Apocalipse 12
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
Apocalipse 12
CONTEXTUAL INSIGHT TO REVELATION 12:1-17 A. Another interlude begins in Rev. 12:1 and continues through Rev. 14:20. This is another series of sevens. This literary unit describes the spiritual conflict in dualistic terms between 1. the two kingdoms 2. the two cities 3. the two slain witnesses and their murderers B. Verses 1-6 describe the ultimate (cosmic) battle between good and evil in mythological terms taken from Ancient Near Eastern cultures (cf. Grant Osborne, The Hermeneutical Spiral p. 229 and G. B. Caird, The Language and Imagery of the Bible, "History, Mystery and Eschatology," pp. 201-271 ). 1. Babylonian creation account—Tiamat (chaos), a seven headed monster who threw down one third of the stars of heaven, versus Marduk, the chief god of the city of Babylon, who kills her and becomes the head of the pantheon. 2. Egyptian myth—Set (Typhon), a red dragon versus Isis (Hathor), giving birth to Horus. He later kills Set. 3. Ugaritic Baal legend—Yam (waters) versus Ba'al. Ba'al kills Yam. 4. Persian myth—Azhi Dabaka (evil dragon) versus son of Ahura Mazda (the high good god). 5. Greek myth—the Python (serpent/dragon) versus pregnant Leto (she gives birth to Apollo, who kills Python). C. It is very difficult to know how to interpret this chapter. Some try to interpret it in historical terms, but it seems to me that it is symbolic of the struggle between the anti-God kingdoms of this age and the new age kingdom of our Christ (cf. Rev. 11:18; Psalm 2). Therefore, this is both a historical allusion to the birth of Christ and an emphasis on the coming of the Messianic kingdom. This is a dualism of an individual (Messiah) and a group (the people of God) versus an individual (Satan) and a group (demonically inspired unbelievers). This same dualism is seen in the Servant Songs of Isaiah. The servant is national Israel (cf. Isa. 41-50), yet also the Messiah (cf. Isa. 52:13-53:12). D. Paul discusses the cosmic lordship of Christ in Colossians 1-2 (also note Heb. 1:2-3).
Apocalipse 12:1-6
12:1 "A great sign appeared in heaven" This is the beginning of "the seven signs" of the Revelation. This is a special theological term (sēmeion) used often in John's Gospel (cf. John 2:11,23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2,14,30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18,37; 20:30). It now appears seven times between Rev. 12:1 and 19:20—three times of signs in heaven (cf. Rev. 12:1,3; 15:1) and four times of signs on the earth (cf. Rev. 13:13,14; 16:14; 19:20). ▣ "in heaven" This probably means "in the sky" and not in heaven itself. The term heaven(s) in the OT can refer to the atmosphere above the earth (cf. Gen. 1:1,8-9,17,20; Ps. 104:2-3) or the place where God dwells (cf. Ps. 11:4; 103:19; Isa. 66:1; 2 Corinthians 12). This ambiguity is what caused the rabbis to speculate on the number of heavens—three or seven. Special Topic: The Heavens (OT) ▣ "a woman clothed with" This woman is beautifully described, in antithesis to the great whore of Rev. 17:4 who symbolizes anti-God world empires such as Babylon, Rome, and the end-time anti-Christ world system. There have been two theories about the source of John's imagery: Genesis 3, where there is a woman, a serpent and a man-child other strong allusions to "birthing" in the OT (cf. Isa. 26:17-18 in the Septuagint and Isa. 66:7-13) Israel is described as a woman giving birth (cf. Mic. 4:10), therefore, this woman represents the true people of God (cf. Rev. 12:1-6), but in Rev. 12:13-17 she will be the NT people of God fleeing from the wrath of the dragon. For other theories see Alan Johnson's Revelation, pp. 117-119. In Answers to Questions F. F. Bruce said, "The woman I should think of as the messianic community or 'Israel of God' especially as manifested locally in the Palestinian church, the mother-church par excellence; . . . The 'remnant of her seed' will be Christians in other parts of the world, the target of attack in Rev. 13:7" (p. 140). In New Bible Commentary George R. Beasley-Murray said, "Religious people of the ancient world would have seen in the travailing woman a goddess crowned with the twelve stars of the zodiac; a Jew would have understood her as Mother Zion (see Isa. 26:16; 27:1; 49:14-25; 54:1-8; 66:7-9), but for John she represented the 'Mother' of the Messianic community, the believing people of God of old and new covenants" (p. 1441). ▣ "twelve stars" Here again our presuppositions drive the interpretation. if it is OT then it refers to the twelve Jewish tribes if it is intertestamental apocalyptic literature it refers to the signs of the zodiac if it is NT then it refers to the twelve Apostles Twelve is the regular biblical symbolic number of organization. However, the meaning of chapter 12 is not conditioned on a proper identification of John's symbolism, but the central truth of the context. This principle must be maintained. We must not push the details choose some things literally and some things symbolically force our interpretations into our historical setting Special Topic: The Number Twelve 12:2 Birth pains were used as a symbol for expected, but sudden events the pain or problems associated with an expected event the beginning of something new with great potential The Jews believed that the coming of the "new age" would involve persecution and problems (cf. Isa. 13:8; 21:3; 26:17; 66:7-13; Matt. 24:8; Mark 13:8; 1 Thess. 5:3). John uses this concept to describe the conflict between Satan and his followers and God and His followers (cf. Isa. 66:7-24). World events are going to get worse and worse, but God is in control of history (this is the view of premillennialism and amillennialsim, while postmillennialism is much more optimistic about world history). His followers are protected amidst persecution and victorious amidst temporary defeat, even physical death (cf. John 16:20-21). The question is, "How will God protect His followers?" His seal on their foreheads protects them from "the wrath of God," but not from the persecutions of unbelievers (tribulation). God is for them, with them, and loves them, but many will still die! Special Topic: Birth Pains of the New Age 12:3 "a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems" This is a description of evil and great power (cf. 13:1 and 17:3). The horns and heads symbolize perfect power (cf. Daniel 7) and the diadems represent the evil one's attempted usurpation of Christ's royal place. The term "dragon" may go back to the OT the serpent of Genesis 3 the two evil monsters of chaos Rahab (cf. Ps. 89:10; Isa. 51:9-10) Leviathan (cf. Ps. 74:13-14; 104:26; Job 3:8; 7:12; 41:1; Isa. 27:1; Amos 9:3) There are numerous titles for the evil one found in the NT "Satan," used 33 times the "Devil," used 32 times the "Tempter," (cf. Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5) the "evil one," (cf. Matt. 6:13; 13:19; 1 John 5:18) the "Enemy," (cf. Matt. 13:39) "Prince of Demons," (cf. Matt. 9:34; 12:24) "the Ruler of this world," (cf. John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) "the Prince of the Power of the air," (cf. Eph 2:2) "The god of this world," (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4) "Belial," (cf. 2 Cor. 6:15) "Beelzebul," (cf. Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15,18-19) "the Dragon," (cf. Rev. 12:3,4,7,9; 20:2) "the Serpent," (cf. Rev. 12:9,15; 20:2) "the Accuser," (cf. Rev. 12:10,15) "the Adversary," (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8) "a roaring lion," (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8) Special Topic: Satan 12:4 "his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth" Because the term "the stars of heaven" is used quite often in the OT to refer to the saints of God (cf. Gen. 15:5; Jer. 33:22; Dan. 12:3), some have assumed that this refers to saints, but the context could refer to angels (cf. Dan. 8:10; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6). Falling angels (i.e., falling stars) are a common motif in apocalyptic literature (i.e., I Enoch). Satan is depicted with the angels in heaven before God in Job 1-2 and Zechariah 3. He was possibly a "covering cherub" (cf. Ezek. 28:12-18). This description, using metaphors from the Garden of Eden, does not fit the King of Tyre, but the king's pride and arrogance mimicked Satan's (I am becoming more and more uncomfortable with this approach because in Ezekiel 31 the king of Egypt is described as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Ezekiel regularly uses Eden terms to describe kings). In the OT Satan is not an enemy of God, but of mankind (cf. Rev. 12:10). Satan was not created evil but developed into an arch enemy of all things good and holy (cf. A. B. Davidson's An Old Testament Theology, pp. 300-306). Several times he is said to have been cast out of heaven (cf. Isa. 14:12; Ezek. 28:16; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; and Rev. 12:9,12). The problem is when. Is it: during the OT period before the creation of man some time after Job but before Ezekiel 28 during the post-exilic period, but after Zechariah during the NT period after Jesus' temptation (cf. Matthew 4) during the mission trip of the seventy (cf. Luke 10:18) at an end-time moment of rebellion (cf. Rev. 12:9). One wonders whether the third of the stars refers to angels who rebelled against God and chose to follow Satan. If so, this may be the only Scriptural basis for the demonic of the NT related to fallen angels (cf. Rev. 12:9,12). The number, one-third, may be related to the limit of the destruction during the trumpet judgments (cf. Rev. 8:7-12; 9:15,18) and not a specific number. Or, it may represent Satan's defeat of part of the angels in battle. It is also possible it simply reflects the ancient myth of Babylon. See Contextual Insights, B. At this point it may be helpful to remember that although this issue is interesting, it probably was not the author's intent in this context to discuss the origin of the demonic the fall of Satan or angelic rebellion in heaven In apocalyptic literature the central theme of the vision is crucial, but the literalness of the presentation, the details and the images are dramatic, symbolic, fictional. It is our curiosity and respect for the Bible that motivates our detailed, logical, doctrinal formulations. Be careful of pushing the details; apocalyptic literature is often true theology presented in an imaginative frame-work. It is true, but symbolically presented! Special Topic: War In Heaven ▣ "he might devour her child" This child refers to the promised Messiah (cf. Rev. 12:5). Satan wants to thwart God's plans at every level, both the universal plan for redemption (unconditional covenants) and the individual plan of redemption (conditional covenants, cf. Matt. 13:19; 2 Cor. 4:4). Special Topic: YHWH's Eternal Redemptive Plan 12:5 "she gave birth to a son, a male child" This may be an allusion to Isa. 66:7-8. Notice how John moves from the incarnation of Jesus to the eschatological reign. All the things in between are dealt with in John's Gospel, but not in the Revelation. ▣ "who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron" This is an allusion to Ps. 2:9 or 110:5-6 and is, therefore, Messianic (i.e., note Isa. 9:4). In Rev. 19:15 this phrase is used of the Messiah, while in Rev. 2:26-27 it is used of the saints. There is a fluidity between the Messiah (individual) and the believing community (corporate) here, as there is in the servant songs of Isaiah (i.e., national Israel, cf. Isa. 42:1-9,19; 49:1-7; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12). As the evil one now rules the nations, a new leader has come and will one day completely reign. ▣ "and her child was caught up to God and to His throne" Some see this as the ascension of Christ, but we miss the point of this literary unit if we make it too strong an allusion to the historical life of Christ. John, in the book of Revelation, does not discuss Jesus' earthly life or death. He moves theologically from the incarnation to the exaltation. The focus of Revelation is the glorified, exalted Christ (cf. Rev. 1:4-20). John's presentation of the gospel in Revelation focuses on repentance and giving glory to God. This is meant not to depreciate Jesus' central role (cf. Rev. 5:9,12; 7:14; 12:11), but to focus on His role of bringing the eternal kingdom (cf. 1 Cor. 15:25-28); the kingdom of both the Father and the Son! 12:6 "the woman fled into the wilderness" Many see here an allusion to the Exodus and the Wilderness Wandering Period, which is found throughout this context. The time of wilderness wanderings was seen by the rabbis as a betrothal period between YHWH and Israel. During this time, He provided all of their needs and was intimately present with them. ▣"a place prepared by God" Although the general context reflects the Wilderness Wandering Period, this phrase carries other historical allusions. Elijah by the brook Cherith (cf. 1 Kgs. 17:1-7) Elijah's flight into the Sinai peninsula (cf. 1 Kgs. 19:1-14) the seven thousand faithful (cf. 1 Kgs. 19:18) those who fled the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (cf. Matt. 24:15-20; Mark 13:12-18) ▣"for one thousand two hundred and sixty days" Again, this seems to be an undetermined, but limited, period of persecution. This same period of time is referred to in several different ways which equal about three and one half years. "time, times and a half time" (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14) "2,300 evenings and mornings" (cf. Dan. 8:14) "forty-two months" (cf. Rev. 11:2; 13:5); "1,260 days" (cf. Rev. 11:3; 12:6); "1,290 days" (cf. Dan. 12:11); and "1,335 days" (cf. Dan. 12:12). Seven is the perfect number in Hebrew numerology (cf. Gen. 1:1-2:3). One less than seven speaks of human imperfection and 666 (cf. Rev. 13:17-18) is the ultimate imperfect human, the Antichrist (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2). In the same vein, three and one-half is symbolic of a limited, but indefinite, period of persecution. Special Topic: Forty-Two Months
Apocalipse 12:7-12
12:7 "there was war in heaven" See Special Topic: War in Heaven ▣ "Michael" There are only two named angels in the Bible (i.e., Michael, Gabriel). This angel is named as the angel of the nation of Israel in Dan. 10:13,21 and 12:1. He is called an archangel in Jude 1:9. His name means "who is like God." Some see this as another name for Christ, but this seems to be going too far. God is not threatened by the rebellion of the evil one. The Bible is not a dualism, like Persian Zoroastrianism. God defeats the evil one by the use of an angel (although in reality it was the redemptive work of Christ). In legal metaphor, Michael is the defense attorney, while Satan acts as the prosecution attorney and YHWH is the Judge! Michael wins the case through the sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ (cf. Rev. 12:16) the faithful witness of the church (cf. Rev. 12:11b) the perseverance of the church (cf. Rev. 12:11c) ▣"the dragon and his angels waged war" Exactly who Satan's angels are is hard to describe biblically. Many see them as demonic (cf. Matt. 25:41; Eph. 6:10ff). But there is always the nagging question of the angels in Tartarus (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4), and the angels mentioned in Rev. 9:14, who are obviously controlled by God but are apparently evil angels. Much of the conflict in the angelic world is simply unexplained (cf. Daniel 10). There is also an ongoing discussion related to the relationship between the fallen angels of the OT and the demons of the NT. The Bible is silent on this subject. Interbiblical apocalyptic literature (specifically I Enoch) asserts that the half-angel, half- human offspring of Gen. 6:1-4 are NT demons seeking human bodies to re-inhabit. This is just speculation, but it does reveal what some of the first century Jews thought about this subject. The AORIST INFINITIVE does not seem to fit this context. It is possibly a Semitism and might be translated "had to fight" (cf. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 12, "Revelation" by Alan Johnson, p. 519, footnote #7. This is one of my favorite commentators on Revelation). 12:8 This is the first in a series of encouraging words to a persecuted Church. Rev. 12:8, 11, 14 give great comfort to the people of God who were undergoing persecution in the first century and in every century. Satan has already been defeated twice: once in his attempt to kill the Child (cf. Rev. 12:4) and now in his attempt to storm the throne of God (cf. Rev. 12:7-9); he will also be defeated in his attempt to wipe out the people of God on earth. ▣ "there was no longer a place found for them in heaven" This implies that Satan has been in heaven for some time (cf. Job 1-2; Zechariah 3; and 1 Kgs. 22:21). Notice the PLURAL PRONOUN, which implies other angels in league with Satan. 12:9 "the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan" Here and Rev. 20:2 (cf. The Wisdom of Solomon 2:24), are the only places where Satan is explicitly identified with the serpent of Genesis 3 and implicitly in 2 Cor. 11:3. The term "devil" is the Greek term for "slanderer," while the term "Satan" is the Hebrew word for "adversary" (cf. 2 Sam. 19:22; 1 Kgs. 11:14). They both emphasize the function of the evil one as the accuser of the brethren (cf. Rev. 12:10). The term "Satan" in the OT is not usually a proper NOUN, but it is in three specific occurrences: (1) Job 1-2; (2) Zech. 3:1-3; and (3) 1 Chr. 21:1. For "was thrown down" see full note at Rev. 12:4 and 7. Special Topic: Personal Evil ▣ "who deceives the whole world" This describes the mission of the evil one. As the gospel is universal (cf. Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8), so too the antigospel! The best book that I have read on the development of Satan in the Bible, from servant to enemy, is A. B. Davidson's A Theology of the Old Testament, pp. 300-306. Satan's mission is described in 2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 13:14; 19:20; 20:3,8,10; 2 John 7. It is hard to conceive of Satan as a servant of God but compare 2 Sam. 24:1 with 1 Chr. 21:1. ▣ "he was thrown down to the earth" The term "thrown down" is used several times in this context: twice in Rev. 12:9; in Rev. 12:10, and Rev. 12:13. It is also used in Rev. 19:20; 20:3,10,14,15 and is possibly an allusion to Isa. 14:12 or Luke 10:18; and possibly John 12:31. The earth becomes the realm of Satan's activities. See fuller notes on Satan's fall at Rev. 12:4 and 7. 12:10b-12 This is the message of the one with the loud voice in heaven. 12:10 "the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come" This is a literary equivalent to Rev. 11:15-18. The end is already present and God is victorious! This was very helpful to a group of believers who were suffering extreme persecution, even death. ▣ "for the accuser of our brethren" This shows that the voice of Rev. 12:10 was not an angel, but apparently believers, possibly the martyrs of Rev. 6:9-11. The Hebrew term Satan means "accuser." We see Satan in this role in Job 1:9-11 and Zech. 3:1. Special Topic: Satan ▣ "he who accuses them before our God day and night" Satan is cast out of heaven yet he still accuses the faithful before God. This is the fluidity of this genre. His power is broken, but he is still active (however, limited by God, cf. Job 1-2). 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony" The victory has already been won by the substitutionary atonement of God's Messiah (cf. Rev. 1:5; 7:14; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7). This atonement involves both the grace of God through Christ's sacrificial death (cf. Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21) believers' required faith response (cf. Rev. 6:9; Mark 1:15; John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 3:16,19; 20:21) and their sharing of that faith (i.e., lifestyle and verbally) This phrase is much like Rev. 14:12. There is great similarity between Rev. 12:11 and 17. Revelation 11 seems to describe salvation, while Rev. 12:17 seems to describe Christian maturity and perseverance. Notice Christ's victory occurs at Calvary, not the millennium. "and they did not love their life even to death" "and they did not love their lives to the death" "for they did not cling to life even in the face of death" "they were willing to give up their lives and die" "because even in the face of death they did not cling to life" "and they did not spare themselves even to death" "faced with death they did not cling to life" First century believers and their families faced horrible deaths (as do many in every age). They were sealed and protected by God, but still they are subject to persecution by unbelievers. Their faith in Christ was stronger than their fear of death (cf. Rev. 2:10; Mark 8:35; 13:13; Luke 14:26; John 12:25). 12:12 "rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them" This is a PRESENT MIDDLE IMPERATIVE (cf. Rev. 18:20). It may be an allusion to Ps. 96:11 or Isa. 49:13. Heaven is to rejoice because Satan has been cast out, but woe be unto the earth! The PLURAL "heavens" is used in the OT to denote the atmosphere above the earth (cf. Gen. 1) the place where God dwells In this context it is #2. The term "dwell" (NASB, NKJV, NRSV) or "live there" (TEV, NJB) is from the NOUN "tabernacle." It implies a permanent residence with God (cf. Rev. 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3 and John 1:14 of Christ with us). Special Topic: The Heavens and the Third Heaven ▣ "wrath" See full note at Rev. 7:14. Special Topic: Tribulation ▣ "knowing that he has only a short time" This seems to refer to the period of time between the Ascension of Christ (cf. Acts 1:9-11) and the Second Coming which John and the first century Christians thought would be in a short period of time. It has been almost 2,000 years now; every generation has the hope of the any-moment return of the Lord. Believers were warned of this delay in 2 Thessalonians and Matt. 24:45-51. Be careful that the delay does not reduce faith (cf. 2 Pet. 3:3-4). Special Topic: The Any Moment Return of Jesus vs. the Not Yet (NT paradox)
Apocalipse 12:13-17
12:13 "the woman" Possibly originally "the woman" referred to the OT believing community; now it refers to the NT people of God (cf. Rev. 12:17; 13:7). In Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol. 6, A. T. Robertson calls her "the true Israel on earth" (p. 395). 12:14 "the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman" These eagle wings are symbolic of God's protection and provision (cf. Exod. 19:4; Deut. 32:11; Ps. 36:7; 57:1; 63:7;90:1,4; and Isa. 40:31). This may be another allusion to the new exodus. ▣ "so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place" The wilderness is seen as a place of divine protection, alluding to the Wilderness Wandering Period of Israel's history (cf. Rev. 12:6). This would be great encouragement to a hurting church. ▣ "a time and times and half a time" This is an allusion to Dan. 7:25; 12:7. For a full note on this phrase see Rev. 11:2 and 12:6. Special Topic: Forty-Two Months 12:15 "the serpent poured water" There is no exact OT parallel to this. It may be a metaphor connected to God's wrath in Hosea 5:10 or metaphors of times of pressure and sorrow like Ps. 18:4; 124:4-5. But because chapter 12 has drawn so much of its imagery from Ancient Near Eastern creation myths, it possibly refers to watery chaos, the primeval struggle of good versus evil, order versus chaos. Nature fought for Barak and Deborah against the Canaanite city of Hazor and her military general, Sisera: the rain stopped their chariots (cf. Jdgs. 5:4) even the stars (thought of as angelic powers) fought against Sisera (cf. Jdgs. 5:20) 12:17 ". . .and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring" The evil one tried to destroy the Messianic community by destroying the Messiah destroying the mother church by destroying all Messianic followers The phrase "to make war" is metaphorical of spiritual, political, and economic oppositions. This is an allusion to Dan. 7:21 (cf. Rev. 11:7; 13:7). This persecution is the very evidence of the church's victory through Christ (cf. Phil. 1:28).
Apocalipse 12:17
13:1 "the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore" NASB, NKJV and NJB begin Rev. 13 with this phrase (i.e., Rev. 12:17b), while TEV concludes Revelation 12 with it. There is a manuscript variant related to the verb in Rev. 12:18 and 13:1, "stood" "he stood," referring to the beast/dragon which relates to Revelation 12 – MSS P 47 , א, A, C, (NASB, NRSV, TEV, REB, NET, NIV) "I stood," referring to John which relates forward to Rev. 13 – MSS P, 046, 051 (NKJV, NJB) The UBS 4 gives option #1 a "B" rating (almost certain). The "sea" may be an allusion to Dan. 7:2-3. It was a symbol of the whole of humanity (cf. Isa. 17:12-13; 57:20; Rev. 17:15) the forces of chaos (cf. Gen. 1; Isa. 51:9-10) Special Topic: Textual Criticism ▣ "Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea" The wild beast (cf. Rev. 13:14,15; 15:2; 16:13; 15:8) is first mentioned without fanfare in Rev. 11:7 as coming out of the abyss (cf. Rev. 17:8). It seems to refer to "the Antichrist" of 1 John 2:18a,22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7, also known as "the man of lawlessness" in 2 Thess. 2:3. The same description of this beast is found in Rev. 12:3 and 17:3,8. The phrase "coming out of the sea" has been interpreted in several ways. literally, as in intertestamental Jewish apocalyptic literature as Leviathan and in Rev. 12:11 as Behemoth an allusion to Daniel 7, where the beast comes up out of the sea in Rev. 13:3 and out of the earth in Rev. 13:17, which in Daniel 7 are synonymous, but John has separated the last beasts into two separate end-time evil personalities: the sea beast, Rev. 13:1 and the land beast, Rev. 13:11 a symbol of fallen humanity (cf. particularly Rev. 17:15, but also Dan. 7:2-3; Isa. 17:12-13; 57:20) The reason that the two beasts of chapter 13 are mentioned as coming out of the sea and the land is because this chapter follows Daniel 7 so closely because they combine to represent the whole earth It is also possible that these two beasts plus Satan form an evil parody of the Trinity. Special Topic: The Antichrist ▣ "Ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems" This is not exactly like the dragon (cf. Rev. 12:3) but it is very similar (cf. Rev. 17:3,7-12). The ten horns speak of complete power; the seven heads represent a perfect manifestation of evil, and the ten diadems are a claim to royalty. Evil is often a counterfeit of good. This is the first of several parodies of Christ. ▣ "blasphemous names" The Greek manuscripts are equally divided between the PLURAL (MS A) "names" (NRSV, NJB) and SINGULAR (MSS P 47 , א, C, P) "name" (NKJV, TEV). UBS 4 cannot decide which is original. Whichever is true, this is obviously an allusion to Dan. 7:8,11,20,25 or 11:36. These blasphemous titles are connected with the claim of deity evil titles (cf. Rev. 17:3) 13:2 "the beast which I saw was like a leopard. . .a bear. . .a lion" This combination of several beasts is another allusion to Dan. 7:4,5,6, where it refers to a series of kings, but here the symbolism has been changed into a composite of all the anti-God world systems personified in one leader (cf. Dan. 7:24). ▣ "And the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority" This is parallel to 2 Thess. 2:9, which speaks of a Satanically-inspired power. The beast is not Satan, but a supernaturally empowered human manifestation or incarnation of him (cf. Rev. 13:4,12). This is another parody of Christ (cf. Rev. 5:6). 13:3 "I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain" This is a PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE, which is syntactically parallel to the Lamb of Rev. 5:6. This is another parody of Jesus' death and resurrection. ▣ "and his fatal wound was healed" Does Satan have the ability to resurrect this person, or is this trickery, deception, and mimicking (cf. Rev. 13:15)? Satan is parodying the power of God in raising Christ. This may be a historical allusion to the "Nero redivivus" myth, which asserted that Nero would come back to life, and return with a large eastern army (Parthians), and attack Rome (cf. Sibylline Oracles, books III-V). ▣ "And the whole world was amazed and followed after the beast" Satan will use miracles to convince the unbelieving world to follow him (cf. Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:5; 17:8), which is another parody of Christ. The world was impressed by the power of the two witnesses in Rev. 11:13; now their fickleness is seen in their worshiping the beast. 13:4 "they worshiped the dragon. . .and they worshiped the beast" Evil desires not only political power, but religious worship (cf. Rev. 13:8). Satan wants worship (cf. Rev. 13:12; 14:9,11; 16:2; 19:20; Matt. 4:8-9). He wants to be like God (cf. possibly Isa. 14:12-15). Implicitly, this is related to the Serpent's lie in Gen. 3:5 and in Matt. 4:9; Luke 4:5-7. ▣ "Who is like the beast" There have been three suggested origins for this phrase. Some see it as a parody for the title of YHWH found in Exod. 15:11; Ps. 35:10; 113:4 a parody of YHWH in Isa. 40:18-22;43:11; 44:6,8,9-20 45:6 a reference to Leviathan and Behemoth in Jewish apocalyptic literature (one example in the OT is Job 41, especially Rev. 13:33-34) 13:5 In Rev. 13:5-7 and Rev. 13:14-15 there are several passive verbs which imply that permission was given by Satan and ultimately by God (cf. Job). God is using Satan for His own purposes! Evil reveals its own motives by its words and actions. ▣ "a mouth speaking arrogant words" This is an allusion to: "the beast" in Dan. 7:8,11,20,25; 11:36 Antiochus IV Epiphanes in Dan. 8; I Macc. 1:24 "the man of sin" in 2 Thess. 2:4 the abomination of desolation of Matt. 24:15, which refers to the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem under the Roman general, and later Emperor, Titus, in A.D. 70 This is a good example of how the historical focus of these symbols changes. In Daniel 8 it refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the interbiblical period; in Matthew 24 it refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70 and in Daniel 7 (and possibly Dan. 11:36-39) it refers to the activity of the end-time Antichrist. ▣ "to act for forty-two months" This is a direct allusion to Dan. 7:25. It was first mentioned in Rev. 11:2-3. It is a metaphor which denotes a period of persecution. Special Topic: Forty-Two Months 13:6 "he opened his mouth in blasphemies" There is either a two or three-fold blasphemy in this verse against God's name, God's tabernacle, and God's people. It depends on how one translates this Greek phrase.