Read Revelation 13:1-10
As we saw previously, Revelation 12 ends with Satan enraged and heading off to make war against the rest of the woman’s offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus (12:17). His battle plan in this war becomes evident in Revelation 13 when he enlists two powerful agents, referred to as “beasts,” to deceive, weaken, and crush God’s people. There is much debate on whether the two beasts are real people, or are they symbolic of something else, such as evil and corrupt government(s) and false religion(s). As you can imagine, this is a hotly debated topic in end times prophecy. What is not debated is the tremendous power and authority these two beasts will have to hurt God’s people.
The first verse of Revelation 13 tells us the devil stood on the shore of the sea. In Scripture, the “sea” usually represents the world or the Gentile nations (as confirmed by Revelation 17:15). It is also accurate to say the sea can represent something dark and foreboding, and sea monsters in the Old Testament (such as the Leviathan) also symbolized ungodly and evil empires. So, for John to then say this first beast came out of the sea in verse 1 may be his way of describing an evil empire as well as an evil person. Either way, this beast will be dark, wicked, and of the world (i.e., Gentile).
[By the way, this is also not the first time a beast like this is mentioned in Scripture. John’s imagery in Rev. 13 is quite similar to what Daniel saw almost five hundred years earlier. If necessary, stop and review Daniel 2:24-45 and Daniel 7:1-28.]
As if things were not already confusing, John describes this beast as having “ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name” (13:1). Horns and heads speak of power. If nothing else, this statement alone tells us this first beast is wicked and powerful. And if this actually refers to a nation or empire in the future, there are many who speculate the ten horns represent a ten-nation confederacy that will one day become the beast’s kingdom (similar to the ten toes of the statue in Daniel 2 and the ten horns of the beast on Daniel 7).
The seven heads are harder to interpret and may represent seven leaders, or possibly successive evil empires throughout human history. (We will see more on the ten horns and seven heads in Revelation 17.) Nonetheless, don’t miss the fact that this is almost an identical description of the red dragon (Satan) that we saw in 12:3. They are nearly one and the same!
It is worth spending time reading the interpretation of Daniel’s dream, including the explanation of the 4th beast in Daniel 7:19-28. Since Daniel’s beasts represented evil empires, many believe the 1st beast in Rev. 13 is also a symbol of evil governments and empires as well. In fact, Chandler states, “… so the beast [in Rev. 13] is the embodiment of all that was expressed in the four beasts of Daniel 7—nations that would rule over the people of God.”
But don’t miss the obvious: According to 13:4, where did this beast get his power and authority?
In the first half of chapter 13, John sees a single beast possessing all of the characteristics of the four creatures in Daniel 7, and yet the first beast in Rev. 13 might actually be Daniel’s 4th beast. This means John could be telling us that in his war against the woman and the people of God, Satan brings onto the stage of history this beast infused with all the wickedness of these ancient evil empires.
Without question, John’s 1st century audience would have read this and immediately associated this beast with the Roman government. This was not theoretical or in the distant future for them; it was their reality. The Imperial Cult tried to force them to worship the emperor and severely persecuted those who did not.
So, a good argument can be made that this 1st beast symbolically represents evil governments and empires filled with Satanic hostility towards the people of God. The description fits and can be applied to virtually all evil governments throughout history. In fact, before Rome, God’s people also fought to survive under the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks. None of those empires honored God, and all used their great power to abuse and conquer the saints (13:7).
On the other hand, others claim this first beast represents an actual person. This claim is not without merit either, as Rev. 17:9-11 describes this beast as a “king” (which fuels speculation that he is a future Antichrist). But remember what we’ve said before: while John used the term “antichrist” in previous letters, it is not used once in the entire book of Revelation.
Then we have this interesting comment in verse 3. John says this beast had a fatal head wound that appeared to be healed. What does that mean? Is it literal or symbolic? Even though the text does not completely answer these questions, there are several plausible theories regarding this apparent fatal head wound.
1. John was discretely referencing the notorious Roman Emperor Nero, who killed himself in AD 68. A popular myth began to circulate the Roman world years after his death that Nero would come back to life and retake power. Nero had been so violent and blood-thirsty that he was referred to as a “beast.” Therefore, it’s very possible that John’s 1st century audience was familiar with the Nero legend and would have associated a beast who dies and returns to rule the whole known world with the evil Nero.
2. Another theory claimed the resurrected head wound refers to the Roman Empire’s near collapse in the chaos that followed Nero’s death. A civil war developed immediately afterward (AD 68-69) as multiple leaders tried to seize power and the throne. Of the four emperors who immediately followed Nero (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian), two were assassinated and another also committed suicide. There was widespread fear that the empire would not survive and would fall apart during those tumultuous years. But suddenly, when Vespasian was elected emperor, the “mortal wound” of the empire was healed, to the “amazement” of the “whole earth.
3. There is one more theory that might explain this beast’s fatal wound. Some believe the death blow described here is merely symbolic of Satan’s power being “defeated” by Christ’s death on the cross. From the moment Christ rose from the grave, Satan was fatally wounded—even though he remains active until his final judgment is pronounced.
Regardless of whether John was referencing Nero or not, Satan will finally get what he craves: worship! We also know from this passage that the first beast will arrogantly blaspheme God at every opportunity. Yet, notice the interesting wording in verses 5-7 regarding the parameters of his authority. He “was given” a mouth to utter proud words and exercise authority. He was also given power to make war against the saints and conquer them, as well as authority over the nations. John is intentional in stating this power and authority is limited to only forty-two months (3½ years). Whether that number is literal or symbolic is debated, but it does tell us that God is in control and has decided how long this beast’s reign of terror will last.
Unfortunately, this beast will achieve a position of absolute authority, and the world will love him for it, worshipping him as a result (verse 8). Everyone, that is, except God’s elect. Those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life will see through the lies and deception and will not worship the beast. As a result, he will unleash vicious persecution to conquer and kill the saints (as evidenced by the two witnesses in chapter 11). Thankfully, many believers will refuse to worship the beast, but they will pay the ultimate price as a result.
Finally, John warns the reader to listen and pay attention (the same instruction given to each of the seven churches in chapters 2-3). Don’t miss this as it is a staggering wake-up call to the reality that awaits the people of God.
We will look at the 2nd Beast of Revelation 13 in a future blog. But for now, we must realize that tough times are ahead. Jesus already warned us to pay attention and not be deceived… because (as Ray Bradbury once said): “Something wicked this way comes!”
