Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

In this lesson, in addition to learning about the Antichrist of Bible prediction, we will take a major step toward a fuller understanding of prophecy in general. In just three lessons we have studied Daniel 2 and 3, and part of Revelation 12 and 13. Most of our studies will be from the book of Revelation, but as we noted in the very first lesson, Revelation can not be understood unless we have studied Daniel first, because many of the symbols used in Revelation are explained in Daniel. John the revelator did not repeat everything that God had already revealed through Daniel, rather he built upon that book. In order to understand the teachings of Revelation about the Antichrist, we must first start in Daniel to get the background to the prophecies of Revelation.

One of the first principles of prophetic interpretation is that prophecy builds and expands upon itself. Often God will give a new prophecy that covers the exact same history as the previous one, but He includes more details. It is like second, third, and fourth–grade math—they all cover the same thing but each one goes a little further into the subject. And so in Bible prophecy, God first gives the general outline in one prophecy, and then He covers the same history but filling in more of the details in a later prophecy. Unless we get the outline first, we won’t be able to correctly understand the details God gives later, just as a first–grade student would have a hard time understanding fourth–grade math until he has gone through grades one to three.

The reason many people find it impossible to understand prophecy today is that they are unwilling to start at the beginning. That is the reason there are so many fanciful interpretations about the Antichrist, because some Bible students have not received a background in Daniel before trying to understand Revelation, and that is an impossible task even for the best of scholars.

God has a purpose for putting these prophecies in the Bible, and there is a reason that the Devil does not want us to understand them. In Jesus’ day, those who correctly understood prophecy accepted Him as the Messiah; those who did not, rejected Him. Those who correctly understand prophecy today will be delivered from the deceptions of the last days, while those who do not will be deceived.

A Review of Daniel 2

Those who were here the first night will remember that in Daniel 2 God gave a general history of the world from Nebuchadnezzar’s time down to the end of time when God would establish His kingdom. God predicted that Babylon would be overthrown by a second, inferior kingdom; which in turn would be overthrown by a third kingdom that would be even more extensive in territory; and that kingdom would be overthrown by a fourth kingdom which would be even stronger, even as strong as iron. The fourth kingdom would not be overthrown by a single power but would be divided up into several kingdoms, and those fragmented powers would never be united again.

We also noted that those four kingdoms were Babylon, Medo–Persia, Greece, and Rome. True to prophecy, Rome was not overthrown by a single power but was divided up by various warring factions. Throughout the Middle Ages, Europe was known as the "Holy Roman Empire," they recognized the fact that they were fragments of the old Roman Empire. But they were fragmented, and for fifteen hundred years not any or all of the greatest generals of Europe, with all their powers, have been able to overthrow those seven Bible words: "They will not adhere to one another" (Daniel 2:43).

The prophecy then said that in the days of these fragmented powers, the God of heaven would set up a kingdom which would fill the whole earth and would never be destroyed.

The Daniel 2 Outline Expanded in Daniel 7 to Include the Antichrist

In Daniel 7, we find the exact same history covered as in Daniel 2, but in greater detail. One of the additional details God gives is about the Antichrist or, as some people think, the antichrist system, which would arise. This prophecy again predicts the rise of the four world powers and then predicts the coming of the Antichrist and gives us a few details by which this person or system may be identified. This time, instead of using an idol image—for God was no longer dealing with a heathen idol–worshiping king but a true prophet of the Lord—He used beasts to represent the four successive kingdoms. A beast is generally what God uses in prophecy to symbolize a nation or kingdom. Today many people still use beasts or birds to represent various countries. We think of the bear as representing Russia and the eagle as representing America.

Daniel 7:1 "In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. 2 Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.’ "

In Daniel 2 we had four metals, each different from the other. Here we have four beasts, each different from the other. What do these four great beasts represent?

Daniel 7:17 "Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth."

Here is another principle we must know to understand prophecy. The words "king" and "kingdom" mean the same thing in prophecy. The king represented the kingdom. Notice what it says about the fourth beast which was the fourth king:

Daniel 7:23 "Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.’ "

This kingdom corresponds exactly with the fourth kingdom of iron in Daniel 2, but let us go back and start at the beginning. We will not spend much time with the four beasts, because we have already covered some of their history and this history has been fulfilled. We want to get up to today’s history, which is the main theme of this prophecy.

Let us first look at where these beasts came from. Verses 2 and 3 say that they came from a stormy sea, which the four winds of heaven were stirring into activity. We will not have time to look at every symbol in this prophecy as that would take several nights, but let us find the biblical interpretation for some of the important symbols.

Sea (or Water) Represents Civilizations and Peoples

Revelation 17:15 "And he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.’ "

Unlike Canada and the United States, these kingdoms arose out of other established kingdoms and civilizations. New kings and powers came in and took over lands and peoples and countries, and the citizens often became their hostages. You will notice another symbol used here:

Wind Represents War and Destruction

Jeremiah 51:1 "Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, a destroying wind.’ "

All of these beasts arose from a stormy sea. Most of the kingdoms of this world have arisen by conquering previous civilizations and people. Although America had a revolutionary war, it was primarily established by immigration and it grew by the purchase of land. But that is unique in the history of this earth. The Bible pictures the history of this earth as stormy, with nation arising upon nation by the conquest of arms and the shedding of blood. The four animals pictured, which arose from this stormy sea, are all vicious, carnivorous animals which live by killing and eating other animals. The prophecy does not picture sheep, cows, or horses; but lions, bears, and leopards. If you will study ancient history, you will find that these were indeed vicious countries that derived their livelihood by vandalizing other nations and civilizations. Let us look at the first one:

Daniel 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."

Just as gold was a fitting symbol for the golden city of Babylon, so is the lion. Not only was the lion the animal used in the royal reliefs of Babylon, but its character fitly represented that nation. Listen to the prophet Jeremiah describe this power that would destroy Jerusalem:

Jeremiah 4:7 "The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, without inhabitant."

This lion is described as having two wings. Wings, according to Habakkuk 1:6–8, represent swiftness and agility in battle. In the process of time, however, Babylon lost its bravery and mobility in battle. Its wings were plucked off and a man’s heart was given to it. This beast is followed by a bear, representing the country of Medo–Persia, which conquered Babylon.

Daniel 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!"

Like Babylon, Medo–Persia also played a prominent role in dealings with God’s people. Three kings of Medo–Persia gave commands for Jerusalem to be rebuilt. The book of Esther was written about a Jewish woman who became the wife of one of the Persian kings. Like a bear, Medo–Persia was not lightning fast, but had brute strength. You will notice that this bear was raised up on one side, showing that the Persian half of this kingdom became the dominant half. It had three ribs in its mouth, symbolizing the destruction of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon. This was followed by the leopard, representing Greece.

Daniel 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."

Like a leopard in comparison with a bear, Greece did not have nearly the physical strength that Medo–Persia had. In the battle of Arbela, in which Alexander the Great defeated Darius and his Persian army, the Persian army consisted of 1,000,000 soldiers, all heavily armed. The Greeks numbered just 50,000. Like a leopard, the Greeks were fast and cunning. This beast is represented as having four wings on its back. There has probably never been a general who moved more swiftly in battle than Alexander the Great. Within ten years he had conquered most of the then–known inhabited world; from Greece to India and on down to Egypt.

You will notice that this beast had four heads. On the march back from his final conquest, Alexander died after a drinking bout in the city of Babylon at the age of 33. Upon his death–bed, leadership of his kingdom was divided between his generals. It was his design that they would hold the government together until the child his wife was carrying at the time should be old enough to administer the government. But once these generals took command, they never gave up their territory. Initially there were five territories, but one was soon eliminated, leaving four different headships. Each general, or king, looked at his territory as being a division of the Greek empire, but each administered his own territory. And so the leopard is pictured as having four heads.

Even after its downfall, Greek influence pervaded the world. In the days of Jesus, the Greek language was the universal language of literature, and Greek philosophy was the standard of education. The New Testament was all written in Greek.

Daniel 7:7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns."

Of all the nations, Rome was the strongest, most cruel, and longest lasting. When not at war, the Roman populace entertained itself by watching gladiators kill themselves in the amphitheaters. Except in battle, few of God’s people lost their lives because of religious persecution under the reigns of Babylon, Medo–Persia, and Greece, but Rome felt competent to dictate a person’s beliefs. It is estimated that over 500,000 Christians were martyred by the Roman power because they refused to worship the emperor or to practice the heathen practices of paganism. All of Jesus’ disciples were martyred by Roman arms except for John, and he was banished to the forsaken island of Patmos. Both Paul and Peter were beheaded or crucified at Rome by command of the emperor. Nero lighted up his gardens at night by having Christians dipped in wax, tied to posts around his walkways, and set on fire. It was in Rome that Christians were thrown to the lions, just for sport. Never has a power arisen more destitute of human sympathy than Rome. They killed just for the fun of killing. And they hated Christianity.

It was in Rome that methods of torture were first perfected. It was not enough just to kill a person; they wanted to torture their victims. Thus the cross came into existence. The cross was a method of torture designed to cause a person to suffer for several days, while being held up to the taunts and jeers of the populace, before the victim expired. This was the method of torture that was used on Jesus. You might remember that when it was reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead after being on the cross for only three hours, he could hardly believe it. Jesus died of a broken heart. You will recall other methods of torture used against Jesus. He was whipped until His back was lacerated and torn. A crown of thorns was placed upon His head and driven into His brow.

Torture was a part of the lifestyle of the Roman people. They ruled through fear and intimidation. Informants were rewarded by receiving the property and wife of the one informed on. If a person wanted someone else’s property, wife, or both, they found something to cause his condemnation, and received the reward they sought after. The only crime that was necessary in order to secure someone’s condemnation was to show that they had disregarded a statute of the emperor or spoken against the Roman government. Freedom was unknown in Rome.

You will notice that this beast, which Daniel could not find words nor a known animal to describe other than to just call it a beast, had ten horns. What do these ten horns represent?

Daniel 7:24a "The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom."

Remember that "kings" mean "kingdoms" in prophecy. Note also that these are ten kings, or kingdoms, that "shall" arise. These kingdoms were not present in the beginning of this beast’s existence. Remember that in Daniel 2 it was predicted that Rome would not be conquered by another single power, but would be divided into various divisions. Here prophecy gives us the exact number of divisions that Rome was to be divided into. This is an amazing prophecy, because out of a total of about 20 different warring factions, it was only and exactly ten different tribes that finally got a piece of the cake and ended up with parts of the Roman empire. This division took place between the years A.D. 351 and A.D. 476.

These ten divisions were the Franks (France), Anglo–Saxons (England), Alemanni (Germany), Suevi (Portugal), Visigoths (Spain), Burgundians (Southern France), Lombards (Switzerland), Ostrogoths (in the area of Greece and later Italy), Heruli (Italy), and Vandals (Northern Africa).

Now I want you to notice something that disturbed Daniel greatly. After the arrival of these ten horns, another horn arose.

The Antichrist Power: Sometime After the Breakup of Rome

Daniel 7:8 "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words."

When we study Revelation, we will find that the descriptions of this little horn are exactly the same as those of the antichrist power that would arise sometime before Jesus established His kingdom. Some people believe this power will arise after the rapture, some before; some believe this power has already arisen, and some believe this power is here on earth today. It is possible for some people to get very sensational when talking about the Antichrist. I am not interested in sensationalism, but I am interested in the truth, aren’t you?

When we study Revelation and combine what it says with the prophecies of this chapter, we will have all of these questions answered and when we are through you will know the truth beyond a shadow of a doubt. Revelation won’t leave any room for mere opinions. We won’t find all of the answers tonight, but we can begin to lay a groundwork for understanding.

Let me say first of all that it would be hard to find much more of an anti–God power than the old Roman power we have already studied. The Caesar of Rome claimed to be divine and commanded all to worship him. He persecuted the Christians. He dictated what people should believe. But now the Bible predicts that a new power would do the same thing in the Christian era. Let us first note where this antichrist power is to arise from:

Daniel 7:8a "And I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them."

The little horn came up where? Among the ten. It would arise somewhere in the territory of the Roman empire. Secondly, consider what this power would do:

Daniel 7:24 "The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings."

Notice these points:

1. He will speak pompous words against the Most High. Paul elaborates on this in II Thessalonians 2.

II Thessalonians 2:3 "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition."

Like Rome of old, this power will claim the prerogatives of God. He will even claim to be greater than God, for he will claim that he has power to change God’s laws. Only one of greater authority can change another’s laws. Let us notice two other characteristics of this antichrist power. Go back with me again to Daniel 7 and note other identifying marks.

Daniel 7:25 "He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time."

2. He will persecute the saints of the Most High. Now I want to ask you a question just for your consideration. Could this power persecute the saints of God if they were all already in heaven? The three Hebrews had to go through some tests, and it could be that some of God’s people will yet have to go through some tests before Jesus comes.

3. He will intend to change times and law, speaking of God’s times and God’s law, of course, for that is whom he is at war with.

As we have noticed time after time, the great test for God’s people has always been in choosing between the religious laws and customs of man versus the religious laws and customs of God. This was the test of the three Hebrews in Daniel 3. When the image of the Beast is set up in Revelation 13, this will again be the test. In the areas of religious faith and practice, whom will we fear and whom will we obey? This has always been the test of God’s people.

The vast majority of earth’s inhabitants will follow the leadership of this antichrist power. The Bible says that "all the world marveled and followed the beast" (Revelation 13:3). Only a small remnant of people will remain true to God. Upon these people the antichrist power will turn its wrath.

Revelation 12:17 "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."

When we study Revelation we will learn that those who follow the antichrist power will really think they are following God. But that will be for a later study. Note in the following verse that while the antichrist power sets himself up to oppose God and His people, God comes to their rescue. God is going to establish His kingdom, and then He is going to judge the antichrist power and those who have blindly followed his leading.

Daniel 7:26 "But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."

The big question today is the same as in Jesus’ day, who are you going to serve, who are you going to obey? Most the world in the last days is going to follow and obey the antichrist, thinking that they are following and obeying Christ. The Bible and the Bible alone shows us how to tell the difference between the true Christ and the Antichrist.

We Saw Several Identifying Marks of the Antichrist Tonight

Today God is giving each of us an opportunity to develop a relationship with Him and an understanding of His prophecies so that we will not be condemned in that day, but will be numbered among His saints.

At our next prophecy seminar meeting we will look at one the principal subjects of the prophecies––life after death. Where is this place that the Bible calls heaven and when and how do we get there? We will look at the Bible prophecies about when and how we are going to be reunited with our loved ones who have died in Christ. We will also begin to look at the subject of the rapture, although we will not get completely into the subject of the rapture until the second meeting next week–end. If you know anybody who has lost a loved one by death and does not understand what Bible prophecy teaches about the time when we will be reunited with our loved ones who died in Christ, please invite that person to come with you to the meeting next Friday evening. The subject of the resurrection is one of the most astounding and exciting areas of prophecy in the whole Bible.

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Last Updated: 06/18/03