"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)
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