Revelation Chapter 13: The Beasts from the Sea and Land
Introduction Chapter 13 continues John’s account of signs of events that began in chapter 12, presenting prophecies of two beasts, one coming out of the sea and the other out of the earth, both of which continue the persecution of believers that he describes in chapter 12. The two beasts receive their power from the dragon in chapter 12. We noted in 11:7 that the beast of the earth comes from the Abyss, and we will see later (chapter 19) that the beast will form an alliance with the “…kings of the earth…,” but will meet his end in the lake of fire. The Exposition In the beginning of chapter 13, John sees a being, a “…beast…,” arising from the sea (vv. 1-4): 1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast h
