Three pivotal figures will serve as the focus of our narrative here in Revelation chapter thirteen. We encountered the first of those figures earlier in Revelation chapter twelve when we were introduced to “the dragon,” a being who is clearly identified as Satan in Revelation 12:9. The second figure is identified in verse one as the “beast rising from the sea.” The final character appears in verse eleven where he is referred to as “beast coming up out of the earth.” Over time, these latter two figures have come to be known as “the antichrist” and “the false prophet.”
We can also separate our text from Revelation chapter thirteen into three primary sections. The first section outlines the blasphemous political system that will characterize that era. Section two describes the unholy religious structure of that period. The concluding section delves into the godless economic system that will dominate that age. That final section is also where we will encounter the ominous number 666.
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?'” (Revelation 13:1-4).
In Revelation chapter twelve, we learned that Satan was permanently ousted from heaven prior to the events that take place in the passage quoted above. As a result, Revelation 12:12 tells us that he was “…filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (NIV). Here now in the following chapter, he expresses that deep emotional anger by calling forth a being from the sea that verse one identifies as a “beast.”
This word refers to a dangerous animal in the original language of these verses. However, this being has also acquired another name: the antichrist. The prefix “anti” means “against,” and appears in commonly used words such as “antifreeze” (an agent that protects against freezing), and “antibiotic” (or a medication that protects against bacteria).
However, the prefix “anti” can also mean “instead of,” or “in place of.” So the term “antichrist” can describe a person or belief that attempts to substitute Christ for someone or something else. Thus, any person or teaching that attempts to take the place of Jesus in someone’s life might be characterized by the term “antichrist.”