1Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. 4They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. 6He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven. 7It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. 8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. 9If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.
11I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. 15It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads; 17and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.
The antichrist has authority for only a short time (forty-two months, or three and one-half years) (Rev 13:5), in concert with the prophecy of Daniel (Dan 7:25), but in that time subjugated the earth's population and makes war against the people of God on the earth.
The “mouth speaking great things” points back to Daniel 7:25. The forty-two months looks at the second half of the Tribulation and connect back to Daniel’s prophecies. Also, his verbal attacks on God and heaven match the actions of the “horn” in Daniel’s vision. This indicates that the “beast out of the sea,” the Antichrist, will be a fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy and will rail against God as he seeks to kill any who follow Jesus.
The authority to rule every nation and people group is given to him by Satan. Some interpreters see God giving him this dominion. However, Satan will hold the nations in his hands till Jesus returns. The four-fold listing is parallel to the similar list in 7:9, intending to communicate the completeness of his control as well as his attempt to replace Jesus with himself.
John clarifies that, though the four-fold list of peoples indicates universal rule by the beast, only those earth-dwellers whose names are not recorded in the Lamb’s book of life will worship him. This distinction between those destined for heaven and the “earth dwellers” will be developed in the following chapters.
As in the letters to the seven churches, the call to heed is given again, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” Though the reference to the Spirit is dropped from this statement, it is still a warning. It is followed by going into captivity and being killed by the sword (dying a violent death). The Greek grammar is not clear. However, the warning seems to be that there is no escape from the power of the Antichrist for those living through the Tribulation. The promise of God’s vengeance was that those who led the saints captive or to death would meet the same destiny. Similarly, the “endurance” and “faith” of the saints indicate that they will face this fate at the hands of the beast, but will be victorious.