Babylon Rides the Beast
- (Revelation 17:7-8) – “And the angel said to me: Why were you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast which you saw was and is not, and is going to ascend from the abyss, and into destruction, it goes. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose name is not written upon the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be astonished when they see the beast because it was and is not, and will be present.”
- (Daniel 7:28) – “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts much alarmed me, and my countenance was changed in me.”
- (Daniel 8:27) – “And I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king’s business: and I was astonished [thaumazō - Septuagint] at the vision, but none understood it.”
- (Daniel 7:11-12) – “I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”
- (Revelation 17:9-13) – “Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sits; and they are seven kings: the five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come; and, whenever he comes, a little while must he remain, and the beast that was and is not. And he is an eighth and is of the seven, and into destruction, it goes. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who, indeed, have not received sovereignty as of yet, but will receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and their power and authority they give to the beast.”
- (Daniel 12:10) – “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”
Five of these kingdoms were in the past when John received his vision. The one that existed in his day could only be Rome. Thus, the “beast” is a transhistorical reality, just as the single “beast from the sea” included the animal characteristics of all four of Daniel’s “beasts from the sea” - (Revelation 13:1).
The last “kingdom” had not yet “come,” at least, not by John’s time. When it does arrive, it will remain for “a little while.” This translates the Greek term oligos, the same one used when the Devil was expelled to the earth for a “short time.” Likewise, at the end of the “thousand years,” the Devil was released from the “Abyss” for “a little while.” The same “short” period is in view in all three passages. Thus, the arrival of the beast’s final incarnation will coincide with Satan’s release from the “Abyss” - (Revelation 12:12, 20:3).
The final kingdom “was and is not.” This describes the same reality represented by the beast’s “head” that received the “death-stroke that was healed.” The last “kingdom” is one of the “seven,” but is also an “eighth.” That is, the final “beast” is from the same lineage as its predecessors, but it will also be something beyond them - (Revelation 16:16).
The “ten horns are ten kings.” They will not receive their sovereignty until the “hour of trial” that is to befall the “whole habitable earth.” They will give their allegiance to the “beast.” They are identical with the “kings of the earth” that ally themselves with the “beast,” and likewise, subjugate themselves to “Babylon.” In Revelation, the number “ten” represents an entire series. As we will see, all the “kings of the earth” along with the nations from the “four corners of the earth” will join the “beast” in its final assault against the “Lamb” and his “saints.”
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