Research Paper on Four Beasts

Introduction

When further exploring the possible interpretations of these beasts, the book of Daniel provides a brief introduction of the beasts, making it easy to conclude that the first beast that John mentions is in fact introduced in the Old Testament. Daniel foretells about the Roman Empire that would sentence Jesus Christ to death, and he alludes this kingdom using the fourth beast. In his vision, Daniel sees four great beasts coming up from the sea, and from the physical attributes that he provides, there is a close similarity to the first beast that John describes in Revelation 13.

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Similarly, there is a prediction of the deeds of the second beast, with Daniel mentioning the apocalyptic 666 that would result in the suffering of many Christians. In this manner, the Old Testament provides a solid foundation for the interpretation of the beasts.

The First Beast

Having understood what the sea and land represent, it is easy to establish the representation of the first beast. John introduces the first beast using a reference made in the Old Testament by Daniel when describing one of the four beasts. The historical beasts that Daniel mentions have very similar attributes to the apocalyptic beast, even though Daniel's beasts are a representation of different empires that would gain dominion over Judea. These empires included Greece, Babylon, Persia and Rome. The beast that John refers to is the Roman Empire that gained its strength at the time and rose to conquer and bring destruction to Christians that lived during that period of time. John establishes the first beast as the political force that was the Roman Empire, whose description is similar to the fourth beast that Daniel sees in his vision, and whose sole purpose was to persecute Christians as a way of mocking God. This interpretation is drawn from the book of Daniel, where the visions of Daniel about the four beasts can be evaluated to establish how this understanding comes about.

Daniel's visions included four beasts with individual traits that distinguished them from each other. In his vision, Daniel used the symbolism of a lion, leopard and bear to describe the beasts, and these traits all exist in the beast that John describes in Revelation. When comparing the beasts in the vision of Daniel, it is evident that the fourth Empire is Rome and not Greece. According to Daniel, the fourth beast was dissimilar from the other beasts in terms of physical appearance and interpretation of the actions that it would be involved in. The fourth beast has physical traits such as ten heads and iron teeth as an indication of its strength. Similarly, John mentions that the apocalyptic beast will have ten heads, and this description is synonymous with the Roman Empire that acquired ten kingdoms after the period of tribulation in the dark ages. To further understand how this similarity comes about, it is important to consider several factors that create a link between the two prophecies.

In Daniel's vision, the fourth beast has huge iron teeth that it used to crush its victims. The iron symbolism can only be related to Rome, and not the Greek Empire as most scholars interpret. Non-conservative scholars believe that since the Roman Kingdom lasted for a very long time, it is not the one that prophecies claim was destroyed by Christ. The Roman soldiery was characterized by iron weapons and armours, while the Greek used bronze. Additionally, the symbolism of iron could be a reference to the massive strength that Rome had in A.D. 476. Unlike other empires, the Roman Empire lasted 500 years in comparison to Greece of 270 years, Babylon of 70 years and Medo-Persia of 200 years. Additionally, the Roman Empire lasted long enough to amalgamate other territories and hence the explanation of the imagery often heads is clearly brought out. Lastly, the fourth beast qualifies as the Roman Empire based on information from other books in the Bible including Ezra 12:10-12 that traces the Roman back to A.D. 80-120. These arguments provide ample ground for the fourth beast to be identified as Rome and not Greece.

Having identified the fourth beast as representing Rome, it is now easy to make comparisons with the beast that John mentions. This comparison is vital in understanding how the beasts in Daniel provide a foundation for the interpretation of the beast in Revelation. The apocalyptic beast had all attributes that describe the four beasts that Daniel sees in his vision. In his description, John says, "The beast looked like a leopard, with feet like a bear's feet and a mouth like a lion's mouth."

This description elicits various interpretations of the qualities of the beast that John mentions. Looking like a leopard signified it's the quality of speed, a bear was synonymous with its power and a lion was evidence of its strength. The beast that John describes embraces the powers of the three beats that Daniel sees in his vision. It is possible that by embodying the three qualities, this beast would be able to accrue complete power over the whole world. In other words, the empire that would arise would be a combination of the superior qualities that Babylon, Greece and Medo-Persia had, and this would give it supremacy in the world, allowing it to conquer over other nations. Another similarity in description between the fourth beast in Daniel and the beast in revelation is the presence of ten heads. In Daniel 7:24, the ten heads are said to represent kings of multiple nations that would rise on the seventieth week and form a confederation of nations that would be against Christ. Similarly, the first beast has ten horns, with each bearing crowns that were representative of the kings that would arise from the empire and bear the despotic power that the beast is assumed to have. In Revelation 13:3, John explains that one of the heads of the beast would sustain an injury and later heal, and this is symbolic of the comeback that the Roman Empire would undergo after experiencing its downfall as Daniel explains in Daniel 7:11-12. This resurfacing of the kingdom was the significance of its power and strength, having survived downfall.

However, not all scholars agree that the beast is solely a nation. Daniel Wong, in his article, presents the beast as a man by making reference to the gender that John accord the beast. When making comparisons between the lamb and the beast, there is a possibility that just the Beast is a human being who is a man, with followers and is a conqueror that desires to be worshipped. When making comparisons between the Lamb that Daniel speaks of and the apocalyptic beast, there are several corresponding activities that both human beings with this description would achieve. Firstly, they would both conquer Christians for forty-two months, they would have a large following among the people of the earth, and both would speak words that were blasphe...