Seven heads, ten horns, four beasts: A million interpretations but only one Biblical answer.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

If I should dare to reproduce the picture in my book, the picture I'd like to show you would look like something like this... (notice the wounded head) Pic is of the seven headed snake monster Mushmahu being slain by Ninurta.


From An illustrated dictionary; Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia; Jeremy Black and Anthony Green, ISBN 978-0-292-70794-8 Great book, everyone interested in this stuff should own it. There!

And www.ancient.eu...

TIAMAT'S CREATURES - Eleven terrifying monsters created by Tiamat to avenge the death of Apsu and destroy the younger gods. There were three fearsome horned snakes: Musmahhu, Usumgallu and Basmu; the snake-dragon Mushhushshu; Lahmu the hairy super man; Ugallu, the lion-demon; Uridimmu, the lion-man; Girtablullu, the scorpion-man; Umu-Debrutu, terrifying storms; Kulullu, the fish-man (mermen and mermaids) and Kusarikku, the bull-man. All eleven of Tiamat's creatures were defeated by Marduk who preserved images of them in the watery remains of Abzu to commemorate his victory. They were made ample use of by the people of Mesopotamia in magical incantations and to ward off evil and the forces of chaos. Many of their images are well known today through statues outside of palaces and temples, most notably the Ishtar Gate of Babylon.

a reply to: Utnapisjtim

Thanks. I read about that picture in the book "The Second Coming of the Anti-christ", by Peter Goodgame. That further confirms that the 7 headed dragon is consistently associated with Mesopotamia and not so much "Revived Rome". I believe Isaiah uses the term Leviathan or Rahhab to describe the Beast. I'll have to find the verse.

Let's discuss for a moment the identity of Mystery Babylon.
Revelation 17:18 says, "the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." This doesn't fit with Ninevah. Ninevah may have been A Mystery Babylon (in type) but not THE Mystery Babylon (the antitype, or primary fulfillment). God's prophecies often exhibit multiple/perpetual fulfillment; this explains the similarities with Ninevah even though Ninevah isn't being referenced by Rev. 17-18. So what city is Mystery Babylon?

Ezekiel 23 reveals the identity to us (but make sure you have read Rev.17 and Ezekiel 23 before going any further). I am going to go through some of the verses individually, but please read the whole chapter.
First of all, Jerusalem is described in Eze.23 as the harlot Oholibah. She is described as having fornicated with Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon (the first 3 heads of the beast). For her harlotries, Ezekiel describes the punishment which God will inflict on her.

1.
 "For thus says the Lord GOD,'Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you hate, into the hand of those from whom you were alienated. They will deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries.'" Ezekiel 23:28-29

Compare this verse with Rev 17:16 and see the similarities. "And the ten horns that you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire."

2.
"These things will be done to you because you have played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols." Ezekiel 23:30

Compare this verse to Rev 17:15
"Then the angel said to me, 'The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.'"

3.
Ezekiel 23:35 says
"Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, 'Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.' "

Their punishment will be the punishment described to Moses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 if they do not obey the Lord their God.

4.
Part of her punishment is described in Ezekiel 23:46.
"For thus says the Lord GOD, 'Bring up a company against them and give them over to terror and plunder."

This is also describing the attack described in Ezekiel 38-39 and Zechariah 12-14.

5.
Ezekiel 23:47
" And the company will stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords; they will slay their sons and their daughters and burn their houses with fire."

Compare "burn ... with fire" to Rev 17:16.

6.
God tells us his purpose for doing this in verse 48.
"Thus I shall make lewdness cease from the land."

He does this to purify and refine His people.

7. Ezekiel 23:49
" They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall pay for your idolatrous sins. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God."

Compare this to Eze 39:22-24.


Mystery Babylon is Jerusalem, and it is seated on the beast because it has made a covenant with it instead of with her God. Rev 17:16 tells us that the beast and the ten horns (kings) will hate this city and will attack it and destroy it.
Which kingdom is the kingdom of the beast?
Ezekiel 23 tells us the first 3 kingdoms.
1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon

The next 3 are
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. Rome

John told us in Rev 17:10 that the 7th kingdom hadn't come yet when he was writing Revelation.

The kingdom that followed Rome, existed in the middle east, and opposed God and His people was the Islamic Caliphate. These are the 7 kingdoms.

But Rev 17:11 says that the beast is an eighth king that is of the 7. This means that the beast empire is one of the original 7 that comes back to be an eighth.
The antichrist's empire (the 8th) is going to be a revived Islamic Caliphate. This beast empire will make a 7 year treaty with Israel, for peace probably, but they will break off the treaty in the middle of the 7 and attack Jerusalem because they "hate the prostitute" (Rev 17:16).

Now reread Revelation 17 hopefully it will all come together.

a reply to: 9baller

If your god chose to not reveal the identity clearly what makes you think you have the capability to guess the correct meaning (assuming there is one)?

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Also, look up the Canaanite dragon Yam/Yamm a personification of water. Yam in Hebrew is Sea. He is described with both seven heads and ten horns. In Hebrew he is Leviathan.

a reply to: 9baller
You make a lot of good points in showing how Jerusalem practices harlotry, but that doesnt mean that Jerusalem is Mystery Babylon. Remember that it takes at least two to tango. Jeremiah 50 & 51 both specifically state that when Babylon is destroyed, it will never rise again. This cant be the case for Jerusalem, since Jesus will rule from Jerusalem when He returns.

Further more, Zeph 2:12-15 is essentially quoting Isaiah 47:7-8 & Revelation 17:7-8. You cant get more direct than that.

Both Assyria and Babylon will exist in the end times, because Assyria was used to discipline Israel and Babylon for Judah. I dont know why Nineveh would be named as the new capital of Babylon, but the word Mystery does imply a spiritual title.

In both Jeremiah 50-51 and Isaiah 14, we see that Babylon will be destroyed by the Medes, and in Isaiah 14, the Assyrian will fall in the valley, just like Gog of Magog. I believe this will be in the valley of Megiddo.

I'd like to make a correction that I noticed when reading Zech 12-14. Thanks to 9baller for mentioning the chapter.

The Battle of Armageddon aka the Gog of Magog invasion does not take place in Megiddo, but rather in Jerusalem. The Greek word Har-Mageddon that appears in Revelation is not a transliteration of Megiddo. It is a translitated Hebrew word that means mountain of invasion. "Har" is Hebrew for mountain, "ma-geddon" is invaded land.

If you compare Zech 12-14, Ezek 38-39, and Revelation 16:16, there is no way that the Beast/Gog can die in Meggido and Jerusalem.

This is yet another example of prophetic accounts that should be consolidated for a composite image.

For an excellent article on the etymology of "Har-mageddon", click here.

originally posted by: Aloysius the Gaul
a reply to: 9baller

If your god chose to not reveal the identity clearly what makes you think you have the capability to guess the correct meaning (assuming there is one)?

I am not guessing about the identity of the seventh kingdom. God's word says many things about this kingdom, including that it will behead believers of Jesus Christ (Rev 20:4).