Revelation 13:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.

NIV: The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.

NASB: And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

CSB: It was permitted to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

NLT: He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

KJV: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

NKJV: He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Prior verses noted that the second beast—typically known as the False Prophet of the end times—will be able to perform false miracles to deceive people (Revelation 13:13–14). This person also oversees construction of some kind of idol honoring the first beast, the person most often identified as the Antichrist.

The False Prophet is able to give breath to the idol and empowers it to speak. Decades ago, the idea that a person could fool others into thinking such a thing was real was unheard of. Today's technology allows for the possibility that the false miracles of this chapter might be just that: entirely faked. Perhaps the False Prophet will build or have others build a sophisticated robot within the idol. Or, this might be an actual, supernatural power granted by Satan.

Regardless of what the nature of this event is, the second beast puts under a mandatory death sentence those who refuse to worship the idol. Righteous Jews—and, presumably, saved Gentiles—will recall the commandment God gave to the Israelites in the wilderness: "You shall not make for yourself a carved image…You shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Exodus 20:4–5). Their refusal to disobey this commandment puts their lives in jeopardy.

The false prophet's ruling is like Nebuchadnezzar's ruling that whoever refused to bow down to and worship his image must be executed. At that time, Daniel's three friends refused to worship the image and were thrown into a white-hot furnace, but God delivered them (Daniel 3). Similarly, a remnant of faithful believers will refuse to bow down and worship the image the false prophet places in the holy of holies.

Revelation 13:11–18 focuses on the second beast of this chapter, the last of seven major figures described in this part of Revelation. This figure is most often labelled as the ''False Prophet.'' While the first beast came from the sea, this one comes from the land. The earth is often equated with Israel, leading many to believe the False Prophet will be ethnically Jewish. The second beast poses as a lamb but speaks like a dragon. It's possible to identify this beast, rather than the first, as the ''antichrist'' because every reference to antichrist or the spirit of antichrist in the New Testament has a religious context (1 John 4:1, 3, 6; 2 John 1:7). Whereas the first beast is a political ruler, the second beast is a religious figure who deceives many. This passage also introduces the controversial and ominous ''mark of the beast.''

This chapter exposes two evil men, ''beasts'' who serve the Devil. The first beast arises from the sea, presumably the Mediterranean. The second beast arises from the land, possibly Israel. The first beast dominates the final form of the Roman Empire and sets himself up as a god to be worshiped. This first figure is the one most often labelled as ''Antichrist.'' The second beast acts as prophet, priest, and king in Israel. As such, he imitates Christ, but he is a False Prophet. This corrupted religious leader sets up an image of the first beast in the temple and commands everyone to worship it. The false prophet executes those who refuse to worship the image. Further, he causes everyone to receive the name or the number of the first beast on the right hand or on the forehead. Without this identifying mark, no one can buy or sell. The number of the beast is 666.

Revelation 13 introduces the last two major figures described in this extended section. Two ''beasts,'' which are actually evil, powerful men, corrupt Israel by forcing idolatry on everyone. While not explicitly given these names in the Bible, the two men mentioned here are most often referred to as the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Later, The Lord sends the northern aggressor into Israel to punish their idolatry. This text also mentions two other infamous concepts: the mark of the beast, and the number 666, which are mentioned in later verses as identifying those who have rejected God in favor of Satan. Related Scriptures are Exodus 20:1–6; Daniel 2:31–43; 7:1–8; and Revelation chapters 9 and 12.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''