Bible Prophecy Blog

China: the third beast of Daniel 7

"After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast has four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

Daniel 7:6

This is the part of Daniel's vision I have least confidence in interpreting. According to my NIV Exhaustive Concordance, the Hebrew word translated as "leopard" in Daniel 7:6 is the only occurrence of the word in the entire Bible. Using google translate, I see the Hebrew word can be translated as "tiger", "leopard" or "panther". Perhaps if it was a reference to a tiger, the link to China would be stronger, I frequently hear reference to China as an "Asian tiger economy", for example.

I have interpreted it as China, since China is due East from Jerusalem (or Babylon where Daniel had the vision), and there is the reference to the four winds of heaven: north, south, east and west, in Daniel 7:2. Also China is recognizably one of the super powers in the world today. However I don't have any further insight on the four wings, or the four heads, other than the possible link to four angels I mention below. It could also represent an alliance of four Eastern Asian nations which is yet to be formed.

I would link this beast from the East to the following two passages in Revelation:

• The sixth trumpet and second woe: Revelation 9:13-19 when the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates are released, with a mounted army of two hundred million, to kill a third of mankind.
• The sixth bowl: Revelation 16:12 when the great river Euphrates is dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.

When John had the vision of Revelation, it is estimated that the entire population of the world was only two hundred million, so a mounted army of that size would have been inconceivable. It is still implausible, even now, however China is one of the few nations that could potentially raise such an army.

Note that the references to the drying up of the "great river Euphrates" in the passages I quote above, are most likely a reference to the downfall of "Babylon the Great" or the USA, as I mention on that page. Currently the threat of the USA is preventing China from invading the nations around it, but these passages indicate to me that this deterrent from the USA will be removed shortly before Jesus returns, enabling China, or this third beast, to unleash its armies.