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"The Book of Revelation, An Eschatological Study of the Endtimes", by Chad J. McCoy

Daniel 7:1-28 :
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
2 Daniel said: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
4 "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 man, and the heart of a man was given to it.
5 "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!'
6 "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.
7 "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.
8 "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
9 "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.
10 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.
11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)
13 "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 presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
15 "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this.
"So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. 18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever-yes, for ever and ever.'
19 "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws-the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell-the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
23 "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
26 "'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'
28 "This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."

I would point out the following elements of Daniel's vision:
1. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.
2. 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.
3. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell-the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them,

These are all descriptions of the three beasts we have been looking at in Revelation.
Daniel was shown the same creature, you see, but it appeared to him as 4 separate beasts instead of 1, like in Revelation.
Daniel's vision gives us a whole lot more information about this creature that we believe to be a representation of Satan.
The neat thing about Daniel's vision is that he was given the interpretation:
1.'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth.
2. 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
So we know that this picture of Satan is actually some kind of government system. We know this because Daniel is told this represents Nations. We'll try to figure out which nations they are later.
Daniel is told that the fourth beast is a fourth nation which will be different from all other nations that have ever come before it. This will be something radically new. It will also devour the whole earth.
We are told in Revelation that the Beast of the Sea will crush the whole world, as well. That's because these two descriptions are of the same creature.
Daniel is told that the fourth beast has 10 horns, and the meaning of them is the same meaning we are given about the Scarlet Beast's 10 horns in Revelation 17:12. Again, that's because these two are the same creature.
Daniel is told that this fourth Beast will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints.
Rev. 13:6 tells us the same story: that the Beast of the Sea will open his mouth to slander God and his saints. That's because these are the same creature.
Daniel is told that the saints will be handed over to the fourth beast for 3 ½ years.
Revelation 13:5 and 7 tells the same story: The Beast of the Sea is given authority for 3 ½ years, and will make war against the saints and conquer them. That's because� you guessed it - these are the same creature.
Now we get more information, more clarification of this creature from Daniel.
He sees 3 separate beasts, looking like a lion, a bear, and a leopard. The Beast of the Sea in Rev. 13, combines all of these qualities into 1 beast: It looks mostly like a leopard, but has the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion.
This is because they are the same creature.
Daniel clarifies this for us - we know this creature is symbolic - the lion, bear, and leopard are symbolic of nations. We'll figure out which nations they are later, but we know that this creature whose identity we're trying to figure out is some kind of system of government that includes many nations. Something like the United Nations, but completely different from that. The UN does not rule. Whatever this system will be, it will rule, and do so with an iron fist, because authority will be given to it over the whole world, and it will conquer the saints.
The fourth beast Daniel sees is completely different from the other beasts (or nations). This beast is this government system.
We were told before that the 10 horns and crowns represent 10 kings who have no kingdoms yet, but will be given kingdoms and authority to rule along with Satan at the end of the world.
On Daniel's fourth beast, he sees these 10 kings. A curious thing happens to them. A small horn with a big mouth uprooted three of the horns, leaving a total of 8 horns.
Since we know these horns in Daniel are 10 kings and not kingdoms, (the bible tells us so) we know that the little horn is also a king. So one king will arise and remove three others from office.
Daniel says it is this little horn that is actually waging war against the saints. It spoke skillfully, boastfully, and slanderously against God and the things of God, and wages war against the saints until Jesus returns and takes away his power and completely destroys him forever. We know that the king that does this will also stop the sacrifices in the temple, and proclaim himself to be God.
Thus we know the identity of this little horn: It is the AntiChrist.
This information lets us know that there will be some kind of multi-national government in place before the AntiChrist rises up to take control of it. He replaces 3 of the 10 rulers, when he comes to power. Does he just have them fired, or does he destroy them? Why does he pick three kings to overthrow? Are they sympathetic to the saints? Not likely. Perhaps they want all the power for themselves. Perhaps they want to be AntiChrist. Perhaps they are not doing a good job of ruling their territories, and they just need replaced. We don't know. But we do know that they will be replaced.

Now let's look at one other vision of this government system, given to King Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel:
Daniel 2: 31-45:
"You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue-an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold.
39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron-for iron breaks and smashes everything-and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.
44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands-a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

King Nebuchadnezzar has this dream of a statue. It has a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of clay. A rock not cut by human hands strikes the feet of iron and clay and smashes them, destroying the whole statue until it crumbles to dust and was blown away. The rock grows and fills the whole world.
Daniel tells the King that he is the head of Gold. His kingdom is the greatest of all kingdoms on the earth.
After the passing of Nebuchadnezzar, another kingdom will rise, inferior to his - represented by the silver chest and arms.
A third kingdom will rise after that one, represented by the bronze belly and thighs.
The fourth kingdom will be strong as iron. It will break, smash, and crush all others. (All other what? Nations. The statue represents nations.) - This should be familiar to us: The Beast of the Sea, the Fourth Beast of Daniel. Again, this statue represents the same creature.
This iron kingdom will be a divided kingdom, partly strong and partly weak. A mixture of iron and clay. The people will be a mixture, as well, we are told, and will not remain united.
So this iron kingdom will have a purpose, but the people will not all be in agreement concerning this purpose. There will be dissension, even among the nations themselves.
What does this tell us? Well, it sheds a little light on why those 3 kings needed to be replaced. For whatever reason, they were not in agreement with the other 7 on how things should be, and the AntiChrist removes them and replaces them.
If you recall, Daniel's 4th Beast was said to be a nation, but unlike any nation that had ever existed.
The feet and toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue are also a nation, and different from the ones before it. No other nation was a "mixed" nation. There was the gold nation, the silver nation, the bronze nation, and then this "mixed" nation of iron an

d clay. It is different.
All of these things we have been looking at are all describing the same creature, and each gives a little more insight.

One more clarifying point before we put this whole picture together:
The water that the Scarlet Beast sits on represents the nations of the world. Rev. 17:15 tells us so: Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
So when the Beast of the Sea comes up out of the Sea, it means it comes out from the nations of the world. We know this to be true, based on Daniel's Beasts which are called nations, and the statue of Nebuchadnezzar which represents nations.

Since we know the Dragon is Satan, we know these beasts are all pictures of Satan.
Actually, the Dragon is the only one ever labeled as Satan, but all of these other things look like him.
So, this government system will have Satan infusing his own evilness into it - so much so, that it even looks like Satan.
The Sea represents the Nations of the World.
This system includes Babylon, and Babylon's Kings - signifying that this system existed before in a different form - a Babylonian system; it had its beginnings long ago. The infancy will be coming to full maturity with this version of iron and clay.
This system includes 10 brand new nations or regions with a ruler for each. I have suggested that since this system will be a world-wide government system, that the 10 nations and rulers will actually be a dividing up of those nations into 10 regions, each with a Governor.
One Babylonian King (the 7th) was fatally wounded, but is healed.
This government system is of iron - it crushes the saints and makes everyone else bend under its power.
It involves a Leopard Nation, a Lion Nation, and a Bear nation.

We've identified this creature then, as a One-World Government System. It is not beneficent to its subjects. It is Satanic, and derives its power, authority, and throne from Satan himself. This is the Beast of the Sea.

While we can't know how the nations will be divided up into 10 regions, (so there is no use trying to figure out what nations will be in what region) we might be able to determine who these nations of the leopard, lion, and bear are.
Our only clues to their identities are in Daniel 7.
The lion nation has the wings of an eagle. The wings are torn off of the lion, and the lion is made to stand up on two feet like a man, instead of on its four feet. A man's heart is given to it.
The bear nation is raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth. It was told to eat all it could of flesh.
The leopard nation has four birds' wings on its back, four heads, and is given the authority to rule.

Let's look at the Lion nation. There is nothing in the bible to suggest that a lion is representative of anything in particular. We know that lions are fearsome, strong, can roar loudly, and are used as signs of royalty due to its ability to overcome any other animal.
Whatever nation this is, it has the wings of an eagle. What does the bible use wings to mean? Salvation, and protection. But what sense does that make here?
When the wings are torn off, does this mean that this nation no longer has favor with God, but once did?
What does it mean when it is made to stand on two legs?
What does it mean that a man's heart was given to it?

As we explore this, remember that this nation is part of the Satanic One-World Government.

Since the bible offers no solid evidence that the lion represents anything in particular, then I look to the dictionary to see if there is direction in the common knowledge definition.
The dictionary says: a very brave person; the greatest or best part (as in the lion's share).
We're looking for a nation. A very brave nation. That could be a lot of nations (but it rules out France - they've surrendered in every war they've ever been in). J
A nation that could be said to be the greatest, or best. The only nation with the word "great" in its name is Great Britain. If the "greatest share" can be said to be the "lion share", then Great Britain could be called "Lion Britain".
It's as if the title itself is crying out "LOOK AT ME! I AM THE LION OF THE BIBLE!"
But do the other descriptions fit Great Britain?
The lion had 2 eagle's wings torn off of it.
If animals are being used to represent nations, then perhaps these wings are representative of some country.
Well, well! The United States, whose symbol is an eagle, came out of Great Britain. So the eagle's wings were torn off the lion. This fits. Let's continue.
The lion was lifted up and made to stand on two legs like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
This is a picture of a nation being changed from something wild, barbaric, and beast-like into a refined, cultured, educated, intelligent man.
Great Britain began as a collection of tribes - (they weren't even called nations or states, or anything that respectable - they were tribes, which connotates wild barbarians) the Celts, the Picts, the Angles, Saxons, Scots, and Jutes.
Out of this amalgam of wild tribes, were formed the Commonwealth of Great Britain. And nowhere in the world will you find such a refined, cultured, respectable, proper people, than the British. They even have named their language; not English, as the rest of us call it, but The King's English, or The Queen's English.
There's no more a "proper" person in the world than an English Butler.
The lion was raised up to stand on two legs like a man (given respectability as opposed to wild savagery) and given the heart of a man. The epitome of "appropriateness" is the Nation of Great Britain.

So we have identified the lion as Great Britain. Remember, Great Britain will have a large part in the Satanic One-World Government System.

Let's now look at the bear.
The bear is a nation. The bear is raised up on one side, with 3 ribs in its mouth, and it goes about devouring all the people it can.
If the lion is Great Britain, then all we need to do is start looking for symbols of nations.
It's everyday common knowledge that Russia is called the bear, so let's see if the clues we have match Russia.
It should be raised up on one side. What does that mean? It means it's laying on its side. Since it has been told to devour much flesh, it does so on one side - the side it is facing.
Imagine someone lying on their side, reading a book. They are raised up on one side. If they are eating while they are reading, they are eating on the side they are facing - the same side that has the book.
So if this is Russia, we should be able to see that it is raised up on one side, and devouring flesh on that side.
Let's look at a map of Russia:
Russia

Hmmm� Russia is bordered on the North and East by the Arctic and Pacific Oceans, and the Okhotsk and Bering Seas. It is on its side, facing south. If it is to conquer more flesh it will have to do it in that direction. - You can't conquer the sea.

The shape of it on the west side even looks a bit like a rounded head, with the body extending along to the east, with a tail sticking out into the North Pacific Ocean.
If that's the head of the bear, in the area of Moscow, the capital, then there should be 3 small ribs in that vicinity that it is holding on to.
And there are: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia.
Estonia is supposed to be an independent nation, but "Independence has been marked by an ongoing dispute with Russia over Estonia's eastern border." - MSN Encarta Encyclopedia.
In fact, all the Baltic States, as Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are called, have had their troubles with Russia.
Russia just can't seem to leave them alone. When the Soviet Union began letting countries break away and form their own governments around 1990, the Baltic States tried proclaiming their independence also, but Russia refused to let them go. They were the ribs in the bear's teeth. Finally, in 1991, they were allowed to separate from the USSR.
Grolier's 1996 Encyclopedia:
"The Baltic States are ESTONIA, LATVIA, and LITHUANIA, three small countries located between Poland and the Gulf of Finland on the forested eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Before 1918 they were part of the Russian empire. After World War I they became independent, but in 1940 they were forcibly annexed by the USSR. Nationalist movements developed in the Baltic States during the 1980s. In 1990, Lithuania declared its independence; Estonia and Latvia did the same in 1991. The USSR, weakened by internal dissension, was forced to recognize the independence of all three Baltic States shortly before its own demise in late 1991."
US News & World Report:
"The Russians have long regarded the Baltic States as their "window" to Europe. Doormat might be a more apt description: The Balts have spent most of the past 200 years under the control of Russian czars, Hitler's Germany or the Soviet Union. Estonians and Latvians nearly became a minority in their own countries under Soviet occupation.
Nobody really expects to see Russian troops marching in. But the entire population of Estonia is not much larger than the Russian armed forces. And Russia continually harangues the Baltics on outstanding political issues, including border disputes and the treatment of resident ethnic Russians. (Led by Estonia, the Balts have repeatedly denied the charges of human rights violations, and many international monitoring groups concur.) Lithuania, meanwhile, bears the misfortune of lying between Russia proper and Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave and military post on the Baltic Sea."
"Ever since they regained independence from Moscow in 1991, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have fought to escape Russia's influence and anchor themselves in Europe."
"While NATO is clinking glasses with Central Europe's strongest countries, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia fear that NATO expansion could ironically leave them more vulnerable than ever. "We are an endangered country," says Vitautas Landsbergis, who led Lithuania to independence and who now chairs his nation's parliament. He worries that leaving his nation of 4 million out of an expanded NATO could signal Western indifference to the Baltic region. In Lithuania, which secured its independence from Moscow just six years ago, that's not an idle worry. At the Yalta conference toward the end of World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill accepted vague assurances from Stalin that the countries in his orbit would be free to govern themselves. But the Soviets refused to reverse their annexation of the Baltic States, and by 1950 Soviet puppet governments were firmly in place across the rest of Eastern Europe.
The Russians are not much more reassuring now. Prime Minister Victor Chernomyrdin has privately warned Lithuania that Russia will not allow it to join NATO. Lithuania might dismiss such threats as bluster, except that Russia has a ready-made pretext for strong-arming its tiny neighbor: the need to maintain access to the Russian military enclave at Kaliningrad, which is surrounded by Lithuanian and Polish territory and the Baltic Sea. Lithuania now allows the Russian military to transit back and forth to Kaliningrad by railroad, as long as limited numbers of soldiers and weapons travel on different cars and the Russians obey other rules. That arrangement works fine, say Lithuanian officials. But if hard-liners should regain power in Russia, they could easily insist on a more secure land bridge to Kaliningrad and essentially invade Lithuania to obtain it."
"Nine more countries are already pushing to get in. [to NATO] Slovenia, Romania, and the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania) are thought to be serious contenders. So the United States and its allies now face a quandary: Advancing NATO to the very borders of Russia would deeply antagonize the Russian government and people; but stopping the expansion process now, leaving the Baltics and much of Eastern Europe out in the cold, would demonstratively surrender those countries to Russia's sphere of influence�.Russian President Boris Yeltsin has most vociferously opposed NATO inclusion of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which were occupied by the Soviet Union from before World War II until 1991. Russia's response to "losing" the Baltics could be to withhold cooperation on arms control and such issues as sanctions on Iraq and curbing the sale of missile technology to Iran."
As you can see, Russia is content to allow - (ALLOW) the Baltic States their independence. But when it becomes inconvenient for the bear, it will just muscle its way back to being in charge. These three nations are ribs in the teeth of the bear, and I would predict that the Baltics haven't seen the last of Russian control, despite their newly found independence.

The Bear is the nation of Russia.

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