[12:3–4] A second and frightening sign of a huge red dragon now comes into view, a creature of extraordinary power and authority, since it has seven heads, ten horns, and seven diadems on its heads. Horns indicate power, diadems represent kingly rule; the numbers seven and ten signify completeness. Its red color reveals its violent character. The image of the dragon derives from Old Testament allusions to a Canaanite myth about a seven-headed sea monster that God defeated at the dawn of creation