VERSE 2 “Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.”
THE BEAST WHICH I SAW: It is important to note that this beast borrows from the first three civil beasts of Daniel 7. Satan is quick to incorporate the “best” of his previous efforts. Babylon, Persia, and Greece were each distinguished by certain characteristics which allowed them to gain great power. The Papal beast, by using the success of all of these, was able not only to GAIN, but to RETAIN power for a long time.
LIKE A LEOPARD: (See Jer 13:23). This beast is camouflaged (wolf in sheep’s clothing?) and thus able to work without being seen (behind the scenes). It is spotted -- able to use one policy here, a conflicting one there, -- whatever suits its nefarious ends. Like Greece (which was represented by the leopard in Daniel 7,) Papacy claimed to be the seat of learning and civilized attainment.
HIS FEET LIKE A BEAR: How does this beast walk? Where does a bear walk? Wherever it wants to! The Papal beast, through its enormous size, its threatening power, was able to convince all would-be challengers to submit. Just to look at it would give all powers pause. The description of Persia (Dan. 7:5) suggests the bear in a threatening position. The response is - okay! Take what you want! “Arise, devour much meat!”
MOUTH LIKE A LION: Babylon’s king had a mouth which was both pompous and threatening. (See Dan. 4:30 and 3:19.) Papacy, of course, has the same reputation (Dan. 7:8, 20, 25.) Compare Isa 31:4.
It is not clear why John mentions the characteristics in REVERSE of the order found in Daniel. Daniel deals with Lion, Bear, and Leopard: Revelation 13 deals with Leopard, Bear, and Lion.
This may simply be because Daniel was looking FORWARD as to what WOULD COME while John is looking BACKWARD seeing WHAT WAS.
AND THE DRAGON GAVE HIM HIS POWER, THRONE, AND GREAT AUTHORITY: It is not easy to say whether these elements were received at any specific time. Whatever church-state exultation occurred at the expense of the dying pagan Roman Empire. Chapter 12 dealt with this change.
The first real POWER was given with Constantine’s making of Christianity the Empire’s mandated religion. The THRONE may refer to AUTHORITY OF JUDGMENT or to the literal PLACE of rule by the GREAT MOUTH -- the horn which dominates the beast.
THRONE, as a symbol of the authority of judgment, possibly dates from Justinian’s granting of the title of PONTIFEX MAXIMUS (Chief Religious Ruler) to the Papacy.
Papacy was, of course, in ROME. We may, therefore, find the THRONE referring to this SEAT OF POWER. It is so mentioned in Rev 2:13 -- during Pergamos (the period of Earthly Elevation.) The removal of the capital from Rome to Constantinople by Constantine gave Papacy a PHYSICAL location from which to build its sphere of influence. Justinian made this throne official.
GREAT AUTHORITY (with the emphasis on GREAT) seems to go beyond the chief religious title and the exultation of one of the “horns.” The fact that Charlemagne allowed his crowning by the Pope, the fact that Otto the Great founded an empire called the Holy Roman Empire (the FIRST WORD of which title exalts the Papacy), show the GREAT AUTHORITY which the dragon (civil power) GAVE to the Pope.” (New Albany Notes on Revelation)
In our next post we will see how this verse is interpreted by Brother Shallieu in The Keys of Revelation.
