Revelation 12:3

‘And there was another sign in heaven, and behold, a great red monster having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.'

This is the second sign in heaven.

‘A great red monster'. In ancient myths monsters were often seen as fighting with gods in a way that was thought to influence the world. Such ideas were taken up in the Old Testament to depict the enemies of Israel. In Isaiah 27:1 the prophet describes ‘the Leviathan, the swift serpent, the Leviathan, the crooked serpent, and --- the monster that is in the sea', speaking of the swift river Tigris, the winding river Euphrates and Egypt, in depicting the punishment coming on Assyria and Egypt (this picture is taken from the Baal myths which speak of ‘Lotan the writhing serpent -- the twisted serpent, the accursed one with seven heads'. The monster is thus a great serpent-like creature).

In Psalms 74:13 the dividing of the Reed Sea at the Exodus is described as ‘breaking the heads of the dragons in the waters, breaking the heads of Leviathan in pieces'. The same event is described in Isaiah 51:9 as cutting Rahab in pieces and slaying the monster (compare Isaiah 30:7; Ezekiel 29:3; Ezekiel 32:2; Psalms 89:10). Thus Egypt is seen as Leviathan and Rahab, both legendary monsters. Babylon is similarly spoken of (Jeremiah 51:34). (The same terms can be used of the crocodile (Job 41:1 on) and the whale (Psalms 104:26)).

Thus the terms signify awesome enemies of the people of God and are here taken up by John to depict the greatest Enemy of all (Matthew 13:39; Luke 10:19).

The seven diadems are probably in contrast with the crown of the woman. The former were worn by kings of the nations, the latter is the crown of the victor. However He Who is the Word of God will have many diadems for He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:12 with 16).

‘Red' - a fiery red, used of the red horse which takes peace from the earth (Revelation 6:4). Thus it speaks of the opposite of the Prince of peace. It is a creature of blood.

‘Seven heads and ten horns'- see Daniel 7:7 for ten horns where they represent ten kings (Daniel 7:24). The idea of the many headed monster comes from Psalms 74:13 (seven headed in Canaanite mythology, see above). In Revelation 17 the seven heads are ‘seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are seven kings' (Revelation 17:9). Seven is the number of heavenly completeness and this therefore shows the monster to be the world ruler (John 12:31; John 14:30; John 16:11) whose power is behind those who rule on earth. Indeed the Lord did not dispute his claim to be able to give Him the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them (Matthew 4:8; Luke 4:5). He also has ten horns, but their rule is far in the future. All earthly rulership to be described in Revelation has its source in the monster.

Babylon was depicted as a ‘destroying mountain' (Jeremiah 51:25). Compare the ‘mount of destruction' in 2 Kings 23:13, and the mountain that represented the destruction of earthly kingdoms by the heavenly kingdom in Daniel 2:35 with 44. Thus mountains are symbolic of destructive power.

So the battle lines are drawn up, the woman, the faithful wife of the Lord, against the great monster; the patriarchs and the people of God against Satan (Revelation 12:9), and against those mighty ones, instruments of destruction, whom he empowers.