Page 9 - The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:1-8
And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out
of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems,
and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the 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. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. I saw
one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the
whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon
because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying,
"Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" There was given to
him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for
forty-two months was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies
against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in
heaven. It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them,
and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.
All 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 slain.

Look at some of the symbols here:

• a beast
• a sea
• ten horns
• seven heads
• ten diadems
• blasphemous names
• body of a leopard
• feet of a bear
• mouth of a lion
• a dragon granting power and a throne and authority
• a wounded head that is healed
• a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies
• authority to act for 42 months
• blasphemies against Yahweh, His name, His tabernacle
• the Lamb
• the Lamb's book of Life

All of these things are symbols that stand for some truth. We would be wrong to think
that these things are all to be understood literally. In fact, out of all the things listed, we
would most certainly declare that the majority of them cannot be taken literally. The book
of Revelation is highly symbolic, and everything is revealed in signs and types. Thus we see
Christ as a Lamb that was slain, we see the overcomers referred to as virgins, and the
churches are themselves represented by candlesticks. We read of a great harlot riding on
the back of a beast, and we see revealed all types of fantastic creatures with multiple heads