Sunday, February 24
Read Revelation 13:1-4, 8 and Revelation 17:8. What are the characteristics of this beast, and what are the phases of its existence?
John watches as a monstrous beast rises out of the sea. While a beast represents a political power, the description of the sea beast points to a political power that has religion as a dominant characteristic. The sea symbolizes the largely populated area of Europe out of which the sea beast rises to power after the downfall of the Roman Empire (Revelation 17:15).
John describes the beast as it emerges from the water. The beast has seven heads and ten horns, the same as the dragon in Revelation 12:3-4, showing its close connection with pagan Rome. Upon the heads of the beast is a blasphemous name, and upon the horns are royal crowns. The heads of the beast are the kingdoms that Satan has used to persecute God’s people throughout history (Revelation 17:9-11). The blasphemous name points to the divine title the beast claims. The ten horns point to Daniel 7:24, symbolizing the nations that sprang out of the Roman Empire after its demise. These characteristics of the sea beast all point to the papacy that grew out of the Roman Empire.
The beast from the sea resembles a leopard with feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. As such, the beast combines the characteristics of the four beasts (symbols of world empires) in Daniel 7:2-7: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. However, John lists them in reverse order, which from his first-century perspective shows that the sea beast is related to the fourth beast of Daniel 7, the Roman Empire.
The dragon (the pagan Roman Empire empowered by Satan) gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. Just as the Father has given His throne and authority to Christ (Revelation 2:27), so Satan invests the beast as his coregent and representative on earth.
Revelation 13:5-7 states that the period of the beast’s persecuting activities through Christian history is 42 “months”. As we have seen, persecution of the pure woman lasted for “a time and times and half a time;” that is three and a half “times” or prophetic “years” (Revelation 12:13-14; compare Daniel 7:25). Forty-two prophetic “months” equals 30 days multiplied by 42, or 1,260 days/years (Revelation 12:6). Therefore, “a time and times and half a time”, 42 “months”, and 1,260 “days” all refer to the same time period of 1,260 years. This phase ends when John sees “one of his [the beast’s] heads as if it had been mortally wounded” (emphasis added). The subsequent healing of this “deadly wound” points to a time after 1798 when the beast would be revived and its power restored. The healing of the deadly wound draws the admiration of the world, and they worship both the dragon and the beast.
