The Beast from the Sea
An Introduction
I would like to begin by stating that I do not subscribe to any single eschatological doctrine. My allegiance is to the text. The hour is too critical to hold staunchly to faulty interpretations, however long-standing or widely accepted they may be. We are called upon to be Bereans, and as such we must allow scripture to speak for itself, not force it to align with a man-made system.
My goal is to facilitate a study of the End Times that reflects this principle, seeking the truth at all costs, whether or not it conforms to any preconceived notion of what that truth ought to look like.
Thank you.
Who (or What) is the Beast from the Sea?
The answer to this question begins in the Book of Daniel.
In Daniel 7, we are told of four kingdoms that will span the length of human history, from the time of Babylon to the (second) coming of Christ. These kingdoms are referred to as “beasts.”
The fourth beast—whose terrifying and destructive nature far exceeds the others—is of particular significance. It is this kingdom’s final king (better known as the Antichrist) who will reign during the closing chapter of our present age until the Lord intervenes and the Kingdom of God is restored on earth.
This same beast appears in the Book of Revelation, except that what Daniel was shown in the form of a brief outline, John (the author of Revelation) is shown in full. He sees everything up close, and in much greater detail.
As a result, John includes specifics which are not found in Daniel’s vision, and this perceived discrepancy has caused some confusion. But if we take a look at the characteristics of each of these beasts, we can clearly see they are referring to one and the same thing: the final kingdom.
Daniel’s 4th Beast: (Daniel 7:7-28)
Comes out of the sea
Large iron teeth, devours
Tramples the earth with its feet
10 horns
Another “little horn” with a
mouth (a king who will speak
against the Most High and war
with the saints for 3 1/2 years)
Now let’s compare this to Revelation:
Revelation - The Beast from the Sea: (Rev. 13:1-10)
Comes out of the sea
Mouth like a lion
Feet like a bear
10 horns
Given a mouth to blaspheme God
and war with the saints for forty-two
months (3 1/2 years)
Notice that even where the descriptions aren’t an exact match, they are directly related. Revelation concentrates on the appearance of the beast, and Daniel gives an account of its actions. For example, John tells us the beast has the feet of a bear, and Daniel tells us what it does with those feet: it crushes and tramples the earth. Likewise, the beast has the mouth of a lion, and that mouth is filled with iron teeth which it uses to devour its prey.
What is important here to understand about the Bible is that God is not trying to confuse us. When it seems confusing, when a message is obscured by language or literary device, that message is actually being hidden from the enemy, not from us. The Lord dresses His Word in camouflage as an indispensable war strategy, not to make things deliberately difficult for His children to understand.
All of this to say, when John describes the Beast from the Sea, he isn’t making up an entirely new beast that has no Old Testament precedent. Neither is he talking about a person, nor a separate fifth kingdom that is a “revived” portion of the fourth kingdom. There is only one kingdom in question, and John’s description of it is meant to help us recall the beast from Daniel so that we can properly identify where we are at in history and what is about to take place.
