The Beast in Revelation

Revelation 13:1-3 describes the final "beast kingdom that will usher in the 42 month period known as the great tribulation.

 First of all compare this beast with the serpent (Satan) of Revelation 12:3.

They both have seven heads and ten horns. The crowns are on the heads on the serpent, and on the ten horns on the beast. The beast is made up of the various kingdoms Satan has used throughout history to prevent the coming of the one who would crush his head (see Gen 3:15). His strategy has been to persecute the line of Israel through whom the Messiah was to come, and to whom He will come again to set up His kingdom. The crowns on the seven heads represent seven particular nations that Satan has used in his war against God. We will look at them later.

The beast also has seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads represent the same nations Satan has used in his attempt to prevent the coming of the Messiah Jesus. The crowns however are on the ten horns. These horns represent the ten kingdoms who unite under the Antichrist in one final assault against the people of God, and in fact Jesus Christ Himself at His return. The crowns on the horns show that Satan's final tool is the beast.

I want to draw attention to Rev 13:2. This beast has a body like a leopard, feet like a bear, and a mouth like that of a lion. We see these beasts in Daniel 7:1-8. In my last post which you can read here I identify them as,

1. The lion is Iraq.

2. The bear is Iran.

3. The leopard is Turkey.

4. The terrible beast with ten horns is the final beast Satan will use, the revived Islamic caliphate. Again, as I stated in my previous post, we should be looking for the Antichrist to to come out of the middle east, as this final kingdom is middle eastern at its core.

In Revelation 17:3-13 we see this beast again. Here we find out who the seven heads represent. Verses ten and eleven give us a clue. These heads represent seven kingdoms, and seven kings. Five have fallen. Most commentators agree that those five are,

1. Egypt.

2. Assyria.

3. Babylon.

4. Medo-Persia.

5. The Greek Empire.

One now is. The kingdom that was in power when John received the Revelation was the Roman empire. So far we have accounted for six of the heads. 

The other has not yet come, but when he does he must remain for a little while. This kingdom is represented by the legs of iron in Daniel chapter two. It is this kingdom that extends to the ten toes on the statue that represent the final revived end time beast kingdom. It cannot be Rome as many believe, that kingdom is the sixth head, not the seventh. I identified the fourth kingdom in Nebuchadnezzar's vision as the Islamic caliphate. This corresponds with the seventh head on the beast.

And the eighth is the beast which once was, now is not, and is yet to come. This is the Antichrist, and the beast empire, the dreadful beast of Daniel 7, with ten horns. It is the revival of the Islamic caliphate which was broken up in 1923. The ten horns represent ten kings who give their authority to the beast. These kings and the kingdoms they represent will be made up of middle eastern and north African Muslim majority nations surrounding the nation of Israel. It will be through this empire that Satan makes his final assault against Israel, and ultimately makes war against the Lamb.