Seven heads and ten horns

Daniel sees a few visions of four kingdoms with seven different kings and he sees one of those seven kings having ten horns three of who he destroys leaving seven.

particularly this vision first what Daniel saw in his vision

Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: …

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, ….

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.


After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

( then Daniel gets an explaination of what he saw )

These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.( Daniel is seeing the beginning of this )

Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

(what he saw again )

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

( explaination again )

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.


And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.


But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7:2-8, 17, 19-27‬ ‭KJV‬

This is only a single example of many but Daniel is seeing the beginning of what John saw 700 years later but John adds heavenly undersrsnding as to what happened



John tells us where the beast with seven heads and ten horns originates and why

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:3‬ ‭

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Revelation‬ ‭12:7, 9‬ ‭KJV


And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:13-14, 17‬ ‭KJV‬‬

So now we see as the dragon enters the e earth to make war the beast rises and makes war with Gods people we know it’s daniels beasts but there in the last one so John only sees one with the same appearance as Daniel saw

“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,

and his feet were as the feet of a bear,

and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:

and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

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.

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If any man have an ear, let him hear.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13:1-9‬ ‭KJ

it all comes together here in the explaination John receives of what he saw in his visions

“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 there are seven kings: five are fallen, ( in johns past )

and one is, ( present in johns time )

and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.( immediate future from johns time )

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.( another beast in the future ruling over ten kings )


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 the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
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.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭17:3, 7-8, 10-14, 16-17‬ ‭

I wish there was room and time to show some of the other connections but hopefully you see the point that other prophecies in the ot really help with revelation God bless just for consideration

This vision in Daniel two also is of the same concept

“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. ( 1 kingdom)

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee,( media Persia 2nd kingdom )

and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. ( Greece a third kingdom )

And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.( a fourth dreadful kingdom that would rise up )
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2:31-33, 37-40, ‭KJV‬‬

a Daniel has another vision that adds detail to this narrative of four kingdoms rising up in earth having dominion

“And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. ( the Grecian empires four generals )

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: ( Roman Empire )


and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.


These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭7:3-8, 17-20, 23-25‬ ‭KJV‬‬

then Daniel has other visions pertaining to this but John is bringing in the focus to the end of daniels vision explaining that the sixth head is now reigning in johns time and th e seventh eas about to rise up and the. He explains about the ten horns in the eight kings head the future kingdom of the antichrist

a there’s really an opening up of things when you realize God was owing things in revelation To people all along from different points in tbe prophetic timeline seven hundred years before rome ruled Daniel saw it from Babylon’s rule he saw this all coming saw media Persia overtaking Babylon and Greece overtaking media Persia with Alexander the Great , saw Greece split o to four regions having four leaders ( Alexander’s four generals ) and eventually saw the rising of the mighty and destructive Roman Empire who slaughtered Jerusalem and Christian’s also when they ruled during johns time

it’s pretty amazing how prophecy explains and reveals prophecy in the Bible I think it testifies to how true and fool proof it is that these depths of connections of an u folding narrative by God before these thkngs happen in tbe world

a great testimony is prophecy and seeing the fulfillment

“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭42:8-9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

He speaks and then later it comes to pass just as he said it would it might take many years but it always holds true to gods declarations beforetime

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Rev 13:1-3)

So what can we glean from this prophecy which is highly symbolic?

1. This "beast" is connected directly to the reign of the Antichrist.

2. According to Daniel's prophecies "beasts" represent Gentile "kingdoms" or empires.

3. "Heads" represent political leaders, "horns" represent political power, and "crowns" represent royal power and authority.

4. "and upon his heads the name of blasphemy" means that all these kingdoms have rejected God and are blaspheming against God and Christ.

5. The final "beast" therefore represents a confederation of kingdoms or nations directly associated with the Antichrist (also called a "beast" because he is beastly) and arising out of the former Roman empire.

So one of these kingdoms is firstly destroyed and then restored. These "kingdoms" are presently the nations within the European Union which were a part of the Holy Roman Empire -- Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, and the Netherlands as well as large parts of modern Poland, France and Italy. Ten of these thirteen will be associated with the Antichrist. Perhaps Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg should therefore be excluded. But eventually all these kingdoms are destroyed by the Antichrist, who then becomes the sole ruler of the world, with Satan alongside. This will be true for only 3 1/2 years. And this prophecy is for the future.

thanks for taking the time to post brother I see a lot on your post I agree with and think it’s a good read

The only thing I see that I would disagree with

“This will be true for only 3 1/2 years. And this prophecy is for the future.”

the beast with ten horns is definately in the future from when John saw th e vision for sure , the part I don’t agree with is that literal three and a half year measurement of time

I notice you said “ revelation is highly symbolic in nature “ (or something to that effect )

and it seems like you get alot of what your calling symbolism yet when you come to the three and a half year measurement your taking just that part literal and not in the same way as the rest of the book ? Which you refer to as symbolism which is understood from other prophecy yet three and a half years your not taking as a symbol with deeper meaning it seems like to me

Which please understand I’m not saying you’re wrong in any way I’m just wondering why you’re not taking that as a symbol with deeper meaning also along with the rest of the vision ? I hope my question makes sense


Consider when thinking about three and a half ( just a consideration ) but consider that that three and a half is exactly half of seven and there are two periods measured at three and a half years


have you ever noticed the consistent theme of seven in revelation ?

Seven candlesticks , seven flames of fire , seven churches , seven angels , seven spirits of God , seven eyes of fire of the lamb , seven seals on the book opened by the lamb , seven trumpets , seven vials of wrath , seven angels emerging out of the temple in heaven ect ect

seven seems to represent the full plan of God being made complete or fullness based of course on the creation week of seven days

three and a half years , represents the total time of the Old Testament until the messiah was born and ascended to heaven

“And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: ( psalm 2:6-12)

and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.”(Mark‬ ‭16:19)
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12:5‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭16:19‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭2:33‬ ‭

see you have this event where Jesus is taken up to Gods throne which is where the Old Testament is fulfilled and New Testament is sent forth


consider brother like you to itself stated in you good post there that e measure of three and a half that occurs two times in revelation isn’t literal but also is symbolically understood through other prophecy like for instance daniel speaks of three and a half years also but we know by looking back thousands of years it wasnt literally a measure of earthly time but was God speaking something spiritually discerned to him regarding a set time that has a beginning and end

Here's the reason why the 3 1/2 years is not symbolic. It occurs in both Daniel and Revelation either as (a) 1260 days, (b) 42 months, or (c) time (1 year) + times (2 years) + half a time ( 6 months) or "the dividing of time|. This is very precise since the prophetic month consists of 30 days, and the prophetic year consists of 12 months.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Rev 11:2,3)
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Rev 13:5)
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Rev 12:6)
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (Dan 7:25)
And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Dan 12:7)
And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Rev 12:14)