The Liberal interpretation of Daniel 7 does not fit the text.

Overview

In Daniel 7, four animals (a lion, bear, leopard, and a dragon-like animal) come out of the sea, symbolizing four successive empires. The sea symbolizes the people of the world.ย 

The fourth beast first has ten horns, symbolizing that it will fragment into multiple kingdoms, each consisting of a series of kings. The main character of the vision is the 11th horn, symbolizing the Antichrist.

Daniel 2 and 7 predict the same four empires and the same fifth “divided kingdom.’ Both:

      • Symbolize four successive empires.
      • Refer to the fourth as the โ€œfourth kingdom.โ€
      • Describe the fourth as an iron empire.
      • Has a fifth phase with many concurrent kingdoms, continuing the iron of the fourth empire.
      • End with the Eternal Kingdom.

Therefore, Daniel 7 explains Daniel 2 in more detail.

The academic world does not accept the possibility of miracles, such as accurate prophecies of the future. Therefore, since Daniel mentions the Greek Empire, the book must have been written during that empire. Then, the 11th horn must be the Greek king Antiochus IV, and the 11 horns must be 11 consecutive Greek kings. However:

(1) A comparison of the animals in Daniel 7 and 8 shows that the fourth kingdom is Roman.ย 

(2) Daniel 2 shows that the divided empire (symbolized in Daniel 7 as the 11 horns), of which the Antichrist is part, exists AFTER the fourth empire, not during it.ย 

(3) Daniel shows in several ways that the horns exist at the same time, for example, the 11th uproots three of the others.


The Four Animals

The four animals symbolize four empires.ย 

Daniel 7In Daniel 7, four animals, a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast, come out of the sea. The four great beasts are explained as โ€œkingsโ€ (Dan 7:17). However, Daniel 7:23 says that the โ€œfourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms.โ€ In other words, each of the four beasts is a โ€œkingdomโ€ consisting of a series of kings. Since each kingdom consists of a multitude of nations, this article refers to them as ’empires.’

The sea, out of which these empires emerge, symbolizes the people of the world.ย 

These animals arise out of the sea (Dan 7:3), but Daniel 7:17 explains that these kings will โ€œarise from the earth.โ€ Therefore, โ€œseaโ€ (Dan 7:3) is a symbol for โ€œearth.โ€ The โ€œearthโ€ is not the physical earth but refers to the peoples of the world.

The Empires exist one after the other.ย 

Like the metal kingdoms of Daniel 2, these empires will not reign simultaneously but one after the other. For example:

The fourth beast โ€œwas different from all the beasts that were before itโ€ (Dan 7:7).

The fourth beast will devour the โ€œwhole earthโ€ (Dan 7:23), which leaves no place for other beasts at the same time.

The phrase โ€œafter thisโ€ in Daniel 7:6-7, explaining the sequence of beasts, confirms that the beasts will reign consecutively.

The Eleven Horns

The fourth empire will fragment into multiple kingdoms.ย 
The fourth beast first has ten horns (Dan 7:7-8), explained as ten kings that will arise โ€œout ofโ€ the fourth beast (Dan 7:24; cf. Dan 8:20-22). Since ‘kings’ are equivalent to ‘kingdoms’ (Dan 7:17, 23), these ‘horns’ symbolize the kingdoms into which the fourth empire will fragment. Each such kingdom will consist of a series of kings.
The main character of the vision is the 11th horn, symbolizing the Antichrist.ย 

But the main character and purpose of Daniel 7 is not one of these four empires or the ten horns, but the evil 11th horn that later grows out of the fourth empire, among the 10 horns (Dan 7:8). Daniel 7 allocates more space to this 11th horn than perhaps to all four animals and ten horns together. The only reason that Daniel describes the preceding four empires and ten kingdoms is to enable the reader to identify that 11th horn.

It uproots three of the other horns (Dan 7:8). It is small when it comes out (Dan 7:8) but grows and eventually dominates the other kingdoms (Dan 7:20). It persecutes the saints, blasphemes God, and intends to change times and law (Dan 7:25).

Parallels to Daniel 2

Daniel 2 and 7 predict the same four empires.ย 

For reasons such as the following, commentators generally agree that the lion, bear, leopard, and dragon-like beast in Daniel 7 symbolize the same four kingdoms as the golden head, silver chest, bronze belly, and iron legs of the statue in Daniel 2:

The man of Daniel 21) There are four in both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7.

2) Both the metals in Daniel 2 and the beasts in Daniel 7 symbolize successive kingdoms. (See – Daniel 2.)

3) Both the fourth metal and the fourth animal are called the โ€œfourth kingdomโ€ (Dan 2:40; 7:23).

4) Both fourth kingdoms are associated with โ€œironโ€ (Dan 2:40; 7:7).

Daniel 2 and 7 predict the same fifth “divided kingdom.’ย 

By referring to it as a โ€œdivided kingdomโ€ (Dan 2:33, 41), Daniel 2 indicates that, during this phase, there will not be a single supreme ruler but several kings simultaneously ruling different kingdoms. The following parallels indicate that the 11 horns in Daniel 7 symbolize the same period as the divided kingdom in Daniel 2:

(a) Both are a fifth phase.

(b) Both are divided between many kingdoms.

(c) Assuming that the statue in Daniel 2 has 10 toes, both Daniel 2 and 7 use the number 10 to symbolize the plurality of “kings” in this phase (Dan 7:7).

(d) In both Daniel 2 and 7, that fifth divided phase is a continuation of the fourth:

Daniel 7 describes the fifth phase as ten horns growing โ€œout ofโ€ the fourth beast.

In Daniel 2, the metal in the fifth phase is the same as the metal of the fourth kingdom, namely iron (Dan 2:33).

(e) In both chapters, the Divided Kingdom ends with the Eternal Kingdom.ย For example:

โ€œIn the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyedโ€ (Dan 2:44, cf. 7:26-27).

Comparison Table

Therefore, the two chapters may be compared as follows:

Daniel 2 Daniel 7
ย Head of Gold Lion
ย Breast and Arms of Silver Bear
ย Belly and Thighs of Bronze Leopard
ย Legs of Iron Fourth animal, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong
ย Feet of Iron and Clay 11 horns of the fourth animal
ย Eternal kingdom Everlasting Kingdom
Therefore, Daniel 7 explains Daniel 2 in more detail.ย 

Since the two prophecies are one, the one explains the other. For example:

Since the Gold Kingdom of Daniel 2 is identified as the Babylonian Empire, the Lion Kingdom in Daniel 7 is the same.

There is no indication of an evil power in Daniel 2. The most important additional information in Daniel 7 concerns an evil king who will reign during the time of the horns.

Liberal Interpretation

The Academic Consensus is that the eleven horns are Greek kings.ย 

The academic world does not accept the supernatural or the possibility of miracles, such as accurate prophecies of the future. Everything must be explained as natural phenomena. Therefore, since Daniel mentions the Greek Empire, the book must have been written after that empire had already been established. However, the uninspired author could not possibly have foreseen the Roman Empire.

Specifically, Critical Scholars propose that the book was written during the reign of the Greek king Antiochus IV, who they identify as the 11th horn of Daniel 7. He persecuted the Jews and defiled the temple. To make Antiochus fit the prophecy, they:

Identify the fourth empire as Alexander’s Greek empire, and

Propose that the 11 horns of Daniel 7 symbolize 11 consecutive kings of the Greek empire. In other words, these kings rule one after the other during the fourth empire.ย 

Objection 1: A comparison of the animals in Daniel 7 and 8 shows that the fourth kingdom is the Roman Empire.ย 

Daniel 8 uses two animals as symbols, identifying them explicitly as the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. A comparison of these animals with the animals in Daniel 7 (see here) shows that:

      • The Greek Empire is the third animal in Daniel 7, not the fourth.
      • The fourth is the Roman Empire.
Objection 2: The 11 horns exist AFTER the fourth empire.

While the academic view is that the 11 horns are individual kings reigning DURING the fourth empire, Daniel 2 shows that the divided empire (symbolized in Daniel 7 as the 11 horns) exists AFTER the fourth empire:

The five parts of the statue in Daniel 2 symbolize five eras of human history that exist one after the other. Consequently, the fifth part (the feet – the divided kingdom) exists after the fourth (the iron legs), not at the same time.

Liberal scholars want the two feet to be part of the two legs, but while the legs consist only of iron, the feet are โ€œpartly of iron and partly of clay.โ€

Since the horns in Daniel 7 are parallel to the divided kingdom in Daniel 2, the horns follow after the fourth kingdom.

Furthermore, Daniel 7 says: “Out of this kingdom [the fourth] ten kings will arise” (Dan 7:24), implying that these kings will not exist inside or during the fourth kingdom.

Objection 3: The horns exist concurrently.ย 

While, in the Liberal interpretation, the 11 horns exist one after the other (11 consecutive Greek kings), there are several indications that the horns exist at the same time. For example:

(1) The title โ€œdivided kingdomโ€ (Dan 2:33, 41) implies at least two divisions.

(2)ย โ€œThey will combine with one another in the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one anotherโ€ (Dan 2:43), implying kings living concurrently.

(3)ย Daniel saw the 11th horn among the other ten horns (Dan 7:8).

(4)ย The eleventh horn uproots three other horns (Dan 7:8), implying that the other seven remained after the three had been dislodged.

(5)ย In Daniel 8, there are two animals with horns, and, in both instances, the horns represent kingdoms that exist concurrently (Dan 8:20-22):

The ram has two horns, representing the Median and the Persian branches of the Mede-Persian Empire (Dan 8:20), which existed simultaneously.

The goat grows four horns, representing the four divisions of the Greek Empire, existing simultaneously.


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Articles in this series

Mark of the Beast

Daniel 2: The foundation of all prophecy – Readย Show More

Daniel 7: Four Beasts and Eleven Horns – Readย Show More

Daniel 7: The fourth beast is Roman. – Readย Show More

Daniel 7: What is the 11th horn? – Readย Show More

Daniel 8: What is the evil horn? – Readย Show More

Daniel 8: Where the horn comes from – Readย Show More

Daniel 11: Who is the vile person? – Readย Show More

Antiochus IV does not fit Daniel’s Antichrist. – Readย Show More

The Dragon is the Roman Empire. – Read Show More

Revelation’s Beast is Daniel’s 11th Horn.ย Show More

The Throne of the Beast is Christian Religious Authority.ย Show More

The Beast’s fatal wound is its sixth head. (Rev 13:3-4)ย Show More

All articles on this site

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 โ€œMedia and Persiaโ€ and โ€œGreeceโ€ (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.ย 

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 โ€œMedia and Persiaโ€ (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).ย 

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.ย 

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 โ€œMedia and Persiaโ€ (Dan 8:20). Compare it to the Leopard and the Bear:

Ramย  Bear Leopard
Two hornsโ€”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.ย For both, their two sides are compared, and one side is higher than the other: While the Bear is โ€œraised up on one sideโ€ (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.ย The Ramโ€™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 8:4โ€”West, North, and South), and the Bear has three ribs between its teeth (Dan 7:5).ย 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):

Danielโ€™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 โ€œMedia and Persiaโ€ (Dan 8:20).

The Goat

Daniel 8 identifies the Goat as โ€œGreeceโ€ (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 โ€œrootsโ€, 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 Goatโ€™s head. The four heads and four horns symbolize the four Greek Empires that came into existence after Alexanderโ€™s death at age 33.

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

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 โ€œthe kings of Media and Persiaโ€ (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 โ€œkingdom of the Chaldeansโ€ (Dan 9:1)โ€”a part of the Persian Empireโ€”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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