“The ten horns you saw are ten kings. They haven’t yet begun to rule, but for a short time they will receive authority to rule together with the beast.
The great dragon was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. That dragon is the old serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.
The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They’ll destroy her and take away her expensive clothes; they’ll devour her flesh and burn her with fire.
Then the angel said to me, “Why are you so amazed? I’ll explain the mystery of the woman to you, and I’ll explain the mystery of the beast she rides on, the one that has the seven heads and ten horns.
The dragon’s tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and threw them down to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to have a baby, because he wanted to devour her child the moment he was born.
The dragon was very angry with the woman, so he went off to fight a war against the rest of her children. They’re all the people who obey God’s commands and speak the truth about Jesus to others.
The dragon stood on the seashore, and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and there were ten crowns on its horns. On each head there was a name that was disrespectful and insulting to God.
The beast I saw looked like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.
People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast. They asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can fight it?”