“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”Daniel 7:13-14
We have seen the significance of Jesus’ preferred title for Himself, the Son of Man. He is the true Adam, the faithful human, who finally resisted the temptations of the world and the devil and exercised dominion over the world entirely for God. In the middle of his visions of terrifying beasts coming to rule, God showed Daniel the exalted Son of Man whose kingdom would endure forever. This is the promise Jesus pointed to in His trial, preceding His crucifixion. Though He was about to die, He would soon be exalted and come on the clouds to reign. His kingdom would never be destroyed.
This is important background knowledge for us as we turn to Revelation 13.
“And 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. And 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
Animal-like beasts with multiple horns recall Daniel’s vision of kingdoms with various kings. While kings are intended by God to provide peace and blessing to their subjects, as in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of a great tree (Dan. 4), kings often become beasts instead, trampling on and consuming their own people and those around them.
While we do expect a literal fulfillment of the coming of the Antichrist, remember all of these symbols are meant to serve as lenses to help us better see God, ourselves and our world. People were meant to rule over the beasts (Gen. 1:26), but instead were deceived by a beast (Gen. 3:1) and very quickly became beasts themselves (Gen. 4:7). Kings can become huge monsters, consuming whole nations, but all of us – if we’re not careful – can become little beasts ourselves.
It is clear what Revelation 13 is trying to do.
“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints… This calls for wisdom.”
Revelation 13:10, 18
In these last days, as kingdoms rise and fall and the world groans in birth pains (Matt. 24; Rom. 8), will we stand firm to the end, holding fast to our faith in King Jesus? Will we see through the powerful deceptions of the false trinity (Dragon-Beast-False Prophet) or be led astray like most of the dwellers on earth?
This is why Daniel is such a helpful example for us. He was living in exile in Babylon, a corrupt foreign nation filled with idolatry and violence. Yet he remained faithful to the Lord and God miraculously protected him even from ravenous lions (beasts). In the process, God showed Daniel important visions about kings and kingdoms. And in the middle of those visions, an exalted “Son of Man,” who would ride in on His chariot-cloud and be given authority to reign forever.
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months… Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Revelation 13:5, 7-8
This is very reminiscent of how God spoke to Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel. Even these demonic beasts only have the power and authority that God entrusts to them for a very limited time. “And the beast was given… was allowed to exercise authority… was allowed to make war… And authority was given…”
“That the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”
Daniel 4:17
The other function of these beasts of the end times is to divide all people into those who follow Jesus and those who do not. In the end everyone will be visibly marked with either the seal of God or the mark of the beast. For now this division is spiritual, a matter of the heart. But in the great tribulation it will become visible and explicit.
“Also 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, so 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.”
Revelation 13:16-17
Paul wrote about this to prepare the early church for this kind of persecution and for the great tribulation.
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God… The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12
John himself also wrote along these lines before the Revelation.
“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”
1 John 2:18-19
There must be division even among those who appear to be followers of Jesus. In the end, the distinction will be determined by those who endure to the end, even in the face of great deception and persecution.
Brothers and sisters, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10).