Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Revelation 13

Rev 13:1 And 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.

beast

The Beast. Rev 13:1-8; Rev 19:19-20. (Dan 7:8; Rev 19:20.)

rise up out of the sea

Daniel's fourth beast, (Scofield Daniel 7:26, note). The "ten horns" are explained in Dan 7:24; Rev 17:12, to be ten kings, and the whole vision is of the last form of Gentile world-power, a confederated ten-kingdom empire covering the sphere of authority of ancient Rome. Rev 13:1-3 refers to the ten-kingdom empire; Rev 13:4-10 to the emperor, who is emphatically "the Beast" (Scofield Revelation 19:20, note).

crowns

diadems.

name

names.

Rev 13:2 And 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.

like unto a leopard…bear…lion

The three animals, leopard, bear, and lion, are found in Dan 7:4-6 as symbols of the empires which preceded Rome, and whose characteristics all entered into the qualities of the Roman empire: Macedonian swiftness of conquest, Persian tenacity of purpose, Babylonish voracity.

dragon

Rev 12:3.

seat

throne.

Rev 13:3 And 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.

one of his heads

Cf. Rev 6:2 with Rev 9:1-11.

wounded to death

Fragments of the ancient Roman empire have never ceased to exist as separate kingdoms. It was the imperial form of government which ceased; the one head wounded to death. What we have prophetically in Rev 13:3 is the restoration of the imperial form as such, though over a federated empire of ten kingdoms; the "head" is "healed," i.e. restored; there is an emperor again—the Beast.

wound was healed

Cf. Dan 7:8.

world

kosmos = world-system. Rev 13:8, note [below]. (Jhn 7:7).

wondered after the beast

Cf. Act 8:10-11.

Rev 13:4 And 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?

power [See also Rev 13:5, 7, 12.]

authority.

Rev 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

them that dwell in heaven

Cf. Rev 12:12.

Rev 13:7 And 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.

make war with the saints

Rev 11:7, 12; cf. Dan 7:21-22.

Rev 13:8 And 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.

names are not written

Rev 3:5; cf. Phl 4:3; cf. Rev 20:12, 15.

in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world

from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb slain.

life

Life (eternal). Rev 17:8. (Mat 7:14; Rev 22:19.)

world

Kosmos, Summary: In the sense of the present world-system, the ethically bad sense of the word, refers to the "order," "arrangement," under which Satan has organized the world of unbelieving mankind upon his cosmic principle of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure (Mat 4:8-9; Jhn 12:31; 14:30; 18:36; Eph 2:2; 6:12; 1Jo 2:15-17). This world-system is imposing and powerful with armies and fleets; is often outwardly religious, scientific, cultured, and elegant; but, seething with national and commercial rivalries and ambitions, is upheld in any real crisis only by armed force, and is dominated by Satanic principles.

Rev 13:10 He 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.

patience

Rev 14:12; cf. Rev 1:9.

Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

like a lamb

Contra, Jhn 1:29.

Rev 13:12 And 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.

worship the first beast

Rev 13:8.

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

wonders [See also Rev 13:14.]

signs.

fire come down from heaven

Cf. 2Ki 1:10.

Rev 13:14 And 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.

deceiveth them that dwell on the earth

Cf. 1Jo 4:1-3.

he had power to do

it was given him to do.

Rev 13:15 And 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.

he had power to give life unto

It was given to him to give breath unto.

Rev 13:16 And 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:

And he causeth

Antichrist the person is to be distinguished from the "many antichrists" (1Jo 2:18), and the "spirit of antichrist" (1Jo 4:3) which characterizes all. The supreme mark of all is the denial of the Christian truth of the incarnation of the Logos, the eternal Son in Jesus as the Christ (Jhn 1:1, 14; Scofield Matthew 1:16, note). The "many antichrists" precede and prepare the way for the Antichrist, who is "the Beast out of the earth" of Rev 13:11-17, and the "false prophet" of Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10. He is the last ecclesiastical head, as the Beast of Rev 13:1-8 is the last civil head. For purposes of persecution he is permitted to exercise the autocratic power of the emperor-Beast. (Scofield Revelation 19:20, note.).

a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads

Contra, Rev 7:2-3; cf. Rev 14:9.

Rev 13:18 Here 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.

him that hath understanding

Cf. Dan 12:10; cf. 1Co 2:15.

number of a man

Cf. Psa 9:20; cf. Psa 10:18.

Six hundred threescore and six

Cf. Dan 3:1; cf. 1Sa 17:4.