This article assumes that the article on Daniel 2 has been read.
The Four Kingdoms
Kingdoms – In Daniel 7, four animals, a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast, come up out of the sea. They are explained as “kings” (Daniel 7:17). However, Daniel 7:23 refers to the fourth beast as “a fourth kingdom.” In other words, the four animals are four kingdoms, consisting of a series of kings.
Sea – These animals arise out of the sea (Daniel 7:3), but Daniel 7:17 says that these kings will “arise from the earth.” Therefore, the sea is the earth, not the physical earth, but the people of the world.
Consecutive – As the four metal-kingdoms of Daniel 2, the four beast-kingdoms in Daniel 7 will reign consecutively. For example:
Firstly, according to Daniel 7:7, the first three beasts will exist before the fourth.
Secondly, the fourth beast will devour the “whole earth” (Daniel 7:23), which does not leave space for other beasts. These are ‘worldwide’ empires.
Thirdly, Daniel 7:6-7 uses the phrase “after this” several times to describe the chronological sequence of these animal-kingdoms.
The Ten Horns
Initially, the fourth beast had ten horns, explained as ten kings that will arise out of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:7-8, 24). However, since ‘kings’ are equivalent to ‘kingdoms,’ each of the ten horns symbolizes a kingdom, consisting of a series of kings.
To distinguish between the four animal-kingdoms and the later horn-kingdoms, this article refers to the animal-kingdoms as empires.
The horns growing out of the 4th animal symbolize that the fourth empire would fragment into many kingdoms.
The 11th Horn
After the first ten horns, an 11th horn grows out of the fourth empire. It comes up “among” the first ten horns, uprooting three of them (Daniel 7:8). Initially, it is small, but it grows and eventually dominates the other kingdoms.
The main character and purpose of Daniel 7 is not one of these four empires, nor one of the first ten horns, but the 11th horn. Daniel 7 allocates much more space to it than to any of the other characters. The only reason that Daniel describes the preceding kingdoms is to enable the reader to identify the 11th horn.
The 11th horn persecutes God’s people, blasphemes God, intends to change times and law, and will only be destroyed when Christ returns (Daniel 7:8, 20, 25). In other words, it symbolizes the Antichrist.
Parallel to Daniel 2
The vision in Daniel 7 is parallel to the vision in Daniel 2. Firstly, commentators agree that the four animals in Daniel 7 and the four metals in Daniel 2 symbolize the same four empires. For example:
(a) As there are four metals in Daniel 2, there are four animals in Daniel 7.
(b) Both the metals in Daniel 2 and the animals in Daniel 7 symbolize consecutive kingdoms.
(c) Both the fourth metal and the fourth animal are associated with iron (Daniel 2:40; 7:7) and are called the “fourth kingdom” (Daniel 2:40; 7:23).
Secondly, for the following reasons, the 11 horns in Daniel 7 is equivalent to the divided kingdom in Daniel 2:
(a) Both are a fifth age, following the first four empires.
(b) Both continue the fourth empire:
In Daniel 7, the 11 horns grow out of the 4th animal, indicating continuance.
In Daniel 2, the iron of the fourth empire continues in the fifth phase (Daniel 2:33).
(c) Both symbolize many kings ruling concurrently.
(d) Both will end only when God sets up His Eternal Kingdom.
For these reasons, Daniel 2 and 7 symbolize the same four empires, followed by the same fifth period of divided rule, when many kingdoms exist concurrently, followed by God’s eternal kingdom.
However, Daniel 7 adds the Antichrist, who is not mentioned in Daniel 2. That Antichrist, depicted as the 11th horn, will arise only after the first four empires and after the first 10 horn-kingdoms.
Comparison Table
Since Daniel 2 identifies the Gold Kingdom as the Babylonian Empire, that is also the identity of the Lion Kingdom in Daniel 7. The two visions may be compared as follows:
| Daniel 2 | Daniel 7 |
| Head of Gold | Lion |
| Breast and Arms of Silver | Bear |
| Belly and Thighs of Bronze | Leopard |
| Legs of Iron | Fourth animal, dreadful, terrifying, and extremely strong |
| Feet of Iron and Clay | Eleven Horns |
| Eternal kingdom | Everlasting Kingdom |
The Liberal Interpretation
The academic world, where Liberalism dominates, does not believe in miracles, such as accurate predictions of the future. Since the Book of Daniel predicts the Greek Empire by name, Liberals believe that Daniel was written AFTER that empire was already established. They believe that the Book of Daniel is history written in the form of prophecy.
Specifically, in Liberal theology, Daniel was written during the reign of the Greek king Antiochus IV, who persecuted the Jews and defiled the temple. Liberals identify Antiochus IV as the Antichrist, the 11th horn of Daniel 7. For Antiochus to fit the prophecy, Liberals identify the fourth empire as the Greek empire, and propose that the 11 horns symbolize 11 consecutive kings of that empire.
Objections to the Liberal Interpretation
For the following reasons, this article rejects the Liberal interpretation:
Firstly, Daniel 8 uses two animals as symbols, explicitly identified as the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. Both Daniel 7 and 8 describe their animals with characteristics, such as multiple heads, multiple horns, wings, etc. By comparing the animals in Daniel 7 to those in Daniel 8, the next article will show that the fourth empire is the Roman Empire, not the Greek Empire, as the Liberals propose.
Secondly, in the Liberal interpretation, the 11 horns, including the Antichrist, exist DURING the fourth empire. However, as discussed, the five parts of the statue in Daniel 2 symbolize five consecutive periods of history. Since the 11 horns of Daniel 7 are parallel to the divided kingdom in Daniel, which follows after the fourth empire, 11 horns exist AFTER that fourth empire, not during it.
Thirdly, in the Liberal interpretation, the 11 horns are 11 consecutive Greek kings. However, the following are indications that these horns are concurrent:
(a) They are parallel to the “divided kingdom” in Daniel 2. The term “divided kingdom” implies concurrent fragments.
(b) They will attempt to unite through intermarriage (Daniel 2:43).
(c) Daniel saw the 11th horn AMONG the other ten horns (Daniel 7:8).
(d) The 11th horn uproots three other horns (Daniel 7:8).
(e) Both animals in Daniel 8 have horns, and, in both, the horns represent concurrent kingdoms (Daniel 8:20-22):
The Ram has two horns, representing the Medians and Persians of the Median-Persian Empire.
The Goat grows four horns, representing the four concurrent divisions of the Greek Empire.
Other Articles
Next Article: Daniel’s fourth beast is the Roman Empire.