The Monstrosity and Evilness of Mankind (6) (Part 10)
Six-fold Reference to 10 Evil Horns/Crowns (Kings) of the Beast’s Empire:
- . . . “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.” (Rev. 12:3). (Emphasis added).
- . . . “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.” (Rev. 13:1). (Emphasis added).
- . . . “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” (Rev. 17:3). (Emphasis added).
- . . . “And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman and beast that carrieth her, which hat the seven heads and ten horns.” (Rev. 17:7). (Emphasis added).
- . . . “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power of kings one hour with the beast.” (Rev. 17:12). (Emphasis added).
- . . . “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.” (Rev. 17:16). (Emphasis added).
Commentary: These 6 (six) verses describe the political and military backbone of the beast’s evil empire. The ten (10) kings are a consortium of political leaders that collectively give up their political and military sovereignty to the beast/antichrist. In exchange, he grants them “power as kings for one hour.” They will come from what is represented as a revived Roman empire (geographically, politically and militarily). The above reference in verse 17:12-14 indicates that these ten (10) political leaders act in a collective unison (with one mind), and give up their political and military might (power and strength) to the beast (based upon the will of God). This verse also continues on to indicate that these kings “for one hour” are active military participants against Jesus Christ on the Lord’s Day at the battle of Armageddon. Two verses reference the influence that these ten (10) kings have on Mystery Religion Babylon. Verse 17:7 indicates that these kings act in collective unison and purpose in supporting (and enforcing) the worldwide acceptance of the whore, Mystery Religion Babylon. They are the ‘muscle of the means’ or the part of the beast that supports (carries) the domination of the mystery religion worldwide. The last reference, verses 17:16-17, indicate that midway through the Tribulation, these ten (10) kings turn on and destroy the whore, the Mystery Religion of Babylon.
Why would these ten (10) kings, who have worked for 3 ½ years to build up and support the whore, the worldwide mystery religion system, suddenly turn on her to “make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire?” The answer lies in the religious or spiritual ‘bait-n-switch’ that Satan pulls off on evil mankind. At the beginning of the Tribulation, to gain easy acceptance and domination over the world’s peoples, Satan allows them to worship anything and everything (but God and Jesus Christ) and to also enforce his worship through the beast/antichrist and false prophet. The worship of anything and everything (but God and Jesus Christ) is known as Mystery Religion Babylon, which also includes Satanic worship. Halfway (3 ½ years) into the Tribulation, Satan physically indwells the beast and commits the Abomination of Desolation in the rebuilt Jewish Temple. The satanically indwelt beast places himself in the holiest part of the rebuilt temple and declares himself to be God and demands to be worshipped directly as such, under the pain of death and beheading of not doing so. As a result, men who have taken the mark of the beast and perhaps have been worshipping idols of gold or silver, have no choice but to give up their mystery religion and are forced to worship Satan/beast exclusively.
Most of those deceived men who have already been worshipping the beast and his image will have no problem in continuing to worship the satanically indwelt beast. Their worship will just be more of the same, except that Satan is now the direct object or recipient of their worship. Conversely, those men who were actively participating in the mystery religion of worshipping whatever they wanted, now have to turn their worship exclusively to Satan. Thus, Satan has effectively pulled-off a successful religious ‘bait-n-switch’ of historical proportions. Evil men thought they could get away with chasing whatever they wanted, and now, Satan/beast has a firm grasp of them ‘bait-hook-line-sinker.’ Evil men have to worship him, they are forced to worship him under threat of death. They have physically and satanically defiled themselves through taking the beast’s mark (or name, number) and thus, they have given themselves over totally, completely to the beast’s kingdom and system. Now, the whole mystery religion system has been destroyed “burned with fire, flesh consumed,” and replaced with the singular, exclusive worship of Satan. The ten (10) kings helped carry the whore throughout the whole world, and conversely, helped destroy her when the time was right and dictated by Satan. Just as the beast and false prophet are puppets of Satan, the ten (10) kings are the ‘puppet thugs’ or ‘heavy muscle goons’ that carry the beast’s system and mystery religion (for 3 ½ years) throughout the world.
Ten (10) is a doubling of Satan’s evil number of five (5), (5×2=10). In the context of God’s divine mathematics, these “kings for an hour with the beast” represent a double portion of Satanic evil or worldly strength. Ten (10) also represents a doubling of the satanically empowered beast’s kingdom, or a doubling of any kind of Satan’s influence.