Many of the visions in the books of Daniel and Revelation build on each other and expound on some of the details. A few years after God revealed an outline of the future to Nebuchadnezzar, He gave a vision to his faithful prophet Daniel, only in more detail.

Dan 7:1-28 KJV

(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.

(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.

(3) And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(9) I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

(10) A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

(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.

(12) As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

(13) I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

(14) And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

(15) I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

Like the vision to Nebuchadnezzar, this one comes with a basic explanation.

(16) I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

(17) These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

(18) But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

These four kings parallel the four kingdoms in the vision God gave to Nebuchadnezzar. This vision focuses on the fourth kingdom, but we would be good to examine the previous three. If this one truly does parallel the previous vision, then the four beasts should correspond to Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.

Since the vision is concerned largely with the fourth beast, its identification as Rome is paramount to interpretation. The easiest way to do this is to examine if Babylon, Persia and Greece fit the characteristics given to the previous three beasts.

Let’s look at the first one again.

The winged lion is a very appropriate symbol for Babylon as winged lions are often seen in Babylonian art. The prophet Jeremiah, warning Israel of its imminent conquest by Babylon, compared Nebuchadnezzar to both a lion and an Eagle.

(Jer 49:19) Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

(Jer 49:22) Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

The rest of it strongly hearkens back to the events described in Daniel chapter 4. I won’t go into detail here. But if you have not read it, you should do so. The plucking of the wings strongly parallels the tearing of the branches in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision. The man’s heart being given to the lion and it being made to stand upright strongly parallel the human mind being restored to Nebuchadnezzar and the change of heart he received after his ordeal with insanity. Also the fact that it stands vertically now signifies how Nebuchadnezzar lifted up his heart to God and worshipped Him.

Now we need to see if the second beast can apply to Persia.

There are four identifying factors here. The first is that it is a bear. In the Bible the bear is characterized as a fierce creature (2 Samuel 17:8, Proverbs 28:15, Amos 5:19). The second is that it raises itself up on one side. The third is that it has three ribs in its mouth and the fourth is that it is told to devour much flesh.

The first, third and fourth are connected, so we will address those first.

(19) Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

(20) And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

(21) I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

(22) Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

(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.

(24) And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

(25) And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

(26) But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

(27) And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

(28) Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.