Seven Heads and Ten Horns
Revelation 17:1-3
“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication." So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”
John in his vision in the wilderness saw the woman sitting on a “scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns”. This same description is given of the Beast we met in Revelation 13:1, who is the Antichrist. “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.”
We learn that these seven heads and ten horns are symbolic because later in this chapter the angel specifically tells John what they represent. The angel says that the seven heads are “seven mountains on which the woman sits” (v. 9). If you connect that to verse 18, where we are told that the “woman is that great city…”, we believe that this is speaking of Rome which is situated on seven hills when Revelation was written.
But we also learn in verse 10 that these seven heads are seven kings or kingdoms. “Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come” (v. 10). If it is speaking of kingdoms, the five kingdoms that had fallen were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The kingdom "that is" would be Rome in John's day; “the one yet to come”, the seventh, would be the kingdom of the Beast. If we compare the seven heads to specific kings, then the five who were fallen (of Roman rulers) would be Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. The "one that is" would be Domitian; the “one yet to come”, the Beast, the king of the revived Roman Empire.
The angel also explains that there are ten more kings. “The ten horns are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet…” (v. 12). These ten kings parallel the ten toes of Daniel's image in Daniel 2:36-45, the revived Roman Empire. In John's day, these kings had not yet received their power; it is reserved for the last days when the federation of Europe, headed by the Beast, comes to power. It is very possible what we see happening in Europe right now with NATO is setting the stage for this. Note that these ten kings willingly give support to the Beast in his battle against Christ and the saints (v. 14); and that, with the help of the Beast, they will destroy the great harlot (v. 16), after he is through with her at the middle of the Tribulation.
We are also told that the waters on which the harlot is seated are the peoples of the world (v.15). This indicates she will have influence over the whole world, politically, economically and, most of all, religiously.
To summarize this, I believe in the last days, the one world church will be formed. This world church (the harlot) will be involved in the political and economic affairs of the world and, with the help of the Beast, will become a great power. The world church will "ride into power" on the back of the Beast, that is, with the help of Satan and the United States of Europe. The Beast will get the support of the ten kings as he rides to victory (Rev. 6:1-2). A union will exist between the nations of Europe, the Beast, and the world church. The scene in chapter 17 takes place during the first half of the Tribulation. But note that the Beast has not yet been revealed in his true satanic character.
During the middle of the Tribulation, the Beast will want to have all power and worship for himself (chap. 13). This means he must get rid of the harlot, because she represents the worship of God, if even in an apostate way. Verse 16 indicates that the federated nations of Europe will turn against the world church and destroy her, fulfilling the prophecy of Rev. 2:20-23. Once the harlot is out of the way, the Beast will declare himself to be a god and demand the worship of the nations.
Wow! Today, we can see with all that is happening globally both politically and economically, that everything is setting up for a one world religion and a one world economic system. All it needs to happen is for a charismatic leader to show up to bring it together. My friend, all this is just around the corner!
God bless!
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