Tag: The beast from the sea

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The Beast continues the authority of the Roman Empire.

Overview

The main goal of this website is to identify the Mark of the Beast. The current article identifies the Beast.

Daniel 7 uses four animals to describe the kingdoms that will rule from the time of ancient Babylon until Christ’s return. The Sea Beast is part of that series of kingdoms because it receives something from each of the four animals in Daniel 7.

Specifically, the Beast is the 11th horn of the fourth animal Daniel 7. For example, both the Beast and the 11th horn are the main characters in their respective prophecies, are described as the Antichrist, persecute God’s people for “a time, times, and half a time,” and will exist until Christ returns.

Another article identifies Daniel’s fourth animal as the Roman Empire. Since the 11 horns symbolize the fragments into which the Roman Empire divided, and since the Beast is the 11th horn, the Beast is one of those fragments and came into existence when the Roman Empire fragmented. The way it is described means it is particularly that fragment that continues Roman authority.

The second beast in Revelation 13 (the Land Beast) is a Christian organization because it has two horns like a lamb, meaning it is Christ-like, and because it is called the “false prophet.” Since the Land Beast exercises all the authority of the Sea Beast, the Beast is also a Christian organization.

Purpose – To identify the Beast

The purpose of this article is to identify the Beast. 

The ultimate goal of this website is to identify the Mark of the Beast, that is, the Mark that the followers of the Beast in the end-time will receive on their foreheads (Rev 13:16), as opposed to the Seal of God, which God’s people will have on their foreheads (Rev 14:1). The purpose of the current article is to identify the Beast to which this Mark belongs. The first question is which beast this is, for there are several beasts in Revelation. [Show More]

It is the Mark of the Beast from the Sea (Rev 13:1) that will be placed on people. The Land Beast exercises all the authority of the Sea Beast (Rev 13:12) and deceives the people to make an Image of the Sea Beast (Rev 13:14). The Image then forces the people to receive the Mark of the Beast.

It explains Daniel 7.

The Sea Beast is part of the series of kingdoms in Daniel 7. 

The Beast has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 13:1) and receives its appearance and power from four other animals:

“And the beast which I saw was like a leopard,
and his feet were like those of a bear,
and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev 13:2)

Daniel 7 uses four animals to describe the kingdoms that will rule from the time of ancient Babylon until Christ’s return. The following allusions in the description of the Sea Beast to the animals of Daniel 7 indicate that the Sea Beast is part of the series of kingdoms in Daniel 7:

1) Both the Sea Beast and the animals in Daniel 7 come out of the sea (Dan 7:3).

2) The Sea Beast receives something from each of the four animals in Daniel 7:

The first three animals, from which the Sea Beast receives its appearance (the Lion, Bear, and Leopard), are explicitly the first three animals in Daniel 7 (Dan 7:5, 6, 7).

The fourth animal from which the Sea Beast receives is a Dragon (Rev 13:2). For the following reasons, the Dragon is the fourth animal in Daniel 7:

(1) The fourth animal in Daniel 7 is not named but is described as “dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong … It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet” (Dan 7:7). This sounds like a dragon.

(2) Since the Dragon in Revelation is mentioned with three other animals that are explicitly the same as the first three animals in Daniel 7. [Show More]

3) The Sea Beast has the same number of heads and horns as the four animals of Daniel 7 have in total, namely, seven heads and ten horns (Rev 13:1). [Show More]

These are perhaps the strongest allusions to the Old Testament anywhere in the Book of Revelation. It is not a coincidence but implies that the Sea Beast is part of the series of kingdoms in Daniel 7, explaining it in more detail.

It is the 11th Horn.

Specifically, the Beast is the 11th horn of Daniel 7.

For the following reasons, the Sea Beast is equivalent to the 11th horn that grows out of the fourth animal in Daniel 7:

(1) Both succeed and continue Daniel’s fourth kingdom.

The 11th Horn grows out of the 4th animal in Daniel 7. The Sea Beast receives its throne, authority, and great power from the Dragon (Rev 13:2), which, as argued above, is equivalent to Daniel’s 4th animal.

(2) Like Daniel’s 11th horn is the main character in Daniel, the Sea Beast is the main character in Revelation:

The fourth animal of Daniel 7 has 11 horns. The 11th horn is the main character in Daniel 7. It grows and becomes larger than all the other horns (Dan 7:20, 24). It will become so important that a court will sit in heaven to judge between it and God’s people (Dan 7:26, 9-11, 14). It will only be destroyed when Christ returns (Dan 7:26, 27). The only reason the first four animals and ten horns are mentioned is to enable us to identify the 11th horn.

Similarly, the Sea Beast is the main character in the Book of Revelation. For example, in the end-time crisis, the Mark of the Sea Beast, which is the Name of the Sea Beast or the Number of its Name, is put on the foreheads of God’s enemies (Rev 13:16, 17), and it will only be destroyed when Christ returns (Rev 19:20).

(3) Both the 11th horn and the Sea Beast are described as the Antichrist.

Both blaspheme God (Dan 7:8, 11, 20; Rev 13:5-6) and overpower God’s people (Dan 7:21, 25; Rev 13:7).

(4) Both persecute God’s people for “a time, times, and half a time” (Dan 7:25).

The Sea Beast’s period is 42 months (Rev 13:5), which is the same as the “time, times, and half a time” of the 11th horn. [Show More]

(5) Both will exist until Christ returns (Dan 7:26-27; Rev 19:11, 20).

Specifically, therefore, both exist during the end-time crisis.

It continues Roman Authority.

The Beast is that fragment of the Roman Empire which continues Roman authority.

Another article identifies Daniel’s fourth animal as the Roman Empire. [Show More]

Therefore, the 11 horns symbolize the kingdoms into which the Roman Empire fragmented. The 11th grew up last. It was the final and most important fragment of that Empire. It was small at first but grew in power and eventually dominated the other fragments (kingdoms). 

It began to exist when the Roman Empire fragmented, described in Revelation as the Beast coming up out of the sea (Rev 13:1). It received its throne, authority, and great power from that Empire (Rev 13:2). Therefore, it is the main successor of the Empire, the unique continuation of the power and authority of the Roman Empire, and will only be destroyed when Christ returns! The Roman Empire is still with us!

A Christian Organization

The Beast is a human organization. 

The Beast comes out of the Sea (Rev 13:1). The sea is equivalent to “the earth” (Dan 7:2, 17), symbolizing the people of the world. In other words, both the animals in Daniel and the Beast in Revelation are organizations of the people of the world.

The Beast is a Christian organization. 

A throne symbolizes authority to rule. Since the Beast received its throne from the Dragon (Rev 13:2), it received its authority to rule from the Roman Empire. But it was not military authority. We can see the nature of its authority in the Land Beast because the Land Beast exercises all the authority of the Sea Beast (Rev 13:12). The following indicates that the Land Beast is Christian:

It has two horns like a lamb (Rev 13:11). All other instances of the term ‘lamb’ in Revelation refer to Jesus (e.g., Rev 5:6). In other words, the Land Beast looks like Christ, but spoke as a dragon (Rev 13:11).

It is called the “false prophet” (Rev 16:13). In other words, the Beast is Christian in name.

Elsewhere in Revelation, the Power opposing God’s people also claims to be Christian. [Show More]

Other Observations

The following are further observations from Revelation 13:1-2 that are not directly connected to the identity of the Beast:

John described the horns first because they were the existed last.

John first describes the horns and heads and then the beast’s body. Perhaps, as the beast rose from the sea, the horns became visible first, then the heads, and then the body.

Alternatively, John might have looked at these things from a vantage point in the future and saw past events in the reversed chronological sequence. Since the horns were the last to come into existence in Daniel 7, John saw them first. [Show More]

The crowns on the Beast’s horns imply that it rules during the time of the horns of Daniel 7. 

While the Dragon has diadems (an untranslated Greek word, meaning ruler crowns) on its heads (Rev 12:3), the Sea Beast has diadems on its horns (Rev 13:1). The allusions to Daniel 7, listed above, require us to interpret these crowns in terms of Daniel 7:

Daniel 7 has four animals symbolizing four successive empires.

Each had one head, except for the third, which had four heads, symbolizing the four concurrent divisions of the Greek Empire. The heads, therefore, exist during the time of the four empires. Consequently, the crowns on the heads of the Dragon indicate that it ruled during the time of the four empires.

While none of the other animals have horns, the fourth animal has 10 and later 11, symbolizing the fragments into which the Roman Empire divided. The Sea Beast’s diadems on its horns indicate that it ruled during the time of the horns. In other words, it ruled after the fourth empire had fragmented.

In older translations, John stands on the seashore. In the earliest manuscripts, it is the Dragon.  

In some older translations, such as the King James, it is John who stood on the sand of the sea in 13:1, but the earliest manuscripts of Revelation read “he,” which would refer to the Dragon mentioned in the previous verse (Rev 12:17). The context also shows it to be the Dragon:

In Rev 12, the Dragon is involved in a series of wars but suffers defeat in all of them. After the last defeat, it went away to prepare for the war against the remnant of God’s people (Rev 12:17).

In Rev 13, the Dragon, the Sea Beast, and the Land Beast work together (e.g., Rev 13:4; 13:11, 12). If it is the Dragon who stood on the sand of the seashore, then it tells us how the three came together. The Dragon goes to the seashore to secure reinforcements, where it is first joined by the Beast from the Sea (Rev 13:1) and later by the Beast from the Land (Rev 13:11).

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Babylon the Great always exists and symbolizes a timeless principle.

Purpose

This is an article in the series on the identity of “Babylon the Great” (Revelation 17:5). The purpose of the current article is to explain the relationship between Babylon and the evil characters in Revelation 13, namely the dragon, the beast from the sea, the false prophet, and the image of the beast. 

Summary

Babylon sits on a scarlet beast (Rev 17:3). In other words, she is distinct from this beast. The scarlet beast symbolizes the rulers of this world. That she sits on them means that she “reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18).

Babylon is part of the beast.

In Revelation 13, four entities persecute God’s people:

(1) The dragon,
(2) The beast from the sea,
(3) The beast from the earth, and
(4) The image of the beast (Rev 13:1-2, 11, 14).

Babylon is not mentioned at all in Revelation 13, but she must be part of these four entities because:

      • While they persecute God’s people, Babylon is guilty of their blood (Rev 18:24).
      • The three angels (Rev 14:6-11) bring their warning messages during the crisis of Revelation 13 but they announce that Babylon is fallen (Rev 14:8).
      • In the plagues, the dragon, the sea beast, and the false prophet gather together the kings of the world (Rev 16:13-14), but then Babylon is punished (Rev 16:19).

How do they relate?

The question is, how does Babylon relate to the four entities above?

Each of the four entities described in Revelation 13 is a specific organization that exists for a specific period:

      • The dragon (Rev 12:3) is the Roman Empire.
      • The sea beast is the church of the Middle Ages.
      • The false prophet comes into existence when it comes out of the earth and the image of the beast comes into existence when the people of the world create it (Rev 13:11, 14).

In contrast, as indicated by the following, Babylon and her beast always exist:

      • She is guilty of the deaths of all of God’s people (Rev 18:24).
      • She is the “mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (Rev 17:5).
      • She sits on all seven heads of the beast (Rev 17:9), and these heads symbolize seven ages from the time of the prophet Daniel in the 6th century BC to the return of Christ.

That Babylon sits on the scarlet beast (Rev 17:3) is explained as that: “The woman … reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18). Since Babylon and her beast always exist, this is A TIMELESS PRINCIPLE. The dragon, the beast, the false prophet and the image of the beast are specific instances of the Babylonian principle:

For example, the beast from the sea has been identified as the church of the Middle Ages. But Revelation 17 reveals that that beast consisted of two parts: The kings of the earth and false Christianity (the harlot) which dominated them, using them to silence her opponents.

The other articles in this series identify Babylon as false religion. The vision of Babylon sitting on the beast, therefore, symbolizes how religion has always dominated the civil authorities so that she could force people to accept her doctrines.

– END OF SUMMARY –

The Scarlet Beast

After Babylon was briefly mentioned in Revelation 14:8 and 16:19, she is described in much more detail in Revelation 17 and 18. In Revelation 17, she sits on a scarlet beast (Rev 17:3) and is eventually destroyed by that beast (Rev 17:16). In other words, she is distinct from the scarlet beast.

The scarlet beast has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 17:3). Both the heads and the horns are explained as rulers of nations and empires (Rev 17:9-10, 12). In other words, the beast symbolizes the rulers of this world and that she sits on them is explained as that she “reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18). (For the identity of the beast and its heads, see the articles on the beast or on the seven heads.)

Revelation 13

In Revelation 13, four entities persecute God’s people (Rev 13:1-2, 11, 14):

(1) The dragon,
(2) The beast from the sea (often simply called “the beast” (e.g., Rev 19:19),
(3) The beast from the earth (also called the false prophet – Rev 16:13; 19:20), and
(4) The image of the beast.

These entities work together and relate to each other:

The sea beast receives his “power and his throne and great authority” (Rev 13:2) from the dragon and makes the world worship the dragon (Rev 13:4).

The earth beast “exercises all the authority of the first beast” (Rev 13:12) and “makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” (Rev 13:12). (The first beast is the one from the sea.)

Through miracles, the earth beast deceives the people “to make an image to the beast” (Rev 13:14). It is then the image of the beast which kills the people who refuse to accept the mark of the beast (Rev 13:15).

Authority, therefore, passes from the dragon to the beast, from the beast to the false prophet, and from the false prophet to the image of the beast.

Babylon in Revelation 13

Babylon is not mentioned at all in Revelation 13, but, for the following reasons, she must be part of these four entities:

Firstly, while the beast and its allies persecute God’s people (e.g., Rev 13:7; 13:15), Babylon is guilty of their blood: “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (Rev 18:24).

Secondly, the third angel warns against the beast, its image, and its mark (Rev 14:9). In other words, the three angels (Rev 14:6-11) bring their messages during the great end-time persecution of God’s people as described in Revelation 13; when the image of the beast forces people to accept the mark of the beast (Rev 13:16). But then, surprisingly, the second angel announces. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” (Rev 14:8).

Thirdly, in the sixth plague, we again see the dragon, the sea beast, and the false prophet at work. They send forth demon spirits to gather together the kings of the world (Rev 16:13-14). Again, Babylon is not mentioned, but. in the next and final plague, again surprisingly, Babylon receives God’s “fierce wrath” (Rev 16:19).

Babylon, therefore, is not something distinct but an integral part of the other four evil characters described in Revelation 13. The question is:

How do they relate?

Both the scarlet beast of Revelation 17 and the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 have seven heads and ten horns (Rev 13:1; 17:3). Superficially, this seems to indicate that they are one and the same. But if they are the same and if Babylon is distinct from the scarlet beast, then Babylon is also distinct from the sea beast, which would contradict the conclusions above.

Therefore, we propose that the scarlet beast (Rev 17:3) is not the same as the sea beast (Rev 13:1). For one thing, the sea beast is in control and is worshiped by the whole earth (Rev 13:8) while the scarlet beast has an inferior role: The harlot sits on it and reigns over it (Rev 17:3, 18).

Specific Organizations

As discussed in the article – The Seven-Headed Beasts – the four entities in Revelation 13 are specific organizations that come into existence at specific points in history:

The dragon, when it also is described as having seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3), is the Roman Empire.

The article on the seven-headed beasts identifies the sea beast as the 11th horn of Daniel 7 that grows out of the Roman Empire. Another article identifies it further as the church of the Middle Ages. In other words, it no longer exists today but has broken up into the modern denominations. It only exists today in the form of its influence through the present-day denominations and their orthodox doctrines.

The false prophet comes into existence when it comes out of the earth and the image of the beast comes into existence when the people of the world make it (Rev 13:11, 14). These, therefore, are also specific organizations that come into existence at specific points in history.

Babylon Always Exists.

In contrast to these four entities, the following indicates that Babylon and her beast always exist:

She guilty of the deaths of all of God’s people who died for their faith; from Abel onwards: “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (Rev 18:24; cf. 17:6; 19:2).

She is the “mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (Rev 17:5). As the “mother of harlots,” has daughters who also are harlots. Babylon, therefore, is the source of all the evil in the world today, which she passed on to her daughters. Long before the time of Nebuchadnezzar, Moses identified certain practices as abominations (Lev 7:18; 11 cf. Deut 18:9-12). Since the harlot is the mother of the abominations of the earth, she predates Moses. 

Babylon sits on the beast (Rev 17:3) but she also sits on all seven heads of the beast. The seven heads are seven consecutive “kings” (Rev 17:9-10) or empires, which means that Babylon exists during all seven consecutive heads. The article on the seven heads identifies them as seven empires or ages from the time of the prophet Daniel in the 6th century BC to the return of Christ. Babylon, therefore, exists at least from the time of ancient Babylon to the end of the world.

Since Babylon always exists, the scarlet beast on which she sits also always exists. They cannot be limited to a specific time in the past, present or future.

A Timeless Principle

That Babylon sits on the scarlet beast (Rev 17:3) is explained as that: “The woman … reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18). Since Babylon and her beast always exist, this is a worldwide and TIMELESS PRINCIPLE.

The dragon, the beast, the false prophet and the image of the beast are specific organizations. Each exists for a specific period and each of them is one specific instance of the Babylonian principle.

The other articles in this series identify Babylon as religion. The vision of Babylon sitting on the beast, therefore, symbolizes how religion has always dominated the civil authorities to force people to accept her doctrines.

The Beast

The beast from the sea has been identified as the church of the Middle Ages. In Revelation 13, the beast is in charge since all who dwell on the earth will worship it (Rev 13:8). However, Revelation 17 reveals that that beast consisted of two parts: The kings of the earth and false Christianity (the harlot) which dominated them, using them to silence her opponents.

The Babylonian principle also applied in the first three centuries. In those centuries, Babylon (false religion) took the form of emperor worship and other pagan religions which encouraged the empire to persecute God’s people.

In the fourth century, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire and the emperors appointed the church leaders and the church leaders became accountable to the emperor. Thereafter, Christianity evolved and took on the nature of the Roman Empire; thereby adopting the Babylonian principle.

A series of articles on the website explains the development of the church. After the Western Roman Empire divided into the kingdoms of early Europe in the fifth century, the Christian Church remained behind as the remnant of the Roman Empire. Eventually, during the High Middle Ages, the church dominated the kingdoms of Europe and persecuted God’s people through political powers. The alliances between church and state during the Middle Ages was one example of the general principle of the woman (false religion) sitting on (reigning over) the beast (the kings of the world) (Rev 17:3, 18). 

The Image of the Beast

The image of the beast will be a replica of the system during the Middle Ages, namely the unity of the institutional church and the state in such a way that the church will dominate the political rulers. This will be another instance of the Babylonian principle.

The Babylonian Spirit

That the church of the Middle Ages was a form of false religion does not refer to specific doctrines. The clearest characteristic of the Babylonian spirit is the proud and arrogant spirit of persecution; completely dissimilar to that of the humble Servant (Phil 2:5-7). Whenever we see Christians persecuting other Christians, we see the beast in action. Persecution may take various forms.

However, certain doctrines, such as the doctrine that sinners will be tormented eternally, present God as a cruel tyrant and promote that spirit of cruelty.

Final Conclusions

Babylon is part of the dragon, the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth, and the image of the beast.

Babylon and her beast always exist. She and the beast on which she sits symbolizes a timeless principle, namely that religion “ reigns over the kings of the earth.” The dragon, the beast, the false prophet and the image of the beast are specific instances of the Babylonian principle.

Articles in this Series

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