Revelation 13

1 And I saw a beast ascending up of the sea, having seven heads, and ten horns; and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads the names of blasphemy [+and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy].

2 And the beast, whom I saw, was like a pard [was like to a pard, or a leopard], and his feet as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave his virtue and great power to him [and the dragon gave to that his virtue and great power].

3 And I saw one of his heads, as slain into death; and the wound of his death was cured [and the wound of his death is cured, or healed]. And all the earth wondered after the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon, that gave power to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, and said, Who is like to the beast, and who shall be able to fight with it [saying, Who is like to the beast, and who shall be able to fight with him]?

5 And a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies, was given to it [is given to him]; and power was given to it [and power is given to him], to do two and forty months.

6 And it opened his mouth into blasphemies to God [+And he opened his mouth in blasphemies to God], to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it was given to him to make battle with saints, and to overcome them; and power was given to him into each lineage [into all lineages], and people, and language [and tongue], and folk.

8 And all men worshipped it, that dwell in earth, whose names be not written in the book of life of the lamb, that was slain from the beginning of the world.

9 If any man hath ears, hear he.

10 He that leadeth into captivity, shall go into captivity; he that slayeth with sword, it behooveth him to be slain with sword. This is the patience and the faith of saints.

11 And I saw another beast ascending up from the earth, and it had two horns, like the lamb; and it spake as the dragon [and he spake as the dragon],

12 and [it] did all the power of the former beast, in his sight. And it made the earth, and men dwelling in it, to worship the first beast, whose wound of death was cured [healed].

13 And it did great signs, that also it made fire to come down from heaven to the earth, in the sight of all men.

14 And it deceiveth men, that dwell in the earth, for signs which be given to it [And deceiveth men dwelling in earth, for signs which be given to him] to do in the sight of the beast; saying to men that dwell in earth, that they make an image of the beast, that hath the wound of [a] sword, and lived.

15 And it was given to him, that he should give [a] spirit to the image of the beast, and that the image of the beast speak. And he shall make, that whoever honour not the image of the beast [that whoever shall not honour the image of the beast], be slain.

16 And he shall make all, small and great, rich and poor, free men and bondmen, to have a character, either mark, in their right hand, either in their foreheads [or in their foreheads];

17 that no man may buy, either sell, but they have the character, either the name of the beast, either the number of his name. [that no man may buy, or sell, no but he that hath the character, or his name, or the number of his name.]

18 Here is wisdom; he that hath understanding, acount the number of the beast; for it is the number of man, and his number is six hundred sixty and six.

Revelation 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

A wild beast rises out of the sea, to whom the dragon gives his power. (1-10) Another beast, which has two horns like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon. (11-15) It obliges all to worship its image, and receive its mark, as persons devoted to it. (16-18)

Verses 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 world admired its power, policy and success. They paid honour and subjection to the devil and his instruments. It exercised infernal power and policy, requiring men to render that honour to creatures which belongs to God alone. Yet the devil's power and success are limited. Christ has a chosen remnant, redeemed by his blood, recorded in his book, sealed by his Spirit; and though the devil and antichrist may overcome the body, and take away the natural life, they cannot conquer the soul, nor prevail with true believers to forsake their Saviour, and join his enemies. Perseverance in the faith of the gospel and true worship of God, in this great hour of trial and temptation, which would deceive all but the elect, is the character of those registered in the book of life. This powerful motive and encouragement to constancy, is the great design of the whole Revelation.

Verses 11-18 Those who understand the first beast to denote a worldly power, take the second to be also a persecuting and assumed power, which acts under the disguise of religion, and of charity to the souls of men. It is a spiritual dominion, professing to be derived from Christ, and exercised at first in a gentle manner, but soon spake like the dragon. Its speech betrayed it; for it gives forth those false doctrines and cruel decrees, which show it to belong to the dragon, and not to the Lamb. It exercised all the power of the former beast. It pursues the same design, to draw men from worshipping the true God, and to subject the souls of men to the will and control of men. The second beast has carried on its designs, by methods whereby men should be deceived to worship the former beast, in the new shape, or likeness made for it. By lying wonders, pretended miracles. And by severe censures. Also by allowing none to enjoy natural or civil rights, who will not worship that beast which is the image of the pagan beast. It is made a qualification for buying and selling, as well as for places of profit and trust, that they oblige themselves to use all their interest, power, and endeavour, to forward the dominion of the beast, which is meant by receiving his mark. To make an image to the beast, whose deadly wound was healed, would be to give form and power to his worship, or to require obedience to his commands. To worship the image of the beast, implies being subject to those things which stamp the character of the picture, and render it the image of the beast. The number of the beast is given, so as to show the infinite wisdom of God, and to exercise the wisdom of men. The number is the number of a man, computed after the usual manner among men, and it is 666. What or who is intended by this, remains a mystery. To almost every religious dispute this number has yet been applied, and it may reasonably be doubted whether the meaning has yet been discovered. But he who has wisdom and understanding, will see that all the enemies of God are numbered and marked out for destruction; that the term of their power will soon expire, and that all nations shall submit to our King of righteousness and peace.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 13

This chapter contains a description of the Romish antichrist, under the figure of two beasts, the one representing him in his civil power, the other in his ecclesiastical power. The first beast is described by its origin, the sea, and by the monstrous shape its several parts; its heads seven, in which were the name of blasphemy; its horns ten, on which were crowns; its skin like a leopard, its feet as a bear, and its mouth as a lion; and by its state and condition, having power, a throne, and great authority; and having one of its heads wounded, and healed; and by the great regard had unto him, being wondered at, and worshipped by all the world, and declared to be more powerful than any, and none to be like them, Re 13:1-4. Next an account is given of what he was suffered to have, a blaspheming mouth, and power to continue forty two months, Re 13:5; and of what he said or uttered, his blasphemy against God, his name, tabernacle, and the inhabitants of heaven, Re 13:6; and of what he did by permission, made war with the saints, overcame them, and had power over all people, Re 13:7; and of the worship given him by the reprobate part of the world, Re 13:8; and the whole is concluded with an exhortation exciting attention to what had been said, with a threatening to the beast, and a word of comfort to the saints, Re 13:9,10. And then follows the description of the second beast, by its original the earth; by its likeness to a lamb, and a dragon; to the former for its two horns, and to the latter for its speech, Re 13:11; and by the actions ascribed to it, which are many; as exercising all the power of the first beast; causing all the inhabitants of the earth to worship that; doing miracles, of which one is mentioned, thereby deceiving the men of the world; ordering them to make an image to the wounded beast; giving life to it, so that it could speak; putting to death all that refused to worship it; obliging men of all ranks and degrees to have a mark in their right hands or foreheads, and forbidding such that had not to buy or sell, Re 13:12-17. And the chapter is concluded with an epiphonema, exciting men of understanding to search out, and count the number of the beast's name, since it is possible to be done, being the number of a man, and easy to be done, consisting of three Greek letters, c x v, which are numerically 666, Re 13:18.