The Dragon begins his war on the seed of the woman by summoning his seed, the beast from the sea – Revelation 13:1-5.
The “Dragon” is poised to attack the
“seed of the woman” as he stands on the seashore while summoning his “seed”;
first, the “beast from the sea,” then, the “beast from the earth.”
Having failed to destroy the “son” and the “woman,” he sets out
to annihilate her “seed,” the men and women who have the “testimony
of Jesus.”
The “Dragon” implements his war against the “seed of the
woman” through the two beasts he now summons. This is how the “war” between
the “seed of the Woman” and the “seed” of the “Ancient Serpent”
will play out on the earth - (Genesis 3:15, Revelation 13:11-18).
Chapter 13 opens with John’s vision of the “Beast ascending
from the sea,” a monstrous creature with “seven heads and ten horns.”
The image draws heavily from Daniel’s vision of four “beasts ascending from
the sea” (Daniel 7:2-8):
- (Revelation 13:1-2) – “And I saw out of the sea a beast ascending; having ten horns and seven heads, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his head, names of slander. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet as 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.”
ASCENT FROM THE SEA
“And he stood on the sand
of the sea” (estathė epi tėn ammon tės thalassė). This clause
is a verbal link to the later conflict in chapter 20 at the end of the “thousand
years” when “Satan gathers the nations to the war, the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea”
(hė ammos tės thalassė) - (Revelation 20:7-9).
“And I saw a Beast ascending out of the sea.” This next clause
employs language from Daniel’s vision of the “four beasts ascending
from the sea.” And here, “ascending” translates a Greek participle in
the present tense (anabainon) to describe an action n progress, an ongoing
process, and NOT a single incident.
Previously, the “Beast” was seen ascending “from the
Abyss” in the vision of the “two witnesses.” In the description
of that vision, the same participle is used for “ascend.” Thus, the “sea”
is the equivalent of the “Abyss,” the place from which the Devil’s “seed”
rises to wage war on the saints. And the theme of evil “ascending” from a
dark place occurs several times in the book (Revelation 11:7, 13:11, 15:2, 17:8,
21:1-2).
THE BEAST
The Greek noun rendered “beast” (thérion) originally
referred to “wild beasts,” not to domesticated animals. And in Greek, thérion
is the diminutive form of “beast” or
thėr.
Likewise, in Revelation, the term “lamb” represents
the diminutive form of the common Greek noun for “lamb” or arnion. The grammatical parallel is deliberate
because the “Beast from the sea” imitates the “Lamb.” However, the
agent of the “Dragon” is a wild animal, not a
domesticated lamb despite all appearances to the contrary.
Daniel saw four “beasts” symbolizing four kingdoms that
were “diverse one from another.” In contrast, John now sees a single
beast with the characteristics of all four of Daniel’s beasts, the
lion, bear, leopard, and the unnatural creature with “ten horns.”
In Revelation, the features are listed in reverse order from Daniel. Thus, this single beast is an amalgam of all four of the beasts from Daniel. It is related to them but also is something different, and probably far worse.
The “Beast” had “seven heads and ten horns,” and a
crown on each horn. The figure of “seven heads” is derived from the
individual heads of the four beasts in Daniel - The lion, the bear, the
fourth beast, and the four “heads” of the leopard.
The “Dragon” also has “seven heads and ten horns,” but
it has “seven diadems” on its heads, whereas the “Beast from the sea”
has ten diadems on its horns. This demonstrates the familial link between
the “Dragon” and the “Beast.” The latter is the
offspring or “seed” of the former. The “diadems” demonstrate the authority
of the “Dragon” - He rules through his earthly minions - (Daniel 12:3).
SEVEN HEADS
The number "seven" represents completeness, and
here, it points to the complete political authority of the "Beast"
(“There was given to it authority over every tribe, tongue and nation”).
And the seven “heads” demonstrate it is more than an individual human
ruler. Later, its “ten horns” are linked to “ten kings” or
kingdoms - (Revelation 13:7, 17:7-12).
The “seven diadems” represent the claim by the “Beast”
to political sovereignty over the earth. But its claim is “blasphemous.”
The “Lamb” is the true “ruler of the kings of the earth,” and he
is the “king of kings” - (Revelation 1:4-5, 5:6-14, 17:14).
The arrogant claim of the “Beast” counterfeits the authority
of the “Lamb.” Its political authority is derived from the “Dragon.”
However, previously, Satan was defeated by the messianic
“son.” He may be loose on the earth, but his opportunity to wreak havoc
is limited - only for “a short time.” Moreover, his ability to act is
subject to the authority of the “Lamb” - (Revelation 12:7-12).
The “Beast” is a trans-historical entity, a political
reality that has existed for thousands of years. It has appeared periodically
in history in various forms. But the “Beast” will have one final
incarnation as part of Satan’s final assault on the “saints.”
- (Revelation 13:3-5) – “And I saw one of its heads, showing that it had been slain unto death, and the stroke of its death was healed. And the whole earth marveled after the beast, and did homage to the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they did homage to the beast, saying: Who is like the beast, and who can make war with it? And there was given it a mouth speaking great things and slanders, and it was given it to act forty-two months.”
COUNTERFEITING THE LAMB
The slaying of one of the creature’s seven “heads” echoes the
messianic prophecy from Genesis - “I will put enmity between the
serpent and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he will bruise your
head, and you will bruise his heel” - (Genesis 3:15).
The verb rendered “slain” is sphazō, which means
“to slay, slaughter.” It is commonly used in the Greek scriptures for the slaying
of sacrificial animals, and the same clause was applied to the “Lamb”
that John saw standing before the Throne - “as having been slain” - (Revelation
5:6).
There is a conceptual link between the death of the “Lamb” and the slaying of the Beast’s “head.” The restoration to life of the “slain head” mimics the death and resurrection of the “Lamb.”
This last understanding is confirmed by the description - “the
stroke of the sword and lived [ezésen].” The same form of the
verb is applied to Jesus in the letter to the church at Smyrna where he is
described as the one “who became dead and lived [ezésen]”
- (Revelation 2:8).
The “head” is slain by a “plague of death” (plégé).
How this is administered is not stated. Plégé can mean
“strike," but in Revelation, it means “plague.” This
suggests that God causes its “death.” In the description of the “Beast
from the earth,” the blow is described as the “stroke of a sword” -
(Revelation 13:14).
The death of the creature’s “head” parallels the defeat and
expulsion of the “Dragon” in chapter 12. After his defeat, he still retained
the ability to deceive the “inhabitants of the earth,” but he was
authorized to deceive them only for a “short season.”
The ability of the “Dragon” to cause harm was
extended in chapter 12, but only for a limited period, the “short season.”
Likewise, his “seed,” the “Beast from the sea,” is authorized to
persecute the “saints” but only for the period of “forty-two months.”
WHO IS LIKE THE BEAST?
Moreover, the image of the restoration of the slain “head”
is based on another passage from the vision of Daniel:
- (Daniel 7:11-12) - “The beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”
Only one of the “seven heads” is slain. Elsewhere, the “seven
heads” represent seven kingdoms. Thus, the death of the “head”
does not portray the death of an individual, but the fall of a kingdom -
(Revelation 17:10).
The “whole earth marveled after the Beast” because it
lived again; that is, the “inhabitants of the earth.” Anyone who gives
allegiance to the “Beast” gives homage to the Dragon, the power
behind the throne. The Greek term translated as “render homage”
signifies an act of obeisance and submission to someone of higher rank.
“Who is like the Beast.” This question is a parody of the biblical
declaration about God (“Who is like you, O Yahweh, among the gods?”).
The “inhabitants of the earth” ascribed to the “Beast” honors
that belonged only to God.
“Who can make war with the Beast?” is a rather ironic question. Previously,
the “Dragon” was defeated by Michael and “his army.” The “inhabitants
of the earth” do not understand that they serve a defeated master.
Awed by the “Beast,” they offer it their total allegiance despite the
defeat of its master by the “Lamb” - (Revelation 13:8).
The “Beast from the sea” is given authority to operate for “forty-two
months,” the same period during which the “holy city was tread underfoot”
in chapter 11. Likewise, in Daniel, the fourth beast “trampled the
remnant with its feet” for the designated period of the “time, times,
and part of a time” - (Daniel 7:19-25, 8:10, Revelation 11:2-3, 12:6,
12:14, 13:5).
The “forty-two months” during which the “Beast” makes
accusations against the “saints” is the same period of forty-two months when “the holy city is given to the nations to be trampled
underfoot.”
The “forty-two months” is also identical to the “twelve
hundred and sixty days” during which the “Two Witnesses” give their
“testimony” and are then slain by the “Beast from the Abyss.” In
each case, the same reality is intended, though with different aspects in view.