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.
14. deceiveth ] Rev 19:20. There is still a reminiscence of St Mat 24:24.
an image ] We cannot tell how, or how literally, this prophecy will be fulfilled in the last days: but it is certainly relevant to remember how the refusal of worship to the Emperor’s image was made the test of Christianity in the primitive persecutions perhaps especially by humane and reluctant persecutors like Pliny (see his famous letter to Trajan) who acted not from fanaticism, but from supposed political necessity. And the king-worship of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the maxim, earlier acted on than avowed, cujus regio ejus religio, shews us the really Antichristian element in the persecutions of that age. To the ingenious theory, that the second Beast is the Papacy, and “the image of the first Beast” the mediaeval Empire, it is a fatal objection that, though the Popes may be said to have made and vivified the “Holy Roman Empire,” they certainly did not make the world worship it; they might more plausibly be charged with making it worship them.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles – Nothing could possibly be more descriptive of the papacy than this. It has been kept up by deception and delusion, and its pretended miracles have been, and are to this day, the means by which this is done. Anyone in the slightest degree acquainted with the pretended miracles practiced at Rome, will see the propriety of this description as applied to the papacy. The main fact here stated, that the papacy would endeavor to sustain itself by pretended miracles, is confirmed by an incidental remark of Mr. Gibbon, when speaking of the pontificate of Gregory the Great; he says: The credulity or the prudence of Gregory was always disposed to confirm the truths of religion by the evidence of ghosts, miracles, and resurrections (Decline and Fall, 3:210). Even within a month of the time that I am writing (October 5, 1850), intelligence has been received in this country of extraordinary privileges conferred on some city in Italy, because the eyes of a picture of the Virgin in that city have miraculously moved – greatly to the confirmation of the faithful.
Such things are constantly occurring; and it is by these that the supremacy of the papacy has been and is sustained. The Breviary teems with examples of miracles performed by the saints. For instance: Francis Xavier turned a sufficient quantity of salt water into fresh to save the lives of five hundred travelers who were dying of thirst, enough being left to allow a large exportation to different parts of the world, where it performed astonishing cures. Raymond de Pennafort laid his cloak on the sea, and sailed from Majorca to Barcelona, a distance of a hundred and sixty miles, in six hours. Juliana lay on her death-bed; her stomach rejected all solid food, and in consequence she was prevented from receiving the eucharist. In compliance with her earnest solicitations, the consecrated wafer was laid on her breast; the priest prayed; the wafer vanished, and Juliana expired. Many pages might be filled with accounts of modern miracles of the most ridiculous description, yet believed by Roman Catholics – the undoubted means by which papal Rome deceives the world, and keeps up its ascendency in this age. See Forsyths Italy, ii. pp. 154-157; Rome in the Nineteenth Century, i. p. 40, 86, ii. p. 356, 3, pp. 193-201; Lady Morgans Italy, ii. p. 306, iii. p. 189; Grahams Three Months Residence, etc., p. 241.
Saying to them that dwell on the earth – That is, as far as its influence would extend. This implies that there would be authority, and that this authority would be exercised to secure this object.
That they should make an image to the beast – That is, something that would represent the beast, and that might be an object of worship. The word rendered image – eikon – means properly:
(a)An image, effigy, figure, as an idol, image, or figure;
(b)A likeness, resemblance, similitude.
Here the meaning would seem to be that, in order to secure the acknowledgment of the beast, and the homage to be rendered to him, there was something like a statue made, or that John saw in vision such a representation – that is, that a state of things existed as if such a statue were made, and people were constrained to acknowledge this. All that is stated here would be fulfilled if the old Roman civil power should become to a large extent dead, or cease to exert its influence over people, and if then the papal spiritual power should cause a form of domination to exist strongly resembling the former in its general character and extent, and if it should secure this result – that the world would acknowledge its sway or render it homage as it did to the old Roman government. This would receive its fulfillment if it be supposed that the first beast represented the ancient Roman civil power as such; that this died away – as if the head had received a fatal wound; that it was again revived under the influence of the papacy; and that, under that influence, a civil government, strongly resembling the old Roman dominion, was caused to exist, depending for its vital energy on the papacy, and, in its turn, lending its aid to support the papacy.
All this in fact occurred in the decline of the Roman power after the time of Constantine, and its final apparent extinction, as if wounded to death, in the exile of the last of the emperors, the son of Orestes, who assumed the names of Romulus and Augustus, names which were corrupted, the former by the Greeks into Momyllus, and the latter by the Latins into the contemptible diminutive Augustulus. See Gibbon 2:381. Under him the empire ceased, until it was revived in the days of Charlemagne. In the empire which then sprung up, and which owed much of its influence to the sustaining aid of the papacy, we discern the image of the former Roman power; the prolongation of the Roman ascendency over the world. On the exile of the feeble son of Orestes (476 a.d.), the government passed into the hands of Odoacer, the first barbarian who reigned in Italy (Gibbon); and then the authority was divided among the sovereignties which sprang up after the conquests of the barbarians, until the empire was again restored in the time and the person of Charlemagne. See Gibbon, iii. 344ff.
Which had the wound by a sword, and did live – Which had a wound that was naturally fatal. but whose fatal consequences were prevented by the intervention of another power. See the notes on Rev 13:3. That is, according to the explanation given above, the Roman imperial power was wounded with a fatal wound by the invasions of the northern hordes – the sword of the conquerors. Its power, however, was restored by the papacy, giving life to what resembled essentially the Roman civil jurisdiction – the image of the former beast; and that power, thus restored, asserted its dominion again, as the prolonged Roman dominion – the fourth kingdom of Daniel (see the notes on Dan 7:19 ff) – over the world.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 14. 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.] The image of the beast must designate a person who represents in himself the whole power of the Latin empire, therefore it cannot be the emperor; for though he was, according to his own account, supremum caput Christianitatis, the supreme head of Christendom, yet he was only the chief of the Germanic confederation, and consequently was only sovereign of the principal power of the Latin empire. The image of the beast must be the supreme ruler of the Latin empire, and as it is through the influence of the false prophet that this image is made for the first beast, this great chief must be an ecclesiastic. Who this is has been ably shown by Bishop Newton in his comment on the following verse.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord showeth his prophet by what means the papacy should cheat the world, viz. by pretences of miracles, which it had a power to work, (the doctrines of the Church of Rome to this are sufficiently known), all which are done
in the sight of the beast, that is, to his honour, and to gain him a reputation. As God gave his prophets and apostles a power to work true miracles for the confirmation of their mission from him, and of the doctrines which they brought; so he permitted others to work lying wonders for the confirmation of their false doctrine. The apostle therefore describeth the coming of antichrist to be with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousess, 2Th 2:9,10.
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: these words show the design of this last mentioned beast, viz. to make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword. Mr. Medes notion here seemeth best to me, that by the beast which had the wound by a sword, is to be understood the dragon, of whose wound we read, Rev 6:1-17. He was the type of the pagan emperors, whom God rooted out. Antichrists design was to make an image of that old beast, in which it might again live; which he did by his setting up the veneration of images, and the invocation of saints; the pagan idolatry lying chiefly in their adoration of persons (who had been famous amongst them) when they were dead, making them their mediators to their supreme gods, and in the veneration of their images and statues. The making the image of this beast, was the restoring of the same idolatry, changing only the names of princes and great soldiers, whom the pagans worshipped after their death, into the names of saints; in which image the dragon lived again: and it is sufficiently known how the Romish clergy deceiveth people into this idolatry by their stories of miracles done by such saints.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14. deceiveth them that dwell on theearththe earthly-minded, but not the elect. Even amiracle is not enough to warrant belief in a professed revelationunless that revelation be in harmony with God’s already revealedwill.
by the means of thosemiraclesrather as Greek, “on account of(because of; in consequence of) those miracles.”
which he had power todoGreek, “which were given him to do.”
in the sight of thebeast“before him” (Re13:12).
whichA, B, and C read,”who”; marking, perhaps, a personal Antichrist.
hadSo B and ANDREASread. But A, C, and Vulgate read, “hath.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth,…. The Complutensian edition, and two of Stephens’s copies, read “mine”, instead of “them”; creatures of God, and professors of Christ, carnal and unregenerate men; not the elect of God, and true believers in Christ, these cannot be deceived by the signs and wonders of false Christs and false prophets; antichrist’s deceivableness of unrighteousness only operates in them that perish:
by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; the secular power of the Papacy encouraging, confirming, and giving a sanction to those lying miracles, and obliging all to believe them, and come into the things, doctrines, or practices, they are designed to promote:
saying to them that dwell on the earth: the apostate church, or the carnal inhabitants of the empire: ordering and commanding them
that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword, and did live; meaning the Roman empire, which had received a deadly wound in its sixth head, the emperors, by the sword of the Goths, Huns, c. but now revived in its seventh head, the pope of Rome, to whom the ten kings gave their kingdoms: the image made to this beast some understand of the translation of the empire to Charles the great, and his successors the emperors, by the pope of Rome, he ordaining so many electors to chose a king of the Romans, and elect an emperor when one was wanting and this was an image to the first beast, a shadow, an appearance of the Roman empire, and but a shadow; for the power of inaugurating and crowning these emperors, and of setting up and deposing them when the pope pleased, lie reserved to himself: but rather this designs the image worship, or the worshipping of idols of gold and silver, of wood and stone, which he caused the inhabitants of the earth to make, and give adoration to; or else the whole Papal religion, and the Papacy itself, for the beast, and the image of the beast, are all along in this book afterwards mentioned together as being the same,
Re 14:9, which is an image of the Gentile religion, in their high priest, priests, temples, idols, offerings, garments, worshipping of angels, and saints departed, with a numerous train of rites and ceremonies, borrowed from the old Pagan religion; hence the Papists are called Gentiles, Re 11:2, the Roman empire, represented by these two beasts, and this image, had now one head, the pope, as before an emperor, and a religion in it much resembling its ancient one; but, before that was set up, this image was in being.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
And he deceiveth ( ). Present active (dramatic) indicative of , the very thing that Jesus had said would happen (Mt 24:24, “So as to lead astray” , the word used here, if possible the very elect). It is a constant cause for wonder, the gullibility of the public at the hands of new charlatans who continually bob up with their pipe-dreams.
That they should make an image to the beast ( ). Indirect command (this first aorist active infinitive of ) after as in Ac 21:21, not indirect assertion. This “image” (, for which word see Matt 22:20; Col 1:15) of the emperor could be his head upon a coin (Mr 12:16), an imago painted or woven upon a standard, a bust in metal or stone, a statue, anything that people could be asked to bow down before and worship. This test the priests in the provinces pressed as it was done in Rome itself. The phrase “the image of the beast,” occurs ten times in this book (Rev 13:14; Rev 13:15 ter; Rev 14:9; Rev 14:11; Rev 15:2; Rev 16:2; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:4). Emperor-worship is the issue and that involves worship of the devil.
The stroke of the sword ( ). This language can refer to the death of Nero by his own sword.
And lived ( ). “And he came to life” (ingressive first aorist active indicative of ). Perhaps a reference to Domitian as a second Nero in his persecution of Christians.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
An image to the beast [ ] . Eijkwn is a figure or likeness. thus Mt 22:20, of the likeness of Caesar on the coin. Rom 1:24, an image of men, birds, beasts, etc. Col 3:10, “the image of Him that created him;” i e., the moral likeness of renewed men to God. Christ is called the image of God (Col 1:15; 2Co 4:4). Besides the idea of likeness, the word involves the idea of representation, though not of perfect representation. Thus, man is said to be the image of God (1Co 11:7). In this it resembles carakthr image in Heb 1:3. Caesar’s image on the coin, the reflection of the sun in the water (Plato, “Phaedo,” 99); and the statue or image of the beast in this passage, are eijkwn.
The word also involves the idea of manifestation. Thus, Col 1:15, where, in the image there is an implied contrast with the invisible God. Hence Philo applied the term to the Logos. See on Joh 1:1.
The word played an important part in the Arian controversy, in which the distinction was sharply emphasized between eijkwn image as assuming a prototype, and therefore as properly representing the relation of the Son to the Father, and oJmoiwma likeness, as implying mere similitude, and not embodying the essential verity of the prototype. The image involves the likeness, but the likeness does not involve the image. The latter may imply only an accidental resemblance, while the former is a veritable representation. Christ is therefore the eijkwn of God.
The image of the beast occurs ten times in Revelation; four times in this chapter, and in Rev 14:9, 11; Rev 14:2; Rev 16:2; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:4.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth,” (kai plana tous katoikontas epi tes ges) “and he deceives or deludes those dwelling on the earth, the land; The deception of Satan begun against Adam and Eve in Eden is to be prominent among men over all the earth under this coming era of Satan’s reign, Rev 12:9.
2) “By means of those miracles which he had power to do,” (dia ta semeia ha edothe auto poiesai) Because of the signs or wonders which power was doled out to him to perform,” doled out by the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil; 2Th 2:9-10, describes this power, signs, and lying wonders as coming from Satan, thru that wicked one, the antichrist, Joh 8:41; Joh 8:44.
3) “In the sight of the beast,” (enopion tou theriou) “in the sight or presence of the (first beast,” which is the merged one world heathen government; It shall rise again to be presided over by the Satan-empowered antichrist, Joh 5:43.
4) “Saying to them that dwell on the earth,” (legon tois katoikousin epi tes ges) “Telling those who dwell on the earth,” instructing, directing them, as servants, slaves, or peons of this demon-controlled ruler, Rom 6:16; Satan even directed Jesus to fall down and worship him, Mat 4:9-10.
5) “That they should make an image to the beast,” (poiesai eikona to therio) “To make, form, or fashion an icon (image or statue) of the beast,” the first beast, similar to that one made by Nebuchadnezzar, representing and requiring worship of his image, Dan 1:18.
6) “Which had the wound by a sword “ (hos echei ten piegen tes machaires) “Who has (had) the stroke-wound of the sword,” from the time of the fall of the Babylonian to Roman Empire.
7) “And did live,” (kai ezesin) “And lived (again),” The sword-wound it is certified that divided the one world Gentile Babylon-to-Roman empire shall rise and live again.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(14) And deceiveth them . . .Better, And he leads astray those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which were given him to do in the presence of the wild beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, to make an image to the wild beast that has the stroke of the sword and lived. He leads astray: this is the key to his success, he deifies the spirit of worldliness; but he does it by deception and subtlety: there is an appearance of wonderful power: he can work lying wonders. When men lose the sense of duty,the will to ask, Is it right?they become an easy prey to some specious deception. This is the reason that, both in the old and new dispensations, a caution against immoral marvels is entered (see Deu. 13:1-3; Mat. 24:24; and 2Th. 2:9); mere greatness, either of achievement or of miracle, is no guarantee of a good cause. The motto Might is right is the motto of worldliness; Right is might is the motto of faith, and those who hold it cannot worship the beast, even though the stroke of his death-wound is healed. Men have appealed to lying miracles on behalf of a death-wounded creed: the cleverness of self-interested partisanship is seldom barren of imposing expedients.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Living image of the first beast the Popedom, Rev 13:14-18.
14. Deceiveth All these miracles were deceptions.
Power to do Either by aid of Satan or by ample means of combination and juggling machinery.
In the sight of the beast For his benefit and great approval.
Saying The clergy are the counsellors of submission to the spiritual empire.
They should make The pope is elected, indeed, by the clergy; but the popedom, and so every pope, is created by the popular superstition under the teachings of the clergy. That it is by the two-horned lamb, the clergy, that this is effected, is notorious. Says Mosheim, on the second century, “The monks, who from their supposed sanctity had the greatest influence with the multitude, held up the pope to their [the people’s] veneration, even as a god.” And of a later date he says, “The Jesuits have turned the Roman pontiff into a terrestrial deity, and put him almost on a footing with the divine Saviour.” He adds, “It may be easily proved that the Jesuits did no more in this than to propagate the doctrines as they found them to have been before the Reformation.” Down to our own hour Pius IX. claimed all the two-horned beast conferred on the image. To a Belgian delegation, who presented him a tiara, That pope said, “You offer me gifts a tiara, a symbol of my threefold royal dignity in heaven, upon earth, and in purgatory.” He denounced the Old Catholics as heretics, “for they refuse to recognise the divine prerogatives of the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, and to obey his supreme jurisdiction.” To another set of visitors he said, “The voice which now sounds in your ears is the voice of Him whom I represent on earth.”
All the power which the pope once possessed of dethroning monarchs and disposing of kingdoms arose from the fact that the popular mind, under the clerical influence, firmly supported the pope as above emperor or king, being the representative of God and entitled to be called God.
An image A concentrated representative of, and likeness to, the spiritual empire. He was to be its living executive miniature. At the same time he was to be an idol to be worshipped. The symbol of an image is supposed to be based upon the custom of the Roman emperors to place their statues in a temple or other public place requiring divine honors to be paid to them. But here, 1. It is the spiritual empire itself that is to be imaged, and no individual person. 2. Powers and actions of a great living agent are attributed to it. 3. The images of the emperor were multitudinous, and set up in all parts of the empire; this is a single image. If the seer had intended the countless images, for instance, of Nero, he would naturally have used the plural, and expatiated on their great number.
An image to the beast, which did live As an image, all the qualities and powers of the pontifical empire are gathered and impersonated in him. He is symbol and representative executive; and so ruler; not as hereditary sovereigns are, by natural inheritance, for he is made, not born, an image. And so most of the predicates made applicable to the beast are also applicable to the pope, and vice versa. The pope is one of the clergy, and so goes to make up the two-horned lamb. He is part of the papal empire, and so is one with the beast. The name, whether Latinus, Latin, or otherwise, belongs to beast and image that is to pope or papal Church alike. The image fitted to the beast after he did live from his deadly wound, and his persecutions and exploits, are after his living from his death. If the beast therefore be, as some think, Nero, then most of Nero’s persecutions were after his imaginary resurrection. But the resurrection never took place, and so the persecutions could never take place. The persecutions, though predicted, were as imaginary as the resurrection. If the beast was the supreme Roman power, then it was after its death in the Emperor and revival in the Pope that the persecutions took place. That is, the persecutions were papal, not pagan. The persecutor was not the emperor but the pope.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
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.
Ver. 14. That they should make an image ] An emperor, saith Aretius, an image of him at least, chosen indeed by the seven electors of Germany, but confirmed by the pope; who therefore is said to give life to the image of the beast, whereby he both speaketh and acteth, Rev 13:15 . For if the pope confirm not the new elect, he is no emperor.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rev 13:14 . As Beliar sets up “his image before him in every city” ( Asc. Isa. iv. 11, after 10 = “and there will be the power of his miracles in every city and region”), so here the or bust of the emperor as the Neronic antichrist representing the empire ( cf. the hint repeated from Rev 13:12 c ) is brought forward along with the statues of the gods to receive offerings of wine and incense from the citizens. For the nave identification of such images with the deities they represented see Friedlnder, iii. 500 f. = (Blass 72, 5).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
deceiveth = he deceiveth. Compare 2Th 2:9-11. 1Ti 4:1-3. For miracles of themselves are no proof of a Divine mission. The Lord’s miracles were “signs” for His People to ponder. The miracles here are to impress credulous unbelievers.
by the means of. App-104. Rev 13:2.
miracles. Same as “wonders”, Rev 13:13.
Which . . . power = which it was given him.
image. Greek. eikon. First of ten occurences in Rev. See Mat 22:20. See App-197.
by = of. Genitive case. No preposition.
did live = lived (again). See App-170.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 13:14. , of the sword) It had been strictly speaking a wound by the sword. For Henry V., in his transaction with Callixto II., calls the contention which had preceded WAR [GUERRA].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
deceiveth: Rev 12:9, Rev 18:23, Rev 19:20, Rev 20:3, Rev 20:10, 2Ki 22:20, *marg. Job 12:16, Isa 44:20, Eze 14:9, 2Th 2:9-12
dwell: Rev 13:3, Rev 13:8
they: Rev 13:3, Rev 13:4, Rev 13:11, Rev 13:12, Rev 13:15, Rev 14:9, Rev 14:11, Rev 15:2, Rev 16:2, Rev 19:20, Rev 20:4, 2Ki 20:7, Eze 8:10, Eze 16:17, Dan 11:36, 2Th 2:4
Reciprocal: Gen 3:5 – as gods Exo 8:7 – General Exo 20:4 – General Lev 26:1 – Ye shall Deu 11:16 – your heart Deu 13:2 – General Deu 13:3 – proveth Deu 13:6 – entice 1Ki 22:22 – a lying spirit 2Ch 18:21 – General Pro 12:26 – but Jer 10:5 – speak Jer 29:8 – Let Eze 34:4 – but with Dan 3:7 – all the people Mat 13:25 – enemy Mat 13:39 – enemy Mat 24:24 – and shall Mar 13:22 – if it Luk 17:1 – It is Joh 8:44 – When Act 8:9 – used Rom 8:39 – depth 2Co 11:15 – his Gal 1:7 – pervert Gal 3:1 – who Eph 2:2 – the prince Col 2:18 – no 1Ti 4:1 – seducing 2Ti 2:16 – for 2Ti 3:13 – evil Tit 3:3 – deceived Jam 3:6 – a world 2Pe 2:1 – even 2Pe 2:2 – many 1Jo 5:21 – keep 2Jo 1:7 – who Rev 2:24 – the depths Rev 11:10 – dwell Rev 16:14 – working
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 13:14. And deceiveth them is the key to the preceding verse. Paul has the same subject in mind in 2Th 2:9 where he calls it “signs and lying wonders.” Bible students know that since the days of the apostles, no man has been able to perform any supernatural acts. The word miracle means generally anything wonderful or out of the ordinary. He . . . do . . . in the sight of the beast means the pope performed the deceptive tricks with the leaders of state looking on and approving. Make means to “form or fashion,” and image means an imitation or repetition. The pope required his people to imitate the characteristics of the first beast in his opposition to the worship of the true God. We should not lose sight of the dependence the pope felt he had upon the support of the secular power. That is why the church of Rome would have church and state united today if it could.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 14.
Verse 14: He was identified with the false prophet by his utterance of pseudo-prophecy, of which deceptions Jesus also warned (Mat 24:11) as a portent of the destruction of Jerusalem; and which Paul (2Th 2:9-12) declared would characterize that wicked (one) . . . “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness . . . that they should believe a lie.” The events prior and posterior to the fall of Jerusalem are so consonant with the anticipations of Jesus (Mat 24:1-51) and of Paul (2Th 2:1-17) that it is utterly unimaginative to gaze into the future centuries for successively occurring events in both secular and ecclesiastical history to fulfill them. The only apparent explanation for it is that the theories of historical theology require it, and they have been taken for granted so long as to have become so fixed in the thinking that they have been accepted as factual. No events of the future can be created or can occur to harmonize more compatibly with these scriptural apocalypses and apostolic descriptions of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the demolition of the temple, the downfall of Judaism and the end of the Jewish state. Added to the biblical facts, the histories of Josephus, Pliny, Eusebius and other annals of the times and the near times, verify them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rev 13:14. And he deceiveth, etc. The word deceiveth again leads us to the thought of false teaching (Mat 24:24, etc.).
Saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword, and rose to life. The difficult expression image of the beast occurs ten times in the Apocalypse, Rev 13:14-15 (thrice), Rev 14:9; Rev 14:11, Rev 15:2, Rev 16:2, Rev 19:20, Rev 20:4. It is to be explained by the help of Gen 1:26; Rom 8:29; 1Co 11:7; 1Co 15:49; Col 1:15; Col 3:10; Heb 1:3, Comparing these passages, the thought of the Seer appears to be as followsFirst, we have God, the Son the true image of God, and man renewed in the Son after the image of Him that created him. Secondly, we have the first beast or the world-power in all the ungodliness of its spirit, that spirit supposed to be incarnated in its image, and men so created after that image that they may be said to be of their father the devil (Joh 8:44). The second beast or the false prophet will then stand in the same relation to the first beast and men as that in which Christ the true prophet stands to God and men. It may indeed be said that, were this view correct, we ought to read that men are made after the image of the beast, whereas what is really said is that they make the image. But, according to the constant teaching of St. John, men who are made make. They love the darkness; they choose the evil; their will is active not passive in the matter. There is no ground for the idea that in the image made to the beast we have an allusion to those statues of the Roman Emperors which some of the basest of them set up for worship. Image in its Scripture sense expresses something living. It would be far more natural to seek the image in the Emperors themselves.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 14
And deceiveth them, &c. As the first beast (Revelation 13:1-10) represents plainly open and violent hostility to the Christian name, the second as clearly indicates a secret and doubtful enmity, accomplishing its purposes by cunning and imposture.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
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 {20} image to the {21} beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
(20) That is, images, by “enallage” or change of the number: for the worship of them ever since the second Council of Nicea, has been ordained in the Church by public credit and authority, contrary to the Law of God.
(21) In the Greek the word is in the Dative case, as much to say, as to the worship, honour and obeying of the beast: for by this maintenance of images, this pseudo-prophetical beast mightily profits the beast of Rome, of whom long ago he received them. Wherefore the same is hereafter fittingly called the image of the beast, for images have their beginning from the beast, and have their form or manner from the will of the beast, and have their end and use fixed in the profit and commodity of the beast.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
This power will make many earth-dwellers erroneously conclude that his authority is supreme. He will be able to produce some type of convincing likeness of Antichrist (cf. Rev 13:15; Rev 14:9; Rev 14:11; Rev 15:2; Rev 16:2; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:4), perhaps a statue (cf. Dan 3:4-6) or even an android (cf. Rev 13:15). The false prophet will be the beast’s "Minister of Propaganda." [Note: Bruce, p. 653.] The description of the first beast as having been fatally wounded by the sword and then having come back to life apparently refers to his resuscitation (cf. Rev 13:12).