Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained.
In today’s video we’re going to answer an interesting and deceptively complicated
question: Why does Satan Have 7 heads and 10 horns.
First, we’re going to look at what the Book of Revelation is, especially at the passage
that pertains to the Red Dragon, a monstrous creature with seven heads and 10 horns who
is thought to be Satan.
Second, we’ll quickly look at what Eschatology is (eschatology being the aspect of theology
that focuses on death, judgment, the transcendence of the soul, and the destiny of humanity.)
Third, we’re going to look at the four lenses of Eschatology (preterism, historicism, futurism,
and idealism), delving into each of them in turn and using each of them to understand
the significance of Satan, as the Red Dragon of Revelation, having seven heads and 10 horns.
Alright, let’s get into it.
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the bible.
It is an apocalyptic and highly symbolic work that describes a vision received by the apostle
John, revealing divine messages about the future, the final judgment, and the ultimate
triumph of good over evil.
It speaks of cosmic battles, the return of Jesus Christ, the establishment of a new heaven
and earth, and the ultimate victory of God's Kingdom.
Most germane to this video is the passage from the Book of Revelation that describes
Satan as a Red Dragon and details the battle in heaven.
In it, Satan and his angels fight against the angels who remain faithful to God.
The battle is punctuated by the defeat of Satan and the expulsion of him and the angels
he led astray from heaven.
We’ll begin with this passage, and then we’ll spend the rest of the video examining
what eschatology - its various branches - has to say about Satan’s monstrous appearance.
Here’s the passage: "Then another sign appeared in heaven: an
enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.
Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.
The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might
devour her child the moment he was born.
She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron
scepter.”
And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be
taken care of for 1,260 days.
Then war broke out in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought
back.
But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads
the whole world astray.
He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."
Eschatology is a branch of theology that explores the ultimate destiny of individuals, humanity,
and the universe, as portrayed in religious doctrines and texts.
The term comes from the Greek words "eschatos," meaning "last," and "logos," meaning "word,"
“reason,” “speech,” or “principle.”
It focuses on end-times phenomena such as death, judgment, heaven, hell, and the final
fate of the soul and of humankind.
The eschatological narrative varies widely among different religions.
In Christianity, for example, eschatology includes beliefs about the Second Coming of
Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and the establishment of the
Kingdom of God.
There are several interpretive approaches to Christian eschatology, including preterism,
historicism, futurism, and idealism, each with a different understanding of the timing
and nature of these events.
Preterism is a way of interpreting the prophecies in the Bible.
It centers on the belief that many of the prophecies found in the New Testament have
already been fulfilled in the past, especially those associated with events that were contemporaneous
to the authors.
There are two primary forms of Preterism: Full Preterism and Partial Preterism.
Full Preterists hold the belief that all biblical prophecies were fulfilled by 70 AD, most notably
with the fall of Jerusalem.
In this perspective, there are no remaining prophecies awaiting future fulfillment — even
those pertaining to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
On the other hand, while Partial Preterists concur that many prophecies found fulfillment
in the past, they differ by asserting that significant prophecies, such as the Second
Coming of Christ and the Final Judgment, are yet to be fulfilled.
The preterist approach to biblical interpretation stresses the importance of the original audience
and their historical context.
That means, when reading the prophecies, Preterists try to understand them in the way that the
initial audience (people living in the first century AD) would have understood them.
Preterists often draw parallels between the Book of Revelation and the historical context
of the Roman Empire during the first century AD.
They suggest that many of the symbols and events in the Book of Revelation directly
correlate to the circumstances, conflicts, and figures from that era.
For example, the "Beast" mentioned in Revelation is often interpreted by Preterists as a symbolic
representation of Roman Emperors or the Roman Empire itself, which was the dominating power
during the time the Book of Revelation was written.
This interpretation underscores the belief that the apocalyptic scenarios depicted in
Revelation were reflections of the struggles early Christians faced under Roman rule, as
opposed to prognostications of global events that would transpire in the distant future.
Peering through the preterist lens, the seven heads of Satan (here conceived of as a Red
Dragon) are usually interpreted as the seven hills of Rome, which was a common identifier
for the city in the ancient world.
Rome was famously known as the city on seven hills, and this allusion could have been readily
understood by a first-century reader.
Satan’s 10 horns are viewed as symbols of power.
In the symbology of the Bible, horns frequently represent kingdoms or kings due to the horn's
association with strength and might in the natural world, where animals use their horns
for defense and dominance The number ten, in biblical numerology, often
symbolizes completeness or wholeness.
In this context, the ten horns could be interpreted as symbolizing the entirety of the Roman Empire's
might, possibly referring to its complete geographical expanse or the full sequence
of its emperors.
Historicism is an interpretative approach to biblical prophecies that posits their gradual
fulfillment over the course of historical events.
It views biblical prophecies, especially in the books of Daniel and Revelation, as depicting
a panorama of world history - spanning from the time the prophecies were written all the
way to the end of the world and the final judgment.
The various symbols and imagery found in these prophecies are interpreted as representative
of actual historical events, figures, and periods.
For example, one of the biblical beasts might symbolize a particular kingdom or empire in
history.
As history unfolds, the prophetic interpretation of historicism can change.
This means a prophecy understood one way in the past might be interpreted differently
today based on recent historical events.
Said simply, historicists read the Bible's prophecies as a roadmap of history, believing
that these prophecies are fulfilled progressively throughout time.
A modern example would be the interpretation of the prophecy concerning the "mark of the
beast."
In Revelation 13:16-17, the beast forces all people to receive a mark on their right hand
or forehead, without which they cannot buy or sell.
Some Historicists, observing the rise of digital technology and data tracking, have suggested
that this prophecy could be unfolding in the form of modern technology like microchip implants
or extensive surveillance systems.
They draw parallels between the prophecy and the increasing global interconnectivity, digital
economies, and concerns over privacy and individual freedom.
In the Historicist view, the seven heads of Satan’s red dragon form are commonly understood
to represent seven successive world empires that have persecuted God's people throughout
history, with the seven empires often being sequenced as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia,
Greece, Rome, and a future final empire.
As for the ten horns, which Historicists often interpret as ten subdivisions of the Roman
Empire after its fall, these are generally understood to refer to the various Germanic
tribes and other groups that established their own kingdoms in the territories of the former
Western Roman Empire.
Futurism views biblical prophecy, particularly those in the books of Daniel and Revelation,
as events that will occur in the future.
Futurists believe these texts describe future events, such as the tribulation, the antichrist,
the second coming of Christ, and the final judgment.
This approach typically asserts that most of Revelation, from chapter 4 onward, has
yet to be fulfilled, meaning proponents of this view believe the great battle between
good and evil and the final judgment still loom in the future.
In the literal interpretation of Futurism, the great red dragon with seven heads and
ten horns is seen as a representation of Satan that will physically manifest in the future.
This beast-like form is seen as expressing Satan's monstrous nature and his intent to
devour and destroy, with the heads and horns indicating his dominance and destructive power.
In the symbolic interpretation, the seven heads and ten horns carry deep metaphorical
significance.
The seven heads are frequently seen as emblematic of seven future kings or kingdoms.
This understanding draws from Revelation 17:9-10, which refers to seven hills and seven kings.
Such references hint at the possibility of a re-emergence of the Roman Empire, traditionally
identified as the city seated on seven hills.
The re-emergence of the Roman Empire refers to the prophecy of a future political system
or world power that bears resemblances to the historical Roman Empire in its extent
of authority and influence.
This revived form of the Roman Empire is predicted to play a pivotal role in end-times events,
such as the rise of the Antichrist and the time of Tribulation.
Likewise, the ten horns are generally interpreted as representing ten future kingdoms or sovereigns.
This interpretation aligns with the prophetic vision in Daniel 7:24 and is echoed in Revelation
17:12, where it is written of ten future rulers who will receive a kingdom in times to come.
Said succinctly, while a literal interpretation sees the red dragon as a representation of
Satan's monstrous form, the metaphorical interpretation assigns symbolic meanings to the heads and
horns, relating them to future kings and kingdoms in the context of end-times prophecy.
Idealism is an interpretive approach to biblical prophecy, particularly the Book of Revelation,
that sees the text as a symbolic depiction of the ongoing cosmic battle between good
and evil.
Rather than viewing the prophecies as tied to specific historical or future events (as
in preterism, historicism, and futurism), idealism views the visions as timeless truths
applicable to the life of every person in every age.
The allegorical battles and triumphs reflect the spiritual struggles in people’s lives
and the ultimate victory of God over evil, without requiring a one-to-one correlation
with historical or future events.
According to idealistic interpretation of the Book of Revelation, the depiction of Satan
as a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns is highly symbolic and allegorical.
The seven heads signify the fullness and totality of Satan's dominion, given the biblical symbolism
of seven representing perfection or completeness.
The ten horns, similarly, embody the comprehensive range of Satan's power, illustrating his pervasive
influence over earthly kingdoms and rulers, with the number ten serving to signifying
a completeness of power or dominion.
The number seven is often associated with perfection and completeness in biblical symbolism,
and this understanding comes from its frequent use in the Bible.
For instance, the Genesis creation narrative in the Old Testament refers to God creating
the world in six days and resting on the seventh, thereby completing the cycle of creation.
Resting on the seventh day was later codified in the law given to Moses as the Sabbath,
a day of rest and completion at the end of the week.
The number ten is often considered a symbol of completeness or wholeness due to its usage
in various significant contexts throughout the Bible.
It's believed to indicate a full cycle or completion of order.
In the Bible, the number ten is seen in a multitude of noteworthy instances that suggest
completeness.
For instance, there are the Ten Commandments , which represent the fullness of God's law
given to mankind.
And that’s it for this video.
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