The Seven Kings And The Ten Horns

John's Revelation speaks about Rome under the symbol of "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations" (Rev. 17:5). She is drunk with the blood of the saints, the martyrs or witnesses of Jesus. The angel with the seventh bowl explains this mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her, the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are the seven mountains or hills on which Rome is founded . . . and "they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while" (Rev. 17:9-10).

So who are these seven kings? A variety of conclusions have been offered. Here is a list of the Emperors or "kings" of Rome in the first century:

1. Julius Caesar (founder) —13 July 100 BCE - 15 March 44 BCE (murdered by senators)
2. Augustus — 23 September 63 BCE - 19 August 14 CE (natural death)
3. Tiberius — 16 November 14 CE - 16 March 37 CE (natural death)
4. Caligula — 18 March 37 - 24 January 41 (murdered by soldiers)
5. Claudius — 25 January 41 - 13 October 54 (poisoned)
6. Nero —15 December 37 - 9 June 68 (suicide)
7. Galba — 8 June 68 - 15 June 69 (lynched by soldiers)
8. Vitellius —18 July 69 - 20 December 69 (lynched by soldiers)
9. Otho —15 January 69 - 16 April 69 (suicide)
10. Vespasian — 1 July 69 -23 June 79 (natural death)
11. Julius Sabinus — Spring, Summer 70 (hiding; executed 79)
12. Titus — 24 June 79 - 13 September 81 (natural death)
13. Domitian — 14 September 81 - 18 September 96 (murdered by courtiers)
14. Nerva —18 September 96 - January 98 (natural death)
15. Trajan — 28 January 98 - 7 August 117 (natural death)

Julius Caesar sculpture at the Louvre

As to which of these emperors the Revelation refers we can only guess, as have many. Some suggest that the list of seven begins with Julius, others with Tiberius, yet others with Nero. They further suggest that the interim, short-lived emperors (Galba, Vitellius, Otho, Sabinus and Titus) not be included in the list of the seven heads. All that any commentator can do is guess, because it is unclear, regardless of how much speculation you do, exactly to whom the symbol of Babylon in the Revelation initially pointed.

The same thing holds true for the ten horns. Could they refer to the ten governors in Palestine who supported the Romans or legates of the army? As noted, we can only make inferences, based upon Roman history and the parallel history of Babylon, the writings of the Old Testament and various non-Biblical sources.

So what is the point of it all? The Lord God guides the destiny of nations and calls and gathers his people to Himself. Ultimately the harlot and the beast upon whom she rides will perish. The next chapter takes up that theme as a voice from heaven calls God's people to come out of her. We will take up that call in Revelation 18 in the next post.

The Beast With Seven Heads and Ten Horns

As Rev. 16 closes the seventh angel pours out his bowl and a mighty voice cries from the temple, "It is done!" Judgment Day for Babylon has arrived. Babylon falls amidst flashes of lightning, earthquakes and hailstones. The seven plagues come to an end. The great city is split into three parts and the cities of the nations fall. Babylon's fall symbolized the ultimate destruction of imperial Rome, but such a treasonous prophecy was hidden beneath the symbol of ancient Babylon. Babylon had persecuted and enslaved God's people earlier. Now it was gone. So Rome, the current Babylon, would be destroyed by the avenging power of God.

To emphasize this John sees yet another picture of Rome as one of the seven angels with the bowls carries John "in the Spirit into a wilderness." And what does he see there?

The Beast With Seven Heads

... I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. - Rev 17:3-6 ESV

John marvels at  this vision, marvels as had many of Jesus' disciples when he performed His miracles and signs (Matt. 8:27; 9:33). So the angel explains the symbolism.

This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." - Rev 17:9-14 ESV 

Ancient Rome was built on seven hills. She is a prostitute, the courtesan of the world, resplendent and seductive, "adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality" (Rev. 17:4).

The Roman historian Tacitus was a fierce critic of Emperor Nero. In his annals he described what happened to those who followed Christ after a great fire burned down a large part of the city:

Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the fire. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations. The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again, not only through Judea, which was the origin of this evil, but also through the city of Rome, to which all that is horrible and shameful floods together and is celebrated. Therefore, first those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much for the crime of burning the city, but for hatred of the human race. And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aflame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps. Nero gave his own gardens for this spectacle and performed a Circus game, in the habit of a charioteer mixing with the plebs or driving about the race-course. Even though they were clearly guilty and merited being made the most recent example of the consequences of crime, people began to pity these sufferers, because they were consumed not for the public good but on account of the fierceness of one man.

Translated by Richard Hooker

So Rome was drunk, not with wine, but with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, killed by dogs, nailed to crosses, set aflame and murdered in the Circus games, all under the command of Emperor Nero.

Such type of atrocities continue in our day. And they will continue, but not forever. The beast with the ten horns . . .

...will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." - Rev 17:14 ESV

In the next post we will continue our study of the beast and the fall of Rome as described in the end of Rev. 17 and on into Rev. 18.

The Mysterious Number 666

We come now to the conclusion of Rev. 13 and "another beast rising out of the earth" rather than out of the sea as had the first beast (Rev. 13:1). What a strange and evil beast this is. All, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave are marked with his number, the number of a man, the number 666. As John says, "This calls for wisdom" and understanding. How many have claimed to have such wisdom and understanding and proclaimed who the number 666 points to. Samples:

• A Jehovah's witness declares, "This beast is a symbol of the worldwide political system, which rules over “every tribe and people and tongue and nation.”

• An"end times" commentator boldly declares that the number stands for President Barack Obama: "The end must be extremely near! God is gracious to reveal to me insights hidden for the last two thousand years so that the 666 riddle of Rev 13:18 is finally solved! All glory goes to Him!

"The thing that stumbles untold number of Bible students and scholars is the notion that the gematria value of the name of the beast must add to 666. Once you get past this mental block and begin to count his name in connection with 666, the riddle cracks open and the mystery dissolves.

The Spitfire Grill

"Paul Black was the first person who stumbled upon one such connection nearly three years ago. At the time, Paul could not have known the identity of the beast -- a then unknown before his meteoric rise. I saw the connection end of last year and have since written article after article exposing the beast.

"Paul's counting is ingeniously simple. He counted all four scriptural references to 666 in the bible and discovered to his astonishment the presence of an amazingly high common factor -- 793 -- which I found to be the English gematria value of 'Barack Hussein Obama'! (see link) As you can imagine, I would not have paid any attention at all had I not remembered Paul's counting. No researcher would have paid any attention to 793 unless he knew about the 666 connection."

• A Roman Catholic commentator writes, "In the biblical world, the number seven stood for wholeness and completeness, so to be called a “666” was an insult implying that you were short of being the real thing. Also, if you take the Greek form of the name of the Emperor Nero, the Roman emperor around the time of Revelation, and write it in Hebrew, the letters, which can also have numeric values, “add up” to—you guessed it—666. 

"For its original audience, the number symbolized the repressive Roman Empire personified in its “beastly” emperor, which, though it claimed divine authority and had seemingly absolute power, would always be a “six,” never a “seven,” and thus would not prevail in the long run."

•  Following up on this a number of commentators point out that the number may well be 616 rather than 666, since this number is found in several of the ancient manuscripts of Revelation. To answer this Tag, writing in July, 2015, declares that "Actually, both numbers are correct. They refer to Nero – 666 from a Greek calculation and 616 from Latin calculation."

So what shall we conclude, especially since this number 666 has taken on such a mysterious meaning in some circles? The profound insight behind the images of the two beasts in chapter 13 is clear. We have seen it repeated again and again in human history. Political rulers who seem to have absolute power become the gods of those who reject the supreme God and Creator of the universe. We see it in our day as millions bow down to a god who commands his followers to kill and murder all who will not bow down to him. This is the power of the beast who "had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon" (Rev. 13:11). This beast demands that all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, be subject to him. And if they will not, they are slain. 

What a contrast is this beast whose number is ever short of perfection, 666 vs. 777. What a contrast is this beast to the God who operates with the power of the Lamb, the power of accepting suffering and death for the sins of the world. 

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" - Rev 5:12-13 ESV

The Beast From The Sea

John's Revelation makes it abundantly clear that the people of God will be opposed, persecuted and killed, but they will prevail and ultimately win the victory. And so now comes an agent of the dragon, the Beast!

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. - Rev 13:1-2

The prophet Daniel had received a vision of four great beasts coming up out of the sea, pointing to the four great empires that were to follow (best understood as the Assyrian, Median, Medo-Persian and Greek). The sea from which the beasts arise is a symbol of chaos and destruction (Isa. 27:1), but the LORD is in full control of that sea (Psa 89:9; Prov. 8:29; Jer. 5:22). He leads his people safely through it and destroys their enemies (Psa 66:6; 78:13). Nevertheless the enemies of God and his people continue to rise from the sea. The Revelation to John appears to be an update to that of Daniel. John's beast appears as a composite of Daniel's four. His first was like a lion with eagle's wings, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard and a fourth with iron teeth and ten horns (Dan. 7:3-8).  To the Johannine beast the dragon, the devil, gives his power, throne and great authority. John continues,

One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"- Rev 13:3-4 ESV

Daniel's prophecy pointed to the Seleucid Empire that began with the collapse of Alexander the Great's. The Roman Empire replaced the Seleucid and in John's day became the great anti-Christ. The role of Daniel's fourth beast had been filled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who desecrated Jerusalem's temple in 167 B.C. by sacrificing a pig to Zeus/Baal upon its altar. Now John's beast from the sea represents Rome, the world power opposing the reign of Christ.

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. - Rev 13:5-6 ESV

Beginning with Julius Caesar, Roman emperors had been declared gods, the early ones after their deaths, but later emperors even during their lifetime. Emperor Domitian required that people address him as "our master and god."

The Holy Roman Emperor

The "mortal wound" that was healed refers to the Nero legend. The 32-year-old Nero committed suicide in A.D. 68. The earliest legend claimed that Nero did not really die, but fled to Rome's greatest enemy, Parthia. From there he would return with a large army to Rome to destroy it. Thus the mortal wound was "healed" and the beast continued to utter blasphemies against God, God's name and dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

The Lord Jesus had predicted that false christs and false prophets would arise and perform signs and wonders so as to lead men astray (Mark 13:21-22). He also predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, an event a generation prior to John's Revelation (Mark 13:14-20). But the opposition to Christ and his people continued as the beast was allowed to make war on the saints, throwing God's word in their faces. In mockery they cried, "Who is like the beast?" and "Who can fight against it?" These words are parodies of the words of the worshippers of the true God, "Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?" (Exod 15:11; Deut 33:26; 1 Kings 8:23).

John points to the beast receiving a blasphemous mouth and authority from the dragon. That authority is world wide, "over every tribe and people and language and nation." However note carefully what John also says,

Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: - Rev 13:7-9 ESV

Four times in vv. 5-7 John points out that the beast "was allowed" or "was given" (Greek - edothē). So John reminds his readers, "If anyone has an ear, let him hear." Not even the Antichrist can escape God's plan and time frame. His time and power are limited. He is given forty-two months (3 1/2 years - Rev 11:2; 12:6). After that he loses his authority. He continues only until his time is up. 

The same lessons apply in our day as beasts and anti-christs of various kind arise to persecute and kill the people of God. But we are comforted. They cannot, they will not prevail, but Christ's kingdom will. That is the great message proclaimed throughout John's Revelation.