The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?"

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast - all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

Whoever has ears, let them hear.

"If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed."

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. _{Revelation 13:1-10}

Descriptions of the Beast from the Sea:

1. It arises out of the sea. Henceforth I will refer to it as the 'Sea Beast'.
2. It has ten horns, each bearing a crown.
3. It has seven heads.
4. It looks like a leapard but with feet like a bear and lion's mouth.
5. The dragon transfers his power, throne and authority to the sea beast.
6. Each head on the sea beast has a name that is sacrilegious.
7. One of its heads bears the scar of a fatal wound that has healed.
8. The whole world is in awe and follows the sea beast.
9. All will worship the sea beast and the dragon who empowers it who are not abiding in Christ.
10. The sea beast blasphemes God, the heavenly realm and all those abiding there.
11. It excercises authority over the entire earth for 42 months.
12. These points identify the sea beast with the little horn power of Daniel Ch. 7.

Interpreting the Vision of the Beast from the Sea:
Let the Bible be our guide to understand the meaning of prophetic symbols.

1. The sea symbolizes the populous, multi-ethnic region surrounding the Mediterranian. _{Psalm 65:7, Revelation 17:15}
2. Horns symbolize strength or power to act. _{Psalm 18:2, Psalm 89:17}.
3. The ten crowned horns are ten authoritarian powers that exist at the same time.
   _{Daniel 7:24, Revelation 17:12}
4. Seven, the number of heads, signifies completion or fullness.
   _{Genesis 41:26 & 27}
5. The seven heads are seven chronological incarnations of the sea beast.
   _{Revelation 17: 10 & 11}
6. The sea beast bears the same physical attributes as the four beasts in Daniels dream. _{Daniel 7:1-7}
7. The head with the fatal wound that healed is an overt contrast to Christ's resurrection.
8. The whole world is in awe on account of this 'resurrection' of the sea beast.
   _{Revelation 13:3}
9. Forty two months is the same prophetic time period as the 1260 days and the time, times and half a time.
   _{Revelation 11:1-3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, Revelation 13:5}

Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. _{Revelation 13:11-18}

Descriptions of the Beast from the Earth:

1. It arises coming out of the earth. Henceforth I will refer to it as the 'Earth Beast'.
2. It has two lamb-like horns but speaks like a dragon.
3. It works to seduce the people of earth into worshiping the sea beast.
4. It performs miraculous signs to that end and deceives many.
5. It commands those deceived to construct an image in honor of the sea beast.
6. The image is given voice commanding all to bow down to it or be put to death.
7. It also orders everyone to receive a mark of loyalty to the sea beast.
8. Anyone who does not bear the mark have their basic freedoms taken away.
9. The mark is the name of the sea beast or the number of its name.
10. The number is 666, which is the number of a man.

Prophetic time:
# of days = (42 months * 30 days per month) = 1260 days (≈ 3.5 years).
One time = (1260 days / 3.5 times) = 360 days (≈ one year).

Forty-two months, the period of time given for the sea beast, is the same period the holy city is given over to the gentiles. It is also the same period for the two witnesses who prophesy clothed in sackcloth and the woman clothed with the sun given refuge in the wilderness. _{Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6 & 14}

If the prophetic periods equate to the same amount of time, why are they expressed in different terms: Months for the Gentiles and the sea beast, days for the two witnesses, days and times for the woman clothed with the sun?

Prophetic time doesn't necessarily equate to real time. There is no sure way of knowing although some have suggested from scripture that one day of prophetic time equates to one year of real time. _{Numbers 14:33 & 34}

1. The earth reference signifies a different geographical origin from the sea beast.
2. One possibility for the origin of the earth beast could be the new world (the Americas).
3. The earth beast bears no crowns suggesting it is not a political power. _{2 Kings 11:12, Revelation 6:2}
4. Horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon is central to the earth beasts deception.
5. The earth beast therefore stands in opposition to the true Lamb of God. _{John 1:29}
6. Causing fire to come down from heaven hearkens back to the prophet Elijah. _{1 Kings 18:30-38, Revelation 13:13}
7. The earth beast is in fact identified as a false prophet. _{Revelation 19:20}
8. The image it orders set up is an idol to the sea beast whose fatal wound was healed. _{Leviticus 26:1}
9. The mark of the beast signifies subservience to the sea beast by thought or deed. _{Revelation 13:16, Revelation 14:9-11}
10. 666 is both the number and equates to the name of the sea beast because it is the antichrist. _{Revelation 13:17 & 18}

The symbolism, descriptions and scriptural references presented here show that the earth beast is a false religious movement that is organized purely to deceive the world into subservience to the sea beast. Anyone who doesn't worship the sea beast, bow down to its image or bear the mark of the sea beast will be persecuted. It is, therefore, the incarnation of past persecuting powers through the union of religious and political power.