The number 10, in the Bible,
is used 242 times. The designation "10th" is used 79 times. Ten is also viewed as a complete and perfect numeral, as is 3, 7 and 12. It is made up of 4, which represents the physical creation, and 6, which symbolizes man. As such, the meaning of 10 is one of testimony, law, responsibility and the
completeness of order.
We find, In Genesis 1, the phrase "God said" 10 times, which is a testimony of His creative power. God gave the Ten Commandments to man. Ten therefore represents man's responsibility to keep the commandments. A tithe is a 10th of our earnings and is a testimony of our faith in the Lord.
The Passover lamb was selected on day 10 of the 1st month (Exodus 12:3), as was Jesus, the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world (John 12:28 - 29; 1Corinthians 5:7). Day 10 of the 7th month is also the Holy Day known as the Day of Atonement. This unique day of fasting pictures the removal of Satan, the author of sin, before the millennial reign of Jesus
begins (Revelation 20:1 - 2).
The last great world-ruling kingdom of man under
Satan is symbolized prophetically by the 10 toes
of Daniel 2 and the 10 horns of
Revelation 13 and 17.
Appearances of the Number TenTen generations of man lived on the earth before the flood waters came and swept away all those who were disobedient. Noah, the tenth generation, was 600 years when he and seven other family members entered the ark.
The patriarchs who preceded Noah are Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech (who was Noah's father). Incredibly, the average age of these 10 patriarchs is 857 years! If we leave out the unusual circumstance of God transporting Enoch at the age of 365, we end up with an average lifespan of 912 years!
666 in Rev 13.18 is best related
to the notice of Solomon receiving
666 talents of gold (1 Kgs 10.14 // 2 Chr 9.13),
which is, in turn, an important notice of this
king's wayward and unjust practices:
his inordinate wealth, exploitation of his
own people
and eschewing of God's law.
The wild beast with seven heads introduced
at Revelation 13:1 represents
the worldwide political system.
- It has authority, power, and a throne, which point to its being a political entity.--Revelation 13:2.
- It rules over “every tribe and people and tongue and nation,” so it is greater than a single national government.--Revelation 13:7.
- It combines features of the four beasts described in the prophecy at Daniel 7:2-8, including the appearance of a leopard, the feet of a bear, a lion’s mouth, and ten horns. The beasts in Daniel’s prophecy are identified as specific kings, or political kingdoms, that rule in succession over empires. (Daniel 7:17, 23) Thus, the wild beast of Revelation chapter 13 represents a composite political organization.
- It ascends “out of the sea,” that is, from the turbulent masses of mankind that are the source of human governments.--Revelation 13:1; Isaiah 17:12, 13.
- The Bible says that the number, or name, of the beast—666—is “a man’s number.” (Revelation 13:17, 18) That expression indicates that the beast of Revelation chapter 13 is a human entity, not a spirit or demon entity.
“Ten horns and seven heads” Certain numbers are used symbolically in the Bible. For example, ten and seven represent completeness. The key to understanding the specific meaning of the “ten horns and seven heads” of the beast of Revelation chapter 13 is an “image of the wild beast” identified later in Revelation—a bright-red beast that has seven heads and ten horns. (Revelation 13:1, 14, 15; 17:3) The Bible says that the seven heads of this red beast mean “seven kings,” or governments.--Revelation 17:9, 10.
Likewise, the seven heads of the beast of Revelation 13:1 represent seven governments: the primary political powers that have dominated through history and have taken the lead in oppressing God’s people—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Anglo-America. If we conclude that the ten horns represent all sovereign states, small and large, then the diadem, or crown, on each horn shows that each nation rules concurrently with the primary political power of the time.