The Beast rising from the sea - Characteristics
The Beast from the sea in Apocalypse 13 corresponds to the fourth Beast in Daniel 7
The description of the fourth beast in Daniel and the beast rising from the sea in Apocalypse share the following similarities.
The Beast is rising from the sea
Daniel 7:3: “And four great beasts, different from one another, came up out of the sea.”
Apocalypse 13:1: “I then saw a beast rising from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns, and blasphemous names on its heads.”
The “sea” represents “peoples, nations and langiages”:
Apocalypse 17:15: “And he said to me: The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples, nations, and languages.”
The Beast has ten horns
Daniel 7:7: “After this, in my night vision I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, dreadful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and trampled what was left underfoot. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.”
Apocalypse 13:1: “I then saw a beast rising from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns, and blasphemous names on its heads.”
Apocalypse 17:3: “And he carried me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, covered in names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns.”
The Beast wages war against the saints and conquer them
Daniel 7:21: “As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them.”
Apocalypse 13:7: “It was given the power to wage war against the saints and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.”
The Beast blasphemes
Daniel 7:8: “As I was considering the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And behold, this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.”
Apocalypse 13:5: “The beast was given a mouth to speak proud words and blasphemies, and it was given power to act for forty-two months.”
Apocalypse 13:6: “It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, to blaspheme His name, His dwelling, and those who live in heaven.
The Beast dominates during 3 and a half year
Daniel 7:25: “He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
Apocalypse 13:5: “The beast was given a mouth to speak proud words and blasphemies, and it was given power to act for forty-two months.”
F. Louis-Claude Fillon, 1899: “The plural noun tempora [“times”, in Daniel 7:25] obviously corresponds to the dual form and means: two times. The total sum is therefore three and a half times. Many ancient (Saint Ephrem, Saint Jerome, Theodoret, etc.), modern, and contemporary commentators assume that a time corresponds to a year. They base this assumption mainly on two passages from the Book of Revelation (11:2–3 and 13:5), in which Saint John clearly alludes to this passage from Daniel and predicts that the reign of the Antichrist will last forty-two months, that is, three and a half years. Although this interpretation is far from certain, it is the most plausible one.”
The Beast has great power
Daniel 7:7: “After this, in my night vision I saw a fourth beast,i terrifying, dreadful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and trampled what was left underfoot. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.”
Apocalypse 13:2: “The beast I saw was like a leopard, with feet like those of a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave it its power and great authority.”
The Beast from the sea is both an empire and a ruler
The Beast as a kingdom or empire
Daniel 7:23: “Thus he said: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the other kingdoms. It shall devour the whole earth, trample it down, and break it to pieces.”
Apocalypse 13:7: “It was given the power to wage war against the saints and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.”
The Beast as a king or personal ruler
Daniel 7:17: “These four great beasts are four kings that shall arise out of the earth.”
Apocalypse 13:5: “The beast was given a mouth to speak proud words and blasphemies, and it was given power to act for forty-two months.”
Apocalypse 17:11: “The beast that was and is not is also an eighth, and it is of the seven, and it goes to destruction.”
The Beast from the sea has seven heads
The seven heads of the Beast from the sea isn’t mentioned in Daniel.
Apocalypse 13:1: “I then saw a beast rising from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns, and blasphemous names on its heads.”
Apocalypse 17:3: “And he carried me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, covered in names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns.”
Apocalypse 17:7: “And the Angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns.”
Apocalypse 17:9: “Here is a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits; they are also seven kings.”
Apocalypse 17:11: “The beast that was and is not is also an eighth, and it is of the seven, and it goes to destruction.”
The Beast from the sea is the eighth
The eighth is a personal manifestation arising from the previous seven, not a separate kingdom.
Apocalypse 17:11: “The beast that was and is not is also an eighth, and it is of the seven, and it goes to destruction.”
The Beast from the sea goes to destruction
Apocalypse 17:8: “The beast that you saw was, and is no longer; it is to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast; it was, and is not, and yet will be.”
Apocalypse 17:11: “The beast that was and is not is also an eighth, and it is of the seven, and it goes to destruction.”
The Beast from the sea has ten earthly kings
The ten horns are referring to ten earthly kings in Daniel and in Apocalypse.
Daniel 7:7: “After this I looked in the night vision, and behold, there was a fourth beast, dreadful, astonishing, and exceedingly strong; it had large iron teeth; it devoured, crushed, and trampled underfoot what remained; it was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.”
Daniel 7:20: “I also wanted to inquire about the ten horns that she had on her head, and about the other one that had come up, before which three of those horns had fallen, and about that horn which had eyes and a mouth speaking great things, and which was greater than the others.”
Daniel 7:24: “The ten horns from that kingdom are ten kings; another shall arise after them, and he will be stronger than the previous ones, and he will bring down three kings.”
Apocalypse 13:1: “I then saw a beast rising from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns, and blasphemous names on its heads.”
Apocalypse 17:3: “And he carried me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, covered in names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns.”
Apocalypse 17:7: “And the Angel said to me: Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns.”
Apocalypse 17:12: “The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive power as kings for one hour with the beast.”
Apocalypse 17:16: “And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute, they will make her desolate and naked, they will devour her flesh and burn her with fire.”
The ten earthly kings of the Beast from the sea reign for one hour
Apocalypse 17:12: “The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive power as kings for one hour with the beast.”
The ten earthly kings hates the Whore
Apocalypse 17:16: “And the ten horns that you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute, they will make her desolate and naked, they will devour her flesh and burn her with fire.”
The Beast from the sea has global dominion
The Beast rising from the sea, the fourth Beast in Daniel, has global power over the entire world.
Daniel 7:23 Thus he said: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the other kingdoms. It shall devour the whole earth, trample it down, and break it to pieces.”
Apocalypse 13:7: “It was given the power to wage war against the saints and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.”
Apocalypse 13:8: “All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
The Beast from the sea returns
Apocalypse 17:8: “The beast that you saw was, and is no longer; it is to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast; it was, and is not, and yet will be.”
The Beast from the sea wages war against the saints and defeat them
Daniel 7:21: “As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them.”
Apocalypse 12:17: “And the dragon was enraged at the Woman, and went off to make war against the rest of Her children, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Apocalyse 13:7: “It was given the power to wage war against the saints and to defeat them, and it was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.”
The Beast from the sea wage war against the two witnesses
The Beast rising from the sea has seven heads and ten horns.
Apocalypse 13:1: “I then saw a beast rising from the sea, with seven heads and ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns, and blasphemous names on its heads.”
Then, in Apocalypse 17:7-8, that same Beast is said to come from the abyss.
Apocalypse 17:7: “And the Angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has seven heads and ten horns.”
Apocalypse 17:8: “The beast that you saw was, and is no longer; it is to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast; it was, and is not, and yet will be.”
Thus, the Beast rising from the sea is the same Beast that is to come up from the abyss, and the one waging war against the two witnesses.
Apocalypse 11:7: “And when they [the two witnesses] have finished giving their testimony, the beast that rises from the abyss will make war on them, conquer them, and kill them.”