“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. 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. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7:23-25 (NIV).
Some of this section seems to apply to Rome. That gels with Daniel’s vision in chapter 2 (Nebuchadnezzar’s statue), and with the timeline we know occurred after Daniel’s life. Rome was indeed different from all empires before it. It did indeed trample and crush all nations in conquered (https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/daniel-7-23.html). The ten horns line up with how the Roman empire was divided and parsed once it fell (centuries after Daniel recorded this). Some people believe the kingdom that would arise refers to the Roman Catholic church, which grew stronger as Rome waned. And there are those who also believe that the one who would speak against the Most High may refer to the office of the pontiff himself; see https://biblehub.com/commentaries/daniel/7-23.htm.
Yet the verses also tie neatly to the end of times as mentioned in Revelation. The fourth beast may be the beast John the Revelator wrote of, complete with the ten horns and boastful one opposed to the Most High God. The Antichrist would oppress all people opposed to him (that is, followers of the Lord); he would blaspheme God in all matters; he would crush his opponents both politically and physically; and he would change times, rules, laws, societal norms, and everything humanity knows and holds dear.
And it will be all for nothing because the imp of Satan, that Antichrist, is already defeated. Christ defeated Him on the cross, and on resurrection Sunday, and every day since. And He will defeat Satan yet again, at the final judgment, when all evil is purged from creation and cast into a lake of fire from which there will be no escape.
Maybe both interpretations are true.
No matter what it means, remember what Jesus in Mark 1: “the time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news.” Now is the time to not be alone. Today is the day to hitch your star to His and come over to the Lord. This is the moment you’ve been living for. No matter what happens after, believe and be assured that you’re on the winning side of history.
For further reading: Isaiah 37:23, Mark 1:15, Luke 21:8, Acts 1:6-7, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 16:6, Revelation 17:12, Daniel 7:26
Lord, I believe in You.
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