The Beast

APOCALYPTIC SYMBOLS / METAPHOR APPEARING IN THE BIBLE 

PERTINENT TO THE BOOK OF REVELATION

1. MOUNTAIN/S: Daniel 2:35:      Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were broken to pieces together. And they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. And the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Micah 4:1-2 says,      But it shall be in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it.   And many nations shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. Zechariah 4:7:    Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it!

2. HORN/S: Kings. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall humble three kings. [Daniel 7:24] And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. [Revelation 17:12]

3. BEAST/S:  "These four great beasts are four kings; they shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." [Daniel 7:17-18]. * Beast/s: human kings / kingdoms / empires. * Mountain: The region of an empire or kingdom. * A horn/horns: kings / emperors / military leaders / political authority (both in Daniel Chapter 7 and in the Revelation). * Crowns: mark of political / royal authority. * Dragon / serpent: Satan.

4. HEAD/S:  Isaiah 7:8-9 For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is (king) Rezin; and within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken so that it shall not be a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.

  And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, 

having seven heads and ten horns. And on its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads was the name of blasphemy.

  And the beast which I saw was like a leopard *, and its feet like those of a bear **, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion ***. (Daniel 7:2-14; Revelation 13:1-2).

* Like the ancient Greek Empire.

** Feet like the ancient Medo-Persian Empire. *

*** Mouth like the ancient Babylonian Empire. **

* Trampling everything in its path underfoot.

** Pompous, blasphemous, and self-exalting like the ancient Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar.

And the dragon gave him his power and his seat [Greek: thrónos] and great authority.

THE REVELATION 

The Harlot (fornicator) The kings of the Earth Commit fornication with the Harlot

THE BEAST Ten Kings THE DRAGON THE FALSE PROPHET

The Saints Two Witnesses The Lamb The Bride

THE TEN KINGS DESTROY THE HARLOT ".. and the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked. And they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire." (Revelation 17:16). THE TEN KINGS MAKE WAR WITH THE LAMB But He will overcome them, "because He is King of kings and Lord of lords and those who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:14) (also see Revelation 19:11, 14 & 16). THE BEAST WARS AGAINST THE SAINTS AND OVERCOMES THEM "And it was given to it to war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to it over every tribe and tongue and nation." (Revelation 13:7). THE BEAST MAKES WAR AGAINST THE TWO WITNESSES,  OVERCOMES THEM, AND KILLS THEM "And when they complete their testimony, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war against them and will overcome them and kill them." (Revelation 11:7). THE BEAST BLASPHEMES GOD Revelation 13 5 And a mouth speaking great things was given to it, and blasphemies. And authority was given to it to continue forty-two months. 6 And it opened its mouth in blasphemy toward God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, and those dwelling in Heaven. THE FALSE PROPHET EXERCISES ALL THE BEAST'S AUTHORITY IN THE PRESENCE OF THE BEAST 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. And it had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. 12 And it exercises all the authority of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those dwelling in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13). THE BEAST AND THE FALSE PROPHET ARE DESTROYED BY CHRIST  WHEN HE RETURNS  (Revelation 19:11-21). Christ descends from the highest place - the throne of God in heaven - and destroys the beast, who ascends from the lowest place - the bottomless pit. Christ's authority and power is God the Father, and the Word of God is the sword that proceeds out of His mouth, and His Spirit is Holy, but the beast's authority and power is the dragon, and unclean spirits come out of the "mouths" of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Worship of the image of the beast results in eternal destruction, but worship of Christ, who is the image of God, results in eternal life (Revelation 14:6-12).

TEN KINGS

Revelation 17

  12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast. *

  13 These have one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. *

* The beast is given authority to continue for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).

THE DRAGON GIVES AUTHORITY TO THE BEAST

The dragon's seven heads in Revelation 12:3 each have a crown (a king). 

In Revelation 13 the crowns have shifted to the 10 horns. 

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We can go back to the seven crowns on the seven heads of the dragon in Revelation 12:3 and consider how they shift to the 10 horns (kings) of the beast (Revelation Chapter 13) because the dragon is giving this kingdom and its 8th king / beast who has ascended from the bottomless pit all the power of all seven kings and kingdoms, combined.

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THE TEN KINGS GIVING AUTHORITY TO THE BEAST

The 10 kings, who rule with the 8th king for "one hour", had not yet received their kingdoms when John received the Revelation, so the ten kings are not the 6th head:

Revelation 17 

  8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend out of the abyss and go into perdition. 

  9  And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.

  10 And there are seven kings; five have fallen, and one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.

 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. (Revelation 17:1, 10-11).

 12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.

  13 These have one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.

Therefore the beast ascending out of the abyss (i.e the 8th king) can only be contemporary with the 7th head of the beast (it is one of the seven).

SEVEN KINGDOMS:

1. Egypt.

2. Assyria.

3. Babylon ("the lion").

4. Medo-Persia ("the bear").

5. Greece ("the leopard").

6. Roman Empire.

7. 10 kings and a "resurrected" empire. 

  And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and its feet like those of a bear, 

and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. (Daniel 7:2-14; Revelation 13:2).

THE BEAST OF THE REVELATION

AUTHORITY HAS PASSED FROM THE SEVEN HEADS TO THE TEN KINGS

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