Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled what was left beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns. – Daniel 7:7
There were four major world kingdoms in the ancient world: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel saw each of these kingdoms in animal form. The last kingdom, the Roman Empire, was an empire that was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.
In world history, Rome ceased to exist as an empire centuries ago. However, in biblical prophecy, from this last empire will arise a world ruler spoken of as the “little horn,” or Antichrist. The Roman Empire is still around in seed form, and during the close of time, it will revive again as a league of ten nations.
The Antichrist will arise from these ten nations, and his boastful mouth will seek to exalt himself as God. He will be destroyed only by a direct intervention of the Ancient of Days. The world has seen some awful dictators in its short history—Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, and others—but this world dictator will crush all opposition to his rule.
It’s good to be on the Lord’s side. We know the end from the beginning, and the good news is that we win!
