New Testament · Prophecy

Revelation 13

The Beast from the Sea

A beast rises with ten horns and seven heads, wielding authority from the dragon. A second beast forces everyone to receive a mark — the number is 666.

King James Version BSB KJV

1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

3And 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.

4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

7And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Understand This

Revelation 13, explained

What Revelation 13 is saying

Two beasts emerge as agents of the dragon's war. The first rises from the sea with seven heads, ten horns, and blasphemous names, receiving the dragon's authority and a fatal wound that was healed—a grotesque parody of the slain-and-risen Lamb. The whole earth worships the beast, who wages war on the saints for 42 months. The second beast rises from the earth, performs signs, animates an image of the first beast, and enforces the mark (charagma) of 666 without which no one can buy or sell.

The background behind it

The sea beast is widely understood as representing imperial Rome, with the healed mortal wound likely alluding to the Nero redivivus myth—the legend that Nero would return from death. The number 666 is most convincingly decoded as the Hebrew gematria of 'Nero Caesar' (nun-resh-waw-nun qoph-samekh-resh). The economic coercion through the mark reflects the imperial trade system that required participation in emperor worship.

Themes running underneath

The chapter presents the anti-trinity: dragon (anti-Father), sea beast (anti-Christ), and earth beast/false prophet (anti-Spirit). The satanic strategy is not obvious opposition but deceptive imitation—parody, not novelty. The mark represents total economic and social allegiance to the imperial system, and 'the wisdom' required to count the number invites discernment rather than speculation.

Why it still matters

The chapter equips believers to recognize that the most dangerous forms of evil disguise themselves as legitimate authority and demand allegiance through economic pressure rather than overt violence. It calls for 'the endurance and faith of the saints.'

This is one chapter. BibleKey does all 1,189.

Tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and follow every cross-reference without losing your place.

Get BibleKey

All 22 chapters of Revelation · Every book of the Bible · Browse by topic

Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.