Posted on by Andries van Niekerk

Daniel’s fourth beast is the Roman Empire.

Purpose

In both Daniel 7 and 8, the main character is an evil horn, symbolizing the same entity (see here). This article refers to it as the Antichrist because it is described as God’s great enemy and will only be destroyed when Christ returns:

Daniel 7 describes world history, from the Babylonian Empire until Christ’s return, using a series of four animals, symbolizing four successive empires, with the Antichrist growing out of the fourth. But it does not explain what these animals represent.

Daniel 8 uses two animals as symbols for empires, the Ram and the Goat, explicitly identified as “Media and Persia” and “Greece” (Dan 8:20, 21).

The purpose of this article is to determine what the four animals in Daniel 7 represent and, therefore, out of which empire the Antichrist grows. 

Alternative Interpretations

Conservatives and Liberals interpret the four animals in Daniel 7 as follows:

Daniel 7 Conservative Liberal
Lion Babylon Babylon
Bear Medo-Persia Medes
Leopard Greece Persians
Fourth Rome Greece

 

In the Conservative interpretation, the fourth animal symbolizes the Roman Empire, and the Antichrist arises from it.

Liberals divide the Mede-Persian Empire into two distinct empires so that the Medo-Persian Ram of Daniel 8 includes both the Bear and the Leopard of Daniel 7. In this way, the fourth animal symbolizes the Greek Empire, and the Antichrist is a Greek king. [Show More]

To determine from which empire the Antichrist grows, this article identifies the animals in Daniel 7 by comparing them to the animals in Daniel 8.

Overview

The Bear (Dan 7) is similar to the Ram (Dan 8). Both are higher on one side and conquer three things. Therefore, the Bear, like the Ram, represents “Media and Persia” (Dan 8:20).

In the Liberal interpretation, the Ram (Dan 8) also includes the Leopard (Dan 7). However, their descriptions do not confirm this. While the Ram has two parts (two horns), the Leopard has four parts (four heads). 

The Leopard (Dan 7) is similar to the Goat (Dan 8). Both are represented as fast and consist of four parts. Therefore, the Leopard represents Greece (Dan 8:21).

In the Liberal interpretation, the Goat is equivalent to the terrible fourth animal (Dan 7). However, while the Goat first has only one horn and then later four, the Dreadful Beast first has ten horns and later eight, meaning they are not the same. 

It follows that the four animals in Daniel 7 are:

(1) Babylon,
(2) Medo-Persia,
(3) Greece, and
(4) the Roman Empire.

Therefore, the Antichrist arises from the Roman Empire.

The Ram

Daniel 8 identifies the Ram as “Media and Persia” (Dan 8:20). Compare it to the Leopard and the Bear:

Ram  Bear Leopard
Two horns—one higher;
Higher horn came out last;
Charges to West, North, and South
(Dan 8:3-4)		 Raised up on one side;
Three ribs between its teeth
(Dan 7:5)		 Four heads;
Four wings
(Dan 7:6)

The Ram is similar to the Bear. For both, their two sides are compared, and one side is higher than the other: While the Bear is “raised up on one side” (Dan 7:5), the Ram has two horns, one longer than the other:

These symbolize the composite nature of the kingdom formed by a fusion of the kingdoms of Media and Persia. The Ram’s horn that came out last but became longer, and the higher side of the Bear, symbolize the Persians. Initially, the Medes dominated Persia, but Cyrus reversed the relationship so that Persia dominated the Medes when their combined forces conquered Babylon.

And both the Ram and the Bear conquer three things. The Ram charges in three directions (Dan 8:4—West, North, and South), and the Bear has three ribs between its teeth (Dan 7:5). [Show More]

In the Liberal interpretation, the Ram includes both the Bear and the Leopard, but there is no similarity between the Ram and the Leopard. In fact, they clearly differ. While the Ram has two divisions (horns), the Leopard has four (heads):

Daniel’s prophecies use heads and horns to indicate divisions of empires. The Ram has two horns, meaning it has two divisions (identified as the Medes and Persians – Dan 8:20), while the Leopard has four heads (four divisions).

Consequently, the Bear in Daniel 7 is equivalent to the Ram in Daniel 8 and represents “Media and Persia” (Dan 8:20).

The Goat

Daniel 8 identifies the Goat as “Greece” (Dan 8:21). Compare it to the Leopard and the dreadful fourth beast in Daniel 7:

Goat Leopard Dreadful Beast
From the west;
Not touching the ground;
One conspicuous horn;
Great horn was broken when strong;
Four horns to the four winds
(Dan 8:5, 8)		 Four heads;
Four wings; (Dan 7:6)		 Terrible & very strong;
Iron teeth;
Bronze claws;
It devoured; broke in pieces;
Stamped residue with its feet;
Different from the other beasts;
Ten horns;
 (Dan 7:7, 19)

Contrary to the Liberal interpretation, nothing in these descriptions implies that the Goat is the dreadful fourth beast in Daniel 7. On the contrary, while the Goat first has only one horn and then later four, the Fourth Beast first has ten horns. Then an 11th comes up and ‘plucks out’ three of the 10 horns by their “roots”, leaving 8 horns standing. Since horns symbolize the divisions of kingdoms, the Goat and the Dreadful Beast are not related.

Consistent with the Conservative view, the Goat and the Leopard are similar:

Both are represented as fast. The Leopard has four wings while the Goat flies. The speed of its conquests refers to the speed by which Alexander the Great conquered the known world (within 10 years).

Both consist of four parts. The Leopard has four heads, while four horns grow from the Goat’s head. The four heads and four horns symbolize the four Greek Empires that came into existence after Alexander’s death at age 33.

This implies that the Leopard is equivalent to the Goat, symbolizing Greece. 

Conclusion

Since the Bear is Medo-Persia and the Leopard is Greece, the Dreadful Fourth Beast of Daniel 7 must be the Roman Empire:

      • Lion = Babylon
      • Bear = Ram = Medo-Persia
      • Leopard = Goat = Greece
      • The Fourth Beast = Roman Empire

Therefore, the Antichrist arises out of the Roman Empire. Furthermore, since the Dragon in Revelation (when mentioned with the Beast) is Daniel’s fourth animal (see here), the Dragon also symbolizes the Roman Empire.

Medo-Persia

As stated, to make their interpretation fit the text, Liberal scholars propose that the author of Daniel divided Medo-Persia into two empires. Therefore, another argument against the Liberal interpretation is that this is not historically correct. The Persians conquered the Medes around 550 BCE, and it was the joint forces of the Medes and Persians that conquered Babylon eleven years later, with Cyrus the Great as their supreme king.

It would also not be consistent with the Book of Daniel itself. Daniel always refers to the Medes and Persians as a single entity. For example:

He prophesied that the joint forces of the Medes and the Persians would conquer Babylon (Dan 5:28).

Daniel 6:9, 13, and 16 refer to the unchangeable law of the Medes and the Persians.

He identifies the Ram as “the kings of Media and Persia” (Dan 8:20).

Furthermore, the author would be inconsistent in describing Media and Persia as a single beast in Daniel 8, but as two different beasts in Daniel 7, and as two different metals in Daniel 2. [Show More]

Who was Darius?

Critics argue that the author of Daniel committed a historical blunder when he referred to Darius the Mede in Dan 5:31-6:28 and in Dan 9:1. They argue that no such figure is known from history and that Daniel mentioned Darius the Mede because he mistakenly thought that the Medes were a distinct empire between the Neo-Babylonian rulers and the Persian king, Cyrus.

An article on this website argues that Darius the Mede might have been the throne name for General Ugbaru (Greek Gobryas), who conquered Babylon for Cyrus, and who Cyrus appointed as king over the “kingdom of the Chaldeans” (Dan 9:1)—a part of the Persian Empire—but who died three weeks after the conquest of Babylon. He ruled only for one week, which explains why archaeologists have not yet found him in secular history.

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