Revelation 13 can be broken down into four distinct characters, the red dragon, the beast kingdom, the little horn (antichrist) and the false prophet, magician or sorcerer.
Mesopotamian kingdoms had a slew of false prophets: magicians, sorcerers, necromancers, star gazers, mediums with familiar spirits, wise men, and dream interpreters in the kings court. This is what the false prophet represents, a master magician who rules in the kings court, in service to the king and his kingdom.
The simplified breakdown:
Rise of the beast kingdom. Revelation 13:1-4a
Rise of the little horn or antichrist: Revelation 13:4b - 10
Rise of the false prophet: Revelation 13:11-16
Rise of the dragons power: Revelation 13:2b, 5b
Of the four, the rise of the beast kingdom is the most complicated as it is the most complex. What makes it so complex is the amount of detail involved. The beast kingdom has many genetic parts and pieces, such as three previous wounded beast kingdoms, seven heads and ten horns with ten crowns. There is also a bit of historical knowledge needed to navigate the rise of kingdoms and their geographical locations. Many kingdoms simply absorbed the conquered ones, expanding their territorial boundaries. These ancient territorial markers set the boundaries for the coming antichrist kingdom.
While Revelation 13 may seem a bit perplexing, once it is broken down from a biblical perspective, the confusion clears. It's very rewarding when the pieces align and the picture begins to emerge. Many people add more to scripture than what John stated; which contorts the message and leads to confusion. It is important to stay within the boundaries of scripture without adding additional information.
I am going to lay out some very basic key points starting with the rise of the beast kingdom; and you can follow up with your own study, as a true in-depth study would fill an entire book.
Part 1: Rise of the Beast Kingdom:
The beast from the sea is a kingdom. This is understood from Daniel 7; where the origination of the beast kingdoms began. Daniel 7:3, 23
3) And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 23) The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on earth which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.
So now we know from Daniel that each of the four beasts represents a beast-like kingdom.
Daniel tells us that the ten horns from the fourth kingdom represent kings and that the little horn or, antichrist will rise from among ten horns or, ten kings. (A horn is not a head)
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings. Daniel 7:24
We can further see that these horns or kings rise from the fourth beast kingdom. This places the ten kings and the beast with the ten horns into the tribulation period as seen by Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:12. Revelation 17:12 lets us know that these kings have not yet received a kingdom but, they won't need one as they rule the entire global system under the beast kingdom. These are ten kings that are aligned with the final antichrist kingdom during the great tribulation period. This is a future kingdom, not a current one. If these kings have no kingdoms, this would eliminate current known kings such as: King Mohammad bin Salman of the Saud dynasty, King Charles of the United Kingdom or, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.
The ten horns are in positions of immense global power and authority as they are aligned with, and, united to the beast kingdom. This is shown by the diadems or crowns. The crowns were upon the heads or kingdoms belonging to the red dragon Rev 12:3, but power and authority is removed from the heads and transferred over to the ten horns as seen by the placement of the crowns in Rev 13:1. The crowns that sat upon the heads have been replaced with the name of blasphemy. This may indicate the name of the beast or the number of his name will lie upon the kingdoms showing ownership or governing power. This blasphemy unites the kingdoms and they come together as one anti-Christ, anti-Christian, anti-Jewish entity.
Revelation 13:2a tells us that the ten-horned beast from the sea has the genetic make up of three previous mortally wounded beast kingdoms, the lion (Babylon), the bear (Mede-Persian, now Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan) and the leopard with four heads, (the Grecian kingdom of Alexander the Great and the four dynasties that rose after his death). This indicates the physical location from where the beast kingdom will rise and reign. Revelation 17:3 gives us an additional clue as to where the beast kingdom and the woman, that great city will be located: the wilderness aka: the desert.
Are you beginning to see how detailed this is laid out? There are clues everywhere! But there are more!
And the beast (kingdom) that I saw was like unto the leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion...
The beast kingdom was like the leopard: The leopard (Daniel 7:6) had four wings and four heads. The winged leopard represented the stealth of a precision hunter who had the swiftness of a four winged bird while conquering the lands of the middle east. The four heads signified a division into four dynasties or empires after the death of Alexander the great. While the leopard had four heads representing four additional kingdoms, the beast kingdom has seven heads or, seven world kingdoms aligned with it. These kingdoms are found on the red dragon as seven heads Rev 12:3. These are given to the beast kingdom as the dragon gives him his power, seat (throne) and great authority; creating a mini-me - the image of the dragon. Rev 13:2b
This is a new kingdom revived from a combination of three previous kingdoms; the lion, bear and leopard. This kingdom will be controlled by the ten kings and then handed over to the little horn once he rises among them.
The beast can be further analyzed by its seven heads, the wounded head and the ten horns of Daniel's fourth beast kingdom. Each genetic marker provides a wealth of clues. We don't see additional details surrounding the formation of the kingdom itself until the 17th chapter; which can leave the reader a bit perplexed, flipping bible pages searching for answers. And, of course the basics for the beast kingdoms began with a night vision given to Daniel so, Daniel is another book to include.
Most often the beast (Greek - θηριον - genetically non human, wild, untamed animal) out of the sea is equated to the rise of the little horn or, antichrist. It is, but at the same time, it isn't; as the as the beast kingdom has its own time schedule and genetic properties that set it apart. There are a series of events that bring the beast kingdom full circle. What begins as a seventh head or, seventh world kingdom rises from the sea in Rev 13 as an eighth world kingdom or, the totality of the beast kingdom.
This is where Rev 17 and the wounded head come into play, filling in the blanks. A horn (king) wasn't wounded, a head was, stressing the importance of tiny details in scripture.
Daniel's fourth beast kingdom of the ten horns must be in existence as the seventh head or, seventh world kingdom before the little horn is able to rise to global authority, which sounds stupidly obvious but, it is an important factor to consider. The ten horns or ten kings that rise from this kingdom, must hold some position of global authority, as they conspire for world domination before the little horn can rise up among them. Everything must be in place before he rises. This is the kingdom that is forming now, setting these things into position as the sixth world kingdom begins to weaken.
Yes, the little horn is on the scene at the beginning of the tribulation period, but, he is still gaining momentum among the ten horns. He doesn't quite reach the height of power as global dictator until the mid point or mid-tribulation. Many times we see this as happening very quickly, when in reality it will take several years to complete. At the mid-point of the tribulation period, he is given 42 months. (Revelation 13:5) This is what divides the first 3.5 years into the last 3.5 years as the time period of the great tribulation.
There are several things that must happen prior to the mid-point of the tribulation period. The seventh world kingdom, or, the beast with ten horns rises first. The ten horns must be in positions of global authority before the little horn can rise up after them. These are not kings that ruled in the past but, kings that rule over the beast kingdom in the future. Unlocking the scriptural dynamics of the kingdom is key to realizing the power given to the little horn.
The beast kingdom and the little horn or antichrist are two separate entities; each having distinct characteristics, and should be treated as such, to properly unlock this prophecy. In fact, the beast kingdom is referenced in great detail in several verses in Revelation 17, suggesting that unlocking the mystery of the beast kingdom with the seven heads, and ten horns, is fundamental to understanding key elements during the tribulation period.
And the angel said to me: Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. Rev 17:7
The mystery is not about the little horn, it is about the beast kingdom.
Often times the little horn is transposed as the wounded head, replacing a wounded head with a wounded horn which is not scriptural. To the surprise of most, the little horn is not even mentioned in Revelation 17. He has an indirect role raising the wounded head (beast kingdom) from the abyss, and transitioning it into an eighth world kingdom. Revelation 17:8,9,10 and 11. The focus is on the wounded head and the rise of the beast kingdom with the ten horns. Note: it is a head that is wounded, not a horn. A horn represents a king, while a head represents a kingdom.
And I saw one of its heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. Revelation 13:3
The beast (kingdom) that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that swell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast (the wounded head) that was, and is not and yet is. Rev 17:8
It is not the little horn that rises from the abyss healed and restored to life; it is the beast, the θηριον, beast, genetically non human, wild, untamed animal, the beast kingdom that rises from the abyss, healed and restored.
Daniel 7:11 speaking of the beast kingdom of the ten horns:
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the (little) horn spoke. I beheld even till the beast (kingdom) was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Note: the seven heads (kingdoms) upon the red dragon that now belong to the beast are often taught as the seven hills of Rome. If one of the heads are wounded as to death and the deadly wound was healed, then, which head - hill of Rome - received the deadly head wound? What is so amazing from this wounded hill that makes the world wonder after the beast? (Doesn't make much sense does it?)
One of the seven heads upon the beast kingdom was εσφαγμενην slain, wounded to death: suggesting a fallen beast kingdom that was mortally wounded and left to rot and decay, but the deadly head wound was healed, and the seventh beast kingdom will rise from the abyss, as the eighth kingdom. Rev 17:8,11
A head was wounded to death as it was a beast kingdom that was mortally wounded. A beast kingdom is different from a non-beast kingdom, as a beast can be mortally wounded, slain or butchered. The four beast kingdoms found in Daniel 7 are the lion, bear, leopard and the beast with the ten horns. The beast with the ten horns is the genetic makeup of the three previous mortally wounded beast kingdoms, the lion, the bear and the leopard. The beast with the ten horns represents the seventh head of the beast or the seventh world kingdom.
The Great Tribulation begins once the little horn rises up from the kingdom of the ten horns, transforming the wounded head, raising it up from the abyss as the eighth kingdom. Revelation 17:8,11. The eighth kingdom is the totality of the beast, the one that rises from the sea in Revelation 13. So, where is the seventh kingdom?
There are four beast kingdoms in Daniel's night vision, the lion, the bear, the leopard and the beast with ten horns. But, there are seven world kingdoms or heads upon the red dragon, and the beast from the sea in Revelation 13:1 While four of these heads represent beast kingdoms, there are three heads that were not beast kingdoms: Egypt, Assyria and Rome.
Six predominate world kingdoms are recorded or alluded to in the Bible: 1. Egypt, 2. Assyria, 3. Babylon, 4. Mede-Persian, 5. Greek or Grecian and 6. Rome.
Rome is the sixth world empire and the 'one that is' in the time of John. (Revelation 17:10) If it is the one that is, it can not be the one that was, is not, yet is, shall be again.
A Close Look at World Kingdoms
There are six predominate world kingdoms recorded in the Bible: 1. Egypt, 2. Assyria, 3. Babylon, 4. Mede-Persian, 5. Greek or Grecian and 6. Rome.
Three of the six listed above are beast kingdoms: the lion - Babylon, the bear - Mede-Persian, the leopard - Grecian. According to Revelation 17:10 one is: (Rome) and one has not yet come - the ten horned beast kingdom. So now the kingdoms look like this:
1. Egypt, 2. Assyria, 3. Babylon - beast kingdom, 4. Mede-Persian - beast kingdom, 5 Greek - beast kingdom, 6. Rome - the one that is and # 7. the other is not yet come: beast kingdom of the ten horns... that will continue a short space or a little while.
Rome is the sixth world empire and the 'one that is' in the time of John. (Revelation 17:10) The one that is is also the structure that the western world has lived under for the past 2000 years: the west leg of the legs of iron. The Roman Empire was the forerunner of global expansion and a structured pattern of civilization seen in the western world today. The eastern half of the kingdom is now dominated by a political and religious sect of conquest and dominance. (But, neither leg had placed a ruling king within the Babylonian empire as the three former beast kingdoms had done, Babylon, Mede-Persia and Grecian had kings living in, and ruling over Babylon)
Now the world is gradually moving away from the legs of iron as the two legs are entering into the period of feet and toes; a weak mixture of iron and clay. The strength of the western leg is quickly being diminished as its former eastern counterpart is growing in strength, ready to crush and devour the ancient western kingdom of the Roman empire -- which is an entire study in itself; from Constantinople to Istanbul.
This is where the fourth kingdom or the seventh world kingdom will enter the picture. In the days of these kings....
Here is where it gets interesting:
John details a seventh world kingdom that has not yet come. Rev 17:10 This will be the kingdom that rises after Rome. The ten horns that rise from this kingdom, place Daniel's fourth beast kingdom of the ten horns into the tribulation period as a seventh world power. Rev 13:1; 17:7b; 17:12,13.
And there are seven kings; five are fallen, 1. Egypt -fallen, 2. Assyria - fallen, 3. Babylon - fallen beast kingdom, 4. Mede-Persian -fallen beast kingdom, 5. Grecian - fallen beast kingdom, and one is, (6. Rome), and the other is not yet come; 7. beast kingdom with ten horns, and when he comes, he must continue a short space
The seventh kingdom is the wounded head; the beast kingdom of the ten horns that the little horn rises from. The seventh head or kingdom is comprised of three previous mortally wounded beast kingdoms: the lion, the bear, and the leopard (Babylon, Mede-Persia, Greek) which form the appearance of a wounded head. These three kingdoms make up the composite or genetics of the beast with the ten horns. (Rev 13:2) The seventh kingdom is the kingdom that the little horn transitions or revives into the eighth beast kingdom, once he rises among the ten horns. John was given the details of the formation of the seventh and eighth world kingdoms which he passed into our hands.
The Great tribulation begins once the little horn rises up from among ten horns, subduing the power of three, taking control over the seventh kingdom. He heals the deadly head wound, transforming the seventh head or seventh world kingdom of the ten horns into the eighth world kingdom. Revelation 13:3; 17:8,11.
The end-time beast empire consists of four beast kingdoms united and merged into one anti-Christ, anti-Israel, anti-God kingdom: the lion, the bear, the leopard and the fourth beast with the ten horns. This is the kingdom that rises from the sea as the eighth world kingdom. Revelation 13:1-4a.
Note: Scripture supports only one transition, the seventh kingdom into the eighth. Rome is not the kingdom of the ten horns; but it's the one that everyone is focused on, completely ignoring the rise of the seventh kingdom. Satan is hard at work keeping everyone distracted on erroneous interpretation.
This completes the series of events that lead to rise of the beast kingdom; the head wound is healed and the kingdom of the lion, bear and leopard rises from the sea, healed and restored as the eighth world kingdom. After which, the little horn is given 42 months. Rev 13:5
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