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.
