A Beast That Was Not
A beast that is yet to come. From a Christian point of view, the Roman Empire was a beast until Constantine made the world safe for them. It wasn’t long before a different kind of beast came along to take peace from the world. Islam with ten dynasties. A beast that was diverse from all the others.
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A Gospel Preached To All Nations
A Church in disarray. The spirit of Vatican 2 suggests the laity are now in charge of preaching the gospel. What is the gospel? Who is protecting it? You don’t have to change it, just ignore it and work on more important things like climate change. Perhaps protecting the truth now is more important than preaching it.
A Recapitulation
A vision not in chronological order. In chapter 9 and 11 we have the beast coming out of the “bottomless pit” and in chapter 20 the beast is being cast into it. Victorinus was the first to suggest this theory of recapitulation. The bottomless pit is also consistent with the beast that was, is not, and yet is. The two beasts are really the same.
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A Problem With The Temple
A reason for Daniel who knows the difference. Some bibles have way too many beasts and others have a problem with identifying them. The real ones had something to do with the Temple. Don’t mess with the Temple. Jesus provides a clue with the abomination of desolation in the holy place. What is in the holy place now?
A Common Beast
A second beast of the Apocalypse. John knows Daniel knows beasts. The beast which he 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. The “ten horns” also ties them together. Numbers tie history to the fulfillment of prophecy.
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A crown upon each head. There are way too many kings to count so counting dynasties might be more interesting. Just looking for numbers that fit. This is not proof. A reasonable explanation is all that can be expected. Rome had seven dynasties. Good luck with counting kings.
A Clear Meaning
A word you can count on. No interpretation required. Mine is not the same as yours. Numbers can’t be redefined or cancelled. All 60 English translations agree. They can be used to connect history with prophecy. It is the only way to do it reliably. Revelation for Dummies may save you time.
A Daughter
A king of the north, a fit with history. Mohammed, the king of the south, and his daughter, Fatimah, along with Muawiyah, the king of the north are a perfect fit with Daniel 11. The abomination of desolation, the Dome of the Rock, was built by the Umayyad dynasty started by Muawiyah.
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A Great City
A mystery and likely to remain so. Chapter 17 has it all. Seven heads and ten horns. Seven mountains. A beast that was, is not, and yet to come. Five fallen kings. In chapter 18, this great city has merchants, has fallen twice, and can be found no more at all. Constantinople has it all. No other city comes close.
