The Beast From The Sea
Rev. chapter twelve, verse 17, the dragon was enraged and went off to make war with the rest of the woman’s children who held to the testimony of Jesus. In chapter 13, John’s vision shifts from heaven to earth. He and the dragon are standing on the seashore.
In Biblical times Jewish people regarded the sea as a wild, untamable force, a frightening place. A figure of evil and chaos which seemed to resist God, though the resistance was unsuccessful. (Ps. 74:12-13; 89:8-9; Is.57:20)
Then I saw a beast coming out of the sea: Because John calls him a beast and not a dragon as he did in Rev. 12:3, this creature represents someone distinct from Satan, represented by the dragon (Rev. 12:9).
This beast is not the dragon (satan), but he is like him because he also has seven heads and ten horns. In Biblical imagery, horns express strength and power. This likeness to satan is just one thing that identifies this beast with the antichrist.
Antichrist
The word “antichrist” appears only five times in the Bible. Five times in four verses (1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3; & 2 John 7). The prefix “anti” can mean “the opposite of” or “instead of” Jesus. We tend to think of the antichrist as being opposite rather than instead. But the antichrist will attempt to be like Jesus. He will be pleasing to the eye, charming, well-liked, successful, and appear to be the world’s savior. But he will be a satanic messiah instead of the faithful Messiah Jesus Christ.
In John 2:18, John spoke of the antichrist and many antichrists. There is a spirit of the antichrist, and it has been with us always. The spirit of the antichrist will one day find its ultimate fulfillment in the antichrist, who will lead humanity in an end-times rebellion against God.
The Bible has many names for this last world leader. Daniel 7:8; the little horn. Daniel 8:23; the king of fierce countenance. Daniel 9:26; the prince that shall come. Daniel 11:36-45; the willful king. John 5:43; the one Israel will receive as the Messiah. 2Thess. 2-3; the son of perdition, the man of sin, the lawless one.
Horns & Crowns
And on his horns ten crowns: This is something different about the beast compared to the dragon of Rev. 12:3, who had seven crowns. The ten crowns of the beast express his rule over a group of ten nations. Most think of the ten horns distributed among the seven heads, but some feel it’s all ten upon one head.
The figure of ten horns also associates this beast with the beast of Dan. 7:7, which represents the final world empire of the antichrist. In Daniel’s vision, the ten horns represented ten kingdoms that this last world dictator would have authority over (Dan. 7:24). Likewise, in John’s vision, the ten crowns of the ten horns emphasize this idea.
The visions of Dan. 7 & Dan. 2 also connect the governments represented by the ten crowns with the ancient Roman Empire. Daniel saw three successive world empires in those visions, each succeeded by a fourth. In the context of the visions, it can only be the Roman Empire. In the days of that fourth empire, the Messiah will come, destroy all earthly rule, and reign over the earth. Since we do not see the reign of Jesus on the earth in the way Daniel prophesied, we can know the Roman Empire will “resume” in some way, expressed by this collection of ten crowns.
And on his heads a blasphemous name: Each of the heads of the beast advertise blasphemy against God. This blasphemy not only represents his message but his character.
Dan. 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, and shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change times and laws: Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.
A time and times and half a time: This phrase appears twice in Daniel 7:25; 12:7 & Rev. 12:14. Historicist interpreters have usually understood it to be 1260 days (i.e., 1+2+0.5=3.5).
More Connection With Daniel 7
Revelation 13:2 And the 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.
Like a leopard…a bear…a lion: In this vision, God used images from Daniel’s vision of Daniel 7 to communicate the identity and nature of this beast to John. Daniel 7 used four animals (beasts) to describe the course of the human government from Daniel’s time until the ultimate reign of Jesus on earth.
In Daniel 7, the lion is a picture of the Babylonian Empire; the bear is a picture of the Medo-Persian Empire; the leopard is a picture of the Greek Empire. The fourth beast of Daniel, described in Dan 7:7, is dreadful, terrifying, and extremely strong, with large iron teeth…it was different from all the beasts and had ten horns. This beast represents the final world empire under the leadership of a satanic dictator.
John presents this beast as the extension of the fourth beast of Dan. 7. He is connecting his empire with the characteristics of the past great kingdoms.
And the dragon gave him his power, throne, and great authority: In Matt. 4:8-11, Jesus refused this offer that the beast now takes. This beast is a man, but he isn’t an ordinary man. Rev. 11:7 & 17:8 calls him the beast descending from the bottomless pit. It may be that satan himself takes possession of this man (as he did Judas, John 13:27, which makes him exceptional.
The Beast’s Wound
Revelation 13:3; I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
How the beast was wounded isn’t addressed, but we know it’s fatal and healed. The recovery of the beast’s wound increases his fame and authority (the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast). Later in Rev. 13:12 & 14, this recovery is mentioned in connection to the world’s worship of the beast. This beast is an antichrist who even imitates Jesus in His death and resurrection.
Revelation 13:4; they worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”
As people worship this beast and bow down to his government, it may be that they do not know that they are bowing down to satan himself, but it is the worship of satan nonetheless. They worship the beast and the dragon, but their worship of the dragon may be unknown.
2 Cor. 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him?: The world will be amazed at the beast’s power and believe he is so mighty that no one can conquer him. Therefore, they worship the beast and the dragon behind the beast simply because of his might.
Blasphemies
Rev. 13:5-6 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
This man speaks against God and everything God stands for (His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven); he speaks against those who were taken in the rapture and are therefore out of his reach.
The beast will have full reign for the first 3.5 years of the final seven years but is still under God’s authority.
The Beast Makes War
Rev.13:-8 It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
The government of the beast will persecute and kill all those who do not worship the beast. He will only overcome them by taking their lives but not their faith. He can only destroy their physical lives and defeat the cause of God’s people on earth by all appearances.
In Matt. 16:18, we have reassurance from Jesus that God’s people will prevail; “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it”.
The people left on earth after all the saints have been killed will be those whose names have not been written in the book of life. This final world dictator will demand and receive worship from the whole earth. But those who worship him will pay the price.
The Book of Life contains the names of all God’s redeemed (Rev.20-15). The idea is that worshipping the beast and having your name in the Book of Life are mutually exclusive.
The Lamb who has been slain from the foundation of the world: This deeply meaningful title for Jesus reminds us that God’s plan of redemption was set in place before He even created the beings who would be redeemed. God wasn’t surprised by the fall of Adam or any other evidence of the fallen nature of man. He isn’t making things up as He goes along; it’s all going according to His plan. (John 17:24; 1 Peter 1:20; Ephesians1:4; Revelation 17:8; Matthew 25:34)
Revelation 13:9-10 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of saints.
He who has an ear…: This is a solemn word of warning, meant to capture the attention of all those who hear.
He who leads…: The officials of the beast are not without guilt. Though these things are prophesied and part of God’s predetermined plan, it does not lessen man’s personal responsibility. If you lead others into captivity for the beast, you will also go into captivity. God will measure unto you what you have measured to others.
The saints are attacked by the antichrist and his followers, but they must keep steadfast faith in the ultimate justice of God. He will reward their persecutors with the persecution of His own.
The Beast From The Earth
Rev. 13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.
This beast represents someone like the beast rising from the sea because the word beast is used to describe them both. But at the same time, this beast is different. Their origin is different, with one coming out of the sea and the other out of the earth. They are different in rank because the second is subordinate to the first (Rev. 13:12). They’re different in appearance because the second has a “lamb-like” appearance. This second beast is called a false prophet (Rev. 16:13, 19:20 & 20:10).
The dragon and the two beasts are an unholy trinity. The dragon (satan) is the anti-Father, the beast rising from the sea is the anti-Christ, and the beast from the earth is the anti-Holy Spirit.
Signs And Wonders
Rev. 13:12-15 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
The beast rising from the earth is essentially a satanic prophet, who leads the world to worship the beast and the dragon.
It may seem unlikely or impossible to some of us that the entire world will be led into worshipping a man of satan and satan himself. However, humans, by nature, have an undeniable religious impulse and an undeniable rebellion against God. People tend to want their own religion, not the elimination of it.
He performs great signs: The beast from the sea will have the “signs and wonders” to back up his false teaching (he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men). The importance of John highlighting this wonder is that in the eyes of the deceived world, it answers the miracle of the two witnesses who minister during this period and are persecuted by the antichrist and his false prophet (Rev. 11:5). It also puts this false prophet in the class of Elijah (1 Kings 18). Imagine the false prophet saying, “Let the true God answer with fire,” then performing his deceptive trickery.
There is a supernatural power which is againt God and truth, as well as one for God and truth. A miracle, simply as a work of wonder is not necessarily of God. There has always been a devilish supernaturalism in the world, running alongside of the supernaturalism of divine grace and salvation.
Seiss
Jesus said that in the end times, false prophets would emerge and show great signs and wonders to deceive (Matt. 24:24). In Matt. 7:22-23, He said that some who worked miracles, even in His name, were false followers and would perish in hell. Paul warns, in 2 Thess. 2:9, that the antichrist will come with all power, signs, and lying wonders.
In Exodus 7-9, Aaron performed miracles and up to a point was matched miracle-for-miracle by the magicians of Egypt. In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, God warns His people to judge a worker of miracles by their message, not only by their works.
Our emphasis should not be solely on signs and wonders. This way of thinking leaves you wide open to deception. The real marks of God’s work are love and truth.
Image Of The Beast
And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast: The image of the beast is animated in some way, in that it has breath and can speak. This could be supernatural or technological but the result will be impressive. the Psalmist mocks idol worshippers (Ps. 135:15-16) because their idols were of silver and gold, the work of men’s hands, having mouths but unable to speak, having eyes but unable to see. The image of the beast will speak and cause as many as would not worship the image to be killed.
This idolatrous image is what Jesus, Daniel, and Paul spoke of as the abomination of desolation (Matt:24:15, Daniel 9:27, & 2 Thess. 2:3-4). It will be set up in the holy place of a rebuilt temple; it is an abomination in the sense of being supreme idolatry. It’s desolation in the sense that it will bring the judgment described by the seals, trumpets, and bowls. The power of the antichrist will end after forty-two months (Rev. 13:5). This marks the halfway point of the final seven years of man’s rule of this planet. The antichrist’s power ends as soon as it peaks.
The Mark Of The Beast
Rev. 13:16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves to be given a mark on their right hand or their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
The ancient Greek word for mark is charagma; it isn’t generally applied to people, so because of this, some have taken it as a symbolic mark. But a literal mark needed to buy or sell is certainly conceivable and practical. The technology is available to mark people to buy and sell in an electronic economy.
He causes all…to receive a mark: Under the government of the beast and his associate, everyone will be expected to receive this mark in order to participate in the economy. However, a person will still have a choice to receive or not receive. It will not be secretly put on them or given through trickery; a person will know exactly what they are accepting.
On their right hands or their foreheads: Satan is not a creative being; all he can do is mimic God. This is a satanic parody of something God will do (Rev. 7:3-4).
The number of his name: This was a common concept in the ancient world. In Greek and Hebrew as well, letters were assigned a numerical value, such as “A” equaling 1, “B” equals 2, and so on.
His number is 666: Using the numeric value of a name, many candidates for antichrist have been suggested. The Pope, John Knox, Martin Luther, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and the list goes on but the schemes for unlocking the number of the beast are as confusing as they are endless. It is interesting to ponder who the antichrist could be but we shan’t know until we are meant to know. Whoever it turns out to be, their evilness will only be revealed after his rise to power.
Some Last Thoughts In Conclusion
The dragon and the two beasts are satanic imitations. A false “Father” (satan, the dragon), a false “Son” (antichrist, the first beast from the sea), and a false “Holy Spirit” or “Prophet” (the second beast from the earth). Satan can’t create but he can effectively deceive with imitation. Imitations work precisely because they are similar; if they were too obviously different it wouldn’t be as easy to deceive us. We must beware and be familiar with the genuine Jesus Christ.
Imitations have ever formed the gravest perils in the history of the Church and the world, and the devil’s final attempt to gain the governnent of the race will thus be an apalling attempt to imitate.
Morgan