THE SEVEN HEADED BEAST OF REVELATION 17 People ask who are the seven heads of the seven-headed beast of Revelation chapter 17? -- I share the answer with you from my book “What’s Next? Visions of Revelation” – sold at Amazon - This is a mystery that very few people understand. One of our Evangelists that speaks regularly on 3 ABN (a very knowledgeable speaker who does excellent work) mistakenly calls one of those seven heads “Communism.” I don’t mind – that does not detract from the rest of his messages which are very good. We are all human and prone to make mistakes – We all have - I’ve made many. If you wish to believe that one of those heads in communism that’s okay with me. But I would like you to examine my reasoning and see if you agree. . amazon/Whats-Next-Visions-Revelation-Walker/dp/0578073544/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418778636&sr=1-1&keywords=what%27s+next%3F+visions+of+revelation&pebp=1418778627600 . Chapter 8 The Seven-Headed Dragon . In Revelation 12, we see that Christ threw Satan out of heaven. The seven-headed dragon represents both the Devil and the seven kingdoms that he has used to try to kill Christ when He was born in Bethlehem, and the power that he uses to persecute the children of God. In fact, the seven heads of the seven-headed dragon of Revelation 12:3 and the seven heads of the seven-headed beast of Revelation 13:1 are the very same. Let us look at two quotes, one from a Protestant source and one from a Roman Catholic source. They are both right. The Roman Catholic source, however, only identifies the first six heads of the seven-headed dragon and beast. . First: The Protestant source says ―the seven great monarchies which have oppressed the people of God; namely, Egypt, Assyria, Chaldea, Persia, Greece, pagan Rome, and papal Rome.” The Devil used pagan Rome to attack Christ and to crucify Him. The Devil used all of these seven great monarchies to make war on God‘s faithful followers. Bible Readings for the Home 1914, page 265. . 1 Egypt 2 Assyria 3 Babylon 4 Persia 5 Greece 6 Pagan Rome 7 Papal Rome. . Notice the last five kingdoms follow one another. Persia overthrew Babylon and occupied the territory occupied by Babylon. Greece did the very same thing to Persia and pagan Rome did the very same thing to Greece. Papal Rome, the Church of Rome, replaced pagan Rome and became an even greater persecutor than those who came before it. . Second: A Roman Catholic Bible says, ―The seven heads are seven kings, that is, seven principal kingdoms or empires, which have exercised, or shall exercise, tyrannical power over the people of God; of these, five were then fallen, viz.: the Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and Grecian monarchies: one was present, viz., the empire of Rome: and the seventh and chiefest was to come, viz., the great Antichrist and his empire.‖ Douay-Rheims Version or Catholic Bible, in a note on Rev. 13:1. NOTE: “Chaldea” is another name for Babylon. Why does the Roman Catholic Bible say ―five were then fallen . . . one was present . . . and the seventh and chiefest was to come?‖ Obviously the ones who wrote the Roman Catholic Douay-Rheims Version of the Bible added this comment because they saw the relationship between chapter 13 and chapter 17:9-11 as herein quoted. . ―Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.‖ (Revelation 17:9-11) . Some people, in wrestling with who the seven heads are, have added ―Communism‖ ―France,‖ and, or, individuals. The book of Daniel, in the Old Testament of the Bible, helps us understand the book of Revelation. Daniel 7 tells us that the word ―beast‖ always represents kingdoms and not individuals or a belief system. . The seven-headed dragon of Revelation 12 and the seven-headed beast of Revelation 13 represent a ―kingdom,‖ (see Daniel 7:23) not individuals. Daniel 7 speaks of only four of these seven ―beasts,‖ also known as seven heads, and also known as seven kingdoms. . Is Communism One of Those Heads? . Daniel 7 begins with the kingdom of Babylon. Some think that since the first ―beast‖ of Daniel 7 is Babylon; that the first head of the seven-headed beast should also symbolize Babylon. God‘s vision to Daniel began with Babylon, the kingdom that ruled the world in Daniel‘s day. God‘s vision to John in Revelation chapter 12, however, began thousands of years earlier with the ―war in heaven.‖ Revelation 12:7. For this reason, it appears that these seven persecuting heads begin with earlier persecuting kingdoms, namely Egypt and Assyria. . Neither Communism nor France is important enough to mention in the Ten Commandments but Egypt is so important that God mentioned it in the very first commandment. God says, I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.‖ (Exodus 20:2, 3) God mentioned Egypt because Satan successfully used Egypt to persecute God‘s children. . God put Assyria before Babylon . God put Egypt as an earlier persecuting power. What about Assyria? Did God also put Assyria first before Babylon? The answer is yes. God put Assyria before Babylon, not the author of this small book. God speaks through the writings of the prophet Jeremiah and says, ―Israel is like scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.‖ (Jeremiah 50:17) God tells us that Assyria and Babylon were two of the first of the seven powers to persecute and oppress God‘s children. . God’s Word says, ―Now the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria,‖ (2 Kings 17:5-7)
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:33:11 +0000
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