“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5).
There is no need to speculate regarding the “proud words” (NET), and “monstrous blasphemies” (Phillips) uttered by the beast in this passage, for the following verse offers an example…
“It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven” (Revelation 13:6).
“Blasphemy” involves the act of cursing God or living in a way that demonstrates a lack of reverence or respect for Him. A blasphemous person is someone who speaks or lives in a way that expresses scorn for his or her Creator. The essence of that attitude is captured by the word “contempt,” a word that defines those who show disdain for something deemed worthless (1) The beast of Revelation 13:6 will not only display that attitude, he will lead others to adopt it as well.
“Slander” is a related concept that involves the spread of false information with the intent to harm another person. It also represents one of the oldest weapons in the adversary’s arsenal. For instance, consider the serpent’s interaction with Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Eve told the serpent that the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden would bring certain death if she consumed it, the serpent responded in the following manner…
“You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5).
As Eve (and the rest of humanity) ultimately learned, that was a slanderous falsehood spoken with the intent to harm God’s character as a truthful and benevolent Creator. Not coincidentally, the same slanderous tactic chronicled in the first book of the Bible reappears here in the last book of the Bible.
However, the slanderous insults directed towards “…those who live in heaven” involve more than God and the angelic inhabitants of that realm. They also involve every man and woman of God as well. The following passage from the Biblical book of Philippians offers some additional insight into that reality…
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).
So these defamatory statements also encompass those who are citizens of heaven by extension.
“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:7-8).
While the beast of Revelation 13:7 will secure a fleeting victory over the people of God in this passage, these saints will return in Revelation chapter nineteen in a very different manner.
(1) contempt: OneLook Thesaurus. (n.d.). https://www.onelook.com/thesaurus/?s=contempt&loc=wildcard4