Revelation 13

In Revelation 13, John describes the incarnation of evil, a figure inspired by Satan who opposes Jesus Christ and who seeks to usurp his place among the inhabitants of the earth as an object of worship and loyalty. He parodies Jesus’ death and resurrection in order to hide the fact that he has lost the battle against God. He deceives people with false teaching and seeks to validate his claims to divine authority with signs and wonders. He persecutes Christians who refuse to acknowledge him through economic discrimination and death. He will be defeated when Jesus returns.

There are reasons to regard John’s description of the Beast from the sea as prophecy of a future historical figure, patterned on “prototypes” in Jewish history and in contemporary history. And there are reasons to understand John’s description of the Beast from the sea as a symbolic portrayal of the world system—past, present, and future, from Jesus’ first coming to Jesus’ second coming—that idolizes human authority and refuses to acknowledge the authority of the one true and living God and his Messiah. It is important to note that while John describes the evil activities of the Beast, he also emphasizes with the phrase “it was given” or “it was allowed” that the Beast can do what he does only because God allows it. God always remains firmly in control.