Revelation 13:6-16

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];

Revelation 13:6-16 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.