MARK OF THE BEAST -CANNOT BUY OR SELL -

1And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads
.2And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.
And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
—Revelation 13:1–2

11Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon
.
12
It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

13It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people,
14and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

15And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.

16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,


17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.


18

This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
—Revelation 13:11–18

A Great Beast
John sees a beast rising out of the sea, summoned by the dragon on the seashore (12:17).

The beast coming out of the sea is like a leopard, with feet like a bear’s and a mouth like a lion’s

. In Daniel’s vision of the four beasts, the first (Babylon) was like a lion with eagles’ wings (Dan. 7:4)

, the second (Medio-Persia) was like a bear

(Dan. 7:5), and the third (probably Greece) was like a leopard

(Dan. 7:6). John sees these beasts consummated in Daniel’s fourth beast, which is the beast he describes here (probably Rome; cf. Dan. 7:7, 19, 23).

This beast is not autonomous but derives its totalitarian rule from the dragon, and thus its governing authority is demonic (cf. 2 Thess. 2:8–9).



The beast is full of himself, uttering “haughty and blasphemous words” against God, (cf. Dan. 7:8, 20; 11:36).



Such activity fits also with the “man of lawlessness,” who exalts himself as divine (2 Thess. 2:3–4)



The Mark of the Beast

The second beast also enforces the power of the first through economic discrimination.

No one, no matter his social class or influence, will be able to buy or sell unless he has a mark upon the forehead or hand to signify devotion to the beast.

The number signifies the name of the beast (cf. 14:11; 15:2)


the number is the number of a man: 666.

SO WE ARE ALMOST TO THIS POINT


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