Beasts - More From Jack Van Impe in Daniel

Hello People:

It seems I am getting into the habit of sending out Jack Van Impe's

newsletters. This one is not really his regular newsletter - but it

is something that I believe we need to be aware of.

This is not only Jack Van Impe - but much of the world. They do NOT

SEE the FIFTH BEAST as Papal Rome. With all the talk of the One

World Government - Globilization - etc - I think that we need to fully

understand the TEN TOES. We also need to understand WHICH WOUND IS

HEALED. IS IT THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE or IS IT PAPAL ROME???

It would be a very GOOD STUDY.

Here is what Mr. Jack has to say:

A MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DR. JACK VAN IMPE

This chapter introduces us to two beasts. The first one, commonly

known as the Antichrist, is unveiled in verses 1 through 10, while the

second beast, known as the false prophet, is revealed in verses 11

through 18. The first beast is political; the second is religious.

Both, however, are energized by the power of Satan, and thus

constitute an unholy trinity-the devil, the Antichrist, and the false

prophet. Remember, Satan is the great imitator. The incarnation of

himself in these two villains is his final attempt to wreak havoc upon

earth. Knowing that he has but a short time left, he makes an all-out

move to usurp God's position and authority through his two allies- the

beasts of this chapter.

Verse 1: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up

out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns

ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

As stated earlier in our study, Bible chapters and verses came into

existence in the 1500s. They are very helpful in locating passages,

but they are not inspired. At times they even cloud the information

being presented. Actually, verse 1 of chapter 13 should have been part

of chapter 12, for the subject is Satan and his persecution of earth

dwellers. Therefore, according to the original Greek manuscript, the

personal pronoun should be he instead of I, because he pictures Satan

standing upon the sand of the sea. Accordingly, this portion of

Scripture should read, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman...and

Satan stood upon the sand of the sea."

Satan standing upon the sand of the sea pictures his control over

earth's teeming millions at an appointed time (chapter 17, verse 5,

and chapter 20, verse 8). This control is established through the two

satanically-inspired beasts who come out of the sea and the earth. The

first beast (the Antichrist) rises out of the sea and has seven heads

and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns. He is a literal man, but

demon-possessed, for he (or his power) comes out of the abyss, for the

beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the

bottomless pit (chapter 17, verse 8).

The seven heads, loaded with blasphemy, also portray the five kings

who had ruled up to John's day; the sixth king who was in power at

that time; and the seventh king who will reign as the Antichrist

during the Tribulation hour.

Chapter 17, verse 10 confirms this: And there are seven kings: five

are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he

cometh, he must continue a short space. Likewise, the ten horns also

picture ten nations over whom the beast or Antichrist rules. The scene

before us pictures the final, or seventh, world leader ruling over a

confederation of ten nations during the end time.

In order to understand that the ten horns are actually ten Western

nations-each of which was part of the old Roman Empire-one must study

the prophecy of Daniel in chapters 2 and 7 of the book bearing his

name. Let's digress for a moment and investigate.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in Daniel's day, had a dream. When

he awakened, however, he could not recall the dream. Therefore, he

called his magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers together,

requesting that they both recall the dream and explain its meaning.

Not one of them was able to do so, even under the sentence of death:

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they

sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. Then Daniel went in, and

desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would

shew the king the interpretation. Then was the secret revealed unto

Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven

(Daniel 2:13, 16, 19).

Next we find Daniel in the presence of the king, explaining God's

vision to him in verses 27 through 36. This is one of the most

important texts in the entire Bible because it reveals the history of

the world from that time to our present day. Daniel answered in the

presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath

demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the

soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that

revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what

shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head

upon thy bed, are these; As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into

thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that

revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as

for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have

more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the

interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts

of thy heart. Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This

great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and

the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his

breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His

legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till

that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his

feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was

the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to

pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing

floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for

them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and

filled the whole earth. This is the dream.

Nebuchadnezzar was astonished as his dream was revealed, and shocked

as its interpretation was given. Daniel told the king that he

(Nebuchadnezzar) as the leader of the Babylonian empire was the head

of gold and that the two arms of silver (representing the Medes and

the Persians) would soon overthrow him. Next the stomach and thighs of

brass (Greece) would defeat the Medes and the Persians.

Eventually the two legs of iron (the Roman Empire headquartered at

Rome and Constantinople) would conquer the Greco Empire. These events

occurred exactly as God had revealed them to Daniel and as he, in

turn, told Nebuchadnezzar.

Now notice something extremely important. The ten toes of iron and

clay never destroyed the legs of iron-the Roman Empire! Why? Rome fell

through internal corruption.

This historical fact is the subject of Edward Gibbon's great book, The

History of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Therefore, we see

that the final world power is a union of ten Western nations

represented by the ten toes of the great image. The iron tells us

these nations were part of the old Roman Empire, whereas the clay

speaks of a deterioration as the empire weakened over the centuries.

Thus, the final world power will not be communism but a confederation

of ten Western nations under the first beast, or the Antichrist.

The ten toes also coincide with the ten horns of the beast in the

verse under consideration. In the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's

dream (2:36-44), Daniel described the toes as kingdoms, concluding

with the statement, And in the days of these kings [ten of them, as

pictured by the ten toes] shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,

which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to

other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these

kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

For centuries Christians have prayed Matthew 6:10: Thy kingdom come.

During the Tribulation hour, the 144,000 Jewish evangelists of

Revelation 7:3-8 will preach the gospel of the kingdom-the good news

that the King is about to return. Can you hear them shouting this

exciting information in the streets? "The King is coming! The King is

coming!" Finally the King is seen returning in chapter 11, verse 15,

and chapter 19, verse 16, and this event of the ages takes place when

a final confederation of ten Western nations has been established upon

earth. Could the present European Union be a part of this picture? I

believe it could be! Oh, Jesus is coming soon!

At this point we need to consider another extremely important fact.

Ireland and Denmark-present Common Market members-were never part of

the old Roman Empire. This apparent problem, however, is quickly

resolved when one considers the information presented in Daniel,

chapter 7. Here we discover that, following the establishment of a

ten-nation confederacy, another world leader arises. He takes control,

ousts three nations, and replaces them with two others and his own.

Specifically, Daniel says, I considered the horns [ten of them], and,

behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom

there were three of the first horns [original members] plucked up by

the roots (7:8). This coincides perfectly with Revelation 13:5.

Daniel continues in verses 24 and 25: 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. And he shall speak great words against the most High.

Here we not only see the world leader overpowering three kings and

replacing them with original members of the old Roman Empire-we also

observe him fulfilling the prediction of blasphemy described in our

text.

There is no doubt about it. A confederacy of ten Western nations will

be formed. Then another leader will appear, remove three nations,

replace them, and rule as the Antichrist until the King of kings

returns to earth and destroys his evil empire. Thus, the Common Market

will grow to thirteen nations, and these thirteen could eventually

control all nations and finally be reduced to ten at the end when this

ten-toed, ten-horned confederacy is destroyed. This is the event

described by Daniel as a stone cut out without hands [breaking] in

pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold.

Then Daniel 2:44,45 occurs: And in the days of these kings shall the

God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and

the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in

pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain

without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the

clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the

king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and

the interpretation thereof sure.

Yes, King Nebuchadnezzar's dream has come to pass throughout hundreds

of years of history, and the present alignment of Western nations in

the form of the European Union may well be the final piece in the

puzzle. Prepare to meet thy God (Amos 4:12).

Verse 2: And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his

feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:

and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

We have already discovered that (1) Babylon, (2) Medo-Persia, (3)

Greece, and (4) Rome constitute the last four empires of world

history. We have also learned that the revived Roman Empire,

originating in 1948 in the form of a final ten-nation confederation,

becomes the end-time power block. Daniel 7 pictures these four empires

as (1) a lion, (2) a bear, (3) a leopard, and (4) a beast who is a

combination of the previous world powers he has conquered. The beast's

empire contains a portion of each preceding empire. Actually, the only

difference between the descriptions of John and Daniel is that the

order is reversed in the Book of Revelation. The reason for this is

simple: John is looking back to the beginning while Daniel is looking

forward to the conclusion. Putting it all together, the message of the

ten horns, the ten toes, and the four beasts is one and the same from

different vantage points and all picture a world dictator governing

ten nations at the time of the end! This ten-nation confederacy

constitutes the revival of the fourth power- the old Roman Empire-as

typified by the fourth monstrous animal or beast.

Verse 3: And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and

his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the

beast.

The wounding of the beast is mentioned three times in this

chapter-verse 3, 12, and 14. The wound produces death, but restoration

to life follows. Some commentators think that this statement

represents the fall of the old Roman Empire and its restoration

through the ten-nation confederacy. Others believe that it speaks of

the resurrection of Judas Iscariot, for he and the Antichrist are the

only ones ever called the son of perdition (John 17:12 and 2

Thessalonians 2:3). God alone knows.

A third possibility would be that the Antichrist is assassinated or

killed midway through the Tribulation hour (See Daniel 11:45). Such an

event would give the great counterfeiter, Satan, the opportunity to

perform a resurrection. This would prove invaluable to the prestige of

the Antichrist, since the deity of the Lord Jesus was affirmed by His

resurrection 2,000 years before (see Matthew 12:39, 40). Remember that

the Antichrist proclaims himself God and even sits in the Temple in

Jerusalem during the Tribulation (see 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Matthew

24:15). Thus, a counterfeit resurrection would assure the world that

he is all he claims to be. I personally believe this to be the correct

solution, because when it happens, all the world [wonders] after

[him]. Mankind is literally overwhelmed by the Antichrist's power and

authority.