Thus the ancient Roman writer pictured the career of Grecia just as represented by the prophetic symbol—the fleetness, the great dominion given it, the division of the empire into satrapies, as suggested by the four heads of the leopard. Out of the conflicts following Alexander's death, there came the fourfold headship of the empire. Rawlinson says, "A quadripartite division of Alexander's domain was recognized." (See "Sixth Monarchy," chap. 3.) The real situation is best represented, as Dr. Albert Barnes says, by "one animal with four heads," just as the prophetic symbol described it centuries before.
Thus the course of empire followed the outline of the "sure word of prophecy" from age to age.
"Armies were ranged in battle's dread array:
They fought—their glory withered in its bud;
They perished—with them ceased their tyrants' sway;
New wars, new heroes came—their story passed away."
There was to be no abiding kingdom till the time came for God's glorious kingdom to be set up.
THE FOURTH BEAST
"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly." Dan. 7:7.
Rome
As the prophet watched the moving panorama of history, foretold in symbols, he said:
Prophecy.—"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things."
