Yes, previous empires contribute their best attributes to the final empire, which is a revived Roman Empire.
Les Feldick teaches that the final empire, the revived Roman Empire, gathers together the strongest and most enduring qualities of earlier world kingdoms. The best features of Babylon, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans continue to influence the world and will come to a climax in this final empire. Revelation 13:2 symbolizes this by depicting the beast with attributes of a leopard and bear, representing the combined traits of the previous empires.
Revelation 13:2 — This verse describes the beast with features of a leopard and bear, symbolically representing the combined attributes of previous empires.
In Revelation 13:2, the apostle John describes a beast that appears like a leopard, with feet like a bear. This imagery indicates that the final empire inherits characteristics from earlier kingdoms. Daniel 7 also portrays four beasts representing successive empires, with the fourth being dreadful and terrible, having ten horns (Daniel 7:7). Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 2 depicts a statue with a head of gold (Babylon), chest of silver (Medo-Persia), belly of brass (Greece), and legs of iron (Rome), with feet of iron and clay, symbolizing the final revived Roman Empire that will be struck by a stone cut without hands (Daniel 2:34).
Les Feldick teaches that the final empire, the revived Roman Empire, will incorporate the best elements of all previous empires. He explains that the beast in Revelation 13:2, with its leopard-like appearance and bear feet, symbolizes the amalgamation of characteristics from Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. He notes that the best of Babylonian banking and usury, Medo-Persian cultural contributions, Greek architecture and philosophy, and Roman courts of law and jurisprudence will all continue into the final empire. He also emphasizes that this empire will be characterized by a federation of ten nations, from which the Antichrist will arise, and that it will ultimately be destroyed by Christ's coming, as depicted by the stone striking the feet of iron and clay in Daniel 2.
According to Les Feldick, the four empires that precede the final empire are Babylon, the Medes and Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. These are depicted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream as the head of gold, chest of silver, belly of brass, and legs of iron respectively. Each of these empires had a direct relationship with the nation of Israel, and their contributions will culminate in the final revived Roman Empire.
Les Feldick explains that Revelation 13:2, where the beast is likened to a leopard with feet like a bear, shows that the final empire carries the attributes of the previous empires. He says, "In other words, you've got all the attributes of these previous empires now coming to a head in this revived Roman Empire." This symbolizes that the best of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome are brought together.
Les Feldick teaches that Christ will strike the final revived Roman Empire at His coming, like a stone cut without hands, crushing all remnants of the previous empires. He describes this as a great boulder rolling down upon the feet of iron and clay, symbolizing the final empire, and then up over the legs, belly, chest, and head, representing the previous empires. This will bring an end to all these empires' influence.
Ten Nations and the Antichrist
Les Feldick explains that the final empire will consist of ten nations in Western Europe, from which the Antichrist will arise, and notes that this formation is already underway in our time.
Combined Attributes of Previous Empires
Les Feldick directly teaches that Revelation 13:2 shows all the best attributes of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome coming together in the revived Roman Empire.
Destruction of the Final Empire
Les Feldick explains that Christ's coming will crush the final empire and all remnants of previous empires, using the imagery of the stone striking the feet of iron and clay.
The Four Empires in Prophecy
Les Feldick explains that the four empires in Nebuchadnezzar's dream are those that had a direct relationship with Israel, beginning with Babylon.
Historical Sequence of Empires
Les Feldick provides a brief historical overview of how Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome successively ruled over Israel, fulfilling the prophecy in Daniel 2.
The Antichrist Revealed: What 2 Thessalonians Really Says
As this great empire, as well as this great individual, rises up out of the midst of the masses of humanity, he has seven heads and ten horns. Now like we saw last week in the Book of Daniel, when Medes and Persians were depicted as the ram with two horns.
Reappearance of the Roman Empire
Les Feldick explains that the fourth beast in Daniel 7 represents the revived Roman Empire, which will have ten horns, symbolizing ten nations.
Babylon as Head of Gold
Les Feldick explains that Babylon is the head of gold and represents the first empire, with each subsequent empire being inferior to the previous.
Revelation 13:2: And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
This verse shows the beast symbolically carrying attributes of previous empires (leopard, bear, lion) indicating a composite nature.
Daniel 2:31-33: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
This vision depicts the sequence of empires, with each part representing a successive empire, ending with the final revived Roman Empire.
Daniel 7:7: 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 his feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
This verse describes the fourth beast as the Roman Empire, which is diverse and has ten horns, representing the ten nations of the revived empire.
Les Feldick teaches that the final empire includes the best of Babylon (banking, interest), Medo-Persia (cultural contributions), Greece (architecture, philosophy), and Rome (courts of law, jurisprudence). These are symbolized by the beast in Revelation 13:2.
The beast is described as like a leopard with feet like a bear, which Les Feldick interprets as representing the combined attributes of the Greek (leopard) and Medo-Persian (bear) empires, along with the lion (Babylon) and the Roman characteristics.
Les Feldick teaches that Christ will destroy the final empire at His coming, as depicted by the stone cut without hands in Daniel 2, which crushes the image representing all the empires.
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