Revelation Chapter 13 - First Beast - Second Beast -
Mark of the Beast

Revelation chapter 13 introduces the “first beast,” the “second beast” or “false prophet,” and finally, the name and number of the beast, 666. The Apostle John's creative contexualizing of the two beasts with the Old Testament beasts, Leviathan and Behemoth, the sea and land chaos monsters of the OT in Revelation chapter 13.

Revelation chapter 13 

The first beast of Revelation chapter 13,  symbolizes initially, the Roman Empire, and its military and political power. Then after Rome, all tyrannical military/political empires who demanded absolute obedience as well. Revelation's use of numbers is primarily symbolic, rather than literal. The numbers "seven" and "ten" in Revelation chapter 13:1, symbolize the "completeness of oppressive power and its world wide effect.

There are two different Old Testament allusions that should be considered in understanding John's descriptions of the beasts in Revelation chapter 13. One is the two beasts of Job:40-41, Leviathan and Behemoth(Rahab), the sea and land monsters of chaos in the OT. The second is John’s creative reworking of Daniel 7:3-7. The best approach would be to consider both views in understanding John's vision of the two beasts in Revelation chapter 13.

John’s allusion to Daniel chapter 7 and the four beasts who represent four historically successive world empires, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The sea beast of Revelation chapter 13:2 is John's creative composite of all four beasts in Daniel 7. All the evil characteristics of those four empires rolled into the one sea beast.

The four beasts of Daniel 7:3-7 symbolized four kingdoms. Rev 13:1-2 has one beast which is a composite of the four beasts in Dan 7:3-7, thus the first beast of Rev 13:1-2, represents every human empire, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and their successors, that demand absolute allegiance and trust, enforcing its laws with coercion.

The "dragon" is Satan and he gave to the sea beast, power, throne and authority equal to his own, which is what God allowed Satan to have for a time.

The first beast symbolizes the very real system of satanically inspired evil, and thus opposition to the kingdom of God, that throughout history has manifested itself in a variety of forms, whether political, economic, military, social, philosophical, or religious. Anything and anyone that seeks to oppress, persecute, or destroy the Church is the beast!

The beast at the time when John wrote Revelation was the Roman Empire. At later times, the sea beast was the Arian heresy in the 4th century that denied the deity of Jesus Christ. The beast is, at one time, the emperor Decius (3rd century persecutor of the church); at another, evolutionary Darwinism. The beast is the late medieval Roman Catholic papacy, Marxism, the radical feminist movement, the Pelagian heresy of the 5th century, communism, Joseph Stalin, the 17th century Enlightenment, 18th century deism, Roe v. Wade, the state persecution of Christians in China and North Korea, militant atheism in the 21st century, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and anything and everything else opposed to the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth.

Two major symbols for Rome in Revelation chapter 13

There are two major symbols for Rome in the Revelation to John.

First, the first beast symbolizes the military and political power of the Roman Emperors.

Secondly, Babylon symbolizes the city of Rome, and similar subsequent empires, with the grander of all her property and wealth, gained by economic exploitation of the Empire's citizens.

John’s critique of Roman power in Revelation chapter 13 is primarily political, the critiques in Revelation chapters 17-18 are primarily economic.

Both critiques are deeply religious in nature as well,

A photograph of an original painting by Ferdinand of Castille, in 1047 A.D., entitled, "Le Dragon donne sa puissance à la Bête. Apoc. XIII". Current location is Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional.

Satanic imitation of Jesus' resurrection and ascension

Revelation chapter 13:3 is a Satanic imitation of Rev 5:6, “the Lamb standing, as though it was slain”. The “mortal wound healed”, is a reference to the suicide of the Roman Emperor Nero in 68 A.D. and the civic chaos that followed, but the Roman  Empire, experienced a “resurrection” in  the subsequent reigns of Vespasian, Titus and Ditian’s reign, from 81-96 A.D., Nero’s horrible persecution of the saints resumed with a vengeance.

Revelation chapter 13:5-6,  “Haughty and blasphemous words”, are claims to be the ultimate god, similar to what the Pharisees accused Jesus of when He claimed equality with Yahweh, which was not blasphemy on Jesus’ part, because He was fully God and fully man.

The beast was “allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months”. According to God's plan of salvation for mankind, concieved prior to the creation, God allowed a certain time to Satan, via the first beast, to persecute believers. The time period of forty-two months, using the Jewish thoughts in John’s time, a month had 30 days, which would total 1,260 days, also equal in time with Three and one half years, also equalling 1,260 days or forty-two months.

All reference to these dates in the Revelation to John, symbolize the period of the church’s witness and subsequent persecution, between the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the start of the church, and the second coming of Jesus Christ, the parousia.

The first beast allowed to war against and to conquer believers

Rev 13:7, Here, “conquer” is the physical death of the martyrs, who refused to worship the beast. This “first death” was actually victory to the faithful saints, whose immortal spirits, were immediately under God’s altar in heaven, the second they were killed. To unbelievers, it seemed that the beast had won, as in Revelation chapter 11:7-11 and  Revelation chapter 13:4.

The way unbelievers see people, events and circumstances of life on earth, the physical world, is an illusion, created by Satan, to blind the eyes of non-believers, to the truth, of the heavenly spiritual world.

Satan has been defeated, but still allowed to wage war
against and to oppress the saints

Revelation 12:7-9 English Standard Version
Satan Thrown Down to Earth
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12:11-12,17 English Standard Version
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Believers share in the suffering witness of Jesus Christ

John now takes readers from the theme of messianic warfare, to the theme of witness to the truth. John portrays the importance of how one views current events. Is the world a place where evil, military might and political power win, or is it where suffering witness to the truth of God win in the end?

Revelation offers its readers prophetic discernment guided by the core of Christian faith, that Jesus Christ won His comprehensive victory over all evil by His suffering witness, crucifixion and resurrection.

Believers are called to share in the suffering of Christ, as they witness to all around them, the truth of Jesus Christ. Part of that call, is the acceptance of whatever pain and suffering comes along with that call.

Only those who conquer enter heaven

Revelation 21:5-8 English Standard Version
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There are clearly only two options, to conquer by suffering witness to the truth, or bow down and worship evil. One choice leads to heaven, the other to the lake of fire along with satan.

Entrance into heaven is only gained by being “the one who conquers”.

All others, “the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murders, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion  will be in the lake of fire that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

The second beast, the false prophet

John is describing the presence and influence of false teachers, particularly false prophets, throughout the history of the church.

Just as Satan seeks to imitate and take the place of God the Father, and the sea beast imitates and seeks to usurp the role of God the Son, so the earth beast or false prophet claims to fill the role of God the Holy Spirit.

This second beast, later in Revelation called the false prophet, along with the dragon Satan and the first beast, form the satanic trinity. This an evil perversion of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

What Jesus the Christ says about false prophets

False prophets have been prevalent throughout church history. The aim of false prophets is to mislead the people of God by diverting their devotion from Jesus to idols. They aim to make the claims of the first beast plausible and appealing. They encourage ethical compromise with the culture's idolatrous and blasphemous institutions such as the Nicolaitans, false prophets and Jezebel in Revelation chapters 2-3.

The second beast, the false prophet directly opposes the true prophets of Jesus symbolized by the two witnesses in Revelation chapter 11.

Another satanic imitation of the power of God's prophets
by the false prophet

In Revelation chapter 13:13-15, John describes the world-wide system of idolatry represented by the first beast and the false prophets who promote it. Similar historical events would be the golden calf of the Exodus, Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, Caesar's bust and many other examples that breached the first two commandments.

Clearly, this land beast, the false prophet, tries to mimic the prophetic ministries of both Moses and Elijah. It was Elijah who called down fire from heaven to destroy the prophets of Baal. Even in the Exodus Pharaoh's court magicians, with their secret arts, performed many of the same great signs as Moses did. Here are a couple examples of New Testments concerning false prophets.

The number of the beast in Revelation chapter 13

The key to understanding verse 16-17 and the mark of the beast, which also reveals his name, is that people wear, or carry the mark of the Lord they serve. This is yet another satanic imitation of God's metaphorically, marking, sealing, the foreheads of believers. The mark of the beast is not a tatoo, nor any electronic implant, for any purpose, nor is the sealing of believers on their foreheads, in Revelation 7:2-3, below.

The legend of Nero's return or resurrection
to once again persecute the saints

Nero, the great, great grandson of Caesar Augustus, was born on December 15, 37 A.D. In 53 A.D., Nero married Octavia, daughter of the Emperor Claudius. Octavia died in 54 A.D. which lead Nero to ascend to the Emperor.The first eight years of Nero's rule was generally productive. In 62 A.D., Nero divorced Octavia who had failed to bear him a child. June of 64 A.D., a devastating fire broke out and burned a great deal of the city of Rome. Rumors spread fast that Nero started the fire and he was unable to quell those rumors, so Nero blamed the fire on the Christians of Rome and began to persecute them cruelly. There is general agreement that both Peter and Paul were martyred as a result of Nero's rage against the church.

The Jewish war with Rome broke out in 66 A.D. and Nero sent Vespasian to quell the rebellion. It was Vespasian's son Titus who lead the final destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. Nero killed his mother, and his dictatorial leadership and self-indulgent personality enraged the senate. The Roman Senate declared Nero an enemy of Rome, in 68 A.D. and sent soldiers to arrest him. When Nero found out, he committed suicide by thrusting a knife throuh his throat.

Though the name Nero doesn't appear anywhere in Revelation, John envisioned Nero as the perfect proto typical embodiment of the antichrist and antichristian spirit which is characteristic of the entire church age. John viewed the impending confrontation between Satan and the church to be an extension of the vicious persecution of Nero.There was rampant rumors throughout the Roman Empire that Nero wasn't really dead and that he would return to exact revenge on those who sentenced him to death.

For the church in the first century, the sea beast was the Roman Empire. In following centuries, and in our own time, any and all attempts, by individuals, institutions and movements to thwart God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, is the first beast.

Whether or not this beast is also to manifest itself at the end of the age in a single individual, commonly known as the Antichrist, is yet to be seen

The meaning of 666

Symbolic Meaning of 666
Virtually all other numbers in the book of Revelation are figurative or symbolic of some spiritual or theological reality and give no indication that the calculations entailed by gematria are in view.

Thus, “three sixes are a parody of the divine trinity of three sevens. That is, though the beast attempts to mimic God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, he falls short of succeeding”. Thus, the number does not identify the Beast, but describes him. It refers to his character. It isn’t designed to tell us who he is, but rather, what he is like.

Gematria meaning of 666
Nero’s name in Greek (Neron Kaisar) yields 1005. But his name in Hebrew letters adds up to 666! It should also be noted that the Greek word for “beast” (therion), when transliterated into Hebrew letters, also adds up to 666.

Irenaeus, the Bishop of lyons, southern France, in approximately 180 A.D. gave some credence to the gematria translation.