WHY THE BEAST (Rev. 13:1) IS NOT A PERSON, BUT AN EARTHLY KINGDOM

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. (Rev. 13:1)

To understand this verse as it was intended, we need to refer to Genesis chapter 1:

Then God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw it was good. (Gen. 1:9-10)

I have been writing to 5 Doves since 2001–2014, and again since March 2023, pointing out that the beast that rises up out of the sea in Revelation 13—during the New Testament age—is a territorial area on the earth; it is a beast shaped piece of land which has supported a series of man-made earthly kingdoms, empires and caliphates, that all act in opposition to Yahweh, God. These populated kingdoms have worshiped other gods that are an abomination to Yahweh.

This land-mass has a distinctive beast shape that can only be recognised on a map by using the information supplied in Revelation 13:1b–2, and by comparing it with Daniel 7:3–6, which shows the beast was composed of territorial heritage from parts of the three (Lion, Bear and Leopard) O.T. beast/kingdoms described by Daniel. Although these three kingdoms had their dominion taken away, their lives were prolonged for a season and a time (Dan. 7:12), i.e., to be reinstated after the last manifestation of the dreadful and terrible beast empire (Eastern Rome/Constantinople) was destroyed by the Islamic siege in 1453, when the Ottoman Empire become heir to Rome until 1918. Although this composite New Testament beast was a combination of parts of those three old Lion, Bear and Leopard territories, the seven heads on the beast were seven successive kingdoms going back to Babel. See THE DRAGON, THE BEAST, AND BABYLON (fivedoves.com)

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My logic/rationale has always been that since the beast rises up out of the sea, then the beast is not a person; it must be a piece of land that has supported several (consecutive) kingdoms. N.B. In its seventh-head existence the beast is given an additional mouth so the ideology of the Caliphate/kingdom can be expressed through a spokesperson for the Caliph, e.g., the Grand Vizier.

In the distant past, theologians argued about the abyss, and the bottomless pit, out of which the (beast) arose, but I doubt that those theologians had any good maps of the Middle East, showing the beast-shaped land mass; and anyway, prior to the end of WWI there was no possibility of ever seeing the 10 ‘crowned’ horns/sovereign kingdoms that ALSO make up the shape of the beast; SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DID NOT EXIST until after the Cairo Conference on March 12, 1921, when the Ottoman Empire’s territory was broken up. This beast is for the end-time, for our understanding.

However, I have no doubt that the ancient Church Fathers could see elements of the Roman Empire and its Emperors in Revelation 13; also the Holy Roman Empire for the Clerics in the Reformation; but quite clearly—while Revelation 13 has meaning for the New Testament age—it is particularly relevant and obviously intended for the end times, when all of these elements are being revealed, so that we can know and understand what is going on out there in the world, and trace its progress via prophecy!   

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In similar manner, because the False Prophet comes up out of the earth, then the False Prophet must be a human being (like us) who is born into the world on the earth, out of dust on the ground.  So, after the first territorial beast had risen up out of the great sea (the Mediterranean Ocean), the False Prophet rose up from the territorial land (as above) to represent the Islamic beast kingdom in its last iterations—i.e., two Sunni Caliphates in the past, and now the Shia branch of Islam rising up against Israel and its Allies. See The Mystery of the Eighth Iteration of the Beast. (Dec. 22, 2023)

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence…  [i.e., on the kingdom land belonging to the beast].  (Rev. 13:11–12a)

Again, Genesis gives us the answer as to what this second beast represents…

Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind, and it was so.’

Then God said, ‘Let Us make MAN in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

So God created MAN in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  (Gen. 1:24–27)

And the LORD God formed MAN of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7) [Emphasis is mine]

The Hebrew word for ‘ground’ is dama (Strongs Heb. word No. 127 meaning earth where humans dwell), while dama (No. 126 and 128 are rendered Adamah [red] earth). The Hebrew word for ‘man’ is adam (No. 120 meaning human being), so he was called ADAM because he came from the earth.

Then in Genesis chapter three we read:

‘Cursed is the ground for your sake… in the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.’ (Gen. 3:19)

Therefore the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (Gen. 3:23)

Hence the Second beast that looks like a lamb but talks like a dragon is a person! I hope this clarifies the meaning of the two beasts in Revelation chapter 13. The first beast represents a territorial kingdom, and the second beast acts as its figurehead and dispenses its authority and ideology to its followers within that kingdom. (Rev. 13:1–2 and 13:12)

Neither beast worships Yahweh, and both beasts are pitted against Him, His Son and His people; they both work to prevent Christ’s coming Kingdom.

The Muslims venerate their Holy books, and the words of Allah that Muhammad recorded in the Quran are sacred to them, so the influence, instruction and control over Muslims today, can still be attributed to those Holy Books and to Muhammad!

Blessings,

EAR