1. John sees the red dragon standing by the sea shore and then a beast coming out of the sea.
2. The beast had seven heads and ten horns. Each horn was adorned with a crown and each head bore a blasphemous title.
3. The beast looked like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. These descriptions connect it with the four beasts of Daniel's dream. Daniel Ch. 7
4. The dragon gave the beast his power, throne, and great authority.
5. One of the heads on the beast bore the scar of a fatal wound that had been healed.
6. This caused the whole world to be in awe and follow the beast. They worshiped the dragon for empowering the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and praised its greatness.
7. The beast exalted itself, spoke blasphemies against God, the heavenly realm and all those abiding there.
8. It exercised its authority over the earth for a period of 42 months, during which time it waged war on the saints and defeated them.
9. All the nations of earth, everyone whose name is not found in the Lamb's book of life, will worship the beast.

1. The sea from which it arises symbolizes the nations of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
2. The seven heads on the sea beast symbolize seven historical occurrences of the beast.
3. The sea beast's physical description falls in line with those in the Old Testament book of Daniel.
4. The four beasts of Daniel's dream have been identified as the Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.
5. Prior to Daniel's time there were two ancient empires that were also enemies of Israel: Egypt and Assyria.
6. Lastly, the seventh head on the beast foretells a future occurrence of this beast power. Revelation 17:8-11
7. The ten horns are adorned with crowns signifying they have received their kingly status as predicted. Revelation 17:12
8. The beast's attitude toward God and its persecution of God's people is a sure sign that it is the end-time antichrist.

1. John then sees another beast ascending out of the earth. It has two lamb-like horns but speaks like a dragon.
2. This beast works on behalf of the first beast, causing the people of earth to worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed.
3. It performs miraculous signs for everyone to see, even making fire to fall from heaven to earth.
4. The people of earth are deceived by these signs and wonders it was able to perform.
5. The second beast commanded the people of earth to construct an image in honor of the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed.
6. It gave breath to the image so that it could speak. Anyone who refused to worship the image were threatened with death.
7. The image also forced everyone to receive a mark of loyalty to the first beast, either on their right hands or their foreheads. Anyone who refused the mark was denied basic necessities.
8. The mark is the name of the first beast or the number of its name. The number is 666, which is the number of a man.

1. The earth reference signifies a different geographical origin from the beast from the sea, possibly the new world which was unknown in John's time.
2. The second beast bears no crowns suggesting it is not a political power. 2 Kings 11:12, Revelation 6:2
3. Horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon is central to the second beast's deception.
4. The second beast therefore stands in opposition to the true Lamb of God. John 1:29
5. Causing fire to come down from heaven hearkens back to the prophet Elijah. 1 Kings 18:30-38, Revelation 13:13
6. The second beast is in fact identified as the false prophet. Revelation 19:20
7. The image it orders set up in honor of the first beast reveals the inclusion of idolatry in the worship of the first beast.
8. The mark of the beast signifies subservience to the first beast by thought or deed. Revelation 13:16, Revelation 14:9-11
9. The number 666 stands for the name and number of the beast for it is humanity's number thus making it the unholy trinity in contrast to God the father, Son and Holy Spirit. Revelation 13:17 & 18

1. All three are shown having seven heads and ten horns. The dragon's heads and the horns on the beast from the sea are adorned with crowns.
2. Both the scarlet beast and the beast from the sea are marked with blasphemous names.
3. The scarlet beast "once was, now is not, and yet will come [again]." The scarlet beasts "now is not" period could be understood as its condition at the time this vision is given to John.
4. More likely, it is the period between the end of Roman persecution of Christians and the beginning of the end-time tribulation. The beast "is not."
5. The people of earth are astonished by the reappearance of the scarlet beast. This reaction is the same observed for the beast from the sea upon its fatal wound having been healed.
   • "The inhabitants of the earth... will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come." Revelation 17:8
   • "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast." Revelation 13:3
6. The horns on the scarlet beast are not adorned with crowns while those on the beast from the sea do.
7. The lack of crowns on the horns of the scarlet beast is stated to mean they "have not yet received a kingdom", while the crowned horns on the beast from the sea foretells a time when they "receive authority as kings along with the beast." Revelation 17:12
8. The scarlet beast and the beast from the sea are one and the same. The former is in the past, the later is yet to come.

1. In the last days the beast, in union with the kings of earth, confront Jesus and the armies of heaven but they are quickly vanquished. Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:19
2. After this confrontation, the beast and the false prophet are captured and cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 19:20
3. An angel appears who has the key to the Abyss. He seizes the red dragon (Satan) and imprisons him there for a thousand years. Revelation 20:1-3
4. After the thousand years, Satan is released and allowed once more to deceive the nations to gather them for the final battle of good versus evil. Revelation 20:7-9
5. The armies of evil are ultimately destroyed and the devil is thrown into the lake of fire "where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown." Revelation 20:10
6. So ends the unholy trinity that has troubled the world from its beginning.

~~~ Final Thoughts ~~~

The prophetic books of Daniel and the Revelation use imagery and symbolism to convey their message, the understanding of which is open to interpretation and debate. I prefer rather to base my faith and understanding on other scripture, particularly the four Gospels which recount Jesus' acts and words, and the apostle's letters to the churches. Jesus, the Son of God, is the perfect revelation of God the Father and the Holy Spirit.