Revelation 13:12-15

We see the same process go through where John actually begins by seeing an animal, a beast, but the image gradually shifts until the beast is a human being. Just like the beast who represents the political power, the beast who represents the ecclesiastical power begins in the image of an animal, but then becomes a human being who speaks.

This second individual is someone who is in the shadow of the first and supporting the first one’s activities.

We are not going to go into all the details identifying this beast, because they are given elsewhere, and they do not have an important part in this sermon. The second beast is the religious leader who establishes a model of human civil government within the religion which he heads, a church (that is covered in verse fourteen), and he causes all to worship the first beast—the political power—and he is the one also who causes them to receive the Beast’s mark. Not the church’s mark, the Beast’s mark.

At the same time, this second beast is the one who causes the martyrdom of the saints, and we will see this in verse 15 where it says that as many as would not worship the image of the Beast to be killed. We will see a little bit more of this as we go on.

Revelation 13:11-18

Well, we have a different symbol, but it's clearly the same personage and organization. Again the time element is the end, he is clearly associated with the beast, and he speaks persuasive words deceiving people into idolatry (worshipping the beast, himself or the image). Now is this the work of someone who is the leader of a small—I mean, by worldly standards—true church? Hardly! This is a person of major worldwide religious and political organization. Political, because of his association with the beast. Does the church of God have political associations? None at all that I know of. We are not talking about the leader of the church of God. Revelation 16:13, Revelation 16 is the seven vials of God's wrath.