Understanding Revelation (14:14-16)~Riddlebarger

"Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped."

(Revelation 14:14-16)

The vision granted John and recorded at the end of Revelation 14, John sees Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, bring about the great and final harvest, as well as the trampling of the grapes, symbolic of God’s judgment upon the wicked. During his own messianic ministry, Jesus spoke of his return at the end of the age to judge the world, raise the dead and make all things new in terms of a great harvest. 

When Jesus explains the parable of the weeds to his disciples in (Matthew 13:37), Jesus states that “the one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. `As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.’”

Clearly the harvest at the end of the age is the second advent of Jesus, when judgment comes upon the entire world. The wheat is spared and stored in the barn (v. 29). But the weeds are thrown into the fire. This seems to indicate that the harvest of the grain is associated with the final ingathering of the church, as when Jesus speaks of his angels as gathering the elect from the four corners of the earth, and when one is suddenly taken while the other is left to face the judgment (Matthew 24:31; 36-41).

Indeed, in Revelation 14:4, John has already spoken of believers as the first fruits of the harvest offered to God.

Therefore, it is likely that John’s vision of a harvest of grain is a glimpse of final blessing, when the harvest of souls is completed and all of the God’s elect have been gathered by the angels.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (14:13)

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" 

(Revelation 14:13)

Because Jesus Christ has taken his place in the heavenly Zion, having conquered death and the grave, his absolute triumph over all his foes secures the blessing granted to all those who die trusting in him. Indeed, all those who die in Christ are blessed. For not only do they take their place among the great multitude who surround the glassy sea and add their voices to those of the heavenly choir, they will be given rest from their labor. In the heavenly city, there are no more tears, no more pain, no more injustice, no more suffering; only glorious, blessed and eternal rest.

Recall that during his messianic ministry, Jesus gave his followers the following invitation in (Matthew 11:28), “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (14:12)

"Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."

(Revelation 14:12)

What is perseverance? The word literally means to bear up or to endure. John calls it, “the perseverance of the saints,” distinguishing it from any other kind of religious perseverance. It is those that have been set apart by the new birth that, while being sustained by the preserving power of God, continue in faithfulness to Christ. Because they are “kept by the power of God” (1 Pet. 1:7), because it is God who is at work in them both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13), those genuinely in the faith keep pressing on. They may falter along the way; they may even fall and fail. But none falls finally who are kept by God’s power until the final redemption is accomplished.

John further qualifies what is meant by perseverance: “who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” The old hymn expresses it well, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Perseverance actually has substance; attentive obedience to God’s commands and ongoing reliance and trust in Jesus Christ in all of His sufficiency. Are you persevering as a Christian? That means that you never get away from trusting Christ and obeying Him. Again, you may falter; you may have some big flops along the way. But the heart desire is to continue following after Christ. That’s the evidence that one truly knows Christ.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:10-11)

"And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

(Revelation 14:10-11)

The Bible teaches us that hell is a place of pain, a place of unbroken torment. Have you ever endured a burn from a naked flame (it’s almost the worst pain imaginable). Hell, John says, is a place of fire; a place of fire. “Oh, but that’s just a metaphor, right? Fire and sulfur - those are mere images. There are no literal flames in hell, are there?” Well if they are images and metaphors, the reality to which they point transcends and exceeds them in a way for which we do not have the vocabulary. If the best we can do to describe the pain of hell is to talk about fire, what must the reality be? What a horror hell will be! 

But there is another kind of pain and suffering there. To be sure it’s physical, but it’s more, isn’t it? Emotional, psychological, spiritual! You see that little phrase; you have “no rest, day or night.” There’s no peace in hell! There’s no respite! There’s no hiatus, no relenting in the wrath of God!

You know when we endure bodily pain of any kind here, psychological trauma, emotional anguish, and then you can’t sleep, everything is so much worse, every pain amplified, every trial doubled. The slightest failure seems like a catastrophe; the brightest day looks dull when you can’t rest. You’ve experienced that, right? You just can’t sleep! Everything is so much worse! You see, what John is telling us about hell, if you do not know Jesus Christ what exhaustion! What fatigue! will plague your body and your soul and your mind. You will toss and turn and writhe in unrelenting restlessness, day and night!

(David Strain)

Understanding Revelation (14:9-10)

"And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger,..."

(Revelation 14:9-10)

There’s another cup, a second cup that answers to the cup of Babylon’s pollutions. The cup of sin! Now there’s the cup of wrath! The cup of judgment! The cup of divine anger! That’s what John begins to speak about. It’s a picture of hell. Sobering! Horrifying even! 

What is there in the cup of wrath that is poured out in hell? First of all, there is punishment. We’ve already seen that the cup of wine that Babylon gives to the nations corresponds directly to the cup of wrath. The cup of wrath answers Babylon’s cup. For every drop we drink from Babylon’s cup we will drink just punishment from the cup of God’s anger. Sin will be punished with exacting correspondence and accuracy. That’s the message. Also notice the population of hell is described- who are in hell? Those who worship the beast and its image; they are made to drink the cup of wrath. Those who reject Jesus and opt instead for false worship, and empty religion, they drink the hell of divine wrath. They are those, John says, who have the mark of the beast on their forehead and on their hands, their heads and hands. Their thoughts and deeds, their intellect and their actions and activity governed by a principle and an impulse that rejects the Lordship of Christ and so they are made to suffer the wrath of the Lamb.

(David Strain)

Understanding Revelation (14:8)

"Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality." 

(Revelation 14:8)

There’s a cup, the wine of Babylon’s pollution given to the nations. Babylon in the book of Revelation is simply a symbol for human society living in rebellion against the rule of God, that’s what it means. And Babylon has this cup of potent wine that makes the nations drunk with the passions of sexual sin. John’s painting a picture, really, of our society, isn’t he, where vice is now called a virtue, where wickedness is legislated for. You turn on the television screen - Babylon. You listen to the radio - Babylon. You go online and with one click, there’s Babylon, pouring out the cup of her passions and sins and immoralities. This is our society, our world. Notice the potency of the cup, the wine that Babylon offers - wine that makes passionate those who drink. Here’s the intoxicating power of sin. Notice also the universality of it! Who drinks? She makes all nations to drink. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is no one righteous, not even one.” Not you; not me!

And he says Babylon is fallen. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” A real power! The wine of sin is intoxicating and it is universal, but it is not absolute in its potency and power. Babylon is a fallen power. Her final fall is yet to come, of course. Babylon is alive and active all around us. One day Babylon will be dealt with and removed forever, yet Babylon’s power, the power of sin is not absolute. That is to say, there is still the possibility of deliverance from its potency, pollution, and power. Well you draw breath while it is still called today. Do not harden your hearts. Hear rather the invitation of Jesus Christ who alone can break the chains of sin and set you free. The sin of Babylon is potent, it is pervasive, almost universal, and any society that is built upon it, founded upon it, John is telling us will certainly fall.

(David Strain)

Understanding Revelation (14:6-7)

"Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."

(Revelation 14:6-7)

The last angel we saw mentioned was in chapter 11—the seventh angel, we’re not told who this gospel-bearing angel is. This angel preaches the gospel from the vantage point of “midheaven,” which implies that it is visible, reaching the expanse of the earth with the gospel. Here he emphasizes the global aspect of the gospel. The eternal nature of the gospel shows that it transcends seasons, centuries, and ideologies to speak the truth of God to all humanity. The gospel is not just for a small group in a few centuries. The gospel is for the world. Because it is “an eternal gospel,” then it bears eternal accountability for all humanity. Everyone in “every nation and tribe and tongue and people” has a responsibility toward the gospel of Jesus Christ. John calls additional attention to this accountability when he refers to God as the one “who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” He’s not as the dragon, who has no power to create, but only deceives and destroys. God created the earth that we enjoy; but He is no absentee landlord. He calls us into accountability to the eternal gospel. And what kindness has been shown to a world of rebels by offering to us the good news of the Savior, Christ Jesus the crucified and risen Lord!

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:4-5)

"It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless."

(Revelation 14:4-5)

John frames for us the Church in both the here-and-now and the not-yet. Though standing with Christ on Mount Zion, the church is still living in the world, and must therefore, “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.” The implication in this is strong. The Lamb did the will of the Father. We are to do the same through obedience to His commands. The Lamb went to the cross. We are to do the same by dying daily, mortifying the deeds of the body. The Lamb laid down His life for the brethren. We are to do the same through humble service and love for one another. The Lamb did not shrink from doing all that the Father gave Him, even when it meant drinking the bitter cup of suffering. We are to do the same, drinking the cup that Christ providentially gives us, leaning upon His strength, and rejoicing even to share in His sufferings. 

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:4)

"It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. 

(Revelation 14:4)

Obviously, John is not denigrating marriage since “marriage is to be held in honor among all,” as (Hebrews 13:4) reminds us. Instead, he uses the Old Testament background to explain the need for fidelity to Christ. Quite often, in both the historical writings and the prophetic books, Israel’s wanderings away from the Lord to other gods was called “adultery” or “whoredom” or “harlotry” or another term that implied infidelity. But the church is Christ’s bride. Christ has sanctified and cleansed the church so “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:26-27). Paul used similar language to the Corinthians to rebuke them for their flirtation with the world. “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin” (2 Cor. 11:2). Added to John’s meaning is likely the common practice of ritual prostitution in the Asia Minor communities. The temptation to embrace the sensualities of other religions lay before them. But he reminds them that being a Christian is antithetical to the adulterous ways of the world.  Christians must remain chaste, remembering that we are the bride of Christ and not the consorts of the world. We must not try to find favor with the world in unfaithfulness to Christ.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (14:2-3)

"And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth."

(Revelation 14:2-3)

The sound which John hears is that of a new song, which is a loud echo from a very prominent theme throughout the Old Testament in which the people of God sing songs of victory in jubilant celebration after deliverance from their enemies, as in Psalm 33, 40, 96, 98, 144, and 149. 

Notice that only the redeemed can sing the new song, because it is a song of victory. The followers of the beast who worship the dragon, cannot sing the new song, since they will be defeated along with the counterfeit trinity they worship and serve.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Article 37: The Last Judgment 

(Belgic Confession)

Finally we believe, according to God's Word, that when the time appointed by the Lord is come (which is unknown to all creatures) and the number of the elect is complete, our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead. He will burn this old world, in fire and flame, in order to cleanse it.

Then all human creatures will appear in person before the great judge-- men, women, and children, who have lived from the beginning until the end of the world.

They will be summoned there by the voice of the archangel and by the sound of the divine trumpet.

For all those who died before that time will be raised from the earth, their spirits being joined and united with their own bodies in which they lived. And as for those who are still alive, they will not die like the others but will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye" from "corruptible to incorruptible."

Then "the books" (that is, the consciences) will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to the things they did in the world, whether good or evil. Indeed, all people will give account of all the idle words they have spoken, which the world regards as only playing games. And then the secrets and hypocrisies of men will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all.

Understanding Revelation (14:1)

"Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."

(Revelation 14:1)

The 144,000 is the church in its fullness upon the earth. Its members have been sealed with the name of God and Jesus Christ and are thereby protected from God’s wrath which comes upon the earth, even though they, at times, must face the rage of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. Now John sees the 144,000–the church–from a different perspective, that of the Lamb’s presence with them in the heavenly city.

When John sees the Lamb standing on Mount Zion a number of biblical images are invoked. For one there are also references here to the past, the present and to the future. Recall that throughout the Old Testament, Mount Zion is that place where God will one day gather and save his believing remnant. Furthermore, it is also that place where God will establish his Messiah and from whence he will rule over the nations. We see this in the form of a messianic prophecy in Psalm 2, where the Psalmists writes, “the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.” But “the One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, `I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill’ . . . `I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’” Writing from the perspective of the messianic age after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, John sees that the Messiah is already established on his holy hill and is even now ruling over the nations.

While the beast may appear invincible to those whose names are not written in the Book of Life, John reminds the church that no nation and no empire, no matter how powerful it may be, can withstand the judgment of the Lamb. Christ is king, not Caesar. And while in this age, the Lamb permits the false trinity to wage war on his people, one day he will indeed dash all his enemies to pieces like so many broken pots. Furthermore, in this vision the Lamb stands in the midst of the his people, where he protects them from those enemies whom one day he will crush. He will never give them more than they can bear and he will always provide for them a way of escape.

The Lamb is the true messiah, not merely a messianic pretender as is the beast. Zion is that place where God sat enthroned in Israel’s temple, thus the one who rules from here is the true ruler of the cosmos, not the dragon, nor the beast, nor the false prophet. In this glorious scene, the Lamb stands amidst his people in that holy city which God himself will establish and rule after the end of the age.

(Kim Riddlebarger)

Understanding Revelation (13:18) "666"

"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." 

(Revelation 13:18)

Virtually all other numbers in the book of Revelation are figurative or symbolic of some spiritual or theological reality. The number refers to the beast as the archetype man (a very typical example of a certain person) who falls short of perfection in every respect. Triple sixes are merely a contrast with the divine sevens in Revelation and signify incompleteness and imperfection. 777 is the number of deity and 666 fall short in every digit. That is, though the beast attempts to mimic God, Christ, and the prophetic Spirit of truth, he falls short of succeeding. Thus the number does not identify the beast, but describes him. It refers to his character.~(Sam Storms)

John calls attention to this distinguishing mark, this proper coin in contrast with the spurious. “Here is wisdom.” In other words, wisdom calls for discernment, recognizing the distinction between that which is of God and that which is of the devil. Here’s something to ponder that will help you apply the gospel more effectively to your lives. “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast.” He doesn’t mean that smart people will be able to add this number and come to a conclusion. Rather, he implies that the Christian will be able, by the Holy Spirit, to discern and identify the work of the beast that would destroy the church. Remember the deceptiveness that characterizes the devil and his agents. By wisdom from the Lord, Christians will be able to perceive the character of the beast that would deceive and destroy.

Christians live in a world hostile to the gospel. The spirit of antichrist and the false prophet continue throughout the centuries, attempting to distort the gospel, deceive Christians, and destroy the church. Let us, by the Holy Spirit, exercise wisdom and understanding. Let us recognize the ways that the devil would deceive us in order to move our hope away from Christ and His redemptive work. And let us stand firmly in dependence upon our triumphant Lord.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (13:16-17)

"Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name."

(Revelation 13:16-17)

It seems quite clear that the "mark" of the beast on his followers is the demonic counterpart and parody of the "seal" that is placed on the foreheads of the people of God. Just as the seal and the divine name on believers connote God's ownership and spiritual protection of them, so the mark and satanic name signify those who belong to the devil and will undergo perdition. Since the seal or name on the believer is obviously invisible, being symbolic, it seems probable that the mark of the beast is likewise a symbolic way describing the loyalty of his followers and his ownership of them.

The reason for the mark being placed on either the forehead or the hand is at least two-fold. In the first place, as noted above, this is a demonic parody of the Jewish phylacteries which were worn on either the left arm or the forehead. Secondly, it may be that the forehead points to one's ideological commitment and the hand to the practical outworking or manifestation of that commitment. The reference to socio-economic sanctions points to the hardship under which Christians are often compelled to live due to their commitment to Christ. This is present not only in Revelation but also and other New Testament texts (Heb. 10:34; Rom. 15:26)

(Sam Storms)

Understanding Revelation (13:12-13)

"It [another beast] exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people"

(Revelation 13:12-13)

The idea of counterfeit imitation is carried on in verse 13. The religious character of the second beast becomes clearer here. First, it is said that he preforms great signs. This makes him a Satanic counterfeit of the true prophet Moses, who also preformed signs (Exod. 4:17,30;10:2). Then it is said that "he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men", making him a counterfeit of the true prophet Elijah, who did likewise (1 Kgs. 18:38-39). The allusions to Moses and Elijah cannot be accidental, given the similar allusion to them in regard to the two witnesses in (Rev. 11:3-12), who, taken together, represent the church (Luke 9:54). Rev. 11:5 portrays "fire proceeding out of the mouth" of the two witnesses. There the fire indicates the speaking of God's word that convicts and judges sinners. Therefore the fire represents the speaking of God's true word which judges sinners, and here the beast poses as a spokesman for truth but is a false prophet and false teacher. This is part of what Christ prophesied in (Matthew 24:24): "False Christ's and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect". The second beast is a counterfeit of the church and the Spirit who empowers and indwells it. 

Daniel warns (11:30-39) that a latter-day (Christ's ascension to His return) deceiver will infiltrate the church and turn people away from God. When purported Christian teachers take their primary cues from the surrounding culture instead of from God's word, they corrupt the covenant community spiritually by encouraging it to live by norms and a faith that ultimately oppose the reign of God and Christ. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (13:11)

"Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon."

(Revelation 13:11)

The case of two beasts in one chapter can be confusing! John distinguishes the first by its political power. He pictures the kingdom of the world opposed to the kingdom of God. It is the age old conflict of darkness and light. The second beast focuses on religious deception that seeks to turn people away from worshiping the one true God in order to worship Satan.

John’s concern in Revelation 13 is to warn of Satan’s deceptiveness, not only in the world at large but even in the church.

How can people fall for false religions? The deception is to make the false religion appear to have a ring of truth about it. John shows that Satan does this through parodying Christ and the apostles. A parody is a weak imitation of the real thing, whether of some literary work or person or religion. The second beast is first described as a parody of Christ. “Then I saw another beasts coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon.” Irony drips from this picture. If one thinks of a lamb, he certainly doesn’t have any image of a dragon in mind! What John is saying is that the beast gives some appearance of the gentleness of the lamb—and in this case, he has reference to parodying Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God. His appearance as a lamb is meant to deceive others into accepting what he has to say. His speech as a dragon implies deception since John has already described Satan as “the great dragon…who deceives the whole world” (12:9). No one is afraid of a lamb or intimidated by a lamb. He feels comfortable around a lamb. In just such setting, the second beast gains access to the world’s trust, and then, deceives with diabolical speech.

(Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (13:8-10)

"All who dwell on earth will worship it [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. 

(Revelation 13:8-10)

Neutrality in relationship to the Lord God is impossible. If any in John’s audience think that they can straddle the fence in order to avoid persecution and oppression, he lets them (and us) know that there’s no middle ground. He tells us, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him,” that is, the beast. This whole spirit of rebellion against God and rejection of Christ as Savior characterizes the spirit of those worshiping the beast. John wrote in his first epistle along this same vein. “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ [i.e., Messiah]? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son…and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world”  He added another note in his second epistle. “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist”. John indicated that the antichrist is not a singular person but a pervasive, singlular spirit of rebellion against God denying Jesus Christ as He is revealed in the gospel.

He further clarifies who will worship the beast and who will not: “everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.” That is all-encompassing. The line of distinction is clearly drawn. The whole mass of unbelieving humanity is likely in mind here and not merely a part from one brief period of history. Who worships the beast? John makes it clear; those whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the Lamb’s book of life. Leon Morris is right, “John wants his little handful of persecuted Christians to see that the thing that matters is the sovereignty of God, not the power of evil. When a man’s name is written in the book of life he will not be forgotten. His place is secure”.

(Dr Phil A. Newton)

Understanding Revelation (13:3) pt. 2

"One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast."

(Revelation 13:3)

Part 2:

It is John's attempt to give an approximate description in earthly terms of what he saw in the heavenly vision. The wound was real and fatal, and yet it seems to have been healed, because the enemy is able to continue his activity. It is fatal because, from the resurrection on, Satan's power was fatally restricted and his days numbered. The temporary healing represents the fact that God allows the enemy to continue to use his agents through the 3 1/2 year period until Christ's return, all the while safeguarding the spiritual security of His people. 

The beast is being set up as a Satanic counterfeit of Christ. In (Rev.13:14), the beast's recovery is even referred to as a resurrection – though (Rev.17:8) will reveal that this is a "resurrection" which will end in eternal destruction. There is a difference between the Lamb's recovery and that of the beast. Whereas the Lamb really did overcome the defeat of death by resurrection, the beast's continued existence is not a reversal of his actual defeat, even though he continues to exist after being vanquished along with the dragon. He loses his authority to accuse the saints and has no authority except that allowed him by God. Nevertheless, the dragon and the beast deceptively cover up the fact that their authority has been removed. (Rev.17:8) likewise notes that the beast's apparent rising from death ("coming up out of the abyss") is only for the ultimate purpose that he should "go to destruction." Christ's defeat of the devil was like D-Day in the Second World War, and the subsequent existence of the devil (and his servant the beast) like the subsequent resistance of the German forces to the inevitable advance of the Allies. Like the turning point of D-Day, the decisive outcome is now assured, even though the battle still rages. 

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (13:3)

"One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast."

(Revelation 13:3)

Part 1:

John now sees the beast with a wound on one of his heads. The wound comes from God, because the Greek word for "wound" (plégé) is the word translated "plague" eleven times elsewhere in Revelation, always signifying something of divine origin. This wound on the beast's head is none other than that inflicted by Christ at His resurrection and is the fulfillment of Gen. 3:15: "He shall crush [or bruise] you on the head." Mention of the sword that struck the beast's head in (Rev.13:14) recalls the end-time prophecy of (Isa.27:1): "In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan [or sea monster] the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword, even Leviathan [or sea monster] the twisted serpent; and He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea." The fact that (Isa.27:1) is also echoed in (Rev.12:3,9) points to the conclusion that the death blow administered to the beast came through Christ's death and resurrection in initial fulfillment of the prophet's words. The effects of this defeat are carried on by the faithfulness of Christ followers (Rom.16:17–20).

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (13:2) "The First Beast"

"And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority."

(Revelation 13:2)

The Beast combines features from the four beasts of Daniel 7:1-8, 17-27. The beasts of Daniel represent idolatrous kingdoms. This Beast in Revelation must be a worldly kingdom summing all of them up. The state-controlled persecutions against Daniel and his friends thus suggest the nature of the persecution that the seven churches must face from the Roman state—and persecutions of later ages. 

Because it expresses a general principle of Satanic opposition, we may expect multiple manifestations. These manifestations include the first century, the final crisis, and all times in between.

The Beast represents in the first place demonized state power that demands worship. As with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan. 3), the demonized state threatens to kill Christians unless they bow down. But the symbolism of the Beast applies to more subtle temptations to idolatry. In democratic countries, the state does not insist on literal worship. But citizens are tempted to look to the state as if it were a messiah. It is the greatest concentration of earthly power, and so it must be the remedy for all ills, economic, social, medical, moral, and even spiritual. Moreover, state persecution in its blatant form threatens to overwhelm us through fear. But in subtle ways in our hearts we are tempted to give ultimate commitments to anything that we fear: fear of man (human opinion), fear of death, fear of pain, fear of poverty. So this picture of idolatry has universal application. 

(Dr Vern Poythrees)

Revelation (13:1). "The First Beast"

"And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads."

(Revelation 13:1)

Without exception, the imagery of the sea monster is used throughout the OT to represent evil kingdoms which persecute God's people. The same Daniel imagery of horns and heads applied to the dragon in (Rev. 12:3-4) is applied here to another sea beast to depict the dragon's earthly minion.

That the Dragon had diadems on his heads and the beast has them on his horns shows that the dragon has the ultimate rule and mandates his will through the beast, who arises from the watery, dark home of the dragon. The dragon stations himself by the sea, spewing out floods after the church, the beast comes out of the sea, and the harlot "sits on many waters" (Rev. 17:1), thus indicating that the sea is pictured symbolically as the dwelling place of evil. The dark realm of evil encompasses unbelieving people, so that the beast may also be seen as having its earthly origin from the mass of an unregenerate humanity. 

The diadems symbolize the beast's false claims of sovereign, universal authority which are in opposition to the true "King of kings and Lord of lords", who also wears "many diadem's". The blasphemous names written on the beast's heads represent blasphemous claims to earthly, divine kingship by the beast in feeble imitation of Christ's true kingship.

(G.K. Beale)

Understanding Revelation (12:17)

Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus..."

(Revelation 12:17)

The relation of verse 17 to the preceding verses is one of the most challenging interpretive problems in the book. The difficulty focuses on the nature of the difference, if any, between the woman and her offspring, and how they are respectively depicted. The woman in (Rev. 12:6,13-16) depicts the church (and the suffering she undergoes) as she is seen from the ideal, eternal, or heavenly perspective, and her offspring in (verse 17) depict the multitude of individual believers (and the suffering they experience) as seen from an earthly or historical perspective. The woman is presented in (Rev. 12:1) as "in heaven" and in heavenly attire, and the same woman is also presented as suffering on earth (Rev. 12:6,13-16). She continues to be viewed from a heavenly, ideal perspective even in the consideration of her sufferings on earth. In verse 17, however, the same suffering is portrayed from an earthly perspective as the suffering of individual believers. This simply represents two different ways of viewing the church: as a corporate or "ideal" body, the way God sees it from His perspective, and as a community of individuals, which is the way we experience it on earth.

Consequently, the point of (Rev. 12:13-17), taken together, would be that the one heavenly church being persecuted on earth cannot be destroyed (God's perspective) because it is heavenly and ultimately inviolable spiritually, but the many who individually compose the church can suffer physically from earthly dangers (our perspective), but not be destroyed spiritually.

(G.K. Beale)