(13.3)         And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

1.   There are several views put forth on this verse.  Let me share two with you. 

a.   If the seven heads of verse 1 represent the seven great world empires that have ruled on this planet, then this deadly wound refers to the destruction of and the reemergence to prominence of the Roman Empire. The world empires were the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, Roman, and finally, the revived Roman Empire being the seventh. If the Roman Empire is going to be revived to its former glory, there is no doubt that the world would wonder after the beast. Amen? 

b.   However, if the seven heads represent individuals who head governments....say, if this speaks of 7 Roman emperors, then you begin to talk about Satan bringing people back to life from the dead. This seems too much for me to swallow. Only God has the power to give life in this way. But what if He allowed Satan to bring someone back from the dead? 

2.   Of the two positions, I tend to believe that the world marvels at this beast’s ability to consolidate the different factions that once made up the old Roman Empire and deliver that false peace that everyone is working so hard to achieve. Any man who can deliver peace and get rid of governmental chaos will have a following. 

3.   Let me read the very fine comments of John Walvoord on this verse: 

John in his vision sees one of the heads of the beast as wounded unto death, and the apparent parallelism is to the slain Lamb, described in 5:6. John further observes that the deadly wound (literally “plague”) is healed and that the entire earth marvels at the beast. Countless views have been offered in the interpretation of this verse, one of the very common ones being to identify the person wounded to death and healed as some historic character. Among the more common suggestions are Nero, Judas Iscariot, and in modern times such personages as Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin. The multiplicity of suggestions seems to be evidence in itself that these explanations are not the meaning of the passage.

The wounding of one of the heads seems instead to be a reference to the fact that the Roman Empire as such seemingly died and is now going to be revived. It is significant that one of the heads is wounded to death but that the beast itself is not said to be dead. It is questionable whether Satan has the power to restore to life one who has died, even though his power is great. Far more probable is the explanation that this is the revived Roman Empire in view. As Alford states, “This seems to represent the Roman pagan Empire, which having long been a head of the beast, was crushed and to all appearance exterminated.” It is questionable, however, whether Alford is right in saying that “the establishment of the Christian Roman Empire” was the stroke which caused the death.

The identification of a head with the government over which he has authority is not a strange situation. The person is often the symbol of the government, and what is said of the government can be said of him. Although verse 3 will continue to be a subject of controversy, the theological reasons for resisting an actual resurrection of a historical character to head the revived Roman Empire are so great as to render it improbable even though such personages as Nero and Judas Iscariot will continue to attract the attention of modern students of the book of Revelation. The beast is both personal and the empire itself; so also is head. The revival of the future empire is considered a miracle and demonstration of the power of Satan.^[1] 

(13.4)         And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

1.   Notice where it leads. Mankind will end up worshipping the dragon, or Satan, for giving the beast the power to do the things he will do. And mankind will worship Satan by worshipping Satan’s man.....the beast. 

2.   That which Satan has always craved, the worship and homage that is due only to God, he will finally have from those who worship beast. How do we know Satan has always wanted the worship and adoration that properly only belongs to God? Isaiah 14.12-14: 

¹²    How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

¹³    For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

¹⁴    I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 

3.   So you see, Satan has long been ambitious. It was his ambition that fueled his rebellion. But how to acquire worship from mankind? By imitating God’s tri-unity with an unholy trinity. Satan is the counterfeit god and the beast plays the role of his counterfeit savior. This beast will be the superman the world is waiting for. 

4.   There will not be a more intelligent, more brilliant, more diplomatic man anywhere in the world. And powerful? Who would dare make war with such a man as this one will be?        “He has brought us peace,” they will say. “He’s too powerful to be opposed.” Who’d make war with him? Who do you think will make war with him? Right. The Lord Jesus Christ will make war with him.

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