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We have made no effort to hide our view that the Papacy of Rome is the prophesied fifth earthly kingdom in Daniel’s succession of empires (Daniel 2 & 7). The Papacy is the Sea Beast of Revelation 13:1, the Seven Headed, Ten-horned Beast that succeeds the Roman Empire. Christ’s future earthly kingdom, of course, will be the sixth. Nor have we hesitated to identify the False Prophet, which is none other than the Apparitions of Mary, the Land Beast of Revelation 13:11, the Two-horned, Lamb-looking, Dragon-speaking False Prophet that can make “fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (Revelation 13:13). It is that False Prophet that “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth” and convinces them “that they should make an image to the beast” (Revelation 13:14), which refers to the Eucharistic bread idol of Rome that can come to life and speak, “the source and summit” of the Roman faith (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324).
What we have not discussed yet is the mortal head wound of the Beast. John mentions it three times:
“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…” (Revelation 13:3-4)
“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” (Revelation 13:12)
“And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. … as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” (Revelation 13:14-15)
Whatever that head wound may be (and we shall identify it in this short series), it factors significantly into the object of the world’s worship.
The head wound reveals whom it is that they worship. They worship the Dragon “which gave power unto the beast” whose deadly wound was healed. They “worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” They “worship the image of the beast … whose deadly wound was healed.” Something about that head wound and its healing makes it clear who this new religion worships, and it is not God. They worship the Image of the Beast, the Beast, and the Dragon who gave authority to the Beast. At its core, the religion is Satanic, and that mortal head wound is the proof.
That is not good news for her many adherents, but we are constrained by the Scriptures to confess it. By that head wound, which one of the Beast’s heads sustains but survives, the Scriptures draw our attention to the fact that Satan worship is the heart and soul, “the source and summit,” of the religion of the Fifth Empire. It is just a cold, hard truth.
Reviewing the Data
Before diving too deeply into the head wound, a brief review of the Biblical data and their Danielic imagery is warranted. The Seven-headed Ten-horned beast makes three appearances in Revelation:
Revelation 12:3 “… behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
Revelation 13:1 “I … saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns”
Revelation 17:3 “… I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”
The Seven Heads and Ten Horns, in the aggregate, refer to the four beasts of Daniel 7 — a one-headed Lion (Babylon), a one-headed Bear (Medo-Persia), a four-headed Leopard (Greece) and a one-headed, ten-horned terrible beast (Rome). The Fifth Empire of Daniel’s visions is an amalgamation of the preceding empires. It was like a Leopard with the feet of a Bear and a mouth of a Lion, with all the heads and horns of those four beasts combined.
The Danielic Background of the Beast
We find in Daniel that his depiction of these beasts is not only about the succession of world empires, but also is largely about the transitions between them. Daniel 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 describe the transitions from Babylonian to Medo-Persian (Daniel 5:28), Medo-Persian to Greek (Daniel 8:3-7, 10:20; 11:1-3) and Greek to Roman empires (Daniel 11:40-45, 12:1). The three chapters in Revelation in which the Seven-headed, Ten-horned beast is described (12, 13 and 17) continue on that theme, depicting the transition from the preceding empires to the fifth—that is, from the preceding pagan global empires to the rise of the next pagan empire: Roman Catholicism.
The Beast is Next
The narration of Revelation 12 begins with “seven crowns upon his heads” (Revelation 12:2), depicting a time when the pagan empires of Daniel 7 had persecuted the saints. Verse 4 — “his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth” — refers to the persecution under Antiochus IV — “it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them” (Daniel 8:10). Revelation 12:4a is a plain reference to that time period. Next — “the dragon stood before the woman … to devour her child as soon as it was born” (Revelation 12:4b) — referring to Herod’s attempt to destroy the Christ child as soon as he heard of His birth (Matthew 2:13-18). Having depicted the satanic persecution of the Church under the Greeks, then under the Romans, the chapter continues until the flood of error at the end of the fourth century, coinciding with the rise of Roman Catholicism. In this narration, which speaks of a succession of persecuting empires, the Beast is next.
The Beast is Satanic
Revelation 13 depicts a time when the Beast has come to power, and “upon his horns ten crowns” (Revelation 13:1). The source of the Beast’s power, seat and authority is the Dragon (Revelation 13:2, 4). The Beast has an accomplice, a second Beast, which “spake as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11), and exercises “all the power of the first beast” (Revelation 13:12), which itself derives its authority from the Devil (Revelation 13:2). The power of the second Beast thus also originates from the Dragon (Revelation 13:2). In this narration, which speaks of his power and authority, the Beast is Satanic.
The Beast is Roman
Revelation 17 depicts a time with crowns on neither head nor horn, and the focus is on “the great whore,” which is the city of Rome (Revelation 17:1, 18), and the Beast she will ride when it comes to power (Revelation 17:8), though he has not yet arisen (Revelation 17:8,11). The fragments of the Roman empire will briefly “receive power” with the Beast (Revelation 17:12), and then will “give their kingdom” — the fragmented remnants of the Roman empire — “unto the beast” (Revelation 17:17). The Woman is Rome, “that great city” which, at the time of John’s vision, “reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). She, as a city, is situated on seven hills (Revelation 17:9), for Rome has since its founding been known as the Urbs Septacollis, the seven-hilled city. The chapter is not so much about the Beast itself so much as it is about his geographic location. In this narration, the Beast is Roman.
These three depictions — Revelation 12, 13 and 17 — provide abundant insight into the nature of the Beast, and may be concisely summarized as we have in bold, above. From the perspective of the Fourth Empire of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Daniel 2 — the time period of John’s Apocalypse — the Beast of Revelation 13 is chronologically next after the Empire of Rome, geographically Roman, and in its origin, Satanic. Which is to say, the Fifth Empire of Daniel’s visions would be next, Roman, and Satanic. Such are the stark and ominous Scriptural descriptions of Roman Catholicism, the Fifth Empire of the Danielic timeline.
The Head Wound Preceded his Rise
But there is something more here. An oft-overlooked truth from Revelation is that the Beast arose with one of its heads already mortally injured, and already recovered. Read carefully. According to Revelation 13, the Beast appears to have risen from the sea having already sustained that mortal injury to one of its heads, and having already recovered from it.
The first thing John notices about the Beast, aside from its constituent parts and the source of its authority, is that the head wound that so fascinated him had already occurred:
“And I … saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, … And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:” (Revelation 13:1-3).
In a striking turn of phrase, John uses the same language to describe the mortal wounds previously sustained by the Lamb as he does to describe the mortal wound previously sustained by the Beast:
Revelation 5:6 “And I beheld … a Lamb as it had been slain (ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (hōs esphagmenon))…”
Revelation 13:3 “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded (ὡς ἐσφαγμένην (hōs esphagmenēn))”
The Lamb had already been slain, and was here, alive, in heaven. One head of the Beast had already been mortally wounded, and here it was, alive again. Just as Jesus’ mortal wounds were past, so too was the Beast’s head wound.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers registers that surprising correlation:
“And I saw . . .–Translate, ‘And (I saw) one from among his heads as if having been slain [the expression is the same as that applied to the Lamb in Revelation 5:6 : the wound marks are there when the vision rises] unto death; and the stroke of his death was healed. When the wild beast rose from the sea, the seer saw the deadly wound on the head” (emphasis added)
The New King James, among others, registers this same sense: “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded.” John mentions that wound before he mentions any other chronological attribute. Everything else (listed below) is noticed after he observed that the head had been wounded mortally, and that the wound was healed:
“and all the world wondered after the beast.” (v. 3)
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast” (v. 4)
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;” (v. 5)
“and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” (v. 5)
“And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God” (v. 6)
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them” (v. 7)
“and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (v. 7)
All of these are noticed by John after the wound is observed. By the time the Beast rose from the sea, the head wound had already occurred. And had already healed.
Using this information, we can begin our next post by identifying what that mortal head wound was not, and then use the Scriptures to identify what it was, and importantly, why the head wound and its healing confirms the Satanic origins of the Beast and his power, and the pitiful condition of those who worship him.
Oh Tim! You left us hanging lol. Cant wait for the next post. The way you chronicaled it is seemless. ” to identify what it was” have wondered this for a long time. ” and importantly, why the head wound and and its healing confirms the Satanic orgins of the beast and his power” this will be interesting. ” and the pitiful condition of those who worship him” may God open their hearts to the Christ of scripture, that the delusion can be lifted, and they might believe in the gospel of scripture.
This has probably been the topic I have been most eager for you to write about. Thank you. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Hey Tim,
I appreciate all the work you’ve done on eschatology, it has really helped me in understanding the book of Daniel and Revelation.
One question I’ve been wanting to ask you is in regards to Rev 17
Revelation 17:12-14
[12]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.
[13]These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
[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.
If I’m not mistaken, the ten kings refer to the 10 remaining Roman diocese and the beast is the little horn of Daniel 7 who has risen up and taken 3 dioceses (the Petrine sees) and now rules over the remaining 10. I’ve read and heard you teach that Rev 17:14 is a reference to the return of Christ and that when he returns to judge the beast, the beast still has the ten horns (diocese).
My questions is how is it that the papacy will still rule over the 10 Roman dioceses when Christ returns? Has not those diocese been gone ever since the fall of the Roman empire? Is there some way that these ten kings refer to a possible united europe?(possibly the papacy gathering the European union together to make war against Christ at his return)
Anyways these are just some questions that I haven’t heard you explain. Thanks again!
Much of the answer is found in the eschatological chapters of Scripture. If you take a look at the 70 Years of Exile prophesied by Jeremiah, you discover that Nebuchadnezzar did not survive those 70 years. In fact the Babylonian empire did not survive those 70 years. But the prophecy was not that the Jews would serve Nebuchadnezzar for 70 years. It was that they would serve the king of Babylon for 70 years, and Ezra 5:13 identifies Cyrus as king of Babylon, and indeed, the Jews were serving Cyrus when that 70 years came to a conclusion, not Nebuchadnezzar or his sons. I addressed this in an audio podcast here: https://thorncrownministries.com/srr/2018/12/1/srr-94-the-danielic-imperative-part-17?rq=danielic
The point is that sometimes prophecies are dynastic (as in Daniel 2 and 7) but sometimes they are geographic as in Daniel 11, where king of the North follows the territory rather than the dynasty that originally occupied it (just as “king of babylon” followed its ruler, not the particular dynasty of Nebuchadnezzar who was ruling at the time of the prophecy).
I’ll be addressing some of this in the current series on “Wounded to Death,” but if the four horns of Daniel 8, and the four way division of Daniel 11 followed the rulers of those particular territories (not the original dynasties that controlled them), I would expect the ten horns of Revelation 19 to align with the territories, and not particular dynasties that ruled them when they first fragmented from Rome and then aligned with Roman Catholicism.
Much of the eschatological literature on Roman Catholicism’s rise and reign focuses on the Mediterranean basin and the adjacent nations/territories comprised by those ten horns/dioceses. I imagine the fulfillment of the Beast aligning with those ten horns against the Lamb would involve the Beast and the nations of the Mediterranean basin aligning with the Papacy against Christ—something that is considerably less unimaginable as we see the current pope aligning with every left-moving political heterodoxical and nonChristian theological movement, and frankly any religious, atheistic or political movement that darkens his door.
We shall see. But as the horns of Daniel 8 followed territories rather than dynasties, I imagine the ten horns would follow suit.
Very interesting. Thanks for your response.
So basically the 10 horns refer to geographic territories (like the king of the north and king of the south in Dan 11). They began as the Roman division into diocese but continue on throughout history and each geographic territory is ruled by different rulers. These 10 horns will align with the papacy/roman catholicism in opposition to Christ at his return. Is that a correct summary?
Thanks for the link to the Danielic imperative series. I’ve been slowly working my way through it. I haven’t got to that episode yet.