XIII. This chapter describes the rise of two foes of Christ and His people. They are described as “wild beasts” in opposition to Him who is the Lamb. They are distinct from the dragon; yet they are inspired, as it were, by him. He gives them power (Revelation 13:4); his voice speaks through them (R... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I... — Better, _And he_ (not “I stood,” as in English version, but _he, i.e.,_ the dragon) _stood upon the sand of the sea._ Some make this sentence a separate verse, and insert it as the closing verse of Revelation 12. It is true that the sentence has a connection with that chapter, but it is a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE BEAST... — The wild beast combined the features of three wild animals: the leopard, the bear, the lion. In Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7:4) the kingdoms were described: the first, like a lion; the second, like a bear; the third, like a leopard or panther. Here all these features are combined, be... [ Continue Reading ]
AND I SAW... — Translate, _And_ (_I saw_)_ one from among his heads as if having been slain_ [the expression is the same as that applied to the Lamb in Revelation 5:6 : the wound marks are there when the vision rises] _unto death; and the stroke of his death was healed._ When the wild beast rose fro... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THE WORLD WONDERED... — Literally, _And the whole earth wondered after the wild beast, and worshipped the dragon, because he gave the authority and worshipped the wild beast, saying, Who is like unto the wild beast? and who is able to war with him?_ The healing of the death-blow causes wonde... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WAS GIVEN... — In these verses the words and the works of the wild beast are described. The 5th verse tells us that the liberty to speak and work _was given_ to him. There is consolation in the words: he has no power beyond what is given; behind his reckless and apparently irresistible pow... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE OPENED HIS MOUTH... — Translate, _And he opened his mouth unto blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that tabernacle in the heaven._ Much of the beauty of the thought is lost by the translation “them that dwell;” the word is _tabernacle._ The saints, to... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS GIVEN... — Better, _He makes war with the saints, and conquers them._ This, too, is said to be “given him.” The conquest is not a conquest of their fidelity; it is rather that the beast so far succeeds that they must suffer or submit. The saints seem to be single handed; for _there was gi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL THAT DWELL... — Better, _And all they that dwell on the earth shall worship him_ (_every one_)_ whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb that has been slain from the foundation of the world._ This is the climax of his triumph: he, or it, is worshipped; but the saints,... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse — an echo of his Master’s words from the lips of the beloved disciple — calls marked attention to the warning words of the next verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse may read: _If any one_ (_is_)_ for captivity, into captivity he goeth; if any one to be hilled by the sword, he should by the sword be killed._ If we read the verse thus, it is generally understood to be a caution to the suffering saints that there is nothing for them but to endure, just... [ Continue Reading ]
THE APPEARANCE OF THE SECOND WILD BEAST. For the understanding of this portion of the vision we must notice the contrasts and resemblances between this and the former wild beast. They are both wild beasts: they both have horns: they both have a dragon-like inspiration (Revelation 13:11): they both t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE EXERCISETH... — Better, _And he works,_ or _exercises_ (literally, _does_)_, all the authority_ (or, _power_)_ of the first wild beast in his presence._ It will be seen by this that we must not look upon the second wild beast as a successor, but rather as a supporter, of the first. The intell... [ Continue Reading ]
AND CAUSETH THE EARTH... — Literally, _and he makes the earth and them that dwell in it that they shall worship the first wild beast, the stroke of whose death was healed; and he does signs great, so that he even makes fire to descend out of the heaven to the earth in the sight of men._ This descent... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DECEIVETH THEM... — Better, _And he leads astray those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which were given him to do in the presence of the wild beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, to make an image to the wild beast that has the stroke of the sword and lived._ He leads astray... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE HAD POWER... — Better, _And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the wild beast, that the image of the wild beast should both speak, and cause that as many as do not worship the image of the wild beast shall be slain._ The image to the wild beast is an image also of the wild bea... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE CAUSETH... — Better, _And he [i.e.,_ probably, the second wild beast, and not the image, as in the latter clause of the last verse] _makes all men, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, that they should give them a mark upon their right hand or upon... [ Continue Reading ]
HERE IS WISDOM... — Translate, _Hither is wisdom._ This most difficult verse is introduced by this word of preface. Wisdom — indeed, the highest wisdom — is needed for those who would understand it. Two or three points ought to be noticed. (1) The verse surely implies that the understanding of this... [ Continue Reading ]