What does Revelation 17:13 mean?

The ten kings may hold a summit meeting, at which time they decide conditions economically and politically are too critical for them to resolve. So, unanimously they turn to the beast for help. In turn he receives their decision to hand over their powers to him. Thus, the beast holds absolute sway over the empire. This is not an unprecedented strategy. Dictators often seize power by convincing others that they have no choice other than to hand over absolute control to one person. In ancient Greece, a leader known as an asymnetes was sometimes deliberately given absolute power by the people in order to deal with some crisis or time of need.

The ten kings' willingness to give the beast their power indicates their antagonism to genuine faith. However, it also indicates their allegiance to religious apostasy represented by the scarlet woman, whom the beast supports. Throughout history opposition to God's people and His work has often come from a united opposition. When the Jews were faithfully rebuilding Jerusalem's walls, the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites, "all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it" (Nehemiah 4:8). Also, Jews and Romans agreed together to crucify our Lord Jesus Christ. We should not be surprised if religious unbelievers oppose our faith and Christian service.