The Fourth Empire of Daniel 7 Begins and Ends with Mars, the Roman God of War (Part One)
“They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.” - Revelation 9:11
The Devil is known by many names. When the Bible gives a name, it reveals something about its nature. By his names we know the Devil is an accuser (Satan), a deceiver (Lucifer), the lord of evil spirits (Beelzebub), and the king of the abyss (Abaddon). But the devil has another name that reveals better than any other the true essence of his nature. In Revelation 9:11, the Bible reveals that the Devil is the Destroyer (Apollyon). Jesus tells us a much when He declares that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” The chief end of man might be to glorify God and enjoy him forever, but the chief end of the Devil is to destroy.
In Revelation 12 we see him doing exactly this. John sees a great sign in heaven revealing the nature of the Destroyer in the form of a Great Red Dragon.
“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon”
The Bible also reveals the true identity of the Dragon John sees, “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan.” When John sees the Great Red Dragon, he is seeing the Devil aka Apollyon the Destroyer. What is the Destroyer doing in Revelation 12? You guessed it… wrecking stuff! But how does he go about it? He makes WAR! Lots and lots of war.
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back”
If we understand anything about Apollyon from Revelation 12, it is that he is martial in nature. The ancient serpent is an entity of war. In fact, once he is soundly defeated in the heavenly arena by the Archangel Michael, does he give up? Not a chance… Apollyon simply turns his warring to the earthly realm. The Destroyer brings his war to the world of Adam. He could not destroy God in heaven, so he does the next best thing… turn his destroying war to God’s creation and His people.
When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth… he became furious and went off to make war with the saints
This is the point in history that marks the advent of the Beast. When the Dragon comes to earth and stands on the seashore, he then appears rising up from the sea as the Beast. When the Dragon comes to earth, he appears as the Beast.
And when the men of earth are confronted with Apollyon, they are forced to one unescapable conclusion, the nations are outmatched at every level. They face an enemy unlike any they have faced before. After all, this is Apollyon. The picture couldn’t be clearer… it is a god warring among men.
The whole earth marveled… saying,
“Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
The Bible says that the whole earth will marvel at the arrival of the Beast in the final years of this age. But did you know that there was an ancient Hebrew prophet that also marveled at this very same Beast 2500 years before this prophecy would be fulfilled? The Prophet Daniel saw this very same Beast in a vision and was utterly stunned by what he saw. Daniel chapter seven gives details on when a mortal man first saw a vision of Apollyon come to earth.
“I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying”
In his vision, Daniel sees the four beasts that represent the four empires that rule the earth from ancient Babylon to the end of time. The first beast was like a lion representing Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. The second beast was like a bear representing Cyrus' Persia. The third was like a leopard representing Alexander's Greek Empire. Then Daniel sees the fourth and final beast.
The fourth beast was "different from all the beasts that were before it..." - Daniel 7:7. Daniel had no frame of reference for this beast. There was no animal to liken it to. The only concrete description Daniel gives is that the fourth beast had iron teeth and bronze claws. The fourth beast was made of metal.
Which empire fits the description of the fourth beast?
A quick brush up on world history gives us a clear succession of empires. Cyrus’ Persia supplanted Babylon and Alexander dethroned the Persians. Babylon, Persia, and Greece for the first three beasts but which empire supplanted Macedonian rule? The greatest empire of all time. Without question... the empire that followed Alexander's was Rome. The Roman Empire is the terrifying metallic fourth beast of Daniel chapter seven.
The fourth empire is different from the first three. The world would never be the same in the wake of the Roman Republic. With the coming of the Roman Empire, monarchy dies. Before Rome the world was ruled by kings like Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander. But once Rome arrived, the world be governed by Democratic Republic. This Roman framework of government is prophesied to endure and crescendo until the final Monarchy crushes it forever at the Return of Christ. The Ultimate King is coming to rule from Zion forevermore. But until we see Jesus appear in the sky, we are destined to live in the shadow of Rome.
Rome is different than Babylon, Persia, and Greece. We give credit to Nebuchadnezzar for Babylon Cyrus for Persia Alexander for Greece Each of these human kings are related to the beasts of Daniel’s vision. Nebuchadnezzar is the lion with wings. Cyrus is the bear with three ribs is its mouth. And Alexander is the four headed leopard.
But who gets the credit for Rome? What king is associated with Rome's enduring supremacy?
To answer this question, we must visit the great city’s mythological inception. The story of Rome begins with the father of the twin brothers credited with establishing the fledgling city along the Tiber River. According to historical lore, Romulus and Remus were raised by a wolf. And much like the story of Cain and Abel, Romulus turned on his brother and killed him. The city of Rome is named after Romulus, the fratricidal demigod. But the inception point of Roman rule begins with Romulus’ father; the God of War, Mars.
Rome is the progeny of Mars. Just as Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, and Alexander the Great were the kings responsible for the rise of their empires, Mars is responsible for Rome. Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon is the lion. Cyrus’ Persia is the bear. Alexander’s Macedonia is the leopard. And Mars’ Rome is the terrifying beast made of metal.
The God of War is the entity that gave birth to Rome and the entity that will ultimately rule it directly in the final years of this age.
In part two I will address Mars in fuller detail and give the reasons why I believe Rome begins and ends with the Roman God of War.