The Rise of the Four Great Beasts
The desire of some in authority to control the people, property, prosperity, piety, public and private behavior of others has been the goal of many kings, dictators and despots for millennia; at least since the ill-fated tower of Babel was built by Nimrod (Gen. 11:1-9). The interest in a global government accelerated after World Wars I & II and especially after the first half of the 20th century (1950-present), with many nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) becoming active.
One of those organizations, the Club of Rome, was formed in 1968, and a few years later, in 1973, they released a report revealing their goal of dividing the world into ten political/economic regions that would bring the entire world under a single form of government, aptly called a “New World Order.” [1]
The 10 regions are: North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Rest of Developed World, Latin America, Middle East, Rest of Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and China. The same plan was included in a book published by the Club of Rome called Mankind at the Turning Point. [2]
The interesting point about the Club of Rome’s proposal is that the books of Daniel and Revelation tell us that the final Gentile kingdoms before Christ’s return (seventh and eighth) will be a global form of government that will initially have 10 kings (10 horns) (Dan. 7:7, 23-24; Rev. 17:10-11). Ironically, these 10 kings, at their beginning, will not have kingdoms (Rev. 17:12) but may be responsible for 10 regions on the earth, perhaps like the 10 regions in the Club of Rome’s proposal.
The Four Great Beasts in Daniel
Daniel, in his dream and visions, during the first year of the reign of Belshazzar (553 B.C.), described four great beasts (kingdoms) that will be present during the “end times” (Dan. 7:4-7, 11-12, 23-24).
“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. Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 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. 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!’ 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.
“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” (Dan. 7:1-7).
One reason we know the four great beasts (Dan. 7:4-7) will be active during the 7-year tribulation (Dan. 9:27) is their presence (leopard, bear and lion) when the kingdom of Antichrist rises to power (Rev 13:1-8). Another reason the four beasts will be present in the “end times” is because they will all be judged on the earth by the Ancient of Days immediately after the tribulation (Dan. 7:9-12; Matt. 24:29-31).
The Precursor of Global Government
Daniel’s vision of these last two Gentile kingdoms (seventh and eighth) before Christ’s return is initially portrayed as a fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), which is also the seventh king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:10. The eighth king (beast, Antichrist) will rise to power soon after the seventh king (kingdom) becomes established (Rev. 13:1-8, 17:10-11). The words “king” and “kingdom” are used interchangeably since the two terms are interconnected.
The fourth beast (kingdom) described in Daniel 7:7 with “10 horns” and the “composite beast” (kingdom) pictured in Revelation 13:1-2 with “7 heads and 10 horns” will be the two final global kingdoms (seventh and eighth) that rule the earth during “the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4-10). The word “composite” refers to having “distinct parts.”
The coming world government (seventh) that is being planned by the global elite is forecast to be in place by the year 2030; however, the Covid-19 crisis accelerated the process so that the globalists may only be a few months or years away from beginning to achieve their dreams. The United Nations has stealthily revealed their plans on their website that is called “The Sustainable Development Agenda.”
“The ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. The 17 Goals were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015, as part of the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ which set out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals.” [3]
The World Health Organization (WHO) may play a major role in development of the ten regions by using health as a global justification for imposing laws, rules and guidelines on the citizens of the world. [4] The World Economic Forum (WEF), with its “Young Global Leaders” program, is also playing a big part in the move toward globalism by embracing health and environmental issues as reasons to justify control of the world’s population. [5]
The First Phase of Global Government
The first phase of global government, which may soon be coming on the earth, is described in Daniel’s dream and visions that he had over 2,500 years ago (Dan. 7:1-28). It is depicted as a fourth beast that would come forth out of “the great sea,” and it would end up controlling the whole world (Dan. 7:7, 23). This fourth beast kingdom is also the same as the seventh king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:10. The fourth beast kingdom will be a dystopian type of society with a totalitarian form of government, and it will have 10 horns (i.e., kings) (Dan. 7:23-24).
“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” (Dan. 7:7).
Different names have been given to the movement toward global government that we see developing today. One of the most prevalent names is the “New World Order.” The fourth beast kingdom, after it becomes operational, will end up dominating the whole world. Soon after the 10 horns (kings), which may represent 10 regions on the earth, gain control of the earth, another little horn (prince) will rise to power and conquer 3 of the 10 kings.
“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. 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’” (Dan. 7:23-24).
The fourth beast kingdom, which is the same as the seventh king (kingdom) in Rev. 17:10, appears to be in its rudimentary form today. The European Union (EU) is already fully functional, and plans are in the works for a North American region, South American region, etc. The “Declaration of North America” (DNA), signed on January 10, 2023, is a preliminary document that facilitates increased cooperation between Canada, the United States and Mexico. [6] [7]
The fourth beast kingdom, alluded to in Daniel, will be worldwide in scope and may be similar to the 10 geographic divisions recommended by the Club of Rome. Some countries, such as Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and others may not cooperate with the globalist plan. When the “New World Order” becomes operational, it will probably be controlled by a coalition and consensus of the global elite.
Some of these Globalist organizations are the United Nations (UN); World Economic Forum {WEF); International Monetary Fund (IMF); Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Bank for International Settlements (BIS), Trilateral Commission (TC); World Health Organization (WHO); Club of Rome; Bohemian Grove and Bilderberg Group.
The next phase of globalism requires the merger of the first three beasts (lion, bear and leopard) (Dan. 7:4-6) with the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), which has 10 horns (10 kings). This merger of the first three beasts (lion, bear and leopard) with the fourth beast will produce the “composite beast” that is “like a leopard” with “the feet of a bear” and “the mouth of a lion” that has “seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 13:1-2).
The “Four Great Beasts” merge to become the “Composite Beast”
After the first phase of global government (seventh kingdom) is put in place, it will be operational for a short period of time (Rev. 17:10) before it transitions into the final Gentile kingdom (eighth) that will rule the world before Christ returns and sets up his Millennial Kingdom for 1,000 years (Dan. 2:34-35, 41-45, 7:19-27; Rev. 13:1-18, 17:11-14, 19:11-21, 20:4).
We know from Daniel’s dream that all four great beasts will be present in the “end times” when they are judged by the “Ancient of Days” immediately after the tribulation (Dan. 7:9-12, 22, 26-27; Matt. 24:29; Rev. 19:19-20). In some mysterious way, the fourth beast of the “end times” in Daniel 7:7 will need to morph into the “composite beast” of the “end times,” described in Revelation 13:1-2, that John saw “rising up out of the sea.”
How does the fourth beast in Daniel’s prophecy, with 10 horns (10 kings) but no head attributed to it, morph into the “composite beast” in Revelation, which has seven heads? Perhaps the solution to this mystery is that the “composite beast” described in Revelation 13:1-2 having seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns is a more advanced form of the fourth beast kingdom that is described in Daniel 7:7.
In order to get “seven heads and ten horns,” like the “composite beast” in Rev. 13:1-2, the heads of the lion, bear and leopard (Dan. 7:4-6) must be merged into the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7). If you add up all the heads from the lion, bear and leopard (plus the four additional heads of the leopard), and they are merged with the fourth beast (Dan. 7:7), the fourth beast now has “seven heads and ten horns” which is the same as the ‘end times” “composite beast” found in Rev. 13:1-2 and the “scarlet beast” described in Rev. 17:1-7.
The Second Phase of Global Government
As mentioned earlier, the fourth beast kingdom in Dan. 7:7, which has 10 horns (10 kings) but no heads, is the first phase of global government on the earth (seventh kingdom) that will have 10 kings (regional leaders), but they will not rule over any kingdoms (Dan. 7:23-24; Rev. 17:12). This worldwide global government that does not have a head (no single leader) will be a loosely held coalition of global leaders that will be given limited authority by the global elite.
After the initial phase of global government that has 10 kings is established (fourth beast, seventh king) (Dan. 7:7; Rev. 17:10), the next phase of globalism will involve the merger of the first three beasts (Dan. 7:4-6) in Daniel’s dream and visions (lion, bear and leopard) into the fourth beast that has 10 horns (10 kings) (Dan. 7:7). The second phase of global government that John saw on the island of Patmos over 600 years after Daniel’s dream will be a more advanced form of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7. It is described in Rev. 13:1-2 as a “composite beast” that has “seven heads and 10 horns.”
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev. 13:1-2).
After the seventh kingdom (New World Order) is put in place by the global elite, the eighth kingdom, which will be ruled over by Antichrist, will rise to power and will take control of the seventh kingdom (10 horns, 10 kings) (Dan. 7:7-8, 19-21, 23-25; Rev. 13:1-18). The “composite beast” in Rev. 13:1-2, which is controlled by Antichrist, is also the same as the eighth king (kingdom) mentioned in Rev. 17:11.
The ten horns that have received no kingdom will receive power as kings for “one hour” with the beast. Perhaps the mention of the 10 crowns in Rev. 13:1 symbolizes the temporary period of time the beast (Antichrist) gives the 10 kings power for “one hour.” Whether “one hour” is literal or not, it probably represents a short period of time.
“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast (Rev. 17:12-13).
Around the middle of the seven-year tribulation, the eighth kingdom, controlled by the Antichrist, will impose his will upon the whole world. The Antichrist will then exercise his authority for the next 3 and ½ years (Matt. 24:15-22; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 13:3-18, 17:10-14). After the tribulation has ended, the Antichrist and his armies will assemble in “the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon,” in the land of Israel in order to fight against the Lord God Almighty (Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 1:8, 16:16).
“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful” (Rev. 17:12-14).
All four beasts will be judged after the 7-year tribulation, and the beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Ironically, the fourth beast (Antichrist) will be judged before the first three beasts (leopard, bear and lion). The first three beasts will lose their dominion (authority, power and territory); however, their lives will be extended “for a season and a time” (Dan. 7:9-12, 22, 26-27).
“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Rev. 19:19-21).
The Time to Prepare for the Future is Now
Although it may appear that the forces of evil are winning today and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future, we have read the back of the Book (Bible), and we know who wins in the end! After the 7-year tribulation has concluded, the Lord will return with His armies (saints and angels) to judge the four great beasts and the enemies of God before establishing his eternal kingdom, which will last for 1,000 years (Millennium) (Dan. 7:9-12, 26-27; Rev. 19:19-20, 20:4).
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses” (Rev. 19:11-14).
As believers and followers of Christ, what should be our priorities in the coming days as we see many of the “end times” prophecies starting to converge in our generation?
Bible prophecy was not given to “scare us,” as some may believe. Rather, Bible prophecy was given to “prepare us” for what is coming in the future. Bible prophecy also testifies to the sovereignty of God, who knows everything (omniscient), even the future (Isaiah 46:9-10).
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:23-25).
It is important not only to run the race but also finish the race in good standing with the Lord so he will say to each of us: “Well done, good and faithful servant…” (Matt. 25:14-30).
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:1-2).
Jesus told His disciples that the judgments coming on the earth would happen suddenly, like a trap that closes quickly on its prey. He predicted that many would be caught off-guard and cautioned them not to be distracted by overindulgence, desires of the flesh, and the daily cares of this life (worldly pleasures). Jesus’ advice to the terminal generation living at the close of this age was to watch for “the signs of the times” pointing to His return and pray that we would be “kept from the hour of Temptation” that would “come upon all the world” (Rev. 3:10).
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).
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Endnotes:
[1] The Club of Rome—Committee of 300, https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/esp_sociopol_clubrome09.htm
[2] 10 Kingdoms – The Abolition of Sovereignty, https://www.discerningtheworld.com/2012/01/31/10-kingdoms-the-abolition-of-sovereignty/
[3] The Sustainable Development Agenda, https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda/
[4] World Health Organization, Dates of constitutional meetings, https://apps.who.int/gb/gov/en/dates-of-meetings-eb_en.html
[5] How can workplace health equity lead to a fair and just society? , https://www.weforum.org/
[6] The White House , Declaration of North America (DNA), January 10, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230111030619/https:/www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/10/declaration-of-north-america-dna/
[7] Key Deliverables for the 2023 North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS), January 10, 2023,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/10/fact-sheet-key-deliverables-for-the-2023-north-american-leaders-summit/
(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scriptures are from the New King James Version—NKJV)