Study Desk

when suddenly four powerful beasts came out of the sea. Each beast was different.

The second beast looked like a bear standing on its hind legs. It held three ribs in its teeth, and it was told, "Attack! Eat all the flesh you want."

The third beast was like a leopard—except that it had four wings and four heads. It was given authority to rule.

The fourth beast was stronger and more terrifying than the others. Its huge teeth were made of iron, and what it didn't grind with its teeth, it smashed with its feet. It was different from the others, and it had horns on its head—ten of them.

I watched closely to see what would happen to this smaller horn because of the arrogant things it was saying. Then before my very eyes, the fourth beast was killed and its body destroyed by fire.

I wanted to know more about the fourth beast, because it was so different and much more terrifying than the others. What was the meaning of its iron teeth and bronze claws and of its feet that smashed what the teeth and claws had not ground and crushed?

Then I was told by the one standing there: "The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom to appear on earth. It will be different from all the others— it will trample the earth and crush it to pieces.

After the two witnesses have finished preaching God's message, the beast that lives in the deep pit will come up and fight against them. It will win the battle and kill them.

I looked and saw a beast coming up from the sea. This one had ten horns and seven heads, and a crown was on each of its ten horns. On each of its heads were names that were an insult to God.

The beast that I saw had the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. The dragon handed over its own power and throne and great authority to this beast.

One of its heads seemed to have been fatally wounded, but now it was well. Everyone on earth marveled at this beast,

and they worshiped the dragon who had given its authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, "No one is like this beast! No one can fight against it."

The beast was allowed to brag and claim to be God, and for forty-two months it was allowed to rule.

The beast cursed God, and it cursed the name of God. It even cursed the place where God lives, as well as everyone who lives in heaven with God.

The beast was worshiped by everyone whose name wasn't written before the time of creation in the book of the Lamb who was killed.

I now saw another beast. This one came out of the ground. It had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.

It worked for the beast whose fatal wound had been healed. And it used all its authority to force the earth and its people to worship that beast.

This second beast fooled people on earth by working miracles for the first one. Then it talked them into making an idol in the form of the beast that did not die after being wounded by a sword.

It was allowed to put breath into the idol, so that it could speak. Everyone who refused to worship the idol of the beast was put to death.

they all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything. This mark stood for the name of the beast and for the number of its name.