The Book of Daniel clearly describes the future Antichrist’s rise to power.  This man will likely claim to be the Jewish “messiah”.  The Jews are expecting their “messiah” to fight wars for them and win… and that is exactly what the antichrist will do.  God will allow this for the specific purpose of testing Israel.  Will they follow the true Messiah – Jesus Christ – or the false messiah who comes in his own name?

I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  (John 5:43 ESV)

The book of Daniel contains a number of prophecies.  Some were fulfilled so accurately in the 600 years or so after it was written, that the book uniquely and clearly demonstrates the omniscience of God.  Some of Daniel’s prophecies are reserved for the “time of the end”.  I have no doubt that these will be fulfilled just as literally.

An overview of the Antichrist, as well as the 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel, will be discussed separately.  Here, we will examine Daniel’s prophecies of the false messiah (antichrist)’s rise to power.  Much of my understanding in this initially came from researching Chris White’s teachings in his book The False Christ, so I refer you there for further study (although we disagree on rapture timing and a number of other end times prophetic details).

I tend to see the antichrist’s rise to power as occurring AFTER the wars detailed in “nation rising against nation”, Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38-39.  However, it’s possible that these wars are part of this rise to power.  I’m confident that it will become apparent as it unfolds.  I’m certain that the antichrist’s rise to power begins after the rapture of the church.

Details of the Antichrist’s rise to power is given in Daniel Chapters 7 through 12.

Daniel 7 – The Vision of the Four Beasts

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. (Daniel 7:1 ESV)

In Daniel chapter 7, Daniel is given a vision of 4 beasts.  While the beasts are similar in some ways to his previous vision of the statue in Chapter 2, these visions are not describing the same kingdoms.  Daniel is told that these four great beasts are four kings (kingdoms) who shall arise out of the earth (v17).

The vision of the beasts is a picture of the four kingdoms that will be on the earth at the same time as one another, when the Antichrist begins his rise to power.  We know this, because at the end of the “little horn” (antichrist)’s rule, he is slain and thrown in the lake of fire (also detailed in Revelation 19).  Then the other beasts (kingdoms) are stripped of their authority, but are allowed to live for a time.  This could not be true if the kingdoms were successive in nature, rather than co-existing.  It is true that the antichrist beast does overwhelm and overtake these other kingdoms, and assimilate them into his own, but from this vision we see that they retain some semblance of existence at the Second Coming of Christ.

Despite the alarming vision, Daniel is reassured not to worry, because the Saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever (V18; Revelation 2:26-27; Revelation 20:4).

There is no point in trying to identify these kingdoms in our current age, as they will not be revealed until the church age has closed.   The connections will be obvious when the time comes.  I understand that it’s interesting to speculate, but I feel that for the most part it is a very subjective and useless venture.  The world’s political climate, as well as its’ social and economic one, will MARKEDLY change with the opening of the seals and the rapture of the church.

The Four Kingdoms

In the near future, the world will be divided into four political kingdoms.  My anticipation is that the events surrounding the opening of the 7-Sealed Scroll of Revelation 6, including the rapture of the church, will unleash such catastrophe upon the world that a major power vacuum will result. It is impossible to overstate what a mess of devastation the world will be in at this time.

The establishment of these 4 Kingdoms will come after wars (WW3?  Isaiah 17?  Psalm 83?  Ezekiel 38-39?), natural disasters on a global scale, and economic collapse.

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.  (Revelation 7:1 ESV)

THEN…

Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. (Daniel 7:2-3 ESV) 

Once the body of Christ is safely tucked up in heaven and the 144,000 elect Israelites have been sealed, the four winds are released by the four angels.  The winds immediately move to churn up the great sea.  The great sea is a reference to sinful humanity (Isaiah 17:12-13; Revelation 13:1,11; Revelation 17:1,15), and the four winds are used to represent the known world – which in our case, is global (Jeremiah 49:36; Daniel 8:8; Matthew 24:31).  This is when we will see four kingdoms burst forth suddenly upon the world, at the same time.  They should be identifiable by the specific characteristics given in the book of Daniel.

Interestingly, there is one passage in the Bible in which God describes Himself as having the characteristics of the animals in the kingdoms:

So I am to them like a lion; like a leopard I will lurk beside the way.  I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs; I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion, as a wild beast would rip them open.

Hosea 13:7-8 ESV

I would anticipate that this reference confirms that God is fully in charge of the kings and kingdoms of this world.

Kingdom 1 – The Lion

The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. (Daniel 7:4 ESV)

Chris White notes that a kingdom that is like a lion with the wings of an eagle would be brave, strong, and swift (2 Samuel 1:23 mentions that David and Jonathan were “swifter than eagles, stronger than lions”).  A kingdom acting swiftly, then getting its’ wings plucked off and being reduced to two feet, would symbolize it being slowed down quite considerably.  Likewise, having a lion’s “heart” of bravery and boldness transformed into a man’s mind, would actually be a downgrade for the beast (kingdom).  2 Samuel 17:10 and Proverbs 28:1 both refer to the heart of a lion indicating boldness.

To identify the Lion, look for a kingdom that rises up swiftly and boldly, then is reduced in speed and bravery.  It’s possible that this kingdom is tied in to the King of the South, who attacks the antichrist but will be subdued by him (Daniel 11:40).

Kingdom 2 – The Bear

And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ (Daniel 7:5 ESV)

Chris White notes that a kingdom that is like a bear would be ferocious.  A bear is most ferocious when deprived of her cubs (Hosea 13:7-8), or when someone comes between her and her cubs.  Perhaps the bear-kingdom will arise or act out of a perceived sense of threat to itself or its inhabitants.  That the kingdom is raised up on its side is passive, suggesting someone or something else is doing the raising.  Who raises it up?  Is it the winds of God? This kingdom is commanded to devour much flesh.  Who is doing the commanding?  Perhaps  the winds that stirred it up?  The three ribs likely represent three initial conquests by this kingdom.

To identify the Bear, look for a kingdom has three identifiable conquests.  Look for a ferocious kingdom that may be acting in self-defense, and that may be raised up with assistance from another kingdom or source.  It’s possible that this kingdom is tied in to the King of the North, who attacks the antichrist but will be overwhelmed by him (Daniel 11:40).

Kingdom 3 – The Leopard

 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. (Daniel 7:6 ESV)

Again referring to Chris White’s research, a kingdom that is like a leopard with wings would be very swift indeed.  Scripture describes leopards as tearing into pieces (Jeremiah 5:6), swift (Habakkuk 1:8), and lying in wait for prey (Jeremiah 5:6, Hosea 13:7).  Note that this leopard has four heads.

To identify the Leopard, look for a kingdom that rises very quickly to power in a calculated and opportune way.  Look for a connection with 4 leaders or 4 main nations.  It may “lay in wait” patiently before suddenly rising up extremely quickly.  Perhaps this kingdom is associated with the King of the East, or “news” from the east that troubles the antichrist (Daniel 11:44).  It may make an agreement with the “King of the North”.

Kingdom 4 – The Beast

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:7-8 ESV)

The fourth kingdom is described as exceedingly strong; no hint of weakness is mentioned.  It takes over the rest of the world that isn’t encompassed by the other three kingdoms.  It is different in some way than the other beasts that are in front of it.  (Chris White notes that the word used for “before” here is always used in a spatial sense, never a time sense).  That it has 10 horns suggests that it will arise with a coalition of 10 leaders.   An eleventh leader will rise up and replace 3 of these leaders, resulting in (presumably) an 8-leader kingdom.  This eleventh leader is identified as the Antichrist, or false messiah.

To identify the Fourth Beast, look for an invincibly strong kingdom.  It will initially be a coalition of 10 leaders/nations.  An eleventh leader will rise up, replacing three of the original members.   It would appear that this eleventh leader might be the one who will “make a strong covenant with many for one week” (Daniel 9:27).  I have devoted an entire post on the covenant: The Covenant With Israel – Who Confirms It?

This coalition of nations may involve the west, plus a scattering of remnant nations not incorporated into the other 3 Kingdoms.

“Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,  and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.”

(Daniel 7:19-20 ESV)  

Daniel is horrified by the fourth “Beast” Kingdom, and asks for further clarification about it.  We are given a review of the fourth kingdom, and how it will be exceedingly strong.  So far, we have been given a description of four kingdoms that arise out of a sudden power vacuum.  One of these kingdoms is seemingly invincible, and out of it arises a strong leader.  This strong leader speaks “great things” and is “greater than his companions”.

The Fourth Kingdom Devours the Other Three Kingdoms

In Daniel chapter 11, we are given a description of how this fourth Beast kingdom devours the other three kingdoms until ultimately the antichrist rules the entire world.  This occurs leading up to the time when he will declare himself to be “god” at the “abomination of desolation” event.

“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.  He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.  He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.  He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.  He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites.  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.  He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.  But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.  And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

Daniel 11:36-45 ESV

In Daniel chapter 11, Daniel is given a vision which encompasses a broad period of time once again.  For our purposes, the verses prior to 11:36 in this chapter are now historical.  (The fulfillment of these was very specific and fascinating, and if you are interested in learning more see the Further Reading section at the bottom of this post).  Verses 36-45 describe the Antichrist and his conquests as he moves to world domination.

From this vision we learn that the antichrist will have unprecedented military success.  The ultimate endpoint in this success is that he will have global control and will declare himself to be “god”.  At that point he will prosper until God’s wrath has been completed, through the bowl judgments and the Battle of Armageddon.  We will discuss his “religion” in another post, but summarize here by saying that his accomplishments are done through the “god of fortresses”.  We are told in Revelation 13:2-4 that the beast (antichrist) gets his power from the dragon (satan):

And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.  One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (ESV)

This is confirmed in 2 Thessalonians 2:9:

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders (ESV)

The antichrist, through the power of Satan, will succeed in conquering the world.  His wars are detailed in verses 40-45; he may use generous diplomacy, such as peace and land treaties or rewards, in addition to actual fighting.

1. The King of the South (v40) – The King of the South, often seen as Egypt but may include other countries as well, will be the aggressor and attack the Antichrist.  Look for Egypt and possibly its neighbors to be an aggressor against the antichrist beast kingdom.  The antichrist will overwhelm and defeat the King of the South coalition.  It is possible that the antichrist will provoke these nations in some way so that they will attack, specifically so he can appear to deliver Israel from her enemies.  He would do this because this is what Judaism is expecting the Messiah to do.
2. The King of the North (v40) – The King of the North, unknown identity – but possibly a coalition of northern Arab countries, will also be an aggressor and attack the Antichrist.  The King of the South and the King of the North may or may not coordinate their attacks.  The antichrist will overwhelm and defeat the King of the North coalition.  It is possible that the antichrist will provoke these nations in some way so that they will attack, specifically so he can appear to deliver Israel from her enemies.  Again, this would be part of the messianic expectation of Judaism.
3. Many Countries Shall be Overthrown (v41) – The antichrist will enter Israel (the Glorious Land) and overthrow many countries along the way.  He seems to be the aggressor in this case.  It is highly likely that the antichrist is NOT attacking Israel, but appearing to defend her.  Notably, several countries escape his clutches – Edom, Moah, and Ammon (modern day Jordan).  This is interesting because many scholars see Petra, in Jordan, as the place where the elect remnant of Israel will flee to and be protected from the antichrist after he declares to be “god”.
4. Egypt Shall Not Escape (v42) – The “countries” mention here is very general  and indicates that the antichrist will have further military victories.  Egypt is singled out as a nation that will NOT escape his grasp (unlike Jordan).
5. Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia (v43) – It appears that the antichrist will control the wealth of these three nations, among others.  Libya and Ethiopia have been Egypt’s southern allies in the past (Ezekiel 30:5, Nahum 3:9).
6. Troubling News from the East and the North (v44) – This is vague, but likely refers to eastern and northern nations that have not been involved in conflict with the antichrist yet.  We are not told what the “news” is, only that it “troubles” the antichrist.  It’s possible that these threats include Muslim groups who likely hate the antichrist (who is quite possibly fighting against them, for Israel).
7. The Antichrist Plants His Palace – Then Dies (v45) – Chris White states that this seems to be a reference to Jerusalem, because the holy mountain is Mount Zion and the seas refer to the Mediterranean sea.  This verse forecasts the antichrist’s death, right after he has established his rule in Jerusalem.  The antichrist will be killed by a “mortal wound”, likely to his head (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14).
8. The Antichrist is Raised from the Dead – Revelation 13:3-4 “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (ESV)

We have now arrived at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week – halfway through the “Tribulation”.  The Antichrist is about to proclaim himself to be “god”.

 The Lion-Bear-Leopard-Beast Kingdom

I want you to note that if you take the beasts in Daniel 7 – a lion with wings, a bear, a four-headed leopard, and a ten-horned beast – and combine them all together, you get a seven-headed, ten-horned beast with lion, bear, and leopard characteristics.  And, this just happens to be exactly what we see when the antichrist declares himeslf to be “god”:

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.  And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.  (Revelation 13:1-2 ESV)

The antichrist’s power will come from satan:

And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.  One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.  And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (Rev 13:2-4 ESV) 

It seems that the world will marvel after and follow the beast because of his apparent resurrection from the dead as well as his miltary prowess.  The antichrist’s 1260 days of rule (the last half of Daniel’s 70th week, or the last half of the covenant with many) is described further in Revelation 13:

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.  If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword,    with the sword must he be slain.Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.  (Revelation 13:5-10 ESV)

The antichrist’s rule will now be worldwide.  This is so critical that it is mentioned in other passages as well:

 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.  It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.  It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.  And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.” (Daniel 8:9-12 ESV)

This passage in Daniel 8 details a new vision.  The vision contains elements in the near future as well as the far future.  Verse 9 begins to transition into a description of the antichrist.  Often in prophetic passages there is a transitional period between the near and far fulfillments that could apply possibly to both.  We see this in Daniel 8.  The reference of the little horn throwing some of the stars, or host of heaven, to the ground with it is seen in Revelation 12:

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  (Revelation 12:3-4, 9 ESV)

The angel interprets the vision for Daniel and describes the antichrist in this way:

 …a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise.  His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand.  (Daniel 8:23-25)

The antichrist will try to change the “times and seasons”, but his end is decreed.  He will rule for no more than 1260 days.  The time count starts when he declares himself to be god in the temple in Jerusalem.

The Time of Greatest Trouble

Daniel 7:21-25 and 12:1 describe the turning point where the Antichrist’s Kingdom has now taken over the entire world.  He will declare himself to be “god” at this point, which begins the time of “greatest tribulation” for followers of Jesus Christ:

“As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,  until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.  “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.  As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,  and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”  (Daniel 7:21-25 ESV)

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.”  (Daniel 12:1 ESV)

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.   (Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22 ESV)

Protection for the Elect Remnant of Israel

We have spent much time on the antichrist and his rise to power, but we also need to discuss God’s remarkable escape plan for the elect remnant of Israel which He has called unto Himself.  Right after the antichrist’s mortal wound and “miraculous” resurrection (at which point he is likely possessed by satan), he will seat himself in the Jewish Temple and proclaim himself to be “god”.  He will cause all sacrifices to cease.  This is the trigger for those in Israel to flee to the wilderness/mountains:

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.   (Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22 ESV)

And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.  But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.  The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.  But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.  (Revelation 12:13-16 ESV)

 ^…and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.  (Revelation 12:6 ESV)

Those who obediently flee to the place prepared for them will be sheltered under the wings of God Almighty.  This will likely be done through the leading and the protection of the archangel Michael:

Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. (Exodus 23:20 ESV)

At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.  (Daniel 12:1 ESV)

Michael is the angel assigned to protect Israel (Jude 1:9).  It appears that Michael will stand for the obedient elect Israel who flee to the wilderness.  He will stand guard over them for the 1260 days of the antichrist’s rule – this is why Edom (Jordan) escapes out of the antichrist’s hand.  This leading to, and protection in, the wilderness is a similar parallel to the first exodus.  Perhaps God will even supply His people with manna once again 🙂  

After the time of trouble, God’s people shall be delivered.  After 1260 days of Beast-Rule, the Beast Kingdom is destroyed – but not by human hands.

The Destruction of the Beast Kingdom

The antichrist is granted 1260 days of authority by God.  After this, his reign will come to an end at the appointed time  – at the second coming of Jesus Christ.  The antichrist will be judged in the court of the Ancient of Days, will be found guilty, and will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.  Daniel sees a vision of this:

“As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames;  its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire.  As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion  and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”  Daniel 7:9-14 ESV

But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’  Daniel 7:26-27 ESV

John also saw a vision of this:

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.  Revelation 19:20 ESV

Both Daniel’s and John’s visions confirm that this judgment of the Beast occurs at the end of his rule, right before the Millennial Kingdom begins.  Jesus will come and destroy the antichrist and his false prophet, and chain satan and his fallen horde for 1000 years in the abyss.  After the Antichrist is destroyed at Armageddon, living humans will survive and continue into the Millennial Kingdom after the Sheep and Goats judgment. This is what is meant by the rest of the beasts (the lion, bear, and leopard) have their dominion taken away but their lives are prolonged for a time – some of these nations are specifically identified in the Bible as existing during the Millennial Kingdom.  One example of this is Egypt (Zechariah 14:16-19).

A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken

The ultimate endpoint is that Jesus will overthrow all the kingdoms of the world and set up His kingdom that can never be shaken:

For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest  and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them.  For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.”  Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”  But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,  and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven.  At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”  This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,  for our God is a consuming fire.  

Hebrews 12:18-29 ESV

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Further Resources:

Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt?  Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape?  If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.

Who is the Antichrist and What Does He Do?

Who is the False Prophet and What Does He Do?

Daniel 7 – A Blueprint for Identifying the Antichrist (Chris White) – YouTube

Daniel:  A Commentary (Chris White)

Daniel 7 (PDF) (Chris White)

The Two Messiahs – Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David

The Daniel Story (Jack Kelley)

Grace Thru Faith – End Times According to Daniel

Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model

 The Bible is infallible.  I am not.  Be a Berean – examine the scriptures for yourself to see if these things are so!