Revelation Chapter 13:1-4

For many scholars, Chapter 13 has been the most puzzling of the entire Revelation. Our study has been based on the premise that the images John sees are symbolic and not literal. If the images are symbolic, they are of little use to the reader unless there is an interpretation (Jn 14:16-17, 1 Cor 14:6-17). We’ve seen that these symbols can be interpreted by passages from the Old Testament and everyday life experiences.

God is not in the business of trying to confuse His Church. Believing this fact, one must assume that the great vision John experienced contains truths that are meant to be understood – truths that were and are essential clarion calls to the Body of Christ (Revisit Introduction, Part 3).

Because some of Chapter 13’s wording seems so explicit, it’s tempting to change course and seek literal interpretations and historical events. However, continuing to look through the lens of symbolic interpretations opens the door to the eternal principles resident in all prophecies.

Through this lens we see that Chapter 13 introduces another “beast”, which arises from the sea. Remember that the first beast revealed in Chapter 11, arose from the abyss to destroy the testimony of the Church. At first reading, the beast in this chapter seems almost identical to the dragon from Chapter 12. Are these beasts and the red dragon symbolic of the same principle – manifesting itself in different ways – or are they entirely different images?

(*All Bible verses are from the NIV unless otherwise noted)

Consider again the similarities between the dragon and the beasts:  

The heads, horns, and crowns could represent literal kings and kingdoms of history. But which ones? This has been debated for centuries with no real consensus. In Revelation 17:9, the seven heads are identified as the seven hills on which the great prostitute sits. This is widely interpreted as a reference to Rome. However, beyond this interpretation, any attempt to speculate on specific names and places is likely to lead to further debate and division.

The eternal principle seen here is more crucial than historical names. Readers can be certain that the numbers seven and ten and their multiples are used throughout the Bible to symbolize completeness and government, respectively. In the broader symbolic sense, the horns and crowns represent all powers and authorities that align themselves with Satan in opposition to God. In later chapters, these powers fail and go down in destruction.

The ten horns mentioned in the text may very well correspond to the Germanic kingdoms that eventually overpowered Rome. As readers, we should ask ourselves if this historical fact has any prophetic significance in our personal journey with God. It might be a fascinating piece of information, but what relevance does it have to our spiritual growth? Paul recognized this principle when he wrote to the saints in Thessaloniki:

1Thess 5:1 Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

On the other hand, if looked at as an eternal principle of God’s relationship with His children, it reminds us that any nation at any time in history that bullies and threatens will eventually fall, and God’s purposes will prevail!

The Greek word blasphemia means to vilification or to speak evil of ¹.

Lev 24:11  The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name [of God] with a curse, so they brought him to Moses…

Ezek 20:27  “Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In this also your ancestors blasphemed me by being unfaithful to me:

Mark 3:28-29   28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Readers can speculate on historical figures that might match John’s images. Many writers have tried to do this, and once again, we are left with a myriad of possibilities and little agreement. Let’s look instead at the eternal principles being expressed:

Explore scripture verses on lions, leopards, and bears, such as:

Jer 5:6  Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.

Hosea 13:7-8   So I will be like a lion to them, like a leopard I will lurk by the path.  8 Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open; like a lion, I will devour them— a wild animal will tear them apart.

Psa 57: 4  I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Isa 5:29  Their roar is like that of the lion; they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue.

Consider the attributes commonly associated with each of these animals:

• Leopard: Stealthy, quiet, and deadly hunter
• Bear’s paws: Large, huge claws, powerful
• Lion’s mouth: Sharp teeth, deadly

1. His tactics are sometimes quiet and hidden like a leopard on the hunt, taking his victims unaware with calculating lies and deceptions – lies that are often normalized by modern culture;
2. There are times when his attacks are powerful and brutish, like an attacking grizzly, using war and sudden disasters to smash lives and crush faith;
3. Satan, like a lion, seeks to tear and devour the children of God.

In this respect, the “beast” most likely isn’t a specific person but rather represents all the machinations Satan employs to deceive and mislead humankind!

Rev 12:9 identifies the dragon as Satan, the devil. He works through the evil mechanisms of the world (the beast) to hunt down and destroy the saints. His efforts can be seen throughout history in the form of warrior kings and marauding nations, radical and violent ideological movements, and political and financial “kingdoms” that abuse and subjugate people.

God’s ultimate judgment against any nation or political system that denies Him and persecutes His people is certain. Using symbolic images of God’s cup of wrath (14:10) and prostitutes who lead others astray (17:1), the ancient prophets declared the fall of pagan nations that brutalized and misled Israel:

Jer 25:15-18   15 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”  17 So I took the cup from the LORD’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it: 18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse—as they are today…

Ezek 16:35-39  35“ ‘Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the LORD! 36 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers, and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, 37 therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked. 38 I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger. 39 Then I will deliver you into the hands of your lovers, and they will tear down your mounds and destroy your lofty shrines. They will strip you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry and leave you stark naked.

Rather than trying to identify seven specific kingdoms or kings that the horns, heads, and crowns represent, consider the timeless symbolic implications of these combined elements:

• The number seven: complete and total;
• Crowns and thrones: power, great authority; 
• Attributes of the beast: sly, powerful, and dangerous;
• Rising from the sea: rising from humanity, multitudes, and nations (Rev 17:15).

Rome was a pagan society. Emperors from Augustus to Domitian saw no conflict in declaring their “godhood.” After all, it was Caesar and the state that offered safety and provision to the populace!

Because of their Christian convictions, the first-century Church was constantly put in the position of defying the state-mandated tribute to Caesars. They refused to pay homage to them as gods and were branded traitors to the state (notes on 2:13). This was combined with tremendous pressure from family and friends to honor pagan deities and the jealousy of community Jewish leaders who saw their authority challenged by Jesus’ teachings.

Some writers who see the beast as a literal person have interpreted it to be Emperor Nero. A rumor spread after Nero’s death (68 AD) that the sadistic emperor would return to life and retake the throne². Many Preterist³ commentators write that the fatal wound symbolizes his suicide in 68 A.D., and the healed wound represents the widespread myth of his miraculous return.

Futurists maintain that the beast represents the cruel nature of a man who will rise to power and rule the world in the future. They point to 1Jn 2: 18, 22; 4:3 and the description of the anti-Christ and see this world leader and his final evil empire as the peak of a line of evil kingdoms. Some futurists interpret the fatal wound being healed as a counterfeit of Christ’s death and resurrection, resulting in the worship of Satan and the anti-Christ.⁴

John mentions the fatal wound three times in this chapter (vs. 3, 12, 14).  The vision rarely uses literal images, and it’s unlikely that Christ’s message would be dependent on the Nero myth for interpretation or that it represents an event thousands of years in John’s future. Readers can speculate endlessly on whether the beast with a healed wound was Nero or some future evil leader, but all Christians can agree on the eternal principles presented. Satan’s “end-game” – his ultimate plan to hold mankind captive by sin and death – was shattered (put to death) by Jesus’ victory on the cross, yet his influence (healed wound) remains alive and active in the world.

1Pet 5:8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

John 16:7-11   But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

Heb 2:14  Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—

Rom 16:20  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

2 Tim 1:10   … but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Dan 8:25  He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

2 Cor 11:14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Matt 13:19   When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

Matt 24:24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2 Pet 2:1-3  1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

2 Cor 4:4  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Footnotes

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1. Strong’s G988. ↩︎
2. See Appendix: Nero. ↩︎
3. Preterists maintain that most (if not all) of the events of Revelation happened in the past. ↩︎
4. Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham. The Moody Bible Commentary (p. 4985). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. ↩︎

*All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™