Revelation 13:1-2
The first ten verses of this chapter present one of the most important persons of the end time prophecy—“a beast coming out of the sea.”
The passage is, first of all, the revelation of the revived Roman Empire and its worldwide dominion, but more importantly, this paragraph directs our attention to the evil character that exercises satanic power as the world dictator.
Let’s take a look.
The Beast Out of the Sea Is Introduced (vv.1–2)
v.1, “And I stood on the sand of the seashore. And I (he) saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast, which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”
· His ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, is a depiction of the revived Roman Empire, which was also represented by the fourth beast of the book of Daniel, which also had ten horns (Dan. 7:7–8; Rev. 13:3; 17:3, 7).
· In Revelation chapters 13 and 17, the beast is the world ruler, whereas in Daniel 7, the “little horn” on the beast was the world ruler.
· The fact that the beast comes out from “the sea” seems to indicate that he is a Gentile, because the sea of humanity is his source (Rev. 17:15, “And he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues”).
· Some believe that the beast refers to some character in past history, but the context here clearly refers to the final three and one-half years before Christ’s second coming.
· Under the control of this central ruler in the Middle East (during the Great Tribulation), will be ten nations.
· In 13:2, the beast is seen to gather in the symbolism of the three preceding empires: (1) Greece (a leopard, Dan. 7:6), (2) Medo-Persia (a bear, Dan. 7:5), and (3) Babylon (a lion, Dan. 7:4).
· The power of the beast was derived from Satan himself: “the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” This agrees with Paul (2 Thes. 2:9) who referred to “the lawless one” (the Antichrist, this beast of Rev. 13) as working “all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders.”
· This part of the revelation is introduced by the expression “And I stood upon the sand of the sea,” which in some versions is included in the last verse of chapter 12, instead of the first verse of chapter 13.
· As Dr. Walvoord points out in his book, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, there is a textual difficulty that appears in the expression “I stood”:
o “Some manuscripts read, ‘he stood,’ the change being effected by the dropping of one letter in the Greek text (Grk. = “nu” or n) from the end of the verb “estathe.” If the letter is dropped, it indicates that the dragon himself stood upon the sand of the sea. If the letter is added, it means that John stood upon the sand the sea. The difference is not of great consequence, but inasmuch as it is more likely that a letter has been dropped than added to the text, some scholars feel that the Authorized Version is correct and that John is the one who stood upon the sand of the sea. The reading supporting the translation “he stood,” that is, the dragon (as opposed to John), has better manuscript testimony and seems to fit well into the context. Chapter 13 would then be the next action following the act of the dragon in chapter 12.”[1]
· As John watches the scene, he sees a beast coming up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns. Ten crowns are seen on the horns, and on the seven heads names of blasphemy are written. Again, the identity of this beast is quite clear in its reference to the revived Roman Empire, as the description is similar to that founded Daniel 7:7-8 and in Revelation 12:3 and 17:3, 7.
· The phase of the empire, depicted by the beast is the period after the emergence of a “little horn,” the future world ruler, displacing the three horns of Daniel 7:8:
o The description fits the time of the empire during the Great Tribulation.
· The fact that the beast rises out of the sea is taken by many to indicate that he comes from the great mass of humanity, namely the Gentile powers of the world:
o Others, however, take it as a reference to the Mediterranean, namely, that the beast will arise from the Mediterranean Sea. It may be that both are true in some sense, in that the beast is a Gentile and does come from the Mediterranean area.
· The creature described as having seven heads and ten horns probably refers to the remnants of the confederacy which formed the old Roman Empire in the beginning, namely, the ten nations of which, three were overthrown by the “little horn” of Daniel 7:8. The 10 crowns, therefore, referred to the diadems, or symbols of governmental authority. The fact that they have the “names” of blasphemy (“names” is plural) indicates their irreverent opposition to God and to Jesus.
· Some consider the seven heads as successive phases of governmental and political history during this period. Others believe that they are simultaneous kings or sub-rulers under the beast:
o The successive idea seems to come from Revelation 17:10-12, where the heads are indicated to be successive rulers. The difficulties can be resolved by regarding the heads and successive, referring to kings or emperors, and the horns as kings who will reign simultaneously, receiving their power from the beast.
· The beast is further described as being comparable to a leopard with the feet of a bear and the mouth of the lion who, again, receives his power, throne, and authority from the dragon, that is, from Satan.
· The selection of these three animals is related to the similar revelation given in Daniel chapter 7, where the successive world empires are described as a lion, referring to Babylon, a bear, referring to Medo-Persia, and a leopard, referring to the Alexandrian, or Grecian Empire.
· The fourth empire gathers all these elements and characteristics in itself and is far more dreadful in power and blasphemy than the preceding empires.
· The beasts selected, as many have pointed out, are typical of the revived Roman Empire in the Great Tribulation, having the majesty and power of the lion, strength and tenacity of the bear, and the swiftness of the leopard, which is so well illustrated by the conquests of Alexander the Great.
· In addition to the natural symbol of strength of these creatures, is the added factor of his power coming from the dragon, Satan himself.
There’s a lot here to digest! What we know for certain is that King Jesus will return at the end of the Great Tribulation to put an end to it all and He will assume His rightful position as King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
May the Lord of glory bless you as you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Redeemer and Savior.
By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.
