Revelation 13:1–10
The Beast from the Sea
John sees a beast rising from the sea. It has seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns.
It looks like a leopard, with feet like a bear's and a mouth like a lion's. The dragon gives it power, a throne, and great authority.
What happens next?
One head appears to have suffered a deadly wound, but the wound is healed. The world marvels and follows the beast.
People worship the dragon and the beast. The beast speaks against God and is given authority for forty-two months.
It wages war against God's people and overcomes them. Its authority reaches every tribe, people, language, and nation.
John describes those who worship it as people whose names are not written in the slain Lamb's book of life.
The passage speaks of captivity and death by the sword. It calls God's people to endurance and faith: to remain faithful through suffering.
Explore the Scripture and artwork
These are images in John's vision. Christians differ about the beast's identity and the historical meaning of the forty-two months.
John also describes blasphemous names on the heads—names that dishonor God. The painting does not reproduce them.
The sea, composite animal features, heads, horns, and crowns follow the passage's imagery. Their exact arrangement, colors, and the surrounding landscape are artistic choices.
Read Revelation 13:1–10 ↗Scripture opens in a new tab.
Continue · Revelation 13:11–18
← Previous scene: The Dragon Turns Against Her Offspring