Revelation 13

1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names.

2 The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

3 One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast.

4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

5 A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him.

6 He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven.

7 It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him.

8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.

9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

10 If anyone is to go into captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.

11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people.

14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.

15 It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed.

16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads;

17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.

Around Revelation 13

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

Revelation 13 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

The dragon waits on the sand by the sea, and out of the sea comes a beast with ten horns and seven heads, like a leopard with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. The dragon gives it his power and his throne. One of its heads seems fatally wounded, yet the wound heals, and the whole earth marvels. People worship the dragon and the beast, asking, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

A second beast rises out of the earth with two horns like a lamb but a voice like a dragon. It works signs, makes an image of the first beast, and decrees that no one may buy or sell without its mark. The number is given as six hundred sixty-six. In the middle of it all the text speaks to the faithful: “Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.”

Background

Many scholars think the first readers heard in the first beast the power of Rome and its demand for worship, since the book is addressed to churches under pressure. Others see a figure still to come, and others a pattern that repeats in every age. The number is called “the number of a man”, and people through the centuries have proposed names for it. The text’s own concern is plain: those who refuse to worship the beast need endurance, and the book of life belongs to the Lamb.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 20 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes