Recapping from Revelation 13:1-3, the beast (Antichrist) comes out of the sea and its body consists of the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion, and 7 heads. In Revelation 13:1 commentary, the most likely candidate of the sea from which the Antichrist emerges is the Mediterranean Sea.

From this, we know that the ethnicity/nationality of the Antichrist is Syrian-Jew.

Religion-wise, the Antichrist has ties to the Catholic Church, so he is most likely a pope figure (refer to the commentary on Revelation 13:1-2, 2-3).

From verse 3, we learn that this beast acquires his power from Satan himself.

Revelation 13:4-7 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? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

‘And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast‘

Going to our main text, verse 4 states that the entire world worships the dragon (Satan) because of the power he gave the beast.

‘Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?’

The beast is also worshipped for his invincibility. The beast is seen as invincible because, as explained in Revelation 13:2-3 commentaries, the beast is assassinated but comes back from the dead. It is here that the Antichrist proves himself “god” (more specifically Jesus Christ) before the world. This idea is further supported by verse 4 where the entire world believes that it is impossible for someone else to be on par (in terms of power) with the beast.

Now, when it comes to the identity of the beast, Seventh Day Adventists believe that it is a system rather than a person and that the mark of the beast has to do with observing Sunday instead of Saturday. This, along with other heretical beliefs, can be resolved by reading scripture as it says.

On many occasions, the beast is personified as it gives it the male pronouns ‘him’, ‘his’, and ‘he’. This means the beast cannot be a system but a person. Although some verses do refer to the beast as a kingdom, a king is also associated with that specific kingdom. The Bible interprets the beast as both kingdoms and kings. It is not limited to a kingdom. Refer to Revelation 13:1-2 commentary for more information. Examples of this are the following:

Revelation 17:10-11 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Daniel 7:23-24 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

To completely dismantle the idea of Sunday worship equating to the mark of the beast, let’s take a look at the verses that describe the mark. Verses 16-18 mention a physical mark on the right hand or forehead of a person and do not mention a day of worship. Read the verses literally. We already have a physical representation of this now. Our credit cards are already doing this now. Technology is however moving closer and closer.

Revelation 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

Going back to the main text, verse 5 states that the beast is given the power to speak great things which alludes to him being very charismatic but also blasphemy against God. Comparing these two things with those of previous verses (mainly the Satan’s seat which is most likely Rome), the idea that the beast is most likely a pope figure due to the beast being a religious leader (as many will worship him), is charismatic in his speech, and also blasphemes God, is plausible.

‘power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.‘

Continuing with verse 5, we learn that the Antichrist continues this power for 42 months. Pay close attention to the word ‘continue’. This means that this given power and dominion of the Antichrist has already been in place but is extended for 42 months or 3.5 more years.

There is no question that the Tribulation period consists of or rather is at least 3.5 years based on the various verses where this specific time length is given in Scripture. However, we notice that this reign continues for this amount of time, meaning that the reign of the Antichrist (the Tribulation time period) will be longer than this. Exactly how long the duration of this time period is unknown.

‘opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.‘

Verse 6 lets us know who and what is being blasphemed when the beast speaks, which is God’s name, Heaven, and God’s people. Again, the candidacy of the Pope being the Antichrist aligns with this verse as Popes claim they have power over’s people’s salvation and can pardon one’s sins, which is not the case. As for the name of the blasphemy, some people believe that it is what the Pope wears on his hat (vicarius filii dei), which equals 666 when translated from Latin inscription to numbers.

‘And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.‘

Verse 7 states the Antichrist or Satan incarnate is given the power to war with the Tribulation saints, a battle that he wins over them. The latter part of the verse gives insight as to whom the Antichrist has power over all types of peoples with different languages or the whole world. Verse 8 states that he will be worshiped by the entire world. This is contrary to what Revelation 6 states in the context of wanting to conquer nations.

Daniel 11 and Matthew 24 also mention a conflict between rogue nations and the Antichrist. This means that it isn’t until after his death and resurrection in Revelation 13 that he gains the favor of the world, so much so that he rules over the entire world in Revelation 13:7.

The likely span for the tribulation is seven years, not three and a half years. Although three and a half years has been mentioned a lot, it could simply refer to a sum of these 3.5 years.