Revelation Chapter 13 with References

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.


The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.


One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.


People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.


The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.


It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.


It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them. Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small—and for destroying those who destroy the earth.”


All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.


Whoever has ears, let them hear. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.



“If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.” This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. Woe to you, destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, betrayer, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind. “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.

It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, for false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie. They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men.

Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.

The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand.

So that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God.

This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.