Revelation 13:2-3 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 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.

Continuing on from the last Revelation study, verse 2 describes the appearance of the beast in Revelation. Recall that the three remaining kingdoms of Satan were represented by the three animals found in the beast.

The beast is described as a conglomeration of different wild animals. This means that it will be an integrated country comprised of different beliefs held by the lion, bear, leopard (in which the animals represent different kingdoms and countries).

The description of this beast in Daniel 7 lets us know that it is the same beast from Revelation 13, a beast comprised of different beasts which (in both verses) come up from the sea.

Daniel 7:2-8 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

‘And four great beasts came up from the sea‘

That’s the same with Revelation 13.

‘The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings:‘ (Daniel 7:4)

Scholars agree this is a kingdom and country. One country is a lion.

‘And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear‘ (Daniel 7:5)

The second country is a bear.

‘After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard,‘ (Daniel 7:6)

The third country is a leopard.

‘and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly‘ (Daniel 7:7)

It is someone very great, very similar to the Antichrist.

‘it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it‘

It is not just a different beast. It was “diverse”. It had all the beasts before it but was diverse. Which modern country will match up?

What is the lion in Revelation from the Bible?

  • Lion would be England – The mouth of a lion mentioned in Revelation 13:3 could refer to the English language since it can be considered the universal language, given that many countries speak it. Daniel 7 also mentions the lion having wings which is similar to England’s arms symbols of a Gryphon.

What is the bear in Revelation from the Bible?

  • Bear would be Russia – The bear represents Russia because when they were conquering the world, they referred to the bear as walking similar to a man which matches Daniel 7 where it mentions the bear raising itself or standing (as a man) to conquer and devour.

What is the leopard in Revelation from the Bible?

  • Leopard represents America because it is a multi-racial country. The Antichrist’s main body is the leopard. The leopard has three colors representing races, a white belly, yellow skin, and black spots.

On top of that, America is a country with English as its main language (England) that is slowly moving toward communism (Russia).

‘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.’

Verse 3 mentions that one of the beast’s seven heads is wounded unto death. This was a fatal wound.

To understand what Revelation 13 means, it is important to interpret the verses from a figurative standpoint as well as a literal one. Until now, we have analyzed the figurative interpretation of verses 1 and 2.

Literal meaning of the beast’s head wounded

Literally speaking, verse 1 could mean that the Antichrist could be traveling through the underworld and rise up out of the sea. When it mentions that one of his heads is wounded in verse 3, this could literally be the case. Revelation 11 commentary explains the wounding of the Antichrist’s right eye and an arm.

Zechariah 17 mentions an idol shepherd of the flock which fits the description of the Antichrist through the wounding of his right eye and arm. Interestingly enough, the Pope is known as the shepherd of the flock to the Roman Catholic Church which is a false shepherd.

Zechariah 11:17 Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.

Figurative meaning of the beast’s head wounded

Returning to the main text, we will now analyze the figurative meaning of verse 3. Recall that only one of the heads of the beast was injured. Compare this to the fact that each head is a representation of one of Satan’s 7 powers. Although not certain, there is some speculation that the head that is injured could be the one pertaining to Alexander the Great.

This speculation comes from the book of Daniel, specifically chapter 8 which coincides with Revelation 13 in terms of the he-goat or the prince of Grecia that is mentioned in both passages. Notice how Alexander the Great is identified in Daniel 8:21 based on the context of previous verses (peoples that were conquered) but later transitions to the future time of the Antichrist giving the impression that they could be connected. Verses 23-25 show the transition from Alexander the Great to the Antichrist.

Daniel 8:21-22 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.

‘four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.‘

The division of a kingdom into 4 parts is also historically attributed to Alexander the Great’s kingdom, with one of those parts being Syria. Comparing this to Daniel 11, the Antichrist also originates from a Syrian line. Going back to Daniel 8, verse 22 we see that the 4 kingdoms originated from Greece (which is where Alexander the Great was from) which could mean that the Antichrist’s roots are also from Greece.

Daniel 8: 23-25 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

All the language above is referring to an Antichrist language. So it could make sense that the Antichrist has roots both in Greece and Syria.

Another idea of who the injured head could represent is Rome because of their continued power throughout the duration of the Tribulation period. Because Rome is the only head that has kept its power until today (and later the Tribulation) it is also possible that this could be the wounded head. 2 Thessalonians 2 mentions that Paul believes the Roman emperor of his time has similar characteristics to the Antichrist but is not the official Antichrist. Through this, it is reinforced that the Antichrist follows a Roman setup or has a connection to the Roman Catholic church.

The Antichrist mimics Jesus Christ

Going back to the main text,

‘And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:‘

The wound to the beast’s head is described in verse 3 as a mortal wound but is later healed. In other words, the Antichrist resurrects himself from the dead and heals himself. Revelation 11:7 and 17 reveal how the Antichrist was in a state of existence and then he was not, followed by him ascending from perdition, which is hell.

Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Revelation 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

This makes sense when we say that the Antichrist first comes out of the sea (which is closest to hell or the pit and demonic activity) and is killed and goes back into hell. Then, he ascends from hell when he resurrects himself (becomes the 8th but is of the 7 powers).

Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

‘which had the wound by a sword, and did live.‘

Revelation 13:14 also supports the idea that the Antichrist survived the fatal injury, meaning that he overcame it through (based on previously mentioned verses) resuscitating himself.

As a summary, the Antichrist:

  • He came out from the sea in the Meditteranean region matching Daniel 11 (Syrian Jewish region).
  • Someone assassinated him, he had a wound, he died.
  • He went into perdition.
  • He came back up again.

‘and all the world wondered after the beast.‘

Continuing with the main text, verse 3 mentions that the entire world wonders after the beast. In this context, it is referring to the wonder or rather adoration the world has after witnessing the death and revival of the Antichrist.

Comparing this to Revelation 6, the first seal mentions the Antichrist wanting to conquer the rogue nations while the second seal mentions war breaking out, meaning that there was opposition to the Antichrist. This changes in Revelation 13 where the Antichrist garners the world’s admiration through his resurrection in which he “proves” himself to be God. If Satan wants to imitate Jesus Christ, he would die 3 days and 3 nights by going to the heart of the earth (perdition) and then resurrecting again.