Revelation 13:1 says that the beast will come up out of the sea. Geographically, this sea is the Mediterranean Sea, “the great sea” mentioned in Daniel 7:2.
In 9:11, 11:7, and 17:8 we are told that Antichrist will come up out of the abyss. But in 13:1 we are told that he will come up out of the sea, as also mentioned in Daniel 7:3. This indicates that Antichrist will come from two sources. His spirit, which has been kept in the abyss, will come up out of the abyss, and his body will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. That Antichrist will come up out of both the abyss and the sea may also indicate that the sea is the mouth of the abyss, because the abyss is in the heart of the earth (Rom. 10:7; Matt. 12:40), and the sea is above the earth.
In biblical figure, the land signifies the nation of Israel, and the sea signifies the Gentile nations (17:15; Isa. 57:20). This indicates that Antichrist will come out of the Gentile world. Some expect Antichrist to arise in the Jewish territory or out of the Jewish people. But, as we have seen, in the Bible the Jewish territory is signified by the land and the Gentile world is signified by the sea. Since Antichrist will not come out of the land, but out of the sea, he cannot arise in Israel. Furthermore, we know that he will appear out of one of the four kingdoms of ancient Greece (Dan. 8:8-9, 21-23). Because we have received this light regarding Antichrist, we should no longer listen to any loose interpretations.
Revelation 13:1 says that the beast, Antichrist, will have “ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of blasphemy.” Here we see that this all-inclusive beast will have ten horns and seven heads. We all must pay attention to this.
Both the dragon in 12:3 and the beast in 13:1 have seven heads and ten horns. This emphatically indicates that the coming Antichrist will be one with Satan. He will actually be the embodiment of Satan. Satan will be embodied in him and expressed through him, for Satan’s seven heads and ten horns will be the seven heads and ten horns of Antichrist.
What are these ten horns? Firstly, they are the ten kings in 17:12 signified by the ten diadems on the ten horns. Secondly, they are the ten kingdoms symbolized by the ten toes of the great image in Daniel 2:42-44. Remember that the ten kings are equal to the ten kingdoms represented by the ten toes of the image. With the image there are ten toes, and with the beast there are ten horns. The ten horns of the beast are equal to the ten toes of the image. Moreover, these ten toes are simultaneously the ten kingdoms.
The seven heads of the beast are seven Caesars of the Roman Empire (17:10), signified by the seven diadems on the seven heads (12:3). Altogether, the Roman Empire had twelve Caesars, but only seven figure in the prophecy in Revelation. The other five are not much involved. The first Caesar was Julius, the fifth, Nero, and the sixth, Domitian, who was Caesar when John wrote the book of Revelation. The seventh Caesar, who will eventually suffer a death blow and be resuscitated with the spirit of Nero, the fifth Caesar, will be Antichrist. At the present, Nero’s spirit is being held in the abyss. After the seventh Caesar has been killed and is about to be resuscitated, Nero’s spirit will be released from the abyss and will enter into the body of the seventh Caesar, who will then be resuscitated to be the eighth (17:10-11). Although Antichrist will be the eighth, yet he will still be of the seventh and a part of the fifth. We shall consider this more thoroughly when we come to chapter seventeen.
The seven heads of the beast bear names of blasphemy. According to history, all seven Caesars claimed to be God, assumed deity, and forced their people to worship them as God. That was really blasphemous to God. This is what is signified by the names of blasphemy.