Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
rising up out of the sea- Rev 17:15 this is the gentile peoples
seven heads and ten horns- Rev 17:12 Dan 7, this is ten kings, the 7 might represent the 7 hills Rome is built upon. Rome being the center of the world. Also the 7 heads represents 7 rulers Rev 7:10-11
Dan 7 a lion=Babylon, bear=Media-Persia, leopard=Greece terrible beast= the Antichrist
gave him- Three things, power throne, authority, all from Satan.
3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
Satan could not resurrect the dead, but this is as close to it, but still amazing.
mortally wounded-Later in the passage we see it was hurt by a sword, how and why we do not know.
all the world marveled- What power, we must follow someone like this, he can save us!
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
5-6 –Isa 14:14
7-8 Dan 7:23, 2 Thess 2:4,
make war with the saints- The world is divided into 2 groups and the believers will lose.
have not been written- All unbelievers will worship him.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Jer 15:2, 43:11, Matt 26:52. The meaning is this, during this time there are those who will be sent to prison, and what not, but the believers are not to fight, because if so they will die, instead the believer must put faith in God and allow it to happen. Situational ethics.
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev 19:20, 20:10
out of the earth-another way of saying that he is a gentile, some say Jew, but there is no proof of that.
horns like a lamb-he is gentle, kind, not for war. Powerful speaker. Here Satan is setting himself up as God. The prophet, the antichrist and Satan.
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Matt. 24:15, Dan. 11:45, and 2 Thes. 2:4.
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
a mark- something that will clearly identify whose side they are on.
buy or sell- total control, Satan has the world worshiping him
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
First Baptist Church Delmar 