Revelation 13:1-8, 11-17
13:1 Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a blasphemous name. 13:2 Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. 13:3 One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” 13:5 The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months. 13:6 So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed.
13:11 Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people 13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number.
Now we come to two fearful and bizarre images. Again, we must recognize that these are drawn from previous apocalyptic writings. In them, and here, these beasts stand for world powers. They do not represent one power at one point in time, as so many current predictors of end times would have us believe. They are figures of world powers down through the ages. In older writings, they were seen as referring to Persia and then Greece. It this writer, John, is speaking from the latter part of the first century, he is speaking to his audience about Rome.
These beasts are earthly powers. They arise out of the sea and the land, respectively. In such writings, the sea is often seen as the source of evil and chaos. However, the dragon, Satan, gives this first beast his power. Remember, Satan has been thrown to earth, so he can do this. He can give authority to the beast to rule and to wage war against the saints and even to conquer them.
One might well ask, how can God allow this? Look at v. 8: “and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed.” Is this not reassuring? Possible cause for joy? As with Elijah of old, God will preserve a remnant who will not bow down to the beast. They might be conquered, killed, martyred, but they will not have bowed down to the beast as their names ae secure in the book of life. As we have said before, they will be victorious in the end because of their faith in the redeeming work of the slain Lamb.
The multiple heads of the beast point to successive Roman Emperors, particularly those who vainly accepted or even declared that they were gods and therefore demanded worship. Failure to obey could mean death, and indeed it did for many Christians in these times. Note that John writes that one of this beast’s heads appeared to have been killed. This likely refers to a story traveling around the empire round this time. It was said that the wicked Nero, who had committed suicide when deposed by the Roman Senate, had come to life again. He was apparently going to come from the east with a mighty army (Parthian soldiers from beyond Asia Minor?) and retake the throne.
These emperors and their subjects perpetrated varying degrees of persecution against the Christians. It is to these believers that John is writing, passing on what he hears and sees from heaven and its various representatives, whether Christ or angels or the voice of God. He puts what they are experiencing in perspective. He constantly puts it all in the course of history and also includes the salvation history that gives the Christians victory in the end, to give them heart and reassure them. They are challenged to hold fast to the faith, even through death, for they will be victorious, whether alive here, or in the next life.
The second beast (vs. 11 and ff.) can be understood as those world powers that give support to the first beast, which is the government. In other words, those who control the economy, whether it be arams of government, trade or financial institutions. Some have included the United Nations. But who are these beasts in our time? Who or what is it we are to be wary of and not fall prey to. Really, we should not be giving first allegiance to any world power, whether it be the United States, Russia or China. All of these have and do act in accordance with what is described here as the behavior of the beast. Eighty years ago, it could have pointed to the rise of the Third Reich and Hitler. These powers will come and go as others have before them, which we have already referred to. Our allegiance is to Christ and his Kingdom. That is the only one that does what God wants with the world God created. That is the kingdom that will be victorious over all others in the end.
A word about numbers. The beast is given power for forty-two months. This does not necessarily refer to any particular period in history. Remember that seven is the perfect number, whereas six is the opposite, the imperfect, perhaps even evil. So, these powers are allowed to rule for a block of time that will be filled with a lot of evil, whatever period of history it is, however long it really is.
As for the mark of the beast on those who worship it, elsewhere it is identified as ‘666’. Numerologists in the early first century could contrive this number to refer to almost any one of the Roman Emperors at the time. So, what does that say to us about thinking it points to one specific anti-Christ at one point in time. Remember again that 6 is the number of imperfection. Multiply it and it simply emphasizes that this is all evil.
When we look at some of the things the beasts are allowed to do, it’s not a stretch to see those things in present day world powers’ behaviours. Russia, when at its communist height, tried to eradicate anything to do with God. The Chinese government is determined to root out Christianity and replace it again with a cult of worship of their leader, as happened before with Mao Tese-Tung. What about the language and behavior of the 45th president of the USA? What about the sometimes-not-so subtle actions that even our so-called democratic governments (Europe, Canada, the USA) and those who support them carry out against Christians when we act and speak as we believe our Lord wants us to?
Some refer to these beasts as the Anti-Christ. Really, any of these powers can become anti-Christ, as we have already discussed. The powers that be enforce worship of this beast. Some put forward fanciful explanations about this talk of the wounded beast being replaced by an image that could talk as if indeed resurrected. Some even talk about this as being a very human-like robot. Well, the technology for such is probably here. Just go to Disneyland and listen to Abe Lincoln speak from his seat.
In the end, our Lord has said we are not to get caught up in these details. We are to be alert, watchful, and not fall prey to all these allurements and pressure. As we have seen, these words applied to our brothers and sisters in Roman times, during the Third Reich and when the USSR was a power. Such words of our Lord apply to all time, until Christ returns. What our Lord wants us to her form this letter is that these things will come, so we should be forewarned, and conduct ourselves accordingly. Keep the faith, endure, and we will overcome. So be it.
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