast of Revelation’?  Actually, Revelation speaks about a number of beasts—not just one.  And they are signs or symbols of governments or organizations, not some individual man or monster.

The Apostle John, who wrote the Revelation or Apocalypse back in the first century, knew that his contemporary readers were already familiar with the much earlier Bible book of Daniel, which spoke of the same sorts of symbolic beasts.  And, of course, it was the same God who sent angels and visions to both Daniel and John, and who inspired their writing.  So, the beasts of Daniel are key to understanding the beasts of Revelation.

Babylon

"the first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings" – Dan. 7:1 NKJV

Daniel describes four separate beasts

“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

“Daniel said: ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.  Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

“‘The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

“‘And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

 “‘After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

“‘After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.’”

—Daniel 7:1-7 NIV

Persia

"another beast, a second, like a bear…and it had three ribs in its mouth" – Dan. 7:5 NKJV

Daniel saw in vision a beast “like a lion” with wings, “a second beast, which looked like a bear,” “another beast, one that looked like a leopard” and “a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening, and very powerful” with “ten horns.”  (Dan. 7:2-6 NIV)  Naming the very same animals, John saw “a beast” with

“ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.  The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.”

—Revelation 13:1-2 NIV

Greece

"another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads” – Dan. 7:6 NKJV

An angel gave Daniel “the interpretation of these things,” namely that “The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth.”  (Dan. 7:16-17 NIV)  John likewise described the composite beast he saw as having governmental “power” and a “throne and great authority.”  (Rev. 13:2 NIV)

Daniel’s four beasts were four separate successive kingdoms or empires that ruled over much of the earth;  the composite beast of Revelation chapter 13 “was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”  (Rev. 13:7 NIV)

(The reader is encouraged to open the Bible itself and read first-hand what it says about these symbolic beasts and the governments they represent.)

Rome

"a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong…and it had ten horns” – Dan. 7:7 NKJV

Bible commentators have long agreed that Daniel’s four beasts are the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires.  Reformer John Calvin was familiar with the works of other scholars and declared in his Commentaries on the Book of Daniel, volume 2,

It is clear that the four monarchies are here depicted. But it is not agreed upon among all writers which monarchy is the last, and which the third. With regard to the first, all agree in understanding the vision of the Chaldean Empire, which was joined with the Assyrian, as we saw before. For Nineveh was absorbed by the Chaldeans and Babylonians.

Respected Bible commentator Albert Barnes took a similar position in his Notes.  Commenting on the beast of Revelation 13:1, he referred back to Daniel’s vision and wrote

Thus in Daniel (vii. 2-7) the lion is introduced as the symbol of the Babylonian power; the bear, as the symbol of the Medo-Persian; the leopard, as the symbol of the Macedonian; and a nondescript animal, fierce, cruel, and mighty, with two horns, as the symbol of the Roman. 

So, while there were differences in the details, most traditional writers agreed Daniel was referring to the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires—all of which dominated the world scene that included Israel.

The Apostle John’s later vision rolls the four beasts into one.  Daniel’s beasts have a total of seven heads and ten horns, while John sees a single beast with seven heads and ten horns. 

         “The first was like a lion” (Dan. 7:4)       1 head       0 horns

         “a second, like a bear”  (Dan. 7:5)          1 head        0 horns

         “another, like a leopard”  (Dan. 7:6)        4 heads       0 horns

         “a fourth beast, dreadful”  (Dan. 7:7)      1 head      10 horns

         _____________________________   _______    _______

         Totals for the beasts of Daniel ch. 7       7 heads      10 horns

                     compare

         The beast of Revelation ch. 13:1             7 heads       10 horns

While each of the four beasts Daniel saw stood for a successive empire, the composite beast John saw incorporated into one body the whole series of biblical ruling powers down through history.  John’s beast carried all seven heads and all ten horns on one body.

For centuries the beast of Revelation 13:1 has been identified with human governments. Respected commentator Matthew Henry indicated in his Concise Commentary on the Bible, that he saw the seven-headed beast as encompassing all the Gentile world powers from the Babylonian empire through the Roman empire—those that oppressed the Jewish church or congregation prior to Christ, as well as those that persecuted Christians:

“It appears to mean that worldly, oppressing dominion, which for many ages, even from the times of the Babylonish captivity, had been hostile to the church. The first beast then began to oppress and persecute the righteous for righteousness' sake, but they suffered most under the fourth beast of Daniel, (the Roman empire,) which has afflicted the saints with many cruel persecutions. The source of its power was the dragon. It was set up by the devil, and supported by him. . . . The world admired its power, policy and success. They paid honour and subjection to the devil and his instruments. It exercised infernal power and policy, requiring men to render that honour to creatures which belongs to God alone.”

Human Government

"a beast…out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns …ten crowns …like a leopard …feet of a bear …mouth of a lion” – Rev. 13:1-2 NKJV

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”

—Revelation 13:1-4 KJV

This composite beast, empowered by the dragon to rule the world, is a fitting picture of the governments Satan bragged about when he took Jesus up onto a mountain top and “showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.  And the devil said unto him, All this authority will I give thee, and the glory of them; for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it.  If thou, therefore, wilt worship me, all shall be thine.”  (Luke 4:5-7  KJV) 

"a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads…that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan" - Rev. 12:3, 9 NKJV

"all the kingdoms of the world…And the devil said…'All this authority…has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish'" - Luke 4:5-6 NKJV

Jesus rejected Satan’s offer, but did not dispute the devil’s role in world rulership.  In fact, he regularly referred to the wicked one as “the ruler of this world”  (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11 NKJV)  Satan empowered the Gentile world powers that Daniel saw as a series of beasts, including the Roman Empire that ruled the world during Jesus’ earthly ministry.  And Gentile powers continue to rule the world today.  The composite beast John saw has been ruling the world for a long time.

Which one of its seven heads had a deadly wound that was healed?  One candidate might be the Roman Empire, which could be described as dying yet coming to life again centuries later.  Rome fell to the barbarians in the fifth century.  But the Roman Empire rose again when Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in the year 800 A.D.  The Holy Roman Empire (German: Heiliges Römisches Reich), with emperors crowned by the Roman pope for hundreds of years, also came to be called the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (Heiliges Römisches Reich Deutscher Nation).  Its borders expanded and contracted over the centuries as conflicts were won and lost and as political alliances were forged.  It was this “Reich” or Empire that Adolph Hitler referred to when dubbing his Nazi government the Third Reich and seeking to reclaim lost territory. 

But, after speaking of this seven-headed beast with ten horns, which appears to represent human government down through the ages, John also spoke of a second beast in Revelation chapter thirteen:

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon.  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them who dwell on it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”

—Revelation 13:11-14 KJV

While Bible commentators over the centuries have attempted to identify this second beast, they always had to resort to metaphor to do so—interpreting the ‘fire coming down from heaven’ in some symbolic way, not literally.  Why?  Because no human government had ever been able to make fire come down from heaven to the earth in the sight of men, or as one modern translation renders it, make “fire come down from heaven to earth while people are watching.”  (NCV)

But some modern writers have noted that man’s governments today are literally able to ‘make fire come down from heaven’ by waging war with airplanes, rockets and missiles.  Which world power first dropped nuclear bombs from the sky?  Which power is well known for calling down flaming napalm upon targets in Vietnam? 

The Anglo world power, led by its two horns, Britain and America, changed the world by promoting the ideals of democracy and freedom.  So, compared to other empires of the past, it looks like a lamb.  It claims to promote peace and freedom, like a peaceful lamb.  But the British-American conglomerate also speaks like a dragon—deceptively.  These factors alone would make it a possible candidate for being the two-horned beast.  (A search of the web will turn up many commentators who identify America with the beast from the earth.)  But even more important is the English-speaking combo’s role in the creation of “the image of the beast.”  Revelation goes on to say of the two-horned beast,

 “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

—Revelation 13:14-15 KJV

Some modern writers see the world body—the League of Nations and its successor organization the United Nations—as a fulfillment of the image of the beast.  Since the U.N. did not come into existence until some four hundred years after the Reformation, the Reformers could hardly be expected to know about it.  But did God foresee it and inspire John to write about it? 

The seven-headed, ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1, that has parts resembling a leopard, a bear and a lion, is a composite of the separate beasts Daniel described.  Daniel explained that his individual beasts represented a succession of kingdoms.  (Dan. 7:17, 23)  So, could the “image” of the composite “beast” be some sort of miniature organizational replica of the Gentile world powers—like the United Nations? 

Before the twentieth century it would have been difficult to imagine how the nations could make an “image” of the world’s governments—much less cause such an image to come “life” and to “speak.”   But today’s United Nations organization certainly is a mirror image of the kingdoms of this world, a miniature replica of the planet’s political structure.  The successors of the kingdoms Daniel wrote about—Babylon (Iraq), Persia (Iran), Greece and Rome (Italy)—are all represented, as well as the rest of the nations of this world.  And this organizational image of the world’s governments has taken on a life of its own, so that it “speaks” though official Resolutions and causes those resolutions to be enforced, ultimately through military action when necessary.  Those who fail to bow to its authority may indeed be killed.

It is a matter of history that the Anglo-American power took the lead in advocating creation of the League of Nations and its successor the United Nations—a miniature image of the world's governments.

The U.N., a miniature image of the world political system, actually lives and speaks.

The beasts of Daniel and the beasts of Revelation will ultimately be destroyed by the power of God.  While humans may be convinced that no one can ‘do battle with the beast’—they say ‘you can’t fight city hall’—the beastly human governments and their international organization the United Nations will all be destroyed in the coming battle of Armageddon.