Plucking the Eagle's Wings

Plucking the Eagle's Wings

teeth represents the iron kingdom of Rome. It is clear from Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2:33 that the legs of iron on the image represent the Roman Empire. In Daniel's vision, "four kings shall arise." This is future tense. Daniel 7 was written during Daniel's captivity in Babylon. If Babylon is the first beast (the lion) and the four beasts in Chapter 7 shall arise (future tense), then perhaps the vision symbolized a series of end-time empires that would rule in the latter days. Four Modern Empires of Prophecy Some scholars teach that these four beasts represent four modern empires that have risen up in the past three hundred years: • The lion represents Great Britain, whose wings formed the United States. • The bear represents the nation of Russia. • The leopard represents the nation of Germany. • The final beast represents the final kingdom that will rule at the time of the end. First, consider Great Britain, whose emblem is a lion. Britain was once the mightiest empire in the world. It was said that the sun never sets upon the British Empire. Britain colonized much of the world, including Palestine (present day Israel). Notice that the lion had eagles' wings and the wings were plucked or removed. The lion suddenly stood up and was given a heart like a man. While traditional scholars think this symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar's seven-year nervous breakdown and his recovery in Daniel 4, others believe this speaks of how America was plucked away from the British lion and made to stand alone. America came out of the lion and has been given a heart of a man, or a heart of compassion. The Eagle's Wings in Daniel's Prophecy An interesting story in early American history suggests that Daniel 7 influenced the decision to use the eagle as America's national emblem. A Jewish broker named Haym Salomon helped finance the American Revolution. In my personal stamp collection, I have a U.S. postal stamp that says "Contributions to the Cause" with the name Haym

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