Revelation 13:1-18

The Two Beasts

Personification of the two powers inspired by the devil to persecute the Church.

1-10. The dragon stands by the sea (i.e. the Ægean Sea), from which there rises to meet him a 'beast,' i.e. something inhuman: signifying the Roman empire, which came to the Province of Asia, in which were the Churches addressed in Rev., from the sea. The beast has ten horns and seven heads: cp. Daniel 7. On the horns are diadems and on the heads 'names of blasphemy,' i.e. blasphemous titles: cp. Revelation 17:3. The ten horns (see on Revelation 12:3) are the ten emperors from Augustus to Titus. The seven horns are those of the ten who had reigned long enough for worship to be paid to them, i.e. omitting Galba, Otho, and Vitellius. The 'names' were, probably, 'Augustus' or 'Sebastos,' i.e. 'reverenced,' under which the emperors were worshipped: cp. Revelation 13:12., Revelation 2:13 note (Revelation 13:1).

'The emperor represented the majesty, the wisdom, and the beneficent power of Rome: he was in many cases actually represented in different parts of the empire as an incarnation of the god worshipped in that district.. Domitian.. delighted.. to be idolised as the Divine Providence in human form; and it is recorded that Caligula, Domitian, and Diocletian were the three emperors who delighted to be styled dominus et deus' (Ramsay, 'Church in Rom. Empire,' pp. 191, 275).

The monster combines the powers of the four beasts in Daniel 7 (Revelation 13:2). One head is smitten unto death, but the death stroke is healed. This head probably represents Nero (54-68 a.d.), of whom popular report said that he was not dead, or that if dead he would return to life (Tacitus, 'Hist.' ii. 8, Suetonius, 'Nero,' 57): cp. Revelation 17:8. The word translated wounded, RV 'smitten,' is that translated 'slain,' of the Lamb, Revelation 5:6. It is implied that Nero, both as the head of the world kingdom, and in his death and return to life, was the counterpart of Christ in God's kingdom. St. John took this Nero superstition, and used it to symbolise the breaking out again of Nero's persecuting spirit in Domitian, 81-96 a.d. (Revelation 13:3). As Nero is represented as the counterpart of Christ, so the worship of the dragon and the beast is the evil counterpart of the worship of God: cp. 'who is like,' etc., with Exodus 15:11; (Revelation 13:4). The beast blasphemes God and His tabernacle (i.e. the Church, the dwelling-place of God) by the assumption of divine honour and by imputing evil practices to Christianity: cp. 1 Peter 2:12; (Revelation 13:5.). He is appointed (i.e. by God, who overrules the work of evil men to His glory) to war against the 'saints' in world-wide power (Revelation 13:7), and worship is offered to him by the ungodly (Revelation 13:8.). The description of the beast ends with an injunction to the saints to submit to God's will in unresisting patience (Revelation 13:10).