In depth study of Revelation Chapter 13

1. REVELATION 13
THE WOUNDING OF THE PAPACY AND HEALING
OF THE WOUND
THE SEA
BEAST AND
THE LAND
BEAST
THE MARK OF THE
BEAST AND HIS
IMAGE

2. THE LITERARY STRUCTURE OF
REVELATION 13
Past (Revelation
13:1-3):
Description of the
beast (John sees the
beast)
Future (Revelation
13:3, 4):
The wound is healed
and the whole world
worships the beast
Past (Revelation 13:5-7):
Actions of the beast
amplified (John hears
the actions of the beast)
The whole world will worship
the beast when the wound is
healed
Future (Revelation 13:8) Past Revelation 13:9-10:
The deadly wound is
given
Future (Revelation 13:11-18):
The whole world will worship
(Revelation 13:15—worship is the
issue) the first beast by command of
the second beast.

3. THE OLD TESTAMENT
BACKGROUNDS
There are hints in Revelation 13 that
come from four Old Testament
backgrounds. These hints should lead us
to study the Old Testament stories in
their totality.

4. THEY INCLUDE:
1. The beasts of Daniel 7 (Revelation 13:2)
2. The story of the exodus (the song of Moses and
the Lamb in chapter 15:2-4)
3 .The Elijah story (fire that comes down from
heaven in chapter 13:13)
4 .Daniel 3 (Nebuchadnezzar and his image

5. THE PARTIES AND ISSUES INVOLVED
IN REVELATION 13
The dragon (Rome which gave
its authority to the beast, 13:2)
 The first (sea) beast who received the deadly wound
 The second (land) beast who helps the deadly
wound to heal
 The image of and to the beast which is erected by
the land beast in honor of the beast and in his
presence
 The earth dwellers who worship the
beast and his image
 The victorious remnant which have the
seal of God (Revelation 14:1-5; 15:2-4).
 The mark of the beast which is
opposite of the seal of God
(Revelation 14:1).
 The number of the beast’s name

6. CHURCH AND STATE IN
REVELATION 13: THE
BACKGROUND OF DANIEL 2
•Daniel 2:41, 42: “Whereas you saw the feet and
toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the
kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the
iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed
with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet
were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the
kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.”

7. 4 POINTS TO NOTE
The iron of the legs continues in the feet of the image. This
means that the civil power of the Roman Empire continues in
the foot stage
 A new element is added to the iron in the foot stage and as a
result you have an illegitimate amalgamation
 The clay is of a particular type—it is potter’s clay
 Iron and clay, when they are alone, are both useful and have
their legitimate function. It is only when they are mixed that
both are weakened

8. WHAT DOES THE POTTER’S CLAY
REPRESENT?
• "We have come to a time when God's sacred work is
represented by the feet of the image in which the iron
was mixed with the miry clay. God has a people, a chosen
people, whose discernment must be sanctified, who must
not become unholy by laying upon the foundation wood,
hay, and stubble. Every soul who is loyal to the
commandments of God will see that the distinguishing
feature of our faith is the seventh-day Sabbath. If the
government would honor…

9. ……
...the Sabbath as God has commanded, it would stand in the strength of God and in
defense of the faith once delivered to the saints. But statesmen will uphold the
spurious sabbath, and will mingle their religious faith with the observance of this child
of the papacy, placing it above the Sabbath which the Lord has sanctified and blessed,
setting it apart for man to keep holy, as a sign between Him and His people to a
thousand generations. The mingling of churchcraft and statecraft is represented by
the iron and the clay. This union is weakening all the power of the churches. This
investing the church with the power of the state will bring evil results. Men have
almost passed the point of God's forbearance. They have invested their strength in
politics, and have united with the papacy. But the time will come when God will punish
those who have made void His law, and their evil work will recoil upon themselves”
Manuscript 63, 1899. 4BC 1168

10. JEREMIAH 18:1-6 EXPLAINS THAT THE CLAY
REPRESENTS GOD’S OLD TESTAMENT PEOPLE, ISRAEL
• “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:
"Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will
cause you to hear My words." Then I went down to the
potter's house, and there he was, making something at the
wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the
hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as
it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the
Lord came to me, saying: "O house of Israel, can I not do with
you as this potter?" says the Lord. "Look, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”

11. THE UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE
•Revelation 17:1, 2 describes the same
mixture of Church and state but uses
different symbolism. Instead of referring
to the mixture of iron and clay it refers to
a fornicating relationship between the
apostate harlot Church and the kings of
the earth.

12. FORNICATION
• “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me,
saying to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on
many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the
inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.’”
•Revelation 18:1-3: Fornication presents the same
scenario where the harlot church fornicates with
the kings of the earth.

13. A PARALLEL TO CHRIST’S DAY
•“It was by departure from the Lord, and
alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish
church became a harlot; and Rome,
corrupting herself in like manner by
seeking the support of worldly powers,
receives a like condemnation.” The Great
Controversy, p. 382

14. JEWISH HARLOT OF CHRIST’S DAY
• “There is a striking similarity between the Church of Rome and the
Jewish Church at the time of Christ's first advent. While the Jews
secretly trampled upon every principle of the law of God, they
were outwardly rigorous in the observance of its precepts, loading
it down with exactions and traditions that made obedience painful
and burdensome. As the Jews professed to revere the law, so do
Romanists claim to reverence the cross. They exalt the symbol of
Christ's sufferings, while in their lives they deny Him whom it
represents.” The Great Controversy, p. 568

15. AS CHRIST WAS TREATED……..
• Both Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy clearly affirm that
the history of Jesus will be repeated again with His body, the
church:
• John 16:1-3: "These things I have spoken to you that
you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put
you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming
that whoever kills you will think that he offers God
service. 3 And these things they will do to you
because they have not known the Father nor Me.”

16. THE SAME SCENES WILL BE REVIVED
•“The forces of the powers of darkness will unite
with human agents who have given themselves
unto the control of Satan, and the same scenes
that were exhibited at the trial, rejection and
crucifixion of Christ will be revived.
(Manuscript S 39, 1894). 5BC 1136

18. AS WITH THE DRAGON BEAST OF DANIEL 7, THE DRAGON
BEAST (FOURTH BEAST) OF REVELATION 12-13 ALSO HAS
FOUR CONSECUTIVE STAGES OF DOMINION:
 Imperial Rome:
The dragon
which sought
to kill Jesus
(12:1-3
 Divided Rome:
The dragon
had ten
horns (12:3)
 Papal Rome:
The beast which
received its power,
throne and great
authority from the
dragon and then ruled
for 42 months (13:5)
 Papal Rome: The beast which will rule the world
again after the deadly wound
is healed (13:3)

19. VISION
John describes the beast as it
emerges from the water. The
beast has seven heads and ten
horns, the same as the dragon
in Revelation 12:3-4, showing
its close connection with
pagan Rome. Upon the heads
of the beast is a blasphemous
name, and upon the horns are
royal crowns. The heads of the
beast are the kingdoms that
Satan has used to persecute
God’s people throughout
history (Rev. 17:9-11).
John watches as a
monstrous beast rises out
of the sea. While a beast
represents a political
power, the description of
the sea beast points to a
political power that has
religion as a dominant
characteristic.

20. REV 13:1,2
Revelation 13:1, 2: “Then I stood on
the sand of the sea. And I saw a
beast rising up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns,
and on his horns ten crowns, and on
his heads a blasphemous name.
Now the beast which I saw was like
a leopard, his feet were like the feet
of a bear, and his mouth like the
mouth of a lion. The dragon gave
him his power, his throne, and great
authority.”

21. REVELATION 13:1-10 PARALLELS DANIEL 7
•Just a glance at
Revelation 13:1, 2
reveals a clear link
with Daniel 7. The
same sequence of
powers appears in
both passages:
• Revelation 13:1, 2: “Now
the beast which I saw
was like a leopard, his
feet were like the feet of
a bear, and his mouth
like the mouth of a lion.
The dragon gave him his
power, his throne, and
great authority.”

22. THE SEA BEAST IS GIVEN POWER,SEAT AND GREAT AUTHORITY
It will be noticed that the beast
which received its power, its throne
and great authority from the dragon
performed the same actions for the
same time period as the little horn:

23. WOUNDING OF THE PAPACY
• Revelation 13:3: “And I
saw one of his heads as
if it had been mortally
wounded, and his
deadly wound was
healed and all the world
marveled and followed
the beast.”
• Only one head of the beast is
wounded, the head that ruled during
the 42 months. The beast has seven
heads but they rule consecutively
one at a time. When we study
Revelation 17 we will find that at
this point in the prophecy, five of the
heads had already died. At the
moment when John saw this beast,
the head had been freshly wounded.
Whereas the other heads all died to
never live again, this head will live
again.

24. CRUCIAL QUESTIONS
• With what weapon was the beast wounded?
• What does the sword represent?
• How and when did the beast acquire the sword?
• What is the meaning of the deadly wound?
• Was the deadly wound healed in 1801 or 1929
• What presently keeps the deadly wound from
healing?
• When and how will the wound be healed and by
whom

25. 1.WITH WHAT WEAPON WAS THE BEAST WOUNDED?
Revelation 13:10 explains that the deadly wound that ended
the dragon’s third stage of rule was given with the sword.
When the sword wounded the beast it was led into captivity
which means that it was not free to wreak havoc like it did
during the period of its dominion:
Revelation 13:10: “He who leads into captivity shall go
into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be
killed with the sword.”
it was the beast who killed with the sword and in turn was
killed with it:

26. THE SWORD THAT WOUNDED THE BEAST
The sword can represent the Bible but it can also represent the
punitive power of the state to punish civil and criminal
transgressions.
“But Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish
by the sword.’” (Matthew 26:52)
Jesus soundly rebuked Peter in words strikingly similar to those of Revelation 13:10:

27. WHAT IS THE DEADLY WOUND?
The deadly wound was given to the papacy when
the sword of the state that the papacy had used to
persecute God’s people turned against it. The
deadly wound then was the removal of the sword
of the state from the hand of the papacy. This led
to papacy into captivity because it could no longer
use the power of the state to enforce its practices
and dogmas

28. WHEN DID THE PAPACY RECEIVE THE DEADLY WOUND?
The year 1798 marked the climax of the French Revolution that
began in 1789. The Revolution was an uprising against both
kingly power and priestly intolerance. On February 12, 1798
General Berthier entered Vatican City, deposed pope Pius VI,
informed him that his power was at an end, and took him
prisoner to France where he later died in exile. The emperor,
Napoleon Bonaparte, had already given the order that a
successor not be elected.

29. ELLEN WHITE SAYS
“Thus Rome succeeded in arraying France
against the Reformation. It was to uphold the
throne, preserve the nobles, and maintain the
laws, that the sword of persecution was first
unsheathed in France.” The Great Controversy,
p. 277

30. THE HEALING OF THE WOUND
Revelation 13:3 describes the healing of the
deadly wound:
“And I saw one of his heads as if it had
been mortally wounded, and his deadly
wound was healed and all the world
marveled and followed the beast.”

31. WHY HASN’T THE MORTAL WOUND
HEALED YET?
The reason why the mortal wound has not yet healed is because the
secular governments of the world have not allowed the papacy to
ride on them once again. So to speak, the chains that fell off the
hands of the papacy when the civil power of the Roman Empire fell
in the third and fourth centuries were slapped back on her hands in
1798.
“Let the restraints now imposed by secular governments be
removed and Rome be reinstated in her former power, and there
would speedily be a revival of her tyranny and persecution.” The
Great Controversy, p. 564

32. REVELATION’S LAND BEAST

34. 42 MONTHS
(1260 DAYS)
• Revelation 13:5-7 states that the period of the
beast’s persecuting activities through Christian
history is 42 “months”. As we have seen,
persecution of the pure woman lasted for “a time
and times and half a time;” that is three and a
half “times” or prophetic “years” (Rev. 12:13-14;
compare Dan. 7:25).
• This phase ends when John sees “one of his [the
beast’s] heads as if it had been mortally
wounded” (emphasis added). The subsequent
healing of this “deadly wound” points to a time
after 1798 when the beast would be revived and
its power restored. The healing of the deadly
wound draws the admiration of the world, and
they worship both the dragon and the beast.
Forty-two prophetic
“months” equals 30
days multiplied by 42, or
1,260 days/years (Rev.
12:6). Therefore, “a time
and times and half a
time”, 42 “months”, and
1,260 “days” all refer to
the same time period of
1,260 years.

37. The blasphemous name points to the divine title the
beast claims.
The ten horns point to Daniel 7:24, symbolizing the
nations that sprang out of the Roman Empire after its
demise.
These characteristics of the sea beast all point to the
papacy that grew out of the Roman Empire.

38. DESCRIPTION
• The beast from the sea
resembles a leopard with feet
of a bear and the mouth of a
lion. As such, the beast
combines the characteristics
of the four beasts (symbols of
world empires) in Daniel 7:2-7:
Babylon, Media-Persia,
Greece, and Rome. However,
John lists them in reverse
order, which from his first-
century perspective shows
that the sea beast is related to
the fourth beast of Daniel
chapter 7, the Roman Empire.
• The dragon (the pagan
Roman Empire
empowered by Satan)
gave the beast his power,
his throne, and great
authority. Just as the
Father has given His
throne and authority to
Christ (Rev. 2:27), so
Satan invests the beast
as his coregent and
representative on earth.

55. “
”