Political Beast

Revelation 13:1-10

¹And 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. ²And 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. ³One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. ⁴And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” ⁵And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. ⁶It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, ⁸and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. ⁹If anyone has an ear, let him hear: ¹⁰If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain.

Throughout the Scriptures, Satan tries desperately to look like God. Now we see that he is attempting to mirror the Holy Trinity with a trinity of his own. In Revelation 12 we found the “Red Dragon” which is Satan himself. Now in chapter 13 we meet the “beast of the sea” and the “beast of the earth”. Using this unholy trinity Satan seeks to deceive everyone into believe he is the true power, leading people to bow down and worship him.

The focus of these verses for today is this ‘beast of the sea’, who emerges bearing the markers of power. This beast represents any and all political powers that have (and will) risen up to rain tyranny down upon the people of the earth, especially God’s people. History is replete with these ruthless leaders and we can compile a long list rather quickly.

“After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, Rome continued to serve as the type and model of such tyrannical powers that would arise in the future. In light of this history, the interpretation includes Rome but also must be broadened: the beast represents and symbolizes every human authority and everything of the human nature that the dragon can corrupt and control and use in his warfare against the woman (the church) and her seed (individual Christians): political, governmental, social, economic, philosophical, and educational systems, as well as individuals. No one entity or person at a given time in history will exhaust what the beast signifies. While a personage like Hitler or Stalin might for a time and in a particular region epitomize what the beast represents, that personage also would not exhaust such representation. Other human forces and people too would be at work under, beside, or apart from such typical fulfillments of what the beast symbolizes. And what the beast signifies will be worldwide at all times, and not present only where an epitomized human individual or human organization exists at the moment. During the lifetime of John and afterward the Roman Empire was at times so diabolical and terrifying in its opposition to Christianity and the church, it would become a model and type of all succeeding tyrannical governments and human powers and peoples, just as Babylon had been.”

Brighton, L. A. ©1999. Revelation (pp. 352–353). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Pub. House.

I wish I could say that Christians are exempt from the suffering this beast brings in its wake, but we are not. In fact during the days of John, while he writes these words, Christians were daily killed for nothing more than being Christian. Lest we become too smug, that is happening today as well. When evil rules, everyone suffers. What seems to be happening today is that we are attempting to stomp out these tyrants with military or economic power. That may work for a season, but someone else will always rise up to take their place. Once again, the Christian has no recourse other than to look directly for God’s protection and help. And while this may seem fatalistic, I believe it holds to Scripture: if I die, I die in Christ. He is my Rock and Fortress up to and including my death.