Rev. David Holwick
Study Notes
November 30, 1991
Revelation 13
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Commentators: Beasely-Murray (BM)
Hendriksen (Hend)
Johnson (Jo)
Mounce (Moun)
I. Context of passage. [Jo]
A. Continues theme of the persecution of God's people.
1) A contest is going on to seduce the whole world to worship the beast.
2) Even the followers of Jesus are not immune. [Jo]
B. Three things are emphasized about the first beast. [Minear(jo)]
1) The conspiracy of the dragon with the beast. 12:3-4
2) Their universal success in deceiving the whole world to worship them. 13:3-4,8
3) Their partnership will succeed in a temproary defeat of the saints of God,
thus accomplishing the greatest blasphemy of God. 13:6-7a
C. The beast from the earth. [Jo]
1) He rounds off the "Unholy trinity."
2) He is enough like the Lamb to entice even the followers of Jesus.
3) He performs miraculous signs just like the two witnesses do.
a) Compare 13:13 with 11:5.
4) Readers are called to discern the criteria that will enable them to separate
the lamblike beast from the Lamb himself. (13:11 with 14:1)
II. The identification of the beast.
A. Pertinent facts about the beast: [Jo]
1) He rises from the sea.
2) He resembles the dragon.
3) He has composite animal features. 13:2
4) He is empowered by the dragon. 13:2
5) He has one head wounded to death but healed. 13:3-4,7b-8
6) He blasphemes God and God's people for 42 months. 13:5-6
7) Makes war against the saints and kills them. 13:7a,15
8) Gives a mark to his followers which is either his name or his number, 666.
13:16-18
B. Personal or some other entity?
1) A person.
a) Early interpreters. [Jo]
1> Epistle of Barnabas (AD 700-100?) identifies him with the little horn of
Daniel 7:24.
2> The Didache (early second cent?) refers to a "world deceiver [who] will appear
in the guise of God's Son. He will work 'signs and wonders' and the earth
will fall into his hands and he will commit outrages such as have never
occurred before" (16.4).
3> Justin Martyr (d. 165) looked for the appearance in his lifetime of the
Antichrist prophesied by Danel, who would reign for three and a half years
according to Daneil 7:25 (Dialogue 32; ANF, 1:210).
4> Irenaeus (d. 202) gives the first extensive discussion of the Antichrist. He
is to be an unrighteous king from the tribe of Dan, the little horn of Danel
7:8, who will reign over the erath during the last three and one-half years of
Daniel's 70th "week" (Dan 9:27). He is the first beast of Revelation 13 and
the "man of sin" of 2 Thess 2:3-4, who will exalt himself in the rebuilt
Jerusalem temple (Contra Haereses 5.25.1-5; 5.28.2; 5.30.2; ANF,
1.553,556-559).
5> Hippolytus (d. 235) held views similar to his teacher Irenaeus.
6> Tertullian (d. 220) and Victorinus (d. 304) also held these views.
b) Modern interpreters.
1> Barnhouse, Bruce, Gaebelein, Ladd, Morris, Mounce, Scofield, Walvoord.
c) Favored by the more literal reading of 2 Thess 2:1-10 and the natural
understanding of the Antichrist as being the personal counterpart to the
personal Christ.
2) Embodiment of heresy. [Jo]
a) Early interpreters.
1> Polycarp (d. 155) understood the Antichrist to be revealed in the docetic
heresies of his time (Philippians 7:1; ANF, 1:34). (He was said to be a
disciple of the apostle John.)
2> Tertullian identifies the many false prophets of docetism with the Antichrist
but seems them as forerunners of an actual future leader. [Preferable: Jo]
3> Luther, Calvin, and other Reformer adopted this view and identified the
Antichrist with the papacy. Alford follows them in this.
b) Modern interpreters.
1> Berkouwer, Minear, Newman, Johnson.
c) Favored by teachings in John's letters. (1 John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 7)
1> There is an advantage in seeing the beast as a present threat to the church
and not merely as an eschatological figure of the last time.
2> 2 Thess 2 need not be understood as referring to a single future individual.
[Berkouwer]
C. Influence of "Nero Redivivus" myth. [Jo]
1) Most scholars see it behind "wounded head" allusion in 13:3. [Jo]
a) Summary of myth:
Nero had become highly unpopular and revolts occurred in 67 and 68. When the
army and Senate turned against him he went to a friend's villa where he slit
his throat with a sword. After his death a rumor spred that he had not
actually died but had escaped to Parthia, from whence he would return to
regain his throne. On the basis of this rumor at least two impostors arose
and tried to seize the empire. At a later stage the legend seems to have
given Nero supernatural status. [Minear(jo)]
2) Assumptions:
a) The beast from the sea is the Roman Empire. [Mounce]
b) The seven heads of the beast in Rev 17 are successive emperors.
3) Arguments against: [Jo]
a) Irenaeus never refers to the Domitian persecution as the background for John's
thought, or to a any Nero-myth.
1> Revelation is more a theological polemic than a political one. [Newman(jo)]
2> The persecution by Domitian was limited and selective.
b) Rome should not be equated with the beast.
1> Rabbinic exegesis identified the fourth beast of Daniel 7 as Edom-equals-Rome.
Since the beast of Revelation 13 is a composite that unites all the features
of the four beasts of Daniel 7, it therefore cannot be identified with Rome.
[Foerster,TDNT,3:134-35,esp.note11]
III. The time of the beast's rule.
A. Past, continuous, or still future?
IV. Details of interpretation.
A. The sea.
1) In 11:7 he comes from the Abyss, so the sea may symbolize the demonic powers
that are opposed to God.
a) In the OT the sea is the origin of satanic sea monsters like Leviathan and
Rahab. Job 26:12-13; Pss 74:13-14; 87:4; 89:10; Isa 27:51:9; Ezek 32:6-8
1> Note than Leviathan is said to have "heads." Ps 74:14
b) In the future kingdom there will be no more sea. 21:1
2) Another view is that is represents the tumult of unsaved humanity. [Swete]
B. Ten horns, seven heads, ten crowns.
1) Crowns are on horns here, rather than heads as in 12:3. This may represent
some change in the dragon's authority. [Jo]
a) (For an ancient image of such a beast, see the cylinder seal pictured in
Johnson, page 524.)
2) Probably not separate kings or kingdoms. [Jo]
a) Even though the monsters of the OT could refer to foreign political powers,
their evil systems and not their politics were in view.
b) The imagery is fluid: the beast may appear as Sodom, Egypt, Rome, or even
Jerusalem and may manifest itself as a political, economic or a religious
power. 1 John 2:18,22; 4:3 [Jo]
C. Blasphemous names.
1) Arrogance and blasphemy also characterize the "little horn" of Daniel's fourth
beast, and the willful king (Dan 11:36). Dan 7:8,11,20,25
2) Reference to the blasphemous titles of the Roman emperors?
a) Probably broader than this. [Jo]
D. Fatal wound. 13:3
1) Elsewhere the wounded "head" is a wound of the whole beast. 13:12,14.
a) A wound inflicted on a former and rejected emperor is not a wound on the whole
empire, so a reference to Nero is unlikely. [Jo]
2) "Wound" means "plague" and usually refers to a divinely inflicted judgment.
The sword (13:14) is more likely a symbol of God's wrath and a death blow to
the Antichrist's authority than a physical death. [Jo]
3) The wound is most likely inflicted by the slain and resurrected Lamb. 1:5;
5:9; 12:11
a) Irenaeus suggests that the wound must be understood as an appeal to Genesis
3:13ff, where the Messiah crushes the serpent's head. (Contra Haereses
5.25-34) [Jo]
E. War against the saints. 13:4
1) It is a paradox (just as in Rev 12)
2) "War" is not a military campaign but hostility to God's people.
F. Names not in the book of life. 13:8
1) "Before creation" goes with either names or slaying of lamb; latter is to be
preferred. (See 17:8)
2) Cannot be pressed to prove eternal individual election to salvation or
damnation.
a) Failure to respond to Christ's call can remove name from book. 3:5
G. Captivity and death. 13:10
1) Verse is critical to chapter, but disputed interpretation.
2) Clear allusion to Jer 15:2 and 43:11.
a) In Jeremiah, context refers to rebels.
b) In John, reference is to true believers.
3) Faithful obedience seems to be the focus of verses.
a) Passive resistance?
b) Compare Phil 1:28.
V. Beast from the earth. 13:11
A. Elsewhere called the "false prophet."
B. Identification:
1) Movement or impersonal power.
a) It is a present threat, not just a future one. Berk
b) Imperial cultus or priesthood. Charles
2) Individual human. Irenaeus
a) Reformation: individual popes, or whole papacy.
C. Activity.
1) He "speaks like a dragon" = teaches heresy.
2) He promotes worship of first beast.
3) Satanic miracles.
a) In Revelation: 16:14; 19:20
b) In OT: Deut 13:1-5
c) In NT: Matt 7:22; 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thess 2:9 (1 Jn 4:1-3)
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