Objectives in Studying this Chapter:
1) To notice two “beasts” Satan would use in making war against the saints
2) To offer an explanation consistent with the context in which the Revelation was written as to the identity of the two beasts
A Brief Introduction
Before we begin chapter 13 let’s notice that there is a very distinct connection between chapter 12 and chapter 13. If you notice in Revelation, chapter 12 and verse 17, the statement is made that “the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Well, who is the dragon? We identified him in our study of chapter 12 as being Satan, the devil. He had failed in his effort to destroy the man child—that, of course, we identified as Christ—and the woman. We saw that the man child was taken up to the throne room of heaven and that the woman escaped into the wilderness—a place prepared by God for refuge, and for safety.
And so, Satan is enraged; he has failed, but he is not ready to give up. We’re going to see, then, the connection between chapters 12 and 13 in Satan’s efforts “to make war with the rest of her [the woman’s] offspring.” In chapter 13, Satan will rally a couple of allies. He will enlist their aid, their effort, in defeating and destroying God’s purpose, God’s people, and God’s rule.
These two allies, these two helpers, are revealed here in chapter 13. One is a beast—in fact, the Greek word there means “a wild beast”—from the sea. The other is a beast out of the earth.
To have the right perspective, we also want to notice that the 13th chapter opens, if you’re reading from the King James and the New King James Versions, with a statement to the effect that “I stood on the sand of the sea….” This statement in these two translations/versions says that it is John who is standing on the sand of the sea. Actually, more specifically, more accurately—based upon some later manuscript evidence—it is the dragon who is standing on the sand of the sea, or the seashore.
If you’re reading from the American Standard, the Revised Standard, the New International Version, or some others, you will see that there is a little bit of a difference in the way that is handled. In fact, some translations—for example, the NIV—actually begin chapter 13 saying, “And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea,” with a footnote stating, “Some late manuscripts And I”. I saw one translation—it was actually Hugo McCord’s translation—where he made an 18th verse in chapter 12 and closed out that chapter this way: Revelation 12:17-18: [verse 17] “And the dragon became very angry at the woman, and fought with the rest of her offspring, those who observe God’s commands and hold the testimony of Jesus. [verse 18] And he stood on the seashore.” Then he begins chapter 13 with John’s statement of “I [John] saw a beast arising from the sea….” Now, that’s just a minor thing. It doesn’t make one right or wrong, but again, it’s a little bit of a clarification of who is where.
You recall that chapter 12 began with John seeing a vision in the heavens. Now John is seeing a vision; he’s seeing something; he’s going to describe something that is actually taking place on the earth. Specifically where John was, is not important, but the dragon, the devil, he is seeing in this vision is standing there on the sand of the seashore. That’s where we begin with chapter 13.
THE BEAST FROM THE SEA (VERSES 1-10)
[John Phillis is reading from The New King James Version, so note again what was said about the beginning of verse 1.]
“Then I [more accurately, “The dragon”] stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”
The Beast Described (verses 1-3a)
“Then I [more accurately, “The dragon”] stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.”
We see that this first beast rises out of the sea. We notice a very strong resemblance between this beast that comes forth out of the sea and the dragon himself, both “having seven heads and ten horns.” The dragon has seven crowns on his [seven]heads.”The dragon and this sea beast differ in the fact that the dragon has seven crowns for his seven heads, but the sea beast has seven heads and ten crowns, wearing its ten crowns on its ten horns, rather than its heads. [Revelation 12:3 says that the dragon wore the diadems, the crowns, on his heads: “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.” This sea beast has “seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns.”] That’s a very minor point.
Some writers think that this beast that is described here, this beast out of the sea, with its seven heads and its ten crowns, and so on, represents something very specific. We don’t dispute the fact that to the 1st Century eye who read this, no doubt, the Roman Empire would have been foremost in their minds. They would have, perhaps, understood this without any hesitation at all. But some writers say that these seven heads of the sea beast represent seven specific Roman Emperors, seven Roman Caesars, all of whom were extremely brutal and terrible despots—men like Nero and Caligula and Trajan and Domician and those. Well, that may, in fact, be so. That, indeed, may have been what those early Christians thought about. But, here’s the point. Evil follows evil, and just when we might think that evil is on the run, that we don’t have to worry about it any longer, there is evil to take the place of that, just as there has always been. And assuming that that IS what the Holy Spirit had in mind, had in view there— the beast with the seven heads and that they represented seven specific Roman Emperors—they are all gone. They’ve been dead and gone with their effects for hundreds of years. But more evil despots have followed, haven’t they? You see, the world, even in our day, never runs out of these evil despots. No, Satan never runs out of evil, nor does he run out of evil men to be his followers.
This sea beast is a wild beast, which is the actual word in the Greek language—an animal. According to some scholars, this could even mean having the understanding of being a person with beastly attributes—a monster. The image is clear; it is representative of something that is completely savage, something that is brutal, something that is ferocious. The important point there is that the blasphemous words were on him [“…and on his heads a blasphemous name.”], which indicates a total irreverent attitude toward God and all that is sacred.
Verse 2 tells us that this sea beast was like a leopard; it had the appearance of a leopard. It had feet like that of a bear. It had the mouth of a lion. This picture, this image, is really unmistakable, isn’t it? This beast is the personification of evil. This beast is one whose purpose, whose intent, whose complete being, is evil altogether, whose words and actions are blasphemous, that is, his words and actions are completely contemptuous of God and all things sacred.We also see his blasphemous nature in verses 5 and 6. This is the image, then; this is the image that John has; this is the way that he portrays it, not only to his 1st Century readers, but to us, as well.
Notice that there is a strong similarity between this beast from the sea and the beast of Daniel’s vision. In Daniel’s vision, the beast came from the sea, as well, but in his vision, there were four beasts, one resembling a leopard, one resembling a bear and one resembling a lion [and a fourth beast different from the other three]. In John’s vision, however, there is only one beast. This beast combines within himself the description of the four beasts rising out of the stormy sea in Daniel’s vision. Daniel 7:1-7: “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, ‘I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 ‘And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: “Arise, devour much flesh!”
6 ‘After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 ‘After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.’”
We see in Daniel’s vision that there are four distinct, different, beasts. In John’s vision, there is something of a combination of those beasts. We see in John’s vision, this “sea beast” looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear; it had a mouth like a lion; it has ten horns, like the fourth terrible beast in Daniel’s vision; and his seven heads were the sum of all the heads of Daniel’s four beasts. These are all animals, who are wild—remember we said that in the original Greek language the word “beast” had the understanding of being a wild beast, a wild animal? These are all wild animals, these are all ferocious animals, these are all carnivorous animals. They conjure up those ideas in that day; they conjure up those same ideas in our day.
Now, Daniel desired to know the meaning of the four beasts of his vision, and he was told in Daniel, chapter 7 and verse 17, that these four beasts in his vision represented four kings, four earthly kings, or four earthly kingdoms, that would “rise out of the earth” [“Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.”]. Those four kingdoms are understood to be four kingdoms that are now already past—in fact, were already passed (with the exception of the Roman Empire) at the time that John wrote this. They were the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and then the Roman Empire. That is the understanding of those four beasts in Daniel’s vision.
Think about it from this point of view: As we think about what this sea beast in John’s vision represents, we see from the vision of Daniel—remember the similarities between the two visions—that those four beasts represented what were, and what would become of, four evil empires, so to speak, four very world-dominant powers at that time. These four empires were characteristically evil in their existence.
Now, at the time John wrote Revelation, it is reasonable to believe, to understand, I think, that the Holy Spirit, through John, is identifying here that these 1st Century Christians would have understood what was represented by this sea beast—the Roman Empire. We see in verses 4 and 7 the description that this beast was able to “make war with the saints.” Well, don’t you know that war was being made upon the saints of that day!
Previously, in chapter 12, the dragon has been described as Satan, or the devil. We see here that Satan, the dragon, will turn over his power, his throne, much of his authority, to this beast that has arisen out of the sea. One writer that I read observed, and I thought it was kind of an interesting thought, that the devil is giving to this beast what at one time he offered, in effect, to the Lord Jesus Christ if He would simply fall down and worship him. You recall, that was one of the temptations that the devil brought upon Jesus when He was in the wilderness, Luke, chapter 4 and verses 5-6 [“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’”]. And now, these things—his power, his authority, his dominion—he gives to this ally, this sea beast that is described here.
As the dragon, that is, Satan, is opposed to God, so is the beast is something of an antichrist. That is, he is against Christ and maybe thought of, in a sense—open your minds now a little bit for this one—but in a sense, he may be thought of as though he were “the devil’s Messiah,” opposing Christ. In other words, he is the one who the devil was sending forth, not to be the Savior, but to be the destroyer, to be all things opposed to, all things opposite of, all things “anti-,” Christ. As a composite of Daniel’s vision, this beast combines within it itself the brutality, the ruthlessness, the power, the persecuting, the vigor, ALL of the evil, of the four beasts that were in Daniel’s vision.
Daniel’s vision in the Old Testament was representative of four world kingdoms, or four world powers. We will learn as we go along here in Revelation, when we get over to chapter 17 specifically, that there can be, and no doubt is, an application made here regarding this beast to a connection with the Roman Empire, primarily having to do with its persecution, with its evil dominion, that it brought upon the world in the 1st Century and even on into the 2nd and 3rd Centuries.
As a matter of fact, there are a number of writers, and perhaps you have read some as well, who make some very specific connections here with this beast. For example, who do the seven heads represent? who do the ten horns represent? etc. They can, in fact, make a case for various Roman Emperors all the way from Nero through Domician, etc., and they would suggest that that is exactly what this beast represents. Well, maybe for the 1st or 2nd Century application of this that might, in fact, be proper. But it seems like even in those evil empires—in fact even in ALL of the evil empires which have come and gone in world history—none of them exactly embody all of the things which are being spoken of here.
I think what we’re speaking about here, like we have in other places, is something that is broader than just a specific application to a specific emperor or ruler or whatever. Again, there was an empire, there was an evil dominion, that was ongoing in the 1st Century at the time that John wrote this, and there would be those that would follow in the 2nd Century, in the 3rd Century and on beyond, and even into our day today.
Well, one of the heads of this beast is wounded, wounded to death, John says, but the deadly wound is healed, and that makes one wonder, because the head that seemed to have been mortally wounded—given a deadly wound—was, in fact, healed [“And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast,” verse 3].
This may have a kind of “mock parallel” to the death and the resurrection of Christ. This beast, who is the tool of the devil, the anti-Christ, the one who is opposed to Christ, receives a death stroke and is healed. This is kind of a cruel parallel that mocks the fact that the Messiah, the Son of God, was, in fact, killed. Christ did receive the death stroke—He was not healed—He died. Now, the great difference, however, is that while this head, this image of the beast, may have been “healed,” he will eventually die; he will eventually be punished eternally, where Christ, even though He died—He received that mortal blow, so to speak, in physical death—He was the first to rise, never to die again [1 Corinthians 15:20-26: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.”]. And so, the parallel is not exact there, but that’s what some writers would suggest.
Here’s another idea, as well, that comes from the 1st Century and is a very popular belief, or understanding, or interpretation, of this. That is, that this head that’s referred to that had the “deadly wound” and “was healed,” had reference specifically to Nero.
Nero, of course, was legendary, notorious, in that day, and remains so to this day, as one of the most evil rulers ever to be in charge of, or, over, any group of people. There was a legend concerning Nero. Of course, when he was deposed by the government in Rome, he…well, he attempted to commit suicide, but he apparently became a coward and had a servant actually complete the task. But there was a rumor, a legend, which existed that he did not die, that he actually went to a neighboring country where the Parthenians, who were the deadly enemies of Rome, gave him sanctuary, and that Nero was there raising a band, or, raising an army, and would eventually lead it back to conquer Rome. So, the suggestion is, based upon that legend, that rumor, that Nero had not died—that he was, in fact, going to come back to conquer Rome. That was one idea about the sea beast with the “deadly wound” which “was healed” that may be in view in this vision by John. Well, as I said, I think that’s much too narrow a view.
The Activity Involving the Sea Beast (verses 3b-8)
We see that when the wound was healed, the wicked world marveled at that [verse 3b] and they worshiped the dragon and the sea beast. If this sea beast—by the way, an ally, a colleague, of Satan—is, in fact, evil personified, if it represents (and I believe it does) an evil government, the evil conditions of the world at hand, then there’s an important lesson here for Christians of every age. That is, that it may appear sometimes that evil is “on the run,” that evil has been overcome, and, indeed, evil can be defeated. But remember this, that there is more evil to take the place of that evil that has been defeated, or has been destroyed. That’s true in the world; that’s true in the church; that’s true in our individual lives. And you see, therefore, we can never let down our guard. We can never give up the struggle, the battle, that we are in against Satan. And, indeed, we are in a daily struggle, a daily battle. Always remember that evil will follow evil and, just as John describes, the world is impressed with that fact. The world wonders, it marvels, as Dr. Hugo McCord translates this particular verse, verse 3, in his translation of the New Testament He says, “and the whole world followed the beast, full of wonder.” Well, say now, that’s it, isn’t it? “…and the whole world followed the beast, full of wonder.” BUT, the Christian, the child of God, you and I, we are called upon to resist, to struggle against, not to be enamored with, not to be overcome by, not to follow after the beast.
They [“the whole world”] used language that in Scripture is commonly reserved for the praise of God! [“So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…,” verses 4 and 5a.]
Here again, perhaps this is a “mocking parallel” to spiritual things, to divine things. The statements of those who worshipped the dragon and the beast [“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”] are statements which had been, and could always be, and will continue always to be, made of God! But these are statements that those who worship the dragon, who worship the beast, are now making about them.
So, the mouth of the sea beast [who represents evil governments, evil conditions of the world] speaks “great things and blasphemies,” asserting his opposition to God. And he is given forty-two months in which to continue, once again, a symbolic time [“…and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months,” verse 5b]. You know, we’ve run across this expression of time before—the one thousand two hundred sixty day—all representing a period of time with a beginning and with an end, which is the time of the persecution, the final times.
Verse 5 does give us hope and reassurance. The ability of this beast to have this power and authority is limited. Remember from verse 2 that Satan, the dragon, gave this sea beast equal power and authority that he, Satan, possessed [“The dragon (Satan) gave him (the sea beast, who represents evil governmental/political power) his (Satan’s) power, his (Satan’s) throne, and great authority.”]. He will not be able to wield that power and authority for eternity. [Job 24:22-24: “But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. 23 He gives them security, and they rely on it; Yet His eyes are on their ways. 24They are exalted for a little while, Then they are gone. They are brought low; They are taken out of the way like all others; They dry out like the heads of grain.” Psalm 37:9-10: “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.”].
That number of months here, that “forty-two months,” the “one thousand two hundred sixty days,” represents and says that “this is a specific period of time.” It has a beginning and it has an end. This period of time was ongoing in the day that John wrote this; this period of time continues even now, and will continue until the return of Christ [1 Corinthians 15:24-25: “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.”].
The sea beast blasphemes God and God’s Name and God’s tabernacle and those that dwell in heaven, which is another way of saying that he blasphemes not only God, but all of God’s people, all of the heavenly court. [“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven,” verse 6.]
This beast from the sea makes war against the saints and is able to overcome them [“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation,” verse 7]. He takes power into his own hand; he is able to persecute them and to overcome them, in a sense.
But, in another sense, the saints, who are being persecuted, who the dragon and the beast are trying to overcome, in reality, overcome through the blood of Christ Jesus and are secured by God’s power from the dragon and the beast [Romans 5:8-10: “But God demonstrates His Own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:13-14: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Revelation 7:14, 12:11: “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb…And they overcame him [Satan, the accuser] by the blood of the Lamband by the Word of their Testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”].
We see that the power of this sea beast was not only against the saints, but he would make war upon, and he would have authority over “every tribe, tongue, and nation.”
The worshipers of the dragon and the sea beast are described as those whose names are NOT (it’s important to insert and remember the word “NOT”) written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” verse 8]. Of course, we know that the “Book of Life” refers to that book in which God has, if you will, His “honor roll” of all those who are His. This is the same group, by the way, who were sealed in chapter 7 and verse 4 [“And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.”].
Would the worshipers of the dragon and the sea beast, those whose names are NOT written the Book of Life of the Lamb, be a fair understanding of what we know of the Roman Empire that had been, that continued to be, in existence at that time, and would continue on into even the 2nd Century? I believe it is.
But, there is, and can be made, a broader application, a broader understanding, a broader view, of what this sea beast is. It is a view, an application, that goes beyond just the 1st and the 2nd Century, and this application sees governments, it sees kingdoms, it sees empires, of every age at every time in every place. And whenever and wherever a king, a kingdom, a nation, a government, oppresses and persecutes the people of God, then they are represented by this beast of the sea.
A Note of Caution (verses 9-10)
“9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”
Verse 10 assures the church that those who lead men captive shall themselves go into captivity and those who kill with the sword will be killed with the sword. Is there a specific application here? Does the Holy Spirit through John have something specific in mind? Or is he simply stating a general principle; is this a truism, so to speak?
Well, vengeance belongs to the Lord, Paul says, Romans 12 and verse 19 [“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”]. And, indeed, this domination, this power, this authority, of Satan and the beast will not last forever. There will be a day of reckoning, there will be a day of judgment, for Satan, for every evil emperor and depot who has ever lived, as well as for all others who have ever lived.
We know that there are some who are “IN captivity” already—those who are worshiping the dragon and the sea beast, those who are NOT written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. So, the evil ones, the dragon, the sea beast, all of those who are associated with them who, in effect, leadpeople intocaptivity will themselves end up in captivity. Those who kill by the sword will be killed by the sword. They receive God’s just retribution, and it is this that makes for the patience, for the steadfast endurance, for the perseverance, and for the faith of the saints. You 1st Century saint in Ephesus and in Thyatira and in Sardis and these other places where this letter was sent, you take heart, because this hardship, this persecution, this suffering, that you are experiencing will not go on forever. There will be an end to it. And there will be a “day of reckoning,” so to speak. [2Thessalonians 1:3-10: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.” 1 Peter 1:3-9: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.”]
THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH (VERSES 11-18)
“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 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.”
This Earth Beast is Described (verse 11)
Well, this is a rather interesting section. This second beast, which came up out of the earth, will be identified elsewhere here in Revelation once we get over to chapter 16, chapter 19 and chapter 20 as a false prophet. This earth beast is an ally of the first beast [the sea beast], and he is certainly an ally of the dragon, of Satan himself.
This earth beast is described in the same way as the “sea beast.” The word “beast” here is the same word as used earlier, representing a wild animal, a wild beast, something that is awful, something that is terrible, that is absolutely the worst thing that you could imagine.
And there is something of a contradiction that appears here. He had “two horns like a lamb,” but he “spoke like a dragon,” [verse 11]. What does that suggest? His actions, his behavior, the things he says, are like the dragon. And who is the dragon? He is Satan, the devil. But this “earth beast” has the appearance, or at least he has a partial appearance, of a lamb. What is a lamb? Something that is gentle, something that is meek, that is mild. What does that suggest to us? What do we have? We have a contradiction here in the appearance. While he appears to be one thing, this earth beast is actually something else. Certainly that suggests that he is deceptive in mimicking, or in imitating, the power of the Lamb, BUT he is, in reality, the devil’s agent. This earth beast is counterfeit. It is not what it appears to be. It is deceptive. And we’ll see here as we look through this second part of chapter 13 that because he himself is counterfeit, he will suggest and introduce counterfeit worship, verse 12. He will engage in and practice counterfeit miracles, verses 13 and 14. He will even encourage and introduce and deceive people into a counterfeit conversion, verse 16—that mark, you see, that identifies people as being something other than, perhaps, what they thought. And in verse 17, the earth beast’s mark gives people phony privileges. So, he’s phony, he’s counterfeit, he is deceptive.
Well, would this surprise us if this was an ally, a cohort, an instrument of Satan, whom we know from the Scripture has the ability to disguise himself as an angel of light? That’s what Paul said, 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 [“But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”].
Jesus Himself warned about false prophets wearing sheep’s clothing, Matthew 7:15-20 [“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”].
Jesus also speaks, when He writes to the church in Colossi, about teachers who beguile people, using enticing words, Colossians 2 and verse 4 [“Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words [“enticing words” KJV]. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, Who is the head of all principality and power,” Colossians 2:4-10].
Things in the religious world, yes, in the latter part of the 1st Century and down through the ages, even to our day, are not always what they appear to be. There have been in the past and there are many today—multitudes today by the tens of thousands, by the tens of millions—who are, as Paul said to Timothy, “obeying the doctrine of devils and demons,” [1 Timothy 4:1-2: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron….”].
The Activity of This Earth Beast (verses 12-15)
And he [the earth beast] causes the earth dwellers, those who dwell upon the earth, to “worship the first beast [the sea beast],” [verse 12: “And he [the earth beast] exercises all the authority of the first beast [the sea beast] in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”]. This earth beast has all the power, all the authority of that beast from the sea. And notice what his purpose, what his intent, what his desire is. It is to “cause the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast [the sea beast].”
While the first beast [the sea beast], I think, can be generally described, generally understood, as something that has to do with a secular kingdom, has to do with a political power, so to speak, THIS earth beast has to do with a religious power. But more, it is a deceptive religious power.
Look there at verses 13 and 14.He does great miracles in order to get men to be deceived, or to deceive men, and get them to worship the sea beast [verse 13: “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”]. He calls upon men to make an image to the sea beast and to worship the image [verse 14: “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the [sea] beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the [sea] beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”].
Once again, we shouldn’t be surprised that religious “power,” so to speak, can perform such things. No, not by performing true miracles. But by exercising “power” through trickery, through deceit, through treachery, these things can be done, these things can be made to appear to be the works God, the works of Christ. Paul warns the church in Thessalonica, 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 9, of one coming “according to the working of Satan with all power, signs and lying wonders” [2 Thessalonians 2:9-10: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the Truth, that they might be saved.”].
Well, according to the text here in Revelation, chapter 13, the workings of this earth beast are “after, or according to, the working of Satan,” [because this earth beast (representing deceptive religious power) “exercises all the authority of the first beast (the sea beast, who represents political and governmental power, secular power) in his presence,” Revelation 13:12, and the dragon, who is Satan, “gave him (the sea beast, who represents political and governmental power, secular power) his power, his throne, and great authority,” Revelation 13:2b. One can see how devastating these combined powers were to 1st Century Christians, and are to children of God in our day. Is it any wonder that the Lord wanted to write letters of comfort and encouragement to them, and to us, in His Revelation?]
The purpose of this earth beast [representing deceptive religious power] in “performing great signs,” in displaying this power, is to get people, to get individuals, “to worship the first beast,” [the sea beast, representing secular power, political power] verse 12b].
Look over at a text in Matthew 24 and verse 24 and consider this warning from Jesus Himself. He says, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” This earth beast, representing religious authority, religious power, in the world of John’s day, and down through the ages, has a purpose, has an intent, which is to deceive, to trick. And he has been, and he continues to be, very successful, even…even the elect are not always able to escape the deceit of this one.
Well, is there an identity, some specific entity, which can be pointed to here? Some scholars believe that what is in view here is Papal Rome, which would be built upon the ashes of pagan Rome. Of course, as we have said several times, the Roman Empire, pagan Rome, if you will, was in its glory, its heyday, at this time, and it would eventually meet its demise. But then out of the “ashes,” so to speak of pagan Rome would come Papal Rome, the Roman Catholic church. That’s a very popular view and understood by many.
There’ also another view that I think is worthy of consideration and that is, that, perhaps, what the Holy Spirit has in view with this religious “power” is that of Emperor worship. There were various temples and worship facilities that were built in the period of the 1st Century and shortly after in many places—for example, in the city of Pergamum, [also “Pergamos,” Revelation 2. Pergamos was the first city in Asia to establish emperor worship. They even built a temple that was dedicated to the divine Augustus, and the goddess Roma. Once again, this city became a center of emperor worship. It was during the reign of Domician, who reigned over the Roman Empire from AD 81 to AD 96, when emperor worship became a test of loyalty to those who lived in the empire. You were given a choice: you either worshipped and proclaimed Caesar as your lord and god, or, if you did not do that, then, you faced death. This is what was going on here in this ancient city.].
One of the letters in Revelation was written to the church in Pergamos/Pergamum. This Emperor worship had to do with, just as it implies, literally worshiping the Emperor, worshiping the Caesar, bowing down, giving homage to him, and recognizing him not just as an earthly king, not just as an earthly ruler, but giving this ruler an understanding of, the position of, deity! Obviously, he was not divine, but that was what the Caesars wanted the people to believe. The Caesars wanted to be considered a deity. There was a priesthood that was associated with this. There was a system of worship, and so on. That was the condition of the time that John wrote this.
But let’s notice verse 15. “He [the earth beast] was granted power to give breath to the image of the [sea] beast, that the image of the [sea] beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the [sea] beast to be killed.”
Several writers suggested and even cited examples where it was the practice of many pagans and heathen priests, and so on, to actually employ ventriloquism whereby they could “throw” their voice to make an image or someone else appear to be speaking. Perhaps, that’s what John has in mind here.
Were there some Christian martyrs in the time that John wrote this? Oh, my, yes! And they would continue to die. Why? Because Christians could not, would not bow down, would not proclaim the earthly ruler as being divine, thus, displacing Christ as their Lord with this earthly ruler.
Let me read this imaginary anecdote. This is from W. B. West’s book, titled Revelation Through First Century Glasses. Let me just read this brief section here, because I think it’s enlightening:
While in the Roman world, we turn to the city of Pergamum [also, Pergamos] where “Satan’s throne” was, where men erected the imperial temple skyward, and where men and women, the hundreds of who lived in Pergamum, were worshiping the Roman Emperor.
It’s the Lord’s Day evening. The sun has set across the western hills of Asia Minor. Members of the church slowly make their way after dark, because it is against the law to assemble for worship, making their way to a certain building. Maybe it is better to say they met in different homes. We are present on a Sunday night.
We see two mothers who meet each other upstairs. One falls into the arms of the other and says, “Mary, do you know what happened in our family this week?”
Mary will say, “No. I’d like to know if you would like for me to know.”
She will say, “Well, my husband was thrown to the lions because he refused to worship Domician as Lord and God.”
[And then this story goes on.]
A father meets another father and says to him, “John, do you know what occurred in our household this week?”
John says, “No. I’d like to know if you want me to know.”
And he says, “Our oldest son was burned at the stake because he refused to worship Domician as Lord and God.”
[And then, just a little final sentence by Brother West:]
“Those things happened.”
That was the circumstance, that was the condition, in this day. And so, it may very well be that that is what the Holy Spirit has in view as he guides John, as he sees this vision, as he writes this epistle.
Moreover, there is an extended sense, as well, just as there was with the first beast [the sea beast]—an extended sense to apply to ALL false religions. And we know...we know that false religions have abounded throughout the ages. In the 2000 years since the church was established, we know that false religions have grown uncontrollably. They continue to grow, even to this day. And there are so many who follow that beast.
The Number 666 and a Note of Wisdom (verses 16-18)
All men, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, are to receive a mark on their right hands or their foreheads, showing that they have worshiped the sea beast [representing evil government/political power, re: Emperor worship]. They will have either the name of the sea beast or the number of the sea beast [verses 16-17: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”].
No one can buy or sell unless they have the mark of the beast [the sea beast, representing government/political power].
I want to share with you is, again, from Brother W. B. West’s book, Through First Century Glasses. He has another section of his book regarding the mark, or, the identification, and not being allowed, then, to buy or to trade or to do business if you did not have the “mark.” I found this to be interesting; I trust you will, as well:
Picture a brother and sister living outside the city of Smyrna. It is the year 95 AD. They are gardeners. They take what they have raised to sell into the city of Smyrna in one of the Roman markets. Our brother goes up to the manager of that market and says, “I am a farmer. My family and I have raised a large crop of vegetables and other kindred things. I would like to sell them to you and buy some groceries, some clothes for my family, for the coming winter.”
The manager of the market looks at him and says, “Mister, have you worshiped the Roman Emperor as God and as Lord? If so, do you have any evidence that you have done so?”
He [this Christian man] will say, “I have not worshiped Domician as Lord and God because I do not believe he is. Now, therefore, I have no evidence of having worshiped him.”
The manager will say, “I cannot buy anything from you. Neither can I sell you anything.”
The Romans placed economic pressure on the Christians across the Roman world. Those who worshiped the Roman Emperor were required to request and receive a certificate in order to buy and sell, to go in and out of certain programs and other places in the Roman world, as if they were Roman citizens. The request read [and this is historically accurate]: “To those who have been appointed to preside over the sacrifices from [and a fictitious name is there] from the village of [and the village name is there] together with his children [the names of the two children are written there], who reside in the village of [the village name is there]. We have always sacrificed to the gods and now, in your presence, and according to the regulations, we have sacrificed and offered libations and tasted the sacred things, and we ask that you give us a certification that we have done so. May you fare well.”
This is an example of the request that would be made to officials, and the certificate would read something like this: “We, the representatives of the Emperors [names of two Emperors written in] have seen you sacrificing.” So, this would have been something, then, that a Christian could carry with them which would permit them, as indicated, to buy and sell and trade and to participate in various programs, and so on. Having NOT worshiped, having not had that witnessed by certain officials, and not having the certificate, then they would be disallowed from doing so.
I couldn’t help but think about the discussion we had back when we were studying chapter 6, opening the third seal. You remember what we read: “And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’” [Revelation 6:6]. One of the things that we said about a possible implication of that particular verse is exactly what we’re talking about here, that, as the pressure would be applied by the Roman government upon 1st Century Christians, the value of merchandise would be raised for them and they would not be able to buy and sell and trade. That is, or course, unless they would bow and worship the Emperor. So, this is exactly what John is speaking about here.
What is the mark of the beast? We don’t know what the mark of the beast is. There are many who have speculated. In fact, one writer said that even people who don’t know anything else about the Bible or about Christianity or anything else…well, they’ll know something about the mark of the beast or the number 666!
There are many, many ideas about what this could be, pointing to a particular individual—maybe someone like Nero. We do know that in John’s day, not only in Rome but in other cultures as well, their alphabets were given a numeric value. Before the discovery of, and use of, Arabic numbers, it was common practice for ancient peoples to associate a number with a letter of their alphabet. We’re all familiar with “Roman Numerals,” and they are letters of the alphabet which represent numbers. This is the idea. The Hebrew people did this, the Romans did this, and so on. It’s conceivable that there could have been a number associated with the name of a particular individual.
With this idea in mind, what we have in view here, according to what the Holy Spirit through John has said here in verse 18, is that this NAME of the beast, this NUMBER, represents a man, an individual. Well, if we take that literally, and most commentators do take that literally, indeed, there is someone, there is an individual, that is in mind here. Most scholars believe that it may have been one of the Roman Emperors, someone like Nero or Domician, one of those ones, who was notorious for his ill-treatment, for his persecution, of Christians and the like. And the suggestion is that, if the name were to be put into a letter as it was written, if the letter fell into the wrong hands and the individual’s name—the Emperors name—was identified, then this would cause even more persecution and more hardship upon the people who received the letter. So, rather than putting the name—actually spelling out the name—the number would be something of a code. Knowing what the code was, knowing what the numerical association with the letters was, they could figure that out—one would know who John has in mind here.
One writer, as a matter of fact, J. W. McGarvey [see more about J. W. McGarvey at the end of this lesson], in his commentary on Revelation, had gone through an exercise in identifying letters in the Hebrew alphabet and putting a numerical value on those, and with the numeric values on the letters he came up with the name “Nero” and “Caesar.” And you have to have both of them together. Now, I wish I had an overhead projector. I could illustrate this for you. I actually saw this laid out in a diagram. So, let me just try to explain it.
The numeric value of Nero’s name added up to a certain number, 320, and the numeric value of Caesar added up to 346. So, you added “Nero” and “Caesar” together [320 + 346], and you came up with 666. Well, of course, Nero was the Caesar and “Caesar” was the title of the Emperor of Rome. This is just one idea. I only share that with you so that we might have some appreciation, not so that we absolutely identify “Who was that? What was the individual’s name?” and so on, but just to identify what was in view here, what was being done at this time, and why there would be a number associated with a name.
I believe, from what I have read, what I have seen, that this is a good explanation. Again, it has to do with the numeric value—whether it was the Hebrew alphabet, or whether it was the Greek, we don’t know about that—but this number represented a man, represented the name of a man. Again, most scholars believe that that would have been, no doubt, one of the wicked, one of the evil, despots of the Roman Empire, or, perhaps, ALL of them. Maybe it was an identification of the office—the Emperor or Caesar, for example.
Just as God’s seal represents His Ownership of HIS people and His protection of them, in the same way, the mark of the beast represents the distinguishing mark of ownership on those who serve the dragon, Satan, and who defy the authority of God, the Almighty. The mark that is spoken of here is the distinguishing characteristic upon those who follow the beast. [“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 mark of the beast is in contrast to the sealing of God. Back in chapter 7, we saw the 144,000. We saw that that angel was instructed to put the seal of God upon their foreheads [“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’ 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed,” Revelation 7:2-4]. And so we have set up here this great contrast between those who are the people of God and those who are the people of Satan.
Of course, as we said before, this is not a literal mark. This is not something that we can see, but, rather, it’s based upon God’s way of identifying that person and, moreover, the things that we can see about the life of that particular individual.
The same thing is true of those who belong to Satan, who belong to the beast. He has them. They are identified with him. They are in his camp, and they can be seen most often by their behavior.
Again, do we have a specific mark here? Is it a specific identity for one individual or another down through the ages? This mark, 666, has been applied to men like Hitler and Nero and even Saddam Hussein and others. But, I think, for our purpose, what we see here is the contrast between those who have been marked, who have been sealed, and are part of God’s elect, part of God’s people, and those who are part of the realm of Satan, and who have been marked as well.
Text from Moore, W. T. (editor), Living Pulpit of the Christian Church. Cincinnati: R. W. Carroll & Co., Publishers, 1871. Pages 325-326. This online edition © 1996, James L. McMillan.
Born: Hopkinsville,
Kentucky, March 1, 1829.
Died: Lexington, Kentucky, October 6, 1911.
FEW men among the Disciples have obtained a more enviable reputation, and enjoyed more generally the confidence of the brethren, than the subject of this notice. Blessed with more than an average amount of practical common sense, and having faithfully done his duty in all the positions he has occupied, it is not strange that he should now be regarded as one of the safest and truest men in the Church of Christ.
JOHN W. MCGARVEY was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, March 1, 1829. His father was born in Ireland, and, when grown, came to America, and settled at Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where, with a small capital, he went into the dry-goods business. His mother was a Miss THOMSON, of old Virginia stock, and was born and reared near Georgetown, Kentucky. In 1833, his father died, and, some time after, his mother was married to Dr. G. F. SALTONSTALL.
In 1839, the family removed to Tremont, Tazewell County, Illinois, where he was trained to industry by his step-father, and thoroughly instructed in primary and academic branches by Mr. JAMES K. KELLOGG, a successful educator of that place. In April, 1847, he entered the Freshman Class of Bethany College. While at college he made the good confession, and was immersed, by Professor PENDLETON, in April, 1848. So soon as he became a Christian, he determined to devote his life to the preaching of the Gospel, and it was not long before he gave very conclusive evidence of fitness for the work. In July, 1850, he graduated as one of the honor men, delivering the Greek speech, and receiving marked tokens from the faculty of their high appreciation of his scholarship.
Meantime, his family had removed to Fayette, Missouri, at which place, soon after leaving college, he taught a male school for ten months. In June, 1851, his step-father died of cholera, while on his way to attend the commencement of Bethany College. He was a warm friend of the college, and gave it twenty-five hundred dollars while living, and left it a child's part in his estate.
At the call of the Church in Fayette, Brother M'GARVEY gave up his school, and, in September, 1851, was ordained to the work of the ministry, and afterward preached for the Church at Fayette and neighboring county churches until February, 1853, when he removed to Dover, Lafayette County, Missouri. In March, 1853, he was married to OTTIE F. HIX, of Fayette.
He resided at Dover nine years, and, during this period, he spent about half of the time at home, and, the remainder, preaching extensively over the State of Missouri, holding five public debates with various religious parties; he also collected money to erect a boarding-school in his village, and conducted the school two years.
In the spring of 1862, he accepted the pastoral care of the Church in Lexington, Kentucky, where a large field of usefulness was open to him. During the same year he published his "Commentary on Acts," which had occupied all the time he could devote to it for three and a half years. This is a work of decided merit, and at once fixes his reputation as a fine Biblical scholar.
On the removal of Kentucky University to Lexington, in 1865, he accepted a chair in the College of the Bible, with the understanding that only a small portion of his time was to be devoted to teaching, such as would not materially interfere with his labors in the Church. Under his ministry, the Church had reached a remarkable degree of prosperity, and his labors were highly appreciated by the entire congregation. But, finding that his whole time was needed in the university, in 1866, he resigned his charge of the Church; but, as the Church has not succeeded in obtaining the regular services of a suitable man, he has not yet been relieved. President GRAHAM, however, now shares the labor of preaching with him.
Brother M'GARVEY is a little below medium size, has dark hair, light hazel eyes, and a very youthful appearance for one of his age. He is very strict and regular in his habits, and this fact explains why it is that he has been able to accomplish so much mental labor without impairing his health.
That which most distinguishes him as a writer and speaker is clearness; there is never the slightest confusion in his ideas. He has very little imagination, and relies almost exclusively on facts for effect. His mind is well stored with these, and, in the construction and management of an argument, he uses them with great ease and success. In debate he is one of the safest and ablest men among the Disciples, and not the least source of power here is his remarkable coolness--he is never thrown off his guard.
As a teacher, he has very few superiors. Knowledge is what a student needs; hence, the matter-of-fact man is always the best teacher--all other things being equal. But Brother M'GARVEY is also an excellent preacher, and, as a pastor, has been eminently successful. He has a kind, generous nature, but is not very demonstrative. He attends strictly to his own business.