The Riddle of the Beast

The book of Revelation is Jesus Christ's final written words to His church.These words foretell future events as they relate to the Church of God. The book is both a revealing and a riddle.

A riddle is a word puzzle in which the answer is understandable based upon what is said, yet not understood by anyone but the riddler. Here's a classic riddle you may have heard; "what is black and white and read/red all over?" The person hearing the riddle is misdirected by the clever word play based on the word red/read. The meaning is concealed but yet fully spoken.

Most people don't get good riddles until they are given the answer. Then when the answer is revealed it all seems quite obvious.

 for this same reason:

First, through a riddle He can speak about matters that have not yet happened without altering or affecting their outcome. [If God foretold you would be in an car accident in your 30th year which would badly cripple you but leave you spiritually stronger and better prepared for eternal life...you might hide in your basement from age 29 to 31 hoping to avoid the painful trial and derail the process].

Second, once the event happens we can look back at the original riddle and see that God did indeed accurately speak about the future. [If God foretold your accident through a riddle, you wouldn't alter your actions between age 29-31. Then, when you figured out the riddle after the fact you would clearly see the hand of God at work. This would build your confidence and faith in the trial we were about to live through to prepare us for eternal life]

 John 14:18-31 Jesus death solved many OT riddles… but many riddle still remain… today we are going to review the riddle of the beast.

Nebuchanezzar's Dream

When Jerusalem finally fell to the invading armies of Babylon a young man named Daniel was taken as a captive back to Babylon where he was educated and prepared to serve as a civil servant in the Babylonian government.

Through Daniel prophecies were recorded which provide a grand sweeping picture of the future of human governments stretching from the demise of Israel to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Daniel 12:4, 8-9 These writings were not understood [or intended to be understood] a the time written. But, would only be understood as the time for Christ's return drew closer… and knowledge increased. 

Daniel 2:1-3 Babylonian culture placed a high importance on dreams as messages from beyond. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to know the significance of His dream. The dream had indeed been given to him from YHWH Himself, it was a riddle regarding the future of human self government from the fall of Israel up to the very end.

The Babylonian wise men were unable to answer the king's questions and Nebuchadnezzar ordered them executed. Daniel heard about it and decided to try to save all their lives by offering to interpret the dream for the king.

Before attempting to answer the king Daniel went home, talked about the situation with his companions, and asked them to pray together with him for God's help. Daniel's prayers were answered in a vision Daniel 2:19-23.

Daniel takes the answer to the king but is very careful to ensure the king knows the answer is given by the God of Israel Daniel 2:27-28.

The Content of the Dream

First Daniel told the king the content of the dream Daniel 2:31-35

Then what it meant Daniel 2:36-45

1. Part of the riddle could be understood then and there: Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was the head of gold.. but the rest could only be understood at a later time.
2. The chest and arms of them image would turn out to be the Medo-Persian empire. This transition actually happened in within Daniel's own lifetime [539 B.C.  when Babylon was conquered]. Persia now controlled the land that had been Israel.
3. The belly of bronze was the Greco-Macedonian empire of Alexander, which gobbled up the territory of the Persians [including Israel] and ruled for 300 years.
4. The legs of iron are the Romans who took over much of what had been held by the Greeks [including Israel].

We can look back now and see how these empires fulfill the symbolism of the prophecy very well. Most people who know and read the bible agree on these fulfillment which are based on well known historical facts of history.

Daniel's Has His Own Dream

Daniel had his own personal dream about these same 4 sequential empires which add important details that will allow us to tie the prophecies back to the book of Revelation.

Daniel 7:1-14 here we have a parallel sequence: 4 successive kingdoms that carry on until the coming of Christ to establish the rule of God over all people and nations. We sync them up with the Nebuchadnezzar’s dream  and see:  the lion is Babylon, the bear is Persia, the leopard is Greece, and Rome is the final terrible beast who cannot be compared to any animal known in creation.

Daniel wonders especially about the horns of the 4th beast. And they are important, and they are part of the riddle that can point you in the wrong direction. Like the double meaning of the word red/read in our sample riddle. But Daniel does not know the full meaning of the riddle, God does not tell it to him, and it is sealed/hidden until the time of the end.

John's Vision of Human Government.

The book of Revelation was recorded about 90 A.D., when the 4th beast was in power. John too sees a beast which is similar to the vision given to Daniel... but different Revelation 13:1-4.

John's vision is an updated version of the prophetic sequence we saw in Daniel. Updated because by 90 A.D. the first three phases were completed: Babylon, Persia, and Greece were matters of history centuries old. But Rome [the 4th beast] was in its heyday.

The strange beast of Revelation is basically the same as the 4th beast of Daniel but with some modifications and additional details. It too rises up out of the sea, it combines all the features of he lion, bear,and leopard.However, it has a configuration of heads and horns that remind us of Daniel's vision... but they are different. This beast will be at war with Christ and actually rises up to fight Him when He comes.

Where is Rome Today?

The Roman empire is a thing of the past, its not in power today. So how can these prophecies be referring to Rome as the 4th beast, or the legs of iron that are in place when Christ returns?

At this point there is a parting of the ways among people seeking to interpret prophecy. Many  teach that the prophecies ended with Christ. They say the victory of Christ recorded by Daniel over the 4th beast and the golden image was accomplished through His first coming. And that the kingdom of God He established is accomplished either spiritually within the hearts of humans or through the rule of the great universal Church... this is nature of Christ's victory over the beast.

This is the basic explanation of the visions which was formulated long ago. Actually, it goes back to the days when the Roman empire was still standing.

The Church of God does not agree with this take on the prophecies. We do not believe the KOG is realized in the hearts of humanity, or in the rule of a great and victorious church. Subsequent centuries have passed and significant elements of the original prophecy have come to pass which could not have been understood back then. Knowledge has increased… and the riddle has unfolded.  

UCG Explanation: history has seen multiple revivals of the Roman empire over the centuries and the final revival will be the one in place when Christ returns in all His glory and power… which has not yet happened. These revivals are pictured by the 10 horns on the beast of Daniel, and the seven heads of the beast in Revelation.

How does 7 equal 10: Remember that 3 of the 10 horns of Daniel's beast were "pulled out by the roots" leaving 7 horns. These 7 remaining horns equate to the 7 heads of the beast in Revelation. Similar, but not the same... a key ingredient in many good riddles.

The Revivals of the Roman System in History

Revelation 13: 3,12 the beast received a deadly wound to the head but was brought back to life.

In 476 A.D. the original empire of Rome was invaded, the city sacked, and the deadly head wound delivered. The emperor Romulus Augustus was deposed. What had been Rome was ruled over by 1) the Vandals 2) the Heruli 3) the Ostrogoths. These are the three horns "plucked up". They are different from the remaining 7. The remaining 7 all of which work in a partnership with the universal religious power based in Rome... 7 horns, 7 heads.

1) Justinian - 554 A.D. sought to revive the western Roman empire as a Christian empire. He decreed that the bishops of Rome should appoint magistrates who would administer the "empire". This imperial revival worked for a while, then waned over time and broke up.

2) Charlemagne 800 A.D. - crowned by pope Leo III with the title Holy Roman Emperor [Most Serene Augustus Crowned By God Great & Pacific Emperor governing the Roman Empire]. It was a marriage of church and state. After   His death the kingdom was divided among his sons and later dissolved.

3) Otto the Great 962 A.D. - crowned by pope John XII. He called himself "Ruler of the Roman Empire". Lasted about 300 years. The dream of a restored empire lived on. This iteration was widely recognized by Christians as the 4th empire.

4) Hapsburgs 1273 A.D. -- 1740 A.D. the greatest of these Hapsburg emperors was Charles V who owned most of central Europe, Germany, Spain, and vast portions of North and South America.

5) Napoleon 1799 -- 1814 crowned emperor by Pope Pius. His was a short and frantic revival. Napoleon dreamed of rivaling Charlemagne in uniting all of western Europe. At his height of power he ruled most of Europe.

6) The Reich 1871 - 1945 first Italy unified under Garibaldi, then Germany under Bismark. Next the two joined forces through Mussolini and Adolph Hitler and managed to gain control over most of Europe. They signed a peace treaty with the pope.

It was around this time in the 1930's that the Church of God recognized the answer to another part of the riddle... 5 of the revivals of the beast pictured by the successive heads of the beast in Revelation, [or the horns of the Beast in Daniel] had now come to pass Revelation 17:6-10.

The 6th revival of the beast was happening at that  And the Church of God began shouting the news using radio, printing press, and then TV. Over the next 50 years that understanding grabbed the attention of millions of people and many were brought to deeper understanding of God's truth.

But now the message seems like old news... hundreds of self proclaimed teachers have taken up the message, many taking it in strange directions, looking for the next new thing. Where is the Church of God? We are back to pondering the portion of the riddle that is not yet solved... concerning events that have not yet taken place.

There is One More Revival of The Beast To Go!

6 of the 7 revivals of the beast have now come and gone. By reviewing history we can see how an empire can exist, disappear, then re-appear in a different form... what was, is not, and yet is ... the final reappearance of the Roman system is yet to come. It will arise quickly, and as if from nothing [ascending out of the bottomless pit].

The riddle regarding the final revival has a feature not yet been solved. The image with the head of gold moves down the body and ends with its 10 toes of clay. The toes are smashed by the stone that is Christ at His glorious return. The final appearance of the beast is also pictured by the 7th head of the beast of Revelation. This final head has 10 horns which are leaders. We believe these are the same as the 10 toes.

The final version of the beast will be a whole made up of 10 separate parts. Leaders who band together and give over their authority and sovereignty to a single power... which is the beast. The Church of God believes these 10 parts may be 10 European countries who band together to form a political, economic and military union. But its still a riddle... and its still unsolved... we won't know the full answer until it comes to pass.

What's The Point of Pondering This Riddle?

It would be good for you to know about the prophecies recorded in the bible. You can get a lot more detail concerning the beast of the end time in our booklet "The Final Super-Power". I recommend you get yourself a copy and go through the scriptures so you know, and know that you know.

Some who are in Christ will be alive at this future time… possibly you. By knowing the terms, facts, features of the riddle you will be better equipped to recognize when is comes to pass. Those who are caught up in the terrible events surrounding the rise of the final beast will be able to more clearly see those terrible times as the obvious working of God… it will provide an important reassurance of faith.

We cannot stop the beast, or avoid the beast... but we can be prepared to meet the future with faith and confidence in the God. Knowing He has brought these things to pass... knowing He is still in charge and has not lost control of the situation... knowing He will not let you slip through His fingers... and He can deliver you even from death Isaiah 44:6-8.