Lesson 16
The Handout
The handout this week shows two coins depicting the
Roman emperor Domitian. No one doubts that Nero persecuted
Christians, but there are some who doubt that Domitian ever
did. We will consider that issue at length later, and I
believe we will determine that the evidence more strongly
supports the view that Domitian was a great persecutor of
the church — although admittedly the extra-Biblical
evidence is not as strong for Domitian as it is for
Nero.
The handout shows some circumstantial evidence for
Domitian’s persecution of the church. On one coin, Domitian
is referred to as Divi Filius — son of the divine, or son
of god. On the other, his own infant son (who died very
young) is referred to as “The Divine Caesar, Son of the
Emperor Domitian.” The child sits on the globe and
stretches his hands out toward seven stars. A divine child
who holds seven stars in his hand — where have we seen that
before? Speaking of Christ, Revelation 1:16 says, “and he
had in his right hand seven stars.” These similarities are
unmistakable. Domitian must have seen in Christianity a
threat to his own claims of divinity for himself and for
his own son. Remember what Paul say about him in 2
Thessalonians 2:4―“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above
all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he
as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that
he is God.” Read that and look at those coins!
In Chapter 12 a giant dragon waits to swallow up the son
of God. We know very little about Domitian’s son except
that he died in infancy. It makes you wonder who swallowed
up whom! Perhaps Domitian experienced the last of those
Egyptian plagues literally. We will have much more to say
about Domitian as our study continues.
Revelation 12:3-4 Continued...
In verse 4 we are told that the great red dragon stood
before the woman, waiting to devour her child when it was
born. To an outside observer it must look like this child
has no chance. How could anyone, much less a newborn baby,
prevail against this great dragon? The great dragon likely
had the same view — how could it be defeated by a mere
baby? It will just swallow it up, and that will be the end
of the matter. Right? Wrong! Things are not what they
seem!
Satan had once attempted to swallow up this child
literally through Herod the Great, which was really through
Rome even then since it was by Rome’s authority that Herod
ruled. Now Satan was once again trying to do the same thing
to the body of Christ, his church, and once again through
Rome. Satan knew that he would never have a better
opportunity than this — attack the church in its infancy
with the mighty Roman empire, the greatest weapon he ever
had. Satan had been waiting to devour this child since
Genesis 3.
This devouring of God’s people reminds us yet again of
Old Testament imagery. In Jeremiah 51:34 Babylon swallows
God’s people “like a monster.” Egypt, which also tried to
devour a servant of God as a child (Moses) and which also
persecuted God’s people, is called a great dragon in
Ezekiel 29:3. At the time of this book, the weapon has
changed from Babylon and Egypt to Rome, but the one
wielding that weapon is the same serpent we met in Genesis
3.
Revelation is often viewed as a book that looks forward
— but it might better be described as a book that looks
backward as it repeatedly describes Rome in the light of
past events.
5 she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all
the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up
to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the
wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which
to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty
days.
We find in these verses more evidence that this child is
Jesus. Verse 5 says that the child was to rule all the
nations with a rod of iron. Recall Psalm 2:9 ― “Thou shalt
break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in
pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Also, recall Revelation 2:26–27 ― “And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will
I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with
a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”
Later in 19:15, we will read, “And out of his mouth
goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God.”
Before the dragon can devour him, the child is caught up
to God and to his throne. Here we see the ascension of
Christ back to his father’s throne in Heaven. On this
earth, he was the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
On this earth, he was tempted by Satan, yet without sin. On
this earth, he was put to death by lawless hands. But he
rose from the dead, he defeated Satan, and he ascended back
to Heaven, forever out of Satan’s grasp.
The birth in verse 5 likely involves much more than just
the events that occurred in Bethlehem. The child that is
born in verse 5 is the same child that is caught up to God
in verse 5. Thus, this “birth” appears to cover the entire
earthly ministry of Christ, from his physical birth in
Bethlehem to his ascension in Acts 1.
Satan failed to defeat Jesus when he was most
vulnerable, while he was made in the likeness of men, and
while he was found in fashion as a man. (Philippians 2:7-8)
Satan certainly won’t fair any better after Jesus has
ascended to rule from Heaven!
Before we read any further, we know what the message is
going to be! Just as these Christians had followed the
example of Christ in their suffering, they would follow his
example in ascending to Heaven. They, too, would escape the
clutches of this great dragon.
What happens next? Verse 6 tells us that the woman flees
into the wilderness. We are reminded of Moses fleeing from
Pharaoh into the wilderness. We are reminded of the
Israelites fleeing from Egypt into the wilderness. We are
reminded of Elijah fleeing from Ahab and Jezebel into the
wilderness. We are reminded of Mary and Joseph fleeing from
Herod into the wilderness.
How long does this last? Verse 6 tells us that the woman
is separated from the child for 1260 days, which is 42
months, which is 3½ years. This book is so beautiful when
we understand the symbols! Those who take these numbers
literally are missing so much!
The church is separated from Christ for 3½ years! That
is, the separation is neither permanent nor complete. Just
as the persecution is temporary, so is the separation
between the Lord and his church.
Although the woman flees to the wilderness, God
nourishes and sustains her there. God is assuring his
people that although they are being persecuted by Rome and
although Jesus is no longer with them in person, that
situation will not last forever. But while it does last,
God will sustain them and protect them and nourish
them.
We are reminded once again of Ezekiel 29:3, which refers
to Egypt as a great dragon ― “Speak, and say, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of
Egypt, the great dragon that lieth in the midst of his
rivers, which hath said, My river is mine own, and I have
made it for myself.” God’s people in the Old Testament were
also nourished in the wilderness while running from a great
dragon.
For those keeping count, this is the third time and the
third different way that this message has been delivered to
the readers of this book! First, the city of God will be
trampled under foot for 3½ years, but the inner sanctuary
will be protected. Second, two witnesses will prophecy for
3½ years, but then be killed by the beast. Their apparent
defeat, however, is only temporary. After 3½ days they come
back to life and ascend to Heaven. Third, a woman will be
forced to flee into the wilderness for 3½ years, yet will
find there a place of nourishment and protection.
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels
fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
fought, 8 but they were defeated and there was no longer
any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was
thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil
and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown
down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with
him.
Is this a literal war in Heaven? Two questions ― How
could it be, and why should it be? Satan was defeated at
the cross! Recall John 12:31— “Now shall the ruler of this
world be cast out.” Jesus did not need Michael to do
something he had already accomplished himself. This battle
(like the woman, the child, and the dragon) is
symbolic!
Why show us this symbolic battle? This battle and its
outcome emphasize the point that if Satan could not defeat
Jesus while he was on the earth, then Satan certainly
cannot defeat Jesus now that Jesus is reigning in
Heaven!
Is this scene a flashback? Are we seeing here a
description of Satan’s actual fall some time prior to the
events in Genesis 3? No. The timing here places the battle
at the time of the ascension of Christ. This defeat is the
defeat of Satan that Christ accomplished on the cross and
at the resurrection and ascension. Was a great war like
this really being fought on the cross? Absolutely! And
Jesus won!
The Bible describes the victory of Christ as the outcome
of a great conflict. Recall Isaiah 53:12 ―
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he
hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered
with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and
made intercession for the transgressors.
And remember how Jesus described the conflict in Luke
11:20-22 ―
But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no
doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong
man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But
when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome
him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted,
and divideth his spoils.
And also recall Jesus’ statement in John 14:30 ― “for
the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.”
The outcome of that battle was never in doubt.
We also have our great battles with Satan, and they
often would not look like much of a battle to an outside
observer. But — and here is the theme of this book — things
are not always what they seem!
The angel Michael serves here as Christ’s
representative. He is named three times in the book of
Daniel. He is “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13.
He is the “prince of Israel” in Daniel 10:21. And, in
Daniel 12:1, Michael is called “the great prince” who stood
for God’s people against their great enemies. He is called
an archangel in Jude 9. Some surmise that he is the angel
pictured in Revelation 10.
No place is found in Heaven for the dragon and his
angels. His assault on Heaven is a complete failure. His
defeat is decisive. When Jesus ascended he had completely
defeated Satan. Recall ―
• 1 John 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to
destroy the works of the devil.
• John 16:11 The ruler of this world is judged.
• John 16:33 I have overcome the world.
• John 12:31 Now shall the ruler of this world be cast
out.
• Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and
powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.
• Hebrews 2:14 That through death he might destroy him
who has the power of death, that is, the devil.
Verse 9 refers to the dragon as that ancient serpent.
This reference is a clear identification of the dragon with
the serpent in Genesis 3. It was through this serpent’s
deceptions that sin entered the world, and he has been an
active enemy of God and man ever since. He is the devil or
diabolos, which means accuser or slanderer. And he is Satan
or satanas, which means adversary or opponent.
Verse 9 also describes Satan as the deceiver of the
whole world. Paul told us in 1 Timothy 2:14 that it was by
deception that the world was plunged into sin. In John
8:44, Jesus said of Satan, “He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” In fact, the
first recorded words of Satan in the Bible contained a lie
―
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the
woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree
of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may
eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the
fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch
it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye
shall not surely die.
God gave Eve a command, and Satan convinced her to do
the very opposite. God told Eve a fact, and Satan convinced
Eve that the opposite was true. Satan’s method of operation
has not changed one bit! Why should he change, when what he
does works so well? God tells us that those who believe and
are baptized shall be saved. And what does Satan say? He
says that those who believe and are saved shall be
baptized. A small twist — but a deadly one! Satan is still
twisting God’s word and telling people, “Ye shall not
surely die!”
Satan is a deceiver! He delights in twisting the word of
God. He quoted the Bible and twisted the scriptures even to
Jesus in Matthew 4 — he does the same thing today. How else
could a rational person read the word of God and conclude
that it approves of homosexuality? How else could a
rational person read the word of God and conclude that
baptism is not essential to salvation? Someone sent me an
email recently arguing that baptism is not even part of the
gospel! How can we explain such blindness? They have been
blinded and deceived by Satan just as surely as Satan
deceived Eve in the garden. Satan’s methods of operations
have not changed, and nor are they likely to change while
they continue to work so well. We must not be ignorant of
his devices! (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Here is the message of these verses in a nutshell: The
power behind Rome has already been defeated. The defeat of
Rome will soon follow.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the
salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the
authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our
brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and
night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for
they loved not their lives even unto death.
“Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our
God and the authority of his Christ have come.” We have
seen language like this before. In 11:5, for example, we
were told, “The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign
for ever and ever.”
As before, the statement in verse 10 does not mark the
beginning of God’s kingdom or of Christ’s authority.
Instead it depicts a public vindication and reaffirmation
of those things. (Although, we should note that the Lord’s
eternal kingdom was literally established shortly after the
ascension of Christ.)
In verse 10, we are told why “the salvation and the
power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his
Christ have come.” It is because “the accuser of our
brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and
night before our God.” The defeat of Satan is the cause for
this public vindication and reaffirmation of God’s
sovereignty.
Verse 10 tells us something very interesting about Satan
— he accuses us day and night before God! This description
of Satan reminds us at once of the opening chapters of Job,
although there you will recall it was God who first brought
up Job as an example to Satan — “Hast thou considered my
servant Job?” Perhaps Satan had been accusing others before
God used Job as an example of righteousness.
Remember when as a child you had a brother or sister who
would always rush off to your parents to accuse you? That
is Satan’s full time job! Whenever you sin, you should
picture Satan rushing off to God to tell him what you just
did! And Satan is the father of lies, and so there is no
telling what lies he is telling God about us. But we should
not be worried — our God is an all-knowing, righteous
judge. And we have another before him who is pleading our
case.
And the next time we are tempted to start accusing each
other, we should remember this description of Satan as the
accuser of our brethren, who accuses them day and night
before our God. That is not good company to keep!
Verse 11 tells us how Satan was conquered. “And they
have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even
unto death.” Verse 11 is one of the key verses in this
entire book.
Satan was figuratively defeated by a great battle in
Heaven. Satan was literally defeated by the blood of
Christ, by the word of Christ, and by the faithful
proclamation of that word by those who loved not their
lives even unto death.
We are reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous reminder
that “when Jesus calls a man, he bids him to come and die.”
And we are reminded of Matthew 16:24 ― “If any man would
come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me.” And of John 12:25 ― “He who loves his life
loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep
it for eternal life.”
Verse 11 is a reminder that this book of comfort and
assurance is not promising a physical deliverance from the
clutches of Rome. God is promising a spiritual deliverance
from the power behind Rome.
Satan was defeated by the death of those he was trying
to kill? That doesn’t sound like much of a defeat! Yes, but
things are not always what they seem! (How many times will
we see that theme in this book?!) Satan was defeated by the
death of Christ on that cross, and he is defeated when
Christ’s servants follow the example of their Master. The
death of Jesus was a defeat—but not for Jesus. The death of
Jesus was a judgment—but not against Jesus.
Satan was defeated by the blood of the Lamb. It was that
blood that provided the forgiveness of sins that took the
faithful forever out of his clutches. It was that blood
that made Satan’s accusations of no effect.
12 Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein!
But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come
down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time
is short!”
Those who dwell in Heaven are told to rejoice. Remember
that God’s people, even those still physically on earth,
are pictured in Revelation as dwelling in Heaven. The
phrase “those who dwell upon the earth” always refers to
the enemies of God in this book.
Why are they told to rejoice? Because their victory is
assured. The Lamb has conquered Satan through his death and
the power of his word. Satan could not defeat Jesus while
he was on earth, and Satan certainly won’t be able to do
any better now that Jesus has ascended back to Heaven. The
power behind Rome was utterly and completely defeated at
the cross. Rome will be the next to go.
We have seen the wrath of the Lamb. In verse 12, we see
the wrath of the dragon. The difference, of course, is that
the dragon’s wrath is not a righteous wrath. In fact,
Satan’s wrath is directed here not toward those dwelling in
Heaven but to his own followers who dwell on the earth.
Satan has no concern for their welfare, but will use them
as he sees fit in his attempts to thwart God’s plans. But
Satan’s schemes are not working, and it certainly can’t be
his fault! He blames his minions, which partly explains his
wrath.
But the text gives us another reason for his wrath — he
knows that his time is short. We see here Satan’s
frustration at being unable to destroy the church with such
a deadly weapon, and he knows that his opportunity to use
Rome as a weapon is coming to an end. That is, Satan knows
that his opportunity to attack the church through Rome will
not last forever.
Just as Satan grasped his opportunity and attempted to
kill Jesus in his infancy, Satan also saw an opportunity
and attempted to crush the church in its infancy. In each
case, Satan failed and was utterly defeated.
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down
to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male
child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the
great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the
wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a
time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured
water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to
sweep her away with the flood. 16 But the earth came to the
help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and
swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his
mouth. 17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and
went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those
who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to
Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.
The dragon sees that he has been thrown down to earth,
and so he pursues the mother of the child. That is, Satan
realizes that his plans to defeat Jesus have backfired, and
so he begins to attack Jesus’s followers. If he can’t reach
the Lord’s body in Heaven, he will attack the Lord’s body
on earth. (Although this woman represents the faithful
people of God, be they faithful Jewish people under the Old
Covenant before Christ came or faithful Christians under
the New Covenant after Christ came, at this time the focus
is on the latter because here we see the woman after the
ascension. Thus, at this point on the timeline, we can
refer to the woman as the church.)
Remember, persecution does not mean that God is no
longer in control. God was in control at the cross, and God
was in control while Rome persecuted the church. God is in
control no matter what! (Of course this does not mean that
everything that happens is the will of God. Sin is clearly
not the will of God. See our lesson on Time and Chance at
www.ThyWordIsTruth.com.)
The woman is given wings with which to escape the
pursuing dragon. That is, the woman is protected and
preserved by God. Wings are often used to symbolize God’s
protection:
• Exodus 19:4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,
and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to
myself.
• Deuteronomy 32:11 Like an eagle that stirs up its
nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its
wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the Lord
alone did lead them.
• Psalm 36:7 How precious is thy steadfast love, O God!
The children of men take refuge in the shadow of thy
wings.
• Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like
eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk
and not faint.
What happens next? The dragon attempts to kill the woman
with a flood, but the earth swallows the water. As with so
many of the images in this book, this one takes us back to
the Exodus. As the people of God escaped the great dragon
of Egypt, God held back the water to allow his people to
escape when Moses led the Israelites across the Red Sea on
dry ground. (See Exodus 14:21–31 and Psalm 106:9.)
Elsewhere, the Bible also portrays floods that are
threatening to engulf God’s people, sometimes as a judgment
by God. Recall ―
• Isaiah 8:7-8 Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth
up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even
the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come
up over all his channels, and go over all his banks: And he
shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he
shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his
wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.
• Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I
will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not
overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee.
• Psalm 144:7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and
deliver me out of great waters.
• Psalm 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray
unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in
the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto
him.
What sort of flood had Satan unleashed on them? It was a
flood of delusion and deception. It was a flood of false
religion. It was a flood of idolatry. It was a flood of
false charges. It was a flood of false philosophies. It was
a flood of immorality. It was a flood of compromise. It was
a flood of perversion.
Satan may not have had much luck with that flood, but
that did not keep him from trying it again. We are being
threatened by a flood today that in some ways is worse than
the one they faced. While we are not facing the same threat
of physical persecution, we are living in a world that is
awash in deception, false religions, and immorality. The
waters from that flood threaten to swallow us up, and that
flood was released by Satan.
What does it mean that the earth swallowed up the flood
waters? Isn’t the earth in the enemy’s camp? First, we
should note that the concept of water being absorbed by the
sands of an arid wilderness would have been familiar to
John’s initial readers. The rivers flowing eastward from
the Lebanon mountains disappear in the sands of the eastern
desert. We recall that Job accused his friends in Job
6:15-20 of being like a deceitful brook that vanishes away
— “when it is hot, they are consumed out of their
place.”
But is that all that is involved here, or is there a
symbolic meaning behind this flood being swallowed up by
the earth? Is there some sense in which the earth came to
the rescue of the woman? Hailey says yes:
In the same way the earth, that is, the unregenerated
earthlings, helped the woman by opening its mouth and
swallowing up the lies of the dragon. In doing this the
earth established a clear distinction between the world,
satiated with its false religions and philosophical
teachings, on the one hand, and the church, clothed with
truth and righteousness, on the other. From the viewpoint
of Satan and the world, the earth’s help was incidental and
unintentional: but from the viewpoint of the church, it was
providential. As long as the world absorbs the river of
Satan’s lies, and the church drinks from the fountain of
divine truth, the separation between the two will remain
clear and distinct. But when the woman begins to compromise
with Satan and his lies, becoming submerged in his river of
falsehood, tragedy follows.
One reason that Rome fell was that Rome turned on
itself. We will see that very thing later in this book, and
Daniel told us about it 600 years before Revelation was
written.
Remember the sequence of events here. We started off
with the dragon on earth trying to devour the child. We
then moved to Heaven, where Satan was defeated and cast
out. We now see Satan back on earth again and being
defeated again. What is the message here? God can defeat
Satan anywhere he happens to be. He can defeat Satan in
Heaven, and he can defeat Satan on earth, which Satan
claims as his own turf.
What happens next? The dragon wages war against the
offspring of the woman. The woman herself and her child are
now beyond the reach of the dragon. That is, Jesus and the
faithful people of God (as a whole and pictured as already
dwelling in Heaven) are unstoppable and cannot be defeated
by Satan.
However, Satan still wages war against individual
Christians; that is, against the other offspring of the
woman. In my opinion, these other offspring are those
Christians who are still physically present on earth. This,
in my opinion, is the same division between the inner
sanctuary and the outer court that we see in 11:1-2.
The promise given in Revelation that Satan will not be
able to defeat the church is not new or unique to this
book. Recall Jesus’s statement in Matthew 16:18 ― “And I
tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against
it.” And recall Hebrews 2:14 ― “That through death he might
destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the
devil.”
Chapter 12 ends by saying that “the dragon was angry
with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her
offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and
bear testimony to Jesus.” Chapter 13 will provide the
details of that attack.
Chapter 13 will introduce us to two of the weapons that
Satan would use next in his battle against the church ― a
beast from the sea and a beast from the earth. As we will
see, these beasts represent Rome, but they do so from
different perspectives. Just as we see the church from many
different perspectives in this book, so do we see Rome from
many perspectives. Chapter 13 will prove to be the key to
understanding the remainder of the book, and so we will
spend some extra time in this chapter.
Chapter Thirteen
12:17b And he stood on the sand of the sea. 13:1 And I
saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven
heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous
name upon 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.
Who stood on the sand of the sea? That’s a good
question. Some say it is the dragon, but verse 17 just told
us the dragon went off to make war. Some say it is John,
but verse 1 refers to John in the first person, unlike the
third person reference in verse 17. I think it most likely
refers to the dragon.
In verse 1, John sees a beast rise out of the sea. We
have seen the sea used before to depict separation, and we
have seen the sea used to depict the restless, unsettled
nations of the world. That latter symbol seems to be the
one God is using here. Recall the similar imagery in Isaiah
17:12-13 ―
Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the
thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations, they roar
like the roaring of mighty waters! The nations roar like
the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and
they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains
before the wind and whirling dust before the storm.
And that symbol fits perfectly. This beast represents
Rome, and Rome rose from the restless, unsettled nations of
the world.
But there may be additional reasons behind the use of
the sea here. In Isaiah 60:5, the prophet compares “the
abundance of the sea” with “the wealth of the nations.” In
Jeremiah 51:13, the prophet says the following about
Babylon: “O you who dwell by many waters, rich in
treasures, your end has come.” And later in verse 42 of
that same chapter, he writes, “The sea has come up on
Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves.” And in
Ezekiel 26:3, God says the following about Tyre, “Behold, I
am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many nations
against you, as the sea brings up its waves.” Thus, not
only does the sea denote wicked and restless nations, it
also denotes judgment.
This beast has seven heads with ten horns and ten
diadems. This is the same description we were given of the
dragon in 12:3. When we last saw the dragon we were told
that it had gone off to make war against those who keep the
commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. What we
see here is one of the weapons that Satan was going to use
in that conflict.
This beast is both a weapon of Satan and a manifestation
of Satan. Satan was the driving power behind the attack by
Rome against the church. That the beast is now wearing
Satan’s royal headdress tells us that the dragon has given
power and authority to the beast to act on his behalf.
What is represented by the seven heads? When we first
saw them in 12:3, I mentioned that we would see them again
here in Chapter 13, and that their meaning would be
explained to us by an angel in Chapter 17. Rather than wait
until we get to Chapter 17, I think it is helpful to jump
over there now and discover what these symbols mean.
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