The Four Great Kingdoms of Daniel's Vision

Notes

1. In prophecy winds denote war and strife (Jer. 25:32, 33), and sea or waters denote "multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Rev. 17:15. It was through the terrible scenes of war that nations were overturned, and kingdoms built up. The Lord said of His people, "I will scatter them with a whirlwind among the nations whom they knew not." Zech. 7:14.

2. The kingdom symbolized by the lion with eagle's wings is Babylon. In the second chapter this same universal kingdom was represented by the head of gold. Babylon was founded by Nimrod, of whom it is written, "Also Cush begat Nimrod, who was the first to be a despot in the earth. He was an overbearing tyrant in Jehovah's sight; wherefore the saying, Even as Nimrod the overbearing tyrant in Jehovah's sight." Gen. 10:8, 9. (Spurrel's translation.) This kingdom came into the field of prophecy about B. C. 606. Habakkuk, speaking of Babylon, says, "They shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat." Chap. 1:8. The plucking of the wings, and receiving a man's heart, doubtless denotes its loss of bravery and final downfall.

3. The second great beast, the bear with three ribs in its mouth, corresponds to the breast and arms of silver in the dream recorded in Daniel 2, and symbolizes the kingdom of Media and Persia. This kingdom is mentioned by name in Dan. 8:20. The bear raising itself up on one side represents the two lines of kings, with one, the Persian, becoming more prominent than the other.

4. The third beast is a symbol of the Grecian kingdom that conquered the Medes and Persians. The two wings on the lion being an indication of its rapidity in conquest, the four wings on the leopard must picture great haste in its warfare of conquest. This kingdom is represented in Dan. 8:5 by a swiftly running goat, which destroyed everything in its course.

5. Rome is symbolized by this nondescript beast. It bruised and conquered the Grecian empire. Gibbon, writing concerning the decline and fall of this empire, uses the following striking language, "The arms of the republic, sometimes vanquished in battle, always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the ocean; and the images of gold, or silver, or brass, that might serve to represent the nations or their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarchy of Rome."

Another writer has said: "How accurately it answers to the beast before us! In the dread and terror which it inspired, and in its exceeding strength, the world has never seen its equal. It devoured as with iron teeth, and brake in pieces; and it ground the nations into the very dust beneath its brazen feet."—U. Smith.

The ten horns upon the head of this beast represent the ten divisions into which this kingdom was divided. These may be enumerated as follows: (1) Alemanni, (2) Ostrogoths, (3) Visigoths, (4) Franks, (5) Vandels, (6) Suevi, (7) Burgundians, (8) Heruli, (9) Anglo-Saxons, (10) Lombards. The period of what may appropriately be called the dissolution, or dismemberment, of the empire covered almost one hundred fifty years, from A. D. 351 to 485.

6. It is said, "As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time." Dan. 7:12. But with the dreadful and terrible beast it was not so. It, in its last and worst phase, was cast bodily into the burning flame, and consumed. See verse 11.