Chapter
Verse
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Revelation 17:12

ESV And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
NIV The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
NASB The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
CSB The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
NLT The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yet risen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast.
KJV 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.

What does Revelation 17:12 mean?

The angel is explaining symbols seen by John in his vision (Revelation 17:1–6). Here, he explains the meaning of the ten horns. They are ten kings, who haven't received their kingly power, but they will receive it for a short time. Further, they will share their authority with the beast.

Based on typical interpretations of this passage, and of the timeline of the tribulation, it seems the kings will govern a confederacy of ten states at the beginning of the tribulation. Likely, this confederacy will involve nations in Western Europe, which is territory once occupied by the Roman Empire. By this interpretation, those leaders will ratify a peace treaty with Israel during their rule (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3), before trouble emerges. Perhaps the confederacy fears the rise of militant Russia, and the situation becomes too complex for the ten kings to handle, so they unite with the beast. Together, the ten kings and the beast rule, but the union endures for only a brief time. While some Bible teachers try to identify the ten kings as successive rulers in the past, this verse identifies them as kings who rule together.
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