of Antichrist: You know what withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity already worketh; only that he who now holdeth, do hold, until he be taken out of the way. And then that wicked one shall be revealed." [1]
3. St. John now sees in heaven a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns; each head bearing a diadem. The dragon is Satan red with the blood of martyrs which he will cause to flow. The meaning of the seven heads and ten horns must be sought in the description of the beast that represents Antichrist where they symbolize kings or worldly powers. [2] Those of the dragon must have a similar meaning, and indicate that Satan's attacks against the Church will be organized and carried out by the governments and ruling powers of those days.
With the beast of Antichrist only the horns have diadems as symbols of royalty or governing power. The heads are branded with names of blasphemy. [3] Hence they symbolize the sins and errors that will afflict the Church. Seven, the number of universality, indicates that in this final struggle to prevent the universal reign of Christ all forms of sin and error will be marshalled against the Church. A prelude to this may be seen in the errors of Modernism which has been rightly designated "a synthesis of all heresies." The number seven is also appropriate since all sins are included in the seven capital sins. In like manner all errors that have
