Revelation 13

Interpreting The Book

Interpreting prophetic scripture can be a bit difficult for us mortals. The Bible assures us that we see in part, and then only through a glass darkly (1 Cor. 13:9, 12). However, we believers are priests of God. Through the Holy Spirit we can now make an attempt to interpret this book. We know that the Spirit within us will reveal God’s deepest mysteries to us (1 Cor. 2:9-10; Jn. 16:13).

So, in the realm of prophecy, we must walk softly. While God has given us broad outlines of things to come, he has not revealed too many details. We have enough information that we may recognize the events as they unfold, just as Simeon and Anna did when they saw the baby Jesus, and immediately recognized him (Lk. 2:25-38).

We must always let the weight of scripture make decisions for us concerning last things. Here we can picture an ancient balance scale. On that scale we can arrange biblical truth. When the weight of scriptural evidence begins to tip in a certain direction that should help us make up our minds in that direction.

We should believe it even if we do not understand it, and even if it sounds a little crazy. In time, we will see the truth revealed all over the Bible.

Preparation And Victory

Thus in this precious book we have the full mystical revelation of what all the prophets glimpsed and described as the Day of the Lord, resulting in God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus, in the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24:1-51 and elsewhere, also described this day in vivid details and he issued stern warnings to his followers lest they be deceived about it or caught off guard by its coming.

Today let us also be warned in the words that Paul spoke to the people of Antioch long ago: “Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you” (Acts 13:40).

In this book we have a plan for our own preparation concerning this day. Therefore, the Book of Revelation has a blessing for us (1:3). It is the blessing of being fully prepared for what is about to come upon us and upon the whole world. May we be ready!

Figure Three – Monster From The Deep

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. Revelation 13:1

We learn in Revelation that as soon as the devil is cast down to earth, the mysterious beast figure arises (cf. 2 Thess. 2:3-8). This First Beast with his crowns, horns and blasphemy, certainly seems a fulfillment of Daniel’s visions and interpretations (Dan. 7:2-8). The crowns and horns all speak of great authority and power from the devil, designed to establish his counterfeit kingdom (13:2). The blasphemous name on each head likely has some reference to the Roman emperors of the first century AD. Several wanted to be addressed as “God” and “Son of God.” Domitian desired to be addressed and worshipped as Dominus et Deus “Lord and God.” [18]

The Southern Methodist professor, William Farmer remarks concerning the Roman Empire’s “absurd pretension to divine honors” by saying: “Here we have a super-empire (ten crowns), an absolute concentration of power to the point of divinization demanding that all the inhabitants of the earth render him homage.” [19]

Of course we remember this very tendency in Nebuchadnezzar, who was the head or beginning of this system. In Daniel 3:5-6, we read what the king had commanded: “As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” We can assume that the beastly government of the last days will make similar and even more urgent demands than Nebuchadnezzar once made.

One of the heads of this beastly system has been mortally wounded in the past, but now this wound is healed (13:3). We will see a fuller development of this in 17:9-11. We should bear in mind that this wound may be more than a death stroke, and likely represents some great spiritual defeat in the past.

This Beast apparently will head up a rather impressive military machine, or at least he has done so in the past, since it is said, “…Who can wage war against it?” (13:4). Again, as in the Book of Daniel, there is a mouth that utters blasphemies (Dan. 11:36). We are told that the rule of the Beast will last forty-two months (13:5) or roughly three and one-half years.

As we see in Daniel 7:21-22, this Beast or Antichrist, whose wound is now healed, is given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them, albeit for only a short time (13:7). Obviously, many who are in this remnant of the redeemed will make one great end-day offering of their lives on behalf of the Messiah. This might be a reflection of Psalm 44:22: “Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” This great offering will help bring about the end of the age.

The Beast is also given authority and power over the whole world, so that all its unsaved inhabitants will worship him (13:8). With this, the author of Revelation gives yet another urgent warning to God’s elect: “Whoever has ears, let them hear” (13:9). Many of us Christians read the book of Revelation, but do we really hear it? The Lord stresses the urgency of our hearing.

The author then speaks of captivity, war and death, and ends this section with a stern admonition to the saints of God: “…This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people” (13:10). In other words, the saints of God will have to “tough it out.”

It appears from what we see in Daniel and Revelation that the saints of God will be almost overwhelmed. Daniel even says that the power of the holy people will be broken before the end (Dan. 12:7b). In Jesus’ own words: “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matt.10:22-23). We realize again from this verse, that the focus of this great end-day contest will take place upon the restored land of Israel.

The Prophet Daniel speaks of this awful time of persecution. He says: “Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days” (Dan. 12:10-12).

Daniel speaks of many being made spotless. In Ephesians 5:27, Paul tells us that Christ will present to himself a church without spot or wrinkle. Someone has remarked that it takes a very hot iron to get wrinkles out. By all this, we might assume that the final cleansing and preparation of the church will take place during this awful tribulation (cf. Mal. 3:2-4). Perhaps the apostle is speaking of this in 1 Peter 4:1: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.”

We note here that even after the tribulation ends, it will still take another forty-five days (Dan. 12:12) for the saints of God to be completely vindicated. The saints must therefore persevere.

FIGURE FOUR – WILL THE REAL FALSE PROPHET PLEASE STAND?

Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. Revelation 13:11

Now we have the rise of the Second Beast. There is surely a difference between these beasts. The first comes from the sea, which in biblical terminology might represent the world’s masses (cf. 17:15). The second comes from the land, which could even be a reference to ha eretz, or the land of Israel. It is stated that this beast will have all the authority of the first one (13:12). It is obvious that this Second Beast has as his purpose to institute the worship of the First Beast.

This Second Beast has the power to perform astounding miraculous signs (13:13). His calling fire down from heaven reminds us of the miraculous signs of Elijah the prophet. Indeed he seems superbly qualified to fulfill the role of the False Prophet. In Revelation 16:13, we see the Beast and False Prophet working hand in hand. In Revelation 19:20, we see the two being captured together as the Messiah appears. We also see in the same verse that their careers end simultaneously as they are thrown together into the lake of fire.

This Second Beast or False Prophet may be the more dangerous of the two since he enforces the worldwide worship of the First Beast. Because he has no crown we may assume that he primarily has a religious role. [20]

The resurrected First Beast, who received a mortal wound and yet somehow lives, has many deep mysteries associated with his person. Is he a notable figure from the past, whose life and work are somehow resurrected by this Second Beast? Perhaps he is some notable anti-Semite who has been killed and yet is somehow mysteriously brought back to life. This may take place in the physical sense, but it also could happen in the spiritual sense with a revival and restoration of his work and a worldwide worship of his person.

The Second Beast has horns like a lamb but he speaks like a dragon as is noted in 13:11. He thus looks like Christ but is, in fact, the opposite of Christ. So, just as the True Lamb appears on earth later in the book, we first have the appearance of the false lamb.

This beast might also be some great religious figure that is able to deceive the whole world (13:14). This one is able to set up an image of the wounded First Beast, and even to breathe life into this image. All who will not worship the image will be killed (13:15).

The Second Beast now forces everyone to receive a mark in the right hand or forehead (13:16-17). By this mark, the Beast will strictly control the world and regulate national and international commerce of all kinds. All this makes an interesting contrast with Deuteronomy 6:8, where the righteous are commanded to bind the law of God to their hands and foreheads. [21]

Then the writer introduces us to another great mystery that has baffled the minds of people over the centuries. The number of the Beast is given as 666 (13:18). This seems to be some cryptic means indicating the magnification of man and man’s system.

From the prophet Daniel we learn much more about this Second Beast. He will apparently make a peace agreement with Israel as mentioned in Daniel 9:27: “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’ [apparently a week of seven years]. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” It is often interpreted from this and other passages that the whole time the Beast will be in power will be about seven years. The last three and one half years of his reign will comprise the Great Tribulation.

We see that an Israeli temple of some sort will be in existence, but that temple will quickly be defiled with a dreadful abomination (2 Thess. 2:4), just as it was defiled in the days of the Maccabees, whom we will discuss later in Part III.

This has been a rather cursory coverage of the Beast and False Prophet but we will deal with this subject in more detail when we consider Revelation 17 and 18.

Footnotes

Several sources I have cited here are from the electronic media, either from websites or from electronic research libraries. Thus in some of these sources it is not possible to cite page numbers. Instead, I have cited the verse or verses in Revelation (e.g. v. verse 1:1 or vs. verses 1:5-6) about which the commentators speak.

18. Beale, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, p. 270.

19. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, “B.E. Series,” v. 4:5.

This author sees the lightning from the throne as evidence of a coming storm. Obviously the storm would be the coming Great Tribulation.

20. Strauss, The Book of the Revelation, Outlined Series, p. 138.

21. Barker & Kohlenberger, eds., Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1158.