Understanding the Beasts of Daniel 7&8 and Revelation 12, 13, and 17
Prophetic History How it Connects to World Events Leading to Armageddon
James Schucker
Beastly Heads and Horns of Daniel and Revelation
The Lord in giving us Daniel 7 gave us the chronological history of the world with regard to the Gentile rulership over the nation of Israel. The reason he did this was to Humble and punish Israel for not keeping the Law he had given them as stated in Leviticus 26:14-46. A wonderful Law which we here in the United States even recognize as being worth remembering as our founders placed a memorial of it on the Liberty Bell which cracked because we as Israel have not kept it. Though I for one do believe the Lord overruled the setting up of the United States to help re-establish the Jewish people back into their Land, and also to help them to eventually understand that it is their Messiah that has since 1948 empowered us to help them get re-established. It is also Jesus their messiah that has been driving them back to their homeland even against their will.
He states this in Ezekiel 20:33 “As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, with a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will rule over you. 34With a strong hand, an outstretched arm, and outpoured wrath I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered. 35And I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, where I will enter into judgment with you face to face.” This has been going on since WW1 and especially WW2 creating a world ready to re-establish the Nation of Israel and he used the United Nations to give re-birth to Israel in 1948. This is also explained and eluded to in the 7th bowl of "wrath poured out" in Revelation 16:17-21
Revelation 17 gives us greater detail and added understanding of the world’s history relating to the 7 heads and 10 horns on the 4 beasts of Daniel 7. This is described to us by the same 7 headed and 10 horned beasts of Revelation 12, 13, and 17.
When you understand the power and wisdom of the God of the universe then you will realize that it is by no accident that the 7 heads and 10 horns add up to the number 17. The very chapter number in which he placed the key to understanding it all. Likewise, it is no accident that when you add up the chapter numbers that these beasts are in, chapters 12+13+17 = 42. This is the number of prophetic months 42 Months = 1260 days. day/year = 1260 years that these beasts were allowed to torment the saints of God to prove to God and to the world their faithfulness to the truth. The saints of God which are now being tried and tested will yet be the future Kings, Priests → Judges to "reign on the earth" Rev 5:10. These are now being proved by their willingness to die for the truth which is what will be used to show to the world that they are trustworthy rulers in the future Kingdom which our Lord is even now setting up in Israel.
And when you also realize that the 7 heads and 10 horns on the beasts of Revelation are also the same heads and horns on the 4 beasts of Daniel 7 one should recognize that it is the Lord himself that has made the connection. Especially when you see the body parts of the 4 beasts incorporated into the beast of Revelation 13... Revelation is used to help explain to us Daniel 7...
Revelation 13:1-8 "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. 2The beast [Rome] I saw was like a leopard [Greece] with the feet of a bear [Persia] and the mouth of a lion [Babylon]. And the dragon [the Devil along with the Byzantine Empire] gave the beast his power and his throne [Rome] and great authority. 3One of the heads of the beast appeared to have been mortally wounded. [Rome fell in 476 but was revived and given power again by Justinian who ruled the Byzantine Empire in 539] But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. 4And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast [as Rome came to be ruled by the head of the Roman Catholic church] saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”
5The beast was given a mouth [the Popes mouth] to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months [1260 years from 539-1799]. 6And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.
7Then 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. 8And 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.
This is the one that that Apostle Paul spoke about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 "Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. 4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
5Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you? 6And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work [Begging when Jesus died for us] but the one who now restrains it [Rome] will continue until he is taken out of the way [when Rome falls in 476]. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed [Papal Romes rise in 539] whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival [beginning 1260 years later in 1799 with the French Revolution per Revelation 10].
9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion so that they believe the lie, 12in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness."
Best place to begin the explanation Revelation 13:1-2
It is quite apparent from these two verses, that the Lord is here pointing us back to Daniel the 7th chapter for the following reasons:
The body parts from the 4 beasts in Daniel go toward the makeup of the single beast of Revelation 13. In Daniel 7 we find a Lion, a Bear, a Leopard, and some strange beast, whose description, if you will, is that of a mythological Dragon. The Revelation 13 beast has the “mouth of a Lion, the feet of a Bear, the body of a Leopard, and [notice] the Dragon gives him his seat, [Rome] authority, and power.”
The connection goes a step further when we realize that the total combined heads in the Daniels 4 beasts is seven. Note–the Lion has 1 head, the Bear, 1 head, the Leopard, 4 heads, and the Dragon, 1 head. Total: seven heads in both cases.
If that's not enough to secure the connection, then let’s count the number of horns between Daniel and Revelation. In John’s Revelation, he sees ten horns. Now in the Daniel 7 vision, the Lion has no horns, the Bear no horns, and the Leopard no horns, but the Dragon has ten horns. Total: 10 horns in both cases.
From this, we can see that God took the strongest body parts of the Daniel 7 vision such as its big mouth --> petrifying roar and mouth of a Lion, the powerful feet of a bear, the speed and camouflage capability of a leopard, and the mystical power of a furious dragon. These animals were used to describe the military prowess of the associated countries they represented. I am not suggesting that the beast of Revelation 13 is a combination of the four beasts of Daniel 7, but is a description of the "horn that had the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things" that grew out of the head of the beast, (Daniel 7:8) Note that the life expectancy of the beasts Horn explained in Daniel 7:25 was to be 1260 years and the Beast described in Revelation 13:5 was to “continue” 1260 years. Note also that the scriptures are consistent regarding prophecies—that a day represents a year. This is well established by the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9:24 & Daniel 8:9 & 23-25 being 490 years to the Messiah (70 weeks times 7 days in a week = 490 obviously, not days but years). What the Horn of Daniel’s 4th beast did, and what the beasts of Revelation 13 do, are the same. What I am suggesting is that the Revelation 13 beast inherited the worldly, military characteristics (i.e., body parts) from the four beasts in Daniel and is not, as it claims to be, the “Kingdom of God” on Earth. With this in mind, let us turn to Daniel 7 to be sure that we understand what the beasts of Daniel represent, and perhaps we will realize some points that are made in Daniel that were hidden until the light of Revelation came.
Most commentators agree as to what the four beasts of Daniel represent: the Lion represents Babylon, the Bear Persia, the Leopard is Greece, and the 4th beast is Rome. It is not my purpose to go into the reasons why they represent these empires, but one of the most convincing arguments given is that Daniel was concerned about his people (the Jews). The Lord was telling Daniel about the results of his anger toward the disobedient nation of Israel, which would begin the “seven times” punishment towards them. This was foretold by Moses, in Lev 26:18-24, "And if you will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins."
Connection to Leviticus 26
In Leviticus 26, the 7 times are mentioned 4 times. I believe it is more than a coincidence that there are 7 heads and 4 beasts in Daniel’s vision. Note that in the Leviticus 26 context it is stated "I will send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your highways shall be desolate." Surely the wild beasts of Daniel are here being referred to and are not to be understood as literal animals. With this in mind, most commentators look for those nations that ruled over Israel to represent the beasts of Daniel’s vision. Hence, the Lion represents Babylon, the Bear is Persia, the Leopard is Greece, and the 4th beast is Rome. These were the empires that ruled over the people of Israel during their 7 times punishment that began with Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon (Daniel 1:1). Note this 7 times punishment also represents a length of time, a day for a year. 7 times is 7 years of 360 prophetic days each which figures to 2520 years and so it is that Israel was taken captive in 607 BC by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and 2520 years later brings us to 1914 the beginning of World War 1 which resulted in the Balfour Declaration which stated that the land of Palestine (Israel) was to be considered the national homeland for the Jews which, of course, since that time, in 1948, Israel as a nation was reborn fulfilling Ezekiel 37. Note that 1948 is 70 years after 1878 when the Jewish people were first permitted to buy land in Israel since their dispersion began. Also, when we calculate the times of the gentiles being 365 day years which they literally are, we get a day for year 2555 years which just happens to bring us from 607 BC to 1948 when Israel again became independent. This is way more than coincidence.
Many feel that the reason the Lord used these particular "wild beasts" was to denote the military tactics used by these countries in overcoming their enemies. As the conquering nations overcame their enemies, Israel became part of the plunder. The heads of these beasts would logically represent the ruling cities, and the horns would represent separate powers that are in covenant relation to the head. Using the United States as an example, i.e., 1 head 50 horns or should I say 13 horns corresponding to the first 13 colonies that separated from England and first became part of the United States. I mention the 50 or 13 for the United States to illustrate that during the 1260 years of Papal reign the number of horns that supported the Papacy fluctuated but started with 10. Note also in Daniel 7 three horns were plucked up by the roots by a new horn, making them eight. So, the question becomes how many horns are on the beast at any given time.
At this point, I have stated that the beasts themselves represent Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Let us now turn our attention to the heads of these beasts. Three of the beasts are simple in that they have only one head. Babylon's capital was the city of Babylon, Persia's capital was Susa (Daniel 8:2), and Rome's capital was Rome. Greece however is a little more difficult in that it states that it has 4 heads and therefore it is this point that needs further investigation. The Lord helped us out in our understanding of this Leopard with four heads by giving us Daniel 8 describing Greece from a slightly different perspective. In the 8th chapter, we see two beasts and the Lord tells us what they represent. The Ram with two horns is the Persian Empire, and the Goat with the notable horn represents the Grecian Empire Daniel 8:20-21. What is interesting between these two chapters is the different ways in which the Lord describes the same countries with two different sets of animals. In the 7th chapter of Daniel, the Persian Empire is pictured as a Bear (note no horns). But in the 8th chapter, it is a 2-horned Ram. In the 7th chapter of Daniel, the Grecian Empire is pictured as a 4 headed Leopard, but in the 8th chapter, it is a 1, 4, or 5-horned Goat depending upon the time frame being described.
It is the dissimilarity between the heads and horns of these two chapters and a key given in Revelation 17 that helps us to identify more precisely what the real differences are between heads and horns. Briefly here is a list of the problems that need to be addressed between these two chapters.
Pertinent Questions
Why does the Leopard (Greece) have 4 heads and no horns, whereas the Dragon-(Rome) has but one head and 10 horns? Why not give the dragon 10 heads and the Leopard 4 horns? The problem is what is the difference between a head and a horn?
In chapter 8 the Ram (Persia) has one head and two horns. Why didn't the Lord put any horns or multiple heads on the Persian Bear in chapter 7?
In chapter 8 the Goat (Greece) has one head and depending on the timing, one, four, or five horns. In chapter 7 the Leopard (Greece) has 4 heads and no horns. Why heads in one illustration of Greece and horns in the other?
Obviously, the Lord is trying to illustrate different things about the rise to power of these countries, but what is he trying to illustrate and why did he do it the way he did? I would suggest the following. Chapter 7 is dealing primarily with those 4 beastly nations and the seven ruling cities that the Lord sent in to punish Israel to fulfill the 7 times punishment spoken of in Leviticus 26. In chapter 8 he is dealing in greater detail with the Persian and Grecian Empires, using the animals that those countries themselves minted on their coins. This gives us clues as to what to look for in determining when the horns on the Grecian Goat later becomes a head. By the way, this is also exactly what Daniel the 11th chapter is about. And is the reason why in Revelation the 17th chapter the Lord says, "Here is the mind which has wisdom" in other words this is not an easy subject, but I am trying to help make it a little easier as I attempt to explain it for you. Daniel 7, 8, 11, 12, and Rev.12, 13, and 17 are all intricately woven together in a most wonderful way. Briefly stated, a head represents a country’s governing city. In Daniel 7, a head refers to the ruling city that would govern and become the head, or government, over Israel, while a horn typically represents the king of that ruling city or a division of kingly power connected to that government. The entire body of the beast represents the country or empire involved.
Everyone recognizes that the 4 beasts’ rule in succession one after the other, but it is a little trickier to name the successive ruling cities, not historically, but from the graphical imagery given here. Graphically it looks like the cities rule in the following order. Babylon from Babylon, Persia from Susa. The 4 divisions of Greece being Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, and Thrace, and last but certainly not least Rome. But what do we find historically? Babylon at Babylon starting in 607 BCE (the 1st head) began their gentile dominion over Israel. Persia at Susa 70 years later in 536 BCE (was the 2nd head), followed by Greece at Pella in Macedonia under Alexander the Great in 336 BCE (the 3rd head) note Daniel 11:3-4. After Alexander died, his kingdom was divided amongst his four Generals, and General Ptolemy Soter of Egypt began to rule from Alexandria and acquired Israel in 323 BCE (the 4th head) Note Daniel 11:5-9. There was a civil war in Greece between the north and the south and the Syrian King Antiochus, the King of the north, took Israel in BC 198, and Antioch, capital of Syria, became the 5th head. Note Daniel 11:10-15.
At this point, 3 of the 4 Grecian heads have successively ruled Israel, i.e., Pella in Macedonia, Alexandria in Egypt, and Antioch in Syria. There is but one Grecian head left, Thrace, the 4th division of the Grecian Empire. Therefore, you would think at first glance that the next country or power in line to take Israel would be Thrace, a division of the Grecian Empire that had not yet ruled Israel. But the problem is as described in Daniel 11:16 "he that comes against him" (that is against the King of the North, Syria) is not Grecian at all. "He that comes against him" is a Roman (the 6th head) and occurs in 64 BCE. At this point, and because of this, many feel that maybe the four heads are only referring to the 4 divisions that Greece was divided into after Alexander, or maybe we missed the rule by Thrace. But let us not be too hasty. If this were the case, there would be no difference between a head and a horn. Let’s dig a little further. Maybe Revelation can shed a little light on this subject. Let’s turn to Revelation 17 and read verses 9-10. “And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits [is supported by]. And there are seven kings: five have fallen [at the time of John], and one is [Rome] and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.” Wow!! This must be the answer to our dilemma... “Five heads have fallen” at the time of John the Revelator: Babylon at Babylon, the 1st head, Persia at Susa, 2nd head, Greece at Pella, 3rd head, Greece at Alexandria, 4th head, Greece at Antioch, 5th head. At the time Revelation was given to the Apostle John, Rome, the 6th head, was then ruling. That leaves one head left, Greece at where??? But wait, was there a Grecian kingdom left after Rome conquered? Yes and No. Most of the Grecian Empire was absorbed into or under the power of Rome, but as it is stated in Daniel 7:12, "they had their dominion [over Israel] taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time."
The Rule of Thrace
So back to our question, when did the Thracian portion of the Grecian empire rule over Israel as a Grecian power? The answer is never. So, are we to look to the future? No!!! The answer is held in Daniel 8:24 where it states that “his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:” The idea being described here is that of another country coming and setting up their seat of power in a foreign land. This is exactly what Rome did when it moved to Constantinople which just happens to be in the country of Thrace the 4th division/Head of the Grecian Empire! So then, this horn is not a Grecian power, it is a Roman power being exercised from the Grecian land of Thrace. Daniel 8:9 is referring to the “little horn which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. "Note the “pleasant land” is Israel. It is stated in Daniel 8:23, "in the latter time of their kingdom when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power." Well then, whose power, was it? It was a Roman power! When? In 330CE Constantine the first Christian Emperor moved the capital of Rome to Constantinople in the Grecian land of Thrace and the kingdom began to be called the Greko-Roman Empire or the Eastern Empire. Thus, in 330CE Constantinople in the Grecian land of Thrace became the 7th (and last) head or capital to Rule over Israel.
At this point, I have dealt with a basic understanding of the 4 beasts and the 7 heads. The next item of concern is what are the 10 horns? Obviously, the 10 horns are on the 4th beast of Daniel 7, which everybody understands is Rome. So naturally, we want to look at the structure of the Roman Empire. If we look at Rome from the time it conquered Israel through the time of the Apostles, we find nothing that would be considered a division of the Empire into 10. This is the reason why in Daniel 7:24 it states, "And the ten horns out of the kingdom are ten kings that shall arise,” giving the idea that they are not there in the beginning, or even at the time of John. But it should be noted that the 10 kings arise before the Papal horn rises which makes void any interpretation that says that the 10 horns had not yet received their kingdom in the late 1800’s. Revelation 17:12 confirms this thought as the Angel explains to John around 90 CE "the ten horns, which you saw, are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; [at the time of John] but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
It was in 476 CE, that Odoacer, king of the Heruli, conquered Rome and terminated the Western Roman Empire. In the wake of the fall of Rome, those who were under its dominion divided, creating 10 smaller kingdoms i.e., Heruli, Ostrogoths, Lombards, Allemanni, Anglo Saxons, Franks, Burgundians, Visigoths, Suevi, and Vandals. But the fall of the Roman Empire was not the end of Rome's role in history by a long shot. With the fall of the Pagan Roman Empire, the most powerful organization left in Rome was Papacy. In 539 the Heruli, Ostrogoths, and Lombards, the three horns described in Daniel 7:8 and 24, became incorporated into the revived Rome-dominated Kingdom of Italy. The city of Rome now had a new rise to power (described in Revelation 13) and eventually, all the nations of Europe (the 10 horns) gave their strength and power to Papal Rome to fulfill Daniel 7:8 & 24. The rise to power of these horns is graphically illustrated when contrasting the crowns on the Dragon’s heads of Revelation Chapter 12 and the crowns on the beast’s horns of Revelation Chapter 13. In Revelation 12:3 there are 7 crowns on the seven heads, but no crowns on the ten horns. The crowns are meant to graphically denote having received their power. Revelation 12 is basically describing Rome at a time when all 7 heads had received their power, i.e., Rome having or in process of being moved to Constantinople which is in the Grecian country of Thrace, and the 10 horns just beginning to form, but before they had received power as kings which occurs with the beast of Chapter 13. The main thrust of Revelation 13 describes Rome after the time when the 10 horns have received their power as kings and they begin to give their strength unto the Papal horn that rises out of the beast, hence the crowns at that time on the horns. This same point is stated again in Revelation 17:12 when it says "the 10 horns have received no kingdom as yet [time of John the Revelator in 90 CE] but receive power as kings one hour with the beast” when the beast (Rome) comes back to power in 539.
At this point some object saying, 'nay but an hour is a short period of time, and we are talking about 1260 years or better.' So, I ask, is there some way to determine how long that hour is? Turn with me to 1 John 2:18, “Little children, it is the last time [same Greek word in Revelation there translated hour] and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time [Greek hour].” Note that the use of the word “time” here is translated from the same word that is used by John in Revelation 17:12. Hence, it could just as well be translated “Little children, it is the last hour: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour.” I ask you then, how long is this hour? Well, so far it is over 1900 years long. Again, Jesus said in John 5:28 and 29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour [time] is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth.” Now how long is this hour? I believe the hour mentioned here in John 5:28 is referring to the millennial age. The use of the term hour in the scripture does not necessarily denote a short time but just a “period of time” without an implicit length other than what is implied from the context. If John had used anything else, such as a ‘day’, we would think a year was meant. If he had used a year, we would think that 360 years were meant... hence an hour is the only word that describes a period that you arrive at from the context of the discussion. The discussion here is that of the beast that was to continue 1260 years after the healing of its deadly wound. We know this from what is stated in Revelation 13:3, “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.” Why did they ‘wonder’ after the beast? Because its deadly wound was healed. Rome now seemed to be invincible, so they began calling it the “Eternal City”. Kind of like Jesus being raised from the dead. Then as we are reading, we get to Revelation 13:5, “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Continue here has the thought of having a prior life but with an interruption of that life. The deadly wound is the interruption and then it is healed and continues another 1260 years. This wound reminds us of the fact that there was a war in chapter 12 where Pagan Rome was cast out, but the Beast of chapter 13 is Papal Rome which looks a little different from Pagan Rome but has all the earmarks of Rome, having the same seven heads and 10 horns.
If we translate the word “hour” to “time” as it is often translated, I believe then you get more of the correct English thought in this context, which is that the horns “receive power as kings one time with the beast.” Many today feel that the ten horns receive power 2 times with the beast, once during the dark ages, and will again in the future come together with a future antichrist with a second set of 10 horns not that the horns are different countries, but some reason and many propose that we are supposed to ignore the fact that there are crowns on the 10 horns in chapter 13 which indicates that at the time of the healing of the wounded head (where pagan Rome was becoming Papal Rome), the horns had already received their kingdoms. This is also so stated in Daniel 7:24 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another [single horn] shall rise after them [Papacy] and he shall be diverse from the first [a religious power] and he shall subdue three kings.” This shows that the 10 horns receive their kingdom before the papacy is set up in power. Therefore, those that are looking for a future 10 horns to come to power according to scripture, really have not a leg to stand on. Unless of course, you believe in Papacy’s view of the Antichrist being a future individual.
The 10 Horns
Now that we have uncovered the mystery of the 7 heads and 10 horns of Daniel’s 4 beasts, it is time to turn our attention back to the Apostle John’s Revelation. I am sure some feel that many points need to be explained in the light of what has been stated so far. We wish to deal with all the areas that some may feel are weak points in this interpretation and show that there really is not a single weak point, just some points hard to be understood due to the massive amount of historic detail given with so few words. I believe one can weigh interpretations by the number of connections that are made throughout the Bible. To my knowledge, there is no other interpretation that even comes close to the number of connections that are being described here and which also fits perfectly both with the context and with the history we all know to be true.
Let us continue by stating what most Bible student viewpoints are agreed on and what this interpretation does not change. In the broadest sense, all three Revelation beasts represent the Roman Empire but from different vantage points. Starting in Revelation 12 the vision is that of the struggle between Christianity and Paganism in the Roman halls of power. Revelation 13's vision is that of the Papal Roman Empire— the war between Christianity and Paganism (the war which wounded the pagan head of Rome) is over. Pagan Rome, described in chapter 12 as a Dragon, was struck with a deadly wound causing it to go down into the sea and is the reason the sea turned to blood in the second trumpet period (chapter 8:8). The time of Chapter 13 begins around 539, and Rome now under Papacy’s control heals the deadly wound and is allowed to “continue” in this condition for another 1260 years. Chapter 17:1-6 introduces us to the woman, i.e., the Roman Catholic Church, the want to be New Jerusalem (v18) “eternal city” that rides the Babylonish Roman Empire during the wilderness condition of the Church. In 17:7 the angel (Jesus) talks to John about the many pieces which make up the Babylonish Roman Empire. Some feel that the angel is speaking to the John Class at the end of the age, which they say is how the Lord hid the true understanding of the beast. They say that until you get to the point where “five are fallen and one is” (ch17:10) you cannot possibly understand this scripture and failing to make the Daniel connection with the heads and horns, making all the heads Rome, there is no way to get the right perspective. The question is never asked, why does Rome in Daniel 7 only have one head, but in Revelation it has seven? The problem with this kind of reasoning is that it leads to the conclusion that if you don’t understand it, it must be because it is yet future. I would propose a more stable standpoint – i.e., the angel is Jesus and is speaking directly to the apostle John in the year 90.
Sometimes in Revelation understanding the viewpoint the vision is taking, is the biggest part of the battle to understand the vision. A key to this understanding is found in 2 Corinthians 2:15 and 16, where the Church’s preaching of the Gospel is spoken of as being viewed from two standpoints. From God’s standpoint, the gospel is a sweet aroma of “life unto life”. From the unbeliever’s standpoint it is a horrible smell of “death unto death.” When the children of Israel were in the wilderness and were disobedient, the Lord sent among them serpents. Moses was told to make a brazen serpent on a pole and to instruct the people that, if they were bitten, they should look upon that brazen serpent to be healed. Jesus said that he was the antitype of that brazen serpent. (see John 3:14) The meaning of all this is that if you have strayed from the ways of the Lord as did the children of Israel, then those who speak the truth to you will appear as deceivers, i.e., serpents. And if you have strayed from the truth, the truth will bite you and be a plague to you. To be healed you must change your perspective and realize that just maybe you are wrong. Look upon that truth and recognize that it hurts because it is the truth and you have indeed been led astray in your understanding. Another example of where things are opposite to reality is found in Matthew 24:43-44, “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh.” Notice that in this parable our Lord has likened himself to the thief. Not the “goodman of the house.” The “goodman of the house” is the devil. The world has a hard time discerning between good and evil. Isaiah 5:20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” Hebrews 5:14 “But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern between good and evil.”
A good part of Revelation is written with graphical imagery from the standpoint of those that have erred from the truth. This is why so much of Revelation sounds bad, although, in reality, it is depicting the spread of the gospel by the messengers of the Lord. Let me give an illustration. In Revelation, there are seven messengers to the seven stages of the Church. There are also seven trumpets that appear to cause death and havoc on the earth. However, the trumpeters are the seven messengers speaking the same thing, but the trumpets are viewed historically from the standpoint of those that have erred from the truth. so that the truth is seen as destructive i.e., destroying the error that the people so love.
Let us now begin to look at chapters 12, 13, and eventually 17 from the standpoint of the foundation that I have been attempting to lay, i.e., that the seven heads and ten horns of these three beasts in Revelation are the same seven heads and ten horns as those in Daniel 7. Again, let me repeat, I am not saying that this beast is all of those Daniel beasts rolled together as one. Rather, the Papal Roman Empire inherited the way it thinks (heads) and acts (body parts) militarily from the empires that went before. Stated another way, there are not seven different forms of the Roman government, but Rome uses the combined Satanic wisdom derived from those previous empires to subdue its enemies making it by far the most powerful of all. As it states in Revelation 17:11 “And the Beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth [comes after Constantinople the seventh] and is of the seven.” It is both the 1st head, Babylon, and the 6th head, Rome, that comes back to life and power after receiving its deadly wound from the Christian sword of truth. Yet it is also of all seven heads as stated before, having the combined Satanic inherited wisdom of the seven. It is also Babylon, “that was and is not” at the time of John, that comes back as the new Babylon, i.e., the 8th head. Notice, the head of the beast in chapter 13 is the head of the Lion – Babylon! — and the Woman that rides the beast in chapter 17 is called Babylon. One who rides a horse essentially becomes the head of the horse. So, the Woman in chapter 17 is identified as “that great city that rules over the kings of the earth,” i.e., Rome! In essence, Rome after having its deadly wound healed is being identified as the new ‘Babylon’ in which the ‘Christian Church’ has its Babylonian experience just as the Jewish people had theirs. If he calls the head of the beast “Babylon”, the beast itself is spiritually Babylon.
Blessings in Christ Jesus: Click to continue with a verse-by-verse treatise.
Jim Schucker
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