Where Else Do We Find ten Horns of Revelation 17?
We have been looking at the ten
horns/kings of Revelation 17. However, the same ten horns are found in some of
the visions presented in the book of Daniel.
Daniel 7: 7 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.
We remember that the fourth
beast in Daniel’s vision represented the Roman Empire including its division
into eastern and western parts. The ten horns in Daniel 7 are the same ten
horns in Revelation 17. They are also the same ten toes of Nebuchadnezzer’s
dream from Daniel 2 which we will look at in a moment.
Daniel 7: 8 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.
The little horn speaking great
things is again the imagery of the Antichrist. It seems that three of the ten
horns, which may represent governments or nations or regional economic powers,
cause problems for the Antichrist. It becomes necessary for him to “pluck
(them) up by the roots.” “Plucked up by the roots” seems to indicate internal
revolution and a change in the philosphy of the government. The communist take
over of Russa in 1917 “plucked up” the Russian Monarchial government “by the
roots.” A whole change in political and philosophical and economic thinking
took place. Old ideas and values were deemed false and new ones were adopted as
true.
The French Revolution of 1779
was quite similar and had the goal of clearing away the old corrupt system to
supposedly bring in a new more righteous one. Some of the modern “Woke”
philosophies are vying to bring around revolutionary change in America and in
other western European countries. Will the new philosophies of equality or
equity be used to “pluck up by the roots” the present day western formerly
Christian Judaic belief system? Will our present world sysetm be replaced by a
worldwide atheistic, socialistic materialism that nevertheless professes to
support universal love and brotherhood for all oppressed peoples? Will those who are true-believing Christians be designated as a “White Supremists” and be considered enemies of the “Woke” society?
Daniel 7: 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the
horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning
flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts,
they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season
and time.
The beast is the Antichrist’s government and could represent the Antichrist himself, as it does in many places in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 19 we see that the beast or Antichrist is thrown into a lake of fire after of the Battle of Armageddon when Christ returns in His wrath. The verse in Daniel highlighted above seems to be referring to what Revelation 19 confirms, an example of how the Bible interprets itself.
Revelation 19: 11 And I
saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he does judge and make war…13
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The
Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goes a
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God. 16 And he had on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, And Lord of Lords.
Jesus is the Lord of Lords and
King of Kings. We see him returning for that great Battle of Armageddon which
will take place just outside of Jerusalem in Israel. Jesus will come back to
confront the Antichrist and his forces in that battle.
Revelation 19: 19 And I saw the beast (the Antichrist), and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, and which deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
At Jesus’s return in the above
section we see not the rapture event taking place, but rather the pouring out
of Almighty God’s wrath. In Revelation 14:14-16 you may remember that we saw
the Son of man gathering of the grapes of harvest. We interpretted that harvest
as representing the rapture/resurrection event at the end of the 3 and ½ year
tribulation period. The sequel event, Revelation 14:17-20, the treading down of
the grapes of wrath, we interpreted as representing the 75 days of the wrath of
God ending with Christ’s physical return to the earth.
What Happens at the Beginning of Revelation 19?
The beginning of Revelation 19
depicts the Marriage Supper of the Lamb which we will review once again.
Revelation 19:6 And I
heard as if it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns.
Before we go any further with
the section in Revelation 19 we need to think about when and where we heard
“mighty thunderings” before in John’s vision? Remember, back in chapter ten,
just before the sound of the seventh angel sounding the seventh and last
trumpet? What did John hear?
Revelation 10:4 And when the seven thunders had
uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from
heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered,
and write them not.
The thunders were thundering
just before the seventh angel sounded the seventh trumpet, which is the last
trumpet.
Revelation 10:7 But
in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the
prophets.
We have shown already that the
seventh trumpet, the last trumpet, is in fact the rapture/resurrection event.
If we look over to chapter eleven where the seventh angel sounds the seventh
trumpet, what do we find?
Revelation 11:15 And
the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and he shall reign for
ever and ever.
I would dare say that the
imagery in Revelation 19:6 bears resemblence to the same event in time, “for the Lord God omnipotent
reigns,” sounds very similar to “he shall reign for ever and ever.” Christ indeed
does reign and He is about to take back the kingdom to Himself. But, first, He
must prepare His bride for battle and have a victory celebration. That is what
we see at the onset of Revelation 19, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
Revelation 19:7 Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has
made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed
in fine line, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the
saints.
We have looked earlier at the “fine linen, clean and white” as representing the righteousness of Christ that we, the true believers, are adorned with. In Revelation 7 we get a flash forward of the above event and what the white robes represented.
Revelation 7:13 And
one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in
white robes? And whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knows. And
he said to me, These are
they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb.
We have shown that the great tribulation occurs before Jesus returns to gather together His elect and is seen clearly under the trumpets of tribulation in Revelation 8-10. We have seen that the tribulation occurs before the rapture/resurrection event.
We have seen also that it is
the blood of Christ that makes our marraige garments white and clean. It is the
blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin and makes us righteous in God’s
eyes. Apostle John wrote,
I John 1:7 But
if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with
another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
We take on the righteousness
of Christ by faith in Him. Apostle John explained in his Gospel Christ’s transforming
power.
John 1:12 But as many as have receieved Him
to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
His name.
Apostle Paul has also
addressed the righteousness which is by faith in various of his letters.
Romans 5:19 For
as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
(Christ) shall many be
made righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For
he (God) has made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him (Jesus).
In the letter to the Hebrews
we read the same principle:
Hebrews 9:14 How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God.
Our white robes, our fine
linen, clean and white, is because we have received and followed Christ by
faith. We stand justified by faith in the righteousness which is by faith in
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Moving back to Revelation 19
and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, let us finish the imagery.
Revelation 19:9 And
he said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me,These are the true sayings of God.
It is just after we see the
vision of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb that we see Christ returning with the
saints to take on the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon.
Revelation
11 has similar imagery and confirms further what we have been proposing.
To further confirm what we have been
saying we will look at a few verses in Revelation 11. Remember the seventh
angel has already sounded back in verse 15. Therefore, the rapture has taken
place. Let’s see what follows.
Revelation
11:17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, which are, and was, and are to come; because thou has taken to thee
thy great power, and has reighned.
Now watch carefully what follows.
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, (Are they angry because God has snatched away His people?), and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou should give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great; (Are these awards being given at the marriage supper of the Lamb in the heavenly realm which is taking place during the beginning period of the wrath of God?), and should destroy them which destroy the earth. (God will destroy the merchants, the richmen of the earth who cooperated with the Antichrist and destroyed the earth through their nuclear weapons, their nuclear plants, their pesticides and fertilizers, the pollution from their factories, their other military armaments, etc.)
To go to Part 4 click HERE
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