types of Antichrist it is not surprising that the prophecies concerning him can often be applied to them also in one or more particulars. But in Antichrist alone will they be realized in every particular. Hence the faithful will recognize him and avoid his snares, but the rest of man kind will be deceived by his "lying wonders."
The angel tells St. John that the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings. The seven mountains upon which the harlot sits are quite generally interpreted as the seven hills of Rome. The only apparent reason for mentioning the seven hills would be to show that the name Babylon is used figuratively for Rome, but the usage seems to have been well known to the early Christians. The connection of kings and mountains under one symbol suggests the imagery of the ancient prophecies where mountains so often figure as symbols of kingdoms and empires. [1] Hence the seven heads, which are seven mountains, may be the seven principal nations subject to Rome in the days of Antichrist.
One of the seven kings devotes himself and his kingdom so completely to the cause of Antichrist that he can rightly be identified with the beast as is done in verse 11. This is the head which St. John saw in a former vision where it was wounded unto death but revived and healed in a mysterious manner to the astonishment of all.
- ↑ Cf. Isaias xli, 15; Jeremias ii, 25; Daniel II, 35, 44; Zacharias iv, 7.
