An Islamic Antichrist? – Part 8 (Revelation 13)

[The other articles in this series can be found here.]

One of the most popular and well known chapters in the Bible is Revelation 13. It is here that we get a glimpse of the Antichrist, the False Prophet, the Image of the Beast, and the Mark of the Beast. Our study of an Islamic Antichrist would be incomplete without looking at Revelation 13:1-10. In this article, we will examine these verses to see whether or not it is consistent with a Middle Eastern origin of the Antichrist.

Revelation 13:1-10

1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” 5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast–all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

In these verses, the Apostle John witnesses a beast rising up out of the sea. This beast has ten horns and seven heads (v.1). The beast resembled a leopard, but had the feet of a bear, and a mouth of a lion (v. 2). This beast is given authority, power, and a throne from the dragon (Satan) (v.2). One of the seven heads seems to have had a fatal wound, but the wound had been healed (v.3). Other aspects of the beast include:

1. The whole world (“all inhabitants”) worshipped the dragon and the beast (v.3-4, 8).
2. The people following the beast say, “Who can make war against him?” (v.4)
3. The beast utters proud words and blasphemies and exercises authority for forty-two months (3 ½ years). (v.5)
4. He makes war against the saints and even conquers them. (v.7)
5. “And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.” (v.7)

Interpreting the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10

There are a few different ways to interpret the beast of Revelation 13:1-10. First, the beast is taken to be a composite of the four beasts of Daniel 7 (the lion, bear, leopard, and the fourth beast with ten horns). It is believed that since all four are combined in Revelation 13 then the beast must symbolize all evil governments throughout history that are antichristian.[1] That is, because of the symbolic nature of the book of Revelation, every empire and kingdom from Rome to Nazi Germany, from the Mongolians to the Japanese, and everything in between, is believed to be represented by this beast.

Second, the beast represents the Antichrist, in that the Antichrist and his kingdom will be a combination of all the cruelty of every evil government that has ever existed (or at least the ones in Daniel 7).[2]

I admit that because of the symbolic nature of Revelation that both of these interpretations are possible. However, if we use the principle of using Scripture to interpret Scripture, then there is a third interpretation that is accepted among those who believe that the Antichrist will be Middle Eastern. A careful reader will notice that there are many similarities between the fourth beast of Daniel 7 and the beast in Revelation 13.

1) Both chapters say that the beast came up out of the sea. The sea in apocalyptic literature symbolizes Gentile (non-Jewish) or evil nations and peoples.[3] So these four kingdoms are empires that are outside of the nation of Israel.

2) Both beasts have ten horns. The ten horns are the same as the ten toes in Daniel 2.

3) Both are destroyed by the second coming of Christ (see Revelation 19:11-21).

4) Both make war against the saints and succeed.

5) Both utter blasphemies against God.

6) Both will wage war for a time, times, and half a time (3 ½ years)

These details suggest that the beast in Revelation 13:1-10 is the same as the fourth beast in Daniel 7. The beast of Revelation 13 is not a composite of all four beasts in Daniel 7, but it is a composite of the first three beasts only: the lion, the bear, and the leopard. In order to know the significance of this we must understand what the three beasts represent.

1. The first beast in Daniel 7, the lion, signifies the Babylonian Empire (c. 626-539 BC).

2. The second beast, the lopsided bear, represents the Medo-Persian Empire (539-332 BC) which destroyed the Babylonian Empire.

3. The leopard represents the kingdom of Alexander the Great, the Greek Empire (c. 330-30 BC). The four heads signify the fact that after Alexander died (in 323 BC) his kingdom was divided into four different kingdoms headed by four of his generals.

This leaves us with very important information concerning the beast of Revelation 13 and the fourth beast of Daniel 7. First, the beast in Revelation 13 is a mixture of three Middle Eastern kingdoms (Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece). This suggests, along with the rest of this series on the Antichrist, that the Antichrist does not come from a revived Roman Empire.[4]

Second, I showed in part 1 of this series that the legs of iron are best represented by the Islamic Caliphate, and we know that the fourth beast of Daniel 7 is the same as the beast of Revelation 13. This beast is also the same as the legs of iron. The beast in Daniel 7 has large iron teeth and bronze claws.

Third, it is also significant that the beast of the antichrist also has bronze claws in Daniel 7. The bronze is the same as the leopard (the Greek Empire). There is also a connection to the Antichrist’s empire to the Greek empire in Daniel 8 and 11. In Revelation 13, the beast resembles a leopard. The kingdom of the antichrist will resemble (look like) the kingdom of Alexander the Great, which was a Middle Eastern empire.[5]

Conclusion

The beast in Revelation 13 is consistent with an Islamic Antichrist. All the details from Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation all conform together to give us the same picture: a Middle Eastern origin of the antichrist.

What do you think? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page.

[This is a revised and updated edition of an article originally published on April 16, 2013.]

[1] Sam Storms. Kingdom Come (Ross-shire: Mentor, 2013). 477-479, 488.  William Hendriksen. More Than Conquerors (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1940). 145-146.

[2] Grant R. Osborne. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002). 491-492. Robert H. Mounce The Book of Revelation. In The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Revised Edition. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1997). 246.

[3] Mounce, 244. Hendriksen, 145. Joel Richardson. Mideast Beast. (Washington D.C.: WND Books, 2012). 148.

[4] It is common to see the beast in Revelation to be the revived Roman Empire. See John Walvoord. The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1966). 197.

[5] Richardson, 152, 154. Walid Shoebat, with Joel Richardson. God’s War on Terror (Top Executive Media, 2008). 356.

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