The Beast out of the Sea

 

Revelation 13:1-10:  “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea.” (RSV)

            This “Beast” is said to arise out of the sea.  In 11:7 we find him referred to as the “Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.”  This should be considered as one and the same “Beast.”  (See Commentary at 9:1 “Bottomless Pit”). 

            The fact that this “beast” is like a leopard, bear and lion shows that it represents a Gentile ruler.  Oesterley, in his introduction to the book of 1Enoch says:

The faithful in Israel are spoken of as the sheep, while the Gentiles are symbolized by wild beasts and birds of prey (Charles, Enoch, p. xxv).

 

This tradition dates back at least to Daniel who saw the Gentile rulers as animals.

            Regarding Valerian’s [emperor 253-260 A.D] persecution of Christians: Dionysius says of him:

John received a similar revelation. ‘He was given,’ says the writer, ‘a mouth uttering boasts and blasphemy; he was given authority and forty-two months.’

Note 3: Rev.13.5, slightly misquoted: Dionysius is thinking of the three and a half years of Valerian’s persecution.[1]

 

Clearly Dionysius is calling Valerian “The Beast” of which John spoke in the book of Revelation.  This may indicate a tradition of referring to those who persecuted the Church as ‘Beasts.’

            Eusebius again refers to the persecutors of the Church as beasts:

For when the Great Shepherd had driven away the wild beasts and wolves and every kind of savage creature, and had, as the word of God declares, broken the teeth of the lions, deeming it good that His sons should again come together, it was most proper that he should erect the fold of the flock, in order to shame the enemy and avenger and publicly condemn the crimes of the sacrilegious enemies of God (ibid., 10.4.27.  See Rev. 13:11 also).

 

The Persecutor of the Saints

 

Revelation 13:2:  “The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”

 

            The power behind the persecution of the Saints in the book of Revelation can be traced directly from the Dragon‘s seat of authority, the synagogue, to Beast I, (Revelation 13:1), and from there to Beast II, (Revelation 13:11).

            The Dragon is revealed in 12:9: “The great Dragon, that old Serpent, the Devil and satan.”  However, we have already heard of this character in 2:9-13 and 3:9.

(1) He has a synagogue and a congregation:

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of satan. (Revelation 2:9):

 

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelation 3:9)

 

(2)He has his seat of authority in the synagogue and dwells there:

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, [even] where satan’s seat [is]:  and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13)

 

(3) The Devil, satan, is the persecutor:

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

 

Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where satan dwelleth. (Revelation 2:13c)

 

            The Devil has his seat and dwelling place in the synagogue of those who call themselves “Jews” and are not.  False “Jews” are those who reject Christ: Romans 2:28-9; Galatians 3:16-29; 4:22-31.  From the synagogue, satan initiates his persecution.

(4) The Dragon delegates his power through Beast I:

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. (Revelation 13:2)

 

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?’ (Revelation 13:4)

 

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. (Revelation 13:7)

 

            The spiritual identity of Beast I is scripturally called “The Flesh”.  His visible representation at the time of the writing of Revelation was the fleshly Jewish nation as a spiritual entity and the Roman Empire as a physical entity.  Revelation 13:1-8 describes Beast I in terms of the composite Beast of the book of Daniel, (Daniel 7:4-7)

            The devil’s strategy has always been to work through the lusts of The Flesh.  In Revelation the seat of this power of the Flesh is manifested in the religious power of the synagogue and its congregation.  This power of persecution from the synagogue then flows to the Roman Empire, the political and military power.

            From Beast I the power flows to Beast II, who enforces idol worship.  Beast II symbolizes, visibly, the Roman Puppets set up as Kings and High Priests in Judea; spiritually, on the individual level, he represents The Flesh.  From Revelation 13:11-18 we learn his source of power:

            13:12-He exercises all the power of Beast I;

            13:14-He has power to do miracles “in the sight of” Beast I, (The Flesh), and to make an image to him;

            13:15-He has power to give life to that image. The life of this image was economic power and physical force.

            13:16-17-He causes all to worship Beast I, i.e., Rome/The Flesh.

            Beast II derives his power and purpose from Beast I.  Just as individual idolatry is rooted in self-worship, i.e., indulgence of The Flesh, total adherence to a hierarchy of Church or national government is idolatry on a national level.

            Therefore, the chain of authority for persecution of the Saints is: (1), The Dragon, satan, Devil Þ (2), through the Synagogue, (religion of the unbelieving “Jews”) Þ (3), the Roman Empire Þ (4), the Puppet rulers in Judea.  Even though the persecution came from the Devil through the Roman Empire and its Puppets in Judea, the visible source of the persecution of the Saints in the book of Revelation, as in the rest of the New Testament, is the unbelieving “Jews“.

 

Who is Able To Make War with Him?

 

Revelation 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?” 

 

            “Who is able to make war with him?”  This perhaps echoes the controversy amongst the Jews concerning their peaceful co-existence with the Romans.  Although some devout Jews resisted Roman power to the death over issues of religious observance, yet others allied themselves with the Romans who placed their allies into the High Priesthood and other such positions of politico/religious leadership.  Then these puppet leaders urged their countrymen not to make war with the Romans saying it was suicide to do so.  (See John 11:49-51).

            We have already seen that “Michael and his angels” have made war with this beast and have prevailed, (chapter 12:7-8).  The war is not against an earthly foe and is not to be waged with carnal weapons. Carnal warfare is called “the arm of flesh,” 2 Chronicles 32:8; Jeremiah 17:5; Ezekiel 30:21.  Those who walk after the flesh without discerning the Spirit think it is impossible to make war with the beast.

 

The Beast out of the Earth / Land

 

Revelation 13:11:  “Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth/land.” (RSV)

 

            The “Beast out of the earth/land” represents a ruler from the land of Israel, in contrast to the beast of 13:1.  In his introduction to 1 Enoch, Oesterley says:

The faithful in Israel are spoken of as the sheep, while the Gentiles are symbolized by wild beasts and birds of prey (Charles, Enoch, p. xxv).

From the time of Herod, the Idumean, the people of Judea realized their rulers were not truly of their own nation.  Herod was a “beast” although out of the “land” of Israel.

            This beast, however, only appeared to be a lamb, but actually spoke like a dragon, representative of the devil.  He caused the people to worship the beast of 13:1, the Gentile power.  By the mighty signs and wonders he performed, he caused the people of the land, Israel, to worship and take the mark, the sign of a slave, of the first beast.