The First Beast of Rev 13

Revelation Chapter 13 is one of the most fascinating chapters in the book of Revelation. In it we find the following: (1) the beast with seven heads and ten horns, (2) the beast with two horns like a lamb, (3) the image of the beast, and (4) 666, the mark of the beast. God has given me a fascinating revelation of what these all mean and how they fit together. I would like to share this revelation with my readers, but first I will need to lay some groundwork.

The safest way to interpret Scripture is with Scripture. I will do this regarding Revelation 13 by drawing mostly from Romans chapters 5 through 8. I will not be giving my opinion here but will be showing how God has made a picture for us in Rev. 13 of the truths stated in Romans 5 through 8. There have been many interesting theories of what these beasts, the image and the mark all mean. I don’t intend to say that I have the only interpretation, but I believe the one I have was truly revealed to me by God through many hours of Bible study and prayer.

Along with using Scripture to interpret Scripture, I will be using a perspective that not many today have understood but that was widely used by the early Church Fathers. This perspective involves viewing this passage as something inward rather than outward. Rather than there being a literal beast rising up out of the literal sea, or perhaps nations and governments as others have conjectured, we will see that this beast represents something inside all of us. When Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” he revealed a great key for us to use in understanding the deeper levels of Scripture. This is not to say there cannot be an outward interpretation for Scripture, but I am using an inward one for the truths being presented here. All that we see in the systems of this world have sprung up out of what is inside of humankind. So we see that what is inside is the most important.

With these two principles in mind, let us turn now to the first three verses of Revelation 13:

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

The third verse in this passage holds the key to the identity of this beast…the head that was wounded unto death and then healed. Is there someone or something in the Bible (other than Jesus) that was dead and then was made alive? Yes, there is! Before we get to that, though, we need to understand that everything in this Revelation chapter is symbolic. This beast does not literally have seven heads. In deeply symbolic scriptural passages, numbers are to be interpreted spiritually rather than numerically. “Seven” has more than one spiritual meaning. It can mean “spiritual perfection and completion” and it can mean “to swear an oath” or quite literally “to seven oneself.”

Here are the related scriptures that identify this beast:

Paul said in Romans 7, “For without the law sin was dead.” (This is the beast with his head wounded to death.) “…but when the commandment came, sin revived…” (His deadly wound was healed.)

These two verses from Romans show us just who this beast is…the law of sin. This is speaking of the curse of original sin that all of us were born with. We all have the tendency to choose sin. Jesus Christ, through his death and resurrection, gave us the power to resist this tendency, but it is still within us. We overcome it through our own death to self and the inward resurrection life we experience as we do so. However, that thing is still within us. Truly it is a beast and has been responsible for all the wars and suffering experienced by all humankind down through the ages. No one has been able to escape this inward tendency. The only one born without it was Jesus Christ who was conceived, not with the seed of Adam, but by the Holy Spirit. And yet even without the law of sin operating within, the Bible tells us he was still subject to temptations but never gave in to them.

The Scripture states “one of his heads,” however, the word “one” also means “first.” “Heads” also means in the Greek “in the sense of seizing; the part most readily taken hold of.” We know that sin doesn’t literally have heads, however we know that the first thing we notice about it when we become aware of it is that it has seized us. It has seized everyone.

John, the writer of Revelation, states that he was standing on the sand of the sea when he saw this beast. Not everyone is able to see the beast. Paul didn’t see it until the law came and he realized what sin was and how it had seized his own life. The “sea” symbolically represents the “restless desires of the flesh.” A Christian who wants to love and serve God becomes aware at some point that what he wants to do and what he actually does are two different things. Paul states this in Romans 7:19-23:

“For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”

This is the Christian dilemma that all sincere Christians face in life. There is something in us that seems out of our control. This is the law of sin that operates in us and seems to have its own life apart from ours. It dwells in the restless desires of our flesh, and we have to stand against this beast. Only by our union with Jesus Christ are we able to keep it under control.

I find this understanding to be very helpful. When I want to do something God has told me not to do, I think about my desire as being from the beast and not from my own self. This helps me say no to it.

Let’s continue on with our scriptural passage and see what more we can learn about this great enemy within. John saw that it had “ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns.” In Scripture, horns represent power and crowns speak of authority and rule. The number ten means “completeness of order.” This shows us that this law of sin does have power and it does influence the hearts and minds of all persons on earth and every living creature. It is so complete that nothing escapes it.

This knowledge helps us know that we can “hate the sin” and “love the sinner.” I recently read a book entitled Tortured for Christ about Christians who are imprisoned and tortured in communist countries because of their belief in Christ. These Christians love and pray for those who torture them even though their captors have been responsible for ruining the lives of both them and their families. Because of this love, many of their captors have become Christians. These Christians are able to separate the person torturing them from the beast within that drives them to do it. Only in Jesus Christ is this kind of love possible!

The Scripture further defines this beast as the law of sin when it says that “upon his heads” he had “the name of blasphemy.” Certainly sin blasphemes God. It stands totally against all of Scripture and everything God is and desires for us to be.

The second verse in this passage will show us more about this law of sin:

Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

How is the law of sin like a leopard? We go to the Scriptures and find that in Jeremiah we are told that a leopard cannot change its spots. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” We cannot change the law of sin within us. It is there and although we can resist it through Jesus, we cannot make it better or make it go away. So the law of sin is like a leopard because we cannot change it.

“His feet are as the feet of a bear.” The definition of the Greek word for “bear” is, “a bear as obstructing by ferocity.” The law of sin does not have heads as I said earlier, and it does not have feet. However, it lives in humans, and we have feet. Our feet speak of our walk through life. Our walk in life is obstructed by this law of sin within us. It keeps us from doing what we want to do and makes us do what we don’t want to do. As Paul said, “I find a law then, that when I would do good, evil is present with me” (Rom. 7:21).  Sin definitely obstructs our lives.

“His mouth was as the mouth of a lion.” The only mouth the law of sin has is the one we give it. We can say words that tear other people apart even as a lion tears apart his prey with his powerful jaws. A powerful ruler can speak words with his mouth and send millions of people to their death (as Hitler, Stalin, Mao and other wicked rulers have done). We Christians want to speak words of peace and love, but sometimes we say things that cause great hurt to others around us. When we pray and seek to become more like Jesus, he helps us overcome this tendency.

The next thing verse 2 tells us about this beast is that the dragon gives him his power and authority. The dragon is the Devil as stated in Rev 20:2, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” The power behind the sin nature is the Devil. We Christians have great reason for rejoicing, though, because Jesus Christ has overcome the Devil and in him we also can overcome.

At this point I have interpreted the first three verses of Revelation 13 with the exception of the last clause of verse three which states, “and all the world wondered after the beast.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says “wondered” can mean “influenced.” The entire world is influenced by the beast. There is nothing alive on earth that is not in some way influenced by sin. The next verse tells us more about this.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

True believers in Jesus Christ can be influenced by sin but they don’t worship it. However, the rest of the world does, and there are many who actually do worship the Devil. When they meet in their satanic rituals, they sin in every way conceivable. They do all they can to let the beast manifest himself in and through them by fornicating, murdering, abusing children and breaking every biblical injunction they possibly can.

To worship, proskuneo in Greek, means “to fawn or crouch to or prostrate oneself in homage.” People bow to kings and world rulers and become their servants. Spiritually if we give in to sin, we become its servant. Rom 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” We are all someone’s servant. If we serve sin, we are under bondage to it. If we serve Jesus Christ, we find freedom and well being from being his servant.

To ask, “Who is like the beast” is to say “Who is really sinful?” One big lie of the Devil that has been swallowed by our society in America says, “Human beings are basically good. If we educate them and make them comfortable by meeting their needs then there will be no more crime. We will have utopia on earth. People aren’t really sinful. Deep down inside everyone is naturally good.”

We find the truth in the Bible where we read that the nature of man is basically evil. Of course, it takes a little humility to accept this about ourselves but anyone with eyes to see knows this is true. Even little children display this truth. That’s why children say and do such hurtful things to each other. We see it in the animal kingdom. Set a bowl of food in front of a dog and he starts to eat. Set another bowl just like it beside him for another dog, and he’ll leave his own bowl to eat the other dog’s food. They might even get into a fight over it even though there is plenty for both.

This false belief that man is basically good leads to the rejection of the Ten Commandments and all other biblical injunctions. People think they can decide what is good and what is evil based on their circumstances and their society. This lie is so widely accepted in our world today, even by so called Christians who attend church regularly, that they believe it is okay for unmarried couples to live together because “everyone is doing it so it must be okay.”

The next question by those who worship the beast is, “Who is able to make war with him?” In other words, “Who is able to stand against the sin nature?” Those who are not sincere Christians fall away from the battle against their own sin nature by saying, “Well, that’s just the way I am. I’ve always been this way and I can’t change. Get used to my anger. Accept my bad moods because this is just the way I am.”

Moving ahead to the next verse:

Rev 13:5,6 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Human beings give the law of sin a mouth. It is out of our mouths that great boasts and blasphemies against God are articulated. Sincere Christians would not purposely speak against God, but others are likely to do so. Blasphemy goes beyond cursing and saying actual words against God. What about all the movies and TV shows aired 24/7 that present the message that God does not exist, there are no consequences for sin, fowl language is acceptable and people can have sex anytime they want with whomever and there are no bad repercussions? Christians are usually presented as inferior, bungling people and when the drama turns out alright it is never because someone prayed. All of life appears to work well without God.

We all know the law of sin has been in operation far longer than 42 months. When dealing with a scriptural passage that is so symbolic, numbers are not to be interpreted literally. “Months” just indicate a period of time. The number “42” is the number of the Antichrist. This blasphemy against God has been going on since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden. Antichrist is not just one person. It is more than that. It is a spirit that has been present since original sin. The word “Antichrist” only appears five times in Scripture…four in 1^st John and one in 2^nd John. The last days are to be marked by a great and obvious manifestation of this Antichrist spirit.

The Devil spoke the first blasphemous words when he said to Eve after she told him they were not allowed to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” I like what the NLT says here, “You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. “God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”

The Devil was speaking against God and accusing him of having evil motives for the command he gave Adam and Eve. God gave the command out of love to protect them. That was the first blasphemy against God and it has been going on ever since.

Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

I used to feel fearful when reading this verse. The idea that the beast would make war with me and overcome me didn’t seem consistent with the promises of God as I understood them. However, knowing that the beast is the law of sin sets me free from this apprehension.

The law of sin does make war against the minds and hearts of those of us who love and seek God…and we don’t win every battle. Sometimes we are overcome by it because it is impossible to be completely free from its influence. However, the Lord is with us. He forgives us and his grace sees us through. He has given us power in that when we pray and stand against it, we do have power over it with God’s help. However, the rest of the world, all those who do not love and serve Jesus, are under its power.

Rev 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

God has designed all human beings with the need to worship something. We are worshippers by nature. If we are not worshiping the One True God, we are worshiping some false god…but make no mistake about it, we all worship something. Because of our fallen nature, we find that sin is enjoyable. Overindulging in sweets and unhealthy, fattening foods is enjoyable. Some find that sex whenever and with whomever one desires is enjoyable. Casting off all restraints and being our own boss is enjoyable to some. However, all these things cause us to become enslaved to sin and the Devil who is the power behind it.

Some people worship demons as they submit to false religions designed by the Devil to keep them enslaved to him. In the Bible we read how they went up into the hills and bowed to Asherah poles and other altars erected to demons. Today people are more sophisticated in that they build fancy buildings and shrines in which to worship their false gods. Some worship their money, their family or even themselves. God’s word here is very true and not to be taken lightly…everyone is a worshipper. If we are not worshipping the One True God, the Lord Jesus Christ, then we are worshipping the beast.

Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

Only those who have spiritual ears, ears that have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, will understand what is being revealed to us here in the Scriptures. Hearing in the Bible always includes obeying. If we are truly spiritual people, we will understand and obey what the Holy Spirit is teaching us.

Rev 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Here is a wonderful promise to God’s faithful. This law of sin that has taken all humanity captive, along with all living creatures, will himself be taken captive. There will come a day when God will say, “Enough!” and the sin nature will be destroyed. We won’t always have to contend with it. This is a promise for those of us living in the end times who are committed to go all the way with God into his fullness. As we press into God, there will come a time when this sin nature in us will be annihilated by God. God will do the work but our cooperation is required. We must love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and our neighbor as our self. We must develop a deep and abiding relationship with God and walk in obedience, purity and righteousness. As we do so, there will be a door opening before us that no other human being has been allowed to enter. We know that God took Enoch because he pleased him. We know that Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. These are exciting historical accounts. However, there is something laid up for the saints of the end times that will be greater than any human being has been allowed to experience. I encourage my readers to search the Scriptures prayerfully and diligently to see what the Holy Spirit wants to reveal to those who are diligently seeking him.

I hope by now you are convinced that this first beast is indeed the law of sin. All the verses related to him in this passage fit together to support this interpretation. When I write about the second beast in my next article, you will see that this also supports my interpretation of the law of sin as being the first beast. The second beast works with the law of sin. I encourage you to read Romans 5 – 8 and find out for yourself just who the second beast is. Don’t be afraid to dig into this difficult passage using the keys I have supplied here and see what you can find in the rest of this chapter. You will be greatly rewarded.