Who is the beast of Revelation? | GotQuestions.org

Today's question is, who is the beast of Revelation? In this video I'll answer that question from a biblical perspective.

Then afterwards, as always, I'll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.

During the future tribulation period, the world will be ruled by a godless man presiding over an evil governmental system.

The Bible associates this end -times ruler with a terrible beast in Revelation and in Daniel.

In Revelation chapter 13, John sees a nightmarish vision of a dragon and two beasts.

The first beast comes out of the sea and receives power from the dragon, or Satan. This beast is a true monstrosity.

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.

Daniel's vision of the beast is similar in many ways to John's in Daniel 7, verses 7–8 and 19–27.

Studying both Daniel and Revelation in tandem is profitable. In Revelation, the term beast refers to two related entities.

Sometimes the beast refers to the end -times empire. The seven heads and ten horns indicate that the beast will be a coalition of nations that rises to power to subdue the earth under Satan's control.

Later references to the beast in Revelation picture an individual, the man who is the political leader and the head of the beastly empire.

The beast will receive a deadly wound and be healed of it, Revelation 13, verse 3. He will exert authority over the whole world and demand worship, verses 7–8.

He will wage war against God's people, and he will prevail against them for a time, Revelation 13, verse 7 and Daniel 7, verse 21.

However, the beast's time is short. According to Revelation 13, verse 5 and Daniel 7, verse 25, he will only be permitted absolute authority for 42 months, or three and a half years.

We believe that the beast in Revelation is the Antichrist, the one who will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called

God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be

God, 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4. He is also called the man of lawlessness and the man doomed to destruction, 2

Thessalonians 2, verse 3. In Daniel's vision, the Antichrist is the little horn that rises from the head of the terrifying beast,

Daniel 7, verse 8. When the Lord returns in judgment, He will defeat the beast and destroy his empire,

Revelation 19, verses 19–20 and Daniel 7, verse 11. The beast will be cast alive into the lake of fire, but the identity of the individual who will become the beast of Revelation is not yet known.

According to 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 7, this man will be revealed only when God removes the restraining influence of the

Holy Spirit from the earth. It is interesting to compare the differing biblical visions of the kingdoms of the world.

In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of the kingdoms of the world as a large statue, an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance,

Daniel 2, verse 31. The prophet Daniel later sees a vision of the same kingdoms, except he sees them as hideous beasts,

Daniel 7. In John's vision of the final worldly kingdom, the empire is portrayed as a grotesque and misshapen beast.

These passages present two very different perspectives on kingdoms mankind builds. Man sees his creations as imposing monuments and works of art fashioned of valuable metals.

However, God's view of the same kingdoms is that they are unnatural monsters, and the beast of Revelation will be the worst of them all.

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