The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

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We continue our examination of the dragon in the Book of Revelation.

The dragon and the beast from the sea (Rev. 12:18 – 13:10)

The dragon stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority. One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?” (emphasis added).

Revelation 12:18 – 13:4

The word dragon in 12:18 does not appear in the Greek, so translators seek to identify the one standing on the sand of the sea either as “the dragon,” “he” (meaning the dragon), or “I” (referring to John). In any case, John sees a frightening beast rise out of the sea in Revelation 13:1-10. In verses 11-18, he sees a second beast rise from the earth. The dragon empowers both beasts. This is explicitly stated of the first beast and implied with respect to the second beast.

The first beast is similar to the dragon in that he has ten horns and seven heads. Yet, he is a distinct – and lesser – creature than the dragon because the dragon is the source of the beast’s power, throne, and authority. The Greek word used here for “beast” (therion) means “wild animal” and metaphorically signifies a brutal, savage, ferocious being. The dragon gives the beast power to act for forty-two months. The dragon also grants the beast a mouth to speak haughty and blasphemous words. 

The beast miraculously recovers from an apparently fatal head wound, causing the whole earth to follow him. The people worship the dragon and the beast, perhaps out of fear rather than love, for they declare, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?” (Rev. 13:4). 

The dragon empowers – and the Lord permits – the beast to wage war against the saints and to gain authority over the people. Those faithful to Christ suffer persecution and death, while unbelievers – “everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered” – survive only by continuing to worship the beast (v. 8).

So, who is this beast? And what does the dragon have to do with him? One view is that the beast represents a large realm, such as the Roman Empire. More prominent is the view that the beast is a man who operates a sinister global organization. Other passages of Scripture support the interpretation of the beast as a person. 

In Revelation 19:20, for example, we are told that the beast is taken, along with a second beast, and cast into the lake of fire, where the dragon joins them sometime later (Rev. 20:10). While God ultimately puts down all competing kingdoms, there is no indication he casts anything other than Satan, evil spirits, and people into hell. In addition, Paul warns of a coming “man of sin” (2 Thess. 2:3), and John affirms a teaching throughout the church of a future Antichrist (1 John 2:18).

It appears this is the same beast that emerges from the abyss in Revelation 11:7. He makes war with two witnesses, conquering and killing them. The beast is mentioned several other times in Revelation (Rev. 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 17:3, 13; 19:20; 20:10). Some commentators conclude that the beast is ancient Rome, or the papal church, or anti-Christian powers seeking to silence the church’s witness. 

Some futurists contend that there are three beasts. The beast that comes out of the abyss is Satan (Rev. 11:7), the beast out of the sea is the Antichrist (Rev. 13:1), and the beast out of the land is the false prophet (Rev. 13:11). Other futurists say the beast out of the abyss and the beast out of the sea are one and the same.

Whoever the beast is, it’s important to remember, first, that he comes out of the abyss (compare Rev. 11:7 and Rev. 13:1-8), a special place where certain demons are confined until judgment day, and out of the sea, which symbolizes humanity. Whether the beast is a person, an institution, or both, demonic and worldly forces empower him. 

Second, God is sovereign over the beast’s power and influence. The beast can do nothing to the saints except what the Lord allows. Third, the beast hates God and God’s people. His violence toward the saints exposes a deeper animosity toward Yahweh. Finally, his victory is hollow. The victims of his persecution go to be with the Lord, while he ultimately is cast into the lake of fire.

It is interesting to note how John describes the beast’s abilities. The dragon gives him his power, throne, and authority. This dominating beast has the same flesh and bones as other humans and yet rises above them on the wings of the dragon. 

The god of this age is not able to manifest himself in human flesh as the Son of God does, so he inhabits the flesh of a naturally born human and infuses him with power. The prince of the power of the air will never rule all human beings, so he shares his earthly authority with a willing beast who wields Satanic power over every living unbeliever. And the evil one will never sit on the throne of David, so he places a puppet king on a worldly throne and pulls the strings.

Revelation 13:8 makes it clear that the world’s unbelievers – not Christians – worship the dragon and the “resurrected” beast: “All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.” This miraculous deception – a counterfeit resurrection of Jesus, and a demonic response to the resurrection of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 – is enough to convince the world’s lost people that a savior has come.

While the beast from the sea commands our attention in these verses, the dragon behind the throne should intrigue us more. We might ask: Why doesn’t the dragon (Satan) just rule the world? Isn’t he the god of this age, anyway? What does he need with a human puppet? Several observations may prove helpful. 

First, Satan acts only within God’s permissive will. While the evil one strains against an exceptionally long leash, it appears God limits the dragon’s ability to appear in the physical realm. He certainly does so as the serpent in Genesis 3, prior to the Fall. But his other appearances are confined (perhaps) to the heavenly council (Job 1-2; Zech. 3) or to John’s visions. 

One possible exception is the evil one’s direct temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), but even then, the Gospel writers say only that Satan tempts Jesus, not necessarily that he appears physically. Put another way, for Satan to break into the physical realm, he must use secondary means. Yes, he prowls the earth like a roaring lion, but when he appears, it must always be in a borrowed disguise.

Second, Satan successfully uses secondary means – evil spirits, willing persons, or even nature itself – to accomplish his purposes. He kills Job’s children, destroys Job’s wealth, and takes Job to the brink of physical death. He incites King David to number his troops – an arrogant and defiant act that results in the deaths of seventy thousand people. He gets Peter to oppose Jesus’ plan of crucifixion. He enters Judas Iscariot. And he fills the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to lie to the Holy Spirit. So, while he might prefer to break through into the physical realm, he doesn’t need to do so in order to wreak havoc on the earth.

Third, Satan’s desire for worship is accomplished through the beast. As the dragon inspires and empowers this world leader, people seem to know there is a “divine” entity behind the miracles, and they eagerly worship him.

The dragon’s play – in eight acts

Let’s see how the dragon pulls the beast’s strings to deceive the whole world. It seems the dragon carries out his work through the beast – more commonly known as the Antichrist – in eight primary acts.

Act 1 – Granting power, a throne, and authority (Rev. 13:2)

“Power” comes from the Greek dynamis, from which we get the English word “dynamite.” It means inherent power residing in a person or object by virtue of its nature. Put another way, the dragon invests his brutish strength in the beast. “Throne” is from the Greek thronos and depicts a chair of state having a footstool. In this context, it means kingly stature and royalty. “Authority” is from the Greek exousia and describes the beast’s power of choice, or liberty to exercise influence and privilege. This authority is a limited-time offer, however; as far as the beast is concerned, it’s good for forty-two months (v. 5). 

Just as Satan’s days are numbered, the beast must make the most of his time in the limelight. So, while the beast rules supremely, he is more like a velvet glove, with the dragon’s iron hand firmly inside.

Act 2 – Using counterfeit miracles (Rev. 13:3)

The beast suffers a head wound that appears to be fatal. When he is miraculously healed, the whole earth is amazed and follows the beast. John mentions the deadly wound three times (Rev. 13:3, 12, 14) and reveals it is a sword-inflicted wound. 

It does not appear that Satan holds the power to raise the dead, although God could allow it. But in this case, the dragon may be granted the power to heal a serious, life-threatening wound. Or, more likely, he deceives people into thinking a true miracle has occurred. As the apostle Paul points out, “The coming of the lawless one [Antichrist; beast] is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie …” (2 Thess. 2:9). 

The beast from the sea appears to be a counterfeit Christ, whose resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. How clever it is for the dragon to counterfeit the Lamb’s crowning achievement with an apparent resurrection of the beast. 

But it should come as no surprise to us. Jesus warns about false messiahs and false prophets in the last days (cf. Matt. 24:4-5, 11, 24). The world’s unbelievers – those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life – pay lip service to the God who raises his two witnesses from the dead (Rev. 11), but they worship the devil who mocks the resurrection of Jesus with a counterfeit rebirth of the beast.

Act 3 – Receiving worship for himself (Rev. 13:4)

When the people marvel at the beast’s apparent resurrection, they worship the dragon because they recognize he is the ultimate authority behind the beast. And they express amazement, or perhaps fear, toward the satanically inspired beast by asking rhetorically, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?” 

Note that throughout Revelation 13, John refers to the beast as “it” rather than “he” or “him.” This may lead us to think the beast is an institution, or perhaps a mechanical creation, or even a cyborg. But in light of other Scriptures foretelling a world ruler in the last days, it seems best to understand the beast as a true person, although one who is so under Satan’s control that his own true humanity – as an imager of God – is greatly disfigured. 

Act 4 – Employing a boastful and blasphemous voice (Rev. 13:5-6)

John describes it this way: “The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies…. It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling – those who dwell in heaven.” Satan invests his supernatural cleverness, arrogance, and eloquence in the beast, who plies these skills to blaspheme God. This includes God’s name (which no devout Jew would dare to speak out loud), his dwelling (literally, his tabernacle, or the place his Shekinah glory dwells), and his people (the throne-encircled redeemed whose praises he inhabits). 

In the Old Testament, the root meaning of the word “blasphemy” is an act of effrontery in which a person insults the honor of God, and for which he or she may be stoned to death (Lev. 24:10-23; 1 Kings 21:9ff). In the New Testament, the meaning is extended to include God’s representatives. For example, Jews from the Freedman’s Synagogue accuse Stephen of “speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God” (Acts 6:11).

But the charge of blasphemy rises to a crescendo around the words and deeds of Jesus. When he forgives the sins of a paralyzed man (Mark 2:5-7), confirms his identity as the Son of God (Mark 14:61-65), and receives insults as he hangs bloody and disfigured on the cross (Matt. 27:39), Jesus is reviled for demonstrating his deity. Yet when the beast exalts himself above all divine figures, he is worshiped rather than put to death.

Act 5 – Leveraging limited time

John records, “It [the beast] was allowed to exercise authority [wage war; rule] for forty-two months” (Rev. 13:5). Satan knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12). Whether Satan sets the clock ticking for the beast, or whether God establishes this allotment of time, it is clear the beast cannot exercise earthly sovereignty indefinitely. 

The Lord always sets limits on those who oppose him. In addition, he often provides warnings of impending judgment, along with an invitation to repent. The Amorites are given more than four hundred years. The Egyptians are given ten plagues. The Israelites are given prophet after prophet to call them to repentance. 

Even when God’s people suffer persecution, he assures them there is a limit to their hardship. Jesus encourages the church at Smyrna this way: “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10, emphasis added).

Act 6 – Granting war powers (Rev. 13:7)

The beast is permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. While the dragon assigns this authority to his puppet king, it is all within the permissive will of God. Take special note of the sinister will of the dragon and the permissive will of God. The dragon gives the beast power, a throne, and authority (v. 2). The dragon, presumably, heals the beast’s fatal head wound (v. 3). The dragon amazes the whole earth through a counterfeit miracle, deceiving people into following the beast (v. 3). The dragon receives worship (v. 4). The dragon gives the beast a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies (v. 5). And on it goes.

But we see a different perspective beginning in verse 7 as it becomes clear God permits these evil events to unfold. For example, the beast is permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them (v. 7). The beast’s authority over every people, tribe, language, and nation happens by divine permission. And God allows the beast to receive worldwide worship that rightly belongs only to the King of kings. 

We see the dual nature of God’s will – what he decrees and what he allows – throughout Scripture. Yahweh decrees the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart as he allows the Egyptian king to make his own decisions (Exod. 7-14). He sends a spirit to entice King David to take a census, while permitting that same spirit to volunteer for duty and allowing the king to make the rebellious decision (2 Sam. 24; 1 Chron. 21). And God sends his Son to die for our sins, while Jesus makes it clear that no one takes his life – he lays it down voluntarily (John 10:18). 

Satan plots, possesses, empowers, amazes, destroys, and deceives – all the while attracting the worship of the world’s lost. And the whole time Almighty God permits it, even the slaughter of the saints. Satan can do nothing without God’s permission. He cannot take Job’s possessions, wipe out his family, or afflict his body without the Lord removing his protective hedge (see Job 1-2). And Satan cannot sift Peter like wheat, causing him to deny Christ, without the Lord allowing it; even so, the evil one cannot snatch Peter from the hand of God, for Jesus assures Peter he will turn back to his master (see Luke 22:31-32).

It’s impossible for the finite human mind to grasp the infinite sovereignty of God, who allows evil and, at times, seems a willing participant in it, yet cannot be tempted with evil. The holiness of God is as true as the reality of evil, and what God causes and permits are two sides of the same coin. With all things under his authority – even the evil of Satan and demons, and the rebellion of sinful people – God is somehow able to take the worst his creatures dish out and fashion it into the very best.

Act 7 – Conquering the saints (Rev. 13:7)

While the Lord temporarily withdraws his divine hand of protection from his adopted family, it is the dragon who empowers the beast to persecute the saints with a vengeance. The church rises to its greatest stature when it is weak and broken. Devoid of religious, military, or political power, Christians in the first century turn the world upside down for Jesus (Acts 17:6). 

Jesus has only commendation for the afflicted and poverty-stricken church in Smyrna, while reserving unvarnished condemnation for the church at Laodicea, which claims to be rich and in need of nothing, not realizing it is “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). No doubt, the saints suffer horrible indignity at the hands of the beast, and those who are martyred cry out, “How long, Lord?” beneath the altar in heaven (Rev. 6:10). The Lord urges them to be patient; the day of their exaltation and the judgment of evil is coming soon. 

Act 8 – Ruling the world (Rev. 13:7)

Satan rules his own kingdom – a realm in opposition to God. This includes his position as the god of this age, the ruler of this world. Even Jesus does not contest Satan’s claim to have temporary authority over the kingdoms of the world. But Satan’s rule has always been a shadow. He rules the hearts of people, and he often uses people to scorch the earth with enormous evil influence – Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Castro, Mao, to name a few  – but none of these leaders ruled the entire world or publicly recognized the personal power behind their thrones. 

Now, as the beast rules over every tribe, people, language, and nation, the dragon at last receives the world’s worship through his surrogate. The entire population – with the exception of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life – worships a single world leader who owes everything to the dragon. 

Just as Jesus relied on God the Father for direction in his earthly ministry, and on the Holy Spirit for power to carry out his mission of redemption, so the counterfeit messiah, the beast, relies completely on the dragon for direction, strength, power, and purpose.

But some might ask: Because the beast’s worshipers have never had their names written in the Lamb’s book of life – and believers always have had their names written there – doesn’t this smack of fatalism? In reply, some Christians may try to explain this by saying God merely foresees the faith of the righteous and the rebellion of the unrighteous, and confirms their free choices. Others contend that God has determined all things, including the “free” choices of individuals (without becoming the author of sin or the creator of a fixed game). It may not be this simple.

We do God a great disservice when we accuse him either of aimless foreknowledge or fatalistic sovereignty. Certainly, he knows all things. He is sovereign. He has all power and authority. And in the midst of this mind-boggling transcendence, he created people in his image and entrusted them with the ability to make choices for which he holds them responsible. Though the beast-worshiping unbelievers of Revelation 13 are excluded from the Lamb’s book of life, they would never have signed their names anyway – even if the Son of God opened the pages himself and offered them a pen.

Next: Satan as the dragon – conclusion