(Disclaimer: This study is extremely in depth though not really lengthy. It's not for them that lack the time to pay close attention – and as always...please, don't just take my word for it. Read the Bible for yourself!)
If, in 2001, you told me that Russia was going to become ever more hostile to the US and her allies in the very near future, I would have dismissed it as ridiculous. Even having the understanding that Russia's future roll in the Magog/Israel conflict was somewhere on the not so distant horizon, it just wouldn't have made sense that our newest friend, Vladimir Putin of the Casa de Kremlin, could possibly move so far to the hard-line left of center in such a short period of time - especially in light of the White House press conference article filed June 16th, 2001 where the newly elected American president George W. Bush spoke of his first ever meeting with him, stating:
“I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue.”
Putin's remarks were equally flattering regarding the younger Bush and all was well, even with our policy and cultural differences. It is apparent today that this was a feel-good facade on the part of the former KGB officer as is so often perpetrated by heads of state who are enormously hungry for global power and dedicated to quietly undermining morally superior countries and secretly supporting rogue states, sewing seeds of conflict and instability.
In the relatively short span of eight years, the Russian Bear has proven it's disdain for the west time and time again with sales and support of military weapons and dual use chemicals and equipment capable of being utilized in the production of bio and nuclear warfare munitions to Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Iran, China, North Korea, the Taliban and Al Qaeda, Syria, Libya and various other hostile nation states and terror organizations that flourish in these chaotic countries of autocratic and theocratic rule - and the many dictatorships in Africa, Asia, Asia minor and the Middle East. While the United States has always been the main target of the Soviet nation's calculated efforts of upheaval, tiny Israel has suffered hardship and tribulation at the hand of these (mostly Islamic) nations and organizations in one way or another because she is truly America's greatest ally and confidant. I guess when you 'wake up' from the nightmare and realize you were never really asleep – things become clear for the first time. Fact is, Russia has never been a friend to the US or Israel and unfortunately it took the better part of a decade for the proverbial head to show itself – swollen and about to burst.
So here we are. Vladimir Putin, once the second ever president of Russia, now conveniently the Prime Minister, holding sway in his realm of influence like no other former head of state – basically in the position of vice president of the Russian federation, and a new man has come to power. It is not shocking to find the very international scenario we are currently observing in black and white on the pages of Scripture. Prophecy left behind by our Lord to give us a symbolic picture of the days in which we live. A prophetic painting on the canvas of the end of times that is truly amazing in it's accuracy, clearly depicted in shape and scope – each brush stroke carefully explained.
In the book of the prophet Daniel, who was quoted endlessly by our Savior in the New Testament, we find this portrait in all of it's splendor in the seventh chapter. It has become tradition that the vision of the four beasts of chapter seven are Babylonia the lion (539 B.C.), Medo-Persia the bear (330 B.C.), Greece the leopard (63 B.C.), and Rome the dreadful beast (70 A.D.), and though there are links found in this chapter to suggest this is true as well as Scripture pointing it out clearly to us in later verses, the Bible uses dual prophecy - or rather - dual occurrence prophecies, using one event to foreshadow another. This can be seen sprinkled throughout the Word of God in such events as the sacrifice of Isaac / Jesus; Israel / the baby Jesus, coming out of Egypt; the lowly, contrite, shepherd king David / King Jesus; the world king Nebuchadnezzar / Antichrist setting up an image for all to worship; even the coming of the Messiah foretold as one event was found to be two separate occurrences...the lowly, humble, poor, falsely accused and convicted Lamb of sacrifice, paying a ransom for all sin - the returning, exalted, eternally wealthy King and Lord of all, come to judge unbelief, rags of unrighteousness with which men credit unto themselves as perfect, loving righteousness. This established prophetic precedence can help us understand the second group of beasts, once foreshadowed by the original national animals of antiquity. With regard to this second set of identical beasts, the prophecy's chronological structure tells us these things will occur at the 'end of times' and if this was only meant to show the first chronological group of 4 beasts the book of Revelation would have to have been fulfilled and Christ, already reigning for a millennium in Jerusalem from His throne - which is not yet possible, secondarily, Daniel uses a phrase several times describing these as 'things to come' in which all of the other three beasts will be trampled down by the fourth beast – absolutely establishing beyond a reasonable doubt that all of these kingdoms must be present on the earth at the same time – during the last days just before the Lord comes to reign over the nations, first, for a thousand years - until Satan has been “loosed for a short season” to bring the region of Magog for a final battle against Christ Himself - and then for the rest of eternity.
Now that we have this straight, let's look at the prophecy and see the world of our own days perfectly painted on this canvas of prediction, given over 2500 years ago...we'll take it verse by verse:
Daniel 7:2 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
The phrase 'the great sea' in Scripture is almost always associated with a multitude of people. That the sea is a 'great sea' being stirred up by the 'four winds' tells us it encompasses the entirety of the population of the earth during a specific generation of man.
Daniel 7:3 "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
Here, as in other places in Scripture (especially in Revelation) the term 'beast' is used to represent both kings and their kingdoms – or in todays verbiage, countries and their leaders. Here, they are rising up, or growing in size, stature and influence, from among the multitudes of peoples, again, in a specific generation or era of time.
Daniel 7:4 "The first {was} like a lion and had {the} wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
This verse explains one of the kingdoms ( a.k.a countries) present during this time would be represented by a national icon recognizable by all as a lion. This lion would be raised up onto its hind legs and its wings would be plucked off. The only possible choice for this nation is the UK, recognized worldwide as the lion in national symbolism – even a lion that is shown from the side as standing on two legs. Giving credence to this is that the wings of an eagle were plucked off of the lion. It takes no leap of faith or any imagination to see that the American national symbol is the eagle and, you guessed it, we came from the lion. Therefore, this text accurately describes one nation divided in two, one represented by a lion and the other, an eagle. Clearly the United States and Great Britain fit with no shoehorning or nip-n-tuck effort necessary.
Daniel 7:5 "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs {were} in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
This may be the most amazing part of this prophecy to me, at least at the moment, as in my months of study I couldn't seem to make this fit with Russia being the bear, even though instinctively and in my spirit, I knew it must be true. First, when I began this study in late 2007, Russia was not the friendliest of our foes, but they certainly were not aggressively lashing out at anyone and the three ribs were a huge sticking point, that's when I began tracing back the 'rib' in Scripture, looking for significance and as the Spirit of God always does, the answers began to fall into place with the passage of time – each one becoming evident as the days and weeks fell into the bone-yard of history.
The rib is found throughout Scripture and is almost always a word used to express filial relationship either from parent to child, or through the 'fathers' of descendants; proving an ethnic bond. The first place this is found is in the garden of Eden, but it is a recurring theme in dealing with the Jews and their enemies through the OT. “This is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” - the rib is decidedly a way to explain a link through forefathers.
So what is the significance of three ribs, in the bears mouth, telling the bear to 'arise and devour much meat' (as translated in the NASB which might sound like food – but ,I think, more correctly or at least more easily understood, being termed 'flesh' in other translations representing the destruction of multitudes of people in war)? As the months went by, something occurred that floored me - as God does every time He lays information in my lap that never made sense before. On May 7th of 2008, I was casually going through the news of the day when I stumbled upon a simple explanation of the winner of the Russian presidential election in an online news report from India that read:
“Dmitry Medvedev, the chosen successor of outgoing President Vladimir Putin was on Wednesday officially sworn in as Russia's third President since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991....”
Was this just a coincidence? I didn't think so, especially since it fit too well and seem to fill out the rest of the meaning of the three ribs. Now I really had something to work with. Medvedev being the third president would easily fit since presidents must be a natural born citizen – making the rib's “bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh” argument stick; and they are considered the national mouthpiece of which ever nation they are elected to represent – holding up the 'in the mouth' idea. O.K., so where does 'between it's teeth' and 'devour much flesh' come in. The symbolism of teeth and flesh are clear representations of aggression and war so I pondered how this would take place and when. Once again, at the time, it wasn't clear how this could be since Russia was not at war with anyone. I naturally assumed that it was possible that this would be fulfilled when Russia, in the role of Magog, served as a captain over the federation of Muslim nations that would attack Israel. It was the most plausible explanation and, for a while, I held to that assumption. Then, yet again, the Lord spoke and the day of war did come under this third rib of Russian descent who was now the mouthpiece for the Bear – but not exactly as I had figured. On Friday, August 8th, 2008 the Russian Bear launched an offensive against Georgia and the final piece of the puzzle was in place – as tanks rolled into Ossetia and the conflict began.
Another awesome morsel of data found in this prophecy is that the Bear is the only one who is on the offensive. While one might argue that the US is at war in Iraq, the difference is in tone. America is in the theater of war to protect innocence and eradicate murderous groups of jihadists – taking great pains to keep from injuring or killing innocent civilians. This can be seen by our responsible use of pin-point accurate smart-bombs that are designed to eliminate the enemy within yards of innocence – usually leaving them unscathed – while Russia is carpet bombing anything that moves and coming down on the region with a heavy hand in a manner designed to showcase their power and destroy the perceived threat with total disregard for any living thing.
Yet, one last interesting point I found while sojourning through the Biblical texts and daily headlines, looking for a reason to finger Medvedev as the third rib – I found this in an etymological survey:
The name 'Dmitry' comes from the Greek – 'Demeter': meaning “of the” or “from the” or “worshiper of” the earth.
His last name 'Medvedev' comes from the Russian word 'Medved': meaning 'bear'
It is really no surprise that the atheist nation Russia would be ruled by a “worshiper of the earth” who is a “bear”! The Lord has always inspired parents in the naming of their offspring, from the garden of Eden, to Yeshua, to the present.
Daniel 7:6 "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
This one, did not have me quite so baffled as I knew from history that militarily, Germany's symbol is the leopard - even naming their tanks after this animal. Wings in the Bible, frequently represent periods of rule or empires, and again looking at this from the historical perspective, it made the most sense that we are in the era of the fourth German empire – easily understood as the post “Third Reich” era of their national history. The four heads, then, represents the four rulers of these empires – the current one being Angela Merkel. The fact that 'dominion was given to it' suggests that a power of rule or judgment has been bestowed upon it by God and this can be seen in that the Hague, where the UN World Court sits is in the Netherlands, which in 1942 was under German control, or under it's dominion – likewise, this could be that Hitler, the man who unwittingly helped the Jews return to their homeland, who was in power because it was ordained by the Lord - as is Scripturally accurate. Keeping in mind that Israel's return to the land of Palestine in 1948 at the end of WWII is the clock from which all of these events would be timed (the Fig tree generation), I don't find this murky at all and together with the previous three beasts – this makes the most sense and is exactly a snapshot of the world in which we live as of today August 31st, 2008.
Daniel 7:7 "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
I find it interesting that many Biblical scholars of our day insist that the EU must be the fourth beast. While I am not dogmatic on the last beast, the empire of the Antichrist, I do believe this is not possible since the EU consists of countries that are part of the previous three beasts and will be trampled underfoot by the fourth in his hour. I would argue that it is more plausible that the eagles wings, America, who in my opinion more closely fits the description of Mystery Babylon – the city that all of the merchants of the world lamented over as she fell because they were made rich by her delicacies, and of who little is mentioned other than the fact they have been 'plucked' or taken from the lion - more accurately represents this fourth beast. What other city on earth controls the wealth of the nations like Wall Street, in New York, NY. Which other city houses the current 'One World Government' first called the 'League of Nations' now the 'United Nations' besides New York, NY. It also seems more possible that if the Antichrist 'confirms' the covenant with Israel – this leader must come from a place that Israel respects and admires and is willing to submit to in dealing with their national mortality. It is also worth mentioning that the next president of the United States – be it Obama or McCain – will have the responsibility of continuing the peace talks between the PA and Israel. A look at today's headlines shows that Secretary Rice is currently trying to help the two hammer out a peace agreement, at least on paper, before the end of the year...which would be at the end of George Bush's term and the beginning of the next president's. Again, totally plausible and not at all far fetched.
Daniel 7:8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great {boasts.}
Ah, yes. The Antichrist. The little horn of Daniel. I will leave this one be until the time is right – in which case you can be sure a follow-up article/study will definitely be in order...that is, if I am still here to write it, but I digress. This is the prince who will come, the prince of the air, the King of Babylon, the imp of Satan. He will subdue three of the 'first horns'. This seems to me as though the first three horns are the same as the previous three beast that will be trampled to pieces under the Antichrists feet, but again, this has not been revealed to me yet, so it is pure supposition – though I am ever watchful and ready to indulge the Spirit when He prompts me. This satanically indwelt individual will then slice and dice the world into ten sub kingdoms that have ten kings under his authority who will answer to him. The are not truly kings, but they sit as kings much like Herod sat under Caesar.
Daniel 7:9 "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took {His} seat; His vesture {was} like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne {was} ablaze with flames, Its wheels {were} a burning fire.
Finally, Daniel sees the Christ in His risen power and incorruptible flesh seated on his throne, the Judgment and the Kingdom come in all of it's glory with the Church enthroned in it's official capacity as governors for Christ, under His direct rule. May you be so blessed as to enter into it as will Daniel and all the saints from both the OT and the NT. Even so, Lord Jesus...Come!
(A note to the prophecy scholar who is well versed and extremely studious: While I will admit some of this sounds much like the teaching of Irvin Baxter, Jr., and in some areas I do concur with this Christian brother who loves the Lord, we differ on more points than we agree, even within this study and especially on the topics of the rapture and the tribulation period, though it does contain similar factual evidence and I will readily admit, I was inspired to spend months pouring over these Scriptures because of his claims - to either prove him right or wrong through the filter of the Word of God. I pray everyone will find reason to scour over these Scriptures and come into a personal relationship with the Savior of God – may you be found.)
