"And I was standing on the sand of the sea, and saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of reviling. And the wild beast, which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world admired and followed the beast. And they worshipped the dragon, for he gave power to the wild beast: and they worshipped the wild beast, saying, Who is like the wild beast, and who is able to make war with him?" -- Rev.18:1-4.

The sea, from which this beast emerged, is evidently the turbulent state of anarchy, to which the people of the fourth kingdom had been reduced, on its subversion. And the beast which came up out of the sea, represents the forms of government which then arose.

Its heads and horns synchronize with those of the dragonic monster, which had preceded it, and disappeared from the view of the revelator. And they doubtless symbolize the same forms of government. See pp.145-148.

The ten crowns encircling its horns, indicate that an era is foreshadowed, when the sovereignty of the kingdom shall have been transferred from the forms of government symbolized by the heads, -- which had before been encircled by the crowns, -- to that represented by the horns. There is great unanimity among Protestant writers, in regarding these as the first ten kingdoms which existed in the western empire arising during the period of its decline, viz:

1. The Huns in Hungary, from A. D.356.

2. The Ostrogoths in Mysia, from A. D.377. They invaded Italy, and conquered the Heruli in 493; and were defeated in 538 by Justinian, when the Pope was placed in quiet possession of the capital of Rome.

3. The Visigoths in Pannonia, from A. D.378 to 408, when they removed to the south of France till 585. They then removed to, and subjugated Spain.

4. The Franks in France, from A. D.407.

5. The Vandals in Spain, from A. D.407 till 427, when they removed to Africa, and continued an independent kingdom till subjugated by Justinian in 533.

6. The Suevi and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain, from 407 till 585.

7. The Burgundians in Burgundy, from A. D.407 till 524, when they became subject for a time to the Franks; but afterwards they arose again to an independent kingdom.

8. The Heruli, who advanced into Italy under Attila, and in 476 terminated the imperial rule by the dethronement of Agustulus. They were in turn conquered by the Ostrogoths in A. D.493.

9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain from about A. D.450. And,

10. The Lombards in Germany, from A. D.483.

The name of blasphemy, on the heads of this beast, identifies it as the successor and representative of the persecuting power which sought the life of the Man-child, (12:4), and caused the woman to flee to the wilderness, 12:14.

Its characteristics resemble those of the lion, bear, and leopard, of Daniel's vision (Dan.7:4-6), which respectively symbolized the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian kingdoms. These mark it as their successor -- synchronizing with Daniel's ten-horned nondescript beast, (Dan.7:7); which was the fourth kingdom that should exist on the earth, and the ten horns of which, symbolized the same ten-fold partition of the Roman empire.

His power, seat, and great authority being given by the dragon, is another evidence that it is a continuation of that fourth kingdom succeeding to its sovereignty. The laws of the ancient empire were generally adopted by the ten kingdoms, which assumed and exercised the prerogatives of ancient Rome. Says Bossuet: "Whoever carefully examines the laws of the Theodosian and Justinian codes against heretics, will see that they are the source of the decrees against them, that the church, aided by the edicts of princes, enacted in the third and fourth Lateran councils."

The head, which was as it were wounded to death, would indicate that under the government symbolized by that head, the life of the beast had become apparently extinct. This was the case when the empire was subverted. In the succession of the previous forms of government, the empire itself was not in any particular peril. They gave place, each to its successor, without any subversion of the government. But when the seventh head ceased to exercise sovereignty, the beast itself was apparently dead. The wound, however, did not prove mortal. The beast still lived. Its sovereignty was perpetuated by the decemregal governments; which constituted the eighth form of government -- symbolized by the beast that was, is not, and yet is again in existence and will continue till the day of perdition, 17:11; 19:20.

They worshipped the dragon and beast, by regarding the latter as a continuation of the former power, and regarding the sovereign power of Rome as unparalleled and invincible -- as is shown by the questions: "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" Those combined governments were regarded by their subjects with wonder and veneration. Says Mr. Lord: "The serfs and common people, sunk for ages to the most degraded vassalage, revered the monarchs, the various ranks of nobles, and their armed followers, as a superior race, while poets and historians celebrated their warlike exploits, and philosophers and priests justified their usurpations, and eulogized the wisdom and benignity of their rule."