What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Who does the beast from the sea in Revelation 13 represent?"
Answer
The beast from the sea in Revelation 13 represents the papacy, which arose from the Roman Empire (the fourth kingdom of Daniel 7). It is described as a power that claims blasphemous titles, persecutes God's people, and whose period of rule is prophetically set at 1260 years (42 months). Its characteristics – the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion – symbolize that it incorporates attributes of the preceding world empires.
The Identity of the Beast from the Sea
»Through the sea I understand the Roman government or the fourth kingdom in Daniel's vision... under the beast we must understand the papal power or the little horn. Therefore one would phrase it like this: And I, John, saw the Roman government, and I saw the papacy arise from it, with seven forms of government and ten kingdoms... and pagan Rome gave the papacy its strength, its throne, and great power.«
»This beast is given its throne, its power, and great authority by the dragon. To whom did pagan Rome give its throne [the city of Rome], its power, and great authority? Answer: To the PAPACY. It is further shown that this beast represents the papacy, because it is identical with the little horn of the fourth beast of Daniel 7.«
»John does not see a sequence of four beasts rising from the sea, but only one now – indicating that three have already risen and passed away and that this one that exists is the fourth and last of the series. The beast of Revelation 13 and the fourth beast as well as the little horn from Daniel 7 seem to symbolize the same world empire or the same world‑dominating power. ... John describes his composite panther‑beast as a fusion of the first three beasts of Daniel.«
»Through the great powers that were controlled by paganism and the papacy – symbolized by the dragon and the leopard‑like beast – Satan destroyed God's faithful witnesses for many centuries. Under Rome's rule they were tortured and killed for more than a thousand years; but the papacy was eventually stripped of its strength and forced to cease persecution.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
My hope is that this tool supports personal Bible study, strengthens trust in the original sources, and helps more people discover the message of these writings with clarity, depth, and joy.
