TUESDAY
Last week we ended in chapter 12, which describes the church (the woman) being protected against Satan (the dragon). Chapter 12 ends with the statement, “And [the dragon] stood on the sand of the sea.” ( Rev. 12:17) This frames up what we will read in chapter 13. Remember, Satan is the true enemy at work behind the evils of the beasts.
Revelation 13:1-2 (ESV)
The First Beast
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
The sea is the place of evil and chaos so it’s not a surprise the beast arises from there. This beast harkens back to Daniel 7 in which four beasts arise from the sea. All of Daniel 7 is worth a read if you have the time. In Daniel there are four different beasts symbolizing four different kingdoms (likely Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome). The last beast, Rome, is described as, “terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.” (Dan. 7:7) John’s vision puts them all into one beast. Again this emphasizes the Babylon idea that we talked about yesterday. It’s not just Rome, it’s any empire like Babylon and Rome. This first beast, then, is likely referring to the Roman empire or to Rome’s power and military might.
Similar to the dragon, the ten horns and seven heads symbolize the kingdom’s power.
Some take this beast to refer to an individual person (the antichrist) who will arise in the end times, likely as a head of state. Predictions of the identity of this person have abounded throughout the history of the church: Mikhail Gorbachev, Hitler, Hussein, Napoleon, Reagan, John and Robert Kennedy, Trump, Obama and Muhammed. Luther and the Reformers thought it was the pope. Catholics thought it was Luther. I could go on and on. Obviously, those have all been wrong in the sense of what it was meant—that one person would be the antichrist of the end times. Given the connection to Daniel’s vision, this view is unlikely but plausible.
Revelation 13:3-4 (ESV) 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
The term used for the “mortal wound” is the same as the term in chapter 5 to refer to the Lamb who was “slain.” This could be an attempt by the beast to mock or mimic the death and resurrection of Jesus. This would be referring to the popular conspiracy theory in the first century that Nero didn’t actually commit suicide in AD 68 (he did) but was expected to return from the east with an army to defeat Rome (he never did). Or it could refer to the time between Nero and Vespasian in AD 69 when no emperor was on the throne and the empire looked weak, but it quickly regained its power. In either sense, the beast is mimicking the death and resurrection of Jesus.
It could also be referring to Christ’s death and resurrection as dealing a “mortal wound” to the beast, although the empire is still surviving. Christ’s victory on the cross and resurrection mark the defeat and the end for the evil empire, but not yet in full.
Both interpretations are possible but the first one is more likely, in my opinion.
The beast is the dragon’s front man. Worship of the beast is the same as the worship of the dragon. The emperors were worshipped as gods in the Roman world. Nero was worshipped as Apollo. Augustus was praised as a son of God. Domitian was said to be a god.
Revelation 13:5-10 (ESV) 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
The passive verbs “was given” and “was allowed” are important to note. Everywhere else in Revelation this refers to God’s permissive will. This simple phrase reminds the reader that, ultimately, even the Roman empire was given its position and authority by God. (see Rom. 13:1) The verb in verse 4 for Satan giving the beast authority is active. God stands as sovereign behind it all, but he stands behind the evil of the empire in a different way—his permissive will in that he is not culpable for the blasphemies and evil. God has only permitted the beast to have authority for 42 months. Again, this is the same as the 1,260 days, 3.5 years and time, times and half a time. It refers to the era of redemption history from Christ’s ascension until his return. The emphasis is on the shortness of the time as it is half of seven (complete, perfect).
The boasts of Caesar as a god listed above are likely the references to the haughty and blasphemous words.
The earth dwellers refers to unbelievers. Those who dwell in heaven then are the people of God. The beast has been given great power over the earth and all the earth dwellers will worship it. However, those who have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world, whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, will resist the temptation to worship the beast.
Verses 9-10 again emphasize the sovereignty of God even in the midst of suffering, persecution and even martyrdom. God has allowed even that, and he is still sovereign over it.
The saints, therefore, are called to faith and endurance! It may look like team dragon is winning when the beast makes war and conquers the saints by putting them to death. But God has only allowed this for a time. He will judge and vindicate his people who remain faithful to him and endure even the harshest suffering. His people have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundations of the earth. Their election is assured and this would give them confidence to endure the persecution they are facing.
Reflection
God’s sovereignty in the face of suffering and persecution is a great comfort. Trust that he will only allow this for a time. He will vindicate his people, give them eternal life, and they will dwell with him forever in the new creation. Take comfort in God’s sovereign authority as we approach this election season.
Know that if you genuinely believe in Jesus your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. You are secure in Christ so you can persevere and remain faithful to Jesus no matter what the beast throws at you.