Revelation 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.
(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.
(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.
(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?
(5)  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.
(6)  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
(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.
(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.
(9)  If any man have an ear, let him hear.
(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.
(11)  And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
(12)  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
(13)  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
(14)  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
(15)  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
(16)  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
(17)  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
(18)  Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Study Questions

read more

1. From Daniel’s use of the word, would you say the “sea” symbolizes nations with their stormy upheavals? Verse 1. (Read Daniel 7:1-8 before answering)

2. What does “blasphemy” mean, and do you have an idea about some of the “names of blasphemy”? Verse 1.

3. What did the dragon give the beast? Verse 2.

4. What possible purpose could John have had to use the imagery of the bear, the lion, and the leopard? Verse 2.

5. How did the whole world respond to the beast? Verse 3.

6. Did the people of the world feel secure while worshipping the beast and were they sincere? Verse 4.

7. Does it make any difference to God what we think or do or who or how we worship so long as we are sincere and honest with ourselves and others? Verse 4.

8. John said four things were given to the beast. What were they? Verses 5-7.

9. Could the beast have had any power without God’s permission? Verses 5-7. (See Romans 13:1, Romans 13:4, and John 19:11)

10. How long was the beast’s power to continue? Verse 5.

11. Are there any who do not obey the beast and pay homage to him by acknowledging him as god? Verses 8-9.

12. Were the saints to follow the world’s method of warfare by resisting with the sword? If they did, what would be the consequences? Verse 10.

13. Do you remember who the dragon was in chapter 12, and who received what came out of his mouth? If so, what could be symbolized by the fact that the second “lamb-like” beast “spake as a dragon” and that he came up out of the earth? Verse 11.

14. Do you think the second beast, later referred to as “the false prophet,” could have represented paganism in the Roman Empire in its emperor worship or Caesar cult, insisting that the earth-dwellers worship the state symbolized in the emperor? Verse 12.

15. Do you think the second beast was able to really perform miracles or was it false, imitation miracles? Verses 13-14.

16. According to some historians, the Caesar cult fell out of favor after Nero’s death but was reactivated during Domitian’s reign (A.D. 81-96). Could this have been the way the “deadly wound” was healed? Verses 12-14.

17. How did the earth-beast give life to the image of the beast (emperor)? Was it through ventriloquism or some other magical art? Or was it the function of the earth-beast (cult?) to make emperor worship live and speak the mind of the empire? Verse 15.

18. Could a Christian worship the image and what would be the consequences if he did not? Verse 15.

19. Do you think the “mark of the beast” was to be a literal stamp or brand impressed upon the hand or forehead? Could it refer to belief (forehead) and practice (hand) of false religion? Verses 16-17.

20. Was it likely that the Christian who refused the mark would be discriminated against, and could this have caused the scarcity or even starvation signified in the opening of the third seal in Revelation 6:6? Verse 17.

21. Do you have an idea, or have you heard of anyone who claims to know who or what is represented by the number of the beast - 666? Verse 18.

22. Hailey points out that in the original text, there is no definite article in the phrase “for it is the number of a man.” So, it would literally read: “For it is the number of man.” Six falls below the sacred seven—it can never be seven or perfect, thus symbolizing the imperfect, that which is human and destined to fail. Do you have a better explanation? Is it possible to exercise wisdom and understanding?