This rendering is part of a group of illustrations that were done for a collage professor who was teaching a course on Daniel / Revelation at a Bible collage I attended. These illustrations depict the four beast that were part of a vision that Daniel the prophet had. Daniel asked God to make the interpretation of the dream known to him , for he knew God was the author of this dream. The four beast are four different monarchies that shall have world domination, that will rise and fall through out the history of the world. The lion is the first beast to appear in the vision, This beast represents the Chaldean empire.
Daniel chapter 7 : 4 " The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until it 's wings were plucked , and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man ; a human mind also was given to it.