When comparing the ancient forms of various prophetic entities to the renewed livelihoods conveyed by the Book of Revelation, there are glaring discontinuities. Even so, this makes for no light reading of the holy text.
Sean Michael Morris·Nov 19, 2019·Updated Sep 3, 2026
Every instance where the Book of Revelation is quoting and reapplying a prophecy from the divine tutorials of old - this should give us some pause. The 7 Headed & 10 Horned Beast of Revelation 17 is no exception.
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?”— Rom. 11:33-34
When comparing the ancient forms of various prophetic entities to the renewed livelihoods conveyed by the Book of Revelation, there are glaring discontinuities. Yes! To the perplexity of the would-be-interpreter of the Book of Revelation, inconsistencies abound! Even so, this makes for no light reading of the holy text. As often is the case (nature itself teaching us), the weightier matters of life prove to be the most complex.
The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, first seen by Zechariah (Zech. 1:7-11, 6:1-8), are different than those seen by John (Rev. 6:1-8); in Zechariah the riders drive Chariots (red, black, white, & grisled + bay) while in Revelation 6 the riders are mounted on solitary Horses (white, red, black, & pale) and, as you can see, one of the four correlating horses is a different color.
The Angelically / Celestially administered Marking / Sealing, first seen by Ezekiel (Ezek. 9:1-11), implicates something different than what will happen according to the Majesty of the LORD in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 7:1-8, 9:4); in Ezekiel those marked / sealed by God cannot die (Ezek. 3:17-21, 18:1-32, 33:1-20) while in Revelation many of the marked / sealed by God will die (Dan. 11:32-35, Rev. 13:10, 14:13, 16:6, 17:6, 18:20, 19:2, 20:4).
The 12 Tribes of Israel, first identified by Jacob (“All these are the Twelve Tribes of Israel” – Genesis 49:1-28), are different from those identified by John (Rev. 7:4-8); in comparison, John’s account differs from Jacob’s in that Dan is missing and Manasseh is added (of additional note, Ephraim is absent).
The Man with the Measuring Reed / Line, first seen by Ezekiel and secondarily by Zechariah (Ezekiel 40:3, Zech. 1:16, 2:1-2), is different from the man in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 11:1-2); the man seen by Ezekiel and Zechariah was an angel (not a human being!) while in Revelation the man is the apostle John; and regarding the measurements, the angel seen by Ezekiel (with a Line & a Reed) measured the Temple (the inner court and the outer court) and the Land so as to divide inheritances (Ezek. 40-48) while in Revelation John (with a Reed) measures the Temple and its inner court and nothing besides (Rev. 11:1-2).
The Two Witnesses, first seen by Zechariah (Zech. 4:1-14), are different from those seen by John (Rev. 11:3-4); the two men seen by Zechariah are represented by 1 Candlestick & 2 Olives Trees while, in Revelation, they’re represented by 2 Candlesticks & 2 Olives Trees.
My reader, is your Theology reconcilable to the above discontinuities? In other words, is your understanding of the nature of God consistent with the above "inconsistencies" of God’s word? If so, one is enabled to realize how the constancy of minor inconsistencies make up an overall consistency! One realizes how the continuous discontinuities make up an overall continuity! This is the story of Biblical Church History (the Abrahamic & Davidic Covenants). Truly, the half has not been told. Much more could be said concerning the interworking of various other prophecies in relationship to the above notations, for example:
The Headstone, which Zerubbabel the Governor did establish upon the foundation of what was supposed to be Ezekiel’s Temple in the 1st Restoration Generation (Zech. 4:7), is more fully realized in the person of Jesus as a Spiritual Headstone for the building of a Spiritual Temple after the fall of the 2nd Restoration Generation (1 Pet. 2:7, Ps. 118:22).
Zerubbabel, who was the real-time Governor of the 1st Restoration Generation, is more fully realized in a Zerubbabel Generation (“the seed of Babylon”) that will be purified by Mystery Babylon, empowered by the Two Witnesses, and enabled to build unto perfection the Spiritual Temple of the Gentile Church Age as a witness to the Jews (Zech. 4).
These prophecies are multi-sensed and synergistic, and in being such they are synchronized with and impossible without the coming of a One World Government, here called: “Mystery Babylon the Great” or, “the Beast” So, who or what is the Beast?
Well, in yet another continuation of ancient prophecy, “the Beast” is said to have 7 Heads & 10 Horns in However, following the pattern of the aforementioned ancient personages & ministerial operations, we must be careful to rightly interpret the ongoing livelihood of the 10 Horned Beast of & 19-28. Why? Because of the rule or pattern that we have observed heretofore: a continuity of discontinuities.
Some interpreters assume that the 4 th Beast of does in fact have 7 Heads & 10 Horns like the Beast of however the text states that the Beast has 10 Horns and… that’s all. It doesn’t say anything about 7 Heads – a feature of the Beast that is extremely important and worthy of mentioning (if it were so)! Furthermore, the 10 Horned Beast of cannot be the 7 Headed & 10 Horned Beast of historically speaking, because the Beast of had a succession of Horns: 10 + 1 (Little Horn) – 3 = 7 + 1 (Little Horn). Therefore, the final estate of this End-Time Beast has 7 Horns + the Antichrist, however, the final estate of the End-Time Beast of has 10 Horns + the Antichrist. (7 +1 ≠ 10 + 1).
Obviously, things are not as simple as they may appear at first glance. For, indeed, it would appear that the 10 Horned Beast of Daniel is, in fact, the same Beast of However, to understand the full intent and meaning of we must consult moreover, in consulting we need to consult the entirety of the Book of Daniel to discover, weigh, and hold in balance every passage that prophesies of an End-Time Kingdom or Empire that will exist right before the End of the World. According to Daniel, diverse and generational identities bear witness of one inter-generational identity when it comes to the End-Time Beast that God is going to use to punish the backslidden Church in the Last Century (bearing witness of this, consider the prophecies of Daniel in Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Daniel 8, Daniel 9, & Daniel 10-12).
As you will soon see, God giving grace, draws from the 10 Horned typological exemplification and yet alters it and recasts it, and what was not commented upon is necessarily accounted for in Revelation 17, namely the discontinuance of Rome (and herein a discontinuity) and the arising of another Kingdom (making an overall continuity).
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