Introduction
There are several beasts in Revelation.
There are the Beast from the Abyss, the Sea Beast, the Land Beast, and the Scarlet Beast on which the Harlot sits (Rev 11:7; 13:1, 11; 17:3). There is also an Image of the Beast, which is the real end-time persecutor of God’s people (Rev 13:14-15). Since it is the Sea Beast’s image, it is also a beast.
Purpose
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, which is the Beast from the Sea (Rev 13:1).
Revelation 13:1-2
The Sea Beast had seven heads and ten horns (Rev 13:1). It receives its appearance and power from four other animals:
13:2 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.
The Dragon stood on the seashore.
According to 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). [Show More]
The Beast is the 11th Horn.
Below, this article argues as follows that Revelation’s Sea Beast is the same as Daniel’s 11th horn:
Firstly, the description of the Sea Beast contains several strong allusions to Daniel 7, implying that it relates to the kingdoms in Daniel 7.
Secondly, there are specific similarities between the Sea Beast and the 11th horn that identify them as one and the same. For example, both are God’s main enemy on earth, persecute God’s people for a time, times, and half a time, and will only be destroyed when Christ returns.
Thirdly, both are the main successor of the Roman Empire, continuing the authority of that empire.
Part of Daniel’s kingdoms
The Sea Beast relates to and is part of the series of kingdoms in Daniel 7. This is indicated by the strong allusions in the description of the Sea Beast to the animals of Daniel 7:
1) Both the Sea Beast and the animals in Daniel 7 come up out of the sea (Dan 7:3).
2) The Sea Beast is described as receiving from four animals (Rev 13:2), and there are four animals in Daniel 7.
3) Three of the animals from which the Sea Beast receives (a lion, a bear, and a leopard) (Rev 13:2) are explicitly the first three animals in Daniel 7 (Dan 7:4-6).
4) The fourth animal from which the Sea Beast receives is a Dragon (Rev 13:2). The fourth animal in Daniel 7 is not named, but its description fits a dragon (Dan 7:7).
5) 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 found 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.
God’s Main Enemy
(a) Both the 11th horn and the Sea Beast are God’s main enemies on Earth. [Show More]
(b) 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).
(c) Both will exist until Christ returns (Dan 7:26-27; Rev 19:11, 20). In other words, both exist during the end-time crisis.
(d) Both persecute God’s people for “a time, times, and half a time” (Dan 7:25; Rev 13:5). The Sea Beast’s period is identified as 42 months (Rev 13:5), but that is the same as the “time, times, and half a time.” [Show More]
Succeeds the Roman Empire.
Both Daniel’s 11th Horn and Revelation’s Sea Beast succeed and continue the power and authority of the Roman Empire:
The 11th Horn – Using animals as symbols, Daniel 7 describes four successive ‘worldwide’ kingdoms. The fourth animal symbolizes the Roman Empire. [Show More]
From the fourth empire, 11 horns grew, symbolizing the kingdoms into which the Roman Empire fragmented. The 11th grew up last, uprooting three of the previous horns. It was the final and most important fragment of the Roman Empire; the continuation of Roman authority. It was small at first but grew in power and eventually dominated the other fragments (kingdoms). It is different from the others because it blasphemes God and persecutes His people, and it will only be destroyed when Christ returns.
The Sea Beast – The same applies to the Sea Beast in Revelation. The previous article identified the Dragon as the Roman Empire. [Show More]
The Sea Beast receives its power and authority from the Dragon (Rev 13:2). Therefore, like the 11th horn, it is the main successor of the Roman Empire, the unique continuation of the power and authority of the Roman Empire.
Since the Sea Beast is the 11th horn, it began to exist after the Roman Empire fragmented. Rev 13:1-2, describing the Sea Beast coming up out of the sea, was the beginning of its existence.
Conclusions
John described the horns first.
Perhaps the horns were the first to become visible as the Beast rose out of the water, or perhaps John described the horns first because they were the last part of the animals of Daniel 7. [Show More]
Crowns on its Horns
While the Dragon has diadems (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 has one head, except for the third, which has 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. That the Sea Beast has diadems on its horns indicates that it rules during the time of the horns. In other words, it ruled AFTER the fourth empire had fragmented.
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.
A Christian Organization.
The term stephanoi (victory crowns of the Olympics) is often used in Revelation to symbolize victory over sin, for example, “the crown (stephanos) of life” (Rev 2:10). But the Sea Beast has “diadems” on its horns. This is an untranslated Greek word, meaning crowns of rulers. In other words, the Sea Beast rules over people.
The Beast received its “power … throne and great authority” from the Dragon (Rev 13:2). A throne symbolizes authority to rule. Since the Beast received its throne from the Dragon (Rev 13:2), it received its authority from the Roman Empire. But it was not military authority. Another article identifies the Beast’s throne as Christian Religious Authority. In other words, the Beast is Christian in name. [Show More]
This article identifies the Beast as a Christian organization that came into existence when the Roman Empire fragmented, also symbolized as the 11th horn in Daniel 7. That 11th horn has already been identified more specifically here.