The Two Beasts
Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name (s).
[1-10] This wild beast, combining features of the four beasts in ⇒ Daniel 7:2-28, symbolizes the Roman empire; the seven heads represent the emperors; see the notes on ⇒ Rev 17:10 and ⇒ Rev 17:12-14. The blasphemous names are the divine titles assumed by the emperors.
The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear's, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. To it the dragon gave its own power and throne, along with great authority.
[2] Satan (⇒ Rev 12:9), the prince of this world (⇒ John 12:31), commissioned the beast to persecute the church (⇒ Rev 13:5-7).
I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast.
[3] This may be a reference to the popular legend that Nero would come back to life and rule again after his death (which occurred in A.D. 68 from a self-inflicted stab wound in the throat); cf ⇒ Rev 13:14; ⇒ Rev 17:8. Domitian (A.D. 81-96) embodied all the cruelty and impiety of Nero. Cf Introduction.
They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast and said, "Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it?"
[4] Worshiped the beast: allusion to emperor worship, which Domitian insisted upon and ruthlessly enforced. Who can compare with the beast: perhaps a deliberate parody of the name Michael; see the note on ⇒ Rev 12:7.
The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.
[5-6] Domitian, like Antiochus IV Epiphanes (⇒ Daniel 7:8, ⇒ 11, ⇒ 25), demanded that he be called by divine titles such as "our lord and god" and "Jupiter." See the note on ⇒ Rev 11:2.
[5] Forty-two months: this is the same duration as the profanation of the holy city (⇒ Rev 11:2), the prophetic mission of the two witnesses (⇒ Rev 11:3), and the retreat of the woman into the desert (⇒ Rev 12:6, ⇒ 14).
It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and those who dwell in heaven.
It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.
All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who was slain.
Whoever has ears ought to hear these words.
Anyone destined for captivity goes into captivity. Anyone destined to be slain by the sword shall be slain by the sword. Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones.
Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb's but spoke like a dragon.
[11-18] The second beast is described in terms of the false prophets (cf ⇒ Rev 16:13; ⇒ 19:20; ⇒ 20:10) who accompany the false messiahs (the first beast); cf ⇒ Matthew 24:24; ⇒ Mark 13:22; ⇒ 2 Thes 2:9; cf also ⇒ Deut 13:2-4. Christians had either to worship the emperor and his image or to suffer martyrdom.
It wielded all the authority of the first beast in its sight and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.
It performed great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of everyone.
It deceived the inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform in the sight of the first beast, telling them to make an image for the beast who had been wounded by the sword and revived.
It was then permitted to breathe life into the beast's image, so that the beast's image could speak and (could) have anyone who did not worship it put to death.
It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to be given a stamped image on their right hands or their foreheads,
{16} Believe in the Eucharist and receive it with your hand. (more refinement here is coming soon, stay tuned)
so that no one could buy or sell except one who had the stamped image of the beast's name or the number that stood for its name.
Wisdom is needed here; one who understands can calculate the number of the beast, for it is a number that stands for a person. His number is six hundred and sixty-six.
[18] Each of the letters of the alphabet in Hebrew as well as in Greek has a numerical value. Many possible combinations of letters will add up to 666, and many candidates have been nominated for this infamous number. The most likely is the emperor Caesar Nero (see the note on ⇒ Rev 13:3), the Greek form whose name in Hebrew letters gives the required sum. (The Latin form of this name equals 616, which is the reading of a few manuscripts.) Nero personifies the emperors who viciously persecuted the church. It has also been observed that "6" represents imperfection, falling short of the perfect number "7," and is represented here in a triple or superlative form.
{18} John 6:66 says, "As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him."