Revelation 13:1

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.

A. Some have tried to make this literal. They claim that John was on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea and that the best is the Roman Empire coming by ship to invade Israel.

B. It is true that Israel was most vulnerable by sea because they did not have a navy. There were not able to stop an invasion by sea until the enemy landed on their shore.

C. I do not believe we should try to identify the sea. My view is that this is the sea of humanity, the world of people.

D. The beast, which arises out of this sea of humanity, has seven heads and ten horns. As we read more about this beast it becomes clear that what is being described here is civil governments and their power to control people.

E. The heads and crowns represent power and authority. The government (any government) seeks to control and exercise power over its people.

F. The most important point of this verse is the fact that this beast is blasphemous. He makes claims that blaspheme the name of God, His church, His Son, and His Word.