Rev 13:1– And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and upon his horns ten royal crowns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy.
And he stood upon the sand of the sea
The first part of this verse in the English (“And he stood upon the sand of the sea”) is listed as Revelation 12:18 in the Greek. See comments on Rev 12:18. The label itself is not critical to interpretation. But the reason for doing this is that the natural beginning of Revelation 13 is with the “And I saw (Greek: kai eidon), a typical visionary opening in the book of Revelation.
Beast
“Beast” (Greek: thērion) represents a wild, untamed animal. The kingdom of God and those aligned with Him are never represented by “beast” in Scripture (the four “beasts” in the heavenly throne room [Rev 4:6-7] translate a very different Greek word—zōon). Beast powers always seek their own glory, not the glory of God.
It is “a beast” here, not “the beast,” so this beast does not seem related to the beast of 11:7. It is a new player in the story.
Sea
As a symbol, the word “sea” (Greek: thalassa) represents the great mass of humankind and its institutions (cf. Rev 17:15).
Out of the Sea
In the Greek, the words “out of the sea” (Greek: ek tēs thalassēs) come before the “beast coming” (Greek: thērion anabainon), the subject and predicate of the sentence. In Greek this position in the sentence signals emphasis.
The beast coming up out of the sea recalls Daniel 7, where four beasts came up out of the sea one by one. This makes it clear that the sea out of which the beast comes is the very same sea that the dragon parks next to (Rev 12:18). The arrival of the dragon on the beach, therefore, has something to do with the beast that then arises out of the sea.
“And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea” (Greek: kai eidon ek tēs thalassēs thērion anabainon) both directly parallels 13:11 (“And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth”– Greek: kai eidon allo thērion anabainon ek tēs gēs) and is in direct contrast with it. Whenever earth is contrasted with sea in Revelation, it is a positive concept, at least at first.
having ten horns and seven heads
Unlike 12:3 and 17:3, the heads and horns are here listed in reverse order, the reason for which is not stated. The beast from the sea has ten horns and seven heads. Horns are symbolic of earthly political powers in both Revelation (17:12) and Daniel (7:7, 23-24). Heads also represent earthly political powers, but are likely consecutive, as is the case in Revelation 17:9-10. In that case, the beast would be active in a series of eras of history, one head after another. Since the sea beast is a composite of all four beasts of Daniel 7, a large part of that history had already occurred by the time Revelation was written.
After the Fall of the Roman Empire
Since the dragon represents Satan in the primary sense (as indicated in Rev 12:9) and only in a secondary sense represents Rome (which sought to destroy the baby Jesus through the actions of Herod– cf. 12:5), the beast from the sea continues the work of both in a new era. The sea beast, therefore, represents an earthly power that comes into play after the fall of the Roman Empire. It would exhibit Satan’s character in the way it blasphemes God and persecutes His people. It has been bequeathed the authority of the dragon to carry on his work (Rev 13:2). Like other historical reflections in the book of Revelation, the activity of the beast from the sea is portrayed as an extension of the cosmic conflict, the battle between Christ and Satan.
and upon his heads the names of blasphemy.
The clearest definition of blasphemy in the Bible is found in John 10:33, where some Jewish leaders are ready to stone Jesus for blasphemy, which they define as a mere man (in their understanding of Jesus) making himself out to be God. A similar charge was levied against Jesus at His trial before Caiaphas (Matthew 26:63-65; Mark 14:61-64). While the sea beast is clearly a political power, this language indicates the beast has a religious agenda as well. Tonstad (Revelation, 188) offers a number of synonyms for blasphemy in this context; they are slander, misrepresentation, and mudslinging. Since such actions are typical of Satan, the use of blasphemy indicates that behind the political/religious face of the sea beast lies a satanic agenda. After all, the sea beast receives his authority from the dragon of Revelation 12:9 (Rev 13:2).
A Religious Power
The blasphemous name on each head of the sea beast is compounded in Revelation 17:3 where the beast is described as “full of the names of blasphemy” (Rev 17:3). The phrase “names of blasphemy” (Greek: onomata blasphēmias) is identical in 13:1 and 17:3. The sea beast claims the prerogatives of God and equality with Him. This clearly indicates that this political power in the line of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome is also a religious power operating in opposition to God and His people. The beast claims the kind of worship that belongs only to Christ (Rev 13:3-4). As such, it resembles the “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
Other Marks in Revelation
The beast of Revelation 13 is not the only character in the book with a distinguishing mark. Prostitute Babylon has “Babylon the Great, etc.” written on her forehead (17:5). The followers of the image of the beast receive a mark on their forehead or on their hand (13:15-17). The followers of the Lamb are sealed on their foreheads (7:1-3) and have His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads (14:1, cf. also the “servants of the Lamb” in 22:4). The rider on the white horse bears a name that no one knows but He Himself (19:12). He also has “king of kings and Lord of Lords” written on his robe and on His thigh (19:16).