The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – Chapter 13 Series

The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – Chapter 13

I. Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Rev 1

II. Things Which Are – The Church Age – Rev 2-3

III. Things Which Are To Come – Rev 4-22

A. The Throne Of God – Rev 4

B. The Seven Seals Book – Rev 5

C. The First Six Seals Are Opened – Rev 6

D. The Sealing Of The Saved – Rev 7

E. The Lamb Opens The Seventh Seal – Rev 8

The First Four Trumpets Sound

F. Sounding of the Fifth and Sixth Trumpets – Rev 9

G. The Little Book – Rev 10

H. The Measuring Rod – The Two Witnesses – The Seventh Trumpet Sounds – Rev 11

I. The Woman and the Dragon – Rev 12

J. The Beasts – Rev 13

Rev 13:1 (NASB) “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.”

In the King James the second word of this verse is the word “I.” Actually this word here is best tied to the last verse of Chapter 12. The “I” here is not JOHN but rather the Devil or the dragon. The chapter and verse divisions came about later and sometimes the divisions occur in less than perfect places. Here is just such a place.

(a) The dragon stood on the sand of the seashore – v.1

(1) a beast comes out of the sea

If you will recall last week the dragon (Satan) is cast out of heaven. He is cast down under the earth – later he will be cast down into hell. His kingdom and power becomes less and less as God’s power and kingdom become more and more.

Rev 13:1-2 (NASB) “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 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.”

(b) The beast is described –v. 1-2

(1) He has10 horns

*with crowns on them

(2) He has7 heads

*with blasphemous names

(3) He was like a leopard – v. 2

*feet like a bear

*mouth like a lion

This beast is one ugly beast. He has the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. A leopard is a fast sleek animal, a bear is a powerful vicious animal and lion has mouth that devours.

(4) He receives from the dragon – 2 Thess 2:8-10

*power

*his throne

*great authority

Many view this beast as the Anti-Christ. He is also called the “lawless one”. He is identified with the dragon.

2 Th 2:8-9 (NASB) “Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,”

One commentary titles Chapter 13 as “The Unholy Trinity”. The reason he titles this chapter “The Unholy Trinity” is because you find the dragon and two beasts.

The Holy Trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some folks deny what we call the Holy Trinity but the Scriptures clearly teach the three persons of the God head.

The Unholy Trinity is the Dragon, the Anti-Christ, and the False Prophet who will be mentioned later in the chapter.

God the father gave his Son Jesus – all power – his throne – his authority.

The Devil now gives his son the beast – his limited power – his worldly throne – and his limited authority.

Rev 13:3-4 (NASB) “I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"

(c) The wound of the beast – v. 3

(1) on his head

(2) as if he was killed

(3) the fatal wound was healed

Satan’s strategy is to deceive the world. At this point in time the 2 witnesses of God had laid dead in the streets of Jerusalem for some 3 ½ days. At the end of the 3 ½ days they stood on their feet and ascended into heaven. Here the beast receives a deadly wound but is healed. This is the imitation of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as well.