Questions: Who are these seven kings and who was the first? βασιλεῖς typically means king, ruler, or sovereign, but as Strong’s says, in some passages it is clearly to be translated as emperor. So, what are the possibilities and where do we begin?
Dan 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
Daniel had a dream and saw 4 beasts, kingdoms, that would come one after the other.
They were different than each other which is the 4 ways of people, human religion, physically cruel in war, human wisdom, and pushing for territory, dominion.
Even though all 4 kingdoms went by the 4 ways there was 1 of those ways that was their chief mode of operation where the other 3 were in a minor role whatever that ratio was.
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
The first is Babylon which represents human religion, the occult.
It had eagle's wings because king Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the God of Israel as the greatest God of all the gods and proclaimed that throughout his kingdom.
His son took the throne and knew what his father believed but took the vessels out of the temple of the LORD and drank out of them praising false gods so God took the kingdom from them and gave it to the Medes and Persians.
The eagle's wings were plucked for they lost the revelation of God and made stand upon the feet as a man which means that Babylon would be known as the kingdom of man.
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The second is Medo-Persia and represents physical cruelty in war.
It raised itself up on one side for the Persian influence was greater in that union.
It had 3 ribs in the mouth of it which is probably 3 nations they conquered, Lydia, Babylon, Egypt.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
The third is Greece and represents human wisdom.
The four wings of a fowl might mean the kingdom split in to 4 parts with a general ruling each section, or it might mean they flew above the common nation in higher mathematics, science, philosophy, and medicine.
The beast had 4 heads which is the kingdom split in to 4 sections and a general ruled each section.
Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
The fourth is the Roman Empire which represents pushing for territory, dominion.
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
The 10 horns is the world split in to 10 sections with a leader in each section which is a future kingdom that covers the whole earth.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The little horn is the antichrist, New Age Christ.
3 horns, sections, was plucked up by the roots which is Islam against the world which is the 6th trumpet of Revelation which describes nuclear weapons which happens during the first three and one half years of a 7 years period.
After that war the world turns to the New Age Christ for the solution to have peace on earth and he rules for the last three and one half years.
Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
The Roman Empire does not lose her dominion until Jesus defeats the world.
The other 3 beasts had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time, which means they will never have physical dominion again but their ways are still on earth.
All 4 kingdoms show up at the beast kingdom for they have not fallen yet because their ways are still on earth.
Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
The statue of a man is the same 4 kingdoms but represented as metals and all 4 kingdoms do not fall until Jesus hits the feet of the statue with the 10 toes, which is the same as the 10 horns.
The Roman Empire, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece have not fallen yet for their ways are still on earth and that is why they all show up at the beast kingdom.
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
The 7 heads is the last 7 kingdoms, and the 10 horns come from the Roman Empire who has the physical dominion.
The beast was like a Leopard, Greece, feet of a Bear, Medo-Persia, mouth of a Lion, Babylon.
This is the kingdom of man in it's entirety for all 4 kingdoms chief mode of operation is at the beast kingdom with no minor mode of operation which is a kingdom that has never been on earth before.
There is no input from God for they believe in no personal God but believe they are still evolving to be spiritual honoring the God of forces, or the power of nature as their high power, the evolutionary process, new age movement.
Only going by their own religion, being physically cruel in war to take away all people who oppose them, only going by their own wisdom, and world domination.
Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
In chapter 12 the crowns are on the heads which is Satan in the spiritual realm deceiving people by the last 7 kingdoms.
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
In chapter 13 the crowns are on the horns which is Satan in the physical realm deceiving people by the antichrist, New Age Christ.
Continued,