The two beasts and the dragon 24/02/2024

Picture of ball python from Wix Media.

[1] And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. [2] And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. [Revelation 13: 1-2 ESV]

What is John telling us in this chapter of Revelation? I want to suggest that there are some important lessons for us to learn from this chapter of God's word. The first two verses of Revelation 13 give us a description of one of the beasts - the beast from the sea. There is another beast which comes from the land. And there is a third character who features in this scene in the vision John saw while he was a prisoner in the island of Patmos. The third character is the dragon who is the authority behind this beast. We will talk more about the fact that there are three characters and their relationship with each other.

But if we are going to make sense of this chapter, we need to look at its context. In the previous chapter, we have three characters - a woman (a sign for the people of God - the nation of Israel and the church) and there is a dragon which is a sign for the enemy of the people of God. This is a sign for Satan. The third character is a child who is readily identified as Jesus. Chapter 12 ends like this:

[17] Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. [Revelation 12:17ESV]

This verse provides the key to understanding chapter 13 and the three beasts. Satan is furious with the woman (the people of God) because he has been unable to destroy the child (Jesus). In his anger, he turns to attacking the people of God. He attacks anyone who is standing for God.

But the significance of chapter 13 is this: the dragon is not acting on his own. He has two helpers - a beast from the sea and a beast from the land. In the next Day Share on this subject. I will talk more about what these beasts represent and their character. For today, I only want to point out one thing.

There is an unholy trinity at work here. In Revelation we are presented with the one who sits on the throne (God the Father), the Lamb (Jesus, God the Son) and the seven Spirits of God (the Holy Spirit). In this chapter, we have a counterfeit trinity which is seeking to copy the divine trinity. In fact, there are many evidences of Satan's ability to copy the real thing. Again, this is a study in itself.

In chapter 13, the beast emerges from the sea and is a counterfeit of Jesus, the Son. He is given great authority by the dragon, just as Jesus has been given great authority by the Father. But, we learn of the second beast whose role is to promote the first beast. This is the devil's attempt to replicate the work of the Holy Spirit who points people to Christ, the Son. Before we close this study, I want to point out that Satan is in the background. Satan is not acting in his own strength. He is limited in his power and needs others to help him. There are always those who are willing to help the devil to accomplish his anti-God work. He has two beasts and they are still around today. He is also behind the prostitute in Revelation - the city of Babylon. Another study for another day.