The figures
The Beast from the Sea
The dragon stood on the sand of the sea, and a beast came up out of it (Revelation 12:18–13:1). Everything Revelation 13 tells us of it, gathered in one place.
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The scene
Revelation 12 ends with the dragon, defeated in heaven and enraged at the woman, going off to make war on the rest of her offspring. He takes his stand on the sand of the sea (Revelation 12:17–18). Revelation 13 opens with what he calls up from it: a beast with ten horns and seven heads (Revelation 13:1). The two chapters are one scene. The dragon cannot reach the woman or her child, so he works through the beast against those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus.
Revelation 13 then shows a second beast, from the earth, who serves the first (Revelation 13:11–18). Revelation 16 and 19 call him the false prophet (Revelation 16:13; 19:20).
What is revealed about it
| # | Mark | Texts | Authority | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power on loan from the dragon | Revelation 13:2, 4 | Scripture | Read |
| 2 | Built from Daniel's beasts | Revelation 13:1–2; Daniel 7:3–8 | Scripture | Read |
| 3 | A counterfeit resurrection | Revelation 13:3, 12, 14 | Scripture | Read |
| 5 | Boasting and blasphemy | Revelation 13:1, 5–6 | Scripture | Read |
| 6 | Worship demanded | Revelation 13:4, 8, 12, 15 | Scripture | Read |
| 7 | War on the holy ones | Revelation 13:7, 15 | Scripture | Read |
| 8 | Universal reach | Revelation 13:7–8 | Scripture | Read |
| 12 | A limited time | Revelation 13:5 | Scripture | Read |
| 13 | A number that calls for wisdom | Revelation 13:18 | Scripture | Read |
Marks 4, 9, 10 and 11 belong to the beast from the earth, and mark 14 to the faithful; see all the marks.
Taken together
The beast from the sea is a power over the nations (Daniel 7:17), with authority that is not its own (Revelation 13:2), a healing that imitates the Resurrection (Revelation 13:3), and a world that follows it in fascination. Its time is measured (Revelation 13:5), and its end is told: it is captured and thrown into the pool of fire (Revelation 19:20).
Still to come on this page
The other figures of Revelation and Daniel will each have their own page: the dragon, the beast from the earth (the false prophet, whose marks are 4, 9, 10 and 11), the harlot and the scarlet beast of Revelation 17, the three unclean spirits like frogs (Revelation 16:13–14), the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2), and Daniel's beasts and little horn (Daniel 7–12).
The last word
"They will fight with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and king of kings" (Revelation 17:14).