\\INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 13\\

This chapter contains a description of the Romish antichrist, under
the figure of two beasts, the one representing him in his civil
power, the other in his ecclesiastical power. The first beast is
described by its origin, the sea, and by the monstrous shape its
several parts; its heads seven, in which were the name of blasphemy;
its horns ten, on which were crowns; its skin like a leopard, its
feet as a bear, and its mouth as a lion; and by its state and
condition, having power, a throne, and great authority; and having
one of its heads wounded, and healed; and by the great regard had
unto him, being wondered at, and worshipped by all the world, and
declared to be more powerful than any, and none to be like them,
\\#Re 13:1-4\\. Next an account is given of what he was suffered to
have, a blaspheming mouth, and power to continue forty two months,
\\#Re 13:5\\; and of what he said or uttered, his blasphemy against
God, his name, tabernacle, and the inhabitants of heaven, \\#Re 13:6\\;
and of what he did by permission, made war with the saints, overcame
them, and had power over all people, \\#Re 13:7\\; and of the worship
given him by the reprobate part of the world, \\#Re 13:8\\; and the
whole is concluded with an exhortation exciting attention to what
had been said, with a threatening to the beast, and a word of
comfort to the saints, \\#Re 13:9,10\\. And then follows the
description of the second beast, by its original the earth; by its
likeness to a lamb, and a dragon; to the former for its two horns,
and to the latter for its speech, \\#Re 13:11\\; and by the actions
ascribed to it, which are many; as exercising all the power of the
first beast; causing all the inhabitants of the earth to worship
that; doing miracles, of which one is mentioned, thereby deceiving
the men of the world; ordering them to make an image to the wounded
beast; giving life to it, so that it could speak; putting to death
all that refused to worship it; obliging men of all ranks and
degrees to have a mark in their right hands or foreheads, and
forbidding such that had not to buy or sell, \\#Re 13:12-17\\. And
the chapter is concluded with an epiphonema, exciting men of
understanding to search out, and count the number of the beast's
name, since it is possible to be done, being the number of a man,
and easy to be done, consisting of three Greek letters, \~c x v\~,
which are numerically 666, \\#Re 13:18\\.