So, I just read all of that and surprisingly I find this all very interesting. I'm with you on some of this stuff, but some of the other stuff doesn't really make sense to me. The beasts in Daniel are four kingdoms, yet you're proposing that we are the fourth beast?
Dear Freedm,
I'm not exactly sure what you are asking.
Mankind is represented by all four beasts throughout the ages. The fourth beast came on the earth near the start of this present age and has grown in power. The "little horn" represents the "Man of Sin" who Paul wrote about in 2Thess chapter 2. I described who the "Man of Sin" is in my last post. He is not an individual person but represents all "fallen away" Christians who have become "worse than before" (Mat 12:43-45) under Satan's influence.
The Seven Headed beast in Revelation 13 represents "completed" mankind has we have grown to become throughout history. The four beasts in Daniel are contained within this Seven Headed beast, though more details of the individual beasts are given by Daniel.
When scripture says:
Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Mankind's number is "six". The Seven Headed beast, in its completed form, the number becomes "666"(6 repeated 3 times). In Christ's spiritual language, the number "three" represents a complete spiritual process and that is why the number 6 for man changes to 666 as it relates to the Seven Headed beast. The Seven Headed beast represents the spiritually completed form of mankind which took until this present age to complete.
Let me ask you this: Does it not seem strange to you that large portions of scripture, which we call End-time prophecy, haven't applied to anyone in the past 2000 years?
As I previously pointed out, scripture says that the time is "at hand" and that the book of Revelation is not sealed. But yet, most End-time teachers say the events are just now unfolding. And they have been saying that for centuries but yet the end never comes. During my days of studying prophecy, before I was given "eyes that can see", I believed much like everyone else. I understood the teachings to be fulfilled "outwardly". But that is incorrect. The New Covenant is spiritual and is fulfilled "within" mankind. That is the only way we can be saved.
When mankind tried to be saved "outwardly" by their own "works" under the Old Covenant, we failed. Our failure leads us to Christ, who will do ALL the work of changing us "inwardly". This "change" is called conversion.
God has a detailed plan for our conversion. It has many steps to it. It involves traveling the wide path that leads to the destruction of our original spiritual condition. We start traveling the wide path after we receive the Early Rain of the Spirit. This is the time when we are "called out". We complete the wide path when Christ comes to us a second time with the Latter Rain. The Latter Rain destroys the Man of Sin whom we have become under Satan's influence but it also gives us a new birth. It is that new spiritual birth when we are considered "born again" as a babe in Christ. The old vessel is destroyed and the new vessel is created. The babe in Christ then starts traveling the narrow path and as he travels it, Christ matures him into a fully mature son of God who never sins.
End-time prophecy presents the details of the two paths that we must travel. The events happen "within" us because that is where Christ is doing His work to save us.
Joe