Revelation
The dragon stood on the sand by the sea. Then I saw a beast coming up
out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns,
and on its heads a blasphemous name.
The beast that I saw was like a
leopard, and its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s.
The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and ruling authority.
One of the beast’s heads looked as if it had been killed, but the fatal wound
had been healed. The whole world was amazed and followed the beast.
They
worshiped the dragon because he had given his authority to the beast, and
they also worshiped the beast and said, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to war against him?”
The beast was given a mouth speaking arrogant and blasphemous
words, and he was given ruling authority for forty-two
months.
So he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name and His dwelling place, that is, those who live in
heaven.
He was permitted to wage war against the saints and defeat them.
Ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to
him.
All who live on earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not
been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed from
the foundation of the world.
Whoever has ears, listen!
If anyone is to
go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the
sword, then by the sword he must be killed. This requires perseverance and
the faith of the saints.
Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns
like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.
He exercises all the ruling authority
of the first beast on his behalf. He makes the earth and those who live on it
worship the first beast, the one whose fatal wound had been healed.
He
performs amazing signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth
while people are watching.
He deceives those who live on the earth by the signs he
was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast. He told those who live on
the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and
yet lived.
He was given ability to give breath to the image of the beast so that it could speak and could cause all those who would not worship the
image of the beast to be killed.
He also makes everyone, small and great,
rich and poor, and free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on
their foreheads.
No one would be able to buy or sell unless he has that
mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This requires wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, as
it is a man’s number, and his number is 666.
Revelation