The Beast of Revelation
Revelation 13:1-5
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having 7 heads and 10 horns, and upon his horns 10 crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, 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 seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beat? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue 42 months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation is full of descriptions of strange visions of the future. These visions contain what seems to us as unusual imagery that are hard to wrap our minds around. Because of this, I have found that the church today has placed Revelation on the back burner. In fact, I have had Christian friends tell me that they don’t study Revelation because it is ‘too difficult’ or ‘too easy to misinterpret.’ They claim that it can be a ‘dangerous book.’
What a sad state for our church to be in: too afraid to read and teach on Revelation! We are told to not only read Revelation but to remember it!
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The study of Revelation is difficult requiring diligent Bible study and a strong dose of humility. It takes effort to understand but also a willingness to admit there is mystery for now. The book of Revelation is necessary in that it brings everything else in the Bible into perspective. It reminds us that accountability and hope is coming. No matter how difficult our world is, it will get better. When we remove the book of Revelation from the picture, we remove that hope and we remove that accountability for our actions. And that is a dangerous thing!
This sentiment is repeated in Revelation chapter 13 in regards to the “beast” described there when it says, “if any man have an ear, let him hear” (Revelation 13:9). Why would God tell us that? The answer can be found a few verses down: “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.” We need to be able to recognize the beast so we know not to follow him. He will deceive many. So much so that, “if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).
We all know that ‘those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.’ The same applies here. When we understand what is to come, we are prepared and not easily deceived. We are hopeful and ready.
There is a certain amount of mystery to Revelation, but that also applies to all of the Bible. Plus, Revelation is speaking to future events. Prophecies in the Old Testament that refer to the Messiah were mysterious at the time of their proclamation but now, to us, crystal clear. There are certain concepts that we will not understand until Christ returns.
Revelation 10:7
But in the days of the voice of the 7th angel, when he shall being to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
One aspect of Revelation that is difficult to understand is the beast of Revelation 13. It is easier to skim over this description of the beast and continue on reading, but if we did that, we would miss out on some great information! When we take the time to analyze the beast’s description using all of the Biblical information we have, chapter 13 isn’t as mysterious as it was in the beginning.
Revelation 13 contains the description of the infamous “beast.” The imagery used may be symbolic but a thorough reading of the chapter along with other passages tells us that these symbols represent a physical reality, a human being and empire that takes over the world just before Jesus Christ returns.
Revelation 13 describes a beast arising from the sea and he has a very specific look. The beast is described this way for a reason. He has seven heads, 10 horns each with a crown and he looks like a leopard, bear, and lion all at the same time. This description may sound strange and indecipherable at first glance, but a good study of the Bible will reveal much of the answer to what seems a riddle. Let’s look at each detail of the description of the beast one at a time. Then we can put together a relatively solid picture of what this chapter is telling us.
Seven Heads
Fortunately, we do not have to guess as to what the 7 heads represent. John just so happens to see this beast again in Revelation 17. This time an angel is around to explain the elements of the beast to John. The angel explains to John that the 7 heads are “seven mountains” with 7 kings, adding that “five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space” and that the “beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Revelation 17:9-11).
Now we know that the 7 heads represent 7 kings. But, who are the 7 kings? Here is where we enter into the realm of educated guesses. The emphasis here, is educated. The best solution to any mystery in the Bible is to see if Scripture provides additional insight elsewhere. There are two additional passages that speak prophetically of kingdoms to come: Daniel 2 and Daniel 7.
Daniel 7
Daniel is another prophet who received visions from God regarding the end times. In Daniel’s chapter 7 vision, he sees four beasts: one looked like a lion (this likely represented Babylon, the current kingdom Daniel was living in), the other a bear (this likely represented Medo-Persia, the next world empire), the other a leopard (this likely represented the Greeks), and finally we see the 4th and most terrible beast different from all the other beasts (this most likely represents Rome, the final world empire). We know that these beasts represented kings because an angel tells Daniel so in verse 17. The angel continues to speak about the strangest beast, the 4th beast. This beast is the 4th kingdom that “devour the whole earth” and “break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23). It has “iron teeth” and “nails of brass” (Daniel 7:19). Out of this 4th kingdom will grown 10 horns (Daniel 7:24) which will be discussed in more detail in the next section.
The beasts of Daniel 7 are clearly related to the beast of Revelation. First, the beast as described in Revelation 13, is like a leopard, lion, and bear as is described of the beasts of Daniel 7. The beasts of Daniel 7 represent kings/kingdoms just as the 7 heads of the beast of Revelation. The horn from the 4th beast of Daniel 7 makes war with the saints just as the beast is described as doing in Revelation13.
So who are the 4 kings described in Daniel 7? To figure this out, it is important to remember a few things:
Who is receiving this vision: Daniel, a Jew. He is a Jew that is in exile in Babylon. Of course, there have been many large and significant kingdoms that existed and would arise around the world, but Israel would be Daniel’s reference point and, therefore, that is what God would use when revealing information to him, and in essence, to the entire Jewish people since Daniel recorded his visions (this same argument could also be applied to John in Revelation). Also, Israel was God’s chosen people, which would again, make Israel the reference point.
When do these kings rule: they will arise (Daniel 7:17). God is clearly speaking to Daniel prophetically here.
Where do these kings rule: they would rule over/around Israel as Israel would be the reference point for Daniel (and later John). Furthermore, Daniel 8 actually names the kingdoms that were to come after Babylon as Media and Persia (Daniel 8:20) and Grecia (Daniel 8:21). Daniel 8:23-25 speaks of another king that would arise, a “king of fierce countenance” who seems to be the antichrist, after Grecia. This is likely speaking of the 4th beast, Rome which did arise after Greece and which will eventually break and revive and produce the antichrist.
What are these kings like: each beast has a specific description. While the name of the king/kingdom isn’t listed in Daniel 7, the description of each beast can be applied to kingdoms that ruled over Israel. I don’t have the space to go into detail on each of the descriptions, but it is very interesting how we can easily connect these descriptions to the following kingdoms that would rule over Israel during and after Daniel’s time: Babylon as the lion, Medo-Persia as the bear, Greece as the leopard, and Rome as the terrible beast.
Now, based on this vision, we have a list of 4 kingdoms that fit Daniel’s description.
1. Babylon (Current kingdom): Lion
2. Medo-Persia: Bear
3. Greece: Leopard
4. Rome: Terrible/Indescribable
I think most would agree that, in the scope of world history, these kingdoms were particularly influential and shaping, particularly for Israel.
We are now 3 kings/kingdoms away from the 7 heads of the beast of Revelation. But Daniel has another passage that will add an additional king/kingdom to our list.
Daniel 2
Chapter 2 of Daniel records Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which Daniel interprets. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of an image with a head of gold, a breast of silver, belly of brass, and legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. Daniel tells Nebuchadnezzar that the gold head represented him and his kingdom (Babylon) while the other segments each represent kingdoms to come after him. It seems to fit that the other kingdoms after Babylon (gold) are Medo-Persia (silver), Greece (brass), and Rome (iron – note that the 4th beast of Daniel 7 had iron teeth) as these are the 3 kingdoms that rule over Israel after Babylon. However, there is an additional kingdom added, a 5th kingdom.
The 4th kingdom to come will be “strong as iron” but will “break in pieces and bruise” (Daniel 2:40) creating a 5th kingdom. This 5th kingdom will be divided but will still contain the strength of the 4th kingdom hence the iron mixed with clay. In addition, the 5th kingdom has 10 toes which that are also mixed iron and clay representing the 5th kingdom as “partly strong and partly broken” (Daniel 2:42). This sounds a lot like the 4th beast of Daniel 7 (10 horns).
This begs the question: which kingdom is the 5th kingdom here? It seems that this kingdom has not come yet as Rome was the last kingdom to rule over Israel. In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple there after the Jew rebelled. The Jews scattered. Therefore, no one has ruled over the Jews again. Israel has once again become a nation recently, but they rule themselves at this point. In addition, Rome was unique to the previous kingdoms in that it was never conquered, but it is broken from within after attacks along its far borders. So, the 5th kingdom is likely still to come. It contains some of the aspects of Rome but will be divided – likely into 10 (10 toes, see verse 44 which may point to the fact that the 10 toes represent 10 specific kings). Interestingly, our world today seems to fit the description of the 5th kingdom: there are many nations that are independent but that work together on a large worldwide scale (for example: NATO). Could this worldwide peaceful collaboration “rule” over Israel? Perhaps. However, currently there doesn’t appear to be 10 specific kings…yet. They are yet to arise. Many refer to this 5th kingdom as Rome – revived. I think we could also call this Rome – broken since Rome was not defeated but broken apart and we are currently living in the result of that.
Now, we have an additional kingdom to add to our list as well as some additional descriptions. Here is our updated list:
1. Babylon (Current kingdom): Gold, Lion
2. Medo-Persia: Silver, Bear
3. Greek: Brass, Leopard
4. Rome: Iron, Terrible/Indescribable
5. Rome – broken/divided/revived: Iron mixed with clay, 10 toes
2 More Kingdoms
This list gets us to 5 kingdoms…but how do we get to 7? Remember Revelation 17:10 tells us 5 have fallen, one is and the other is to come. Just like we did with Daniel, we need to view this prophecy from the perspective of the person receiving it. If we fast forward to John’s time when he wrote Revelation, we know that, according to the prophecy, there were 5 major empires that have come and fallen, and he is currently living in an empire. We know that he is currently living under the Roman Empire. Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece had all come and fallen, so we know have 3 of the five fallen kingdoms and the current kingdom. This means that 2 of the kingdoms we are missing are fallen kingdoms. Remember, the kingdom to come is described in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which is Rome-broken/revived.
The key to figuring out the other two kingdoms would be to rewind to the time that Daniel is living in. Daniel is being shown what is to come, not the past! So, it makes sense that Daniel’s visions begin with the empire he is currently living under, Babylon. But before Babylon, there were only two major empires that ruled over Israel mentioned in the Bible: Egypt and Assyria. Those empires fell before Daniel. So now, we can update our list.
1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon: Gold, Lion
4. Medo-Persia: Silver, Bear
5. Greek: Brass, Leopard
6. Rome: Iron, Terrible/Indescribable
7. Rome – broken/divided/revived: Iron mixed with clay, 10 toes
Now we have achieved 7 king/kingdoms and our list fits with the description provided in Revelation 17:10. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece have fallen by John’s time (“five are fallen”). He currently lived in Rome (“one is”) and the Rome-Divided is still in the future (“not yet come”). Rome doesn’t begin to break apart until 395 AD.
Revelation 17
The final passage that I find helpful to this discussion is one I have already mentioned: Revelation 17. Revelation 17:11 tells us that the beast itself is the 8th and final king. The 2nd half of chapter 13 and chapter 17 makes it clear that the this final king is the antichrist. This passage adds the final king/kingdom to our kingdom list.
I think it is worth noting that the beast is the 8th king/kingdom but contains 7 heads representing kings. How does that work? The final king/kingdom isn’t just another head. It is the ENTIRE beast. I believe that this picture is trying to tell us that this final kingdom is a world kingdom (in the Bible, 7 = complete), it has the same spirit of each of the previous kings/kingdoms (the influence behind the 8th kingdom is the same as the previous kingdoms), and it has the same characteristics of the previous kingdoms.
Revelation 17:11 provides an additional description of the beast, the final king, “that was, and is not.” This phrase is used earlier in chapter 17 in verse 8 as well and provides an additional clue as to what it means.
Revelation 17:8
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition.
This verse seems to indicate that the beast (final king) was (he lived/ruled for a time) but then was not (he died/stopped his rule/was defeated) but then comes back. But when he comes back, he does so from the “bottomless pit”. Revelation 13 offers more information:
Revelation 13:3
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
So, one of the kings receives a mortal wound but miraculously, this mortal wound is healed and this king continues to rule, which stuns the world. Which head is wounded? Well, remember that according to Revelation 17:11, 5 kings have already fallen (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece) so we know that the head wounded couldn’t be related to those kings. The beast, the final king, emerges after this kingdom is wounded, so the wounded head must be the 7th kingdom which is Rome – revived/broken.
When we combine all of these verses together (Revelation 13:3, 17:8, 17:11) we get the picture that the king still to come, the king of the 7th kingdom which is related to Rome (contains iron and clay) a.k.a Rome – Revived/Broken, will be wounded to death in some manner. To the world’s astonishment, he will return as the beast of Revelation 13, the final and most terrible king of all: the antichrist. Note that this king is described as “ascending out of the bottomless pit.” We can’t skip over this point! The bottomless pit is mentioned 3 other times in the Bible: 1) Revelation 9 – referencing when the bottomless pit is opened during the tribulation releasing a demonic army, 2) Revelation 11:7 – referencing who will kill the 2 witnesses during the tribulation (clearly referencing the beast here in chapter 13/17, and 3) Revelation 20 – when Satan is cast into the bottomless pit during the tribulation. In each and every situation the pit is associated with demons/Satan. To me, this phrase points to the fact that this beast will have associated with it a demonic force that emerges from the bottomless pit which may be a demon or conglomerate of demons or even Satan himself (“the dragon which gave power unto the beast” Revelation 13:4).
Basically, I think that we can reasonably deduce that the antichrist will be a leader of the 7th kingdom. He will be killed or at least wounded to death in some way. He will return but will do so possessed. When he returns, he is the beast, the final king (8th). He will then remain king for 3 ½ during the Great Tribulation until Christ returns and he is cast into the Lake of Fire at Armageddon (Reveltion19).
Why 3 ½ years? My theory is that the final king/kingdom comes at the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:45, Revelation 13:11-18). It is at this point that the antichrist will enter Jerusalem, cause sacrifices to cease, set up his throne there, and cause all the world to worship him. I believe there is significant Biblical evidence to suggest that the antichrist is possessed by Satan himself or a conglomerate of demons (possibility the 10 kings or 7 kingdoms – see below).
Here are 2 reasons I believe that the 8th kingdom is the kingdom of the antichrist after the abomination of desolation (the middle of the tribulation):
1. Chapter 12 of Revelation provides an awesome history of Israel and Satan. We see a woman with 12 stars on her head (likely represents Israel, but that is an educated guess). She is pregnant and ready to give birth. But before she does, we see a Red Dragon come onto the scene (we know this is Satan, see Revelation 12:9) who draws 1/3 of the stars of heaven (likely angels, an educated guess) to the earth. What this is describing is unclear. Some believe it is the initial fall of Satan, which it may be. But Satan is waiting to devour Israel’s child. The man child is born (Christ) but He is “caught up unto God, and to His throne” (Revelation 12:5). So Israel fled into the “wilderness” for 3 ½ years. It is at this point that there is a war in heaven between Michael and Satan. Satan and his angels are cast down to earth and he persecutes Israel. It is now at this time that in chapter 13, John sees the beast we are discussing. It shows up at the 3 ½ year mark…the midst of the tribulation, the abomination of desolation. Revelation 17:11 tells us that the beast is the 8th kingdom. So putting this together, once the abomination of desolation occurs, the 8th kingdom begins.
2. After the abomination of desolation, there is a distinct shift in the world. The persecution of the saints picks up dramatically and the worship of the beast commences (Revelation 12, Daniel 9:27, Daniel 11:45-12:1, Matthew 24:15-28), for example. This lasts until the end of the tribulation period (3 ½ years), so it makes sense that the final 3 ½ years would be a new kingdom, the 8th and final kingdom.
Now, according to this new information in Revelation 17, here is our final kingdom list:
1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon: Gold, Lion
4. Medo-Persia: Silver, Bear
5. Greek: Brass, Leopard
6. Rome: Iron, Terrible/Indescribable
7. Rome – broken/divided/revived: Iron mixed with clay, 10 toes, will be wounded to death
8. Beast – final kingdom composed of elements of all the previous kingdoms but supporting the previous kingdoms, arises out of the bottomless pit, the antichrist
The visual below shows how both Daniel and Revelation are talking about the same 7 (or 8) kingdoms.
Ten Horns
Next, we see that the beast has 10 horns. Like with the 7 heads, we don’t have to guess what the horns represent. The angel in Revelation 17 reveals the answer to us.
Revelation 17:12-14
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Daniel 7 confirms that the 10 horns typify 10 kings:
Daniel 7:24
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise…
Let’s look at each of the passages in Scripture that speak to the 10 kings.
Daniel 7
The horns grow on the 4th and most terrible beast in Daniel’s vision. As mentioned above, this beast most likely represents the 6th, 7th, and 8th kingdoms which are Rome, Rome-revived, and the Beast (antichrist). In this vision, the final three kings/kingdoms are combined into this one beast. Among the 10 horns, however, a little horn grows up which which pushes out 3 of the initial 10 horns as it grows.
We are told that these horns represent kings. So, a little king will arises among 10 specific kings, and he will subdue 3 kings of the 10 kings. He ends up being a king “more stout than his fellows” (Daniel 7:20). He will persecute the saints and he will rule for 3 ½ years (Daniel 7:25).
Daniel 2
In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the image composed various substances, the two feet were made of clay mixed with iron as well as the 10 toes. The passage does not specifically say that the toes are 10 kings, but I think that it is reasonable to assume that the 10 toes could refer to the ten kings. This would confirm that the 10 kings would arise during the timeframe of the final two empires: Rome – revived/broken or the beast.
Note that in verse 44, Daniel says, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…”. It may be initially tempting to assume that the “kings” referred to here are the kings of the gold, silver, brass, iron, and iron/clay kingdoms. However, I would like to propose the possibility that the verse is actually referencing the 10 toes as the two preceding verses are speaking to the toes. If my presumption is correct, then that would confirm that the 10 kings would arise just before the kingdom of Christ is established, which would place them during the 8th and final king/kingdom.
Revelation 17
The 10 horns symbolize 10 kings who grow out of the beast, the final king/kingdom of the world. They “receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (Revelation 17:12), so they do not rule until the very end. They support the final king, persecute the saints, and will destroy the whore (Babylon).
These three passages provided quite a bit of information about these kings. Let’s break it down:
Who is receiving this vision: Daniel and John, both Jews. Daniel is living during the Babylonian and the very beginning of the Medo-Persian empire. John is living during the Roman Empire.
When do these kings rule: They will arise out of the final empire (8th king: antichrist). They are ruling under the beast so they do not come about until the end of the tribulation period.
Where do these kings rule: It is impossible to say where these kings will rule, however, we do know that they have significant power. They will have “one mind” and will support the final king, the antichrist (Revelation 17:13).
What are these kings like: They are clearly satanic. They will persecute believers and “give their kingdom[s]” to the final king until the end.
Are the 10 Kings and 7 Kingdoms/Kings Demonic?
So far, I have discussed the kingdom and kings in terms of purely earthly entities. However, there is a possibility that the 7 kingdoms and 10 kings are actually the spiritual influence behind earthly entities. It is also possible that the description of the beast may speak to both earthly and spiritual entities. John may very well be seeing the spiritual beings or at least representations of what is spiritually ruling kings/kingdoms on earth.
Note that while these kingdoms were ruled by human kings, we know that there was spiritual influence behind the thrones. Daniel 10 provides some insight into the spiritual situation in regards to these world kingdoms. Daniel tells us that there are “princes” of these kingdoms which are actually demons. He calls Michael, an angel a “prince” as well so we know that the term “prince” is used in connection with angels. In Chapter 10, we see that Daniel had been praying for an answer from God. An angel finally appears and indicates that he was late due to a run in with the “prince of Persia.” In fact, this demon was strong enough to hold the angel back and Michael had to be called upon to help. After providing Daniel God’s message, the angel indicates that he must leave to continue to fight the “prince of Persia” and that afterwards the “prince of Greece” will then come.
What we must remember is that there is a spiritual reality that transpires outside of our perception. There are demonic and angelic influence involved in our lives whether we know it or not. To us, Cyrus or Darius may have been the king of Persia, but spiritually, there was a demon that ruled and influenced that nation and leader.
The Bible speaks to this elsewhere. For example, in Isaiah 14, God issues a prophecy of judgement against the “king of Babylon.” Initially, it sounds like God is speaking to a person, but as we continue to read, we see that God is actually speaking to Satan (Lucifer). Note that God called Satan the king of Babylon! Why is this? Because Satan was the spiritual king of that kingdom (see below in the section on the Power of the Dragon for more proof on this point) although we saw a man, Nebuchadnezzar sit on that throne. Ezekiel issues a similar prophecy, this time against the “king of Tyre” (Ezekiel 28). Initially in the chapter, God addresses the “prince of Tyre” which may be directed at the earthly king of Tyre. But, in verse 12, we see God prophecy against the “king of Tyre” and the prophecy quickly reveals that God is not speaking to a man, but to Satan himself. Jesus addresses Satan when Satan was influencing Peter in Matthew 16:21-23. Jesus said, “Get thee behind me, Satan” to Peter in response to Peter’s refusal to acknowledge the future suffering that Christ would shortly endure.
Knowing what we just discussed, we can see that the 7 heads of the beast may not just refer to an earthly kingdom and an earthly king, but also the spiritual king/influence behind it. Now, it makes sense that the 8th kingdom is a conglomerate of all the satanic authority of the previous kingdoms. That is a lot of Satanic influence!
This concept also reconciles the issue between the beast and the “little horn” of Daniel 7. The “little horn” in Daniel 7 is obviously describing the antichrist who arises during the final kingdom. In his ascension to power, he pushes out 3 of the 10 kings and will rule for the final 3 ½ years before Christ’s return. Here is the issue: Revelation 17:11 tells us that the beast is the final king/kingdom (antichrist) but Daniel 7 tells us the “little horn” is also the final king (antichrist)? The “little horn” grows out of the beast. So which is the final king?
There are a few ways to harmonize this dilemma. 1) Perhaps the beast of Revelation and the “little horn” of Daniel are the same person because, after all, the 4th beast in Daniel 7’s vision was a conglomerate of the 3 final kingdoms. This would mean that the “little horn” in Daniel represents the beast of Revelation. 2) The beast of Revelation is the spiritual king of the final empire but the “little horn” is the earthly king, a.k.a the antichrist.
Either way, it is impossible to deny that there is not a spiritual element to the beast of Revelation especially when taking into account his resemblance to the Dragon (Satan) described in Revelation 12. I speak more to this resemblance below. When I see these two beings together in Revelation, it is hard not to say, “like father, like son.”
Heads with the “Name of Blasphemy”
So each head contains the name of blasphemy. We have already established that the 7 heads likely represent 7 major world kings/kingdoms.
In the Bible, to have a name or seal on your forehead was to denote who you belong to. In ancient times, it was common to mark slaves in some way to identify them as belonging to their master. There are a few examples of this in the Bible. Aaron, the high priest, had to where a gold plate on his forehead which said “Holiness to the Lord” while he was ministering. It was required in order for God to accept the holy gifts of Israel (Exodus 28:36-38). This passage is actually quite significant. The gold plate declared that Aaron was holy to God. Ezekiel 9 describes the destruction that is about to come to Jerusalem. However, before this destruction was to come, God instructs angels to mark the foreheads of the righteous so that they can be spared. This same scenario plays out again in Revelation 7:3, 9:4, and 14:1. These are the believers sealed for God during the tribulation time period. In New Jerusalem, believers will have God’s name on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4). Just as believers are sealed to God, the wicked will receive the mark of the beast during the tribulation (Revelation 13:16 and 14:9).
Knowing this, we can say it is possible that the 7 kingdoms identify as blasphemous. It may be that blasphemy is a major characteristic of these kingdoms (which would certainly be true). This detail gives us some insight into the character of these kingdoms.
Leopard, Bear, Lion
The attributes of the leopard, bear-like feet, and lion-like mouth sounds a lot like the vision we discussed above in Daniel 7. Remember, the lion, bear, and leopard beasts all stood for kingdoms in Daniel’s vision. The lion likely represented Babylon, the bear Medo-Persia, and the leopard Greece. This beast in Revelation 13, the 8th empire (under the antichrist) will have attributes of all three of the previous beasts.
You may be wondering, ‘well, what about the 6th & 7th kingdoms?’ My answer would be that the beast is essentially Rome, the 6th kingdom which was broken into the 7th kingdom which becomes the 8th kingdom. All three of the last kingdoms (6, 7, and 8) are related and are combined into the 4th and terrible beast of Daniel’s vision (this is discussed above as well). Daniel 7 is clear that the 4th beast which arises after the lion, bear, and leopard was the terrible beast: Rome and in Daniel 7, that beast encapsulated the 3 final kingdoms (#’s 6-8).
Power of the Dragon
The power of the 8th kingdom, the beast, comes from a specific source: the dragon. We know the dragon is Satan (Revelation 12:9). It makes sense that the power of Satan can be completely given to the beast because, in Revelation 12, we are told that Satan and his angels are cast down to earth and he is not happy about it. It is after this event that we see the beast arise in Revelation 13:1. So, with Satan now earth-bound, he can now can put all his energy into this beast (8th kingdom). So imagine this: we thought that previous world empires were bad and anti-God, the final kingdom of earth will have the full “power, and his seat, and great authority” of Satan (Revelation 13:2).
When we look at the appearance of Satan in Revelation 12:3, he looks quite similar to the beast we are talking about here. The dragon (Satan) is described as red, with 7 heads with crowns, and 10 horns. The beast is clearly related to the dragon but different. Isaiah 27:1 outlines 3 enemies that will be punished by God: “leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” Chapter 27 in Isaiah is speaking of the latter days, so it is not hard to see that these 3 enemies line up with the antichrist (beast), the false prophet (another beast), and Satan. So, Satan and the beast are separate creatures with the main difference being th color of the dragon and the crowns.
When we see red in the Bible, it is generally related to sin or bloodshed. In fact, in a previous vision in Revelation, John saw a red horse who would “take peace from the earth, that they should kill one another” (Revelation 6:4). In Isaiah 1:18, God equates sin with red. So, the dragon is sinful and/or murderous. These are certainly accurate descriptions of Satan!
The really interesting difference, I think, lies with the crowns. Why does the dragon have the crowns on his 7 heads but the beast have the crowns on the 10 horns? A crown denotes a king or leader. There could be a whole lot of explanations on this, but I have a theory. Maybe we tend to look at the crowns the wrong way. We want to think that the heads are ruling, for example, Babylon ruled the world. But the heads are attached to the dragon which would mean that the dragon is actually king. Could it be that the crowns on the 7 heads of the dragon mean that the real king (spiritually that is) of those kingdoms was the dragon (Satan)? We know from the section above in this article that there is a distinct possibility that these creatures are symbolic representations (or maybe even the true physical appearance) of a spiritual battle/influence. We see that Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon, but maybe what we couldn’t see was that Satan ruled Nebuchadnezzar! Satan influenced him! Now, keep in mind that the beast IS the 8th kingdom, so when we look at the horns, we see that the beast is actually ruling the 10 kings. For example, we would see these 10 kings as rulers here on earth, but behind them spiritually the beast is actually influencing/ruling them! Satan gives the beast his power, and therefore, Satan is ultimately ruling the 10 kings (which is why when people worship the beast in Revelation 13:4, they are actually worshipping the dragon – the beast and dragon are one in the same in that sense).
Conclusion
That was a lot of information for a few short verses! The imagery of the beast is very powerful and has a lot to say. If we were to just glance over the information, we would miss out. However, taking each piece of the description of this beast allows us examine the wealth of information in a manageable way. Now, we can take those pieces and put them together to get a better overview of who/what this beast is.
Here is a quick rundown of what we discovered:
Beast = the 8th and final king/kingdom of the world
On the beast are 7 heads.
7 heads = 7 kings that have ruled the “world.” It is likely that these 7 kingdoms are : Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Rome – broken/revived
Each head contains the name of blasphemy
Blasphemy = these kingdoms are anti-God empires/kingdoms who are characterized by blasphemy
On the beast are 10 horns with 10 crowns
10 horns = 10 kings who rule within the 8th and final kingdom
This beast has attributes of the leopard, bear, and lion, previous world kingdoms that now make up the 8th and final kingdom.
Leopard = Greece
Bear = Medo-Persia
Lion = Babylon
The beast receives its power from the dragon.
Dragon = Satan who has now been cast down to earth along with his angels
After Satan is banished to earth, he will be understandably angry. He will place all of his focus on destroying Israel and the seed of Israel. This determination will result in the final (8th) and most evil kingdom which will encompass the evil and blasphemy of the previous 7 kingdoms. The 8th kingdom will be ruled by the same Satanic influence that the previous kingdoms were ruled by. When this kingdom arises, so will 10 kings who are really ruled themselves by the beast (and ultimately Satan) behind them. They will persecute the saints and give all of their power back to the beast.
Exactly what this beast will look like to us is debatable. It is likely that the beast represents both a spiritual condition as well as a physical reality. The beast is generally thought to be the antichrist and his kingdom. It is most likely that this kingdom will arise from the 7th kingdom at the abomination of desolation where the antichrist institutes worship of himself (or at least the beast) and places his throne in Jerusalem. He will take over the entire world and he will execute those who do not follow him. He will be ruthless and evil. He will have the full power of Satan behind him, and I believe he may actually be possessed by Satan.
While this description of the end-times seems bleak, we have no need to fear the beast. We know how everything will end. And to be honest, the ending is quite anticlimactic. Christ will return with glory and power. His angel armies will be behind him. The armies of men will have gathered behind the beast (antichrist) and the false prophet to face Christ and defeat him. But with a simple word, the antichrist and false prophet will fall.
Revelation 19:15
And out of his mouth goes the a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations…
They will be cast alive into the lake of fire and all those who follow the will be slaughtered. This beast may seem mighty but he is not. We need only fear God, because it is only God who can judge our soul!
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.