You are correct that the word Anti-Christ
is not used in the book of Revelation, and the book of
Daniel uses the term Little Horn although many people
and theologians refer to the first beast in Revelation
as the Anti-Christ who comes up out of the sea and the
second beast coming up out of the Earth as the False
Prophet. You stated the following in your above
post:
"So, the ‘beast’ from the sea (referred to), is not
The Antichrist—nor is that ‘beast’ a person—because
the word ‘animal’ is consistently used in Daniel and
Revelation to depict a great power, a ‘kingdom’
or an ‘empire.’"
In Daniel 7:2-3, there are 4 great beasts
that come up out of the great sea (Mediterranean Sea
just like the beast in Rev. 13:1 that comes up out of
the sea.) These 4 great beasts represented by 4
animals are both kings and kingdoms with the 4th great
beast representing the 4th king and kingdom of the
Little Horn who rises to power who I refer to as the
Anti-Christ although the word Anti-Christ is not in
these scriptures but neither is the Muslim word Mahdi
who is a man and not a physical animal nor a kingdom.
According to Daniel 7:19-27, the Little Horn prevails
against the saints for 3 1/2 years until the Ancient
of Days comes and the saints possess His kingdom.
Below are the scriptures to prove that the 4th beast
is both a king and a kingdom.
Daniel 7:17, "These great beasts, which
are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the
earth."
Daniel 7:23, "Thus he said, the fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth which
shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour
the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it
in pieces."
Then Daniel 7:24 goes on to say, "And the
ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall
arise: and another shall rise after them (meaning
another king); and he shall be diverse from the first,
and he shall subdue three kings." These ten
horns that are ten kings in Daniel 7:24 are the same
ten horns on the beast that rises up out of the sea in
Rev. 13:1.
The beast that is worshipped is a man in
Rev. 13:18 and not a kingdom because the number of the
beast is the number of a man.
Rev. 13:18, "Here is wisdom. Let him that
hath understanding count the number of the beast: for
it is the number of a man; and his number is Six
hundred threescore and six." If the beast was just a
kingdom, the verse should read let us count the number
of the beast which is 666, and it would make no
mention of the number of a man.
You also stated the following:
"The ‘animal/beast’ (Rev. 13:1‒2) is
actually an ‘animal-shaped’ land-based ‘realm’ that
has had seven prior ‘kingdom’ iterations. Thus, the
land that rises up from the sea
also incorporates ten ‘sovereign’ horns/nations
within its described territory. (Rev. 17:9‒11)
If the animal/beast is just 'an
animal-shaped' land-based realm as you claim, then
what do you propose that the image of the beast
might look like that mankind will make and worship?
And don't forget that Rev. 13:4 says that they also
worship the dragon which gave power to the beast,
and they worshipped the beast, saying Who is like
unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
and Rev. 13:15 says that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be
killed.
Also where does the man of sin, the son
of perdition, in 2 Thess. 2:3-4,9-10, who has not
yet been revealed, fit into your end time scenario
of the beast not being a man when he opposeth and
exalteth himself above all else that is called God
or that is worshipped; so he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God? Even
him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying wonders, And all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the
truth, that they might be saved."???