Daniel and Revelation
Chapter 9
Daniel 7 - The Building of the World Government

Traditionally, the four beasts of Daniel 7 are identified as Babylon, Medes-Persia, Alexander the Great, and Rome.  But Daniel 7:17 NIV says, “The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth.”  At the time of this vision, Babylon was only a couple of years away from being conquered by the Medes and the Persians.  Babylon, and the Medes-Persians had long since risen from the earth.  Also, Daniel 7:11-12 tells us that when the fourth beast is destroyed, the other three will be stripped of their authority but will be allowed to live for a period of time.  How can ancient long-dead kingdoms be allowed to live for a season and a time?  This verse rules out ancient kingdoms, which will have been long gone when the fourth beast is destroyed.

Daniel 7:2-3 Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke forth on the great sea.  (3) Four great animals [beasts] came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Daniel 7:17-18 These great animals [beasts], which are four, are four kings, who shall arise out of the earth .  (18) But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

Daniel 7:11-12 I saw at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I saw even until the animal was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire.   (12) As for the rest of the animals [beasts] , their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time .

Another point is that the four beasts all come out of the sea at the same time.  The fourth beast definitely comes into prominence after the three.  But the three remain for a season and a time after the fourth is destroyed.  All this evidence speaks against these four beasts as being four ancient empires.  And the destruction of the fourth beast puts the context of all the four in the end times.  In other words, verse 18 would seem to indicate that all four beasts are overcome by the kingdom of the Most High.

The Lion (Daniel 7:4) is England and the United States.  The Lion has wings of an eagle.  The wings are torn off.  It stands up on two feet like a man.  It is given the heart of a man.  The symbol of England is the Lion, standing up like a man.  The eagle wings represent the United States, torn off from England at the US Revolutionary War.

The Bear (Daniel 7:5) is Russia.  The Bear has three ribs in its mouth.  The three ribs are the Baltic States which were absorbed into the USSR (Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia).  These states were absorbed into the USSR unlike any of the other states of the old Soviet Union.  The Bear is told to eat it’s fill of flesh.  Joseph Stalin executed 1 million political offenders, 14.5 million needlessly starved to death.  9.5 million were deported, exiled, or imprisoned in work camps.  An estimated 5 million were sent to “Gulag Archipelago” never to return alive.

The Leopard (Daniel 7:6) is the European Union.  It has four wings like a bird on its back.  It has four heads and is given authority to rule.  The EU was originally a series of economic treaties that over time are turning into a federalization of states, similar to the United States.  The EU began with the Treaty of Rome, in 1957.  These were the four states of France, West Germany, Italy, and Benelux.  (Benelux is Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemburg.)  The four wings, and possibly the four heads, are these four original states.

The fourth beast (Daniel 7:7) is the United Nations.  The fourth beast is like no other beast.  It's different from the former three.  The fourth beast is terrifying and frightening and very powerful.  It has large iron teeth.  It will crush and devour its victims and trample underfoot whatever was left.  This beast has the ten horns.  The fourth beast is the kingdom of the antichrist.

Daniel 7:7 ESV After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

The UN is a government that is different from the other three beasts (Daniel 7:7).  This government rules all the nations of the world, but does not have its own geographical nation.  The UN is a government, but it has not had the military power needed to enforce its "resolutions."  In other words, it does not yet have its teeth.  However, the fourth beast will have large iron teeth that will crush and devour its victims.  UN resolutions are considered international law, but the UN is not always able to enforce its laws.  More and more, however, that is changing.  The militaries of the world are shifting to the United Nations.  The UN was formed right after World War II.  We have been under a one-world government for the entire baby-boom generation.  But its power has been slowly increasing, like the slow boiling of water with a frog in the pot.

The first three beasts represent nations which directly influence and try to control Israel.  The United Nations also tries to directly influence and control Israel.  These four beasts, which influence and try to control Israel, can be seen in the organization of nations called the Middle East Quartet.  This organization was established in 2002 by Spanish Prime Minister Aznar.  The Middle East Quartet consists of the same four powers: The United States, Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations.  On June 27, 2007, Tony Blair was appointed as special envoy to the Quartet.  This was the day he resigned as Prime Minister of England.

Representatives of the Middle East Quartet are:

UN — Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry
European Union — High Representative Baroness Ashton of Upholland
Russian Federation — Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
United States of America — Secretary of State John F. Kerry
Special Envoy — Tony Blair

The total purpose of the Quartet is to solve the Middle East problems of Israel and the Palestinians.  The Quartet is the author of the Road Map for Peace.  The peace treaty process, which began in Annapolis, MD in November of 2007, should be watched.  This could turn into a treaty similar to the Oslo Accords seven-year treaty which was signed in September of 1993.  That treaty deliberately left out critical issues such as the refugees, Israel settlements, borders, and most importantly, the issue of Jerusalem.  This next treaty is expected to cover all the issues, and will probably be more of a unilateral agreement that is enforced by the Middle East Quartet.  (In other words, by the four beasts.)

This next treaty with the four beasts might or might not be a seven-year treaty.  The covenant of Daniel 9:27 does not have to be interpreted as being with the antichrist, and no other place in Scripture speaks of a seven-year covenant.  However, if the coming peace treaty makes East Jerusalem be an international city, controlled by the UN, or if it turns East Jerusalem over to the Palestinians, then it might signal the 42-month reign of the antichrist where Old Jerusalem is trampled upon by Gentiles for 42 months (Revelation 11:2).  (Old Jerusalem is today East Jerusalem.)

This three and a half year period (not seven), which is the reign of the antichrist, can also be seen here in Daniel 7.  In verse 25 the three and a half year period is spoken of as a time, times, and half a time.  Under the coming New World Order, the world will be united into ten economic regions of the world, such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that will eventually become ten nations of the world.  These are seen here as ten horns on the head of the fourth beast.