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• The 1st beast was one of the four beasts to come up out of the sea (Dan 7:3), bottomless pit, or abyss (Rev 17:8)
• These four beasts are great kings (Dan 7:17) or kingdoms (Dan 7:23), diverse one from another (Dan 7:3).
• The waters are "peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (Rev 17:15)
• The first beast was like a lion and had eagle's wings. (Dan 7:4)
• Its wings were plucked off, it was lifted up from the earth, it was made to stand upright, and it was given a man's heart. (Dan 7:4)

Theories:

Most prophecy scholars agree that the lion represents England, whose national emblem includes three lions. Great Britain had control over about 20% of the world's population at one time. The wings removed is believed to represent the United States, which won its independence from England in the American Revolution.

Others say the lion represents Iran, since the lion has long been a symbol of the Persian empire.