Revelation 13:1-18
Having been cast down onto the earth, the devil does not waste what little time he has. He uses two instruments, two "beasts", a term which implies that they have no relationship with God. The first (v. 1) corresponds with the revived Roman Empire. In it are united the features of the three previous empires: the swiftness of the leopard (Greece), the tenacity of the bear (Persia), the voracity of the lion (Babylon; see Daniel 7:4-6). In the wilderness, the Lord Jesus had refused the kingdoms of the world. Now Satan gives them to the Roman Emperor and thereby secures the worship of the whole world (v. 4; Luke 4:5-8).
The second beast is a counterfeit of the Lamb, whose language betrays it for what it really is, namely the Antichrist. It will exercise religious power, perform miracles and support the first beast. The vast crowds of men whom it will deceive will be branded like cattle with the mark of the Roman beast. They are called "them that dwelleth on the earth" (vv. 8, 14; Revelation 3:10; Revelation 6:10; Revelation 8:13; Revelation 11:10) because their interests and all their hopes are on the earth. How many people even today are like that! By contrast v. 6 mentions "them that dwell in heaven" (Philippians 3:19-20). Christians, let us make absolutely clear to others where our dwelling place is (Hebrews 11:14).