Prophet of an Imperfect God

Reflections on Revelation 13:11-18

The third enemy is a beast rising out of the earth.  This beast looks like a lamb (Jesus), but his voice betrays him for he speaks like a dragon (Satan).  He is like all false prophets who appear to be sheep, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves (Matt 7:15).  Indeed, John later calls him the False Prophet (Rev 19:20).  He is the direct opposite of the two witnesses who prophesy for 1260 days.  Because his testimony is a lie, he has no one to confirm his testimony.  Still, he attempts to do for the beast what the two witnesses do for Christ; that is, he tries to make the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed (v. 12).  Therefore, the lamb-like beast performs great signs and makes fire come down from heaven, and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by telling them to make an image for the first beast.  That is, he causes people to give divine honor to human government and look to it as their provider.  Finally, he causes all who worship the beast to receive on their foreheads a mark, which is the name of the beast, and the number of a man.  This mark identifies them as members of a godless culture and enables them to buy and sell on the earth where the beast controls commerce.

This beast is any of the false teachers who hold the teachings of Balaam or of the Nicolaitans or of Jezebel, all of whom encouraged compromise with idolatry (Revelation 2:14-15, 20).  Idolatry is pictured as the worship of the beast from the sea and of his image. Accordingly, this second beast represents all forms of false religion, including apostate Christianity, which exalt human ways above the ways of God.  This broader application is suggested by two clues in the text.

First, the earth and its inhabitants who worship the first beast (v. 12) because this beast has deceived them (v. 14) come from every class of society (v. 16) and from every tribe, people, language, and nation (v. 7) and include all whose names have not been written in the book of life (v. 8).  Hence, it includes all false religions that exalt man's ways above God's ways. 

Second, the mark which the beast causes men to receive suggests the broader application.  The mark is the number six repeated three times.  Six always falls short of the perfect or complete number which is seven.  This incomplete or imperfect number represents man.  The Greek word man in v. 18 has no article, and can be translated "man" as well as "a man."  The lamb-like beast exalts man in the form of human government and deceives people into believing that that human government, the beast that arose from the sea, is a more dependable provider than God.  The mark identifies those who worship and rely upon the first beast for prosperity and security instead of worshiping and relying upon God.