Revelation 13

What Revelation 13 means

John stands on the sand of the sea and sees a beast come up with seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns. It looks like a leopard, with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The dragon, who is named in Revelation 12:9 as that old serpent, the Devil and Satan, gives it his power and authority. One of its heads seems wounded to death and is healed, and the whole world wonders after the beast and asks, Who is like unto the beast?

The beast speaks great things and blasphemies against God, and power is given to it to continue forty and two months. It makes war with the saints and overcomes them, and everyone whose name is not written in the book of life of the Lamb worships it. In the middle of this, John stops to speak to the reader: "If any man have an ear, let him hear." Verse 10 calls for "the patience and the faith of the saints."

A second beast then comes up out of the earth. It has two horns like a lamb but speaks as a dragon. It does great wonders, even bringing fire down from heaven, and uses them to deceive people into making an image of the first beast. The image is given life so that it can speak, and those who will not worship it are killed.

Finally, this beast causes all people, small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or their foreheads. No one may buy or sell without the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Verse 18 says, "Here is wisdom," and gives the number as "Six hundred threescore and six."

Christians interpret this chapter in several different ways. Some read the beasts as the powers of John's own day, some as a ruler and a false prophet still to come at the end of the age, and some as a picture of any power in any age that demands the worship that belongs to God alone. What the text itself stresses is clear: the beast's power is borrowed and limited, the saints are called to patience and faith, and Revelation 19:20 shows both beasts finally defeated.

Background and context

Revelation names its writer as John, who received the vision on the isle of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Christian tradition has identified him with the apostle John.

Chapter 13 follows chapter 12, where the dragon is cast out of heaven and goes to make war with those who keep the commandments of God. The images of the sea beast, with features of a leopard, a bear and a lion and with ten horns, recall the four beasts Daniel saw coming up from the sea in Daniel 7.

Key verses

Cross references

• Daniel 7:3-8 Daniel's four beasts from the sea: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a fourth beast with ten horns.And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
• Revelation 12:9 The dragon who gives the beast its power is identified as the Devil and Satan.And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Paul writes of a man of sin who exalts himself above all that is called God.Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
• Revelation 14:9-11 An angel warns against worshipping the beast and his image or receiving his mark.And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
• Revelation 19:20 The beast and the false prophet are taken and cast alive into the lake of fire.And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
• Revelation 20:4 Those who had not worshipped the beast or received his mark live and reign with Christ.And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.