Revelation 13:1-2 says, “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”
What I want to do is answer the question: who or what is this beast? At first glance you may think this is Satan, because, when you compare Revelation 13:1 with Revelation 12:3, there are certainly many similarities between this beast and the dragon. But I can tell you this beast is not Satan. In order to answer this question, we have to start in Daniel 7, which will lay a foundation to help us understand Revelation 13, and I hope you like history, because this lesson is full of it. So, if you’re reading this open you Bible to Daniel 7, take a moment, and read through verses 1-8.
What I want to do is briefly explain these eight verses. After that, I want to show you the connection to the beast in Revelation 13 and these four beasts in Daniel 7. What you’re going to see this morning is that much of Daniel’s vision in chapter 7 is correlated to John’s revelation in chapter 13; one will not make sense without the other.
First, I want you to notice that in Daniel’s dream there were four beasts.
There was a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a fourth beast that was so terrifying Daniel doesn’t even give us a visual of what this beast resembled. Also, each beast is not to be taken literally. When Daniel has this vision he uses the word “like” before explaining the beast he saw. For example, in verse 4, Daniel wrote, “The first was like a lion…”. What I mean is this: Daniel is explaining each beast in terms of earthly animals. The point being this: each beast is meant to represent something. That being the case, the question becomes: what do these four beasts represent? And that’s what I am going to show you now.
According to my studies, each beast is representative of a king and that king’s empire, and each empire the beast represents has ruled over Israel at some point in history. (If you like history, especially ancient history regarding Israel, then you’ll find this interesting. In fact, what I am about to show you, proves how accurate the Bible is and how the Bible is a self-fulfilling book.)
The lion in verse 4 represents the strength and majesty of the empire Babylon whose king was Nebuchadnezzer who ruled over Israel for 70 years, which was prophesied by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 25:11. The lion having his wings plucked off represents the humbling of Nebuchadnezzer. And the lion being transformed into a man is symbolic of Nebuchadennzar’s restoration, if you’re familiar with the story.
By the way, it was during this Babylonian period that Daniel had this vision. The beasts that Daniel records from this point represent future empires that will rule Israel, according to Daniel 7:17. And while they are future empires for Daniel, they are past empires for us.
The bear in verse 5 represents the power and voracity of the Persian empire during the time of King Cyrus. The fact this bear had three ribs in its mouth is symbolic of other empires the Persians conquered, one of which was the Babylonian empire. They conquered Babylon in 539B.C, and took over ruling Israel, which was prophesied by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 25:12. And it was during this Persian empire that Israel would return to their homeland to begin to rebuild Jerusalem as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
Now we come to the third beast, which is found in verse 6. This beast is a four headed leopard who is also part bird. Its four heads represent the ability to see in all four directions at one time. The fact that it has the body of a leopard represents ferociousness and brutality and savagery and violence. The wings are symbolic of speed and quickness. This beast represents the Greek empire, specifically during the reign of Alexander the Great, who was known for having taken over the world by age 32, and would rule over Israel after the Persians.
Finally, we come to the fourth beast found in verse 7. This beast is so terrifying, Daniel cannot describe it in terms of earthly animals. He describes this beast as “dreadful”, “exceedingly strong”, with “great iron teeth”, and “different from all the beasts that were before it.” According to my studies, this beast represents the Roman Empire during the time of Julius Caesar. The Roman Empire under Julius Caesar was more ruthless and more powerful than any empire that ruled Israel. They also ruled Israel longer and influenced Israel more than all the other empires before them. Up to that point in history, the world had never seen anything like the Roman Empire. And it was under this empire that our Lord, Jesus Christ, was crucified.
But this fourth beast also had “ten horns”.
There are a couple thoughts here. Some believe the ten horns symbolizes the extreme power of the Roman Empire, and that could be; the Roman empire lasted for 1,000 years. However, I do not believe that. I think the “ten horns” attached to this fourth beast represents ten different rulers/kings and their world empires/kingdoms that arose after the Roman Empire. And the reason I believe that is because Daniel says in verse 24, “As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise.” The “ten horns” are the “ten kingdoms” that “shall arise” (future tense).
Now we come to verse 8 where we are told about an eleventh horn.
Daniel says that as he was thinking over the ten horns “there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Based on that we can conclude this horn is very different from the others. The question is now: who or what is this eleventh horn?
Let’s begin by looking at some further details from Daniel in regards to this little horn.
First, we know that the ten horns represent ten kingdoms that will rise after the Roman Empire, therefore we can conclude this horn represents a king and kingdom that is to come. According to Daniel 7:20, it will be a king and kingdom that is greater than the other ten kingdoms before it. According to Daniel 7:24, this king “shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down the three kings (three horns)”. Which simply means this king or world leader will rise to power at the expense of three other world leaders. According to Daniel 7:25, the little horn represents a world leader who has a mouth that will “speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” This tells us this world leader will be evil. A world leader who slanders God. A world leader who will successfully make war on those who are followers of Jesus for a period of three-and-a-half years, which is a reference to the Great Tribulation period. And this gives us an idea who this “little horn” is: this “little horn” is none other than the Antichrist.
So, according to Daniel 7, the Antichrist is this little horn. He and his kingdom will be different from any other king and kingdom the world has ever known. He will rise to revive and restore the great Roman Empire, and will do so at the expense of three other world leaders and their empires. He will be a great political influencer. His kingdom will be an evil one. He will slander God and will oppress those who believe in Jesus. And he will do this for the last remaining three-and-a-half-years of the Tribulation period.
And that’s where Revelation 13 comes in. You see, what Daniel is describing is the rise of the Antichrist, which happens in Revelations mid-tribulation, and is actually being described in Revelation 13:1-2: “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power his throne and great authority.”
The “little horn” of Daniel 7 is the beast of Revelation 13 and is the Antichrist as he is rising to power.
At this point in Revelation the Antichrist becomes Satan incarnate, which is why John sees the Antichrist in the likeness of a beast; the Antichrist will take on the beast nature of the dragon, who is Satan. Up to this point the Antichrist has been merely influenced by Satan. But after Satan loses his battle with Michael in the second heaven and is cast down to earth, he will then dominate the body of the Antichrist. Also, at this point the Antichrist has been merely rising to political power, but as you will see, its mid-tribulation when his rise to power reaches its highest.
When John says that he sees “the beast rising from the sea” he means the Antichrist will rise above the people and nations of the earth.
In the Bible the word “sea” often represents a multitude of people or nations. For example, Psalm 65:7 says, “Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the people.” The “roaring..seas” is a reference to “the tumult of…people”, meaning a crowd or mob of people that’s as great in multitude as the ocean. So when John sees “the beast rising from the sea” he sees the Antichrist rising and becoming greater than all the people of the earth at the mid-way point of the Tribulation, and he will do this through political means. According to Dr. David Jeremiah, based on Daniel 7:20, this man “will be strikingly attractive..(have a) magnetic personality, speaking ability, and extreme good looks (that) will make him virtually irresistible to the masses.”
John also sees the “beast” having “seven heads.”
According to my reading this week, the seven heads signify six of the empires that once dominated Israel and the seventh signifies an empire that will dominate Israel in the future. From the Old Testament, including the book of Daniel, we know the six empires that once dominated Israel are: Egypt (Book of Exodus), Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome (Daniel). All these empires conquered and ruled Israel at one point in history.
The seventh empire to come is one that has not yet happened. This future seventh empire is what scholars call revived Rome. It is believed that the old Roman Empire that was once so great will again be revived and restored after the rapture, and when it does it will be an even greater empire than the ancient Roman one; an empire and kingdom our world has never witnessed before.
Then, John sees the “beast…with ten horns”.
These are the same ten horns Daniel saw in chapter 7. These horns are ten nations that will arise after the rapture and form a coalition, and essentially become one great empire – the revived Roman Empire. Many scholars believe these ten nations will be from Europe, and that these ten nations will come together to form a United States of Europe, and form a European Economic Market or to put it differently: a one world economy.
Just so you know, this United States of Europe and one world economy is already in the works. From my research a one world economy was first proposed in 1969. So, a one world economy is nothing new, it’s something that mankind has been trying to work towards in the name of world peace.
Many scholars believe that the European Union could very well be these ten horns; or, at least these ten nations will come out of the European Union post rapture. If you think about it, the EU exists to create political and economic union, mainly in Europe. They even have their own currency called the euro. This union could very easily come together and create a one world empire post rapture.
Other scholars think these ten nations could arise from what we call the United Nations today. It was formed in 1945 and many say it is the world’s only truly universal global organization. Its chief purpose is to maintain international peace and security. And they believe that because when the Antichrist begins to rise he will run on a campaign to bring world peace, but his true motives will be hidden.
We don’t know how these ten nations will arise, but I believe steps are being taken now, but will not come to fruition until after the rapture, to create this one world empire and economy. So if you are a believer, you will never see this. But you will see and are seeing things happening in our current events that are leading up to this.
We also see that on the beast’s horns are “ten diadems.”
The ten diadems are ten crowns. In the Bible crowns represent rulership, authority, and sovereignty. What this means is that Antichrist will rule those ten nations that will come together to create the United States of Europe and rule over the one world European Economic Market. Again, just reinforcing the fact that the Antichrist, when he rises to power, will be one of great political influence who will one day rise and become the world’s leader, and lead these ten nations and the world’s economy.
By the way, this is what Daniel was seeing when he witnessed the “little horn” rising up. He was seeing the Antichrist rising to power to rule over the ten nations that would come to form a one world empire/government and economy. So the Antichrist will be the sovereign ruler and authority over the revived Roman Empire that will come post rapture.
John also tells us that on the seven heads of the beast are “blasphemous names.”
What that means is the revived Roman Empire of the Antichrist will be a kingdom that opposes God. A kingdom that slanders God. An empire that smears the name of God. An empire that defames and belittles the name of God. This is the same thing that Daniel saw in Daniel 7:25 – “He shall speak words against the Most High.”
Then John tells us that when he saw the beast it “was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.”
These are the same beast that Daniel mentions in Daniel chapter 7, except here in Revelation 13 they are all combined to create one beast. In other words, the beast John sees here is a combination of those previous empires put together and tells us just how great this revived Roman Empire shall be.
What John is seeing is a beast that represents a restored and revived Roman Empire that will have all the strengths of those empires mentioned in Daniel 7. The future empire of the Antichrist will have the keenness and quickness of the leopard (Greek empire), the voracity of the bear (Persian empire), and the power of the lion (Babylonian empire). Again, this empire will be an empire like the world has never seen.
And lastly, we discover the source of the beast’s authority.
John says, “And to it the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and his authority.” The beast, who is the Antichrist, will receive his power to rule from the dragon, who is Satan. Ultimately, it’s Satan working through the Antichrist. The Antichrist is nothing more than an instrument for Satan to work through. Which tells us that the revived Roman Empire that arises after the rapture will be an evil, godless, and wicked one; one that opposes all things Jesus.
So in summary, after the rapture there will arise ten nations that will form an evil and godless revived Roman Empire with the power of the great empires before it to form a one world economy. This empire will rise to its full power mid-tribulation. And the Antichrist will be its sovereign ruler and authority, whom Satan will work through to influence the world, blaspheme God, and oppress followers of Jesus.
I want to close this morning by reminding you of four things:
Reminder 1: The reason all this is important is because everything taking place in our world today is leading up to events like what we are talking about in Revelation.
Remember, the next major event on God’s prophetic timeline is the rapture. But after the rapture, life in many ways will go on. The current events taking place today are preparing the way for two things: First, the rapture of the church; and secondly, a one world empire and economy post-rapture, that will be ruled by the Antichrist. Revelation is important because it helps us to see why events today are happening as they are.
Reminder 2: The spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world.
1 John 2:18 tells us, “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” As I have told you many times now: Satan is not waiting till the church is raptured to do his bidding. He is in the world working now through the spirit of the antichrist. In an effort to deceive as many as he can to keep them from being saved, and having a personal relationship with Christ, and making ready to revive the Roman empire.
Reminder 3: Because the spirit of the antichrist is already at work in the world, you must be careful and test every spirit.
We are told in 1 John 4:1 to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” Then, John tells us how to test those spirits. He tells us, “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (1 John 4:2-3). John also wrote, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). He also said, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 7). So any person who denies that Jesus is God, denies that Jesus is the Son of God, denies that Jesus is the Christ (only means of salvation), and denies the return of Jesus, has the spirit of the antichrist. And folks, there are many deceivers in our pulpits today that deny those very doctrines and all themselves Christian.
Reminder 4: And lastly, keep in mind that although the spirit of the antichrist is at work in the world now, and will eventually build this great revived Roman empire after the rapture, he already stands defeated.
I want to close with that point because I don’t want you to hear all this and leave without hope. Yes, the spirit of the Antichrist is in the world now and deceiving many. Yes, Satan is influencing this world towards evil. Yes, they are working now to build this great empire we have spoken of today, which explains many of our current events. Yes, this great empire will arise post rapture. But one day, post rapture, this great empire will wage war against Christ at the great battle of Armageddon, and it will be there that this great empire ruled by the Antichrist will fall. On that day, the Antichrist and Satan will be forever thrown into the lake of fire, where they will be tormented day and night.
And so Christian, do not lose hope by our world events. Everything that is happening is happening according to God’s timeline. God has given us a book that we might know what events will come and why, that we might not be a people without hope. Let’s pray.