Lesson 22: The Fourth Beast
Daniel 7:7-14
7 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. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
9 “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
11 “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.
12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
The beast described here is like nothing Daniel could describe. It is the Antichrist, a ruler like no other in earth’s history because this ruler will be Satan himself.
The iron legs and feet (iron and clay mixed) from Nebuchadnezzar’s statue are pictured here as a single animal that has no earthly comparison. That is because there has never been a human ruler in earth’s history like this one – the Antichrist. The destruction foretold here will be greater than at any other time. The ten horns, of which 3 are replaced by a little horn, are ten kingdoms on the earth. Three of them will be replaced by the Antichrist. But his time to rule will be very short as Daniel sees in the next verse that the “Ancient of Days” comes to rule. This is God Himself and He gives the kingdom to be ruled by “one like the Son of Man” which is Jesus who will reign on the earth for one thousand years. The judgement that is seen in verse 10 is the judgement we also see in Matthew 25:31-40, determining who will enter this Millennial Kingdom.
*Read other descriptions of the Millennial Kingdom in Zechariah 14, Isaiah 2:2-4, Ezekiel 34:17-24, Micah 4:1-5, and Revelation 20:1-6.