Revelation 13:1 Is the beast already standing on the shore?

[hotcoffee]

Revelation 13:1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.​

Revelation 13:1 Some manuscripts And I

The dragon in chapter 12:3 is standing on the shore. John's there and then the beast comes out of the sea.

Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.​

The beast is like the dragon but it's different. The beast has 10 crowns as opposed to 7 crowns of the dragon. It wears its crowns on its horns instead of its heads. Instead of a crown, this beast has a blasphemous name on each head instead of a crown.

Apparently John wasn't the first one to see this beast. Daniel saw it in chapter 7. Look at verses 23-25.

Daniel 7:23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.​

Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year​

John says each head has a blasphemous name written on it. He doesn't tell us what those names are.

In one of the commentaries it says:

On his heads were blasphemous names = is a new characteristic for the composite beast that is not included with the composite dragon. What the names are is not indicated, but each of the seven heads has a name. The names are blasphemous, which indicates that they violate the name of the one true God. Since the seven satanically inspired empires failed to prevent the rapture of the Male-Son to heaven the blasphemous names probably express the contempt they have for God.​

OK here's a list.... I found the same list in another place.

1. Somalia
2. North Korea (tied with Somalia and Afghanistan for No. 175)
3. Afghanistan (tied with North Korea and Somalia for No. 175)
4. Sudan
5. South Sudan
6. Libya
7. Iraq
8. Uzbekistan
9. Turkmenistan (tied with Uzbekistan and Syria for No. 168)
10. Syria (tied with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan for No. 168)

So are we living in end times? Is the beast already standing on the shore?

 

[baydoll]

Interesting..

What is this 'shore' and what is the 'sea'? I believe John saw Satan (the Beast) standing upon the 'sand/shore' of the world looking out over the 'sea' of humanity. I think God is allowing John to see this 'rise' of the Antichrist coming out of the sea (which is humanity).

The 'sea' in this case is the symbol for humanity:

Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. Revelation 17:15

And where have we seen this 'sea' before? In Daniel:

Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. Daniel 7:2-4

 

[baydoll]

Revelation 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.​

So what are these 'seven heads' the dragon is described as having? Revelations 17:9 gives us the answer:

9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.

Many commentators believe this is Rome (because Rome is commonly described as sitting on seven hills) but I believe it is more than just a 'City' because in the next verse John is told "these are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other is yet to come".

Revelation 17:10

10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

So these 'seven heads' represent seven world empires: five have fallen, one is (presently in the time of John's vision) and one is yet to come (future).

 

[baydoll]

Revelation 13:1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.​

Revelation 13:1 Some manuscripts And I

The dragon in chapter 12:3 is standing on the shore. John's there and then the beast comes out of the sea.

Yeah this can cause some confusion but this discrepancy can easily be explained:

The King James Version says this:

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and (literally 'and I') saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." (Rev. 13:1)

All translations agree that the Apostle John saw the beast but some translations have the dragon instead of the Apostle standing on the sand/shore.

The first sentence (he/I stood..) probably belongs at the end of the last (and preceding) chapter 12 rather than the beginning here in 13:1. So it thus reads -

Rev. 12:17: And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." Rev. 13:1.

The text of Revelation is in blocks that generally do not follow in sequence. Such is the case here. Greek manuscripts have no breaks between letters nor are there any separations between chapters and verses. Translators later added chapter breaks and divisions but they were not perfect.

This sentence (vs 13:1) provides the setting for a new scene. It was from this position in which John observed the rise of both beasts described later on in this chapter: one from the sea and one from the earth.

 

[hotcoffee]

While I'm reading these verses.... I'm struck with the imagery in the writing.

It strikes me the John really had a remarkable life. He was at least an upper class citizen. He owned a boat which was cool. He was a water man. Can you imagine John looking out on the horizon on the side of the boat the morning after he accepted Jesus as his personal savior.

John actually walked beside the best man who ever walked the earth. He was there through all the drama. He had to be really distraught when he met up with the Apostles after the arrest, conviction and crucifixion. What do you think he would have thought when he looked over the horizon the mornings after the Resurrection and Ascension?

That had to be the source of his strength while in exile at the Island of Patmos.

The four animals of God.... it's so unreal that John can describe the essence of the animals. No one has actually seen the face of God. John has seen the animals that God loves the best. I imagine a sleek animal that knows every thought of every breathing thing around them.

Now John is describing a family of reptiles that have been a pain since they decided to walk out on God. It's the lies of these reptiles that create so much havoc in the world. Remember, it was a snake in the tree that facilitated the original sin. We all know what it's like to loose a bluebird nest to a black snake. This is much bigger than that. I think John does a good job of telling us what is going on.

This whole book has be written in prayer and fasting. I appreciate that. To me it's like Narnia.

We've all had tribulation in our lives. We've all at least lost a loved one. Our responses to those tribulations is what defines our role in this book.

Are you one of those who believe the hero in the story is the Only Son of God? Then you will be wearing a white robe in this book.

If you don't have a white robe, you'll be one of those people who has to deal with the death of the reptile family. Spoiler alert.... the reptile family doesn't win at the end of the book!