Revelation 13:1-10

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.

Revelation 13:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.