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The proper arrangement in time of the Beast, False Prophet and Satan is
not immediately obvious from the text of Revelation.
However, the book of Revelation mentions 3 beasts.
1) THE FIERY RED DRAGON - Rev 12:3 7 heads, 10 horns, 7 crowns
2) THE BEAST (from the sea) - Rev 13:1 7 heads, 10 horns, 10 crowns
3) THE FALSE PROPHET - Rev 13:11 2 horns 
The existence of 3 separate entities is confirmed by Revelation.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs
coming out of the mouth of the dragon,
out of the mouth of the beast, and out
of the mouth of the false prophet.
20:10 And the devil ... was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are.
The following verse confirms that;
dragon = old serpent = devil = Satan
Rev 20:2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old,
who is the Devil and Satan, ...
Scripture also informs;
beast from the land = false prophet
Rev 13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the
earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and
spoke like a dragon.
:12 And he exercises all the authority of the first
beast in his presence, and causes the earth and
those who dwell in it to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed.
:13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes
fire come down from heaven on the earth in the
sight of men.
:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by
those signs which he was granted to do in the
sight of the beast, ...
Rev 19:20 ... the beast was captured, and with him the
false prophet who worked signs in his presence,
by which he deceived those who received the
mark of the beast and those who worshiped his
image.
It is the false prophet which causes the creation of a more tangible image
of the healed beast. The more tangible image of the beast which people are
forced to worship.
Rev 13:14 telling those who dwell on the earth to make
an image to the beast who was wounded by the
sword and lived.
:15 He was granted power to give breath to the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak and cause as many as would
not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
We are also advised in Revelation that the beast and false prophet are
cast into the lake of fire before the dragon is cast into the lake of
fire!
Rev 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the
false prophet ... These two were cast alive
into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and
the false prophet are.
Compiling this information and concentrating upon the image of the beast
and the dragon/serpent/devil/Satan elements presents the following in the
end-time;
Beast Image worshipped 7 heads, 10 horns, 10 crowns
after this
Devil (dragon/serpent/Satan) rules 7 heads, 10 horns, 7 crowns
Notice the comparison with the 4th beast of Daniel chapter 7.
1st stage - Beast with 10 horns
after this
2nd stage - Beast with 7 horns & the little horn
Both arrangements are depicting the same situation!
The Daniel account, though, clarifies a few aspects not apparent in
the book of Revelation.
1) The devil rules immediately after the beast is thrown
into the lake of fire. (There is no thousand year delay!)
2) The reduction in the number of crowns is due to the
devil (ie, little horn) supplanting 3 kings(rulers).
3) When the devil rules, he rules over a modified form of
the original beast. A form encompassing 10 kingdoms and
7 remaining kings.
Two forms of tribulation are predicted for the future! The first form
arising from a compulsion to worship an organisation symbolizing the
'beast' and the second form being lead by Satan the devil.
The beast and false prophet are further discussed in;
To fully understand the prophetic message it is necessary to identify
the entities being symbolized as 3 kingdoms and 7 kingdoms.
The 7 kingdoms are easily identified as depicting the 7 churches
composing Christianity, the 7 lampstands amongst which Christ walks,
refer Rev 1:12-13,20. These being described in Proverbs as the 7
pillars prepared by 'wisdom' (Prov 9:1).
The 3 kingdoms, described as being the first horns in Daniel 7:8,
appear to represent the Jewish faith. Either a reflection of the fact
that the original house of Judah was composed of three tribes, ie
Judah, Levi and Benjamin (1Kings 12:23-24, 2Chr 11:13-14, Ezra 1:5)
or that the Levites who looked after the duties of the tabernacle
were divided into three separate families, ie those of Gershon,
Kohath and Merari (Num 3:17,25-26,31-32,36-37).
Therefore, the 10 horned beast which people are compelled to worship,
is an organisation designed to reflect the original composite form of
Israel (having a house of Judah and a house of Israel).
The example of 10 kingdoms reducing to 7 kingdoms is portrayed in the
promises made to Abraham. In the time of Abraham 10 tribes inhabited
the Promised Land (Gen 15:18-21), but at the time the descendants of
Jacob entered to claim the land only 7 tribes remained to be conquered
(Deut 7:1).
(NB: This historical example represents a type of what is predicted
to occur at the spiritual level. By the time the elect of God
are to claim the spiritual Promised Land (ie, after the reign
of Satan), there will only remain 7 of the original 10 'kings'
left to defeat. )
While the reign of the 10 horns emphasizes compulsory unity under the
umbrella of a unified organisation, the Satanic period of trial takes
on a different form.
Dan 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most
High, ... and shall intend to change times and
law.
8:25 Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to
prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt
himself in his heart.
11:36 Then the king shall do according to his own will:
he shall exalt and magnify himself above every
god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of
gods, ...
:37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers
nor the desire of women[churches], nor regard any
god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.
2Thes 2:11 ... God will send them strong delusion, that
they should believe the lie,
In the final period of his reign Satan will gather the nations, the seven
kingdoms of Christianity, and bring them against the chosen remnant of God.
Rev 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs,
which go out to the kings of the earth and of the
whole world, to gather them to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty.
Rev 20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are
in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,
to gather them together to battle, ...
:9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved
city.
Isa 1:8 So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a
vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As
a besieged city.
Isa 37:33 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king
of Assyria [a type of Satan]: 'He shall not come
into this city, ...
:35 For I will defend this city, to save it For My own
sake and for My servant David's sake.'
In conclusion then, prophecy is predicting the following end-time periods.
1st Tribulation - Image of the beast with false prophet
2nd Tribulation - Satan (devil, dragon, little horn)
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