Daniel 7 - 7-8

Daniel 7:7-8
Satan's Rule during the Great Tribulation
By Brother Mike (1-7-17; 35 minutes)

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 .
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 .

INTRODUCTION

In our last study, we examined the first three beasts of Daniel 7, and found them each to symbolize a different aspect of Satan's rule in the world. First, we looked at the Lion-beast, and we found it to be a representation of Satan's rule over the spreading of the gospel. Before the time of the cross, Satan was permitted a great amount of rule over the spreading of the gospel as, for the most part, he was able to restrain the gospel from spreading throughout the world. But, then, after the cross, he was no longer able to restrain the gospel from going out to the world, and it quickly spread into all the surrounding nations as the Lion-beast, Satan, had had its eagle's wings plucked, and Satan was bound in the bottomless pit for the duration of the Church Age until May 21, 1988 at which time Satan was lifted up from the pit as the Man of Sin to begin his rule over all the churches as judgment against them for their transgressions.

Second, we looked at the Bear-beast, and we found it to represent Satan's rule over the destruction of human flesh. Throughout time Satan has been permitted to kill multitudes of people through such things as terrorist attacks, abortions, wars, famines, pestilences, holocausts, murders, persecutions, drug addictions, and many other ways in which huge amounts of people have been killed.

Third, we looked at the Leopard-beast, and we found it to represent Satan's worldwide dominion. In that this Leopard-beast had four wings of a bird meant that Satan had been given worldwide mobility, and in that it had four heads meant that Satan was given worldwide dominion. Therefore, Satan had been given worldwide mobility to rule worldwide so that dominion was given to him.

Now, in this study, we will look at Daniel 7:7-8, which describes the fourth beast who is a picture of Satan's complete and perfect rule over all the Christian churches and the world during the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. During this time, all the churches and the world were spiritually devoured and pulverized by Satan's false teachings, philosophies, beliefs, and gospels, and the elect were spiritually killed or silenced from teaching the truth in the churches. Furthermore, Satan ruled during this time in the churches as the little horn; that is, the Man of Sin, the Antichrist, or the false Christ, and he came speaking and doing things as if he were God. Indeed, he spoke great things by signs and wonders, miracles, and teachings as if he were God himself, and, by doing so, he blasphemed Yahweh, and caused all those in the churches and the world to worship him instead of the Creator who is blessed forever, amen.

Verse 7:7:

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 .

Here, we begin a description of this fourth beast, which we already learned, along with the first three beasts, is revealing an aspect of Satan's worldwide rule. We first read in our verse that Daniel saw in the night visions. Because these visions are described as night visions, we know that they will do with spiritually dark or evil things, or the things of Satan since, spiritually speaking, nighttime can symbolize a time of spiritual darkness or evil. Indeed, it can symbolize a period of judgment or tribulation, which, with respect to this fourth beast, it is, indeed, doing: yes, we shall see more clearly as we go along that this fourth beast is symbolic of Satan's worldwide rule over the churches during the Great Tribulation upon the churches from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011 (see biblical timeline and proofs for it) when Yahweh gave Satan rule over the world and all the churches as the Antichrist or Counterfeit Christ to spiritually devour and break them in pieces with false teachings, philosophies, beliefs, and gospels, and was permitted to trample upon the elect, the remnant, who were for a time in those churches, but later departed from all the churches in obedience to their Lord's command (see Why leave all churches? ).

Now, we read that this fourth beast was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly. Here, the word dreadful would better be translated as fear-invoking or terrifying, for this word's primary meaning is to fear. So, our verse would better read,

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, terrifying [fear-invoking] and terrible, and strong exceedingly . . .

The idea is that this beast causes great fear, and it is strong or mighty exceedingly or to the extreme.

Then, we read, and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces. A more literal translation of these two sentences would read, and it had iron teeth, immense-ones, devouring, pulverizing, which places the emphasis on these iron teeth being great or immense, and devouring so much so that they break into pieces or pulverize whatever they bite upon. The teeth are described as iron teeth because iron is symbolic of strength, which gives double emphasis to this beast being strong exceedingly. So, our verse now reads,

Next, we are told that this fourth beast stamped the residue with the feet of it. The residue refers to that small part which is left over, which, in this case, is referring to the elect in the churches who were not spiritually devoured and pulverized as the non-elect during the Great Tribulation, or during the judgment upon the churches, which began on May 21, 1988 (see biblical timeline and proofs ). Instead, the elect in the churches during the Great Tribulation were stamped upon or spiritually killed. We read about the elect being spiritually stamped upon, overcome or spiritually killed in Revelation 13 where we have further description of this beast in Daniel 7 with, first, the beast which came up from the sea (Re 13:1), and, then, later in this same chapter, the beast which came up from the earth (Re 13:11). We read with respect to the beast who came out of the sea in Revelation 13,

7 And it was given unto him [the beast out of the sea] to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations .

And, then, we read with respect to the beast who came out of the earth in Revelation 13,

15 And he [the beast who came out of the earth] had power to give life unto the image of the beast [the image of the beast who came out of the sea], that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed .

There are other verses as well which speak to this spiritual overcoming, stamping upon or killing of the elect during the Great Tribulation. For instance, we read in Revelation 11,

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them .

This verse is referring to when the elect finished their testimony of the gospel through the churches beginning on May 21, 1988 when the Great Tribulation began and judgment came upon all the churches. During this time, the elect were spiritually overcome or killed in that they were no longer permitted to freely proclaim the truth in the churches, but, instead, began to be silenced, looked down upon, ignored, and, in many cases, eventually forced to leave or were cast out of their church as Satan began to reign in all the churches as judgment against them for all their transgressions.

Now, at this point, it is of great importance to point out the following: many are still trying to say that the elect finished their testimony on May 21, 2011, but this is an impossibility, for notice that Revelation 11:7 above says that when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them. In other words, when the elect finish their testimony, the beast ascends out of the bottomless pit. This couldn't have happened on May 21, 2011 because this is not when Satan was lifted up, but May 21, 2011 is when he was put down. We know this because in the type of the Great Tribulation which we see in the 70 years of desolation upon Judah from 609 to 539 BC, the king of Babylon who typified Satan was deposed or put down on the last day of that Great Tribulation in 539 BC, which assures us that Satan also was deposed or put down on the last day of the Great Tribulation on May 21, 2011. There is no possibility that Satan was then given some type of power to be lifted up or ascend out of the pit to spiritually kill the elect, for on May 21, 2011 just the opposite happened: Satan was cut down; not lifted up (see verse 7 of Revelation 11:1-13 ).

Well, another verse which speaks to this spiritual overcoming, stamping upon or killing of the elect during the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011 is found in Daniel 8 were we read,

9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land .
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them .

And, again, we read in Daniel 8,

23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance [Satan], and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up .
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people .

Yes, there are many passages which speak to the elect being spiritually stamped upon, overcome, destroyed, or killed, and this all symbolizes the same thing, namely the silencing of the elect in the churches from May 21, 1988 and onward. It is not that the elect were literally, or physically, stamped upon and destroyed or killed, but they were spiritually destroyed or killed in the sense that they were silenced from any longer being able to bring the truth in the churches. Indeed, they were ignored, silenced, and many were cast out of or forced to leave their church because Satan, the Counterfeit Christ, the Antichrist, had taken his seat of rule in the Holy Place (the churches) as judgment against the churches who, for so long, had gone their own way and built many High Places of false teachings and gospels, and Yahweh had had enough, so He brought judgment upon His own house beginning on May 21, 1988 according to the well-proven biblical timeline of history.

Well, let's put our attention back on Daniel 7:7: it reads,

7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, terrifying [fear-invoking] and terrible, and strong exceedingly [to the extreme]; and it had iron teeth: great-ones [immense-ones], devouring, pulverizing [breaking 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 .

Now, why do we read that this fourth beast was diverse from all the beasts that were before it? To be diverse just means to be different, and this fourth beast was different from the previous three beasts in that this fourth beast is a description of Satan's rule over the world and the churches during the Great Tribulation beginning on May 21, 1988 whereas the previous beasts are not: The first Lion-beast represented Satan's rule over the spreading of the gospel up until the Great Tribulation, the end of the church age, or the beginning of judgment upon all the churches on May 21, 1988. The second Bear-beast represented Satan's rule over the destruction or killing of human flesh throughout time. And, the Leopard-beast represented Satan's ability to move around freely to rule worldwide and so to have a worldwide dominion.

Finally, we read that this fourth beast had ten horns. We are told in verse 24 of Daniel 7 just what these ten horns are. It reads,

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings . . .

And, since the purpose of kings is to rule, these ten kings represent the complete rule or dominion of Satan (see Bible Number 10 ). So, what this fourth beast represents is the complete rule or dominion of Satan during the Great Tribulation, which began on May 21, 1988 and continued until May 21, 2011. Its rule consisted of stamping upon the residue; that is, stamping upon the elect, which is meant to show them being spiritually killed, which is the silencing of the elect in the churches so that Satan would overcome the churches as well as the whole world with false teachings, philosophies, beliefs and gospels. This is how he devoured and break in pieces the churches and the whole world, for in leading the whole world astray as well as all the churches, all people except for the elect are guaranteed to be destroyed either through the normal course of dying, or through eternal destruction by the fires of the Last Day when all the unsaved will be annihilated forever. And, because salvation is no longer possible for anyone who was not saved by May 21, 2011, it is as if the world and those in the churches have already been destroyed. They are, in fact, all currently in the prison of Death Row to be executed either through the normal course of dying, or through the fires of the Last Day, whichever comes first. Whatever the case, they are all soon to meet their end.

Verse 7:8:

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 .

Here, we are told that Daniel considered or contemplated the ten horns, which horns symbolize the complete rule of Satan during the Great Tribulation when, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. What could this all be symbolizing? Well, we already found that the ten horns symbolize the complete rule of Satan, but what does it mean that three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots before the little horn? Since the 10 horns minus the three horns that were plucked up by the roots is equivalent to 7 horns remaining, and these horns represent the rule of Satan, then the 7 remaining horns symbolize the perfect rule of Satan (see Bible Number 7 ). So, in that 10 horns were reduced to 7 horns in the presence of the little horn, we are being told that with the coming of the little horn, the complete rule of Satan was perfected during the Great Tribulation.

But, just who or what is this little horn whose coming represents Satan's perfect rule? We are told exactly who or what this little horn is once we recognize that this little horn is the eighth horn or king because the remaining seven horns plus the little horn makes the little horn the eighth horn or king. We read about this eighth horn or king in Revelation 17 where we read,

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition .

So, here we are told that the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth. And, we discover just who this beast who is the eighth is in verse 8 of Revelation 17 where this same beast is said to be the one who ascends out of the bottomless pit, and we know who ascends out of the bottomless pit: it is Satan himself. We read,

8 The beast [the same beast mentioned to be the eighth] that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is .

So, by letting the Bible define its own terms, the beast being described in this context is the one who shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and we know that the one who ascended from the bottomless pit on May 21, 1988 was Satan himself as He was then set up as the Man of Sin in all the churches worldwide to bring judgment against the transgressors.

Next, we read further in Daniel 7:8, and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. In that this little horn had eyes like the eyes of man reminds us that this little horn is Satan who is typified as the Man of Sin. Satan himself, of course, is not a man, but He is typified as being a man when he was seated to rule in all the churches as we read in 2Thessalonians 2,

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the day of the Lord] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Satan, the Antichrist, the false Christ - see Who is the Antichrist? ] be revealed [on May 21, 1988 being revealed by the scriptures (see timeline with proofs )], the son of perdition ;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth [rules] in the temple of God [the Corporate Church or all the churches worldwide], shewing himself that he is God .

The reason, then, that this little horn, Satan, is described as having the eyes of man is because this little horn is a description of Satan's rule as the Man of Sin over all the churches during the Great Tribulation or during the judgment upon all the churches from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. And, as already revealed, the term Man of Sin does not refer to a literal man, but it is a term which typifies Satan himself who himself came through many men or antichrists in the churches to destroy and devour the churches with false teachings and gospels, and with lying signs and wonders, or miracles, that Satan was permitted to do to deceive them because they did not love the truth, but, instead, loved the lie.

Now, finally, we are told that this little horn, Satan, the Man of Sin, the Counterfeit Christ had a mouth speaking great things. But, what are great things referring to? When we examine the Bible, we find that great things normally refer to things out of the ordinary accomplished by God, or in the power of God by someone other than God as we see in the following verses:

1Sa 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you .

2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods ?

2Ki 8:4 And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done .

Job 37:5 God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend .

Ps 106:21 They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt ;

Mr 3:8 And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things he [Jesus] did, came unto him .

Lu 8:39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him .

Now, since we have found that great things normally refer to things out of the ordinary accomplished by God or in the power of God by someone else, when we are told that the little horn who is Satan, the Man of Sin, had a mouth speaking great things, we know this must mean that he is speaking as if he had the power of God. He speaks to do signs and wonders as if he were God; he speaks to do the miracles that he was permitted to do as if he were God; he speaks to teach his way of salvation as if he were God; he speaks to make people worship him as if he were God; and he speaks to give people the appearance that he is God. He is, indeed, the Counterfeit Christ who speaks great things through his army of unsaved people in the churches to destroy and devour the churches and the whole world by his false teachings, philosophies, beliefs and gospels.

CONCLUSION

Now, in conclusion, in Daniel 7:7-8, we have a picture of Satan's rule during the Great Tribulation from May 21, 1988 to May 21, 2011. His rule was great as he not only ruled over the world, but he gained complete rule over all the churches. This rule was perfected with the coming of the little horn who is a type of Satan himself who began ruling in the temple or churches as the Man of Sin, the Counterfeit Christ, the Antichrist, to devour and pulverize them through false or counterfeit teachings, philosophies, beliefs, and gospels as well as by certain signs and wonders, or miracles, that he was permitted to do. He spoke great things in that he spoke of the great things of God in the Bible so that if it were possible, he could deceive even the elect. Nevertheless, he was not permitted to deceive the elect, but he was permitted to stamp on or spiritually kill the elect, which was to silence their testimony in all the churches. Indeed, the elect were frowned upon, looked down upon, ignored, and even cast out of, or forced to leave their churches. Such is how it was during the Great Tribulation in all the Christian churches worldwide.

Now, may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.