"Revelation is a book for scholars," someone in the study group remarked. While I don't think the book was solely intended to be deciphered by professors (the original readers understood it well); there is some mind-maneuveuring involved when modern-day readers want to understand it.
Remember Revelation is apocalyptic, which means lots of metaphors, and some parts of the book is sometimes interpreted by another chapter in the same book. This is what happens in Chapter 13. It is mirrored by Chapter 17, and should be read together to obtain a bigger picture of the idea.
Observations
Chapters 13 & 17
Chapter 13 outlines the appearance of two beasts that do the bidding of the dragon (Satan).
Beast #1 is likened to be the antichrist(s) who will directly oppose God's people. Beast #2 is the false prophet that expresses itself in deception of all peoples.
Together with the dragon, they form the unholy trinity, a counterfeit of God's identity and character. This trio of evil parodies God (using the descriptions of the beast being "was, and is not, and is about..." 17:8, 11). They unleash themselves with great fury at the peoples of the earth because their time is short (12:12)
Let's look at the Beast #1:
1. Commonly known as the Antichrist; or a succession of antichrists culminating to the ultimate Antichrist (1 John 1:18).
2. The power of satan which is in constant historical opposition to God's people.
3. The power of evil, after which it have seemingly "died / vanquished", returns with renewed vigour to oppose the power of God! How this is arrived at is too long for this lesson, but a quick glance at 13:2 describes the beast as a patchwork of a bear, a lion and a leopard, which in Daniel 7 alludes to the kingdoms of Medo-Persia, Babylon and Greece respectively. The dragon gave its power to these kingdoms. In v3, this one of the heads of this patchwork beast was mortally wounded and then healed. Now, heads usually refers to kingdoms. Therefore,we can read it like... "the dragon gave its power to the kingdom of Babylon (to work out its schemes), then the kingdom lapsed. Then it was resurrected in the form of the kingdom of Medo-Persia, and the dragon gave it its power, then it lapsed... etc etc"
Do you see the picture?
Everytime the beast seems to have been defeated, it comes back with renewed vigour! This is like a bad chainsaw-gore movie that is endless!
In amazement (desperation?) the people accepts this kind of evil, and even follows it! (13:4)
4. This Antichrist demands our allegiance. It was allowed to make war on the saints and conquer them.
What kind of forces are opposing Christ and demanding your allegiance? Maybe we are not called to die as martyrs in our country (as many are called even in countries nearby). But we are all called to die to ourselves and follow Christ.
What has been demanding your time and allegiance lately? More money to pay off the mortgage and debts that your chosen lifetyle is weighing on? To embark on a christian cause? While these are legitimate reasons, let them not supercede our devotion to God, giving Him only our time, our belongings, and ourselves.
Understand that all the accumulation of wealth (consumerism, materialism and capitalism), philosophies and ideologies (communism, socialism, existentialism, pluralism) have the function of false religion, making us think apart from God. Anything that diverts our devotion towards God is a competitor, regardless of how noble, glorious and good it sounds.
What then, should a follower of Jesus do? The answer is in verse 10. if you are to be taken captive, in captivity you will go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call to the endurance and faith of the saints.
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