Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (4)

What does the seven-headed beast of Revelation 17 represent, and how does it releate to the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7?

This is Part 4 of a five-part series. To start at the beginning, click here.

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In my previous article, I began a discussion of the beast with seven heads from Revelation 17 and attempted to unpack its meaning in light of John’s frequent reminder that his vision relates to his own perspective in time (i.e. the mid to late first-century), as well as to events that would soon take place.¹ As I pointed out, in Rev 17:10, John identifies the beast’s “seven heads” with “seven mountains” and “seven kings.” Since Rome was known as the city of seven hills,² an obvious solution to the riddle of the “seven kings” would be to connect them with the first seven Caesars of Rome.

In his book, The Climax of Prophecy, Richard Bauckham observes that “it cannot be denied that 17:9-11 provides in some sense a numbered sequence of emperors and locates the time of writing within this sequence.”³ The challenge, however, is that scholars often begin the sequence at different starting points. “The only obvious procedure,” in Bauckham’s view, “would be to begin with Julius Caesar.”⁴ Working with this assumption, the chart below shows the potential relationship between Daniel 7 and Revelation 17:

In the description of the beast that appears in Rev 13:1-2, John provides several clues that he’s alluding to Daniel’s fourth beast,⁵ particularly since it “comes up from the sea” (Dan 7:3; Rev 13:1), has “ten horns” (cf. Dan 7:7; Rev 13:1), as has other features that are reminicent of the vision in Daniel 7 (cf. Dan 7:4-6). One important difference, however, is that whereas the ten horns of Daniel’s fourth beast represented “ten kings,” in John’s vision, the beast’s seven heads refer to “seven kings.” As I argued, this could have something to do with the specific period in which the book of Revelation happened to be written.

If John wrote Revelation while Nero was still the reigning Caesar (i.e., sometime between 54-68 AD), this would explain why he says in chapter 17 that five kings are “fallen,” and one “is” (Rev 17:9), since Nero was the sixth Caesar from Julius. When John says of the seventh king, “he must remain only a little while,” this too fits with what we know of Galba, whose reign lasted a brief period of only seven months. Though this interpretation is certainly possible, I believe there may also be another explanation of the seventh king which I’ll unpack in the final article in this series.

The most challenging portion of Revelation 17 relates to verse 11 in which John writes, “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.” Since John has described a seven-headed beast, why does he here refer to an “eighth”? Is this a reference to Otho, who succeeded Galba? If so, it’s hard to see why, since this particular Caesar’s reign was relatively insignificant, lasting a mere three months. Another odd fact is that the beast itself appears to be the one referred to as “an eighth,” rather than one of the heads. It would make sense for John to say that another head appeared on the beast, refering to the arrival of a new king, but instead he says that the beast is somehow identified as an eighth, while at the same time it “belongs to the seven.” No wonder this calls for a mind with wisdom!

The Beast Also Rises
Before we attempt to solve this riddle, lets take a look at some of John’s other references to the beast. The first occurance of this word in Revelation appears in chapter 11, which tells of two witnesses in Jerusalem who were entrusted with a prophetic ministry similar to that of Moses and Elijah (11:6).⁶ As Jerusalem is “given over to the nations” to be trampled for “forty-two months” (11:2), these two witnessess are granted authority to prophesy in the city during that same period (11:3). When they have “finished” their testimony, we’re told that “the beast who rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them” (11:7).

The second reference occurs in chapter 13, where John sees “a beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads” (13:1). In verse 3 we’re told that one of the beast’s seven heads “seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed…” The beast is then “allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months” (13:5), which is the same time frame we discovered in chapter 11 that was specifically tied to the trampling of Jerusalem. Then in verses 12 and 14, we’re reminded of the beast’s mortal wound two additional times. Here are all three references together:

• Rev 13:3 “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but [it] was healed…”

• Rev 13:12 “…the beast, whose mortal wound was healed.”

• Rev 13:14 “…the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.”

Whenever a point is repeated in this way, particularly in apocalyptic literature of this nature, it’s worth taking time to reflect upon its potential significance. One of the reasons this could be significant is that something similar is repeated three additional times in chapter 17:

• Rev 17:8a “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.”

• Rev 17:8b “[The people will] marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.”

• Rev 17:11 “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.”

The interesting part about the last of those three examples above is that the words “it is an eighth” ends up being parallel to the other references related to the beast’s rising. In light of these features, perhaps G.K. Beale was onto something when he argued that, “calling the beast an eighth is another way of referring to his future mimicry of Christ’s resurrection.”⁷ Here’s why I believe this view may have merit:

• Eight people were granted new life during the great flood (Gen 7:7).

• Circumcision on the eighth day identified new members of the covenant (Gen 17:2).

• The seventh day was a Sabbath, and the eighth day marked a new week (Ex 28:8).

• Jesus was resurrected to new life after the Sabbath (Jn 20:1, i.e., on the eighth day).

• Peter says that baptism “corresponds” to the fact that “eight people were brought safely through water” (Gen 7:7, 1Pet 3:21), and also links it to Jesus’ resurrection.

• Paul similarly argues that baptism results in “newness of life” since through it we are united to Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (Rom 6:4).

In light of all these theological associations, I think Beale’s point is worth considering that the reference to “an eighth” in Rev 17:11 should be seen as another hint related to the beast’s “rising,” particularly in light of all the parallels we observed between Revelation 13 and 17. The fact that the beast received a mortal wound and yet lived (Rev 13:3, 12, 14) is likely the reason why it is later described as the one who “was, and is not, and is about to rise” (17:8a, 8b, 11).

Now, at this point we need to keep in mind that the beast is symbolic of the Roman empire, and that individual heads refer to specific kings (17:9-10). In light of this, what are we to make of John’s repeated assertion that the beast experiences a kind of death and resurrection? While it’s true that one of the heads receives a mortal wound (Rev 13:3), other verses make clear that this wound affects the life of the beast as a whole. For example, Rev 13:14 indicates that “the beast” itself was “wounded by the sword and yet lived,” and the repeating refrain in chapter 17 speaks of “the beast who was and is not.” Thus, it appears that that the blow to one of the heads was also experienced as a mortal wound to the empire—if only for a brief time.

The Number of the Beast
In chapter 13, John gives us an important clue that helps us to further identify the beast. In verses 17 and 18, we’re told that “the name of the beast” also happens to be a number that can be calculated. In fact, he says, “it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” Though the beast is symbolic of the empire, this verse seems to indicate that, if only for a brief moment, a single man is seen to represent the empire itself. Whatever this means, it could be related to the fact that his death results in the temporary collapse of the empire.

In the attempt to explain Rev 13:18, many scholars have noted the popularity of gematria in the ancient world. For example, among the discoveries unearthed at Pompeii was an amusing example of graffiti which says, “I love the woman whose number is 545.” Rather than writing out her name, the author of this riddle chose to keep it somewhat veiled by to totaling up the numerical value of its letters. When this approach is used to calculate the significance of 666, particularly as it relates to Roman emperors, a large consensus of scholars have concluded that it is best explained as a reference to “Caesar Nero” since it does in fact total up to 666.⁸

In his 2022 book, Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament, Jonathan Bernier confidently observes that, “There is a general consensus that the ‘number of the beast’ is a coded reference to Nero.”⁹ The belief that Nero was the antichrist seems to have been an option even in Jerome’s day. Writing sometime in the late fourth century, this church father admits that “there are many of our viewpoint who think that Domitius Nero was the antichrist because of his outstanding savagery and depravity.”¹⁰ And going even further back, a text known as The Ascension of Isaiah (which Richard Bauckham dates to sometime between 69-80 AD),¹¹ also appears to identify Nero as the antichrist. Though he isn’t specifically mentioned by name, it’s clear that Nero is intended since the individual in this passage is identified not only as a king but also as the murderer of his mother, and a persecutor of apostles:

Beliar will descend, the great angel…in the form of a man, a king of iniquity, a murderer of his mother—this is the king of this world—and will persecute the plant which the twelve apostles of the Beloved will have planted; some of the twelve will be given into his hand. This angel, Beliar…will say, “I am the LORD, and before me there was no one.” And all men in the world will believe in him…and he will set up his image before him in every city. And he will rule for three years and seven months and twenty-seven days.¹²

According to the ancient historian Suetonius, Nero also ordered a colossal statue of himself to be constructed in Rome that depicted him in the style of Jupiter. The statue was in his estimation “a hundred and twenty feet high,” which by comparison would make it taller than the Statue of Liberty.¹³ This colossal statue can still be seen on coins that remain to this day.

The Colossus of Nero can be seen next to the Colosseum on the reverse side of this coin. The famous ampitheatre came to be known as the Colosseum due to its proximity to and association with this colossal statue.

The Death of Nero
Though I indicated in my last article that this would be the fourth and final installment of this series, as I got going, I quickly discovered that this final piece was becoming much too long. So for now I’ll end the discussion here, and in the concluding piece I’ll discuss the death of Nero and the chaos that then ensued around the empire.

CLICK HERE to begin reading the 5th and final part of this article series.

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Shane Rosenthal is the founder and host of The Humble Skeptic podcast. He was one of the creators of the White Horse Inn radio broadcast which he also hosted from 2019-2021, and has written numerous articles for various sites and publications, including TableTalk, Logia, Core Christianity, and others.

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FOR FURTHER STUDY

Articles
Deciphering the Clues of Revelation (Pt 1), (Pt 2), (Pt 3), (Pt 4), (Pt 5), Shane Rosenthal
Notes to Episode #68, featuring selections from the Dead Sea Scrolls and more
Notes to Episode #66, featuring selections from Josephus, Irenaeus, and others
Finding Christ in All The Scriptures, Shane Rosenthal
Why Should We Believe The Bible? Shane Rosenthal
Archaeological Discoveries Related to Nebuchadnezzar II, Shane Rosenthal
Justin Martyr on the Importance of Fulfilled Prophecy, Shane Rosenthal
Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Messiah’s Birth, Shane Rosenthal
The Bethlehem Prophecy: An Exploration of Micah 5:2, Shane Rosenthal

Books
The Last Days According to Jesus, R.C. Sproul
End Times Bible Prophecy: It’s Not What They Told You, Brian Godawa
Revelation: Four Views, Steve Gregg
The Divorce of Israel, Kenneth Gentry, Jr.
Before Jerusalem Fell, Kenneth Gentry, Jr.
Redating the New Testament, John A.T. Robinson
Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament, Jonathan Bernier
The Antichrist & The Second Coming, Duncan McKenzie
Proof of the Gospel, Eusebius of Caesarea
Son of Man in Early Jewish Literature, Richard Bauckham
A Commentary on the NT from the Talmud, John Lightfoot
The Parousia, James Stuart Russell — FREE
The Early Days of Christianity, F.W. Farrar — FREE

Audio
Decoding the Prophecies of Daniel, Humble Skeptic #68
Babylon, Humble Skeptic #66
Jacob’s Ladder, Humble Skeptic #63
Jewish Views of the Messiah, Humble Skeptic #38
The Intersection of Church & State, Humble Skeptic #53
What Child is This? Humble Skeptic Bonus Episode

Coming Soon
A PDF Resource for DONORS and PAID subscribers…
Understanding the Mystery of Babylon the Great, Shane Rosenthal

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1. One of the clearest examples of this is Rev 1:19 in which Jesus tells John: “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are about to (μέλλει) take place after this.” Click here for a more detailed explanation of this, along with numerous additional examples.

2. See my third article in this series for a discussion of this, along with this Wikipedia page.

3. Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy (London: T&T Clark, 1993), 405.

4. Ibid., 406. Though this for Bauckham an obvious solution, he ends up concluding that it “cannot be correct,” since this “would make the sixth head, the emperor now reigning (17:10), Nero.” In his view, “Revelation certainly presupposes the death of Nero as an event of the past.” I see things a little differently. Though Nero in my opinion is the sixth king at the time of John’s writing, many events he describes are written as if they have already taken place, though they are still yet future (cf. Rev 14:8, 18:2, 20:9, etc.)

5. On episodes 66 and 68 I argued that Daniel’s fourth beast referred to the Roman Empire. See the notes for those episodes for arguments in favor of this (notes for 66; notes for 68).

6. This is significant since Moses was known for his prophetic ministry against Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus, and Elijah was known for his prophetic ministry against Ahab and Jezebel.

7. G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 875-876. For more on this, see Kenneth Gentry, The Divorse of Israel, Vol 2, p. 1340-1350, and

8. If you’d like study this point further click here. See also, John A.T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament, 221-253; Kenneth Gentry, Before Jerusalem Fell, 193-219; and The Divorce of Israel Vol 2, 1143-1153).

9. Jonathan Bernier, Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2022), 121.

10. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament Volume 13 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 295

11. Richard Bauckham, The Fate of the Dead (Leiden: Brill, 1998), 384.

12. James Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume 2 (cf. The Asension of Isaiah 4.1-13).

13. Seutonius, Lives of the Caesars, Nero 31. According to Pliny (Natural History, 34.18) it was only 110 feet tall which would make it a foot shorter than the Statue of Liberty. Visit the Colosseum website or more information: https://visit-colosseum-rome.com/colossus-nero/