Who’s the ‘Beast’ in the Book of Revelation?

For example, in some passages, “the Beast” has seven heads, which are seven kings collectively considered. In Revelation 13:1, John declares that he “saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads.” A few chapters later, he specifically declares that the seven heads represent “seven kings.” 

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while” (Rev. 17:9-10).

Seven kings are to rise in chronological succession; some have already died, one is now reigning, one is yet to come (Rev. 17:10-11). Thus, the Beast is, on some level, portrayed as a “kingdom.”

However, “the Beast” is also spoken of as an individual. John urges his readers to “calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man” (Rev. 13:18). This is an important passage that we’ll come back to a number of times as the identity of the Beast is explored.

5 Key Indicators 

There are a lot of different directions that we could go with this, but if we are going to clarify the meaning of the “Beast” of Revelation, then we need to genuinely engage the Bible. Only the perimeters of the text should be allowed to define our understanding—not popular cataclysmic myths.

Let’s take a look at five key indicators from the book of Revelation.

1. The beast must be “a man” (Rev. 13:18b).

2. This man must be someone of an evil, idolatrous and blasphemous nature.

3. This man must also possess “great authority” (Rev. 13:2, 7). This demands that he be a political figure, particularly in that “upon his heads are ten diadems.”

These first three indicators correspond to what people were thinking in my childhood. These are descriptors that are shared by those driven by apocalyptic concerns. People have certainly applied this to Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Yet there are some other attributes that must also be considered if we really want to know the identity of the Beast of Revelation. We are going to look at them in the next two indicators.

4. The Beast must be one of John’s contemporaries. This is due to the immediacy of John’s vision. He makes it very clear in a number of passages that the events of Revelation are to occur “soon” (Rev. 1:1) because “the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3). He understood that “The Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show to His servants the things which must soon take place” (Rev. 22:6). John clearly saw this figure as someone within his lifespan.

5. The “Beast” must be an individual who is relevant to first-century Christians in the seven churches John wrote to (Rev. 1:4, 11). John expected people from these churches to listen and respond to what he was writing (Rev. 1:3). If it had no relevance to them, this wouldn’t make any sense. He also asked them to actually calculate the Beast’s number (Rev. 13:18). How could they do this if the Beast were some shadowy figure far removed from their own situation?

Be sure to read part two of this article, where I reveal who best fits John’s description of the Beast. {eoa}

[1] People wrongly assert that Kim Jong-un of North Korea, along with Ali Khamenei or Mahmoud Ahmandinejad of Iran, are current candidates to be the “Antichrist.” I wonder who it will be next decade? 

J.D. King is the director of the World Revival Network and associate pastor at World Revival Church.