Revelation 13

CHAPTER 13THEME: Wild beast out of the sea and earthSeven personages are introduced to us by the seventh trumpet, five of whom we met in chapter 12: the woman, or Israel; the red dragon, Satan; the child of the woman, Christ; Michael, the archangel; and the remnant of Israel, that is, the 144,000 who were sealed of God and who are going to make it through the Great Tribulation. In chapter 13 the final two personages are brought before us. One is the wild beast out of the sea; he is both a political power and a person. The other is the wild beast out of the earth; he is a religious leader. Here is where the action is when we come to these personages. Here is revealed to us the great warfare that is going on between light and darkness, between God and Satan. It is manifested now as we draw to the end of the age during the Great Tribulation period. These two beasts are presented to us as wild beaststhat is the literal translation. It is bad enough to be a beast, but to be a wild beast compounds the injury. There is much disagreement among reputable Bible expositors as to the identity of the beasts. Some consider the first beast to be a person, while others treat him as the last form of the Roman Empire. Some treat the second beast as the Man of Sin, while others consider him merely as the prophet, or the John-the-Baptist type, for the first beast. These difficulties arise because it is impossible to separate a king from his kingdom.

A dictator must have a realm over which he rules, or he is no dictator. Though it is difficult to distinguish the two, it seems that the first beast is the antichrist, the ruler over the restored Roman Empire. In Rev_16:10 it speaks of “the throne of the wild beast.” I would judge from this that there is somebody to sit on that throne, and that is the beast who is presented herebut he would not be the beast if he did not have the empire. After determining the identity of the first beast, it is not really difficult to identify the second. He is a man, the false prophet, the religious leader, who leads in the worship of the first beastand he is antichrist also. There is another view being held today that antichrist is the denial of the person of Christ rather than an actual person. In other words, antichrist is false doctrine rather than a person yet to be revealed. The explanation, I believe, is found in the meaning of the preposition anti, which has two usages. The first maenaing of anti is “over against.” Its second meaning is “instead of” or “in place of.” It has both meanings in Scripture. In both his first and second epistles, John mentions the antichrist. He is the only one who uses that designation. We can see both of these characteristics in antichrist; he is the one who is against Christ and the one who imitates Christantichrist is both. In his first epistle John writes: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1Jn_2:18). “Little children, it is the last time.” John said that nineteen hundred years ago. We have been in the last time a long time! Note here that John not only says there is going to be an antichrist, but that already in his day there were many antichrists. What was the thing which identified an antichrist? “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1Jn_2:22). Antichrist denies the deity of Christ. He is against Christ. He is the enemy of Christ on the earth. In the fourth chapter of his first epistle, John tells us some additional facts concerning antichrist. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world…. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (1Jn_4:1, 1Jn_4:3). In other words, any person or any group or any book that denies the deity of Christ is antichrist. I consider the rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, to be antichrist. It is against the Jesus Christ of the Bible. Also, any minister who denies the deity of Christ is antichristhe is against Christ. In John’s second epistle we read: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2Jn_1:7). Antichrist is a deceiverhe pretends to be Christ, and he is not. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “There are going to be many who will come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ.’ You are to test them because not every spirit is of God.” We need to test the spirits today. My friend, you need to start by testing your little group or the cult in which you are interested. Instead of being super-duper saints, they may actually be following an antichrist.

Our Lord warned of such in the Olivet Discourse: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Mat_24:24). There will arise false Christs who will be able to perform miracles; this second beast is really a miracle workerhe is an antichrist. Therefore, the first beast is political antichrist, and the second beast is religious antichrist. Even the Devil cannot put it all together in one person. I believe there are two persons, these two beasts, who are antichrist.

Revelation 13:1

WILD BEAST OUT OF THE SEADESCRIPTION, A POLITICAL POWER AND A PERSONThe first verse of this chapter introduces the beast from the sea. Let me give you my translation: And he stood on the sand of the sea; and I saw a (wild) beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his hands names of blasphemy. My translation reads, “And he stood on the sand of the sea,” but the Authorized Version reads, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea,” as if it were John. The better manuscripts today show the subject of the sentence to be he. Who is he? Whom were we last talking about in the previous chapter? He is the same person, and that, of course, is Satan. “And I saw a (wild) beast coming up out of the sea.” Who brings him out of the sea? Satan brings him out of the sea. In Scripture the sea is a picture of the nations of the world, of mankind, like the restless sea. “Having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy.” This beast really boggles the mind. If I were to meet him in the dark, I know for sure that he and I would be going in the same direction, only I would be lots farther down the road than he would be! The dragon (Satan) stands on the sands of the sea, and it is he who brings the wild beast out of the sea and dominates him. This is Satan’s masterpiece. The first beast is a person who heads up the old Roman Empire. Rome simply fell apart, and this is the only one who will ever be able to put it together again. God is apparently taking His hands off this earth for awhile and turning it over to Satan. I believe this is poetic justice. God must let Satan demonstrate that, when he is given full sway, he will not be able to produce. Otherwise, Satan would always be able to say to God from the lake of fire, “You never gave me a chance. If You would have taken Your hands off and let me alone, I would have been able to accomplish my purpose and establish a second kingdom.” But God is going to let Satan have his way so that he will not be able to say that. An understanding of the prophecy of Daniel is very important to the understanding of the Revelation. This wild beast is similar in description to the fourth beast, that nondescript beast, in the seventh chapter of Daniel. There it represents the prophetic history of the Roman Empire, down to “the little horn” and his destruction. That fourth beast looked like it became dormant for a little while, and then out of one of its seven heads there came up ten horns, out of which came a little horn. The little horn put together three of the horns and was able to take the other seven. At the time of the writing of John, much of the prophecy of Daniel had been fulfilled. The first three beastsBabylon, the lion; Media-Persia, the bear; and Graeco-Macedonia, the pantherhad all been fulfilled. When Daniel gave it, it was prophecy, but it was fulfilled by John’s time. Therefore, John centers on the fourth beast and upon the little horn because the fourth beast, the Roman Empire, had appeared. John was living in the time of the Roman Empire, having been exiled to the Isle of Patmos by the Roman emperor, Domitian. Already, signs of weakness and decay were visible in the empire, and John was spectator to that which was still future in Daniel’s day.

However, in the Book of Revelation the emphasis is upon the rule of the little horn of Daniel 7, and the little horn is set before us as a wild beast, for he is now ruling and controlling the restored Roman Empire in John’s prophecy. The little horn of Daniel 7 and the wild beast of Revelation 13 are identical. You can see that an understanding of Daniel 7 would be basic to understanding this passage. The wild Beast is the Man of Sin and Antichrist, the final world dictator. The last verse of this chapter confirms this view. “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (v. Rev_13:18). We are dealing with the man who is the world dictator at the end. There has been a great deal of excitement in our day (and I am included in the group that is excited) about the current existence of the Common Market in Europe. Throughout history, there have been many who have attempted to put Europe back together again. Charlemagne attempted it and failed. I think that the Roman Catholic church attempted it in the Holy Roman Empire and certainly did not succeed. The Holy Roman Empire was centered in Vienna, Austria, which makes it a very interesting place to visit today. Franz Josef was the last of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire who tried to put Europe together, but he was the worst flop of all.

His son apparently either was murdered or committed suicide, and that ended the Holy Roman Empire. Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler, and Mussolini all attempted it. But God has not been ready yet, and He will not let that one appear until the time of the Great Tribulation. To me the Common Market is interesting, not because we are seeing prophecy fulfilled, but because we are seeing the stage set which reveals that prophecy can be fulfilled. Down through the centuries, many have said that it is impossible to get Europe together. It is impossible until God is readyand Satan is going to supply the man.

The Common Market is just an interesting instrumentthat’s all. The ten horns with ten diadems speak of the tenfold division of the Roman Empire in the time of the Great Tribulation. The horns are the ten kings who rule over this tenfold division. This interpretation is confirmed by Rev_17:12. The little horn comes to power by first putting down three of these rulers, and afterward he dominates the other seven and thus becomes the world dictator. The seven heads are not so easily identified. They are interpreted in Rev_17:9-10 as seven kings. These do not reign contemporaneously as the ten horns do, but they appear in chronological order. Some have interpreted them as representing certain Roman emperors, such as Domitian who was then ruling. Others interpret these seven heads as the forms of government through which the Roman Empire passed. They had kings, councils, dictators, decemvirs, military tribunes, and emperors.

The third view is that the seven heads could represent seven great nations of antiquity which blasphemed God: Rome, Greece, media-Persia, Chaldea, Egypt, and Assyria. The kingdom of the beast which is yet to come would be the seventh. Another likely view is that the seven heads correspond to the seven heads of the dragon which denote exceptional wisdom. Satan energizes the Man of Sin, the last dictator. I cannot be dogmatic about any one of these views and do not feel that it is crucial to do so. All seven heads are guilty of blasphemy. Blasphemy manifests itself in two ways according to Govett: (1) making oneself equal with God, that is, usurping His place, and (2) slandering and taking God’s name in vain. The emperors of Rome were guilty of the first form. They made themselves equal with God; there was emperor worship in the Roman Empire. The Pharisees were guilty of the latter when they blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The beast here is guilty of both forms.

Revelation 13:2

And the wild beast which I saw was like unto a panther, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority. This is really a weird-looking creature! He has never been seen on land or sea or in the air. Without doubt, this is a real spectacle. John notes that he is a composite beast. We can begin now to formulate some very definite facts concerning Antichrist. He combines the characteristics of the other beasts representing kingdoms which Daniel saw in his vision of Daniel 7. Consulting that passage and my commentary on the Book of Daniel might be helpful to you at this point. (a) “And the wild beast which I saw was like unto a panther.” The outward appearance of the Beast was like a panther: “After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it” (Dan_7:6). Panther and leopard are the same Greek word; I prefer the word panther. This was the Graeco-Macedonian Empire. Greece was noted for its brilliance and its advancement in the arts and sciences. It was noted for its philosophy, its architecture, and its marvelous literature. The Greek language itself is a wonderful language. The empire of the Beast will have all the outward culture which was the glory of Greece. (b) “And his feet were as the feet of a bear” reminds us of the second beast of Daniel: “And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh” (Dan_7:5). This was Media-Persia, noted for its pagan splendor as it paddled and waddled over the earth like a Gargantua. The empire of the Beast will have all the pagan splendor and wealth that Media-Persia had. (c) “And his mouth as the mouth of a lion” reminds us of the first beast of Daniel: “The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it” (Dan_7:4). This was Babylonian autocracy. When Nebuchadnezzar ordered the death of his wise men and then later on the fiery furnace for the three Hebrew children, there was none to question his authority. He was the head of gold; he was an autocrat. Though the Man of Sin will be one of the toes of the image that Daniel saw, composed partly of clay and partly of iron, he will rule with the autocracy and dictatorial authority of Nebuchadnezzar. This final world dictator comes to his zenith under the domination of Satan. The source of his power is found in Satan who raises him up, empowers and energizes him for the dastardly dictatorial job he will do. He is the closest to an incarnation of Satan that appears in Scripture. Luke said that Satan had entered into Judas Iscariot (see Luk_22:3). Christ used similar language when He spoke to Simon Peter in Mat_16:23. Is the Man of Sin the incarnation of Satan?

I think we can say that he is. Certainly Satan has entered into him. Paul wrote: “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2Th_2:9-10).

Revelation 13:3

WILD BEAST, DEATH-DEALING STROKE And I saw one of his heads as though it had been slain unto death; and his stroke of death was healed; and the whole (inhabited) earth wondered after the beast. This verse, together with chapter 17, verse Rev_17:8, has led many to the view that Satan actually raises the Beast from the dead. “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Rev_17:8). Because of these two Scriptures, there are many who have taken the position that the Beast is actually raised from the dead by Satan. This cannot be because Satan does not have power to raise the dead; that power has not been given to him at all. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who can raise the dead. The Gospel of John records these words spoken by our Lord: “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will…. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live…. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (Joh_5:21, Joh_5:25, Joh_5:28-29).

Only the Lord Jesus can raise the deadSatan cannot. Therefore, I take it that the restoration is a false, a fake resurrection. Those who take the view that Satan raises the Beast from the dead interpret the Beast as a man only. That the early church, for the most part, held to this view is indisputable. They disagreed as to the identity of the Beast. Some thought he was Judas Iscariot. Others identified him as Nero. Even Augustine, in his day, wrote: What means the declaration, that the mystery of iniquity doth already work? Some suppose it to be spoken of the Roman Emperor, and therefore Paul did not speak in plain words, although he always expected that what he said would be understood as applying to Nero, whose doings already appeared like those of Antichrist. Hence it was that some suspected that he would rise from the dead as Antichrist [J. A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, Lectures on the Book of Revelation, p. 398, footnote]. There are others who take the view that the Beast here refers to the Roman Empire and that the imperial form of government, under which Rome fell, will be restored in a startling manner. I believe this will happen, but I do not think it is a resurrection, for Rome never died; Rome fell apart. Rome is like Humpty-Dumpty: Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall; All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men Could not put Humpty-Dumpty together again. But Antichrist can and will put Humpty-Dumpty together again, and it will be a marvelous thing. The Roman Empire has not truly died; it lives on in the nations of Europe today. I think that both of these views do have something to commend them, while both views have serious objections. There can be no real resurrection of an evil man before the Great White Throne judgment. And, at that time, only Christ can raise the dead. Christ will raise the dead who stand before the Great White Throne (see Rev_20:11-15). We have already considered Joh_5:28-29: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” Only Christ can rise the deadboth saved and lost. Satan has no power to raise the dead. He is not a life-giver. He is a devil, a destroyer, a death-dealer. The Roman Empire is to be revitalized and made to cohere in a miraculous manner under the world dictator, the beast, yet verse Rev_13:3 seems to demand a more adequate explanation than this. I believe the beast is a man who will exhibit a counterfeit and imitation resurrection. This will be the great delusion, the big lie of the Great Tribulation period. We are told that God will give them over to believe the big lie (see 2Th_2:11), and this is part of the big lie. They will not accept the resurrection of Christ, but they sure are going to fake the resurrection of Antichrist. “And his stroke of death was healed” shows the blasphemous imitation of the death and resurrection of Christ. The challenge in that day will be: “What has Christ done that Antichrist has not done?” Nobody can duplicate the resurrection of Christ; they might imitate it, but they cannot duplicate it. Yet Antichrist is going to imitate it in a way that will fool the worldit is the big lie. Believers say, “Christ is risen!” The boast of unbelievers in that day will be: “So is Antichrist!” The Roman Empire will spring back into existence under the cruel hand of a man who faked a resurrection, and a gullible world who rejected Christ will finally be taken in by this forgery. We begin now to get a composite picture of the Antichrist. The rider on the white horse (see Rev. 6) brought a false peace to the world. In the recorded history of man, he has engaged in fifteen hundred wars and has signed some eight thousand peace treaties. Yet in his entire history, he has enjoyed only between two and three hundred years of true peace. Certainly G. K. Chesterton was accurate when he said, “One of the paradoxes of this age is that this is the age of Pacifism, but not the age of Peace.” The Antichrist comes in on a false platform of bringing peace to the world. How many times in the United States have we elected a president on the platform that he would bring peace, only to find that he took us right into a war? We have been a warlike nation. We are not very peaceful. Arnold Toynbee, an English historian, said this in 1953: By forcing on mankind more and more lethal weapons, and at the same time making the world more and more interdependent economically, technology has brought mankind to such a degree of distress that we are ripe for deifying any new caesar who might succeed in bringing the world unity and peace. That is all Antichrist will need to offer the world when he comes. He will say, “I am going to give you peace,” and the people will say “Hallelujah!” and put him into office. That is the way we do it in the United States where we are supposed to be a very cultured, educated, sophisticated, and civilized nation. The world will put Antichrist into power. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen made this remarkable statement: The Antichrist will come disguised as the great humanitarian. He will talk peace, prosperity, and plenty, not as a means to lead us to God, but as ends in themselves. He will explain guilt away psychologically, make men shrink in shame if their fellowmen say they are not broad-minded and liberal. He will spread the lie that men will never be better until they make society better. This is one statement made by Bishop Sheen which I’ll agree with one hundred percent.

Revelation 13:4

WILD BEAST, DEITY ASSUMED And they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? and who is able to make war with him? This is the supreme moment for Satan. He wants to be worshiped, and the whole world is going to worship him during this period. My friend, if the Spirit of God took His hand off this world today and off you and me, I am afraid that many of us would be in the position of backsliders; and if Antichrist appeared, we would follow him like a little faithful dog follows his master. “And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?” What a parody on the worship of the true God. They say, “Look, we are worshiping something more wonderful than the God of the Bible!”

Revelation 13:5

And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue (to work) forty and two months. The only good news here is that Antichrist will be reigning like this for only forty-two months, or three and one-half years. “A mouth speaking great things” means he is a big-mouthed fellow. Daniel also mentions this concerning him. He is really going to be a big talker; he will promise anything. This is one reason you ought to be careful listening to anyone on radio or television today, including this poor preacher or any politician or educator or newsman. We need to test everything that we hear. Antichrist is going to have charisma. He is going to be able to talk himself into the good graces of this Christ-rejecting world.

Revelation 13:6

WILD BEAST, DEFYING GOD And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and those which dwell (tabernacle) in heaven. This is the dreadful limit to which the Beast goes in blasphemy. He is against Christ and His church which are in heaven. Thank God that the church is no longer on the earth! I do not see how anyone who studies Revelation can believe that the church is going to go through this period of the Great Tribulation.

Revelation 13:7

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain. “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints.” The saints (there will be saints during the Tribulation period, although they are not, of course, the church) will be overcome by the brutal Beast. In the will of God many believers, both Jew and Gentile, will suffer martyrdom. “And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.” Spurgeon used to say something like this: “I am glad that my name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before I got here, because if God had waited until I got here, He never would have chosen me.” That is true of all the saints, both in the church age and in the Great Tribulation period. This will be the darkest hour in the history of the world; and the church, thank God, will not be here. I am thankful I am not going through the Great Tribulation period. I will not be under Antichrist; I am under Christ. I am not looking for Antichrist; I am looking for Christ to come.

Revelation 13:9

WILD BEAST, DEFIANCE DENIED TO ANYONE If any man hath an ear, let him hear. If any one is for captivity (bring together captives) into captivity he goeth (away): if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. This is without doubt one of the most awe-inspiring statements in the Word of God. “If any man” is a thrice-repeated invitation to the ear of anyone to hear the Word of God at any time, in any age. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom_10:17). “If any man hath an ear, let him hear.” Here again is the wedding of free will and election. “If any man"any man means any man. “If any man hath an ear"does not everybody have ears? Yes, but there are some people who do not hear although they have ears. There are people who simply do not listen at allthey do not hear. I had a neighbor who was retired, and his wife was a very wonderful person, but she talked a great deal. When he would go outside to work, he would remove his hearing aid from his ear. He did it, I discovered, for a purpose. He was pruning a tree one day when his wife came out of the house and talked a blue streak to him for about five minutes. All of a sudden she noticed that he did not have his hearing aid on. She said, “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said!” He just kept on sawing, and she turned around and went back into the house. That was exactly what he wanted! He was out there to prune the tree and not to carry on a conversation. There are a great many people who do not have a hearing aid to hear the Word of Godthey don’t want to hear it. I would like to make it possible for every person in this country to study the Word of God with us through our radio Bible studies. But I do not have the wildest dream that everybody in the country is going to be studying the Word of God. I know that it will be only those who have an ear, an ear to hear the Word of God. “Any man"that’s free will; that “hath an ear” is election; and this is the way God weds these two truths together. “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” What John is saying here is not for you and meat least, I hope it is not for you; I know it is not for mebecause, beginning with chapter 4, Revelation is dealing with future things which are beyond the church. The church (meaning all born-again believers in this age) will no longer be on earth. John is speaking to God’s saints who will be in the world at that time. Remember that during the Tribulation the Antichrist will be the world dictator. Men are not going to buy or sell without his permission. They will not be able to travel without his permission.

He will rule the world as no one has ever ruled in the past. God is saying to those who are His own, “Don’t resist him.” To begin with, it would not do you any good. The second thing is that this is “the patience and the faith of the saints” of that time. If you are in the world during the Great Tribulation, then you are going to have to bear with patience and faith the awful trials that will be coming even upon God’s children. God will apparently withdraw from the world, and He will turn it over to Satan. Today the Holy Spirit is in the world, and He curtails, He smothers, resistance. He is holding back evil, although it may not look that way. Just think what it will be like when He is removed from that office and when evil men are permitted to have their day. Satan will have full sway. As we have said before, this actually is poetic justice. The Devil and his minions of evil and lost mankind will never be able to say to God, “You never gave us a chance. If You had just given us a chance, we would have been able to work things out.” God is going to give them a chance for a brief period. If it was not for just a brief period, there would be no flesh left on the earth, as the Lord Jesus said (see Mat_24:22).

Revelation 13:11

THE WILD BEAST OUT OF THE EARTHDESCRIPTION, A RELIGIOUS LEADERThe first beast is a political leader, a political power and a person, and his power will become worldwide. We come now to the second wild beast, the one who comes out of the earth and is a religious leader. And I saw another wild beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb, and he was speaking as a dragon. This wild beast is easier to identify than was the first. After you establish who the first beast is it is not too much trouble to identify the second. The first beast comes out of the sea, and the second one comes out of the earth. What is the difference? The sea represents the peoples of the world. The great mob of mankind today is like the surging and restless seathat has always been true. The earth from which this second beast arises is symbolic of Palestine, and it is naturally assumed that the second beast comes from Israel. He is a messiah, and Israel would not accept him unless he had come from their land and was one of them. “And he had two horns like a lamb.” This suggests his imitation of Christ. The first beast is opposed to Christhe is Antichrist. The second beast imitates Christ. He also is antichrist (considering anti, meaning “instead of”); he poses as Christ. He has two horns like a lamb, but he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He imitates the “…Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Joh_1:29), only this pseudolamb does not subtract sin; he adds and multiplies it in the world. He does not come to do his own will, but the will of the first beast. He is a counterfeit Christ. He will do a lot of talking about loving everyone, but underneath he is a dangerous beast, just as the first one was, deceiving the whole world. The Lord Jesus said in Mat_7:15: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” This second beast is the epitome of all false prophets, and he is an antichrist. It takes two men to fulfill the position that Christ fulfillsand of course, they do not fulfill it. But Satan needs two men to attempt even an imitation of Him. Again, the Lord Jesus said in Mat_24:24: “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” The false prophet is sort of a “John the Baptist” to the first beast. Some have identified him as King Saul or Judas, which is mere assumption and cannot be proved.

Revelation 13:12

WILD BEAST, DELEGATED AUTHORITY And he exerciseth all the authority of the first wild beast in his presence. And he maketh the earth and the dwellers therein to worship the first wild beast, whose wound of death was healed. The second wild beast has a delegated authority from the first wild beast, which actually makes him subservient to him, but he is also on a par with himhe has the same power. This second wild beast leads in a movement to exterminate the harlot of Revelation 17, which is the false church that will go into the Great Tribulation period. John does not even dignify that church by calling it a church; it is called a harlot. The true church, which has now left the earth, is called the bride of Christ. But here you have the last vestige of an apostate church with all of its humanism. The false prophet will offer the world something new to worshipthe first wild beast, the willful king, the Man of Sin, the last world dictator (see Dan_11:36-39; Mat_24:24; 2Th_2:3-10). Here is presented to us this terrible second beast who will exalt the first beast to the place of worship. “Whose wound of death was healed” reveals that both the first and the second beasts are healers and miracle workers. This is the big lie, the “strong delusion” that is going to come to the world.

Revelation 13:13

And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven into the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth the dwellers on the earth through [Gr.: dia] the signs which it was given him to do in the presence of the wild beast; saying to the dwellers on the earth that they should make an image [Gr.: eikon] to the beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived.This false prophet is a worker of signs and miracles (see Mat_24:24). Our Lord warned against this false prophet. His deception is that he apes Elijah in bringing down fire from heaven. He is a combination of Jannes and Jambres: “Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exo_7:11-12).

In other words, they were clever magicians, and I believe they had satanic power. This Beast in the end time will also have satanic power. We read in Mat_3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.” John the Baptist specifically said he had nothing to do with fire, but this false prophet is going to imitate Elijah. The false prophet plays with fire until he is cast into the lake of fire (see Rev_19:20). The world is taken in by this deception, with the exception of God’s elect, those who are Histhey cannot be deceived. The false prophet shows his hand by causing to be made an image of the man of sin. The Greek word for image is eikon, which means “likeness.” The big production is a likeness of the first beast that emphasizes the wound of death that was healed. It is interesting to note that the Lord Jesus did not permit anything connected with His physical appearance to survive. But the likeness of the Antichrist will evidently be placed in the temple at Jerusalem, and I believe it is the abomination of desolation to which our Lord referred: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” (Mat_24:15). This is the abomination of desolation that is to appear, and although we cannot be dogmatic, we believe it will be this image of Antichrist, the first wild beast.

Revelation 13:15

WILD BEAST, DELUSION PERPETRATED ON THE WORLD And it was given to him to give breath [Gr.: pneuma] to the image of the wild beast, that the image of the wild beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, that there be given them a mark on their right hand or upon their forehead; and that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one having the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.“And it was given to him to give breath (the Greek word is pneuma) to the image of the wild beast.” This is going to be a different kind of idol. Isaiah and all the prophets mention the fact that idols cannot speak. Paul also mentions it. But here is an idol that will speak. I think they will call all the scientists of the world to look at this image.

The scientists will give a report that they cannot understand it, they cannot explain it and that it is a miracle. This is something that will cause the whole world to turn and worship the Beast. He is now wedding religion and business, for you will have to have the mark of the Beast to do business. In John’s day soldiers were branded by their commanders, slaves were branded by their masters, and those attached to certain pagan temples were branded by the mark of the god or goddess whom they served. Ptolemy Philopater had all Jews in Alexandria marked with the ivy leaf, which was the symbol of Dionysus. In our day a newspaper columnist who wrote an article entitled, “Living by the Numbers,” deplored the fact that we have to carry so many different cards in our wallets and concluded with this paragraph: It would simplify matters if the government would assign each of us a single all-purpose number which we would have tattooed across the forehead to spare us the trouble of carrying all these cards. Don’t misunderstand me. This is not the fulfillment of prophecy, but it sure shows how prophecy can come to pass. What is the mark of the Beast? It is not given us to know. We are not told, but that has not kept many expositors from telling us what it is!

Revelation 13:18

WILD BEAST, DESIGNATION Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred and sixty and six. “Here is wisdom” seems to be a rather ironical declaration when we consider the maze of speculation that has been accumulated through the centuries on this verse. In the Greek there is a very beautiful arrangement of this number. hexakosioi600-102hexekonta60-102hex6A numerical value is attached to each letter to be sure, but we must let it stand there, for the visible number of the Beast and its meaning await the day of his manifestation. And I do not believe he has yet been manifested. This number has made a nice little jigsaw puzzle for a lot of people to play at, but, my friend, you will not know who he is until you get to the Great Tribulation period. I would suggest that we not waste our time trying to identify a person by this number. Instead, we need to present Jesus Christ that we might reduce the population of those who have to go through the Great Tribulation period and who will therefore know what the number of the Beast is. I am not anxious to know the number of the Beast, and I am thankful I will not have to live in that period. I am very thankful today that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior. Instead of spending time with Antichrist, I want to know Christ. I can say with Paul: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Php_3:10). The only positive and important item for us today is that the first beast is a man. This teaches me not to trust man. “Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jer_17:5-8). The passage in Revelation does not interest me a bit as to what the number of the Beast is or who he is or anything about him, but it makes me want to know Jesus Christ more, because my plan is to be with Himnot because of who I am or what I have done, but because Jesus Christ died for me on the cross, and by His grace I will go into His presence.