Biblical explanation
Daniel 7 describes four beasts: A lion with eagle's wings A bear A leopard with four heads A terrifying fourth beast with iron teeth and ten horns The fourth beast is followed by a "little horn" that speaks against God, persecutes God's people, and attempts to change "times and laws." Daniel 7:24-25. Daniel 8 helps identify the prophetic sequence because the angel explicitly says: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia." Daniel 8:20-21 When Daniel 2, 7, and 8 are compared, the traditional sequence is Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Daniel explicitly interprets beasts as kingdoms. The identification of the first three major kingdoms comes through comparison of the prophetic chapters and their historical sequence. Daniel 7 itself does not simply list the modern names of all four kingdoms in one verse.
Key takeaway
The great controversy reveals God's character as Christ ministers as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The dead await the resurrection, Christ's return will be visible and personal, and prophecy calls believers to faithful mission rather than date-setting or fear.