Revelation 13:1-4 “Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”
Before this chapter is through, we will see not one, but two beasts. What does the beast from the sea represent? Remember that John is a believing Jew well – versed in his own scriptures. It is only logical that God would remind John of things that He had already revealed to the prophets. Barclay explains:
The general meaning is this. Satan, cast out of heaven, knows that his time is short and is determined to do as much damage as he can. To cause that damage on earth he delegates his power to the two beasts who are the central figures in this chapter.
The beast from the sea stands for the Roman Empire, to John the incarnation of evil and is described in terms which come from Daniel. In Daniel 7:3-7 there is a vision of four great beasts who come out of the sea; they are the symbols of the great empires which have held world power and of an empire which, when Daniel was written, was holding world sway. The beast like a lion with an eagle’s wings stands for Babylon; the one like a bear stands for Media; the one like a leopard with four wings stands for Persia; and the fourth stands for the empire of Alexander the Great. As the writer of Daniel saw these world powers, they were so savage and inhuman that they could be symbolized by nothing but bestial figures….
Now John sees one beast with the features of all four. It is like a leopard with bear’s feet and a lion’s mouth. That is to say, for John the Roman Empire was so satanic that it included all the terrors of the evil empires which had gone before. This beast has seven heads and ten horns. These stand for the rulers and the emperors of Rome. Since Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, there had been seven emperors… These seven emperors are the seven heads of the beast. But in addition it is said that the beast had ten horns. The explanation of this second figure lies in this. After the death of Nero there was a short period of almost complete chaos. In eighteen months three different men briefly occupied the imperial power, Galba, Otho and Vitellius. They are not included in John’s list of the seven heads but are included in the list of the ten horns.
John says that on the heads of the beast there were blasphemous names. These are the titles which the emperors took to themselves. Every emperor was called divus or sebastos, which means divine. Frequently the very name God or Son of God was given to the emperors; and Nero on his coins called himself The Savior of the World. For any man to call himself divine was a blasphemous insult to God. Further, the later emperors took as their title the Latin word dominus, or its Greek equivalent kurios, both of which mean lord, and in the Old Testament are the special title of God and in the New Testament the special title of Jesus Christ.
What is the meaning of the head that was mortally wounded but then recovered? Christians are well aware that when God does something wonderful, Satan attempts to copy it, producing a satanic counterfeit. It stands to reason, therefore, that Satan would try to counterfeit Jesus’ death and resurrection to deceive as many as possible.
At this point, Satan brings in a counterfeit Messiah who is actually the supreme enemy of Christ. The Emperor Nero, an extremely evil man, spared nobody, including his own mother in pursuit of his evil schemes and eventually committed suicide. But there was a legend stating that Nero would be reborn.
Even the pagan Sibylline Oracles foretold that in the last terrible days, a king would come from Babylon (the East) “whom all men hate, a king fearful and shameless and of abominable parentage.” This king would murder his own mother and bring ruin on the world.
When the satanic counterfeit Messiah comes, those without discernment worship this counterfeit Messiah and the dragon who has given him power. How can you tell the real from the counterfeit? Those charged with examining money study real money so long that they have no problems discerning the false from the real. In the same way, if we are not to be deceived, we must study God’s Word and pray, so that we actually know the One True Living God. If we are casual about our beliefs, when false Messiahs arise, we will be among the deceived.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to press in to know you in your purity, in your righteousness, in your beauty, and in your holiness! Help us to learn to know you so well that we will not be deceived by any satanic fakes. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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