Daniel’s vision of four beasts extends the prophet’s picture of the four empires, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, that would precede the coming of Christ, with emphasis on the ‘little horn’, antichrist, that would devour the earth and attack the church until Christ’s return.

Persecution of the seed of the woman by that of the serpent flares up when subordinates of Darius plot Daniel’s death, but his faith and deliverance lead to religious freedom for Jews, attestation for the prophet, worldwide testimony, and a challenge for us.