babylon

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The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it (Daniel 7:4 NKJV).

The lion is used in the Bible as a symbol of authority and power. The symbol is applied to Christ as the Lion of Judah, but it is also the symbol for Babylon, the destroyer of nations and the seat of the apostate religion, which would seek to entice God's people into idolatry. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied about Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem, using the symbol of a lion for this mighty power:

I will bring disaster from the north,
And great destruction.
The lion has come up from his thicket,
And the destroyer of nations is on his way.
He has gone forth from his place
To make your land desolate.
Your cities will be laid waste,
Without inhabitant (Jeremiah 4:6-7 NKJV).

The lion of Daniel 7 has eagle's wings, a further reference to Babylon. Archaeology has revealed that a lion with eagle's wings was a common symbol in Babylonian designs and sculptures. Moreover, the eagle often symbolizes the sun god. This means that the sun god powers the lion. This union of the human element with the sun god is in defiance of the true God. 
The religion of Babylon forms the basis of all pagan religions, making Babylon a fitting symbol for the end- time confederacy of religious powers aligned against God and His people. This confederacy will control events at the end of time and is portrayed in Daniel 2 as the feet of iron and clay. In the closing stages of Earth’s history, a power resembling Babylon will once again control the planet’s events.
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