Revelation 13:4

And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? WHICH GAVE. So B; but 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, Syriac, Andreas, 'because he gave.' POWER - `the authority:' its authority. WHO IS LIKE UNTO THE BEAST? The language appropriated to God, (whence [from the initials Mi Camocah Baelim Yahweh] the Maccabees took their name: the opponents of the Old Testament Antichrist, Daniel 8:1; Daniel 11:1, Antiochus); ;...

1-10 The apostle, standing on the shore, saw a savage beast rise out of the sea; a tyrannical, idolatrous, persecuting power, springing up out of the troubles which took place. It was a frightful monster! It appears to mean that worldly, oppressing dominion, which for many ages, even from the times of the Babylonish captivity, had been hostile to the church. The first beast then began to oppress and persecute the righteous for righteousness' sake, but they suffered most under the fourth beast of Daniel, (the Roman empire,) which has afflicted the saints with many cruel persecutions. The source of its power was the dragon. It was set up by the devil, and supported by him. The wounding the head may be the abolishing pagan idolatry; and the healing of the wound, introducing popish idolatry, the same in substance, only in a new dress, but which as effectually answers the devil's design. The...

Verse Revelation 13:4. _AND THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON_] _Worshipping_ the dragon here evidently means the voluntary religious subjection of the members of the Latin Church to the revived western empire, because of the eminent part it has taken in the support of their faith. _AND THEY WORSHIPPED THE BEAST_] Not only the dragon or revived western empire was worshipped; the beast, the _whole_ Latin empire, is a partaker in the adoration. The manner in which it is worshipped consists in the subjects of it:- _SAYING, WHO_ IS _LIKE UNTO THE BEAST?_] Is it not the only holy power in the universe? Is it possible for any person not a subject of it to be saved? _WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE WAR WITH HIM?_] Can any nation successfully fight with it? Is not the Roman empire, which is it

AND THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON WHICH GAVE POWER UNTO THE BEAST - See the notes at Revelation 12:3; Revelation 13:2. That is, they in fact worshipped him. The word “worship” - προσκυνέω proskuneō - is not always, however, used in a religious sense. It means, properly, “to kiss”; to kiss toward anyone; that is, to kiss his own hand and to extend it toward a person, in token of respect and homage (Robinson, Lexicon). Compare Job 31:27. Then it means to show respect to one who is our superior; to kings and princes; to parents; and pre-eminently to God. See the notes on...

EXPOSITION REVELATION 13:1 AND I STOOD UPON THE SAND OF THE SEA. The Revised Version, agreeing with א, A, C, Vulgate, Syriac, AEthiopic, Armenian, Victorinus, reads ἐστάθη, "he stood." The Authorized Version follows the reading ἐστάθην_, _"I stood," which is found in B, P, Coptic, Andreas, Arethas. Fortunately, the point is not important. Whether St. John or the dragon stood on the edge of the sea is not material, since we are distinctly told that the ten-horned beast rose from the sea. Wordsworth aptly contrasts this station on the unstable sand in proximity to the sea, the clement of commotion, with the vision of the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1). The imagery which follows is founded upon the vision of

AND THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON,.... The devil, in the idols, images, angels, and saints departed, to whom they give adoration, as did the Gentiles, whose successors they are, and whose name they bear; see 1 Corinthians 10:20; WHICH GAVE POWER UNTO THE BEAST, as in Revelation 13:2; AND THEY WORSHIPPED THE BEAST; not only in a civil way, being subject to him as their temporal lord, to whom they give homage; obedience, and tribute, but in a religious way; for antichrist sits in the temple to be worshipped as God, showing himself that he is God, and receives adorations from his creatures, the cardinals, and others; but woe to them that worship this beast; see Revelati

REVELATION 13:1. A BEAST COMING UP OUT OF THE SEA: _cf._ the vision of the four great beasts that come up out of the sea in Daniel 7:3. As the beasts in Daniel represent empires, we may suppose that this beast also stands for an empire. TEN HORNS: the horns represent emperors, either beginning with Julius Cæ sar and ending with Titus or beginning with Augustus and ending with Vespasian, or if we omit some or all of the three usurpers (Galba, Otho, Vitellius) we may end with Domitian, Nerva, or even Trajan. [Perhaps the seven heads are emperors (Augustus to Titus), and the ten horns provincial governors or dependent kings, _cf. Revelation 17:12_ *, p. 939. A. J. G.] NAMES OF BLASPHEMY: possibl

THE POWER OF THE BEAST (Revelation 13:1-18) I saw a beast coming up from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; and it had ten royal crowns on its horns; and on its heads I saw blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's feet; its mouth was like a lion's mouth; and to it the dragon delegated its power and its throne and its great authority. I saw that one of its heads looked as if it had been wounded to death; and its deadly wound had been healed. The whole earth was drawn in wonder after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon, because it had delegated its authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast. "Who," they said, "is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?" To it there was given a mouth which made arrogant and blasphemous claims; and it was given authority to go on doing so for forty-t

WORSHIPPED. App-137. WHICH. The texts read "because he". POWER. the power. App-172.; "authority" in Revelation 13:2. WHO. The texts read "and who". MAKE WAR. The same word in Revelation 17:14. This being will stop wars and be acclaimed by the peoples on that account....

_which gave power_ Rather, BECAUSE HE GAVE HIS AUTHORITY. _Who is like unto the beast?_ A sort of blasphemous parody of sayings like Exodus 15:11; Psalms 35:10; Psalms 71:19; Psalms 89:8, or of the name Michael, which is by interpretation "Who is like God?...