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In the previous chapter, we met a dragon, who had seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns. He was identified as the devil, and was unsuccessful at stopping God's plan of redemption from being enacted upon the earth. Jesus was born, His servants are on the earth and in spite of persecution continue to hold to the gospel truth. In order for the devil to succeed at his design, he must find a way to halt the spread of the church. This will require great force, and he summons help.

The devil stood at the shore of the sea. From the sea came a beast-in our words, a monster. This beast had ten horns and seven heads, with a crown on each horn and a blasphemous name on each head. This beast is a composite, holding features of a leopard, a bear and a lion-recalling similar imagery in Daniel 7. This beast had the dragon's power, his throne and great authority. One of the heads had a wound that looked fatal, but was healed. The whole world followed this beast and worshipped the dragon. In praising the beast's power, the question is asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" Additional important details about the nature of the beast can be found in chapter 17, especially 17:9-10 which notes that the seven heads correspond to seven hills and also stand for seven kings.

The beast is given:

All the people of the world will worship the beast except those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The call to the saints is to pay attention, and the sentence upon the rebellious is firm. It echoes God's judgment upon the rebellious Jews and the city of Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah 15:2. That judgment was certain and was executed. This one will be just as certain.

This beast is a political entity since it rules over other nations. It has authority and power from the devil, it wars against the saints and kills them, and it was worshipped and was in existence while the book was being written. The only entity that could fit that description was the Roman Empire itself. Clearly, we are intended to understand that the first beast, assisting in the devil's war against Christians, is the Roman Empire.

In light of the questions of verse 4, it is interesting to read the speech Agrippa gave to the Jews who wanted to revolt against Rome in AD 66. He listed nation after nation that had once resisted Rome but then was under Roman domination. He noted that Judea was smaller, weaker and less equipped for war than any other nation. He asked repeatedly why the Jews thought they could succeed in a war against Rome, effectively asking the same question John reported here (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 2.16).

In light of the description of one head of the beast that had received a death-blow yet healed, it is interesting to note that the fifth emperor, Nero, committed suicide at 31 after troops in the west rebelled. His body was burned privately and the ashes interred in the family tomb. A rumor was popularly circulated that he was not dead, but would one day return to retake the throne. Much later, when Domitian became emperor, many said he was Nero reborn.

While the first beast appears from the sea, the second beast comes up from the earth. It is described as having two horns like a lamb, yet speaking like a dragon. Clearly it is opposed to the people of God and is an ally of the devil. This beast exercised the authority of the first beast "on his behalf," that is, for the agenda and aims of the first beast. His task is plain. This beast makes the inhabitants of the earth to worship the first beast-the Roman Empire.

In order to accomplish this, the second beast is given amazing power to perform wonderful signs, deceiving the people. He commands an image to be made in honor of the first beast and made this image speak, exciting awe. This beast has authority to kill those who refuse to worship the image-which would certainly include Christians. The beast also requires everybody to receive a mark, showing allegiance to the first beast, in order to buy, sell or trade. This mark is the name of the first beast or the number of his name, according to human calculation. The number is identified as 666.

This second beast exists at the same time as the first beast. His function is only to enforce the worship of the emperor of Rome. This is known to have been required during the time of Domitian, when Revelation was written. Domitian is the first Roman Emperor to demand divine honors during his lifetime. He converted the old family home into "The Temple of the Flavians" and routinely signed correspondence, "Your Lord and God." The cult of emperor worship was particularly strong in the region of Turkey, where John wrote the book of Revelation. Altars to "Roma" were erected more than 150 years before Christ, and the worship of the emperors had begun even during the time of Augustus, nearly a century before.

Concerning the number 666, it is important to remember that the number 6 represented evil, and the multiplication of the number would take to higher and higher level. Three repetitions took it to the highest level-the first beast is identified as wholly evil in this number. While there are several ingenious schemes to assign a human name to this number, none of these schemes are persuasive. The comments of Ray Summers are particularly appropriate here:

"A pathetic loss of time and thought and mathematical ingenuity has marked the labor of an endless number of men who have tried to solve the riddle of this mystic number and assign it to some contemporary" (Worthy Is The Lamb, 177).