and one of his heads [was] as slain to death, and his wound of death had been healed and the whole earth wondered after the beast.
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And they did homage to the dragon, because he gave the authority to the beast; and they did homage to the beast, saying, Who [is] like to the beast? and who can make war with it?
The world has just watched a fatal wound healed. Now it bows to the power behind the throne. Two figures receive worship here: the dragon who gave the authority, and the beast who uses it. The crowd's cry is not a creed. It is a boast about strength no one can challenge.
The first act of worship goes past the visible ruler to the invisible giver. Walter Scott explains how men get there:
Here God is set aside, and the dragon usurps His place. Not the Creator, but Satan becomes the object of universal worship. Mere profession is worthless in that awful day. Reality alone can stand in a scene wholly given up to Satan… In the eyes of men, the dragon has just done what people thought God alone could do. He has given supreme authority to the beast. For that reason men pay him divine honours.
This is not a new craving in Satan. It is the same bargain once offered in the wilderness, and once refused:
Remember also that Satan came to our Lord when He was tempted in the wilderness. Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the world, if only He would worship him. The Lord's answer was, "Be gone, Satan." He utterly refused it. But the offer the Lord in His perfection refused will appeal to this man, called "the beast." He will bow to the devil and get the kingdom for a brief spell. For that same spell men will openly call Satan "god." He will seem to reach what he has wanted from the beginning. Isaiah 14:12-14 points to this: "I will ascend… I will make myself like the Most High." Yet the result is this: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!" Reaching his dearest desire is the prelude to his fall.
(Older translations read "Lucifer, son of the morning" in Isaiah 14:12.)
Kelly points to the state of the world just before the beast rises:
What a fickle thing man is! No doubt, just before, there had been a state of anarchy and confusion. Out of it the beast arises. He becomes an object of wonder and worship to men who are tired of all their earlier turmoil, strife and insecurity… So instead of men running things themselves, some strong chief will take the rule. But it will not be merely the hand of man. It will be the dragon's power.
The same power that draws the applause also produces a false sense of security:
The beast is the dragon's chief political agent. He will be so powerful and impressive that men will worship him. They will treat his power as unstoppable. Men will feel that here at last is the superman and the super-kingdom. It can impose its will and put down all opposition. This, we judge, is what will lead men to say, "There is peace and security," as foretold in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. But that cry leads to "sudden destruction."
The verse's two questions praise a power, not a deity. Hamilton Smith says where that praise really lands:
This revival will be a wonder to all the world. It will call out the world's admiration for a power that no other power can match, and that no one will dare to fight. And yet to praise and applaud this empire will in reality be worship of the devil.
Scott weighs what the two questions themselves say:
"Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" His power and skill in war are the dazzling qualities that win the world's admiration. The special point here is the homage owed to his high position, not worship itself. Yet we think more is implied. Men will pay divine honours to the personal head of the restored empire, and the second beast brings this about.
Worship here is shared. Kelly sets out the three figures involved:
It is clear that three persons are closely linked in this scene: the dragon, the world-power or first beast, and the political and religious second beast. Revelation 13:4 shows that men worship the dragon as well as the first beast… In fact, they are the anti-trinity, and the unseen power of Satan is what binds them.
The sweep is total, with one exception:
This power sways all who dwell on the earth. The only exceptions are those God chose before the foundation of the world. These do not worship the beast, the vessel of Satan's authority.
- Source. The dragon is worshipped for one stated reason — he gave the authority. Men pay divine honours to whoever appears to hand out supreme power.
- Ambition. What Satan offered Christ in the wilderness and was refused, the beast accepts. Satan gets the worship he has always wanted, briefly.
- Appeal. After anarchy comes a strong hand, and a weary world calls it unstoppable. Relief from fear, not conviction, builds this altar.
- Disguise. The cry is about might, not deity — yet applauding this empire is in reality worship of the devil. Idolatry can sound entirely political.
- Exception. Everyone on earth is swept along except those God chose before the foundation of the world. In that hour profession is worthless; only reality stands.