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The Two Beasts

¹ Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a blasphemous name. ² Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. ³ One of the beast's heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement; ⁴ they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: "Who is like the beast?" and "Who is able to make war against him?" ⁵ The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty-two months. ⁶ So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God—to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, ⁸ and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!

This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon. ¹² He exercised all the ruling authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. ¹³ He performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people ¹⁴ and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was empowered to give life to the image of the first beast so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. ¹⁶ He also caused everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. ¹⁷ Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast—that is, his name or his number. ¹⁸ This calls for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the beast's number, for it is man's number, and his number is 666.