Final Empires - 3 Beasts
The Winged Lion-Heart
Dan 7:4 - “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
Is this Babylon? Does the progression in Daniel 7 match the progression of the statue in Daniel 2 and the ram and goat in Daniel 8?
It could be argued that the system which began in Babylon and continued into the empires of Medio-Persia, Greece, Rome, has continued into the modern world economic system centered around the Western World. In some ways, Babylon and its lineage may be considered to be a type of the modern Western-dominated world order.
Could the first beast be symbolic of specifically the Western "five eyes"eyes nations -- United Kingdom (Tarshish) and its young lions of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?
Were "eagles wings" plucked from the land of Richard the Lionheart, atin the American Revolution? Was a "man's heart" given to the United States as it became (for a short time) a "shining city on a hill"?
Alternatively, doescould this refer to the emergence of the State of Israel on the back of the United States and allies? Is this a reference to two wings of a great eagle given to Israel to flee from the Antichrist during the Tribulation? (Also see Jer 48 and Jer 49.)
The Unbalanced Bear
Dan 7:5 - “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’
Some have pointed to a correlation between the image of a bear raised on one side and the disproportionate alliance of the Medes and the Persians. In fact, this correlation may be intentional, in both ethnicity and a geography, pointing to a modern reemergence of something like Medio-Persia.
Could the second beast be symbolic of the former U.S.S.R., the Russian Federation, also known as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)? Iran (also known in modern times as Persia), is conspicuously a part of the Magog Invasion in Ezekiel 38 & 39. In exact conformity with this symbolism, Persia is closely coupled geo-politically and militarily with Russia.
A Russian view of the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. provides eye-opening perspectives about Russia's relationship with the emerging global order.
The Quad-Wing Leopard
Dan 7:6 - “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
Is the leopard with four wings Greece? Some point to the dissolution of Alexander's empire into four empires as being represented by four wings and that may be appropriate. It may also simultaneously point to the reemergence of Alexander's empire, following the first two beasts. The fourth beast can be clearly identified with the Antichrist "beast" system and while the beasts appear in a sequence, they seem to coexist in parallel, similar to what we see in the modern global order.
Could the winged leopard be symbolic of Europe and the EU (see this statue that was temporary erected)? The current EU "leopard" could be considered to have four heads.
The eagle is a consistent symbol throughout Europe, well understood for its connection to the Roman empire. In addition, several European countries, the obvious being Germany (known for Leopard and Panther tanks) also identify with the Leopard symbol. The royal name Leopold has origins in the Leopard symbol and coats of arms from several European countries incorporate the Leopard symbol.