REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:1 As the dragon stands on the seashore (Revelation 12:17), a beast emerges from the sea. This beast is sometimes identified with the Antichrist (see 1 John 2:18, 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:3; 2 John 1:7) or the man of lawlessness (2 Thes [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:3 SEEMED TO HAVE A MORTAL WOUND. Literally, “as slain to death.” Rome represented the beast in John’s day. It seemed to have been mortally wounded by Nero’s suicide (A.D. 68) and the civil chaos that followed. It experienced a “resurrection” in the reigns of Vespasia... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:4 WHO IS LIKE THE BEAST? The worshipers’ question echoes Israel’s praise of the Lord after the exodus (Exodus 15:11). This reinforces the beast’s claim to divine honors. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:5 WAS GIVEN... WAS ALLOWED. See note on 9:1. The beast speaks HAUGHTY AND BLASPHEMOUS WORDS, like the horn (king) on the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:20, Daniel 7:25). FORTY-TWO MONTHS. See note on Rev. 11:1–2; also Revelation 12:6,... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:6 The identification of God’s DWELLING as THOSE WHO DWELL IN HEAVEN confirms that the sanctuary in Revelation 11:1 symbolized the worshipers in it. Likewise, the “holy city” is the Lamb’s church-bride (Revelation 21:2, Revelation 21:9). ⇐ ⇔ [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:8 WRITTEN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD IN THE BOOK OF LIFE OF THE LAMB WHO WAS SLAIN. Before creation and by grace alone, God chose individuals to be redeemed by Christ’s death (see Ephesians 1:4; and note on Eph. 1:11). God’s book of life appears in Exodus 32:... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:9 ENDURANCE. Perseverance is a major theme in Revelation 1:1 (Revelation 12:17; Revelation 14:12; Revelation 16:15; Revelation 17:14; Revelation 21:7;... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:11 A second beast rises out of the earth to recruit worshipers for the first beast. He gathers people using lying words and miracles. In John’s day, the imperial cult in the Roman province of Asia encouraged worship of the emperor as divine savior and lawgiver. ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:13 MAKING FIRE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. The false prophet (the second beast) does a miracle similar to Elijah’s to make people believe the first beast is divine (see 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10; Revelation 8:7; Revelation 11:5). ⇐... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:14 Idols “have mouths but cannot speak” (Psalms 115:5). Thus the impression that the first beast’s image has BREATH and MIGHT EVEN SPEAK is likely some kind of miracle worked by demonic power yet still subject to God’s sovereign control (IT IS ALLOWED). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var im... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:16 MARKED ON THE RIGHT HAND OR THE FOREHEAD. The Israelites wore God’s law on their hands and foreheads. They did this to show God’s authority over their thoughts and actions (Deuteronomy 6:8). The beast’s mark and the seal of God on believers’ foreheads (see Revelat... [ Continue Reading ]
REVELATION—NOTE ON REVELATION 13:18 The NUMBER OF THE BEAST is 666. This NUMBER OF A MAN may contrast with divine completeness (symbolized by seven). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]