REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE - Chapter 17 - Verse 12

Verse 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest. On the scarlet-coloured beast, Re 17:3.

Are ten kings. Represent or denote ten kings; that is, kingdoms or powers. See Barnes on "Da 7:24".

Which have received no kingdom as yet. That is, they were not in existence when John wrote. It is implied, that during the period under review they would arise, and would become connected, in an important sense, with the power here represented by the "beast." For a full illustration respecting the ten "kings," or kingdoms here referred to, see Barnes on Daniel 7, at the close of the chapter, II., (2.).

But receive power. It is not said from what source this power is received, but it is simply implied that it would in fact be conferred on them.

As kings. That is, the power would be that which is usually exercised by kings.

One hour. It cannot be supposed that this is to be taken literally. The meaning clearly is, that this would be brief and temporary; that is, it was a form of administration which would be succeeded by one more fixed and permanent. Any one can see that, in fact, this is strictly applicable to the governments which sprang up after the incursion of the Northern barbarians, and which were finally succeeded by the permanent forms of government in Europe. Most of them were very brief in their duration, and they were soon remodelled in the forms of permanent administration. Thus, to take the arrangement proposed by Sir Isaac Newton,

(1) the kingdom of the Vandals and/klans in Spain and Africa;

(2) the kingdom of the Suevians in Spain;

(3) the kingdom of the Visigoths;

(4) the kingdom of the Alans in Gallia;

(5) the kingdom of the Burgundians;

(6) the kingdom of the Franks;

(7) the kingdom of the Britons;

(8) the kingdom of the Huns;

(9) the kingdom of the Lombards;

(10) the kingdom of Ravenna—how temporary were most of these; how soon they passed into the more permanent forms of administration which succeeded them in Europe!

With the beast. With that rising Papal power. They would exercise their authority in connexion with that, and under its influence.

{a} "ten horns" Da 7:20; Zec 1:18-21