And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns,and on its heads were blasphemous names. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bearâs, and its mouth was like a lionâs mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.
The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, âWho is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?â
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwellingâthose who dwell in heaven. 7 And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.
9 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.
10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.
Revelation 13
It is almost certain that this is the same beast that the Whore rides in Revelation 17.
3 Then he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
The angel continues explaining the Beast:
Then the angel said to me, âWhy are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destructionâŠ.âThe seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [Whore] is seated. They are also seven kings: 10 Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast that was and is not, is itself an eighth king, but it belongs to the seven and is going to destruction. 12 The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
Leopard, Bear and Lion
Johnâs reference to a leopard, bear, and lion, has strong parallels with Danielâs prophecy (ch.7). Historically, commentators have taken this to mean, that the Sea Beast will be fast, tenacious, and totally dominating. Given what the Sea Beast does, this understanding makes a great deal of sense. However, the references to theses Beasts are very striking, and consideration must be given to whether this prophecy is a continuation of Danielâs prophecy of the Babylonian Empire (lion), Medo-Persian Empire (bear), Greek Empire (leopard).
This Beast roles into one the beasts of Daniel, from Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt (all controlled by Greece), Iraq/Arabia (Babylonian), & Iran (Persian), in other words Islam!
7 Heads
The Beast is described has having 7 heads.
âThe seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [Whore] is seated. They are also seven kings: 10 Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while.
The description is first applied to where the Whore is seated = seven mountains. Where are these mountains located? Where the Whore is or where the Beast is? or Both? Are these mountains, nations, or actual hills or mountains?
Historically, many Christian commentators have applied this to the location of the Whore, more than a description of the Beast, preferring rather that the Beast is described by a sequence of kingdoms as described and started in Daniel 7:17, due to a cool twist in prophecyâs wording:
They are also seven kings: 10 Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast that was and is not, is itself an eighth king, but it belongs to the seven and is going to destruction.
The Beast has 7 heads, which are 7 kings, but the 8th king, is also the beast that has 7 heads. Trippy. Thus the Sea Beast is the last in a succession of kingdoms, rather than individual rulers of a particular kingdom. Cooler still, is is the continuation of beasts of Daniel 7. One of the questions, is whether the 7th Beast remains for a short time or whether it is the 8th Beast, who is of the 7th. Personally, I think it applies to the 8th, as there is no end depicted of what follows it.
At the time of writing, John said 5 had fallen. Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Persia, Greece, were all empires that had ruled Israel, and Rome was ruling Israel as John was writing. That means there is only one more empire to follow Rome (since the 8th is of the 7th, it seems that the 8th is a weakened form, most likely the result of the fatal head wound of the 7th).
To identify the 7th, we simply need ask: which empire followed the Roman empire in ruling the Holy Land? The Roman emperor Heraclius was defeated by KhÄlid ibn al-WalÄ«d (who had united the Arabian Peninsular under Islam).
The decisive battle that delivered Palestine to the Muslims took place on August 20, 636. Only Jerusalem and Caesarea held out, the former until 638, when it surrendered to the Muslims, and the latter until October 640. Palestine, and indeed all of Syria, was then in Muslim hands.1
There is only 1 answer to the identity of the 7th Beast. Islam.
Attaturk dissolved the Islamic Ottoman Empire,abolishing the caliphate, after its humiliating defeat of World War 1. This was the fatal wound caused by a sword. He had only been ruler for a mere 2 years. However, Islam still lived and dominated the Holy Land until Nov 1947.
Some have argued that the wound must be healed, giving a new caliphate. While I accept that is a possibility, it seems unlikely.
Can the 7 heads/mountains be applied to the Sea Beast, not merely as the location of the Whore of Babylon, and not only as a description of successive kingdoms that rule Israel?
Yes. Mecca, the home of Islam, is built on 7 mountains.2
It might also be a reference to the Arabian Peninsular and its 7 nations (sometimes referred to as mountains), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.3
In some schools of theology, Nero is regarded as the Beast. His reign was brutal, albeit short. However, his terror (AD. 54 – 68) comes before the Abomination of Desolation – even if you believe that AD 70 is the fulfillment of that event – and therefore cannot be part of the great tribulation Jesus refers to in Matthew 24 that precedes his return. Unlike Nero’s reign of terror that lasted a mere 14 years, Islam terrorised the world for 1260 years.
Why is it the Sea Beast?
John says that he was taken to the wilderness to observe the Sea Beast (Rev 17:3). So why is it called the Sea Beast in Revelation 13? This is due to a prophecy of Isaiah 21. Revelation 12 concludes with the Dragon standing on the sand of the sea. Isaiah 21 is a prophecy against Babylon:
A pronouncement concerning the desert by the sea:
Like storms that pass over the Negev,
it comes from the desert, from the land of terror.
Looking west across the sea by the Negev, it is the desert nations of the Arabian Peninsula, and beyond: the land of terror.
Some have speculated that Revelation 13 literally means that this Beast is a sea-going empire. There is no evidence of that in Scripture, except to possible allusions to the sea merchants in Revelation 18, but they are upset about the destruction of the Whore, rather than celebrating it. The Beast hates the Whore of Babylon and seeks to destroy it.
âBabylon has fallen, has fallen.
All the images of her gods
have been shattered on the ground.â
Mohammad literally smashed all the idols of Mecca. He had no regard for the god of his fathers (his grandfather was the keeper of the idols in Mecca).
42 Months
The Sea Beast is told to rule the âearthâ for 42 months. Since it is concurrent (but not identical) with the time that the woman flees the land, I suggest that it is Jerusalem-centric. 42 months is 1278.348 solar days, although some reckon this still as 1260 years (with 30-day months) which is 1241.9 solar years, and some think it is 1260 solar years. Oddly, it doesn’t significantly matter.
The dilemma is to identify the start and end points.
The end point is likely to be when Israel regained control of Jerusalem in June 1967-1278.348 = 688.15, the founding year of the Dome of the Rock. Bear in mind, there is nothing in Revelation 13 that provides an end date, or a start date, this is just a speculation. It assumes that the 42 months of Revelation 11, where Jerusalem is trodden underfoot, corresponds to the rule of the Sea Beast in Revelation 13. It is assumed that once Jerusalem is restored to Israelâs control that the 42 months of the nations trampling Jerusalem will cease, and that corresponds to the end of the Sea Beastâs rule.
If it is 1260 literal years from 1967, it takes us to the later date for the Al Aqsa Mosque. If it is 1260 literal years from 1948, we arrive at AD688, the start of construction of the Dome of the Rock. These are like book ends, so we cannot miss the application.
Why is it 1260 years, rather than 1260 literal days? Firstly, because of the continuation of Danielâs prophecy of 1290 days (which turned out to be years- based on the 70 âSevensâ prophecy of Daniel 9, and Ezekiel 4) between the ceasing of the daily oblations (sacrifices, prayers, thanksgivings) and the Abomination of Desolation. And in Revelation 12, where Israel leaves desolate, the land and temple mount after the erection of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque. There is significant historical support for this position; see Note 1 and Note 2.
Secondly, the Sea Beast rules a vast area: the whole earth (not literally). It is not likely that the sheer logistics of this is possible in 1260 days.
Thirdly, Jesus says that after the Abomination of Desolation a tribulation so great, would unfold, that its like was never seen, and never will be again. This, along with other reasons, rules out Neroâs ghastly reign, as the tribulation, but emphasizes the reign of the Sea Beast to be brutal. The reign of Islam has been the most brutal periods on earth, both in intensity and duration. Weâve been told the exact opposite, that the earth was under peace with Islam, which could not be further from the truth.
The Whole Earth
Christians who take a literal interpretation of verses in Revelation saying that the Beast will be worshiped by everyone, misunderstand both worship, and a Biblical understanding of âthe whole earthâ or âall tongues and nationsâ. Just one example: Daniel addresses Nebuchadnezzar as ruler of the âwhole earthâ of âevery nation, language, peopleâ (Daniel 4). It merely implies a vast kingdom, but not literally the whole earth, or every literal tribe, tongue and nation. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar’s Chaldean kingdom was much smaller than other kingdoms he was fighting.
Even so, the Islamic empire is the largest empire in human history; no empire lasted longer in length. The Islam empire lasted from about 632 until 1924, almost 1300 years. In contrast the Roman Empire lasted from 27 BC to AD 476. The Byzantine Empire was from AD476 to 1453, which also was defeated by Islam.
Islam was started by the self declared prophet, Mohammad, prophet of Allah. Islam grew over centuries to be the largest empire in the history of the world. It stretched from western Mongolia, down through much of India, into Indonesia, over to West Africa and north into many parts of Europe.
In short, while there is no Biblical support for a literalist interpretation of the âwhole earthâ, Islam is the closest we’ve had to a single empire ruling the world.4
Slaughter and Captives
It was a beast that was fast, vicious, and tenacious. It had a particular hatred of Christians and Jews and sought to supplant Christianity. Islam killed vast numbers of people and traded in millions more slaves. It is estimated that there were over 5 million Europeans taken as slaves, and countless Africans: the largest slave trade in history. Tammerlane5 killed an estimated 5% of the entire worldâs population. Even in the years immediately before the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, they genocided Armenians (AD. 1915-17), killing an estimated 1 million people.6 It is well known Islam even had brigades that joined the Nazis, because they wanted to kill Jews – Hitler was photographed with these troops and the mufti of Jerusalem.
Allah rebuked Mohammad for wanting slaves, saying that Allah wanted to establish his religion by slaughter instead:
Allah said, ‘A prophet must slaughter before collecting captives. A slaughtered enemy is driven from the land. Muhammad, you craved the desires of this world, its goods and the ransom captives would bring. But Allah desires killing them to manifest the religion.’ [enf_note]Ibn Ishaq:327[/efn_note]
Nero has often been described as the Beast: he slaughtered, literally butchered and ate Christians, fed Christians to lions, sawed in two, burned them alive. And as bad as this was, it lasted only a few years, whereas Islam has done this, and worse, since AD 610.
Worship
One of the interesting aspects of the Sea Beast is the element of worship. Most other empires were not religious, but it is clear that the Sea Beast is a very religious empire.
The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshipped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshipped the beast, saying, âWho is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?â
I have a much longer post on understanding what worshsip means. This is vital to understand. Without a correct understanding, recognising the fulfilment will be impossible.
The Sea Beast worships the Dragon, who we know is Satan. The Roman Empire, the only other empire that it can be compared to worshipped a plethora of gods. Islam worshipped one. Not only was Satan worshipped directly, because he gave authority to the beast, they also worshipped the Beast. This is not the case with the Roman empire.
Muslims claim they do not worship Mohammad, however, practice they do. Worship need not be voluntary, nor heart-felt, nor rational. Given the extent of coercion to worship the Beast and the Dragon
God condemns people who âworshipâ him with their lips, but not their hearts. Worship, includes respect and honour. Thus it can be true to say that the whole earth today worships Islam, whether actual worship, or lip service to avoid trouble. It brings to our minds, Danielâs friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar demanded that people worship the statue in front of them, or be executed. Now it is reasonable to believe that many, if not the majority of people did not believe that Nebuchadnezzar or his statue were literally god, but for the sake of their lives, bowed.
Islam has a particularly strange occurrence, not found in most other religions. While people worship Allah, and Mohammad, they also extol Islam, as being great, almost separate in some ways. Christians donât typically proclaim âChristianityâ as much as they proclaim âChristâ. Here however, we see those who worship Allah and Mohammad, also worship, the Beast, as the best, most powerful, strongest, of all religions.
Islam explicitly worships Allah who deceitfully claims to be the God of the Bible, and describes Mohammad as the perfect man, greater than even Jesus, leading the patriarchs and Jesus in prayer when he ascended into heaven from the Temple Mount for one night. Muslims also âworshipâ Mohammad, although they would deny it, and are willing to kill anyone who blasphemes or criticises him, because Allah gave him power.
Blasphemies
It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwellingâthose who dwell in heaven.
Mohammad claimed to ascend to heaven, and to lead Jesus, Moses, Abraham and other saints in prayer to Allah.
This is sufficient to meet the definition here of blasphemy against God, his name, his dwelling in heaven, the other saints, however Mohammad claimed to have done this being whisked away by the angel Gabriel from Mecca to the Temple Mount in a single night, and from there ascend to heaven, and return to Mecca. The Dome of the Rock commemorates this event and stands as the crowning jewel of Islam and its claim that Allah and his Messenger is greater than all other gods, especially the God of the Christians and Jews. Inside the Dome of the Rock, is an inscription, part of which reads:
O People of the Book! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning God save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His Word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers, and say not ‘Three’ – Cease! (it is) better for you! – God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.[enf_note]https://www.islamic-awareness.org/history/islam/inscriptions/dotr[/efn_note]
This blasphemy, among others, is repeated many times both inside inscriptions and outside inscriptions.
There is no greater blasphemy in Christianity than to claim to be greater than Christ, the Father, or the Temple.
In contrast, Titus, who didnât want the Temple destroyed, and declared that it was an act of god, not him, or Hadrian who offered Jews to rebuild the temple destroyed by the Roman army. Islam utters the greatest of blasphemies in Christianity.
Revelation 17 – Scarlet Beast
In Revelation 17, the same beast is described, only this time it is scarlet. Was the Beast scarlet in Revelation 13, but omitted because it was not relevant. Why is its scarlet nature now relevant?
Two theories:
Kings of the East
In Revelation 16, (bowl 6) we are told the Euphrates river will dry up to make way for the Kings of the East. It suggests an alliance, or at least influence, between the kings of the east and its becoming scarlet. China, who is strongly opposed to the US and allies, is indisputably red.
While the USA is trying to disentangle itself from the Middle East, China is taking advantage of this and creating alliances, and buying influence.7 There is a natural alliance here despite fundamentally different approaches to life and economics. Both the Islamic nations (the Sea Beast) and China are united in their hatred of the USA. Both detest the immorality of the USA, both detest that the USA rides them both.
Ottoman Empire
An empire that spans centuries is likely to have many different flags, standards, and banners, as it is rulers wanting to make their own mark or promote their own standard. While Mohammad is known to have a red cloak[efn_red]https://koran-contradiction.link/muhammads-red-robe/[/efn_note], red was not a colour associated much with Islam, until the Ottoman Empire.
Fatal wound
One of the most fascinating elements of the 7th Beast, is that it not only has a fatal wound, but also is an 8th Beast.
One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healedâŠ.the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
Does the 42 months include the time after the fatal head wound, or only the time before the fatal wound?
If the Sea Beast is Islam, there are two major events that might qualify as a fulfilment:
- The death of Mohammad.
- The dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1922.
Mohammadâs âministryâ lasted from AD 610 to AD 632, approximately 23 years. Some sources claim Mohammad was poisoned by a slave girl, others claim he died of a fever, head pain and weakness, but we know he was not wounded by a sword or in battle. So technically a fatal wound, in that Mohammad (the head of Islam) died and Islam continued to grow. Mohammad only ruled for a few years, and so might qualify under the description of the 7th Beast only living a short time, with the 8th Beast being, of the 7th. But it is difficult to see how this was a wound from a sword.
The Ottoman Empire suffered a humiliating defeat in World War 1, it ultimately lead to the dissolution of the Empire (the Beast). Mustafa Kemal (later given the surname “AtatĂŒrk”) abolished the sultanate of the Ottoman Empire on 1 November 1922, and the last sultan, Mehmed VI (reigned 1918â1922) left Turkey. The last Caliph (Ottoman Sultan) only ruled less than 4 years, and so may also qualify as living only a short time, with Islam continuing as the 8th Beast, but without a head, as appears to be implied in that there are only 7 heads on the beast. Islam dominated Israel another 23 years until Nov 1947 when the UN (the Earth Beast) voted to help the Woman, and gave Israel the right to the land it had abandoned.
I favour the latter of the two. Firstly, because it was a war (sword) that killed the 7th Beast. Secondly, the 8th Beast (which is of the 7th) is not recorded as having a head, which Islam lost, but continued to live. The last Caliph only ruled a few years, and Islam only dominated Israel for another 23 years, which concludes the 1260 years of the Beastâs rule.
Ridden by the Whore, but hates the whore
The Whore is seated on/rides the beast (Revelation 17:3, 7). A more complete explanation is given here: 6. Whore of Babylon
10 Kings
A more detailed explanation is here: 7. Revelation – Kings without a Kingdom
Conclusion
In my view, Islam easily fits the description of the Sea Beast through its actions, character, timings given in prophecy both in Revelation and in Daniel. It ties very closely with the Abomination of Desolation, and of itâs hatred of the Whore.
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Palestine/Roman-Palestine
- https://www.arabnews.com/node/1845006/saudi-arabia
https://zamzam.com/blog/mountains-in-makkah/ - https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/which-countries-are-located-in-the-arabian-peninsula.html
- e.g. 1 Kings 10:24
- https://historyofislam.com/contents/the-post-mongol-period/timur-of-samarqand/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timur
https://ukdhm.org/40-facts-about-tamerlane-timur-the-lame/
https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/timur-tamerlane - https://www.armenian-genocide.org/genocide.html
- https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/25/influence-without-entanglement-in-the-middle-east/
https://thediplomat.com/2022/07/the-impact-and-implications-of-chinas-growing-influence-in-the-middle-east/
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/us/politics/saudi-arabia-iran-china-biden.html
https://dawnmena.org/how-china-is-exporting-high-tech-authoritarianism-to-the-middle-east-joshua-kurlantzick/
https://www.iemed.org/publication/the-role-of-china-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-mena-beyond-economic-interests/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10399501/How-Beijing-uses-billions-buy-political-influence-world.html