Quoted By:
A Gentile - This beast "rises out of the sea" - The sea refers to the Gentile nations (Revelation 17:15), indicating that the antichrist will be a Gentile. “Anti” can mean “instead of ” or “against” or “opposed to.” So “antichrist” can mean “instead of Christ,” “against Christ,” or “opposed to Christ.” The antichrist is the “man of lawlessness,” the “son of destruction,” who will lead the world into rebellion against God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 11:7) and deceive multitudes (Revelation 19:20).
Great Power - "With ten horns and seven heads" (13:1): We have seen that because animals use horns as weapons (Genesis 22:13; Psalms 69:31), horns eventually became symbols of power and then of dominion, representing kingdoms and kings.
Roman Revival - Comparing this text with Daniel 7:16-24, we conclude that the antichrist will rise up from ten kingdoms that will constitute a revived Roman Empire, the final form of Gentile world power before Christ returns.
Some Bible expositors say the seven heads are the principal rulers of the antichrist’s revived Roman Empire. Others suggest that the seven heads may be successive world empires—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the antichrist’s revived Roman Empire. Still others say the seven heads represent seven mountains (Revelation 17:9). A mountain can symbolize a kingdom (see Daniel 2:34-45). This may be a veiled reference to Rome, which was built on seven hills (Revelation 17:18). All these views support the idea that antichrist’s kingdom will be a revived Roman Empire.
