REVELATIONS 12: SEVEN HEADS, TEN HORNS, AND SEVEN CROWNS
Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Rev 12:3 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 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
The Lord reveals to John in Revelations chapter 12 God’s plan to repossess the heaven and the earth back unto Himself, and Satan’s attempt to destroy the nation of Israel. In verses 1 and 2 the “woman” spoken of here is the nation of Israel and the “crown of twelve stars” is the twelve tribes of Israel, and the “child” spoken of here in verse 2 is the Lord Jesus Christ. The “travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered” has to do with Israel’s longsuffering and tribulation that they endured waiting on their prophesied Christ. Also here in verses 3 and 4 gives details of Satan and his “heads” and his “horns,” (the 1/3 of the angelic creation that he got to join his rebellion in the heavenly places) and his desire to destroy Israel from being the holy nation that God intended them to be.
Psa 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Psa 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
Psa 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
Psa 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
Psa 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Psa 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Psa 83:8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
Satan and his “seven heads” (these seven devils/dragons will be given “seven crowns” and power in the waters that surround the land of Israel) will enlist the help of the 10 nations (the ten horns) that are spoken of in Psalms 83 (notice these 10 nations surround the land of Israel) who are Israel’s “enemies,” therefore, “enemies” of the Lord who will later wage battle against them. And here in verses 5 and 6 speaks of the Lord being Israel’s Avenger and Deliverer, (two of the 5 mandates of the Lord), and His comforting of the nation through the tribulation while they ‘endure to the end.’
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelations chapter 12 makes known the details of the “war in heaven,” and as we can see this is an angelic war being fought in the heavenly places with the holy angels of God, warring against Satan and his angels. Some of Satan’s daily activities are made known here in verse 10; the verse says that because Satan and his angels were “cast out,” there was “salvation” found in heaven. This salvation is the salvation from the corruption that Satan was producing as being an “accuser” of the brethren that were not walking accordingly on earth.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Rev 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
Rev 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Satan and his angels are going to be cast unto the earth and the sea where they will begin to go after Israel with “great wrath,” but God will comfort and deliver His nation for 3 and ½ years until He is ready to “judge and make war” with Satan and the ones who have decided to fight with him. This is when Jesus Christ will begin to fulfill the 5 mandates of that Davidic Covenant as their Redeemer (this mandate was already accomplished at the cross), Deliverer, Avenger, King, and Blesser (for more on this subject please refer to the study “Understanding Israel’s program”). Also notice that there is “woe” given unto the inhabiters of the earth, and “of the sea,” this is where the persecution of the “woman” begins by Satan and his angels, and the 10 nations surrounding Israel.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Satan will become “wroth” with Israel and try to ‘wipe them out’ as a nation, which is what the Lord is making known here in chapter 12. He and his “heads” will also come with lying wonders to deceive mankind, and he will bring down fire from the sky as Elijah, and cause great wonder with the water as did Moses. The events spoken of here have not yet taken place, nor are the verses referring to anyone else as “the woman” other than the nation of Israel. This will all take place in “ages to come” in God’s plan and purpose with Israel, with the intent of Israel being God’s holy nation here on the earth just as God intended, with Jesus Christ reigning on His throne in that kingdom, and Israel instituting God’s justice and judgment from that kingdom to the Gentile world in that day.
Rev 13:1 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 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
In Revelations 12 the seven “heads” were shown to have “seven crowns,” and now here in chapter 13 the 10 horns are shown to possess “ten crowns,” this is because at this time Satan will begin to give power unto, and enlist the help of the ten nations that are going to wage war against Israel and against God Himself in doing this. And it is the “kings” of the 10 nations that will carry out the marching orders of the dragon, and worship him as they work together with him to go to war with Israel, and the Lord.
Rev 15:5 And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened:
Rev 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Rev 15:7 And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
One of Satan’s main functions at that time will be to counterfeit the word and the workings of God and His Christ, notice here in verse 6 that there are “seven angels” associated with the plan and purpose that God has to reconcile the earth back unto Himself; likewise Satan has enlisted the help of his own angels (seven angels also play a big part in Satan’s plan to be “like the Most High”) and placed them in the waters around Israel. This is why in chapter 16 we see the angels of God sending some of the seven plagues unto the “sea,” ”rivers,” “fountains of waters,” and “upon the great river Euphrates;” it will be part of the actions that will be put into effect to destroy Satan’s plan, and to bring forth salvation from the “seven heads” and “ten horns” in the waters and on the earth. And in that day as the seven angels of God pour out the seven vials upon the waters and the earth, the enemies of the Lord will taste the “full wrath of God” because of their hatred for not only the nation of Israel; but the Lord Himself just as their fathers have done since the beginning.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Rev 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
Rev 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.
Rod Jones