Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Revelation
Book: Revelation
Chapter: 13
Overview:
A wild
Beast rises out of
The Sea, to whom the
Dragon gives
his power.
(1-10) Another
Beast, which has two horns like a
Lamb, but speaks as a
Dragon.
(11-15) It obliges all to
Worship
its image, and receive its
Mark, as persons devoted to it.
(16-18)
1-10 The
Apostle, standing
On the shore, saw a savage
Beast
rise out of
The Sea; a tyrannical, idolatrous, persecuting
power, springing up out of the troubles which took place. It was
a frightful monster! It appears to mean that worldly, oppressing
dominion, which for many ages, even from the times of the
Babylonish
Captivity, had been hostile to the
Church. The first
Beast then began to oppress and persecute the righteous for
Righteousness' sake, but they suffered most under the fourth
Beast of
Daniel,
(the Roman empire,) which has afflicted the
saints with many cruel persecutions. The source of its power was
the
Dragon. It was set up
By the
Devil, and supported
By him.
The wounding the head may be the abolishing pagan
Idolatry; and
the healing of the wound, introducing popish
Idolatry, the same
in substance, only in a new
Dress, but which as effectually
answers the
Devil's design. The world admired its power, policy
and success. They paid honour and subjection to the
Devil and
his instruments. It exercised infernal power and policy,
requiring men to render that honour to creatures which belongs
to
God alone. Yet the
Devil's power and success are limited.
Christ has a
Chosen remnant, redeemed
By his
Blood, recorded in
his
Book, sealed
By his
Spirit; and though the
Devil and
Antichrist may overcome the body, and take away the natural
Life, they cannot conquer the soul, nor prevail with true
believers to forsake their
Saviour, and join his enemies.
Perseverance in the
Faith of the
Gospel and true
Worship of
God,
in this great
Hour of trial and
Temptation, which would deceive
all but the elect, is the character of those registered in the
Book of
Life. This powerful motive and encouragement to
constancy, is the great design of the whole
Revelation.
11-18 Those who understand the first
Beast to denote a worldly
power, take the second to be also a persecuting and assumed
power, which
Acts under the disguise of religion, and of
Charity
to the souls of men. It is a spiritual dominion, professing to
be derived from
Christ, and exercised at first in a gentle
manner, but soon spake like the
Dragon. Its speech betrayed it;
for it gives forth those false doctrines and cruel decrees,
which show it to belong to the
Dragon, and not to the
Lamb. It
exercised all the power of the former
Beast. It pursues the same
design, to draw men from worshipping the true
God, and to
subject the souls of men to the will and control of men. The
second
Beast has carried
On its designs,
By methods whereby men
should be deceived to
Worship the former
Beast, in the new
shape, or likeness made for it.
By lying wonders, pretended
miracles. And
By severe censures. Also
By allowing none to enjoy
natural or civil rights, who will not
Worship that
Beast which
is the image of the pagan
Beast. It is made a qualification for
buying and selling, as
Well as for places of profit and trust,
that they oblige themselves to use all their interest, power,
and endeavour, to forward the dominion of the
Beast, which is
meant
By receiving his
Mark. To make an image to the
Beast,
whose deadly wound was healed, would be to give form and power
to his
Worship, or to require obedience to his commands. To
Worship the image of the
Beast, implies being subject to those
things which stamp the character of the picture, and render it
the image of the
Beast. The number of the
Beast is given,
So as
to show the infinite
Wisdom of
God, and to
Exercise the
Wisdom
of men. The number is the number of a
Man, computed after the
usual manner among men, and it is 666. What or who is intended
By this, remains a
Mystery. To almost every religious dispute
this number has yet been applied, and it may reasonably be
doubted whether the meaning has yet been discovered. But he who
has
Wisdom and understanding, will see that all the enemies of
God are numbered and marked out for
Destruction; that the term
of their power will soon expire, and that all nations shall
submit to our
King of
Righteousness and peace.