The Beast and the Mark of the Beast
Few biblical topics generate more speculation than the identity of the beast and the mark of the beast. Throughout history, people have suggested, among others, that the beast was Nero, the Pope, the Catholic Church, Hitler, Henry Kissinger, Vladimir Putin, or Barak Obama. Needless to say, they can’t all be right. In fact, it’s my contention that they’re all wrong, though one is less wrong than the rest.
Moreover, people continue to debate what the mark of the beast is. Is it a barcode implanted on people’s foreheads or wrists, a microchip, the COVID vaccine, or something else entirely? I will make the case that it’s something else entirely.
The Beast
So who is the beast? Revelation 13 describes a beast rising out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads. Indeed, the most relevant OT text related to the beast is Daniel 7 which prophecies of “four great beasts coming out of the sea.” Each of these beasts in Daniel 7 represent successive world empires—Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. It makes the most sense, then, to conclude that the beast in Revelation 13 also refers to a world empire.
Revelation’s beast “was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (Rev. 13:2). Notably, the first three beasts from Daniel 7 correspond to Revelation’s beast. The first beast from Daniel 7 is like a lion. The second, a bear. And the third is like a leopard. When Daniel gets to the fourth beast, he does not describe it like an animal, though he says it “was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns” (Dan 7:7). Similarly, the beast in Revelation 13 has “ten horns” (Rev. 13:1). So what does all this mean?
The fourth beast with ten horns appears to be the same beast from Revelation 13. It was this beast that was ravaging the first-century church. In short, Revelation’s beast is the Roman Empire. That said, while the Roman Empire no longer exists, the spirit of the beast lives on. Earthly empires are still doing the dragon’s work and waging war on the people of God. Today’s beast certainly manifests himself in political powers, but he also wields his sword by using places like the entertainment industries. In other words, while John wrote this book to first-century Christians, its relevance continues.
We read in verse 3 that one of the beast’s heads had a mortal wound but was healed. As a result, the whole earth marveled at the beast. This mortal wound most likely represents the fact that it appeared as if the Roman Empire might come to an end. But the Empire revived (Rev. 17:8). And because the Empire gave the impression of invincibility, the people “worshiped the dragon, for he had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?'” (Rev. 13:4) Here’s a clear reference to the fact that the beast is the dragon’s henchman.
John tells us that the beast uttered blasphemy against God for forty-two months. As I mentioned in a previous post, the forty-two months refers to the time span between Christ’s resurrection and his second coming. Therefore, the beast will spew falsehoods and “make war on the saints” until the time that Christ returns.
And at the same time, “all who dwell on the earth,” that is unbelievers (Rev. 3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8; 17:2), will worship the beast. We know these “earth-dwellers” are unbelievers because they are the one whose “name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 13:8). It’s the elect, not unbelievers, whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world (Dan 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 17:8).
But the Empire’s resiliency caused people to pledge their undivided allegiance to it. One can easily imagine how the early Romans thought that not worshiping the the Roman gods or the Emperor would land them on the wrong side of history. The way of the world can be alluring, just look at our present culture.
The Second Beast
Then John sees another beast coming out of the earth. This beast has “two horns like a lamb.” That is to say, this beast tries to look like the true Lamb and take his place (Rev. 5:6). This beast represents false religion, probably the imperial cult with its emperor worship. Elsewhere in Revelation, this beast is called the “false prophet” (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10), again indicating that this beast aims to allure people away from the true Lamb of God.
Yet, while he looked like the Lamb, he spoke like the dragon. In other words, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:25). And as a wolf, he aims to persuade people to worship the beast instead of the one true God. He’s successful is persuading some because he has miraculous powers (2 Thess. 2:9). But he only persuades “those who dwell on the earth” (i.e., unbelievers).
This false prophet “gives breath to the image of the beast” so that people worship it. This scene alludes back to Daniel 3 where Nebuchadnezzar demanded that people worship his image. Those who refused to worship the beast’s image would die. We have ample evidence to suggest that the Romans martyred Christians for their refusal to worship Romans gods and emperors.
The second beast/false prophet also persuades earth-dwellers to receive the mark of the beast—666. Without this mark, people will face economic persecution. So what should we make of this mark? While some have proposed some pretty fantastical theories, I believe the mark to be a spiritual one. Just as the seal on the foreheads of God’s people figuratively represents ownership and allegiance, so does the mark of the beast. It’s not a literal mark like a barcode or a vaccine. It’s the spiritual marker that someone belongs to the world’s kingdom. In short, all unbelievers bear the spiritual mark of the beast while believers have God’s seal (Rev. 7:2-3; 9:4; 14:9; 20:4).
The number 666 is the number of man while 777 is the number of perfection. Those who have the mark of 666 are those who belong to the human kingdom of the beast. In the first century that kingdom was Rome. In our day it’s other political or societal powers.
The Unholy Trinity
In many ways, the dragon, the beast, and the second beast/false prophet represent an unholy trinity. They mimic the true God but they never measure up. And as we read at the end of Revelation, the unholy trinity is no match for the real one. The real Trinity will cast the unholy trinity into the pit of hell forever (Rev. 20:10).
Christians, therefore, must remind themselves that alligning with the world’s kingdoms is a foolish endeavor. Yes, people of the beastly kingdom will tell us that Christians are on the wrong side of history. They will say to “get with the times.” Certainly, the Roman Empire was pressuring the first-century Christians to keep in step with the culture. But look at what has transpired since. The mighty Roman Empire is dead, but the church continues to flourish. And this should come as no surprise. Jesus promised that he would build his church, and that the gates of hell would never prevail against it.
