Tag: seven heads

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Which of the beast’s seven heads has the fatal wound?

Summary

One head was fatally wounded.

John saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had “ten horns and seven heads” (Rev 13:1). John also “saw one of his heads as if it had been slain,” for it had a “fatal wound” (Rev 13:3).

A “fatal wound” is a wound that kills. In other words, the beast was dead. Therefore, when the wound was healed, it is said that the beast “has come to life” (Rev 13:12, 14; cf. Rev 2:8; 20:4).

But the entire beast did not die; only “one of his heads” was “slain” (Rev 13:3). Since the seven heads exist one after the other (Rev 17:9-10), the seven heads symbolize the seven phases of the beast’s existence. So, the death of one of its heads is the death of the whole beast but only for a time.

The Fatal Wound in Revelation 17

Revelation 17 also describes the fatal wound. In that chapter, the beast:

      • “Is not” (Rev 17:8), implying that it does not exist,
      • Is in “a wilderness” (Rev 17:3), symbolizing difficult circumstances (cf. Rev 12:6, 14),
      • Is in the “abyss” (Rev 17:8), symbolizing incapacity (Rev 20:3), and
      • Has no diadems (ruler crowns) (Rev 17:3; cf. Rev 12:3; 13:1;), implying that it is unable to rule.

So, in Revelation 17, the beast is suffering, weakened, and unable to rule. In some sense, it “is not.”

Since two different chapters of Revelation describe the beast in a weakened state, these likely describe the same weak period. Furthermore, both the fatal wound in Revelation 13 and the abyss in Revelation 17 symbolize incapacity (Rev 20:3):

For the beast to be alive means to blaspheme God and to persecute God’s people (e.g., Dan 7:25; Rev 13:5-7). Therefore, for the beast to be dead (have a fatal wound) means to be unable to persecute God’s people for it has been incapacitated.

That is also the meaning of being in the abyss. For example, Satan is bound in the abyss “so that he would not deceive the nations any longer” (Rev 20:3). And, after the beast comes up from the abyss, it immediately proceeds to persecute God’s witnesses (Rev 11:7, 3).

For these reasons, Revelation 17 describes the same fatal wound as 13:3.

The wound healed in Revelation 17

This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that Revelation 17 describes the same recovery as Revelation 13. To see this, compare the following two verses:

“His fatal wound was healed.
And the whole earth was amazed
and followed after the beast” (Rev 13:3).

“The beast that you saw …
is about to come up out of the abyss …
And those who dwell on the earth …
will wonder when they see the beast” (Rev 17:8).

Note the similarities:

      1. In both, the whole world adores the beast.
      2. “Amazed” (13:3) is similar to “wonder” (17:8).
      3. In both chapters, the beast is exalted after its recovery (Rev 13:3-4; 17:8).
      4. In both chapters, the beast’s followers are described as:

“Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life” (Rev 13:8; 17:8).

These similarities indicate that the beast’s fatal wound in Revelation 13 is equivalent to the beast being in the abyss in Revelation 17.

The Fatal Wound is the Sixth Head.

Revelation 17 explains the beast and its heads by referring to the past, the present, and the future:

The Beast (Rev 17:8) Heads (Rev 17:10)
Past Was “Five have fallen.”
Present Is not and is in the abyss “One is.” This would be the sixth head.
Future Will “come up out of the abyss.” “The other” (the seventh) will “come.”

Therefore, the period when the beast is in the abyss, which is equivalent to the head with the fatal wound, is the sixth head. After the fatal wound has been healed, the entire world will follow after the beast (Rev 13:4). This will be the seventh and final head of the beast.

Identity of the Sixth Head

This article does not identify the sixth head in terms of a specific period in history. To identify the sixth in that way, one needs to identify all seven heads. This is done in other articles on this website. See:

– END OF SUMMARY –

Revelation 13:3-4

3. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain,
and his fatal wound was healed.
And the whole earth was amazed
and followed after the beast

4. They worshiped the dragon
because he gave his authority to the beast;
and they worshiped the beast, saying,

“Who is like the beast,
and who is able to wage war with him?”

The purpose of the current article is to explain what this fatal wound is, including which head was dead.

What does a head with a fatal wound look like? John is describing what he saw in vision but much of that was not visual images but concepts that the Holy Spirit gave him to understand.

Verse 1 described the heads of the beast. Verse 2 explains the body. Verse 3 returns to the heads.

Identity of the Beast

Great Red DragonBased on Revelation 13:1-2, the previous article identified the dragon and the beast as follows:

1. In the context of Revelation 13:2, the dragon is the same as the fourth animal in Daniel 7 and symbolizes the Roman Empire.

2. Revelation’s beast is the same as the evil 11th horn in Daniel 7 and symbolizes a world power that:

        • Came into existence when the Roman Empire fell and divided into many kingdoms in the fifth or later centuries,
        • Became the most powerful of the kingdoms ruling in the territory of the previous Roman Empire (Dan 7:20), and
        • Had the authority of the Roman Empire (cf. Rev 13:2).

This wound is fatal.

This is not simply a serious wound but a “fatal wound” (Rev 13:3). In other words, the beast was dead. For that reason, when the wound was healed, the beast “has come to life” (Rev 13:12, 14). That same expression is used for Christ’s resurrection (Rev 2:8) and the resurrection of God’s people at the beginning of the thousand years (Rev 20:4).

Only for a Time

But the entire beast did not die; only “one of his heads” was “slain” with this fatal wound (Rev 13:3). Revelation 17:9-10 shows that the seven heads exist one after the other:

The “seven heads … are seven kings;
five have fallen,
one is,
the other has not yet come” (NASB).

Therefore, the seven heads symbolize the seven phases of the beast’s existence. The beast is simply the sum of the seven phases. Apart from the seven heads, there is no beast. So, the death of one of its heads is the death of the whole beast but only for a time.

Worshiped the Beast

“The whole earth … worshiped the beast” (Rev 13:3-4). The English word “worship” usually means that the object of worship is a god; either the true God or a false god (Cambridge, Merriam-Webster). In contrast, the Greek word translated as “worship” (proskuneó), as defined by the NAS Exhaustive Concordance, is “to do reverence to.” In Greek, it usually means to do reverence to a king or some other person in an exalted position. In the current verse, people proskuneó the beast not as a god or as God but in the normal Greek sense of the word, namely, as a mighty king, for they say:

“Who is like the beast, and who is able
to wage war with him?” (Rev 13:4)

In other words, they show respect to the beast because it is powerful.

Furthermore, “they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast” (Rev 13:4). In the context of Revelation 13:1-4, the dragon symbolizes the Roman Empire. That empire no longer existed when the beast receives its fatal wound or when the wound was healed. But, by worshiping (showing respect to) the beast, which is the descendant of the Roman Empire, the people indirectly show respect to the Roman Empire.

Revelation 17 describes the Fatal Wound.

This section shows that Revelation 17 also describes the beast’s fatal wound and its recovery from that wound. It explains what that fatal wound is and which of the seven heads is dead.

The Same Fatal Wound

As the following indicates, at the point in history described by Revelation 17, the beast is dead:

Is not – The beast “is not” (Rev 17:8). In other words, in some sense, at this time, the beast does not exist.

Wilderness –In Revelation 12, the pure woman was described as in the wilderness (Rev 12:6, 14), symbolizing difficult circumstances. But, in Revelation 17, the beast is in the “wilderness” (Rev 17:3). It is unusual for the beast to be in the wilderness. It was not in the wilderness when the pure woman was in that place. Neither was the beast in the “wilderness” in John’s time when the Roman Empire brutally persecuted Christians.

Abyss – Revelation 17 describes a specific point in history with a past, a present, and a future. In the present, the beast is in the “abyss” (Rev 17:8), which symbolizes incapacity (Rev 20:3).

Diadems – In contrast to the dragon and the beast from the sea, the beast in Revelation 17 has no diadems (ruler crowns) (Rev 12:3; 13:1; 17:3), implying that it is unable to rule.

So, in Revelation 17, the beast is suffering, weakened, and unable to rule. In some sense, it “is not.” For the following reasons, this is the same as the fatal wound of Revelation 13:

Firstly, since two different chapters of Revelation describe the beast in a weakened state, these likely describe the same weak period. The purpose of Revelation 17 is to explain the seventh plague, where the harlot Babylon has to drink the cup of the wine of God’s fierce wrath (Rev 16:19; 17:1). For that reason, Revelation 17 goes over the same ground covered by previous prophecies, to explain where Babylon fits into the picture.

Secondly, both the fatal wound and the abyss symbolize incapacity (Rev 20:3):

For the beast to be alive means to blaspheme God and to persecute God’s people (e.g., Dan 7:25; Rev 13:5-7). Therefore, for the beast to be dead (have a fatal wound) means to be unable to persecute God’s people; it has been incapacitated.

That is also the meaning of being in the abyss. For example, Satan is bound in the abyss “so that he would not deceive the nations any longer” (Rev 20:3). Similarly, after the beast comes up from the abyss, it immediately proceeds to persecute God’s witnesses (Rev 11:7, 3).

The Same Recovery

Further evidence that Revelation 17 describes the fatal wound of 13:3 is that it describes the same recovery as in Revelation 13.

In Revelation 17, the beast is predicted to come up out of the abyss (Rev 17:8). To confirm that these describe the same recovery, compare the following two verses:

“His fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast” (Rev 13:3).

“The beast that you saw … is about to come up out of the abyss … And those who dwell on the earth … will wonder when they see the beast” (Rev 17:8).

Note the similarities:

1. In both, the whole world adores the beast.

2. “Amazed” (13:3) and “wonder” (17:8) are similar concepts.

3. In both chapters, this exaltation of the beast follows after its recovery:

        • In Revelation 13 – after the beast has recovered from the fatal wound.
        • In Revelation 17 – after it came out of “the abyss” (Rev 17:8).

4. In both chapters, the beast’s followers are described as “everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life” (Rev 13:8; 17:8).

Conclusions

These similarities indicate that:

1. The two chapters describe the same period of incapacity. In other words, the beast’s fatal wound in Revelation 13 is equivalent to the beast being in the abyss in Revelation 17.

2. The subsequent worship in the two chapters describes the same event. 

The Fatal Wound is the Sixth Head.

Revelation 17 explains the beast and its heads by referring to the past, the present, and the future:

The Beast (Rev 17:8) Heads (Rev 17:10)
Past Was “Five have fallen.”
Present Is not and is in the abyss “One is.” This would be the sixth head.
Future Will “come up out of the abyss.” The whole world will “wonder when they see the beast.” “The other” (the seventh) “has not yet come.”

From this, we can conclude as follows:

1. In the present time of Revelation 17, the beast “is not” because it is in the abyss. It will “come up out of the abyss.” In other words, in the ‘present’, it exists but it is incapacitated.

2. The present time is the sixth head. The period in the abyss, therefore, is the sixth head. And since the fatal wound is equal to the abyss, the fatal wound is the sixth head.

3. Since both the seventh head and the adoration of the beast by the whole world are in the future, this adoration is the seventh head. In other words:

        • The entire sixth head is dead.
        • The fifth head or phase comes to an end when the beast-power is killed.
        • That “his fatal wound was healed” (Rev 13:3, 12) means that the sixth phase has come to an end and the seventh head (phase) has begun.

This conclusion may be supported as follows: We nowhere read that the head with the mortal wound comes to life. But we do read that “the beast who had the wound … has come to life” (Rev 13:14).

Identity of the Sixth Head

So far, the sixth head has not yet been identified. To identify the sixth, one needs to identify all seven heads. This is done in other articles on this website. See:

John’s time?

Many commentators assume, arguing that John had to understand what he is being told, that the ‘present time’ in Revelation 17 must refer to John’s own time. But that would mean that the beast was dead in John’s time, which most certainly was not the case. At that time, the authorities were most very able to persecute Christians.

My view is that, when the angel “carried” John “into a wilderness” (Rev 17:3), he took John not to a specific place but to a specific time in history which was not necessarily John’s time.

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The seven-headed beasts in Revelation are three of the seven heads.

Purpose

Dragon

In Revelation, there are three beasts that each have seven heads and ten horns. They are identified in the article titled, The Seven-Headed Beasts (the reader is advised to read that article before this one):

The Great Red Dragon that stands before the woman, ready to devour Christ as soon as He was born (Rev 12:3-4), symbolizes the Roman Empire.

The beast that comes up out of the sea (Rev 13:1)—referred to in this article as the Sea Beast, is another symbol for the 11th horn that grows out of the Roman Empire. It suffers a deadly wound, but recovers (Rev 13:3) to become Satan’s mastermind in the end-time. It is this beast whose mark the people receive in the end-time (Rev 13:17).

The Scarlet Beast, on which the harlot sits, symbolizes the political systems of the world that always are controlled by false religion (Rev 17:3).

The purpose of the current article is to show that the seven heads are seven phases of man’s existence on earth and that each seven-headed beast is one of the heads and, therefore, one of the seven phases.

Summary

SEVEN KINGS

The seven heads are explained as “seven kings” that reign one after the other. But a “king,” in prophetic symbolism, represents a “kingdom,” consisting of a series of kings.  Furthermore, Daniel 7 also refers to four “kings,” but they are interpreted as four empires, such as the Roman Empire, each consisting of a large number of kingdoms. The heads, therefore, are seven successive world empires. 

Since the three beasts all have exactly seven heads, they have the same seven heads. One might picture the beasts as a single beast with seven different heads and three different bodies.

Each beast, actually, is one of the heads. This statement is justified as follows:

Firstly, Rev 17:11 explicitly states that “the beast … is one of the seven” heads. This refers specifically to the Scarlet Beast but, by implication, this principle also applies to the other beasts. Rev 17:10 identifies the scarlet beast as the sixth head. 

Secondly, the seven heads represent different phases of human history. But the seven-headed beasts are also different phases of human history.

Thirdly, when one of the heads receives a fatal wound, we are told that one of the beasts receives the wound.  This also implies that this beast is one of the heads.

Fourthly, the various body parts of the image in the prophecy in Daniel 2 are equivalent to the seven heads because they symbolize world empires that exist one after the other. But these body parts also symbolize different beasts in Revelation.

 – END OF SUMMARY –

Revelation 17

Revelation 17 explains the heads:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom.
The seven heads are seven mountains
on which the woman sits,
and they are seven kings;
five have fallen,
one is,
the other has not yet come;
and when he comes, he must remain a little while“
(Rev 17:9-10 NASB).

The words, “Here is the mind which has wisdom” warn us that these verses are difficult to understand. When asked about this, Jesus explained that He spoke in parables so that those who do not want to believe, will not understand (Mark 4:10-12). Nevertheless, to understand this article will require some serious concentration.

Seven Successive World Empires

The seven heads are explained in 17:9-10 as “seven kings.” From the time perspective of Revelation 17, “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come” (Rev 17:9-10). They reign, therefore, one after the other. 

In normal usage, the term “king,” refers to one person but in prophetic symbolism, a king represents a “kingdom,” consisting of a series of kings,” for example:

Daniel referred to the person Nebuchadnezzar as the “head of gold” but explained that another “kingdom” would follow after him (Dan 2:37ff).  In other words, Nebuchadnezzar stood for his entire empire.

In Daniel 7:17 and 23, the four beasts are first identified as “kings” but later explained as “kingdoms.” 

Furthermore, Daniel 7 interprets the four “kings” as four empires, such as the Roman Empire, each consisting of a large number of kingdoms that are ruled over by a single emperor. The heads, therefore, are seven successive world empires.

SHARE THE SAME SEVEN HEADS

Since each of the three beasts has exactly seven heads and ten horns, the heads of the three beasts symbolize the same seven “kings” or kingdoms. The beasts share the same seven heads. Similarly, the ten horns of the three beasts are the same ten “kings.” There are not 3×7 different head-kings or 3×10 different horn-kings.

The head is the main body part of an animal.  If you have an animal with two heads, is it not really two animals? Think about the two-headed giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. It has two different personalities. In Revelation, the beasts each have seven heads. They are, therefore, really seven different beasts with seven different personalities. What really matters are the heads; not the beasts. 

One might, therefore, symbolically, visualize the beasts as a single beast with seven different heads and three different bodies.

In the article The Seven-Headed Beasts, this similarity is explained as that the three beasts belong to the same species, particularly the same species as the beasts of Daniel 7. However, the seven heads and ten horns have specific meanings, as are explained in this article series.

EACH BEAST IS ONE HEAD.

As already noted, there are three beasts in Revelation that each has exactly seven heads and that these heads represent seven successive phases of human history. In this section, we motivate that each beast is, actually, one of the heads. This is based on the following observations:

      1. Firstly, Rev 17:11 explicitly states that “the beast … is one of the seven” heads.
      2. Secondly, both the seven heads and the seven-headed beasts represent different phases of human history.
      3. Thirdly, when one of the heads receives a fatal wound, we are told that one of the beasts receives the wound.
      4. Fourthly, the different body parts (metal kingdoms) in the Daniel 2 vision are both the heads of Revelation’s beasts and different beasts in Revelation.

These points will now be explained in more detail:

THE BEAST IS ONE OF THE SEVEN.

“The beast … is one of the seven” heads (Rev 17:11).

This refers specifically to the Scarlet Beast.  It both has seven heads and is one of the heads.  By implication, the same principle applies to the other beasts.

The previous verse stated, concerning the seven heads, that “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come” (Rev 17:10). The implication is that the scarlet beast is the sixth head. That would mean that the Dragon and Sea Beast are some of the other heads.

PHASES OF HUMAN HISTORY

Each head represents a phase of human history. The same can be said of the seven-headed beasts:

The Dragon is identified as Satan (Rev 12:9), but when it stands ready to devour Christ as soon as He is born, the Dragon also has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3). The Dragon, therefore, also represents the human governments that Satan uses to do his work.  When it stands before the woman, ready to devour Jesus as soon as He is born, it specifically symbolizes the Roman Empire, for that empire reigned when Jesus walked the earth.

The Sea Beast follows in time AFTER the dragon, for the dragon (Roman Empire) waits on the sand of the sea for the Sea Beast to come out of the sea (Rev 13:1 – The many waters of the sea represent humanity (Rev 17:15)).  The Sea Beast, therefore, also describes a specific phase of human existence.  The article on the Seven-Headed Beasts identifies the Sea Beast as the 11th horn that, according to Daniel 7, grows out of the Roman Empire.

As shown, the Scarlet Beast is the sixth head.  Again, John looks at this beast from the perspective of a specific point or period of time.

In conclusion, each of the seven-headed beasts, just like the seven heads, describes ONE PHASE OF HUMAN HISTORY. This supports the notion that each beast represents one head.

DEADLY WOUND

Revelation 13 states that one of the heads receives a fatal wound, but then adds that the sea beast receives the wound:

“One of his heads as if it had been slain” (Rev 13:3).
“The beast who had the WOUND” (Rev 13:14).

This also implies that this beast is one of the seven heads.

IMAGE OF A MAN

The prophecy in Daniel 2 is the foundation from which the symbols of the seven-headed beasts are derived. This prophecy clarifies the relationship between the beasts and the heads. That prophecy symbolizes the history of mankind by an image of a metal man consisting of various metal body parts (head, shoulders, etc.). Each body part symbolizes an empire; a different phase of human history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the Return of Christ.

In Daniel 2, the image consists of the metal kingdoms. Apart from the metal kingdoms, nothing exists. In the same way, Revelation’s beast consists of the seven heads. The beast is simply the sum of the heads. Conversely, the seven heads are the seven consecutive phases of the Beast.  Apart from the seven heads, there is no beast.  Everywhere that Revelation says that the beast does something, it is actually one of the heads (kings) that does it. 

Evidence from Daniel 2 that the seven-headed beasts are three of the seven heads is that the different body parts of the Daniel 2 image are both the seven heads and the beasts in Revelation:

Both the body parts of the image in Daniel 2 and the seven heads are kingdoms that exist one after the other. For that reason, Revelation’s heads are equivalent to the body parts in Daniel 2.

But the different body parts in Daniel 2 are also different beasts in Revelation, for it has already been shown that the iron legs of the image are equivalent to the fourth beast in Daniel 7 with its “large iron teeth” (Dan 7:7) and that this symbolizes the Roman Empire, which, in Revelation, is symbolized by the seven-headed Dragon in Rev 12:3-4.  

What we see in Revelation, therefore, is not a single beast with three bodies and seven heads; but only seven heads with the three beasts being three of those heads.

SEVEN WORLD EMPIRES

It has been concluded above, from the book of Daniel, that the seven heads are seven world empires that exist one after another. This conclusion can now be confirmed from Revelation: The article – The Seven-Headed Beasts – has identified the Revelation’s Dragon as the Roman Empire. It would then follow that the other seven-headed beasts also are empires.  And since we have now concluded that Revelation’s beasts are three of the seen heads, it follows that all seven heads are not only kingdoms but world empires. These seven world empires are identified in the next article – Seven Heads Identified.