“And the ten horns that you saw mean ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they do receive authority as kings one hour with the wild beast.

Revelation 17:12

12. (a) What do the ten horns depict? (b) How is it that the symbolic ten horns ‘had not yet received a kingdom’? (c) How do the symbolic ten horns have “a kingdom” now, and for how long?

¹² The ten horns depict all the political powers that presently hold sway on the world scene and that support the image of the wild beast. Very few of the countries that now exist were known in John’s day. And those that were, such as Egypt and Persia (Iran), today have an entirely different political setup. Hence, in the first century, the ‘ten horns had not yet received a kingdom.’ But now in the Lord’s day, they have “a kingdom,” or political authority. With the collapse of the great colonial empires, particularly since the second world war, many new nations have been born. These, as well as the longer-established powers, must rule with the wild beast for a short period​—just “one hour”—​before Jehovah brings an end to all worldly political authority at Armageddon.