How many kingdoms in Daniel?

[Brakelite]

And in that note, although it is no longer on topic of the thread, I will give a small explanation of my thinking.
Revelation reveals a beast having 7 heads. Those heads down the full extent of prophetic time from e even the time of Babel to our day. Babel was the root of Babylon, and the worldview of the tower builders was one of self preservation, and works salvation. This worldview persisted through the following empires, Meda Persia, Greece, and Rome. All shared the same characteristics, and all received it from their anticedents. Principally, pagan state unions, where pagan idolatry and philosophy walked united with the state, but increasing in power and influence as time went on, until the Roman emperors proclaimed themselves gods. The perfect union. That was the OT story, in all the enemies that came against God's people. From Egypt to Assyria, from Babylon to Rome. Local literal powers arraigned against Israel. A local literal power. Those were summarised in Daniels 4 beasts from the sea, and the 4 base metals in the statue.
The 4th beast however grew horns, one of which became a dominant power reaching into NT times. The statue morphed into a mix of iron and clay, reaching all the way to the second coming. But the beast that rose out of the sea in revelation 13 had 7 heads. And the beast itself comprised of characteristics of Daniels 4 beasts. So 4 of the heads is explained by the first 4 powers of Daniel 2,7 and 8. But what of the other 3?
I believe they can be explained by their global influence. The first beast of Revelation 13 itself is a power in its own right. A NT power. The second beast of Revelation 13 also has global influence. So also did the beast of Revelation 11. All NT powers with global influence. This was further emphasised in Revelation 16...
“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ”
Revelation 16:13 KJV

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3 end time global spiritual powers working in conjunction with one another in opposition to God's people, but having earthly manifestations or institutions that at times war against each other. Remember, Satan is behind all those who war against God's people, but the agents he uses often fight and squabble among themselves. At the end however, all will unite in the form of Babylon the Great, and seek to destroy the church before the second coming. 3 final global spiritual ideologies, having physical entities on earth to represent them, coming together in a united effort to destroy God's people.
The first clue as to the actual identity of those institutions lies in the history and what was the constant common denominator among all the previous powers the warred against Israel. Pagan/occult/idolatry in union with the state. Note that the second beast of Revelation forces worship. A state enforcing spiritual practise. And doing so with the express intention of exalting the first beast... Also a state having spiritual connections. And the third? It began as a union of church and state, but reacted against the church side of things and for 3 and a half years banned religion, murdered thousands of Christians of all persuasions, and exalted atheism, and thus formed the roots of socialism and communism, having global influence and power.

Now think of the following...

• Global Ecumenism...
• Growing relationship with evangelicalism and the state in America but with the potential for global effects particularly in those nations already embracing closer ties between church and state such as in Europe
• ... Growing influence of socialism in society being the traditional borders of the Society union, Korea, and China especially in universities and even in theological institutions.

3 spiritual global institutions. Although I must add a caveat here. Two of that institutions are clearly discernible. The third however, the best from the bottomless pit, is ultimately Satan himself, and revealed in the occult itself. Can they be connected? Are there links between the 3? Are they the 3 remaining heads of the 7 headed beast of Revelation 13? Babylon, Meda Persia, Greece, Rome...
What was the little horn that grew out of the Roman beast and still lives today?

What was the second beast that grew as the first beast was appearing to die?

What was the beast that warred against the church, and planted the roots of socialism and communism and atheism in the world? The same beast that is spiritually called

• Sodom (known for its licentiousness and neglect of the poor)...
• Egypt (where pharoah said "I know not the Lord",)
• and where our Lord was crucified, (not literally, but spiritually through the destruction and death of God's people).

@Wick Stick
Who do you think are the likely applicants for the above roles in end times prophecy? What 3 powers/institutions, ideologies do you believe, as you view the world today and the directions that politics and religion are trending, are revealing as global contenders for the titles, Dragon, beast, and false prophet?

 

[Brakelite]

If I put 5 examples of something happening in front of you, but you still refuse to believe it... I reckon that's on you.

I think if one was presented with prophecy on one hand, and clear fulfilment on the other, with 5 prophecies pointing to the same event(s), then it becomes a matter of choice. You can choose to believe the evidence, or not. However, of one desires to believe, but cannot quite fathom the connections, the holy Spirit can come into play and remove all doubt. As Paul said. Those who have a love for truth will see truth. Those who have no love for truth, will believe lies.

 

[Wick Stick]

@Wick Stick
Who do you think are the likely applicants for the above roles in end times prophecy? What 3 powers/institutions, ideologies do you believe, as you view the world today and the directions that politics and religion are trending, are revealing as global contenders for the titles, Dragon, beast, and false prophet?

Interesting question. To answer correctly, I would need to be a prophet or have some sort of special revelation. I have neither. Nonetheless...

In the first and second centuries, the beast and false prophet were individuals, the former an upstart head-of-state and the latter an established religious headmaster who suddenly went rogue. If I were trying to re-apply the prophecy to today, that's the pattern I would be looking for. Nobody comes to mind as a strong candidate fitting that pattern in the world right now. Admittedly, the recently deceased Pope Francis did occur to me as a candidate... which turned out not to be the case.

One pattern that does stick out to me - New York City seems to be the modern spiritual successor to Biblical Tyre. It's a city that sits "in the midst of the seas" and "by its traffic has increased its riches."

 

[Wick Stick]

What was the beast that warred against the church, and planted the roots of socialism and communism and atheism in the world? The same beast that is spiritually called

• Sodom (known for its licentiousness and neglect of the poor)...
• Egypt (where pharoah said "I know not the Lord",)
• and where our Lord was crucified, (not literally, but spiritually through the destruction and death of God's people).

Sounds a lot like modern intellectualism - the indoctrination one might get at university in the Western world. They put science in adversary to religion and overthrow every institute of authority in favor of chaos. The head of that snake I think might be Paris - a city whose districts are organized according to the universities there, home of the Sorbonne and Jean-Paul Sartre, where they celebrate Bastille Day, and the beating heart of socialism in the world today.

 

[ewq1938]

What was the beast that warred against the church, and planted the roots of socialism and communism and atheism in the world? The same beast that is spiritually called

• Sodom (known for its licentiousness and neglect of the poor)...
• Egypt (where pharoah said "I know not the Lord",)
• and where our Lord was crucified, (not literally, but spiritually through the destruction and death of God's people).

You are confusing the global beast kingdom with one tiny city, Jerusalem. You claim the beast is called those three things in the list, but that is false. Jerusalem is called those things, and is also called the Holy city in Rev 11:2. The beast kingdom is not called any of those things.

 

[Brakelite]

You are confusing the global beast kingdom with one tiny city, Jerusalem. You claim the beast is called those three things in the list, but that is false. Jerusalem is called those things, and is also called the Holy city in Rev 11:2. The beast kingdom is not called any of those things.

I'm actually talking about the Dragon beast, Satan himself, whose image is found in the other beasts, and which he is using to his own ends. (It's quite easy to recognise the similarities between the Dragon of Revelation 12, and, for example, the 4th pagan Rome beast in Daniel 7, and the sea beast in Revelation 13. In other words, all 3 are closely related, sharing numerous characteristics, with their historical record identical in character).
The 3 powers of the last days, the Dragon (Satan... Spiritualism), the (sea)beast (papacy... Catholicism), and the (land) beast (false prophet...fallen apostate Protestantism) as per Revelation 16, are the 3 ideologies which will in the end, war against the church. Occult atheism and spiritualism found in socialism and communism which was an official government sanctioned anti religious entity, had its roots in revolutionary France, one of the surviving 7 horns of the Pagan Roman beast of Daniel 7. France also was the leading antagonist that dethroned and exiled the pope in 1798, ending the 1260 years of papal political power. That seemingly mortal wound is now healing (since 1929) to an exponential degree, with the Vatican now a leading political influencer in the world.
The Dragon himself is directly in control of occult spiritualism, and through atheistic socialism and communism, has as @Wick Stick above described, infiltrated universities and theological seminaries everywhere. Catholicism still seems global control. And in America, fallen Protestantism through evangelicanism, now united with the state, will in the end take the role of a false prophet leading the world back to the papacy. (Causing the world to worship the first beast whose wound was healed).

 

[Brakelite]

You are confusing the global beast kingdom with one tiny city, Jerusalem. You claim the beast is called those three things in the list, but that is false. Jerusalem is called those things, and is also called the Holy city in Rev 11:2. The beast kingdom is not called any of those things.

You are correct that I sounded confused. The prime beast is the Dragon himself. He has agents that symbolically are almost identical. And the closer we get to the second coming, the more identical they become. The sea beast is the final manifestation of the Antichrist before ecumenism brings together Babylon the Great. The false prophet, the land beast of Revelation 13, is that power which enforces the first beasts religious dogmas.
The part where I said...
The same beast that is spiritually called
Sodom (known for its licentiousness and neglect of the poor)...
Egypt (where pharoah said "I know not the Lord",)
and where our Lord was crucified, (not literally, but spiritually through the destruction and death of God's people)...
Is not a beast at all, but the entity symbolically represented in Revelation 11 was France at the time of the French revolution. There are several excellent reasons why I believe France is the entity depicted by those symbolic references, principally the state of that nation at the time suggested in the prophecy, and the extreme moral decay, the war waged against the church at that time, and the destruction of the word of God, the 2 witnesses, for the 3 and a half prophetic days... 3 and a half years.... Until the government pleaded for the churches to return.

 

[CTK]

@Wick Stick
Who do you think are the likely applicants for the above roles in end times prophecy? What 3 powers/institutions, ideologies do you believe, as you view the world today and the directions that politics and religion are trending, are revealing as global contenders for the titles, Dragon, beast, and false prophet?

For what it is worth.....

If you are discussing chapter 13 in Revelation, then there are 3 actors:

1) dragon -- I don't believe anyone would disagree this is represents Satan,

So who do you folks think is the "sea beast," and who might be the "land beast"?

i think everyone will agree that the land beast is someone who supports and raises up the sea beast - almost like brothers if you will.

 

[The PuP]

For what it is worth.....

If you are discussing chapter 13 in Revelation, then there are 3 actors:

1) dragon -- I don't believe anyone would disagree this is represents Satan,

So who do you folks think is the "sea beast," and who might be the "land beast"?

i think everyone will agree that the land beast is someone who supports and raises up the sea beast - almost like brothers if you will.

The "beast from the earth" is the beast from the bottomless pit. From Rev 9:1 we learn that the bottomless pit lies beneath the surface of the earth.

Rev 9:1 KJV And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven UNTO THE EARTH: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

He is not a human but is an angel. The beast from the sea IS/WAS a human.

The beast from the sea is one of the four kings that arises from the earth. Symbolically speaking, he is one of the four beasts that arises from the sea. Since we know (via the interpretation) that he is a king, he (who) will be among those who WERE sleeping in the dust of the earth, Daniel 12:1,2.

Be Blessed
The PuP

P.s. The land beast is not the one who raises up the sea beast because the sea beast comes first.

 

[pandaflower]

Four.
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

 

[David in NJ]

Four.
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

Five
The 5th is the continuation of the 4th/Rome but it changes = HYBRID = Daniel chapter 2

Gold/Babylon
Silver/Medo-Persia
Brass/Greece
Iron/Rome
Iron mixed with Clay = Ten Toes

 

[ewq1938]

The sea beast is the final manifestation of the Antichrist before ecumenism brings together Babylon the Great.

The sea beast is a kingdom the Ac rules so the sea beast cannot be the Ac. The land beast is the Ac.

The false prophet, the land beast of Revelation 13, is that power which enforces the first beasts religious dogmas.
The part where I said...
The same beast that is spiritually called
Sodom (known for its licentiousness and neglect of the poor)...
Egypt (where pharoah said "I know not the Lord",)
and where our Lord was crucified, (not literally, but spiritually through the destruction and death of God's people)...
Is not a beast at all, but the entity symbolically represented in Revelation 11 was France at the time of the French revolution.

Rev 11 has nothing to do with France.

There are several excellent reasons why I believe France is the entity depicted by those symbolic references, principally the state of that nation at the time suggested in the prophecy, and the extreme moral decay, the war waged against the church at that time, and the destruction of the word of God, the 2 witnesses, for the 3 and a half prophetic days... 3 and a half years.... Until the government pleaded for the churches to return.

The 3.5 days are literal days because those last days are within the beasts 42 months, and thus cannot be 3.5 years within a 3.5 year timeframe.

 

[ewq1938]

I'm actually talking about the Dragon beast, Satan himself, whose image is found in the other beasts, and which he is using to his own ends. (It's quite easy to recognise the similarities between the Dragon of Revelation 12, and, for example, the 4th pagan Rome beast in Daniel 7, and the sea beast in Revelation 13. In other words, all 3 are closely related, sharing numerous characteristics, with their historical record identical in character).
The 3 powers of the last days, the Dragon (Satan... Spiritualism), the (sea)beast (papacy... Catholicism), and the (land) beast (false prophet...fallen apostate Protestantism) as per Revelation 16, are the 3 ideologies which will in the end, war against the church. Occult atheism and spiritualism found in socialism and communism which was an official government sanctioned anti religious entity, had its roots in revolutionary France, one of the surviving 7 horns of the Pagan Roman beast of Daniel 7. France also was the leading antagonist that dethroned and exiled the pope in 1798, ending the 1260 years of papal political power. That seemingly mortal wound is now healing (since 1929) to an exponential degree, with the Vatican now a leading political influencer in the world.
The Dragon himself is directly in control of occult spiritualism, and through atheistic socialism and communism, has as @Wick Stick above described, infiltrated universities and theological seminaries everywhere. Catholicism still seems global control. And in America, fallen Protestantism through evangelicanism, now united with the state, will in the end take the role of a false prophet leading the world back to the papacy. (Causing the world to worship the first beast whose wound was healed).

The two beasts are not those two Christian denominations. The first is a global kingdom, the second is the leader of that kingdom. The text supports that, and does not support any alternative interpretations.

 

[Brakelite]

For what it is worth.....

If you are discussing chapter 13 in Revelation, then there are 3 actors:

1) dragon -- I don't believe anyone would disagree this is represents Satan,

So who do you folks think is the "sea beast," and who might be the "land beast"?

i think everyone will agree that the land beast is someone who supports and raises up the sea beast - almost like brothers if you will.

Beasts are never presented in scripture as individuals. They are empires or nations. God is not so inconsistent or untrustworthy or deliberately confusing as to change His own prophetic symbolism half way through the plan of salvation. 4 principle kingdoms in Daniel. Babylon. Meda Persia. Greece. Rome. The iron of Rome continues all the way down to the second coming, but at one stage in its history, becomes united, but not mixed, with another element, clay. Clay in scripture in the OT refers to Israel, God's people: but only clay that is workable, malleable, useful for the purpose for which it is moulded and shaped. Potters clay comes in various degrees of readiness. The clay attached to the Roman Empire in this prophetic context is miry clay. Unworkable without extensive preparation. The clay that's destroyed along with the iron at the end is still miry. This represents a church, but an apostate church that has refused to be disciplined and refused to repent. In history, this represents the papacy, later described as the little horn that grew out of Rome in the 5th century. Why the 5th century? Because the other horns all grew up from the Roman Empire together, and the little horn grew among them. All those 10 were European powers. 3 were destroyed, 7 formed the foundations of modern Europe. The little horn was that union of iron and clay... Church and state... That had its beginnings with Constantine, and developed over the ensuing centuries until it was given authority and power to rule independently as a union of church and state in 538ad.

The sea beast of Revelation is a perfect symbol of the papacy. Comprising the characteristics of the powers that preceded it,

• The wealth and splendor of Babylon
• The unchangeable (infallible) law making of Meda Persia
• The philosophy of Greece and
• The cruelty and power of Rome.

It endured for precisely 1260 years. From the time the eastern Roman Emperor Justinian sent His army to free the pope from under the rule of the Goths in 538ad, to the capture of the pope by the French in 1798.
He is called the Antichrist because he is a counterfeit Christ.

• Christ rose from water at His baptism before His ministry. So also did the beast in the prophecy. So also did the Catholic church, amid the main populations centres (“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ” Revelation 17:15) Sea is the symbol for populated centres of many nations, such as Europe was in the early centuries of Christianity.
• Christ ministered in person for 3 and a half literal years. The beast ministers before it's seeming mortal wound, 3 and a half prophetic years, or 1260 days. The papacy lived as a union of church and state 1260 years.
• Christ rose from the dead. The beasts 'mortal' wound is healed. The papacy was returned to its former union of church and state in 1929. It has been progressively healing since. It's influence over world politics is growing constantly.
• Christ is the image of the Father. The beast is the image of the dragon. (Compare Revelation 12:3 and 13:1) The papacy claims to be Christ's vice Regent, or the vicar of Christ on earth... Christ's body, His image. It claims to forgive sin. It claims the prerogatives of God. Blasphemy.
• The Father of Christ is worshipped as we worship Christ. The dragon is worshipped as the beast is worshipped. The Devil is worshipped as the papacy is worshipped. How do we best show our worship? Through obedience and surrender. (Through receiving the mark of the beast).
• The land beast (in contrast to the sea, the land must be in a less populated area without numerous nations and Metropolitan cities... Such as the new world... America.) It is the land beast which acts as the beasts (false) prophet by directing the world to obey and accept the beasts mark of authority. The holy Spirit was sent to influence the world to obey Christ, and accept His mark of authority... The seal of God.

There are more parallels and prophetic fulfilments, types and antitypes, I can show you of interested. I have previously posted this a couple of times without garnering any interest. I cannot see how anyone can dismiss the above and think preterism or futurism is more believable.
The Dragon is Satan.
The sea beast of Revelation 13 is the papacy.
The land beast is now growing, and quickly becoming the false prophet. It is the Protestantism of the United States, fallen into apostasy because it joins forces with the papacy and enforces the mark. The US government, under the powerful influence of the evangelical and Pentecostal churches, will legislate religious dogma in obedience to the Vatican.
Can no-one see that happening as we speak?

 

[Brakelite]

Rev 11 has nothing to do with France.

You think you could learn more of prophecy and the French revolution?

 

[The PuP]

Beasts are never presented in scripture as individuals. They are empires or nations.

Not true.
Dan 7:3 KJV And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

Dan 7:17 KJV These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

Dan 8:20-21 KJV 20 The RAM which thou sawest having two horns are the KINGS of Media and Persia.
21 And the rough GOAT is the KING of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

A king is not a king without a kingdom. But the emphasis is on the King and not the kingdom, as Daniel 7 asserts when 3 of the 4 KINGS lose their dominion/ kingdom. It's not the unity of the king with his kingdom that emphasizes what the beasts represent, but that it represents a king. They can be separated from each other. If these beasts (of Daniel 7) represented a kingdom, it would emphasize the removal of the King FROM the kingdom rather than the kingdom FROM the king... [they (3 kings) lost their dominion]. They were originally portrayed as kings who will be without a dominion. The emphasis is on their humanity and not their dominion. Because the 4th king is not removed from his dominion, Daniel 7 then proceeds to discuss the 4th king/kingdom in its unity...as the 4th kingdom!,

Be Blessed
The PuP

 

[Keiw]

Keiw, not yet I don't believe, the KoS maybe, but under a different leader if Dan 11.22 (both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed) is saying what I believe it is saying, but the KoN appears to begin at Dan 11.4 and the actual AC at Dan 11.21.
In my view we have a time to go before Dan 7.6b occurs. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.
See also Dan 8.8, 22.

The beasts mentioned were the world powers. There will be 7 total before the end. Rome was #5-- I believe Great britian was #6--The 2 horned beast of Rev 13 is the 7th. Its been in place since ww1 minimum. And the 7 headed beast with 10 horns is an eighth king in itself, but unlike the others.

 

[Keiw]

For what it is worth.... I would ask that you might consider why the KOS and the KON are mentioned at the beginning of chapter 11 and then at the end of chapter 11. That might tell you something..... and then you can begin to unpack the large middle section of chapter 11....

Daniel is the key to unlocking revelation.

 

[CTK]

Daniel is the key to unlocking revelation.

I could not agree with you more! So, do you have an understanding of chapter 11 and how it speaks to Revelation? Thanks.

 

[CTK]

Beasts are never presented in scripture as individuals. They are empires or nations. God is not so inconsistent or untrustworthy or deliberately confusing as to change His own prophetic symbolism half way through the plan of salvation. 4 principle kingdoms in Daniel. Babylon. Meda Persia. Greece. Rome.

Cetainly agree with your four kingdoms!

The iron of Rome continues all the way down to the second coming, but at one stage in its history, becomes united, but not mixed, with another element, clay. Clay in scripture in the OT refers to Israel, God's people: but only clay that is workable, malleable, useful for the purpose for which it is moulded and shaped. Potters clay comes in various degrees of readiness. The clay attached to the Roman Empire in this prophetic context is miry clay. Unworkable without extensive preparation. The clay that's destroyed along with the iron at the end is still miry. This represents a church, but an apostate church that has refused to be disciplined and refused to repent. In history, this represents the papacy, later described as the little horn that grew out of Rome in the 5th century.

Well, can't disaree with you here - only a few differences though:

a) there are ONLY 4 kingdoms within God's plan of restoration and salvation (book of Daniel) for His people and mankind. Each of the 4 kingdoms are constructed ONLY of 4 different metal types. And you can test yourself on this, do you really believe pagan Rome would merge or have any relationship with ANY other nation or peoples? A quick and solid NO. They hated everyone.

b) and since this is not a history lesson where God is interested in revealing to us how powerful He is by predicting the next 4 kingdoms, He will reveal only those 4 kingdoms that He has decided to bring forward within His plan...and as anyone can see, He was / is fairly successful in preparing His "plan" that will not only cover these 4 kingdoms (3 of which were not even in existence at the time of Daniel), plus He is able to include all of His prophecies within these 4 kingdoms to the time of the end....something like 2700 years! Not bad!

c) so, since this is not a history lesson on these historical kingdoms, God will include within them whatever actors or events He has decided that will relevant to His "plan" only. So, if we do not find a certain actor or kingdom in our history books that is not within this "plan," then He has a very good reason for doing so.

d) now, regarding this 4th kingdom of pagan Rome... God would include a non-metallic element within the feet of the IRON (ONLY) 4th kingdom of pagan Rome. Because by the time His people will return from exile in Babylon and after pagan Rome would conquer the world, the Messiah would arrive (and this is why the 70 weeks of years prophecy is so important). It guides us from 457 BC straight into the hands of pagan Rome at the time of Christ.

e) therefore, because He is soon to arrive pand will unequivocally spend 3.5 years with His people beginning with the first day of the 70th week of the prophecy, His people MUST be fully restored in every way from their exile. And they were. So God would use the "clay" within the iron (only) kingdom of pagan Rome to symbolize His people as they were, not only fully restored, but held captive within the Roman Empire.

f) and here comes the most misinterpreted verse in Daniel. After God reveals the 4 and only 4 kingdoms in His metal man statue, He will record ONLY 2 events that will take place. Verse 2:34, is where the Messiah represents the Stone that will strike this feet (not the toes) and have its purpose to break apart the clay from the iron, only. Jesus did not come to destroy but to divide. This is always viewed along with 2:35 together as both end time events. However, this is so wrong. These represent the first and second coming of the Lord.

g) In chapter 2 (as with the other Hebrew chapters in the book of Daniel), are NOT constructed or presented in chronological order. Instead, God presents us with a very particular model - the first part of the model is labeled the "dream sequence." This represents the big picture - God's blueprint for what will take place from Babylon to His return. These verses are found in 2:31-36 only. But later on in chapter 2, God will provide His "interpretation sequence," of verses that speak to those actors or events that will take place WITHIN those "dream sequence" of verses. And they are found in 2:40-45 (these are NOT verses in chronological order following 2:36.

1) and if you study these "interpretation sequence" verses you will find that everyone of these speak to events and actors AFTER the cross. Meaning, after the Stone strikes the symbolica feet.(cross), the clay (His people) will be separated from the iron. There will be two types of clay that come out of this separation (the iron stays iron). Those Jews who would accept Jesus as their Messiah, He would refer to them now as "pottery clay," because the "Potter" (God) could mold them as He chose. But the Jews who would reject Jesus as their Messiah, would be referred to as "ceramic or miry clay," because their hearts were hardened and they refused to accept Jesus.

I will stop here because of the limitations in theis forum.

Why the 5th century? Because the other horns all grew up from the Roman Empire together, and the little horn grew among them. All those 10 were European powers. 3 were destroyed, 7 formed the foundations of modern Europe. The little horn was that union of iron and clay... Church and state... That had its beginnings with Constantine, and developed over the ensuing centuries until it was given authority and power to rule independently as a union of church and state in 538ad.

The sea beast of Revelation is a perfect symbol of the papacy. Comprising the characteristics of the powers that preceded it,

• The wealth and splendor of Babylon
• The unchangeable (infallible) law making of Meda Persia
• The philosophy of Greece and
• The cruelty and power of Rome.

It endured for precisely 1260 years. From the time the eastern Roman Emperor Justinian sent His army to free the pope from under the rule of the Goths in 538ad, to the capture of the pope by the French in 1798.
He is called the Antichrist because he is a counterfeit Christ.

• Christ rose from water at His baptism before His ministry. So also did the beast in the prophecy. So also did the Catholic church, amid the main populations centres (“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ” Revelation 17:15) Sea is the symbol for populated centres of many nations, such as Europe was in the early centuries of Christianity.
• Christ ministered in person for 3 and a half literal years. The beast ministers before it's seeming mortal wound, 3 and a half prophetic years, or 1260 days. The papacy lived as a union of church and state 1260 years.
• Christ rose from the dead. The beasts 'mortal' wound is healed. The papacy was returned to its former union of church and state in 1929. It has been progressively healing since. It's influence over world politics is growing constantly.
• Christ is the image of the Father. The beast is the image of the dragon. (Compare Revelation 12:3 and 13:1) The papacy claims to be Christ's vice Regent, or the vicar of Christ on earth... Christ's body, His image. It claims to forgive sin. It claims the prerogatives of God. Blasphemy.
• The Father of Christ is worshipped as we worship Christ. The dragon is worshipped as the beast is worshipped. The Devil is worshipped as the papacy is worshipped. How do we best show our worship? Through obedience and surrender. (Through receiving the mark of the beast).
• The land beast (in contrast to the sea, the land must be in a less populated area without numerous nations and Metropolitan cities... Such as the new world... America.) It is the land beast which acts as the beasts (false) prophet by directing the world to obey and accept the beasts mark of authority. The holy Spirit was sent to influence the world to obey Christ, and accept His mark of authority... The seal of God.

There are more parallels and prophetic fulfilments, types and antitypes, I can show you of interested. I have previously posted this a couple of times without garnering any interest. I cannot see how anyone can dismiss the above and think preterism or futurism is more believable.
The Dragon is Satan.
The sea beast of Revelation 13 is the papacy.
The land beast is now growing, and quickly becoming the false prophet. It is the Protestantism of the United States, fallen into apostasy because it joins forces with the papacy and enforces the mark. The US government, under the powerful influence of the evangelical and Pentecostal churches, will legislate religious dogma in obedience to the Vatican.
Can no-one see that happening as we speak?