Welcome back to our fourth post in our series on Revelation chapter 13. In our last post, we looked at how Jesus will judge the nations after He defeats Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon. In this post, we’re going to examine the verses that identify the head that is healed of a deadly wound. In battle, one of the heads on the beast receives a deadly wound. But he miraculously comes back to life. This resurrection of sorts is so shocking that it inspires many people to see him as god and they begin to worship him. Are you ready to learn some stuff? Let’s get into this!
Revelation 13:1–10
Fourth in Eight-Part Series
By Karen Thompson
The Beast and the Rise of the Ten-Toed Kingdom
Rev. 13:1 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. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The Identity of the Head That Is Healed of a Deadly Wound
Now we come to the portion of scripture in Revelation chapter 13 that reveals when the man known as little horn becomes “the beast”: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:3–4).
The first thing we read in verse three is that one of the heads on the beast received a deadly wound but then it was healed of its wound! Now pay close attention to the rest of the text. You’ll see some kind of symbiotic relationship between the head that was wounded and the beast. Notice how it’s one of the heads that was healed of a deadly wound, but the response to this event is that it caused all the world to wonder after the beast: “and his [the head] deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Why isn’t all the world wondering after the head? After all, it’s the head that was healed of a deadly wound. Furthermore, the incident is so momentous that it causes people to worship both the dragon and the beast. They worship the dragon and the beast, as in worship like you would a god! Then we read how the head being healed of a deadly wound provokes this exclamation: “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Again, why is the beast the recipient of this accolade and not the head? It’s as though the head and the beast are one in the same. These verses tell us there is a symbiotic relationship between the head and the beast.
Before we answer these questions, we need to first establish which of the seven heads John was talking about. If you remember, we already discussed what the heads symbolize. Revelation 17:9–10 tells us the heads are mountains and every mountain has a king: “The seven heads are seven mountains… And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” As already discussed, the heads are mountains and mountains symbolize empires. And an empire isn’t an empire if it has no king to rule over it. So, essentially, the seven heads symbolize seven empires and their kings. This duality symbolism can be compared to the symbolism of the sun-clothed woman. She symbolizes the city of Jerusalem, and at the same time, she symbolizes the people who live in the city. The city is the people, and the people are the city. Likewise, the head symbolizes both an empire and its king. When you’re talking about the heads, you’re talking about the kings. Human beings… men.
There are some that believe it is an empire that comes back to life. They think the seventh head is the Roman Empire being revived, brought back from the dead. But here’s the thing about empires: you don’t talk about them being dead or alive. You don’t talk about them receiving deadly wounds and then being healed of its wound. Empires rise and fall. They either wax or wane. Kings, on the other hand, can be described as being dead or alive and being healed. Consequently, this verse is our first clue that we are talking about the death of a king, a ruler of nations.
Okay, so which of the seven heads/kings is being talked about? The number-one qualification for the head that is killed and then brought back to life is that it has to be alive before it can be killed! Six of the seven kings are in the distant past and have been dead for millennia, so they couldn’t be it. During the latter times, the only head that will be alive is the seventh head. Obviously, we’re talking about the little horn—the king that is killed and then brought back to life.
The Little Horn Dies, Comes Back to Life as the Beast, and Is Worshiped
Now let’s talk about the extraordinary event itself. John said one of the seven heads on the beast received a wound that killed him. Amazingly, the deadly wound was healed, and the head, or king, came back to life. This event will cause the world to “wonder,” meaning they will be amazed. What this symbolism most likely means is that during the invasion of Jerusalem, the little horn will be killed in battle. However, some Bible translations seem to throw doubt that he actually will be killed. In some places, it’s translated as the head seemed to be dead or it looked as though it was dead. They seem to suggest it only appears that he will die. Nevertheless, whether he actually dies or it just looks like he dies, the public will believe the little horn received a wound and died from it. The deadly wound will be healed, bringing him back to life. It will be a miracle.
The last part of verse three says, “…and all the world wondered after the beast.” It says “all the world” wondered after the beast. With the inventions of television and satellites, the phrase “all the world” could actually be literal. The technology for people to be able to watch what is happening in the Middle East from anywhere in the world is available.
After the little horn is killed and brought back to life, people’s reaction to his death and resurrection will be to worship both the dragon and the beast: “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:4). Because of this supernatural resurrection, they will worship not only the Antichrist beast, but they worship the dragon, who, of course, is Satan. However, they’re not going to consciously worship Satan. They will do so unknowingly. They will think they are worshiping God. They won’t realize that the god they worship is none other than Satan. This worship is something Satan has craved for a very long time. As discussed in earlier chapters, to be worshiped as God has long been the desire and motivation of Satan; it is the reason for his rebellion against God. From the beginning, Satan’s desire has been to usurp God and to sit on His throne.
Satan’s desire to be worshiped as God is so strong that he will not be satisfied to receive the worship of willing devotees only. He will demand to be worshiped by all. Sadly, there will be devotees who willingly worship the dragon and beast, but there will also be a great many people who do not want to worship the dragon and the beast. There will be great pressure put on them to conform.
It will be said about the beast, “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” If you kill your enemy and he comes back to life, how is it possible to win any battles with him? This statement is confirmation that the little horn will be killed while in battle. This death and resurrection changes everything for the Antichrist beast. We’ll see later on that when the little horn is healed of his deadly wound, he’s different. He’s not the same man. He changes from simply being influenced by demonic powers to being fully possessed by demonic powers. His behavior drastically changes. He’s possessed with a demonic being. He becomes the beast. He becomes what 2nd Thessalonians calls, “the man of sin, the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3) This description of Antichrist reflects his dual nature of both man (man of sin) and demonic spirit (son of perdition).
Let’s again consider whether the head receiving a deadly wound and then being healed of it applies to the Roman Empire being revived. Some believe the European Union could possibly be the revived Roman Empire come back to life. But does that correspond to what is being said about the head that was healed? It says when the head was healed of its wound, it provoked a divine-like spiritual reaction in the people: “And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:4). The head coming back to life caused people to worship the beast. They will wonder how anyone could possibly make war with the beast if once you kill him, he will only come back to life. The people will attribute god-like qualities to the head. This reaction doesn’t correspond to the Roman Empire being revived. We’re talking about a man, a king. They will worship a man. Not a nation.
Before we go onto the next verses, let’s go back and re-examine the meaning of the phrase “all the world.” Does “all the world” literally mean all the world will worship the dragon and the beast? No, the whole world will not. The King James translators translated the Greek word “ge” as world in this verse; however, it could also have been translated as arable land, the ground, the main land as opposed to the sea, the earth as a whole, a country, land enclosed within fixed boundaries, a tract of land, territory, region.”5 The events listed in Revelation primarily concern a certain segment of the world—not the whole world. We know that because of what the fourth seal told us. When the fourth seal was opened, John said a pale horse came forth and its rider was death, and hell followed after it. About the rider of death, verse eight says, “And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (Rev. 6). This seal is talking about a period of time referred to as the time of “wars and rumors of wars,” during which there will be much killing. But what I want to call your attention to is the fact that it will be primarily concentrated to only one fourth part of the earth—the Middle East. Not all the world will worship the beast.
Some interpret this to mean that Antichrist will kill one fourth of the world’s population. But this verse doesn’t actually say that. It says “power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth.” It’s not talking about power to kill one fourth of earth’s population. They will have power over a fourth part of the earth, and in that one-fourth part of the earth, they will have power to kill with sword, hunger, and death.
He Is a Blasphemer
There is one characteristic about the Antichrist beast that stands out. It is a trait the prophets emphasize repeatedly. That trait is blasphemy. That is the subject of verses 5–6: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” Along with the factor that Jews and Christians will be targeted for death, this element of blasphemy tells us that religion will have a strong emphasis in this war.
In verse five, we see Revelation is in harmony with the book of Daniel when it says the Antichrist beast would speak “great things and blasphemies.” John tells us specifically about which things Antichrist will speak blasphemously: “…blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven” (v. 6). It sounds as if he will go on a verbal rampage about the God of the Jews and Christians. Verse five says he will carry on this verbal rampage for 42 months, which is, of course, three and one-half years—the last half of Daniel’s 70th week. Notice his blasphemous speaking doesn’t begin until he becomes the beast, until after he is killed and healed of his deadly wound.
Just so you can see how this trait of blasphemy will be the dominant characteristic in the Antichrist beast, let’s make a quick review of what the other prophets had to say about this subject. The prophet Daniel reiterates this trait of blasphemy and pride, over and over. In Daniel chapter seven alone, Daniel stated three times that Antichrist will speak “great things” against the Most High. (Dan. 7:8, 20, 25) Then in Daniel 8:11, it says Antichrist “magnified himself even to the prince of the host…” and in Daniel 8:25 it says “he shall magnify himself in his heart” which is to say he is full of pride. Daniel has even more to say in chapter 11: Antichrist is described as “the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods” (Dan. 11:36). Lastly, verse 37 says, “He shall magnify himself above all.”
Even the apostle Paul talked about Antichrist’s blasphemous nature. Paul said Antichrist would exalt himself above God: “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4).
Matthew 12:34 says, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” Whatever comes out of a person’s mouth is a reflection of what is in his heart. So it will be with the Antichrist beast. The beast will be full of pride to the nth degree, and he will compulsively run his mouth about his greatness. His desire to be praised will be insatiable. He’ll have big pride, big rebellion, and a big god complex.
The Goal of the Antichrist Beast: Make War and Overcome
Now we come to verse seven which tells us what will be, essentially, the goal and activity of the beast: “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev. 13:7). In the short three and one-half years the beast will have, he will make war against God’s people. Sadly, there will be many martyrs during this time. The beast will also focus on growing his kingdom by conquering other peoples and nations.
Let’s focus on the last part of verse seven which says the beast will have power over “all kindreds, and tongues and nations.” Again, it must be reiterated that when it says “all,” it’s referring to all the people in that one-fourth part of the world, not all the people on the earth. To those who believe Antichrist will conquer the entire world, let’s apply a little common sense to that idea. Remember, the Antichrist beast will only have the last half of Daniel’s 70th week to do any conquering, and he’s not going to conquer the whole world in three and one-half years. It’s just not feasible.
Worship of the Beast
Verse eight tells us who will worship the beast: “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). This verse sounds like worship of the beast will be worldwide, but that will not be the case. The King James translators often used words that would seem to indicate Antichrist’s power and influence would be worldwide. The phrase “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him” sounds much different than the Young’s Literal Translation. The YLT translates this phrase as “And bow before it shall all who are dwelling upon the land…” There is a big difference between “all that dwell upon the earth” and “all who are dwelling upon the land.” Again, when it says “all that dwell upon the earth,” it is limited to that one-fourth part of the world, the Middle East. The reason they will worship Antichrist is because he died and came back to life. They will see him as some kind of “messiah.”
Also, notice there is a qualifier to this universal worship: everyone will worship him “except” those people whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who are those people who have their names listed in the Lamb’s book of life? Those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior will be listed in the Lamb’s book of life. They will refuse to worship the beast. In fact, if you recall, one of the overcomer’s rewards is that their names will not be blotted out from the book of life (Rev. 3:5). There will be people who become born again during the last half of Daniel’s 70th week. They will refuse to bow down and worship Antichrist. They will, however, pay a heavy price for staying loyal to the Lamb while on the earth. But they will receive eternal rewards from God the Father in heaven.
What happens to those who are not listed in the Lamb’s book of life? Revelation 20:15 tells us “…whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Faith and Patience of the Saints
Let’s look at verses 9–10: “If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Rev. 13:9–10). The last half of Daniel’s 70th week will be the most difficult time for believers. Yes, there will be people who get saved during the tribulation period. And it will require their faith and patience to endure it.
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