The final beast tends to be the most difficult to determine, as it is different from all of the others and Daniel could not compare it to any animal. It has a single head with ten horns and iron teeth.

Back in Daniel chapter two, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a statue. The statue's head was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its stomach and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet a mixture of iron and baked clay. (31-33)

Just like the beasts, each metal is meant to represent a kingdom that will arise or has risen on the earth. "After you [King Nebuchadnezzar], another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks all things to pieces, so it will crush and break all others. (39-40)" The kingdom will be divided and have many internal conflicts, represented by the mixture of iron and baked clay. (41-43)

Interesting. Daniel seven says very similar things!

"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... (7) "

I am just going to get it out there: the feet of the statue and the fourth beast of Daniel seven represent the same nation. The ten horns of the beast are the same ten toes of the statue. Disagree if you'd like; you are not entitled to my opinion but your own. In the Bible horns depict kings. If you look in Daniel chapter eight with the two horned ram that we briefly discussed previously, the ram illustrated Media-Persia. One horn represented the king of Media and the other horn the king of Persia. So by this, we can infer that the ten horns and ten toes represent ten kings that will arise from this powerful kingdom.

But what is the nation of the ten horned beast and the iron-clay feet of the statue?

It is the revived Holy Roman Empire.

See, right now, they are already planning a new form of government, similar to that of the United States, with ten different regions coming together. And there will be a leader or representative from each of those regions. That is where the ten horns come from. (See also Revelation 17:12-14)

http://www.thepropheticyears.com/reasons/The%20rise%20of%20the%20new%20roman%20empire.HTM

The website provided above has some incredible information on the Revived Holy Roman Empire being the fourth beast, and I agree with it for the most part on that. Although, it says differently about the first three beasts than what I believe.

**As you can tell by my lack of supporting information, I struggled a bit with this beast, but I didn't want to skip it and provide you with nothing, so I gave you my closest bet. I definitely do believe that it is the Holy Roman Empire, but I just need some more backup information, which I know is there, as I've seen and read much before. However, I shall continue to research and study my Bible. For now, if you have any suggestions, do share in the comments!**

Now, among these ten horns, another little horn will arise, and it will be given eyes of a man and a mouth that speaks boastfully with blasphemous words. (Daniel 7:8)

This is where people could argue me, but I believe that the little horn represents the Antichrist.

"The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them, another king will arise, different from the earlier kings; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress the holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times, and half a time. (24-25)"

Okay. So the Tribulation is 7 years long. The first three and a half years are for the reign of the Antichrist. (Revelation 13:5, Daniel 12:11) Then, at the halfway mark, Jesus will return and establish His everlasting kingdom, and God's wrath will be among the people of the Earth. These last three and a half years are known as the Great Tribulation.

If you go back to verse 25, it says that the little horn will hold the people in his hands for "a time, times, and half a time," otherwise three years. (A year, two years, and half a year.) The first three and a half years of the Tribulation!

Therefore, the little horn is the Antichrist.

I personally am still questioning the three other horns that the little horn uproots and what they symbolize. If you have any suggestions or ideas, do share! I would love to hear them!

But by this, we can say that the Antichrist will come from the Holy Roman Empire, since the little horn is on the fourth beast. I plan to go into deeper details about this as well as the False Prophet in a later chapter(s).

~

Now, if you've been going along in your Bible through all of this, you may have noticed a person mentioned in Daniel 7 titled the "Ancient of Days." I am just going to come out and say that he represents God Almighty. God has existed before the beginning of time, so it only makes sense for Him to be given a title such as this.

It says: "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him.
Thousands upon thousands attended Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened. (9-10)"

This passage is speaking of the Judgement Day. God sits on His throne and all of the people of the world stand before Him as the books (the Lamb's Book of Life) are opened. Remember, God is the only judge. (James 4:12)

He appears in all white, representing justice and purity. The scripture also says his hair was white like wool, which reminds me of Jesus Christ the spotless LAMB, but that's just a personal thing... probably nothing prophetic.

Verses 9 and 10 state: "...His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him."

The wheels could represent many things. Two that I have found are:

#1. They could symbolize the omnipresence of God, how He is anywhere and everywhere. Our God is a mobile God and He is always beside us. These wheels are also mentioned in Ezekiel 1:15-21, though there is some debate on whether or not these wheels represent the same thing.

#2. They could show how God's throne is going to move from Heaven to Earth during the Great Tribulation when God brings His wrath upon the people of he earth, which could be why Daniel says the wheels were ablaze.

Many times in the Bible, God's throne is referred to as a chariot.

As for the fire, it is simply Gods wrath. Psalm 97:1-3 demonstrates this perfectly, saying, "The Lord reigns... Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side."

Some also consider fire to be the most noble and ethereal substance.

And then in verses 21-22, our favourite part of the story comes!!
"As I watched, this horn (the Antichrist) was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgement in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom." Technically, this is referring to Israel because they are the "holy people" God's chosen. If you are not Israel, you are the church. Large difference which I may attempt to explain further at a different time. :)

Jesus also comes onto the scene.
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His (God's) presence. He was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all nations and people of every language worshipped Him. His dominion is and everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."

Amen!

In this passage, Jesus is the "son of man," though I think most everyone could figure that out without me saying. In fact, in my Bible there is even a footnote that states this. And we all should know that Jesus is going to return on clouds. (Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27)

It says that Jesus approached God, and God gave Him authority and glory, and that is when the Kingdom of Heaven will be established on the earth.

•••

So there you have it! A complete dissection of Daniel chapter 7!

Be sure to comment what YOU think, and remember that it is okay to disagree! In fact, I'd rather you disagree because then I know that you are doing some research and digging of your own and not just basing your beliefs off of me. I could be 100% wrong! I mean, I don't think so, but that's why it is my opinion, and I do hope you have your own!

I also encourage you to read the comments and discussions of others! I had some really interesting conversations with a few of you in the last chapter, and I learned so much from them! So go check those out!

My next chapter will be over Revelation 13 if you want to get a head start on that! I'm thrilled to see where this goes!

I love each and every one of you! Thank you for taking a chance on me and reading this! I spend HOURS trying to fit as much as I can in these for you to enjoy and learn and grow from.

God bless you all!

•BPL