I was a little late to the Revelation 13:3 social media party and almost missed it completely. After the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald J Trump, social media lit up with Revelation 13:3 scripture. This was mostly from those who don't study scripture but are quick to use it to serve their purposes or, fit a specific narrative which has become a common practice. Several comments were quite misguided, even delusional, misquoting scripture.
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast"
The bullet grazed President Trump's ear whereas the alleged shooter received a deadly head wound. Does Trump have seven heads? Do you know any human that has seven heads? Heads represent kingdoms, horns represent kings, Is Trump a kingdom? Is he a kingdom that sits upon the beast empire that rises mid-tribulation? Is he even a sitting President right now? Is he a leader (king) of a world kingdom?
Why doesn't scripture say one of the horns was wounded as to death if this verse represents a deadly head wound upon a man? Because is isn't a man, it's a kingdom.
Let me explain:
Revelation 13:1-4a details the rise of the antichrist kingdom aka: the beast kingdom mid tribulation.
Many Christians were questioning the use of the verse as the tribulation period has not begun, but very few Pastors have addressed it or put it into proper context. Which opens the door to the perfect opportunity for a quick Bible study. This will also demonstrate interconnections within the Bible.
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast"
"I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;" (NASB)
Okay there is the scripture. Now let's look at it in context with the Revelation prophecy:
1) And I (John) stood on the sands of the sea, and saw a beast (kingdom) rise up out of the sea, having seven heads (seven kingdoms) and ten horns (kings), and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2) And the beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard (Grecian), and his feet were as the feet of a bear (Mede-Persian), and his mouth as the mouth of a lion (Babylon); and the dragon (red dragon 12:3, Satan) gave him his power; and his seat (throne) and great authority. 3) And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (it was, it was not, yet is)
1) The beast is a kingdom that rises from the sea. The kingdom has seven heads and ten horns.
This is detailing the rise of a kingdom; beasts rise from the sea (Daniel 7:3), kings rise from the earth.
Daniel 7:17 These great beasts (kingdoms), which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
*Four kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, beast with ten horns.
*Four kings: Nebuchadnezzar II, Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, the little horn + 2nd beast from the earth: false prophet.
2) The beast kingdom (Daniel 7:7) was like a Leopard (Daniel 7:6), and his feet were as a bear (Daniel 7:5 ) and his mouth like a lion (Daniel 7:4) and the Dragon (Rev 12:3) gave him his power.
The beast kingdom is comprised of three ancient kingdoms who had kings which conquered and ruled over most of the middle east; Babylon, Medo-Persia and the Macedonian or Grecian. This is the area from where the beast kingdom will rise.
3) 'And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death:' John is witnessing the rise of the beast kingdom from the sea in verses 1 & 2. The beast kingdom will have seven heads and ten horns. One of its heads is wounded to death but was healed.
The beast kingdom is the copy or mini-me of the Red Dragon found in Revelation 12:3 who also has seven heads and ten horns.
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads (kingdoms) and ten horns (kings) and seven crowns upon his heads.
Will the little horn aka: antichrist have seven heads? Have you ever witnessed a seven headed human? No, of course not, this is detailing the rise of the kingdom.
Daniel witnessed four beasts rise from the sea in Daniel 7. We are further told that these four beast are metaphors for four kingdoms, so a beast from the sea symbolizes a kingdom. Daniel 7:6 details the rise of the third beast, who was like a Leopard that had four wings and four heads. The Leopard symbolized the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the Great.
After the death of Alexander the Great the Grecian kingdom was divided into four dynasties or empires (Daniel 8:8,11:4a) Daniels prophecy details the rise of a little horn that came up out of one of these heads (Daniel 8:9-12) That little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes, the antichrist of the old testament. He rose from the Seleucid empire, one of the heads of the beast kingdom. Though the beast kingdom had four additional heads it is only counted as one world kingdom. The other, smaller kingdoms did not rise from the sea but from within the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the Great representing the four heads of the beast or leopard kingdom.
If you were to draw a picture of the dragon or beast kingdom (like unto the leopard) from the sea with the seven heads in Revelation 13, the fifth head would represent the Grecian empire. The head would most likely be a combination of four heads, representing the division of the kingdom. Daniels fourth beast from the sea, Daniel 7:7 or, the seventh head of the dragon, would have ten horns upon its head. This is the kingdom from which the antichrist or little horn rises from, the seventh head of the beast kingdom; the head of the ten horns.
So we are now aware that the heads represent individual empires or kingdoms that belong to a beast kingdom. The new testament little horn or antichrist will rise from the head (or kingdom) that has the ten horns. Daniel 7:23,24. The leopard had four heads detailing four kingdoms that arose from the Grecian empire. This helps us to understand the meaning of the seven heads upon the beast kingdom that rises from the sea in Rev 13.
There is an additional clue that points to the identity of the heads in Rev 17:9 as well: And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, ὄρος, on which the woman sits.
The angel is calling John to use deep thought, biblical discernment and wisdom when considering the meaning of the heads of the beast.
These are the seven heads where the woman sits in Revelation 17:9 which the angel described as seven 'mountains'. The angel was using old testament symbolic reference to a mountain which was often used as symbolic imagery representing a kingdom.
Here are a few examples:
Daniel 2:35b: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain (kingdom) and filled the whole earth.
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain (kingdom) of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Jerimiah 51:25 Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain (kingdom), saith the LORD, which destroys all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.
This is further supported by the Greek word John used which translates into English as: mountain: ὄρος, oros. When used symbolically a mountain represents a kingdom. A hill has no prophetic significance or symbolic reference. A hill in the Greek is βουνός 'bounos' and was not used. The heads upon the red dragon and the beast kingdom that carry the woman in Revelation 13:1-3 and Revelation 17 are kingdoms. (Which also demonstrates the woman's international reach and her connection with the kings of the earth in Rev 17:2,18).
The woman sits upon world kingdoms that belong to the beast kingdom.
So can we now identify the heads upon the beast kingdom as individual kingdoms? We are further told that one of the heads (kingdom) was, and is not (wounded to death) and yet is (was healed), 17:8, and will be the eighth kingdom which is of the seven (heads) 17:11)
17:11 And the beast (kingdom) that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (heads, kingdoms) and goeth into perdition.
John failed to mention which head was wounded to death and was healed; but we know that a 'beast' can be wounded or slain. There were only four beast empires, the lion - Babylon, the bear - Mede-Persia, the leopard - Grecian, and the beast with ten horns. One of these beast kingdoms had suffered a deadly head wound but was healed. Three kingdoms were not beast kingdoms, Egypt, Assyria and Rome, the sixth head.
Yes, Rome was the sixth kingdom as it rose after the Grecian empire, but it is not the beast kingdom of the ten horns. Rome is the one that is, not the kingdom that has not yet come in John's timing of events Revelation 17:10.
And they (seven mountains) are seven kings; five have fallen, one is (Rome), the other has not yet come (the seventh kingdom) and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
The word that John used for wounded to death, slain is: εσφαγμενην which translates from the Greek as: having been butchered. This word in the Greek implies that this was done in a 'ritual state' or ritual sense, as an act of God in a balance of power, or, to take power away. The use of this word implies by scriptural context that this head wound was to a beast kingdom as a beast can be hunted and wounded to death.
According to most Bible teachers the heads are the seven hills of Rome. Using that interpretation (taken from the introduction section of Alexander Hislop's book The Two Babylons) we have to look at Rev 13:3 and try to figure out which of the seven hills of Rome had been wounded to death and watch for it to be healed prior to the rise of antichrist. And the world will be amazed at the hill that was healed ie: was, and was not, yet is 17:8,11 - wounded to death and healed.
Does a wounded hill even make sense? It does to those who don't properly interpret scripture and is why most bible teachers teach it that way.
A kingdom attached to the beast kingdom (one of his heads) had suffered a deadly head wound that had decimated an entire kingdom as to death, but, it was healed, and the world wondered after the beast, astonished by these amazing kingdoms that were slain (defeated) and left for dead but the geographic location is revived or 'healed'. verse 13:4a. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast (kingdom that was healed) Verse 13:4b transitions the focus from the beast kingdom to the king which is carried through to verse 10
Beast (kingdoms) rise from the sea, kings rise from the earth:
Daniel 7:17 These great beasts (kingdoms), which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
*Four kingdoms: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, beast with ten horns.
*Four kings: Nebuchadnezzar II, Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, the little horn + 2nd beast from the earth: false prophet.
(Kings rule over kingdoms, they don't rule over hills)
The ten horns or ten kings Rev 17:12a connect the beast kingdom of antichrist with the fourth beast of Daniel 7:23,24 placing it into the tribulation period.
A kingdom is recognized by its king and the king by its kingdom. The king of this beast kingdom is the little horn which is further emphasized in Daniel 7:24,25. The little horn will rise from the kingdom of the ten horns.
Once he rises, he transitions the head of the ten horns into his kingdom, the beast kingdom. Rev 17:11 The seventh becomes the eighth or the totality of the beast. This verse tells us that Daniels fourth beast with the ten horns becomes attached to the red dragon and his mini-me as the seventh head; the kingdom after Rome.
Note: scripture does not support two transitions, Rome does not become the seventh head which is transformed into the eighth. There is only one transformation that moves the seventh head or kingdom into position as the eighth.
So, basically what I am trying to pass onto you by way of this study is: don't be fooled by the sensationalism. The beast from the sea is a kingdom not a government or, a set of governments, a person or a king. Does a king have seven heads? Of course not. The heads are individual worldly kingdoms joined to and united with the beast kingdom.
Beware: people like to sensationalize things using scripture they believe you don't understand. And once you see it and understand what John's scripture is detailing, it becomes clear and the rest of Revelation 13 and 17 fall into place. You can read it and understand exactly what John saw while in the spirit -- and what he was documenting as instructed by Yeshua Hamashiach. As bible students we should be aware of these subtle differences.
There is a reference further in Rev 13:14b,15 that suggests that the king aka: little horn, antichrist may suffer a head wound as well and be made to 'breathe' again by the power of the false prophet or sorcerer. The little horn is a horn, not a head. Rev 13:3 is speaking of a head: a beast kingdom - lion, bear, leopard or beast with the ten horns, that was wounded as to death, not a horn, aka: king.
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