Revelation chapter 13 includes the following: “….I saw a beast rising out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns….The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:1-3). “And he (false prophet) deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” (Revelation 13:14)
The “seven heads” of the beast are further described as seven kingdoms (mountains) as well as seven kings. “Here is the mind which has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman (Mystery Babylon) sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue for a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is one of the seven, and is going to perdition.” (Revelation 17:9-11) These 7 kings/kingdoms are generally identified as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome (the one that is in John’s time), and the Ottoman Empire, nations that sequentially dominated Israel since she came into existence. Note that the beast (antichrist) is “one of the seven”. There is much controversy in today’s eschatological circles about whether he is from Rome (a revived Roman Empire) or the Ottoman (a revived modern Caliphate uniting the world of Islam). Also notice that he is the eighth king of this new eighth kingdom that emerges. In my opinion, it makes more biblical sense that he is the head of a new caliphate based in Turkey. (See my post: Origin of the Antichrist – Jim’s Eschatological Info (eschatontrails.com) )
In any case, the potential reemergence of one of these kingdoms, whether Rome (as Holy Roman Empire) or the Ottoman (new Islamic Caliphate) is considered by many as the deadly wound being healed. But is it the person of the king (antichrist) himself that suffers a fatal wound and is miraculously healed? At first glance, the text seems to permit either or both to be indicated. It’s important that we know clearly what the scriptures are telling us so that we do not miss what will be a sure sign of where we are on God’s timetable. I have personally come to the conclusion that the fatal wound that is healed is to the individual person of the antichrist. Here’s why I believe that.
First, there is no biblical precedent for the reemergence of a former empire being described as a healing of a fatal wound. Even the miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel is not characterized in prophecy as the healing of a fatal wound. Also, notice that in Rev. 13:12, as a result of his miraculous recovery “all the world marveled and followed the beast”. I doubt that the entire world would “marvel” at the reestablishment of a Holy Roman Empire (which some say has already happened) or a new Islamic Caliphate. A recovery from a fatal wound by a charismatic world leader mimicking Jesus’ resurrection, however, would garner world-wide amazement. In verse 14, the false prophet directs followers to make an “image” of the beast to be worshipped reminiscent of Nebuchadnezzar’s self- image he had erected in Babylon. It was the image of a man, not an empire. It is hard to conceive erecting an image of an empire. For these reasons, I conclude that the fatal wound referred to in these verses is to the individual that emerges as the antichrist.
While I’m not dogmatic about this conclusion, I think we should be alert to a future world leader who is miraculously healed from a fatal wound by “the sword”, perhaps indicating during a military conflict or an attempted assassination. We must keep alert, always watching for these scriptural signs given to us. All of them will come to pass. Guaranteed!
Maranatha, Jim