At the end of the seventieth week of Daniel the kingdom of the world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. At that time He turns it over to the saints of the Most High. The word saints in the Old Testament always refers to the Jewish people. An examination of the various occurrences of this word will reveal no other meaning. It fundamentally means one who has entered into covenant relationship with God by means of sacrifice (Ps. 50:5). The saints, therefore, are those who have obtained favor by means of accepting the sacrifice which God has provided. The Jews offered the sacrifices which God commanded and thus obtained His favor; but all of their offerings were typical of the real, all-sufficient Sacrifice--the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Because of the typical meaning, therefore, of their sacrifices, the Jews entered into covenant relationship with God. They (and possibly believers of the New Testament) are the saints of this prediction. Thus converted Israel together with the saints of the present age--the church of the Lord Jesus Christ--obtains the kingdom, and the church reigns with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:6).

"And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. 2 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 throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast; 4 and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? and who is able to war with him? 5 and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, even them that dwell in the heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation" (Rev. 13:2-7).

According to the first verse of the quotation above, the beast which John saw emerged from the waters of the sea. This seems to be an echo of Daniel 7, where as we have seen, the four beasts of that vision emerged from the troubled waters of the great sea. This beast was more like a composite one, because its body was that of a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. These features immediately suggest the three first beasts of Daniel's vision--lion-like, bear-like, and leopard-like ones. It seems that, since this beast possesses these distinctive features of the first three beasts of Daniel 7, the Lord intended to convey the idea that there would be incorporated in the fourth kingdom the dominant characteristics of its three predecessors. This seems to be the inescapable inference.

The fourth beast of Daniel 7 continues to the very time of the judgment of the Almighty and the establishment of the Kingdom of God upon the earth. As already seen, it is a world-wide kingdom. The first beast of Revelation 13--the symbol of a world-wide kingdom (Rev. 13:7)--continues to the very time of the Lord's establishing His kingdom upon the earth. We conclude, therefore, that this first beast of Revelation 13 is none other than the fourth beast of Daniel 7.

We are told by Daniel that the fourth beast had ten horns upon its head. John adds that the beast of his vision had seven heads in addition to the ten horns. This fact does not contradict Daniel's revelation but simply is supplemental to it. All the facts connected with verses 1 and 2 of Revelation 13 point to the conclusion that in them the floodlight of prophecy was flashed over the entire realm of the empire; but in verses 3-7 the light is focused upon the sovereign of this kingdom in the end-time. Every earmark of an individual is seen in this description. This shifting of the point of view from the empire as such to that of the sovereign is, as we have already seen, characteristic of such symbolic representations as this one.

In Revelation 13 John generally describes the fourth empire symbolized by the nondescript beast after it has become a world empire. In verses 1 and 2 of this chapter he takes a backward glance and with one stroke of the pen, as it were, gives us a delineation of this first beast from its rise to its culmination in the end-time. Then in verses 3-7 he focuses attention upon its seventh head, on which are the ten horns. It receives the death stroke, is slain, but by the power of Satan is brought back to life again. From that time onward to the end of the Tribulation--the last forty-two months before the Lord's return--this dictator, brought back from death by the power of Satan and energized by him, will stage the greatest demonstration of superhuman, satanic power that the world has ever seen. But as we learn from Revelation 19, he is brought to a sudden end by the personal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The second beast of Revelation 13:11-18, the one coming up out of the earth, seems to be subordinate to the Antichrist and to have one sole object in life which is to magnify and glorify the Antichrist. When all the facts are studied, it appears that he is the one who is called the "false prophet" in Revelation 19:20. All that he does is to forward the glory, the power, and the might of his master.

"And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. 9 Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth: 10 and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour. 13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast" (Rev. 17:7-13).

A comparison of this quotation with the thirteenth chapter shows that the beast here described is the same as the one set forth there. Scholars are agreed that Babylon the harlot is none other than the false ecclesiasticism that will develop in the endtime, and that will be supported by the government as a state religion. John wishes to explain the history of this beast. He states that "the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition." What is the significance of the word beast in this quotation? Does it refer to the empire or to its head? Some excellent brethren are convinced that the empire is in view. Does this verse indicate that it existed for a time; that it disappeared from the historic scene; and that it will be revived at the end-time and become a dominant factor in the history of the world? On the other hand, there are those who are convinced that the beast in these verses signifies the personal Antichrist, the last ruler of Rome. They see in this passage a prediction that he will come to power and exercise great authority; then he will be slain, having received the death stroke; next his spirit descends to the pit of the abyss; finally, he comes forth from thence, and will be raised to life by the power of Satan. Many excellent interpreters take this view of the question.

What shall we do about this matter since there is a division of opinion? There is, it seems to me, but one intelligent thing that we can do: Look at all the facts and see in what direction they point. In this connection, let us remember that sometimes a beast signifies a kingdom and in another connection it refers to its ruler. Let the reader refresh his mind by referring to Daniel 7:17, in which passage the beasts are said to be four kings. As we have learned, this passage focuses the light upon the sovereign of the realm, but in verse 23 of the same chapter the fourth beast is called a fourth kingdom. In this verse the floodlight of prophecy is flashed all over the realm of this last empire. We see that even in this one chapter our symbol has two different significations. In Revelation 13:1-7 these two usages appear. Now what is its meaning in Revelation 17:7? Let us, for the sake of investigation, assume that it refers to the Roman Empire, signifying that there was a time when it was in existence, that it disappeared from the historic scene, and that it will come back to life in the end-time. If this is the meaning, this experience is not a new one for certain empires. For instance, Babylon was a mighty kingdom and ruled the Tigris-Euphrates Valley in the days of Hammurabi and his successors. Finally, it disappeared from the historic scene. Then it was revived by Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus, there was a time when Babylon was; then it disappeared and entered what we might call the period "when it was not"; finally it was brought back to life and entered what we might call the third period of its history. As all scholars know, Greece was a mighty power succeeding the Medo-Persian Empire. It continued through several centuries and finally disappeared from the stage of action, being absorbed by another kingdom. Finally, at the end of the Greco-Turkish War, it returned to life and became a political entity and maintained its independence until it was overrun by the Germans in 1941. Once again, there was the ancient kingdom of Poland which was a political entity in Central Europe. Finally, it was overrun, carved up, and partitioned between Russia, Germany, and the old Austria-Hungary Empire. At the conclusion of the first World War, Poland came back as a nation and continued until it was overrun by Germany in 1939. Were the people of the world ever electrified or astonished at the revival of any of these empires? This question must be answered in the negative. Granting that John was speaking about the Roman Empire and its reviving in the end-time, will men be electrified and astonished at its revival and be swept off their feet to the extent that they will worship the emperor because of the fact that it comes back to life again politically? Such a resurrection of a political power never has and never will produce such a radical change in the thinking of men as to cause them to worship the ruler of a kingdom. The facts seem to preclude our thinking of this verse as a reference to the political organization and system of Rome.

Let us suppose that the beast here refers to the Antichrist and his personal experiences. This head of the world empire receives the death stroke but is healed from it. The result is that "the whole earth wondered after the beast" (Rev. 13:3). According to this passage and its context, it is the coming back to life of the beast after receiving the death stroke that makes the people of the world wonder after him and worship him. Chapter 17:8 declares that, when the beast comes out of the abyss (the place of departed spirits and demons), those who dwell upon the face of the earth, and whose names have not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, will wonder at him as they behold "how that he was, and is not, and shall come." If we assume that this beast is the world ruler and accept at face value the prediction in the seventeenth chapter; namely, that he dies, that his spirit goes down into the abyss, that he is brought back to life by the power of Satan, and that he is energized by him to the extent that he performs miracles, the like of which have never been wrought before; then we can see how that all the people of the world whose names have not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life will see the supernatural element connected with his resurrection and will acclaim him as God. (Compare II Thess. 2:4.) From this standpoint, it seems that all the facts point most positively to the conclusion that the beast in Revelation 17:7b, who is also mentioned in chapter 13:3-7, is none other than the personal Antichrist, who is slain by an opponent, who dies, but who is raised by the power of Satan.

There is another fact which confirms this conclusion. In Revelation 13:11-18 we see that the second beast, the false prophet, makes an image to the first one. At that time a great celebration is held in honor of this man who is brought back to life. Power is given to the second beast to give life to the image. This first beast, according to verses 17 and 18, has the number 666. We are expressly told that this is "the number of a man." This number does not refer to a political system or government, but to a man, the Antichrist.

In view of these facts, I am of the conviction that "the beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition" is the personal Antichrist and refers to his being slain and his coming back to life. In view of all these considerations, I cannot accept the interpretation that this passage refers to the revival of the old Roman Empire.

"Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth: and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while" (Rev. 17:9,10).

This beast, according to this scripture, has seven heads, which are called seven mountains, but John is quick to let us know that he is not using "mountain" in the literal sense, for he declares that "they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while." When a mountain is used symbolically it always refers to a government (Jer. 51:25). Obviously in this case it is used symbolically, for John gives the interpretation by saying that these mountains "are seven kings." Since John interprets these mountains as symbols, it is certain that he is not talking about the hills of the city of Rome as has been understood by some excellent Bible commentators.

Some men are of the opinion that the seven kings mentioned are seven individual Caesars. According to this view, five had already been before the time of John's writing Revelation; one was on the throne; and another was to come. Facts point to the conclusion that John wrote the Revelation in the days of Domitian, the Roman emperor, about 96 A.D. A glance at the list of Caesars who had already sat upon the throne shows that there had been more than five. Their names are: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galbo, Otho, Vittellius, Vespasian, and Titus. Domitian was on the throne when John wrote the Revelation. He therefore could not have been speaking of the Caesars. Furthermore, there were many Caesars after Domitian. These facts forever disprove the theory under consideration.

What then can it mean? We may possibly find the answer to this question by referring to Daniel 7:6. "After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a bird; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it." We have already learned that this leopard, the third beast of this vision, symbolized the Greek Empire. According to this passage, it had four heads at one time. When we look at the historical facts, we see that, upon the death of Alexander the Great, who established Greece as a world empire, the kingdom fell into four separate sections, in each of which there was established a separate government. Heads used in this vision of Daniel, therefore, signify the four different and independent governments--of this third empire. Without question the general conceptions concerning beasts in the Book of Revelation are borrowed from Daniel. This fact we have already seen. The fourth beast of this series, according to John, had seven heads, whereas the third one had four. The four heads of the third empire were contemporaneous, but John is quick to tell us that the seven heads of the fourth empire are not contemporaneous but are in succession. The proof of this proposition is found in these words: "the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while" (Rev. 17:10). This language makes it very clear that these heads--governments--interpreted in the light of the language used in connection with the third empire, are symbolic of the classes of governments which control the fourth empire during its entire history.

This fact is shown on the drawing at the beginning of this study. Above the solid line in the left-hand corner of the drawing are three animals representing Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. These are taken from the Daniel version. Below this line is another animal that has five different heads. This one animal represents Rome from her rise in 753 B.C. to the time that she became a world empire. Before it took on such proportions it was a local affair, though growing all the time. Thus we see it at the beginning with its first head. Following this, we see it with its second head, etc. This is the Revelation version. When the sixth head appeared, it had grown to the point that it rose to the level of a world empire. It maintained this sixth head from that time forward and will continue to do so until the seventh one comes up at the end of the age as is indicated on the chart. This latter part of the prediction is the combined prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.

Imperialism was the sixth head of Rome, for that was the type of government which was in existence in John's day and which has persisted through the centuries. When the Antichrist comes forward at the close of this age, he and his government will constitute the seventh head. In the midst of the Tribulation he will be slain--that head will be given its death blow--but by the power of Satan he will be raised from the dead and will reappear as the eighth head, and yet it will be of the seven--only a break of a very short period intervening.

At the conclusion of the Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory, will destroy all human government, and will set up one of righteousness, peace, and justice. O Lord, hasten that day!