Beasts of Revelation
In this Bible study we'll try to bring clarity to the subject of the beasts in the book of Revelation. We'll start with the book of Daniel and explore its connection to the book of Revelation. We'll examine each passage in the Bible that describes the end-times beasts, see where they fit on the prophetic timeline and what the symbolism is regarding the 7 heads and 10 horns.
Contents
The "Beast"
"θηρίον" (thērion) is a Greek word meaning "beast" or "wild animal." The concept of "θηρίον" in the Book of Revelation comes from the Book of Daniel.
In ancient texts from Homer onwards, "θηρίον" is often used to describe an animal, particularly a wild or fierce one, but not domesticated animals used for sacrificial purposes.
For example, it's used in Mark 1:13 and Acts 10:12 in the New Testament to describe wild animals. In the book of Revelation, it's used metaphorically to symbolize the Antichrist and his kingdom, drawing parallels to the beasts described in the Book of Daniel.
Metaphorically, it can also refer to a brutal or savage person. For instance, in Titus 1:12, it describes someone as savage or ferocious. This usage is also seen in ancient Greek literature like Aristophanes and Plutarch. Ignatius of Antioch uses the phrase "θηρία ἀνθρωπομορφα" (thēria anthrōpomorpha) to describe savage or beast-like people.
In a spiritual sense the beast represents lawlessness.
Beasts in the book of Daniel
To understand the beasts of Revelation, we must begin with the book of Daniel, which gives us background and foundation for understanding biblical beasts.
The following is a summary of the main points Daniel makes about the beasts, in chronological order of events:
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Four great beasts come out of the sea
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1st beast - Lion with eagle’s wings - Babylon
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2nd beast - Bear with 3 tusks - Persia
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3d beast - Leopard with 4 wings and 4 heads - Greece
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4th beast is terrifying, strong, with iron teeth and bronze claws, different from others, with 10 horns - Roman Empire
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The 4th beast will devour the whole Earth, trample it down, break to pieces like clay
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10 horns are 10 kings who will come out of 4th kingdom
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After the 10 horns 1 small horn will come out and subdue 3 kings
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The small horn will speak against God, try to change God’s feasts and law, will overpower the saints for 3.5 years
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The Son of Men will come with the clouds of heaven
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Little horn is the beast who will be slain and thrown into the blazing fire
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Other beasts will be stripped of authority but stay alive for a period of time
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The Ancient of Days will give the Son of Men authority, glory, sovereign power over the nations and everlasting kingdom
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Sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High
Daniel’s Vision of the Beasts
In his vision Daniel sees four beasts rising from the sea (nations): a lion with eagle's wings, a bear with three ribs, a leopard with four wings and heads, and a terrifying beast with iron teeth and ten horns. Thrones are set up, and the Ancient of Days takes his seat, judging the beasts. One like a son of man is given everlasting authority and glory, representing the Messiah's reign.
2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. 4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it. 5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. 7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Interpretation of Daniel’s Vision
In interpretation of his vision Daniel receives an explanation in which four great beasts symbolize four kings or kingdoms that will rise to power on Earth. The fourth beast is particularly terrifying and oppressive, with ten horns representing ten kings. Another horn emerges, more imposing than the rest, and it wages war against the holy people of the Most High. However, eventually, judgment is pronounced in favor of the holy people, and they will possess the kingdom forever. The passage foretells a time of oppression and conflict, but ultimately, the power of the oppressive kingdom will be taken away, and the holy people will inherit an everlasting kingdom where all rulers will worship and obey the Most High.
17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’ 19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. 26 “ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
Prophetic Timeline of the Beasts
The prophetic significance of God's feasts in the biblical calendar gives us a framework for understanding the timing of the beasts we are looking at in this article. While the spring feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Weeks are connected to Christ's first coming, signifying His death, resurrection, and establishment of His church, the fall set of feasts including Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles point to His second coming, the judgment of humanity, and finally, God's eternal dwelling with men.
The beasts of Revelation together with the beasts of Daniel are connected to 3,5 years of Great Tribulation, which allows us to locate them on the prophetic timeline, just before the Second Coming of Christ and establishment of His Kingdom on earth.
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Passover-Crucifixion-Sin Offering
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Unleavened Bread-Redemption-Freedom from Sin
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First Fruits-Resurrection-Spiritual Birth
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Feast of Weeks-Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
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3,5 years of the Beasts of Revelation
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Feast of Trumpets-Christ's Second Coming
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Day of Atonement-The Judgement Day
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Tabernacles-Heavenly Jerusalem on New Earth
Short Time
Revelation 12 helps us to identify the "short time" that appears in the descriptions of the beasts in various forms such as 3.5 years, 1260 days, 42 months, a little while and 1 hour. This short time is the time of the Great Tribulation during which the beasts will act.
Revelation 12:12-14
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.” 13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle to fly from the presence of the serpent to her place in the wilderness, where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.
From the points below you can see which entities are in power during the 3,5 years: the small horn, the first beast, the 7th king and the 10 horns.
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The small horn will speak against God, try to change God’s feasts and law, will overpower the saints for 3.5 years (Daniel 7:25)
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God prepared a place in the wilderness for the woman to be nourished for 1260 days (Revelation 12:6)
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The first beast has authority for 42 months over the whole world and to conquer the saints (Revelation 13:5)
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There are also 7 kings, 5 have fallen, one is and one (king) is to come for a little while (Revelation 17:10)
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The 10 horns are 10 kings who receive authority along with the first beast for 1 hour (Revelation 17:12)
The Unholy Trinity of Revelation
As you may know, the devil likes to copy and pervert everything that God is and does. The Godhead consists or the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. People who enter into a covenant with God are portrayed as women in the Bible, first Israel (Ezekiel 16, Jeremiah 3:8) and then the Church (Revelation 19:7-8). Likewise, there is an unholy trinity acting during the end times, consisting of the Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13-14). Their bride is Mystery Babylon (Revelation 17:1-5). To help us keep track of who is who, let’s define the actors first:
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The Dragon: is the Ancient Serpent (Genesis 3:1), the devil or Satan (Revelation 20:2)
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The Beast: is the forth beast of Daniel, is the first beast of Revelation, comes out of the sea, has 7 heads and 10 horns
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The False prophet: is the little horn (Daniel 7:8) and the second beast out of the earth, who looks like a lamb, but speaks like the dragon, who introduces the image and the mark of the first beast, he is the Antichrist
Revelation 16:13
13 And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
The Dragon
In Revelation 12 we are given an overview of what is happening in the spirit from the fall of Satan all the way to the end of the Great Tribulation. Notice that the sign of the Dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns is first seen in heaven. Later on it will manifest itself on earth as the first beast who comes out of the sea, representing the people or nations of the world (Revelation 17:15). Both the dragon and the first beast have 7 heads and 10 horns. We also will find out that the Dragon gives authority to the first beast.
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A sign in heaven: a huge red dragon with 7 heads, 10 horns and 7 crowns
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Dagon’s taił swept 1/3 of the stars (angels) from the sky, tossing them to the earth
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The Dragon stood before the woman (Israel) in labor ready to devour her child (Messiah)
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This child (Jesus) will rule the nations with an iron sceptre (During Millennium)
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God prepared a place in the wilderness for the woman to be nourished for 1260 days (3,5 years)
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars from the sky, tossing them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth. 5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.
The Beast from the Sea
The beast from the sea, representing the nations (Revelation 17:15), is the physical manifestation of the spiritual forces of darkness. The Dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns, who is in the spiritual realm, manifesting as the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns on earth, similar to Jesus representing His Heavenly Father on earth. This beast is very similar to the beasts of Daniel 7, having characteristics of the leopard, the bear and the lion, and having 10 horns.
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John sees a beast with 10 horns and 7 heads rising out of the sea
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10 horns have royal crowns
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7 heads have blasphemous names on them
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The beast is like a leopard, with feet of a bear and mouth of a lion
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1 of 7 heads appears to be be mortally wounded by the sword (Revelation 13:14), then heals
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The whole world marvels, follows the beast and worships the Dragon and the beast
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The Dragon gives authority to the beast
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The beast has military power
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The beast speaks arrogant and blasphemous words
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The beast has authority for 42 months (3,5 years) over the whole world and to conquer the saints
1 Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” 5 The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. 6 And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. 7 Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
7 Heads
Let's pause and see what the seven heads are. Both the Dragon and the first beast have 7 heads and 10 horns. Although Daniel does not mention 7 heads in his vision of the beasts, if we count the number of their heads it will also be 7. In Revelation 17, we learn that these seven heads are also seven mountains, which can symbolise kingdoms or countries, as seen in Daniel 2:35, 44-45. So the seven heads represent the world powers or governments empowered by Satan. There are also 7 kings, most likely the rulers of the seven kingdoms.
• A sign in heaven: a huge red dragon with 7 heads, 10 horns and 7 crowns
• 7 heads have blasphemous names on them
• 1 of 7 heads appears to be be mortally wounded by the sword (Revelation 13:14), then heals
• The 7 heads are the 7 mountains on which the woman sits
• There are also 7 kings, 5 have fallen, one is and one is to come for a short time (3,5 years)
10 Horns
While seven heads represents kingdoms or governments, ten horns represent ten kings who will give their power over to the first beast and will rule together with the Antichrist, who is the little horn (Daniel 7:8) and the second beast, during the Great Tribulation.
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4th beast is terrifying, strong, with iron teeth and bronze claws, different from others, with 10 horns - Rome
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10 horns are 10 kings who will come out of 4th kingdom
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After the 10 horns will come out 1 small horn and subdue 3 kings
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The 10 horns are 10 kings who receive authority along with the first beast for 1 hour (short time)
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The purpose of the 10 kings is to yield their power and authority to the first beast
The Beast from the Earth
The second beast is also called the false prophet in Revelation 16:13. He looks like a lamb, possibly portraying himself as messiah or christ. He is causing the world to worship the first beast. He performs signs and wonders. He is looking like a religious leader, he is the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:11-15
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The second beast rises out of the earth
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The beast has 2 horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon
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The second beast has authority like the first beast
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The second beast causes the world to worship the first beast
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The second beast performs great signs before people on behalf of the first beast
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The second beast tells the world to make an image of the first beast
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The second beast is permitted to give breath to the image so it can speak and kill those who refuse to worship it
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. 12 And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13 And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. 15 The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.
The Mark of the Beast
The mark is introduced by the second beast and it is connected to his number, pointing to computing or digital technology, which is gradually replacing all other technologies in our day.
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The second beast required all people to receive the mark on their right hand or forehead
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No one can buy or sell without the mark, the name of the beast or the number of its name
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The number of the beast is the number of man, which is 666
16 And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.
The Woman on a Scarlet Beast
If you study this woman in depth, you will see that she is actually Jerusalem. You can find more details here.
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The woman is the great prostitute who sits on many waters (nations)
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The kings of the earth were immoral with the woman
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The people were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality
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The woman is sitting on a scarlet beast
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The beast has 7 heads and 10 horns and is covered with blasphemous names
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The woman is dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with jewels
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The woman has a golden cup full of abominations and impurities of her sexual immorality
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The name on the woman’s forehead is “Babylon the Great…”
1 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2 The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.” 3 And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
The Mystery Explained
This part of Revelation may be hard to understand because it's so abstract and open to different interpretations. Let's break it down by looking at the main characters:
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The woman - Jerusalem
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The scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns - the 8th king or power
This passage explains that the seven heads represent seven kingdoms, and the ten horns stand for ten kings. Even though Revelation describes the beast as one entity, it also refers to it as the eighth, connected to or made up of the previous seven.
To understand the difference between heads, horns, and crowns, think of them as symbols of earthly power. The head symbolizes the highest authority, followed by the horn, and then the crown, each representing varying degrees of influence and dominion. These powers may not necessarily be visible, as the enemy often works in the shadows.
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The woman is drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus
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The beast with 7 heads and 10 horns - was, now is no more, but is about to come out of the Abyss (Revelation 11:7) and go into destruction (Daniel 7:11)
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The 7 heads are the seven mountains on which the woman sits
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There are also 7 kings, 5 have fallen, one is and one is to come for a short time
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The first beast is the 8th, he is of the 7 and will go into destruction
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The 10 horns are 10 kings who will receive authority along with the first beast for 1 hour (short time)
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The purpose of the 10 kings is to yield their power and authority to the first beast
6 I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her. 7 “Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 And the beast which was, and is not, is also himself an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast. 13 These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.
Defeat of the beasts
The defeat of the two beasts comes at the Battle of Armageddon at the very end of the Great Tribulation. The beasts are defeated at the Second Coming of Christ and cast into the lake of fire. The dragon is imprisoned for 1000 years during the Millennial Kingdom, then released for a short time to try to organise the Battle of Armageddon again, only to be defeated again and thrown into the lake of fire along with the other two beasts.
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. 20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.
9 And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Interpretations of the Beasts of Revelation
The interpretation of the beasts in the book of Revelation varies among different schools of thought, including Preterism, Historicism, Idealism, and Futurism.
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Preterism: Preterist interpreters view the beasts in Revelation as symbolic representations of historical figures or events that were relevant to the author and original audience of the book. They often see the beasts, particularly the beast from the sea in Revelation 13, as representing the Roman Empire or specific emperors such as Nero or Domitian. Preterists believe that much of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century, particularly with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
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Historicism: Historicist interpreters see the beasts as representing successive historical periods or figures throughout the history of the Church from the time of Apostle John until the Second Coming of Christ. They often correlate the beasts with various political powers or movements, such as the Roman Empire, the Papacy, or other significant historical events. Historicists believe that Revelation provides a broad overview of the Church's history and its ongoing struggle against evil and persecution.
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Idealism: Idealist interpreters view the beasts as symbolic representations of timeless spiritual principles and the ongoing conflict between good and evil. They see the beasts as symbolic of oppressive political and religious systems throughout history, but they do not necessarily tie them to specific historical events or figures. Instead, idealists focus on the universal themes of spiritual warfare, redemption, and the ultimate victory of God over evil.
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Futurism: Futurist interpreters understand the beasts, especially those in Revelation 13, as representing future events that will occur just before the Second Coming of Christ. They often associate the beasts with an end-times figure known as the Antichrist and a one-world government or system of control. Futurists believe that many of the prophecies in Revelation, including those concerning the beasts, have yet to be fulfilled and will occur during a period of tribulation preceding Christ's return.
These interpretative frameworks provide diverse perspectives on the meaning and significance of the beasts in Revelation, reflecting varying understandings of eschatology, historical contexts, and the nature of prophetic literature. Moreover, biblical prophecy often contains layers of meaning and fulfillment, allowing for multiple valid interpretations rather than being confined to a singular understanding.