We have been looking at prophecy scriptures in light of Islam instead of taking the traditional route to Europe/ EU or Rome the church. We are looking specifically at the source of the Europe/ Roman theory, which is the metal man in Daniel and Daniel's visions of 4 beasts. Since the legs and feet of the metal man are believed to be Rome, EU or the Roman church, the fourth beast is also believed to be the same.
Notice that in the picture we have Daniel's beasts, lion, bear, leopard and the 4th beast beside the metal man parts they represent.
A very important point I want to bring to your attention is that when the bear, Medo-Persia overtook the lion, Babylon; the lion's kingdom ceased to exist. When the leopard, Greece overtook the bear, Medo-Persia; the bear's kingdom also ceased to exist. So, when the "Fourth Beast" overtook the leopard, Greece, which now covered the entire land mass of the lion, the bear, the leopard and some; the leopard's kingdom no longer exists, and in place of the previous three kingdoms is a brand new kingdom which never existed before. Diverse from all the others, Daniel said!
This brand new beast/ kingdom reappears in the Bible in the book of Revelations 13 as the Beast from the sea, and again, in Revelations 17 when the angel explains this Beast to John. This new kingdom, Daniel's 4th beast, is the one Daniel says has 10 horns and a little horn appears and overtakes 3 of the 10 horns. He also says one of its heads was wounded, meaning it has more than one head. There are also other similarities between Daniel's 4th beast and Revelations beast from the sea.
Both beasts are said to remain in power until Jesus returns; this puts Daniel's 4th beast at end of days until "The End" just like the Revelations sea beast. Point being, they are the same beast/ kingdom.
Now, that we know that, we know that this "Fourth Beast" in Daniel has 7 heads along with those 10 horns, also it is a brand new kingdom, and is the same Beast that rises from the sea in Revelations 13 and about which the angel gives further information including a puzzle in Revelations 17. If this fact is not understood, the interpretations for the Beasts in Revelations are endless.
Beast #4 did not receive any of his heads or horns from the 3 beasts, (lion, bear, leopard) before him. The Fourth Beast/ Kingdom's heads are unique to the Fourth Beast/ Kingdom only! They do not represent or belong to any other kingdom or beast, only beast #4.
Yet, when we get to Revelations, where this "Fourth Beast" reappears again, tradition assigns 3 of its 7 heads as Babylon, Persia and Greece. In fact, it also assigns two other kingdoms to two more of its heads that were previous to Babylon: Egypt and Assyria. This is incorrect.
The 7 heads of this Fourth Beast do not represent previous kingdoms: Babylon, Persia, Greece, Egypt, or Assyria. The Egyptian and Assyrian empires were never even part of any of Daniel's beasts or the metal man. This is a major stretch in order to interpret prophecy. So we must look outside of tradition for the identity of the 7 heads and 10 horns of the Revelation's sea beast.
Since we are looking at Islam as the identity of Daniel's 4th beast/ kingdom, the one that totally swallowed the other three kingdoms and still exist today, in those regions; let's look to Islam for the identity of the 7 heads and 10 horns.
I will be totally honest, this has proved to be a major challenge. One of which I have not yet completely solved. You see, the identity of these 7 heads is shrouded in a puzzle! You remember, the one that said you needed wisdom! Now you understand the challenge!
Let's look at what John saw!
Let me point out a couple of important facts.
Here we have Satan on the sea shore watching a Beast rise.
*This Beast is the empire of the legs, feet and toes (due to the 10 horns, same as the 10 toes).
*This empire is Daniel's 4th Beast that overtook the kingdoms of the 3 animals that make up the Beast, (the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion). Animals designate land mass, not kingdoms because the kingdoms were crushed and assimilated. But the new reigning kingdom holds these land masses.
*This empire has 10 reigning kings, (10 horns with 10 diadems).
*Satan (the dragon) gives him (a king) power.
we know, it is an empire, that covers the land mass that Alexander the Great and his 4 generals occupied.
we are also told, it has 7 heads, it has 10 kings with crowns, it has a King with Satan's power.
Please note: the 7 heads, the 10 kings with crowns and the king with Satan's power are not all reigning at once.
Remember: this empire begins with the legs and morphs into the feet and toes.
According to our study: If it is Islam: The legs began in 600 ad with Muhammad, and the feet and toes belong in our day or our very near future. A whole lot of years and history in-between.
That is what we learn as it rises from the sea.
A little later, in chapter 17, an angel gives John this puzzle to aid in the identity of this Beast, it's 7 heads and 10 horns, and the king who receives this power given by Satan.
Rev 17:7-11 ASV And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth: and they (the mountains) are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while. And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.
Let's pull out what we want to look at right now!
I want to look at the 7 heads.
There are two versions of the identity of these 7 heads.
Do you notice that these are kingdoms and not kings as the angel says they are? Nor do they stay within the legs, feet and toes or the 4th beast only.
Again, we have kingdoms not kings! We go beyond the 4th beast.
Looking at Islam for this empire beast, which is the reigning empire in the lion, bear, leopard land mass today, and has been for nearly 1300 years; there is one thing I know, and that is the identity of the "five have fallen"
No leader after ali has been completely recognized or accepted by both Sunni or Shiite, and that has stayed true down through the years to today. This is why the in-fighting. Besides fighting to conquer the world, they are fighting for the throne of the kingdom, a Caliphate, so they can rise again under a Caliph, the accepted Al Mahdi.
The stumper is: "one is"
Everyone believes that this is Rome, the one in power during John's life, when he received this vision. But, this "one is" refers to a king, not a kingdom. John's information from the angel is not of John's past or John's present, it is FUTURE! Not only John's future, but much of John's vision is in our future as well. These 7 kings belong after John's death and Rome's fall!
I honestly do not have any concrete understanding of this phrase, "one is." There are some that say that the word "is" in not in some of the old manuscripts, that instead of saying "the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come," it actually says "the five are fallen, the one, the other is not yet come....."
But I am unable to verify this for myself. For now, I do not have the wisdom needed for this part of the puzzle.
I can tell you this, that even though I do not have that phrase settled, it still doesn't change anything we have learned thus far!
Every state leader of an Islamic state is telling us outright that they are doing everything their Koran says to do in order for a Caliph to rise, and unite Islam into a caliphate once again! When will people believe what they are telling us?
This beast remember has 7 heads and 10 horns.
The 10 horns are ALL on the 7th head. Just like all 10 toes are on the feet at the very bottom of the metal man. Some are not on the knees or thighs. These 10 horns are for the "last days" they are in our FUTURE!
Therefore, we do not know who the 7th, and 8th kings are, because they have not come as yet! It is possible that the 6th, "one is" has not come either.
The 7th will either be a lone leader or he will be one of the ten horns when they band together. If he is one of the 10 horns, the rest will be willing to follow his lead in rule over all of Islam. In that case, he will be the strongest among the ten, until Daniel's little horn rises, takes out 3 and then the little horn will be the strongest and the 8th. Regardless, whether #7 is a lone ruler or one of the 10, one of the 3 that are taken out will be the 7th head/ king. Al Mahdi will be this 8th king who does miracles and will be recognized as Islam's leader by the world. Al Mahdi will be the little horn Daniel saw rising among the 10 and up-rooting 3. He will have to be Islamic for all of Islam to follow him.
Beast = one empire/ kingdom that has existed over nearly 1300 years thus far!
This is a lot to chew, and there is more here that I need to share. We will pick up right here next time and finish looking at the angel's puzzle and information on this Sea Beast.
I will name this Sea Beast = Islam!