IV.       Analysis of Revelation 13:11-18

A.        The Beast from the Sea

            Καὶ εἶδον ἄλλο θηρίον (13:11a)

1.         Textual and Exegetical Issues

a.         Καὶ εἶδον introduces the third vision in the sequence of seven visions and continues the narrative of the third woe (9:12; 11:14; 12:12 οὐαὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι κατέβη ὁ διάβολος πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔχων θυμὸν μέγαν, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὀλίγον καιρὸν ἔχει).

b.         ὁράω is used 62 times (45 are εἶδον) in Revelation (θεάομαι not used; βλέπω used 12 times), showing the visionary nature of the book. Lee (144-145) points out that many occurrences of εἶδον are followed by narrative asides that explain what the seer saw. The vision of the second beast is followed by the narrative asides in verse 18.

c.         Rev 12:18-13:18 is a single unit. This scene parodies the scene in Rev 5 where the Lamb takes the scroll in preparation of opening the seven seals (See Aune, 726).

1)         Just as the Lamb receives power and authority (5:12), the beast receives power and authority from the dragon (13:2)

2)         Just as the Lamb rules over all tribes, languages, and nations purchased with his blood (5:9), the beast rules over all tribes, languages, and nations (13:7).

3)         Just as the living creatures fall down and worship the Lamb (5:12), those who dwell on the earth worship the beast, saying “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”  (13:4).

4)         Just as the Lamb has been slaughtered and come back to life (5:6), the beast has been mortally wounded but come back to life (13:3). It is also described in a way that parodies God’s title: “once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction” (17:8).

d.         ἄλλο θηρίον points back to the first beast from the sea.

1)         ἄλλος is used several times to begin a new scene (7:2; 8:3; 10:1; 18:1; 20:1). (Aune, 755)

2)         θηρίον is used 31 times in Revelation (used only 7 times in the rest of NT). (Rev 6:8; 11:7; 13:1–4, 11–12, 14–15, 17–18; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 10, 13; 17:3, 7–8, 11–13, 16–17; 18:2; 19:19–20; 20:4, 10).

3)         He comes up out of the sea (ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον; Rev 13:1) or from the Abyss (ἄβυσσος; Rev 11:7; 17:8): chaos, nations, sheol, haunt of demons.

4)         His power is derived from the Dragon (Rev 12:2-4).

5)         He has ten crowns on his ten horns, representing ten kings who have been given power to rule by the beast (Rev 13:1; 17:3, 7, 12, 16, 17).

6)         He had blasphemous names written on his heads (Rev 13:1).

7)         He utters haughty and blasphemous words (Rev 13:5-6).

8)         He is allowed to exercise authority for 42 months (Rev 13:5; cf. 11:2-3; 12:6, 14).

9)         He claims divine honors and is worshipped (Rev 13:8, 12; 14:9).

10)       He received a mortal wound which was healed (Rev 13:3, 12).

11)       He will attack God’s people (Rev 13:7; 16:13; 19:19; cf. 11:2, 7).

12)       He will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (15:2; 19:20; 20:10).

e.         There are parallels between 13:1-10 and 13:11-18 (see Appendix II)

1)         Both begin with seeing (Καὶ εἶδον)

2)         Both come up out of something (ἐκ τῆς _____ θηρίον ἀναβαῖνον)

3)         Both have horns (ἔχον κέρατα _____)

4)         Both receive authority from someone greater (ἐξουσίαν)

5)         Both are likened to something else (ὅμοια ____, ὡς ____)

6)         Both are empowered by someone else (ἐδόθη αὐτῷ)

7)         Both describe the healing of the first beast’s wound (πληγὴ)

8)         Both describe the speaking of the first beast or his image (λαλοῦν / λαλήσῃ)

9)         Both call for the reader to consider something important (Ὧδέ ἐστιν _____)

f.          The sea beast is a parody of God and Christ in chapter 17.

1)         The three-fold title of the beast

ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ μέλλει ἀναβαίνειν (17:8a)

ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ παρέσται (17:8b)

ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν ὑπάγει (17:11)

2)         The three-fold title of God

ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος (1:4)

ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος (1:8)

ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος (4:8)

ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (11:17)

ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (16:5)

3)         This is a parody of the Parousia of Christ (ὁ ἐρχόμενος most likely refers to Christ’s second coming while chapter 13 is a parody of the resurrection of Christ), where the beast disappears (οὐκ ἔστιν) but then returns only to go to destruction (εἰς ἀπώλειαν ὑπάγει).

2.         Literary Background

a.         The sea represents the forces of chaos aligned against God

1)         Leviathan (לִוְיָתָן), the sea monster, is defeated by the Lord (Isa 27:1; Psa 74:14; 104:26; Job 3:8; 40:25).

•           Let those curse it who curse the day, who are ready to rouse up Leviathan. (Job 3:8)

 •          “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? (Job 41:1)

•           You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. (Psa 74:14)

•           There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. (Psa 104:26)

•           In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isa 27:1)

•           for all that you smote Leviathan the fleeing serpent, made an end of the twisted serpent, the tyrant with seven heads. (CTA 1.5 col I lines 1-3)

2)         “This beast from the sea is, at least in part, an allusion to the Jewish tradition of Leviathan, a female monster who was separated from Behemoth on the fifth day of creation and assigned to the sea (1 Enoch 60:7–11, 24; 4 Ezra 6:47–52; 2ApocBar 29:4; b. B. Bat. 74b–75a).” (Aune, 732)

•           On that day, two monsters will be parted –one monster, a female name Leviathan, in order to dwell in the abyss of the ocean over the fountains of water; and (the other), a male called Behemoth, which holds his chest in an invisible desert whose name is Dundayin, east of the garden of Eden, wherein the elect and the righteous ones well, wherein my grandfather was taken, the seventh from Adam, the first man who the Lord of the Spirits created. Then I asked the second angel in order that he may show me (how) strong these monsters are, how they were separated on this day and would cast, the one into the abysses of the ocean, and the other into the dry desert. And he said to me, “You, Son of Man, according (to the degree) to which it will be permitted, you will know the hidden things.” And the angel of peace who was with me said to me, “These two monsters are prepared for the great day of the Lord (when) they shall turn into food.” (1Enoch 60:7-11, 24)

•           Upon the fifth day thou didst bid the seventh part, where the water was gathered together, to bring forth living creatures, birds, and fishes; and so it came to pass. 48 The dumb and lifeless water produced living creatures that for this the nations might declare thy wonderous works. 49 Then didst thou preserve two living creatures; the name of the one thou didst call Behemoth and the name of the other thou didst call Leviathan. 50 And thou didst separate the one from the other; for the seventh part, where the water was gathered together, was unable to hold them (both). 51 And thou didst give Behemoth one of the parts which had been dried up on the third day to dwell in, (that namely) where are a thousand hills: 52 but unto Leviathan thou gavest the seventh part, namely the moist: and thou hast reserved them to be devoured by whom thou wilt and when. (4Ezra 6:47-52)

•           And Behemoth shall be revealed from his place and Leviathan shall ascend from the sea, those two great monsters which I created on the fifth day of creation, and shall have kept until that time; and then they shall be for food for all that are left. (2Bar. 29:4)

3)         The sea monster is often used to symbolize an oppressive foreign power, like Egypt (Ps 74:14; 87:4; Isa 30:7; Ezek 29:3; 32:2–3), Nebuchadnezzar (Jer 51:34), and Pompey (δράκων, PssSol 2:25). (Aune, 732-733)

•           It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. (Psa 74:14)

•           “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me— Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush — and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’ ” (Psa 87:4)

•           to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless. Therefore I call her Rahab the Do-nothing. (Isa 30:7)

•           Speak to him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, you great monster lying among your streams. You say, “The Nile belongs to me; I made it for myself.” (Ezek 29:3)

•           “Son of man, take up a lament concerning Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him:  “ ‘You are like a lion among the nations; you are like a monster in the seas thrashing about in your streams, churning the water with your feet and muddying the streams. (Ezek 32:2)

•           “ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: “ ‘With a great throng of people I will cast my net over you, and they will haul you up in my net. (Ezek 32:3)

•           “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured us, he has thrown us into confusion, he has made us an empty jar. Like a serpent he has swallowed us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out. (Jer 51:34)

b.         This beast is a composite of Daniel’s four beasts (Dan 7)

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream. 2  Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.  3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.  4  “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.  5  “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6  “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.  7  “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. 8  “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.

1)         It borrows elements from each of Daniel’s four beasts (Rev 13:2). (Osborne, 511)

2)         The four beasts of Daniel come up out of the sea (Dan 7:2-3).

3)         The ten horns are borrowed from the fourth beast (Dan 7:7, 20, 24).

•           “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. (Dan 7:7)

•           I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. (Dan 7:20)

•           The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. (Dan 7:24)

4)         According to Beale and Carson (1127), Leviathan was said to have seven heads (CTA 5.I.1–3; 3.III.37–39; cf. also Job 40–41; Ps. 74:13–14; 89:10; Isa. 27:1; 51:9; see also Odes Sol. 22:5).

5)         The blasphemous names of the beast are related to the little horn who spoke boastfully in Daniel 7:8, 11. (Beale and Carson, 1127)

•           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. (Dan 7:8)

•           Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. (Dan 7:11)

c.         According to Beale and Carson (1127), STJ identified Daniel’s fourth beast with Rome (Midr. Rab. Gen. 44:17; 76:6; Midr. Rab. Exod. 15:6; 25:8; cf. Matt. 24:15 with Luke 21:20; see also 4 Ezra 12:10; 2 Bar. 39:5–8; As. Mos. 10:8; cf. Josephus, Ant. 10.203–210 with Ant. 10.272–278; Pss. Sol. 2:25 where a Roman ruler is called “the dragon”).

3.         Historical and Cultural Background

a.         His seven heads reflect the seven hills of Rome (Rev 17:3, 7, 9, 12) and its emperors.

b.         Rome came from the sea from the viewpoint of Asia Minor (Keener; Beale and Carson, 1127).

c.         An eagle with 12 wings and three heads, representing Rome, came from the sea (4 Ezra 11:1).

d.         Cetus (Tiamatu): Constellation rising over the sea in the southern sky that depicts a combination of beasts before the flood (Malina, 170-174).

4.         Interpretive Options (see Appendix IV)

a.         Preterit

1)         Leviathan as symbolic of the Roman Empire as the composite of the four beasts of Daniel 7.

2)         Nero or Nero Redivivus.

3)         Domitian.

b.         Idealist

1)         Leviathan as symbolic of all Satanic opposition to God.

2)         Rome as a symbol of world governments opposed to the Church.

c.         Futurist

1)         Confederation of 10 nations headed by the revived Roman Empire.

2)         The Antichrist.