When Jesus was on earth, He performed miracles that showed the kind of comfort and aid that only He can give. Christians can assist someone who is born blind, but Jesus can give him sight. We can sympathize with those who grieve, but Jesus can raise our loved ones back to life. Given His divine power, Jesus speaks to the churches of Revelation that are facing persecution with the greatest comfort imaginable. Others are able to bless the living, but Jesus declares: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (v. 13). In light of this comfort, His followers throughout history have been able to face death in the spirit of Romans 8:37, as “more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Christ’s blessing on those facing death for Him shows more clearly than ever the great difference between the Christian and the non-Christian. In life there is a profound difference between the two. The believer is at war with the devil and sin but at peace with God; the unbeliever is at peace with the devil and sin but at war with God. The divide between the two is even greater in death. Revelation 14:11 speaks of the eternal judgment of those who loved the world and rejected Christ: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day and night.” In the greatest contrast, Christians are blessed in death to “rest from their labors” (Rev. 14:13).

Revelation 14 provides a respite of good news to readers who may be reeling from the conflict described in chapters 12 and 13. There, we saw Satan as a dragon who is fanatically driven to destroy Christ’s people, with the help of his terrible beasts. Chapter 14 shows the church as having been saved from this conflict, assembled on Mount Zion with the Sovereign Lamb (14:1). Knowing Christ’s triumph and seeing the fall of the harlot empire Babylon, Christians should persevere in faith and in obedience to God’s Word despite their suffering. Christ expects us to be willing even to die for our faith, so a voice from heaven speaks assurance of His eternal care for our souls: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (v. 13).

It is apparent from verse 13 that Christians should know the Bible’s teaching about life after death, since knowing our blessing in death equips us to live boldly in life. We can summarize the Bible’s teaching in this topic with three points. First, immediately upon dying, the soul is separated from the body, until the two are rejoined in the final resurrection. This is true for the believer and the unbeliever. The soul is not asleep but has departed from the lifeless body. Second, that believers’ souls are present with the Lord in heaven while the bodies await the summons to the resurrection. Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Jesus told the believing thief, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Third, when believers die, our souls are immediately perfected in holiness so as to partake of the Lord’s glory. Hebrews 12:23 describes Christians in death as “the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”

John cites two particular blessings that the believers enjoy in death. The first blessing is an end to the wearisome labor that we have known in this world of sin and toil: “Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors’” (v. 13). We know that the Spirit always carries on the work of Christ. While in the world, Jesus called the weary, saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Now, from heaven, the Spirit promises to fulfill that invitation in the blessing of eternal life.

It’s not easy living as a believer, contending with your own sins and those of an often-hostile world. Christians are wearied from the labors of evangelism, ministry, and prayer, and even our spiritual delights such as worship and the study of God’s Word require discipline and diligence. In heaven, we will continue to worship and will work together with Christ in the fields of glory, but the toil and labor will have ended with the end of our life in this world.

The second blessing speaks of the reward that believers can expect in the presence of our Savior: “for their deeds follow them!” All our sins, trials, and torments are left behind when we die, but our good work and faithfulness to Christ in the face of persecution will follow after as a crown to our life of faith.

The Bible teaches that sinners are saved by God’s grace alone, apart from any merit on our part, and that even our faith is God’s free gift, “not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:9). Yet the Bible also teaches that Christians will receive a reward for good deeds performed in gratitude for salvation and in obedience to God’s Word. Our works earn not the reward of eternal life, but rather rewards in eternal life. Jesus urged us to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:20). He promised to reward His diligent workers, saying: “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21).

Many Christians think too little of their works, comparing them to the more publicized accomplishments of famous preachers, missionaries, or ministry leaders and thinking that they will be overlooked. Jesus corrects this idea in His teaching on the final judgment. Having gathered His sheep, He promises to praise  their works: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matt. 25:35-36). The righteous marvel, asking when they did such things for Jesus. He answers: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40).

Notice that Christ mentions not great and famous Christian achievements, but the daily acts of faith and love as the works that matter most and please Him the best. “Have I ever done anything worthy of Jesus’ praise?” the doubtful believer wonders. When we remember that our works not only are empowered by God’s grace but are assessed by the eyes of mercy, perfected by cleansing blood, and received at the throne of our loving heavenly Father, the answer is yes.

The last thing the Roman Empire would say of John’s beleaguered, impoverished, and soon-persecuted readers is that they were blessed. The world looks with similar eyes on believers today. But the voice of God’s Spirit extols us: “Blessed indeed” (v. 13). We will rest from our labors, and our deeds in Christ will follow us.

Revelation 14:13 Study Questions:

Why are those who “die in the Lord” said to be “blessed” (v.13)?

Do you feel you have ever done anything worthy of Jesus’ praise?

How has the God encouraged you through this study?

The book of Revelation points out the substantial truth: It turns out that the human race is largely controlled by unseen evil powers who use sensual pleasures to hold us in bondage. Although we have embraced the idolatries of personal autonomy and hedonistic pleasure, we realize that something doesn’t seem quite right. Satisfaction eludes us. Empowerment feels empty. We suspect that behind the veneer of secular humanism, dark powers are at work. Using its visionary images, Revelation depicts this kind of spiritual oppression. We face the dragon, Satan, who with his servant beasts controls the unbelieving world and wars against the countercultural Christian community that has discovered the truth.

Knowing this truth creates a great longing for the evil powers somehow to be defeated. This is the situation depicted by three messenger angels who appear in Revelation 14:6-12. They pronounce the overthrow of evil powers, warning of judgment for those who reject Jesus Christ and eternal wrath for those who serve the beast. Christians have one purpose, namely to warn mankind with respect to the coming judgment in order that men may turn to God in true faith.

The first angel is seen “flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth” (v. 6). John describes the angel’s message as a “gospel.” This seems unusual since he says nothing directly about Jesus, His death on the cross for sins, or His offer of salvation through faith. The message, in fact, is a warning: “the hour of his judgment has come” (v. 7). This message is good news to the persecuted church about the coming defeat of ungodly powers and thus her freedom from tyrants who afflict her.

Here, the gospel is presented in the form of a call to repent. We should remember the way in which Jesus introduced His ministry in the Gospels. Mark 1:14-15 says that Jesus came to Galilee “proclaiming the gospel of God,” in these terms: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The coming of Jesus is the good news, calling for repentance and faith. Jesus spoke of the coming “kingdom of God,” and the first angel declares that the “hour of his judgment” has come, which amounts to the same thing. He preaches his message to all “who dwell on the earth.” In Revelation, this expression refers to unbelieving people who ignore Jesus and are comfortable with sin. This unregenerate multitude covers the globe: “every nation and tribe and language and people.” The angel shows how God calls them all to take notice and heed the message of His Son’s coming.

The first angel’s having warned of judgment, the second angel shouts: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” (v. 8). This cry introduces a new image to Revelation, yet one that apparently was widely understood in the early church. The Roman Empire of John’s time was like ancient Babylon, which destroyed Jerusalem, exiled the people of Israel, and persecuted them for observing their duties to God. Both Babylon and Rome are symbols of the world system and its rulers as they oppose God and His people.

Rome and Babylon were known not only for tyrannical oppression but also for the sinful seduction of surrounding nations. Babylon “made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality (v. 8). In our time, it is America and other decadent Western nations that export sexually permissive values and provide the appetite that fuels a vast global network of prostitution and pornography. The fall of Babylon provides a sober warning of what will happen to America if it does not repent of its sin.  This second angel warns of God’s judgment on those who drink from Babylon’s cup.

The first angel brought a warning to the spiritually indifferent world about the coming hour of God’s judgment, calling people to wake up and repent. The second angel urged the certainty of God’s judgment on wicked Babylon, answering the cup of sin with God’s cup of wrath. The third angel’s message warns us about the severity of God’s wrath in the hour of judgment (vv. 9-10). The first angel warned the spiritually negligent. The second angel threatened those who enjoy Babylon’s corruption. The third angel confronts those who have given their loyalty to the world and have thus worshiped the beast, that is, the worldly power of intimidation.

The Bible states that those who deny God glory must inevitably glory in the world and through it in the Evil One. Those who will not serve the true God must worship the false gods, behind which stands Satan. In John’s day, the beast was manifested in the Roman emperor and his demand to be worshiped as God. Today, the beast may be political tyrants, corporate titans, entertainment idols, or anyone else to whom we give the devotion of our hearts. The angel warns that the true God responds in wrath to this idolatry. Those who worship earthly idols will “be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (v. 10).

If the first two angels foretold the certainty of judgment, the third angel warns of the reality of hell. It is always easy to go along with the world, but here we calculate the cost. This angel speaks of God’s punishment in the form of “torment” from “fire and sulfur” (v. 10). We should remember Revelation speaks in symbols, so “fire and sulfur” should be taken symbolically. If the fire and sulfur of hell is a symbol, the reality can only be much worse in hell’s punishment of bodily and spiritual torment. Verse 11 speaks of “the smoke of their torment” going up. Here too, smoke is figurative, yet is serves as an enduring memorial of God’s punishment involving a real, ongoing, eternal, and conscious torment.

The fact that God has warned us of judgment in advance shows that He offers salvation to those who repent and believe. Even as the angel warns of the hour of judgment, John 3:16 still calls sinners to be saved: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Christians are called to tell people the true story of Jesus’ death and to live out His resurrection power. This is John’s application from this passage. What should we do in such a dreadful battle? John answers: “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus” (v. 12).

When John urges us to continue in “faith in Jesus,” he means that we must continue to look up to that gospel carried by the angel in heaven. It tells us that through faith we are forgiven by Christ’s blood and reconciled to God. It bears good news that our Savior has conquered the evil power under which we have suffered. John adds that we must also “keep the commandments of God” (v. 12). The cup of sin, sexual immorality, and worldly idolatry will be offered to us by this harlot world. God’s Word gives us wisdom to recognize it as poison.

We remember how Jesus drank the cup filled to the brim with God’s wrath in our sins so that we might be forgiven (Matt. 26:39), and out of love for Him we drink the cup of life that He gives. We can be sure that by refusing our allegiance to the world, we will suffer its wrath. But we hear the angel cry, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” (v. 8), and our hearts are lifted up. In the day of Christ, faith and obedience will be crowned with eternal life in glory. The holy life of faith and obedience will present the very witness that the people we love need to see so that they may be encouraged to believe. And in the hour of God’s judgment, in the presence of His holy angels, Christ will reward those who bore the mark of His name, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21).

Revelation 14:6-12 Study Questions:

What is the “eternal gospel,” the good news that the first angel announces to all the people of the earth in verses 6-7?

How does the spirit of Babylon still seem to live on in our own day?

What judgment does the third angel pronounce on those who are implicated in the monstrous evil of “Babylon” (vv. 9-11)?

What do these warnings show us about the character of God?

What does it look like for us to follow Jesus (v. 12) even in the face of such difficult warnings of impending judgment?

Revelation was written to convey a message of hope to John’s first-century readers. We realize this in the vision that begins chapter 14. Here, John repeats an earlier vision of the 144,000 redeemed saints, who were seen in chapter 7 amid the world’s persecutions and calamities. Now the redeemed church has reached the glorified Christ. After the deadly warfare portrayed in chapters 12 and 13, chapter 14 begins: “Behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb” (v. 1). Revelation 14 assures struggling Christians that their perseverance in faith will lead to salvation. The reason for our confidence is not our prowess in slaying dragons or wrestling beasts, but that Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, stands exalted in sovereign authority on the heavenly Zion.

Last seen the assembly of the 144,000 was beset with many dangers in the great tribulation that is the church age, including the warfare of the dragon and his two beasts. From a worldly perspective, it might seem that none of them would arrive safely in heaven. Now on mount Zion, we find that not one of them has been lost, as Jesus promised in John 10:28. The exact number of those who begin the journey of salvation through faith arrive safely in His presence.

In presenting this view, we need to prove that the 144,000 represents the entirety of Christ’s people: past, present, and future. One way to show that the 144,000 stands for all believers is to see how it represents both the Old and New Testament eras. This number joins together the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Christ, twelve time twelve, multiplied by a thousand to depict “a great multitude that no one could number” (Rev. 7:9). Furthermore, the descriptions given to the 144,000 in this passage are true of the entirety of the people of Christ.

Having clarified the identity of the 144,000, we may consider their location. John saw them “on Mount Zion,” with “the Lamb” (v. 1). Whereas Satan, the dragon, “stood on the sand of the sea” (12:17) in calling forth the beasts to aid his rebellion, Jesus stands on the rock of God’s holy mountain with His saints. Seeing the vast multitude of the church present with Christ on Mount Zion, we know that our victory is established and secured.

By seeing the divinely ordained end of our salvation, John and his readers are encouraged as they face Roman persecution. His example urges Christians to think from the end of history back to our present trials. Rather than starting where we are in our weakness, doubt, and earthly affliction, looking forward from them with anxiety over our future prospects, we should reverse the process. We should instead fix our minds on the certainly of our future, on Mount Zion where the Lamb stands in victory, working back to find hope in our present trials.

Christians need have no anxiety when it comes to our spiritual warfare against Satan, sin, and worldly opposition. As the clouds are parted in this vision, John is enabled to look up and see Christ standing on the mount. The Lamb holds the high ground eternally, looking down on the conflict below. Seeing Jesus standing on Zion, we are assured that all of God’s promises to us will be fulfilled, that those who bear His name will be kept safe, and that our lives of faith will be crowned with success.

Those who bear God’s name not only enjoy His protection but partake of His attributes. John’s vision thus describes the character of the redeemed, urging that for believers the ultimate question is not physical prowess, or political or economic power; it is a question of true spirituality. Just as it is Christ who secures the victory for His people, it is Christlikeness that not only marks them out in the world but gives them power in spiritual warfare.

The first description of Christian character has perplexed many readers “It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins (v. 4). It would be possible to take this verse in a number of erroneous ways. However, the answer lies in taking this statement symbolically. It means that the people have lived up to what is implied in their betrothal to Christ. Spiritual purity cannot be separated from moral purity, of course. The apostles lived in a Roman world that was even more sexually debauched than the decadent West today. For this reason, the apostles placed a priority on sexual purity, requiring believers to engage in determined repentance from sexual sins.

In addition to being pure, Christ’s 144,000 are obedient: “It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (v. 4). Where Christ calls us to go we must go; what Christ calls us to do we must do. His way becomes our way, and though it may seem narrow, it leads to eternal life. Following Christ involves belief in His teaching, submission to His commands, and the zealous promotion of His gospel cause. As Christ sacrificed Himself for us, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices in service to God, as is implied by our description as “firstfruits.” Seeing the Lamb exalted on Mount Zion, we are reminded that following Jesus leads us to salvation and glory.

John’s vision defines Christian character in terms of truthful speech: “and in their mouth no lie was found” (v. 5). The ninth commandment requires believers to speak truthfully, and among those whom Revelation 21:8 sees cast into the lake of fire are “all liars.” Christian salvation stems from the truth of God’s Word and produces lives of truth. Whereas the world “exchanged the truth about God for a lie” (Rom. 1:25), believers reject idolatry and actively promote the gospel truth by which liars and all other sinners may be redeemed. John summarizes that by this Christlike character the redeemed church is “blameless” (v. 5). The point is not that godly character merits salvation but rather that it enables us to serve God as acceptable sacrifices of thanks and praise.

John’s vision has shown us the identity, location, and character of Christ’s redeemed church. His emphasis, finally, is on the activity of the redeemed, as they worship God and the Lamb in joyful song: “they were singing a new song before the throne” (v. 3).John writes that he “heard a voice from heaven like a roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder (v. 2). He is referring to the worship of the redeemed, since only the 144,000 can learn this song (v. 3). The singing is marked only not by volume, but also by heart-uplifted passion. John compares it to “the sound of harpists playing on their harps (v.2).

John tells us that the redeemed on Mount Zion sing “a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders” (v. 3). This shows that our worship is directed to God and to the Lamb, whose throne is surrounded by these glorious beings. We sing a “new song” not because we have discovered something different from the salvation message taught all through Scripture, but because our experience has provided fresh instances of its power and glory.

If we take our eyes off the daunting opposition and fix them on the glory of our mighty Savior, seeing Christ standing on Mount Zion, we will not fear to proclaim God’s Word in sincerity and conviction, we will not think lightly about the power of prayer, and we will not allow our worship in Christ’s name to be corrupted by the world. With Christ reigning sovereign in triumph, surely when we begin to sing and praise Him in the presence of every earthly foe, relying confidently on His saving provision, we will not fail to see His victory and then rejoice to sing the new song in praise to our Redeemer.

Revelation 14:1-5 Study Questions:

Who are the people gathered around the Lamb on Mount Zion (v. 1), and where have we seen them before in this book?

Why do they have God’s name written on their forehead?

Why is this crowd said to be “first fruits” for God and the Lamb?

If we are likewise to follow the Lamb wherever He goes, we first need to answer; where is He going? How would you answer that?

What lies about God and the world does the accuser tell you? How might we resist these lies and follow the Lamb in truth and faithfulness?

The first half of Revelation 13 showed that Satan is not alone in his dragon-like warfare against Christ’s church. Summoning a beast from the sea, Satan gave him power to rule on the earth. The first beast represents government tyranny working in history against Christ and His church. The second half of the chapter shows that this first beast is also not alone. He is joined by a second beast who rises “out of the earth” (v. 11). If the sea beast represented the tyrannical power of Rome that arrived in Asia out of the sea, the beast from the earth represents local forces that collaborated with Rome. If the sea beast stands for vicious tyranny, the land beast is the propagandist who encourages people to worship him. Revelation 16:13 identifies this second beast as “the false prophet.” Whereas the first beast relied mainly on power, the second beast supports him with lies. The beast from the sea is a secular political power, while the beast from the earth is a religious institution fostering worship of the first beast.

The false prophet is the satanically inspired counterfeit of the two witnesses who bear testimony to Christ in this age (Rev. 11:3-11). The false prophet combats the gospel with subtle philosophies and false religions that promote the cause of the beast and the dragon. The second beast “exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast” (v. 12). John would have known this beast in the form of local provincial elites, in city after city and province after province, who do their best not only to copy the beast at a local level but insist, in order to keep the beast’s favor, that everybody in their domain should worship the beast.

Not only do the two horns form a contrast with the image of the church as two witnesses, but there is a clear parody of Christ: “It had two horns like a lamb” (v. 11). Christ rules for the good of His people, with a spirit of grace. The false prophet comes across in this way, but its actual speech is “like a dragon” (v. 11). Here is the wolf in sheep’s clothing about which Jesus warned us (Matt. 7:15), who teaches the doctrines of the world rather than the truths of God’s Word. This reminds Christians not to be taken in by the outward impression of public figures, but to consider carefully what they say and do in light of the Bible.

John forewarns that false prophets will speak deceptively to lead people into serving the first beast and its tyranny. The second beast also employs sign and wonders in this same cause (vv. 13-14). There are ancient church sources that tell of moving statues, fireball explosions, and pagan magicians who could make idols appear to speak and other such phenomena were effectively used in temples of John’s time.  By these means, the second beast again parodies the witnessing church.

Today, instead of cheap magic tricks, the advances of science and the achievements of government are hailed as proof of the false gospel of secular humanism. Technology then, becomes the worker of miraculous sign. Worship the power of the beast, the power of technocratic state organizations, the power of the expert, because technology can work wonders like no one else. Man replaces God and Christ with himself and in doing so succumbs to the full deception of the beast.

The beast from the earth serves the beast from the sea by false teaching and deceptive signs and wonders. Yet it could hardly be said to exercise the beast’s authority if it didn’t also employ deadly compulsion and persecution. This is the third approach by which the second beast advances the worship of the first beast and the dragon. It persuades its followers to “cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain” (v. 15). Furthermore, it causes everyone “to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name” (vv. 16-17).

The point is not that all Christians are slain under the influence of the second beast, but that worshipers of false religions will often display their zeal with violence against true religion; an example today would be where fanatical Muslims show their zeal for Allah by bombing Christian churches and beheading converts to Christ. Along with deadly force, the beast also enforces false worship by requiring everyone to receive the mark of the beast. John states that all face this requirement: small and great, rich and poor, free and slave (v. 16). No class of person can evade the obligation of displaying allegiance and submission to the state tyranny of the first beast.

Ultimately the mark of the beast involves a choice between the world and Christ. There is an obvious contrast between this mark and the mark that Christ’s people received in chapter 7. There, suffering believers were “sealed … on their foreheads” as servants of God (Rev. 7:3). Having already sought to counterfeit Christ, Satan now parodies God’s sealed church with his own mark-bearing legions.

John concludes this dramatic chapter with the point of his teaching: “This calls for wisdom” (v. 18). Looking back to chapter 12, with the vision of the dragon at war with the church, and then in chapter 13 with the tyrannical beast aided by false and beguiling ideology, we see that Christians need to be very wise. We must be wise in discerning the difference between true and false prophets, by paying careful attention to God’s Word. We must be wise in expecting to pay a price for our faith. All through Revelation, Jesus has promised salvation blessings only to those who persevere in faith and overcome spiritual warfare through their witness to Him.

John has a final form of wisdom in mind in the final verse. This is the wisdom that enables Christians to see the enemy for what he is, so that we will not be beguiled by his deceits or intimidated by his threats. The entire Bible bears testimony to God’s faithfulness in saving His people from spiritual attacks. Our wisdom thus calls us not to shrink back in our witness out of temptation or fear. John makes this point with the most well-known and most widely contested verse in this chapter, verse 18.

The best approach to unpacking the number 666 is to understand the symbolism of six. We have often encountered seven in Revelation as a number of completion and perfection (Rev. 1:11, 12, 20; 3:1). Six falls short of this number and is therefore imperfect, incomplete, and defective. This describes fallen mankind, which is why John says that this is “the number of a man” (v. 18). The dragon and his two beasts set themselves forward as a fake divine trinity. God’s judgment and Christ’s victory will reveal them as a triple fakery and threefold failure.

John says that understanding that we are opposed by a deadly triad of Satan, together with the tyrants and false prophets who serve him, calls for wisdom among Christians. The wisdom is not how to strike back at the beast with his own weapons but how to boldly declare the gospel message of Christ. The wisdom is not how to evade the beast’s tyranny but how to persevere in Christian courage and commitment. Having the beast’s number, knowing his limitations and his certain defeat, we can live without fear of his assault.

Knowing Jesus, calculating the infinite value of His cross, and trusting His perfection in glory and salvation, we are made bold to tell others about Him. John’s intent is that what the angel said of the victorious believers in chapter 12 would be said of us as we triumph in faith: “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” (Rev. 12:11).

Revelation 13:11-18 Study Questions:

How does the second beast differ from the first one?

Why might John note the detail that this beast has “two horns like those of a lamb” (v. 11)?

In what ways are national and local governments sometimes responsible for perpetuating evil rather than helping to overcome it?

Why does the second beast require everyone to be “marked” (vv. 16-17)?

We can understand the dilemma faced by those Christians back then. We like to think that we would always choose the reality and reject the parody. How are we tempted to compromise our faith in order to make life easier?

What can we do now so that, when we face even more serious situations, we respond well?

When studying Revelation, we constantly need to realize that we are not reading future history out of a newspaper but are learning the spiritual realities of our present age through a visionary-prophetic picture book. It is especially necessary to stress this approach today, when many Christians do not even try to understand Revelation because of the confusing teaching they have heard. Yet the visions provided to John in Revelation should be as familiar to believers as Jesus’ well-known parables, such as those of the prodigal son, and the Good Samaritan. An example is the vision of the dragon, the woman, and the child in Revelation 12. This dramatization of spiritual warfare in the church age should provide an easy-to-understand mental picture to all Bible believers. This vision shows how Satan failed to destroy Jesus in His first coming and that now Satan vainly rages against the church in anger over his inevitable failure.

Another principle to remember is that Revelation’s symbols must be interpreted not from speculations about current events but from parallels in the Old Testament. An example is seen in the final statement of chapter 12, “And he [the dragon] stood on the sand of the sea” (Rev 12:17). The reader familiar with Old Testament imagery expects some dreadful evil to appear, since the sea is the realm of chaos and rebellion, a virtual synonym for the Abyss of hell. The vision of chapter 11 earlier spoke of “the beast that rises from the bottomless pit,” who makes war on the witnessing church (11:7). Now that same warfare will be depicted from the enemy perspective, as John watches. He records, “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea” (13:1).

The prophet Daniel received a vision showing four beasts who represented evil imperial powers on earth. Daniel’s beasts represented the empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome that would successively rise in history (Dan. 7:1-8). Each of these kingdoms would harm God’s people, but be ultimately supplanted by Christ. Daniel was told that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Dan. 7:18).

As John presents a beast like Daniel’s, he sees him rising out of the dark water, describing each part as it breaks the surface (Rev. 13:1). Like Daniel’s fourth beast, which represented imperial Rome, this beast has ten horns (Dan. 7:7). Like the dragon of Revelation 12, this beast has seven heads, ten horns, and royal diadems (Rev. 12:3). These parallels connect this beast with the Roman Empire and identify him as a servant who wields Satan’s might.

John described this beast as having “ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads” (v. 1). These give the general impression of the beast as coming with powers, rulers, and thrones under his control. In Daniel’s vision, the fourth beast’s ten horns represented kings who would rise (Dan 7:24). The fact that these horns each wear diadems confirms that they are royal persons. The beast has crowns on his horns, whereas the dragon of Revelation 12 had crowns on his head, which suggests that this indicates that while the dragon is the king of the evil empire, the beast is the military arm of the king. The “blasphemous names on its head” points to false claims to deity made by earthly rulers. The Roman emperors gave themselves the titles of lord, savior, son of God, and lord and god.

As the beast rises further, John describes it more fully in verse 2. This description combines the different beasts of Daniel’s vision, each of which emphasized separate kingdoms. This beast, therefore, is a composite of all the beasts that Daniel saw. This suggests that John’s beast is greater than any of the individual empires, even that of Rome. The beast from the sea represents all the empires throughout human history that have stood against God and His people. The fact that this beast exercises authority for forty-two months (v. 5), that is, for the entirety of the church age, shows that this beast represents more than the ancient Rome that persecuted the churches of John’s time – it represents the entirety of violent earthly empires that oppose Christ’s kingdom and people.

The question may be raised whether this beast from the sea should be equated with the Antichrist. The answer is yes, if the Antichrist is biblically understood. The term is used only in the epistles of John, where the apostle spoke of those who opposed the revelation of Jesus (1 John 2:18). This verse states that the Antichrist is a figure who will appear in the end, but who is represented throughout church history by many who are like him. John added that “every spirit that does not confess Jesus, is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (1 John 4:3; see also 2 John 7). This spirit is exemplified in the beast from the sea, which “was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words (v. 5). Paul’s teaching in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 indicated that there would be an ultimate Antichrist before Christ returned, whom he named as the “man of lawlessness.” Yet he is represented throughout the church age by blasphemous powers in opposition to Christ.

One of the most significant features of the beast in Revelation 13 is the way he parodies the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Revelation, Christ wears “many diadems” (Rev. 19:12), so the beast has his many crowns; Christ has a worthy name written on Him (19:12), so the beast bears blasphemous names; Christ has people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” (5:9), so the beast assumes power “over every tribe and people and language and nation (13:7); Christ is worshiped together with God (7:10), so the beast demands false worship together with Satan (13:4). In keeping with these counterfeits, John says of the beast: “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast” (Rev. 13:3).

John informs us that the beast has two main agendas. The first is the gathering of false worship to himself and through himself to Satan (13:4). Christians can identify the false worship of Satan and his beast when it derives from raw power and earthly glory, acting contrary to God’s Word and drawing people away from faith in Jesus. Whenever we are called to give unquestioned allegiance and worship to a human ruler, we should see him as the beast behind which stands Satan in his desperate bid to usurp God’s throne. This is not to say that all government is evil. Paul used his Roman citizenship and was often helped by honest Roman officials. The beast is seen when government takes the place of God in our lives. When the government is set forth as “the remedy for all ills – economic, social, medical, moral, and even spiritual” – then the idolatry of the state usurps the place reserved for God alone.

John records his vision of the beast to warn believers of what to expect, starting with the churches of Asia that faced the bestial Roman emperor Domitian. John concludes with three applications: first, our source of hope; second, our calling in persecution; and third, the victory we win through perseverance in faith.

Where can Christians find hope for salvation against so dreadful a beast, who exercises worldwide dominion and authority? The answer is in the sovereign God who has ultimate dominion and authority over this world, over Satan and his beast, and over our lives. With God’s sovereign will providing hope to suffering Christians, John next directs us to our humble calling (v. 10). Christ’s people are told that we can expect persecution. This calling does not preclude us from taking prudent steps to avoid persecution, but it does mean that when persecution comes, Christians must embrace it with faith and a resolve to do God’s will.

John concludes this passage with one of Revelation’s many stirring appeals to perseverance in faith despite all affliction: “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints” (v. 10). Satan and his beast, together with their followers, think us defeated when we are put down in persecution, yet through perseverance in faith Christians have victory through Jesus Christ. Christ comes to His faithful suffering people with blessing and power. When we possess Christ by faith, despite all persecution, we gain eternal life, justification by grace, adoption as God’s children, and an inheritance in glory. With these eternal blessings we also have His daily help, when we refuse to yield to the beast but persevere in faith.

Revelation 13:1-10 Study Questions:

What does John see rising out of the sea next to the dragon and how does he describe it (vv. 1-2)?

This passage draws heavily on a section from the Old Testament that was hugely popular in the first century. Read Daniel 7:2-8. What similarities and differences do you see between Daniel 7 and Revelation 13?

In verses 3-4, how do the inhabitants of the earth respond to the beast? Why does the beast make life miserable for the people of God (vv. 5-8)?

The last verse of this section may reflect John’s sober realism when contemplating the scene he has now drawn. Some people are going to be taken captive, while others are going to be killed with the sword. John says in verse 10 that our proper response to this harsh reality is to be patient and have faith. What does it look like to live this way in such circumstances?