THE ANTICHRIST: THE VISITOR OF JUDGMENT

The Visitor of Judgment: The Antichrist 

Vs. 7-15

"And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell 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 that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

Introduction vs. 7

"And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns."

The angel escorting John inquires why he marvels and assures him that he will reveal to him the secret of the woman and the beast that carries her.

The Identity of the Beast vs. 8

"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell 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 that was, and is not, and yet is."

 

He is the first beast of Chapter 13. He has seven heads and ten horns (17:7 with 13:1). He makes war with the saints (11:7 with 13:7). He is wondered at by those whose names are not in the book of life (13:3-4 with 17:8). He is the beast that was and is not and yet is (13:3, 11:7; 17:8). He is a kingdom and a person (17:9-11).

The Career of the Beast vs. 9-11

"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."

The seven heads are seven mountains. These do not refer to Rome. They refer to seven kingdoms in history: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. Revived Rome. Besides being seven kingdoms, these are represented by seven kings (RV v. 10). The beast is the seventh who is brought to life again and becomes the eighth.
Many commentators have alleged the “seven heads” to be the “seven-hilled city” of Rome, hence deducing the great harlot to be the Roman Catholic Church. Such identification is impossible, however. Many cities have seven hills, and Rome actually has more. Besides, the Catholic Church does not sit on the hills of Rome, for its churches are all over the world and its headquarters are in Vatican City. Furthermore, a “hill” (Greek bounos) is not a “mountain” (Greek oros). The seven “mountains” are quite clearly expounded in the next verse as seven kings and/or kingdoms in the MUSLIM center of the world.

The Alliance With the Beast vs. 12-13

"And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

The ten horns are ten kings. At the time of the beast and his rise to power, they do not have a kingdom. But they receive power as kings for a brief period with the beast. These are the ten toes of Daniel's image (Dan. 2). These ten kings agree to give their power and strength to the beast, and thus alliance is formed.

The War of the Beast vs. 14

"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."

These ten kings, under the guidance of the beast, make war against Christ (19:19). At first this war is against his people (13:7), but this is simply the means of attacking the Lamb. At the end of the tribulation week, they are in open war against the Lamb who descends from the heavens (19:19).

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."

"And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army."

"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."

The Power of the Beast vs. 15

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

The power of the beast is indicated by the many people whom he controls, namely the nations of the earth. Upon this beast rides the woman, apostate religion.

The Ultimate Source of Power vs. 17

"For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."

The Ultimate Source of Power against the woman lies in the fact that providentially God has put it in their hearts to hate the whore and has permitted them to bring judgment upon apostate religion. It is the will of God that apostate religion shall come to an end, and this is the method God uses to bring it about. This is permissive and not directive. Somehow there is within every free moral agent the power to destroy himself.