This episode reveals the deceptive, idolatrous reign of the antichrist and the beast. The mark of the beast is required for all buying and selling, but Christians resist.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This is episode 17 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast entitled The Beast from the Earth, where we’ll discuss Revelation 13:11-18. I’m Wes Treadway, and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what do we want to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
This is the second half of Revelation 13, Revelation 13:1-10. We saw last time the beast from the sea, generally known as the antichrist, and now we have the beast from the earth who is called later in Revelation the false prophet. So, we’re going to talk about these verses, which are filled with all kinds of powerful and even terrifying imagery, symbolism, and truth, and then culminating in the last verse, which is the number 666, which has engendered so much discussion over the ages. So, we will walk through that and talk about that today.
Wes
Let me go ahead and read verses 11-18 in Revelation 13 for us as we begin.
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or on the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
Andy, what’s the significance of the fact that this second beast of Revelation 13 comes from the earth?
Andy
Yeah, I don’t know. I think it’s difficult. I feel a little more certain in terms of the beast that came from the sea because of the earlier imagery in Daniel 7 where all four beasts came up out of the sea, and this seems to be a direct connection. So last podcast, we identified the sea as the turbulent nations and all that. So, it just seems that the origin of this beast coming from the earth is slightly different in some other sense, but ultimately, earth or sea, the fact is that the beast, I believe, and we’ll talk about that, is an actual human being and is made from the dust of the earth. So ultimately, perhaps that’s the connection, is that he’s human, he’s mortal, he will die when judged by God.
Wes
How does John describe him, and what’s the implied relationship between this beast and the dragon of Revelation 12 and 13?
Andy
the beast that came from the earth spoke like a dragon, or perhaps even like the dragon. He was Satan’s mouthpiece on behalf of the Antichrist,
All right, the second part of your question, the connection with the dragon. The dragon is Satan, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world as stray, as we’re told in Revelation 12:9, all the designations. So, this dragon is definitely Satan. So, the beast that came from the earth spoke like a dragon, or perhaps even like the dragon. He was Satan’s mouthpiece on behalf of the Antichrist, the beast from the sea. So, he also, it says, has two horns like a lamb. So, he’s got this lamb-like, sweet, pleasant demeanor. As Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 11, that Satan’s human messengers, false apostles, false prophets, et cetera, seem like they are gentle, kind, ethical people. And no wonder because Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. And it’s no wonder therefore that his workmen should look moral, polished, and beautiful on the outside.
So, this individual has a lamb-like appearance. He also, it says, has two horns, unlike the beast that came from the sea, who has seven heads and 10 horns. So, I don’t know the connection on the two horns, but it’s describing this way. So, horns represent power, and so he has less power than the beast from the sea. And it’s significant because it says he spoke like a dragon. So fundamentally, this individual called later in Revelation 16 and 17 and also 19 or Revelation 20, he speaks like a dragon. He is a false prophet, and so he does his damage by speaking. He is a communicator and has the ability to beguile people and to speak in such a way that he persuades them to worship the false beast.
Wes
What is the work of this beast, as described in verse 12? What does the beast seek to do, and on whose behalf does he work?
Andy
Yeah, it says in verse 12, “He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf.” And then it says, “He made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed.” So, first of all, we know from Revelation 13:7, he was the beast from the sea, was given power and authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. There you have that one world government. And this one comes along as kind of like the second-in-command or his henchman. And he is running the world under the authority of the beast from the sea.
So, he has all this governmental and military power at his disposal. What does he use it for? Religion. He uses it to make the inhabitants of the earth worship the first beast, the beast from the sea, whose fatal wound had been healed. So definitely, there’s no separation of church and state here. The governmental apparatus is put at full service to religion and worship, and that’s ultimately Satan’s desire. He wanted Jesus to fall down and worship him. The beast from the sea wants to be worshiped, and so this beast from the earth is making it happen. So, it’s all about ultimately false worship or false religion.
Wes
Yeah, we see this twisted worship come up here in verse 12 and again in 15, which we’ll get to in due time, but it is. It’s consistent with Satan’s approach throughout history to twist true worship to an idolatrous, twisted form of false worship. What specific sign is mentioned in verses 13 and 14, and what should this remind us of?
Andy
First of all, the plural is used. He did great and marvelous signs, many of them. And Jesus said that false christs or false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders. Also, 2 Thessalonians 2 says that the antichrist will come with the appearance of deceptive signs and wonders. So, I think that the beast from the earth will be able to do many signs and wonders, but the one specifically mentioned in this verse is the ability to cause fire to come down from heaven. This, again, should cause readers to remember the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where that was the very thing they were not able to do at that time. Satan could have done it back then, the demons could have done it, but God in his goodness restrained them because he was turning Israel back to the worship of the true God.
But at this point, we’re told in 2 Thessalonians, God gives the people of the earth over to a powerful lie so that they will believe the delusion. So, he is giving them over to this religion and aiding it along with the ability that this false prophet has to call fire down from the sky. God is giving the world, not counting the elect, but giving the world over to this one world religion that is happening. It’s amazing because this religion is incredibly successful because of the miracles that were done. We should also note the goodness and kindness of God in every generation since the time of Elijah to this present day in restraining false teachers and cult leaders from doing these kinds of signs and wonders. Their religions would’ve been much more popular as a result. God did not allow that to happen. But now here at the end, in Revelation 13, he does permit them to do these false signs and wonders.
Wes
You’ve used the word deception a couple of times. In what way is deception a major part of this second beast’s work?
Andy
Yeah. In verse 14, it says, “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.” They’re lied to. So fundamentally, the whole thing, the dragon, the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth, are together a lie. All of them are a lie compared to the true God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). And so, God is the true and living God, and Jesus is truly his Son. That’s the truth. But this whole thing, this false religion, is nothing but a lie. So, in order to get the people to believe the lie, they have to be deceived. So, they’re deceived by the signs and wonders that the false prophet is able to do.
Wes
What does the beast from the earth order the inhabitants of the earth to do? And how is the setting up of an image to be worshiped consistent with Satan’s approach throughout history?
Andy
Right. So, he’s setting up a physical image that is the focal point of worship. That’s overtly idolatry. We know that this has happened again and again. We think about the golden calf at Mount Sinai, which the people made when Moses was up on the mountain with God, and they made a golden calf as a focus of worship long before that, in Egypt. Egypt was filled with idols. It had all kinds of statues, sculptures, carvings, and all that caused people to focus their worship and to worship. It’s the very thing that was forbidden in the 10 Commandments. It’s been going on a long time. Of course, you have Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3, setting up an image and ordering that everyone fall down and worship the image on pain of death. So here, at the end of time, the false prophet does the same thing.
He sets up an image that is made to look, in some sense, like the beast from the sea who had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. So, it’s clearly focused on him, and immediately, all the people are called on to worship. I find it fascinating that the beast from the earth, the false prophet, sets up an image representing the beast from the sea, who’s just a man. But this is consistent that we see in Romans 1, the discussion of idolatry. In the description of idolatry in Romans 1:22-23, it says, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” And then also, the prophet Isaiah mocks or ridicules the idol maker as he shapes and crafts a piece of wood into something that men are going to fall down and worship.
In the middle of that description, he says this, Isaiah 44:13, “The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker. He roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man and all his glory that it may dwell on a shrine.” That’s clear mockery on the part of Isaiah, the prophet God through the prophet. But here, this is exactly what’s happening. He sets up an image representing the antichrist, who’s just a man, and he causes the entire earth to fall down and worship this image or idol that he set up.
Wes
Now, we noted God’s restraining power throughout history in not allowing the level of miraculous works that we see here amongst false teachers, but here it says in verse 15 that the beast was allowed to perform these works. Who gave the beast the miracle-working power described here? And what effect would the miracle in verse 15 have had on the inhabitants of the earth?
Andy
Right. So what we’re told in verse 15 is that the beast from the earth, the false prophet, was given power to give breath to the image that we just described, that idol that represented the beast from the sea, the antichrist. To give breath to it like it came alive, so that the image itself could speak, and it caused everyone who refused to worship the image to be killed. So, the beast from the sea points to the idol, wants everyone to worship it, and if you don’t, you die, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But it’s given almost supernatural power to this idol.
The beast from the sea, his power comes from God. The beast from the earth, his power comes from God as well. They use it for great wickedness, and they’ll be judged for it by Almighty God at the end of time.
Now, you asked who gave the power to the beast from the earth, and ultimately, we have to say it’s God because he says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, “God gave them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” That’s coming from God. He’s allowing them to do it. So, the power, all power, ultimately, comes from God. Satan’s power comes from God. The beast from the sea, his power comes from God. The beast from the earth, his power comes from God as well. They use it for great wickedness, and they’ll be judged for it by Almighty God at the end of time. But fundamentally, the power comes ultimately from God. But we’ll also say that Satan gives the power to the beast from the earth as well, and he gives his power to the image that he made.
Wes
When the image of the beast from the sea comes to life and speaks, what does it do to the people, and what effect will it have on the population and, more specifically, on Christians?
Andy
The idol is enabled to speak. So, it’s like it comes alive. It becomes like it’s human. Fundamentally, everybody has to fall down and worship the beast. So, if they don’t, they will die. So basically, this is what I said earlier, the power of the state of the military and of the state apparatus, so that would be the police, the magistrates, secret police, intelligence apparatus. All of this is focused on religion. Everything is focused on worship. To get everyone in the world on the same page, they will brook absolutely no dissent. Anybody who refuses to worship will be killed.
Wes
In verses 16 and 17, we get the description of the mark of the beast. Who receives the mark, and what is the significance of where it’s placed?
Andy
Yeah, it’s really quite tragic. This mark is a parody of the earlier mark that was made on all the righteous people so that none of those people would be killed. So that, I believe, is the mark of the enduring Holy Spirit and the mark of election. But now we have a mark that I think is actually physical in some sense because it’s tied to something physical in this world. They’re not able to buy or sell without the mark. So, it can’t be just something spiritual. It has to be something that marks them out as having assented or consented to the religion, and the only way they can get it is by actually worshiping the beast and his image. So, everyone on earth, in verse 16, everyone small and great, rich and poor, free, enslaved, everyone has to receive that mark on his right hand or on his forehead.
He says in verse 17, “So that you cannot buy or sell unless you have the mark.” You can’t be involved in commerce whatsoever. So, this is a tremendous economic control at this point. We need to buy and sell in order to live. You need to buy groceries. You need to buy food. So, you cannot go to the supermarket or toward in the market or whatever and get what you need to keep living unless you have the mark of the beast. So, it’s a very powerful control here. If you do not receive the mark of the beast, then you cannot basically participate in society. So, at this point, you could imagine Christians who absolutely cannot and will not receive the mark of the beast have to go into hiding or find some way to get food and get enough to survive.
Again, we see how terrible those days will be. Jesus said, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive” (Matthew 24:22). We’re going to see in the next chapter that if you did receive the mark of the beast, you’re going to be sent by God to hell. Anyone that receives the mark of the beast will burn for all eternity. We’ll talk about that in the next chapter. So, no Christian will receive the mark of the beast. Therefore, no Christian will be able to buy or sell. So, it’s a terrifying thing.
Wes
Now, the mark at the end of verse 17 is described as the name of the beast or the number of its name, which really brings us right up to verse 18. Verse 18 says, “This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” How does wisdom come into the issue of calculating this number of the beast, and how does the number of the beast, 666, compare with the number of man?
Andy
Yeah. So here we come to a mystery. First of all, we just need to know something about the history of interpretation in the Book of Revelation. How many geniuses and brilliant people, including Isaac Newton and other people, have sought to try to calculate what this means, and what is the number of the beast? And it is man’s number, and it’s the number of his name. So, people get into identifying letters either in Hebrew or Greek or in Latin with the sequence that it is in the alphabet, like the letter A would get the number one, and the letter B, the number two, that type of thing. That approach is called gematria. So, they try to add up numbers and get symbolism and all that. But here’s my approach, and we talked about this before we went on the podcast, and we’ve seen this in the Book of Daniel.
We see many very difficult symbols in the Book of Daniel and here again in the Book of Revelation that are head-scratchers. We don’t really know what they mean, or we can’t really understand them. Daniel himself wrote down a lot of those very powerful images, and he was trying to understand them himself. But he was told to seal up the scroll in Daniel 12, for it was for a later generation. So that gave me a very important interpretive key or pattern in eschatology. And that is insight comes on a need-to-know basis. It also comes from a combination of sound biblical exegesis, which takes wisdom, “This calls for wisdom.” Good, sound exegesis of the Bible and an awareness of the signs of the times.
Jesus talked about that, about the signs of the times. For example, he said, “Look, when you see a cloud rising in the west, you say it’s going to rain, and it does. When the south wind blows, you say it’s going to be hot, and it is. How is it that you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but you can’t interpret the present time?” And so, Jesus calls on his people to look at what’s going on. In his day, what was going on was him. It was Jesus and the miracles he was doing. And the claims he was making, the things he was teaching about himself. It was very clear. See what’s happening right now? I think we’re going to say the same thing about the end of the world. Look around. The Book of Revelation is filled with very specific signs like the seven trumpets, the ecological disasters described in Revelation 8, and then the Satanic demonic assault. And the warfare, and the 200 million warriors and all this kind of thing, that big stuff, and it all resolves in a one-world government with one man ruling everything.
If you see all that, be certain, the end is near. We don’t see any of that going on in our time. So, guess what? We don’t know what 666 means. We don’t know what the number of the beast’s name is. We don’t know any of that. But there will, I believe, be a generation that will know exactly what 666 means, and it’s on a need-to-know basis. Why do I say they will know? Well, because no one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl. God didn’t give the Bible to confuse us. He gave the Bible to enlighten us. So, there’s no point in being some passage that no generation ever properly interpreted in history ever to the end of time, amen. And Jesus comes and no one ever got it.
That won’t happen. But it doesn’t mean that we’re going to get it because we don’t need to know. So, dear listener, if you truly don’t know what 666 means, join the club. None of us really does. We can speculate, but if we’re living through a time in which the seven trumpets have happened, the seven seals, the seven trumpets have happened, I believe those people who will literally go to hell for all eternity, if they receive the mark of the beast, then they won’t. They’ll understand what the number of the beast, which is man’s number, and which is the antichrist number, they’ll understand what it means. Now, some have speculated 666, like one scholar who I respect says that it’s man’s number. So that means the number six, because man was created on the sixth day means, no matter how much power we ever get, we’ll never be truly God. That’s a true statement, but I don’t know that that’s what 666 means. So, at any rate, that’s the best I think we can do at the end of Revelation 13.
Wes
I think it’s such a helpful perspective for us to bring to difficult passages. It provides us a sense of sobriety that we wouldn’t take these things lightly or dismiss them, but also humility that we would recognize our limitations and delight in God’s gift of his word to us, and also be humble about the limitations of our ability to understand fully every passage.
Andy
all 66 books of the Bible, it was not given to confuse us. It was given to enlighten us
That’s what I want to say, and I did make that point, but I want to underscore it again. Jesus was talking about his parables in Luke’s gospel, and he said, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a bowl.” It’s really an exegetical insight that I had. It’s like, “Oh, I get it.” What he’s saying is he gave the parables to make things clear, but you still need his help to interpret it. So, what that means, and I extend that to all of scripture, all 66 books of the Bible, it was not given to confuse us. It was given to enlighten us. That includes Revelation 13:18, which is 666. It was given to make things clear, and we will understand if we need to know at the end.
Wes
Andy, what final thoughts do you have for us on these verses that we’ve looked at today and anything you’d want to say on Revelation 13 as we look ahead to the rest of the book?
Andy
Wow, what a terrifying chapter. We talk about one world government. We talk about on pain of death, idolatry forced on you, everyone. I think what we get out of this is forewarned to forearm. We need to read this chapter. We need to read the Book of Revelation and do our best to understand it as best we can. We need to teach it to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We need to teach it in our churches. No, it is not the most important point of theology. Not at all. The identity of Jesus Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection, and the need for repentance and faith in him is the most important part of the Bible. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t study the less important parts, and we should. So, we need to be aware of this. We need to know what’s coming and to prepare ourselves for when that time comes.
Wes
This has been Episode 17 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Episode 18, entitled The Lamb and His 144,000, where we’ll discuss Revelation 14:1-5. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Wes
Welcome to the Two Journeys Bible Study podcast. This is episode 17 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast entitled The Beast from the Earth, where we’ll discuss Revelation 13:11-18. I’m Wes Treadway, and I’m here with Pastor Andy Davis. Andy, what do we want to see in these verses that we’re looking at today?
Andy
This is the second half of Revelation 13, Revelation 13:1-10. We saw last time the beast from the sea, generally known as the antichrist, and now we have the beast from the earth who is called later in Revelation the false prophet. So, we’re going to talk about these verses, which are filled with all kinds of powerful and even terrifying imagery, symbolism, and truth, and then culminating in the last verse, which is the number 666, which has engendered so much discussion over the ages. So, we will walk through that and talk about that today.
Wes
Let me go ahead and read verses 11-18 in Revelation 13 for us as we begin.
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or on the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
Andy, what’s the significance of the fact that this second beast of Revelation 13 comes from the earth?
Andy
Yeah, I don’t know. I think it’s difficult. I feel a little more certain in terms of the beast that came from the sea because of the earlier imagery in Daniel 7 where all four beasts came up out of the sea, and this seems to be a direct connection. So last podcast, we identified the sea as the turbulent nations and all that. So, it just seems that the origin of this beast coming from the earth is slightly different in some other sense, but ultimately, earth or sea, the fact is that the beast, I believe, and we’ll talk about that, is an actual human being and is made from the dust of the earth. So ultimately, perhaps that’s the connection, is that he’s human, he’s mortal, he will die when judged by God.
Wes
How does John describe him, and what’s the implied relationship between this beast and the dragon of Revelation 12 and 13?
Andy
the beast that came from the earth spoke like a dragon, or perhaps even like the dragon. He was Satan’s mouthpiece on behalf of the Antichrist,
All right, the second part of your question, the connection with the dragon. The dragon is Satan, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world as stray, as we’re told in Revelation 12:9, all the designations. So, this dragon is definitely Satan. So, the beast that came from the earth spoke like a dragon, or perhaps even like the dragon. He was Satan’s mouthpiece on behalf of the Antichrist, the beast from the sea. So, he also, it says, has two horns like a lamb. So, he’s got this lamb-like, sweet, pleasant demeanor. As Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 11, that Satan’s human messengers, false apostles, false prophets, et cetera, seem like they are gentle, kind, ethical people. And no wonder because Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. And it’s no wonder therefore that his workmen should look moral, polished, and beautiful on the outside.
So, this individual has a lamb-like appearance. He also, it says, has two horns, unlike the beast that came from the sea, who has seven heads and 10 horns. So, I don’t know the connection on the two horns, but it’s describing this way. So, horns represent power, and so he has less power than the beast from the sea. And it’s significant because it says he spoke like a dragon. So fundamentally, this individual called later in Revelation 16 and 17 and also 19 or Revelation 20, he speaks like a dragon. He is a false prophet, and so he does his damage by speaking. He is a communicator and has the ability to beguile people and to speak in such a way that he persuades them to worship the false beast.
Wes
What is the work of this beast, as described in verse 12? What does the beast seek to do, and on whose behalf does he work?
Andy
Yeah, it says in verse 12, “He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf.” And then it says, “He made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose fatal wound had been healed.” So, first of all, we know from Revelation 13:7, he was the beast from the sea, was given power and authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. There you have that one world government. And this one comes along as kind of like the second-in-command or his henchman. And he is running the world under the authority of the beast from the sea.
So, he has all this governmental and military power at his disposal. What does he use it for? Religion. He uses it to make the inhabitants of the earth worship the first beast, the beast from the sea, whose fatal wound had been healed. So definitely, there’s no separation of church and state here. The governmental apparatus is put at full service to religion and worship, and that’s ultimately Satan’s desire. He wanted Jesus to fall down and worship him. The beast from the sea wants to be worshiped, and so this beast from the earth is making it happen. So, it’s all about ultimately false worship or false religion.
Wes
Yeah, we see this twisted worship come up here in verse 12 and again in 15, which we’ll get to in due time, but it is. It’s consistent with Satan’s approach throughout history to twist true worship to an idolatrous, twisted form of false worship. What specific sign is mentioned in verses 13 and 14, and what should this remind us of?
Andy
First of all, the plural is used. He did great and marvelous signs, many of them. And Jesus said that false christs or false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders. Also, 2 Thessalonians 2 says that the antichrist will come with the appearance of deceptive signs and wonders. So, I think that the beast from the earth will be able to do many signs and wonders, but the one specifically mentioned in this verse is the ability to cause fire to come down from heaven. This, again, should cause readers to remember the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, where that was the very thing they were not able to do at that time. Satan could have done it back then, the demons could have done it, but God in his goodness restrained them because he was turning Israel back to the worship of the true God.
But at this point, we’re told in 2 Thessalonians, God gives the people of the earth over to a powerful lie so that they will believe the delusion. So, he is giving them over to this religion and aiding it along with the ability that this false prophet has to call fire down from the sky. God is giving the world, not counting the elect, but giving the world over to this one world religion that is happening. It’s amazing because this religion is incredibly successful because of the miracles that were done. We should also note the goodness and kindness of God in every generation since the time of Elijah to this present day in restraining false teachers and cult leaders from doing these kinds of signs and wonders. Their religions would’ve been much more popular as a result. God did not allow that to happen. But now here at the end, in Revelation 13, he does permit them to do these false signs and wonders.
Wes
You’ve used the word deception a couple of times. In what way is deception a major part of this second beast’s work?
Andy
Yeah. In verse 14, it says, “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.” They’re lied to. So fundamentally, the whole thing, the dragon, the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth, are together a lie. All of them are a lie compared to the true God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). And so, God is the true and living God, and Jesus is truly his Son. That’s the truth. But this whole thing, this false religion, is nothing but a lie. So, in order to get the people to believe the lie, they have to be deceived. So, they’re deceived by the signs and wonders that the false prophet is able to do.
Wes
What does the beast from the earth order the inhabitants of the earth to do? And how is the setting up of an image to be worshiped consistent with Satan’s approach throughout history?
Andy
Right. So, he’s setting up a physical image that is the focal point of worship. That’s overtly idolatry. We know that this has happened again and again. We think about the golden calf at Mount Sinai, which the people made when Moses was up on the mountain with God, and they made a golden calf as a focus of worship long before that, in Egypt. Egypt was filled with idols. It had all kinds of statues, sculptures, carvings, and all that caused people to focus their worship and to worship. It’s the very thing that was forbidden in the 10 Commandments. It’s been going on a long time. Of course, you have Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3, setting up an image and ordering that everyone fall down and worship the image on pain of death. So here, at the end of time, the false prophet does the same thing.
He sets up an image that is made to look, in some sense, like the beast from the sea who had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived. So, it’s clearly focused on him, and immediately, all the people are called on to worship. I find it fascinating that the beast from the earth, the false prophet, sets up an image representing the beast from the sea, who’s just a man. But this is consistent that we see in Romans 1, the discussion of idolatry. In the description of idolatry in Romans 1:22-23, it says, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” And then also, the prophet Isaiah mocks or ridicules the idol maker as he shapes and crafts a piece of wood into something that men are going to fall down and worship.
In the middle of that description, he says this, Isaiah 44:13, “The carpenter measures with a line and makes an outline with a marker. He roughs it out with chisels and marks it with compasses. He shapes it in the form of man, of man and all his glory that it may dwell on a shrine.” That’s clear mockery on the part of Isaiah, the prophet God through the prophet. But here, this is exactly what’s happening. He sets up an image representing the antichrist, who’s just a man, and he causes the entire earth to fall down and worship this image or idol that he set up.
Wes
Now, we noted God’s restraining power throughout history in not allowing the level of miraculous works that we see here amongst false teachers, but here it says in verse 15 that the beast was allowed to perform these works. Who gave the beast the miracle-working power described here? And what effect would the miracle in verse 15 have had on the inhabitants of the earth?
Andy
Right. So what we’re told in verse 15 is that the beast from the earth, the false prophet, was given power to give breath to the image that we just described, that idol that represented the beast from the sea, the antichrist. To give breath to it like it came alive, so that the image itself could speak, and it caused everyone who refused to worship the image to be killed. So, the beast from the sea points to the idol, wants everyone to worship it, and if you don’t, you die, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But it’s given almost supernatural power to this idol.
The beast from the sea, his power comes from God. The beast from the earth, his power comes from God as well. They use it for great wickedness, and they’ll be judged for it by Almighty God at the end of time.
Now, you asked who gave the power to the beast from the earth, and ultimately, we have to say it’s God because he says in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, “God gave them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” That’s coming from God. He’s allowing them to do it. So, the power, all power, ultimately, comes from God. Satan’s power comes from God. The beast from the sea, his power comes from God. The beast from the earth, his power comes from God as well. They use it for great wickedness, and they’ll be judged for it by Almighty God at the end of time. But fundamentally, the power comes ultimately from God. But we’ll also say that Satan gives the power to the beast from the earth as well, and he gives his power to the image that he made.
Wes
When the image of the beast from the sea comes to life and speaks, what does it do to the people, and what effect will it have on the population and, more specifically, on Christians?
Andy
The idol is enabled to speak. So, it’s like it comes alive. It becomes like it’s human. Fundamentally, everybody has to fall down and worship the beast. So, if they don’t, they will die. So basically, this is what I said earlier, the power of the state of the military and of the state apparatus, so that would be the police, the magistrates, secret police, intelligence apparatus. All of this is focused on religion. Everything is focused on worship. To get everyone in the world on the same page, they will brook absolutely no dissent. Anybody who refuses to worship will be killed.
Wes
In verses 16 and 17, we get the description of the mark of the beast. Who receives the mark, and what is the significance of where it’s placed?
Andy
Yeah, it’s really quite tragic. This mark is a parody of the earlier mark that was made on all the righteous people so that none of those people would be killed. So that, I believe, is the mark of the enduring Holy Spirit and the mark of election. But now we have a mark that I think is actually physical in some sense because it’s tied to something physical in this world. They’re not able to buy or sell without the mark. So, it can’t be just something spiritual. It has to be something that marks them out as having assented or consented to the religion, and the only way they can get it is by actually worshiping the beast and his image. So, everyone on earth, in verse 16, everyone small and great, rich and poor, free, enslaved, everyone has to receive that mark on his right hand or on his forehead.
He says in verse 17, “So that you cannot buy or sell unless you have the mark.” You can’t be involved in commerce whatsoever. So, this is a tremendous economic control at this point. We need to buy and sell in order to live. You need to buy groceries. You need to buy food. So, you cannot go to the supermarket or toward in the market or whatever and get what you need to keep living unless you have the mark of the beast. So, it’s a very powerful control here. If you do not receive the mark of the beast, then you cannot basically participate in society. So, at this point, you could imagine Christians who absolutely cannot and will not receive the mark of the beast have to go into hiding or find some way to get food and get enough to survive.
Again, we see how terrible those days will be. Jesus said, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive” (Matthew 24:22). We’re going to see in the next chapter that if you did receive the mark of the beast, you’re going to be sent by God to hell. Anyone that receives the mark of the beast will burn for all eternity. We’ll talk about that in the next chapter. So, no Christian will receive the mark of the beast. Therefore, no Christian will be able to buy or sell. So, it’s a terrifying thing.
Wes
Now, the mark at the end of verse 17 is described as the name of the beast or the number of its name, which really brings us right up to verse 18. Verse 18 says, “This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” How does wisdom come into the issue of calculating this number of the beast, and how does the number of the beast, 666, compare with the number of man?
Andy
Yeah. So here we come to a mystery. First of all, we just need to know something about the history of interpretation in the Book of Revelation. How many geniuses and brilliant people, including Isaac Newton and other people, have sought to try to calculate what this means, and what is the number of the beast? And it is man’s number, and it’s the number of his name. So, people get into identifying letters either in Hebrew or Greek or in Latin with the sequence that it is in the alphabet, like the letter A would get the number one, and the letter B, the number two, that type of thing. That approach is called gematria. So, they try to add up numbers and get symbolism and all that. But here’s my approach, and we talked about this before we went on the podcast, and we’ve seen this in the Book of Daniel.
We see many very difficult symbols in the Book of Daniel and here again in the Book of Revelation that are head-scratchers. We don’t really know what they mean, or we can’t really understand them. Daniel himself wrote down a lot of those very powerful images, and he was trying to understand them himself. But he was told to seal up the scroll in Daniel 12, for it was for a later generation. So that gave me a very important interpretive key or pattern in eschatology. And that is insight comes on a need-to-know basis. It also comes from a combination of sound biblical exegesis, which takes wisdom, “This calls for wisdom.” Good, sound exegesis of the Bible and an awareness of the signs of the times.
Jesus talked about that, about the signs of the times. For example, he said, “Look, when you see a cloud rising in the west, you say it’s going to rain, and it does. When the south wind blows, you say it’s going to be hot, and it is. How is it that you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but you can’t interpret the present time?” And so, Jesus calls on his people to look at what’s going on. In his day, what was going on was him. It was Jesus and the miracles he was doing. And the claims he was making, the things he was teaching about himself. It was very clear. See what’s happening right now? I think we’re going to say the same thing about the end of the world. Look around. The Book of Revelation is filled with very specific signs like the seven trumpets, the ecological disasters described in Revelation 8, and then the Satanic demonic assault. And the warfare, and the 200 million warriors and all this kind of thing, that big stuff, and it all resolves in a one-world government with one man ruling everything.
If you see all that, be certain, the end is near. We don’t see any of that going on in our time. So, guess what? We don’t know what 666 means. We don’t know what the number of the beast’s name is. We don’t know any of that. But there will, I believe, be a generation that will know exactly what 666 means, and it’s on a need-to-know basis. Why do I say they will know? Well, because no one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl. God didn’t give the Bible to confuse us. He gave the Bible to enlighten us. So, there’s no point in being some passage that no generation ever properly interpreted in history ever to the end of time, amen. And Jesus comes and no one ever got it.
That won’t happen. But it doesn’t mean that we’re going to get it because we don’t need to know. So, dear listener, if you truly don’t know what 666 means, join the club. None of us really does. We can speculate, but if we’re living through a time in which the seven trumpets have happened, the seven seals, the seven trumpets have happened, I believe those people who will literally go to hell for all eternity, if they receive the mark of the beast, then they won’t. They’ll understand what the number of the beast, which is man’s number, and which is the antichrist number, they’ll understand what it means. Now, some have speculated 666, like one scholar who I respect says that it’s man’s number. So that means the number six, because man was created on the sixth day means, no matter how much power we ever get, we’ll never be truly God. That’s a true statement, but I don’t know that that’s what 666 means. So, at any rate, that’s the best I think we can do at the end of Revelation 13.
Wes
I think it’s such a helpful perspective for us to bring to difficult passages. It provides us a sense of sobriety that we wouldn’t take these things lightly or dismiss them, but also humility that we would recognize our limitations and delight in God’s gift of his word to us, and also be humble about the limitations of our ability to understand fully every passage.
Andy
all 66 books of the Bible, it was not given to confuse us. It was given to enlighten us
That’s what I want to say, and I did make that point, but I want to underscore it again. Jesus was talking about his parables in Luke’s gospel, and he said, “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a bowl.” It’s really an exegetical insight that I had. It’s like, “Oh, I get it.” What he’s saying is he gave the parables to make things clear, but you still need his help to interpret it. So, what that means, and I extend that to all of scripture, all 66 books of the Bible, it was not given to confuse us. It was given to enlighten us. That includes Revelation 13:18, which is 666. It was given to make things clear, and we will understand if we need to know at the end.
Wes
Andy, what final thoughts do you have for us on these verses that we’ve looked at today and anything you’d want to say on Revelation 13 as we look ahead to the rest of the book?
Andy
Wow, what a terrifying chapter. We talk about one world government. We talk about on pain of death, idolatry forced on you, everyone. I think what we get out of this is forewarned to forearm. We need to read this chapter. We need to read the Book of Revelation and do our best to understand it as best we can. We need to teach it to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We need to teach it in our churches. No, it is not the most important point of theology. Not at all. The identity of Jesus Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection, and the need for repentance and faith in him is the most important part of the Bible. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t study the less important parts, and we should. So, we need to be aware of this. We need to know what’s coming and to prepare ourselves for when that time comes.
Wes
This has been Episode 17 in our Revelation Bible Study podcast. We want to invite you to join us next time for Episode 18, entitled The Lamb and His 144,000, where we’ll discuss Revelation 14:1-5. Thank you for listening to the Two Journeys podcast and may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
