Revelation 13 Footnotes

PLUS

13:1-4 The beast here, first mentioned in 11:7, is described in similar terms to the beasts (especially the fourth) in the vision of Dn 7. His power comes from Satan (the dragon). Since the beast had been embarrassed by the resurrection and ascension of the two witnesses (Rv 11:11-12), v. 3 appears to describe either a fake resurrection or a nearly fatal wound. That “miracle” overrides the raising of the two witnesses, now no longer visible. As a result, the world populace worships the beast and, whether knowingly or not, the devil who energizes the beast.

13:9-10 This is the only place in Revelation where the wording, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen” is found outside the letters to the churches in chaps. 2–3. It probably functions as a call to endurance and faith in the face of the explanation for why the world follows the beast (v. 8).

13:11-15 The second beast, the false prophet (16:13), is empowered to do “all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders” (2Th 2:9), including having power over fire, similar to the two witnesses (Rv 13:13; see 11:5).

13:16-18 The “mark” of the beast is in contrast to the seal (7:3-4) and the name of the Lamb and the Father (14:1) on the foreheads of the 144,000. Many have attempted to calculate not just the number (666) but also the exact identity of the man to whom it refers. Since 1Jn 2:18 states that “many antichrists have come” (i.e., as foreshadowing the ultimate antichrist figure), there may be some marginal usefulness in noting that names like Nero and Hitler can be shown to have a numerological value of 666 by assigning a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet. However, it is wise to realize that such a numerological calculation will be clear only as the actual events unfold.