Revelation 13:1; Out of the Sea

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 

There has been much discussion about what the sea symbolizes. Some argue, based on such passages as Isaiah 17:12, 57:20, and Revelation 17:15, that it refers to the Gentile nations.

Isaiah 17:12 Woe to the multitude of many people, whichmake a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, thatmake a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! 

Isaiah 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 

Revelation 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 

But since 11:7 and 17:8 state that the beast comes up out of the abyss, it is best to equate the sea with the abyss. That interpretation is in harmony with the Old Testament, which also uses the metaphor of the sea to picture the realm of satanic activity (cf. Job 26:12; Pss. 74:13–14; 89:9–10; Isa. 27:1). Some of the demons are currently incarcerated in the abyss (cf. 9:1–11; Luke 8:31), and Satan will be imprisoned in that abyss during the millennial kingdom (20:1–3).

Robert L Thomas observed well, “Does John have the actual sea, not just the Mediterranean Sea in mind? The ocean or abyss is the traditional origin of such a beast. The order of describing various parts of the beast’s body is what would be expected as an eyewitness watches the creature ascent from the water (Mounce). In the ancient thought, the sea was commonly the reservoir of evil. This view also agrees with the plain language of the text… To say the beast ascended out of the actual sea, however, would contradict with Revelation 11:7 and 17:8 which say he ascended from the abyss (Mounce). Revelation 11:7 has him ascending from the abyss, the source of demonic powers opposed to God. To say the sea stands for the abyss carries on the OT concept of the sea, that it is the source of satanic sea monsters (cf. Job 26:12-13; Psalm 74:13-14; 87:4; 89:9-10; Isaiah 27:1; 51:9-10) (Johnson). Also, Paul equates the sea with the abyss in his Romans 10:7 citation of Deuteronomy 30:13. One hesitates to attach sich a figurative meaning to the sea, but related texts in the Apocalypse furnish grounds for doing do. In his prophetic state of being “in the spirit,” what met John’s spiritual eyes was the sea, but this was a representation to him of what he calls the abyss (bottomless pit) in Revelation 11:7 and 17:8.” [Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, An Exegetical Commentary, Moody Press, 1995, 151]

Revelation 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

The Antichrist will be a man (2 Thess. 2:4), but at some point in his life, he will be indwelt by a powerful demon from the abyss (bottomless pit). This demon-possessed man will be a gifted orator, an intellectual genius, possess great charm and charisma, and have immense leadership power. Added to those natural qualities will be the hellish power of Satan. The result will be a person of superhuman power, vast intelligence, and consummate wickedness.

 MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2000). Revelation 12–22 (pp. 41–42). Chicago: Moody Press.