The Ten Horns

Depictions of Moses from the Dark Ages commonly portray the prophet with two horns on his head, most famously Michelangelo’s sculpture in San Pietro in Vincoli, a Catholic church in Rome. While some commentators suggest the heavy influence of paganism, which regularly represented their deities with horns, the error supposedly came from a mistranslation of Exodus 34:29, 30 in the Latin Vulgate.

The confusion arose from the Hebrew word qeren, which means “a ray of light,” “power,” or “horn.” A horn is typically used as a symbol for power. We see this most clearly in the book of Daniel, where a horn is defined as a king or kingdom (7:17, 23).

Recall that the fourth beast of Daniel 7 is equated to the first beast of Revelation 13. Thus, some scholars associate the fourth beast’s “ten horns” (v. 24) with this beast’s “ten horns.” A more likely scenario is that the number ten aligns with an earlier part of John’s vision, when the nations of the world unite with the harlot (Revelation 17:2). The number ten also commonly represents a total or a whole. Thus, in this sense, the ten horns are defined as all the nations of the world.

We see an interesting relationship at play here between the beast and these kings. The kings, the secular states, receive “authority” only as they are joined to the church, when they are “with the beast.” Once church and state are united in this universal capacity, then will these “ten kings” receive their kingdom. Incidentally, when every nation, government, and legislature is following the beast, how easy will it be to implement a global Sunday law?

Mercifully, however, this one-world government will have a short lifespan. “One hour” of prophetic time is 15 literal days, though scholars posit that not all prophetic time necessarily follows the day-for-a-year principle. In any case, the meaning of the verse is clear: The events of the last days will pass in a blink of an eye, and “the Son of Man [will come] at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:40).

Thank You, Lord, for these signs of the times, which encourage us to watch and pray to be ready for Your soon coming.

For Further Study: Habakkuk 3:4; Zechariah 1:18–21; Revelation 18:9, 10, 17

Key Bible Texts

And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (Revelation 17:12 KJV)