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Ezekiel 19:1-4
“ Sing a song of sadness about Israel’s princes.Say to Israel,“‘ You were like a mother lion to your princes. She lay down among the lions. She brought up her cubs.One of them was Jehoahaz. He became a strong lion. He learned to tear apart what he caught. And he became a man- eater.The nations heard about him. They trapped him in their pit. They put hooks in his face. And they led him away to Egypt.
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Jeremiah 4:7
Lions have come out of their dens. Those who destroy nations have begun to march out. They have left their place to destroy your land completely. Your towns will be broken to pieces. No one will live in them.
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Ezekiel 19:6
He prowled with the lions. He became very strong. He learned to tear apart what he caught. And he became a man- eater.
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Ezekiel 38:12-13
I will rob those people. I’ll steal everything they have. Then I’ll turn my attention to the destroyed houses where people are living again. They have returned there from other nations. Now they are rich. They have plenty of livestock and all kinds of goods. They are living in Israel. It is the center of the earth.’The people of Sheba and Dedan will speak to you. So will the traders of Tarshish and all its villages. They will say,‘ Have you come to rob us? Have you gathered your huge army together to steal our silver and gold? Are you going to take away from us our livestock and goods? Do you plan to carry off everything we have?’ ” ’
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Daniel 7:17-28
He said,‘ The four large animals stand for four kings. The kings will appear on the earth.But the holy people of the Most High God will receive the kingdom. They will possess it forever. It will belong to them for ever and ever.’“ Then I wanted to know what the fourth animal stood for. It was different from the others. It was the most terrifying of all. It had iron teeth and bronze claws. It crushed everyone it attacked and ate them up. It stomped on anything that was left.I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head. And I wanted to know about the other horn that grew up later. It caused three of the ten horns to fall out. It appeared to be stronger than the others. It had eyes. And its mouth was always bragging.I saw that the horn was at war with God’s holy people. It was winning the battle over them.But then the Eternal God came. He decided in favor of his holy people. So the time came when the kingdom was given to them.“ Here’s how the angel explained it to me. He said,‘ The fourth animal stands for a fourth kingdom. It will appear on earth. It will be different from the other kingdoms. It will eat up the whole earth. It will stomp on it and crush it.The ten horns stand for ten kings. They will come from the fourth kingdom. After them another king will appear. He will be different from the earlier ones. He’ll bring three kings under his control.He’ll speak against the Most High God. He’ll treat God’s holy people badly. He will try to change the times and laws that were given by God. God’s holy people will be placed under his power for three and a half years.“‘ But the court will be seated. And the power of that king will be taken away from him. It will be completely destroyed forever.Then the authority, power and greatness of all the kingdoms on earth will be taken from them. And all they had will be given to the holy people of the Most High God. His kingdom will last forever. Every ruler will worship and obey him.’“ That’s all I saw. My thoughts deeply troubled me. My face turned pale. But I kept those things to myself.”
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Daniel 7:4-8
“ The first animal was like a lion. It had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off. Then it was lifted up from the ground. It stood on two feet like a human being. And the mind of a human being was given to it.“ I saw a second animal. It looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides. And it had three ribs between its teeth. It was told,‘ Get up! Eat meat until you are full!’“ After that, I saw another animal. It looked like a leopard. On its back were four wings like the wings of a bird. The animal I saw had four heads. And it was given authority to rule.“ After that, in my vision I looked up and saw a fourth animal. It was terrifying and very powerful. It had large iron teeth. It crushed those it attacked and ate them up. It stomped on anything that was left. It was different from the other animals. And it had ten horns.“ I thought about the horns. Then I saw another horn. It was a little one. It grew up among the other horns. Three of the first horns were pulled up by their roots to make room for it. The little horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being. Its mouth was always bragging.