Who is the beast of Revelation?

Answer

During the upcoming tribulation period, the world will be governed by a godless man overseeing an evil governmental system. The Bible links this end-times ruler with a fearsome beast in Revelation and Daniel.

In Revelation 13, John witnesses a horrifying vision of a dragon and two beasts. The first beast emerges from the sea and is granted power by the dragon, who is Satan. This beast is truly monstrous: “It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion” (Revelation 13:1-2). Daniel’s vision of the beast shares many similarities with John’s (Daniel 7:7-8, 19-27). Studying both Daniel and Revelation together is beneficial.

In Revelation, the term beast refers to two interconnected entities. At times, “the beast” denotes the end-times empire. The seven heads and ten horns suggest that the beast will be a coalition of nations that will rise to power to bring the earth under Satan’s dominion. Subsequent mentions of “the beast” in Revelation portray an individual—the man who serves as the political leader and head of the beastly empire.

The beast will sustain a fatal wound and recover from it «And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. », (Revelation 13:3). He will wield authority over the entire world and demand worship.

(Verses 7–8). He will wage war against God’s people, and he will prevail against them for a time (Revelation 13:7; Daniel 7:21). However, the beast’s time is short: according to Revelation 13:5 and Daniel 7:25, he will only be permitted absolute authority for forty-two months (three-and-a-half years).

We believe that the beast in Revelation is the Antichrist, the one who will “oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” «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. », (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He is also called “the man of lawlessness” and “the man doomed to destruction” «Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; », (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In Daniel’s vision, the Antichrist is the “little horn” that rises from the head of the terrifying beast «I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. », (Daniel 7:8).

When the Lord returns in judgment, He will defeat the beast and destroy his empire (Revelation 19:19-20; cf: Daniel 7:11). The beast will be cast alive into the lake of fire. TheIdentity of the individual who will become the beast of Revelation is not yet known. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:7, this man will be revealed only when God removes the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit from the earth.

It is interesting to compare the differing biblical visions of the kingdoms of the world. In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of the kingdoms of the world as “a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance” «Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. », (Daniel 2:31). The prophet Daniel later sees a vision of the same kingdoms, except he sees them as hideous beasts (Daniel 7). In John’s vision of the final worldly kingdom, the empire is portrayed as a grotesque and misshapen beast. These passages present two very different perspectives on the kingdoms mankind builds. Man sees his creations as imposing monuments and works of art fashioned of valuable metals. However, God’s view of the same kingdoms is that they are unnatural monsters. And the beast of Revelation will be the worst of them all.