Imagination is a wonderful gift, concerning which only mankind seems to possess. Albert Einstein is claimed to have said (but not all agree): “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” That sounds very brainy, but it lacks real substance, so I don’t believe Einstein said it. My point in bringing this up is that imagination is not lacking, when it comes to the interpretation of the Apocalypse, and the second beast of Revelation 13 is no exception.
Many biblical scholars believe this beast points to the papacy, but there is absolutely no Scriptural evidence to support such a claim. For example, if this is the false prophet (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10), the one many take to be the so-called Antichrist, by what stretch of the imagination would any Jew accept him as their Messiah, if he weren’t a Jew? The Messiah must come out of Jerusalem, not Rome, and out of Israel, not Italy? Logic will keep one’s imagination from erring too far from the truth. Imagination is good, but what good could it be, if it weren’t also logically correct?
In Revelation 13:11 John records that he saw another beast, but this one arose out of the earth. This second beast looked like a lamb, but when he spoke, it seemed he was like a dragon, but what might the mean? When speaking of the people of his generation Jesus said:
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. (Matthew 12:33-35)
When Luke recorded the same incident, he added: “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). In the context of Revelation 13:11, John is describing hypocrisy. Whoever this second beast is, he wants to appear good (a lamb), but he is an evil man (a dragon) in reality. As Jesus said: and evil man cannot speak good things, because he is evil, nor could the fruit of his labor end in that which is good, because he spoke like a dragon, or as a murderer (Revelation 12:3-4) and as a deceiver and an accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:7-10).
John tells us that the beast had two horns. A horn is symbolic of strength (Deuteronomy 33:17), and of divine power and protection (2Samuel 22:3). Notice that the prophecy of Moses, concerning the two tribes of Joseph, i.e. Ephraim and Manasseh (Deuteronomy 33:17), turned out to be true. On the other hand the words of the false prophet, Zedekiah, who wore a helmet with two iron horns to denote the power of his words (1Kings 22:11), were not true. Thus, we see, in the context of Revelation 13:1, that the second beast wants to appear like a prophet of God. That is, he desires that the people would consider him a man set up by God, a man who speaks for God, and in whose name this “second beast” offers divine protection (2Samuel 22:3). Nevertheless, he is unable to speak good things, because he is an evil tree that bears evil fruit (Matthew 12:33-35).
As Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount, he warned his disciples of men who would come to them as ones sent from God, but were not:
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matthew 7:15-20)
In the context of Revelation 13:11, this second beast is a man who is not what he seems to be, and this is not an accident, because he wants to appear to be someone he knows he is not. Jesus called such a man a false prophet (cf. Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10), and I believe the portent of the text is not simply any false prophet, but he claims to be “that Prophet” (John 1:21, 25; 6:14) who would be like Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; Acts 3:23). He is claiming to be the Messiah!
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