A Revelation Invitation

(The “Daniel 7” series begins here.)

The first [beast] was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. (Daniel 7:4-7a ESV)

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. (Revelation 13:2a ESV)

These beasts aren’t like any animals you would ever encounter at the zoo. Even at a freak show, they would be too grotesque to gaze at, yet I doubt we could turn our eyes from them? What is worse is that they are not caged. They have been turned loose to roam the earth and devour what ever comes across their paths. The weak are their prey. And there is nowhere to hide.

As I suggested, Daniel 7 enlightens our understanding of Revelation. In this case we are given insight into Revelation’s beast that comes up out of the sea. The angel explained to Daniel, “These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.” (Daniel 7:17 ESV). A review of Israel’s history will identify these kingdoms as the empires of Babylon, the Medo-Persians, the Greeks and Rome. (For a more thorough explanation of the identification of these beasts, I urge you to reference a good commentary.) Each successive empire consumed the one that preceded it becoming greater and more powerful than the previous. Each empire in turn conquered God’s people. Israel was repeatedly conquered only to be liberated by another more onerous oppressor.

“Thus he [the angel] said: ‘As for the fourth beast,
there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,
which shall be different from all the kingdoms,
and it shall devour the whole earth,
and trample it down, and break it to pieces.’”
(Daniel 7:23 ESV)

In Daniel’s vision this fourth beast stands out as the fiercest and strongest of the four. This is the beast of John day, the one he observes rising from the sea. Notice that John describes this beast as a composite (leopard, bear and lion) of the first three beasts of Daniel’s vision. Both men were ultimately looking at the Roman Empire who in John’s day was the great persecutor of God’s people, the church.

From these descriptions we begin to get a sense of the nature of empire: militaristic, violent, arrogant, economically exploitative. It’s been true of empires throughout history (think Viking, Incan, Mongol, Spanish). Empires are no different today. We may not want to see it in our own nations, but the signs are there. There are no exceptions. The perspectives that Daniel and John share with us are not only that these empires are identified for what they are, but that they are shown to be subject to God’s sovereignty. Even as dreadful and violent as they are, God’s people should not fear what they do because we learn what will become of them—destroyed by the one who sits on the throne of heaven and supplanted by his eternal kingdom.

Until all empires are vanquished, the question that remains is how should God’s people interact with them? What relationship should we have with Babylon? We will see how John addresses these questions. How do you answer these questions for yourself? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Almighty God, you stand above all the empires of men. You are sovereign over all human power. Even though your son Jesus was executed by the Romans, he was crowned King of kings upon the cross and rose triumphantly from the grave. Nations and empires have no power over you, nor over me. Amen.

(Part 5 of “Daniel 7” is here.)