And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Appeared - `was seen.'
Wonder - `sign.'
Red. So A 'Aleph ('), Vulgate х purros (G4450)]; but B C, Coptic х puros (G4442)], 'of fire.' The colour implies the dragon's fiery rage as a murderer from the beginning. His representative, the beast, corresponds, having seven heads and ten horns, (the number of horns on the fourth beast, Daniel 7:1-28.) But in Revelation 13:1, ten crowns are on the ten horns (for, before the end, the fourth empire is divided into ten kingdoms); here, seven crowns [`diadems,' not stefanoi (G4735), 'wreaths'] are upon his seven heads. In Daniel 7:1-28, the anti-Christian powers, up to Christ's second coming, are represented by four beasts, having among them seven heads - i:e., the first, second, and fourth beasts having one head each; the third, four heads. His universal dominion as prince of this fallen world is implied by the seven diadems (contrast the 'many diadems on Christ's head,' Revelation 19:12, when coming to destroy him and his), caricaturing the seven spirits of God. His worldly instruments of power are the ten horns, ten being the world-number. The ten horns, among which subsequently arose the little horn, seem earlier in the fourth kingdom; and the little horn, which plucks up three, the temporal papacy. The ten crowned horns, which receive power with the beast, are at the close of the fourth kingdom. The little horn 'wears out the saints' for "a time, and times, and the dividing of time;" but the beast's reign with the ten kings is but "one hour" (cf. Daniel 7:7-8; Daniel 7:20-22; Daniel 7:24-26, with Revelation 17:12-13; Revelation 17:16-17). 'The judgment takes away the little horn's dominion, consumes and destroys it unto the end' by a lengthened process; but 'the beast is (summarily) slain, and his body given to the burning flame' (cf. Revelation 19:20-21). It marks his self-contradictions that he and the beast bear both seven (the divine) and ten (the world-number).