In Revelation 13 one beast arises out from the sea.

When the

interpretation of this vision is given to Daniel we read:

'These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise

out of the Earth' (Dan. 7:17).

The 'great sea' of the vision can be interpreted of the 'earth'.  This

is strange if the literal Mediterranean is intended, but if 'peoples and

nations' are symbolized here as in other places, the difficulty vanishes.

Daniel next describes these beasts: the first was like a lion and had eagle's

wings; the second was like a bear; the third was like a leopard with four

wings and four heads; the fourth was indescribable, it was dreadful and

terrible and strong exceedingly, it devoured and broke in pieces the other

three beasts, it was diverse from the others and had ten horns.  John in

Revelation 13 sees only one beast, but immediately we begin to read its

description we realize that he saw the nondescript beast which is the object

of Daniel's inquiry in Daniel 7:19 -22, and is here found with all their

characteristics merged into one huge combination of Satanic power:

'And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard (third beast), and

his feet were as the feet of a bear (second beast), and his mouth as

the mouth of a lion (first beast)' (Rev. 13:2).

Both are said to have ten horns.  Attention is drawn to the leopard

having four heads, while the nondescript beast of Revelation 13 has seven.

This difference is accounted for simply by seeing that the other two are

added to his own and the leopard's four.  These earlier beasts are kings,

each having some special feature represented by the lion, bear, or leopard.

The beast of Revelation 13 will be a combination of all these and more.

There is to be observed here a similarity to the final phase of the

same Gentile dominion as represented by the great image of Nebuchadnezzar's

dream.  While successive monarchies are positively intended by the various

metals (for Daniel thus interprets the parts), nevertheless, when the stone

which is Christ's kingdom strikes the feet of the image, the whole image

(gold, silver, brass, iron and clay) is smashed at the same time, indicating

that at the time of the end Gentile misrule will be concentrated in one awful

monster energized by the devil, and Babylon will be its seat of government.

The power, the throne and the great authority of the beast will be those

received from Satan.  These are given to the beast in exchange for the

greatest thing that Satan covets -- World Worship.

Think of the temptation of Christ in the wilderness.  Satan there shows

Christ all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and says, 'All

these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me'.  What

a tragedy!  How art thou fallen, Lucifer, son of the morning!

One of the heads of the beast was wounded, or 'slain to death', and the

deadly wound was healed.  The travesty of the resurrection of Christ causes

all the world to wonder after the beast, and to worship the dragon.  The

inner thought of the people is expressed by the words, 'who is like unto the

beast, who is able to make war with him?'.  Atomic warfare and guided

missiles have already lifted world warfare into an entirely new plane.  If

the beast comes into possession of some weapon or power that will outmode or

paralyse the atomic bomb, the world will cry 'who is able to make war with

him?' and succumb.