Revelation 13:12: And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The First Beast in Revelation chapter 13 had both religious and secular power in the Imperial Roman Empire,¹ which continued in the Holy Roman Empire after the fall of Rome in 476 AD.² According to John, the Second Beast of the latter days‒which means after 1830‒exerciseth all the power of the first beast.³ That is, the First Beast evolves into and becomes the Second Beast and the Second Beast possesses the same powers as the First Beast and even more. The religious and political powers of the Second Beast in the modern era are represented by the two horns‒one religious and one secular‒on the image of the Second Beast in Revelation 13:11.⁴

John's vision of the Second Beast seems paradoxical. He predicted that the Second Beast would exercise both secular and religious powers in the modern era even though it is a historical fact that the inspired reformers⁵ of the Protestant Reformation⁶ successfully broke the grip of political power⁷ once held by the Catholic Church in the Holy Roman Empire.⁸ The Protestant churches achieved religious independence from their Catholic mother church at great cost.⁹ The breakdown between the mother church and her offspring also brought about the separation of church and state in most, but not all, modern nations.¹⁰ Nevertheless, John predicted that the Second Beast would continue to exercise the power of both church and state in the modern era when he said the First Beast was still present before him‒that is, John could see in the Second Beast before him the image of the First Beast in Revelation 13:12.¹¹ John explains this paradox in Revelation chapter 17. In that chapter, the Great Whore of false religion spiritually fornicates with the ten kings of state in the modern nations until they have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast as stated in Revelation 17:13.¹²

The illicit union of the Great Whore and the ten kings can be seen in many religious and secular institutions that empower Satan in the modern era.¹³ Satan has greater power today throughout the world because of societal freedoms¹⁴ that come in many forms.¹⁵ People use the freedoms they have to promote Satan's agenda of evil¹⁶ and to enslave people in sin.¹⁷ This began during the Reformation itself, when some reformers used the political and religious freedoms of the day for evil purposes.¹⁸ As freedoms expand, so do the opportunities for evil and conspiring people¹⁹ to perform the works of Satan through both religious and secular institutions of the modern world.²⁰

Evil and designing people are worldly people.²¹ John referred to them as earth-dwellers²² when he said in Revelation 13:12 that the Second Beast "causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the First Beast."²³ In this context, the First Beast refers to the worldly ideals of both the ancient Roman Empire²⁴ and the Holy Roman Empire.²⁵ Both empires were one part of Satan's larger kingdom that covered the entire earth.²⁶ Today, the First Beast is worshiped through the instrumentality of the Second Beast as people give respect, honor, and allegiance to the political and religious ideals found in the ancient Roman Empire.²⁷ Historically, the First Beast forced people to accept these ideals at the point of the sword,²⁸ but today, worldly people worship the ideals of the First Beast of their own volition.²⁹ These worshipers of wickedness and worldliness³⁰ also become the deceiving voices of the Dragon³¹ which speak through the many lamb-like institutions of the Second Beast.³² With the aid of modern technology,³³ their voices give life to the image of the First Beast.³⁴ Latter-day worshipers of the world wonder after the Second Beast voluntarily in the same way that all the world wondered after the First Beast by force during the Great Apostasy.³⁵

Revelation 13:13: And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

The Second Beast has the power of Satan in the modern era³⁶ as the First Beast had the power of Satan through the time of the Reformation.³⁷ During the latter days, the power of the Second Beast will continue to grow until he doeth great wonders³⁸ through the power of Satan.³⁹ The magicians from the court of Pharoah had similar power in the days of Moses.⁴⁰ Some people equate that ancient power with the modern power of the occult.⁴¹ The signs and miracles⁴² of the Second Beast can and will imitate⁴³ the miracles and signs of the true church.⁴⁴ As wickedness increases in the latter days,⁴⁵ false spiritualism will also increase.⁴⁶

In addition to false miracles, John predicted that in a future day the Second Beast will also have power to bring great spiritual darkness on the earth during the First Woe of the Seventh Seal, as recorded in Revelation chapter 9.⁴⁷ During the five-month period of the First Woe, the Second Beast will use Satanic powers to assemble the armies of Armageddon to fight that holy war during the Second Woe.⁴⁸

Some scholars believe the Second Beast will become so powerful⁴⁹ that he will make fire come down from heaven on earth. This is their interpretation of the language in Revelation 13:13.⁵⁰ However, this misinterprets the meaning of John's words. Fire will literally come down from heaven on earth,⁵¹ but it will not be under the control of the Second Beast. The fire described in this verse will come down from heaven at Christ's Second Coming⁵² to destroy the Second Beast⁵³ with all the earth dwellers that worship the image of the First Beast.⁵⁴ The fire will come down as a judgment against the Second Beast in recompense for his great wonders of wickedness in the modern era.⁵⁵ In other words, by his evil deeds, the Second Beast maketh fire come down on himself as a judgment from God at the Second Coming.⁵⁶ God's fiery judgments on the Second Beast is foreshadowed by the fire that Elijah called down from heaven during his famous duel with the counterfeit priests of Baal on mount Carmel.⁵⁷ Fire also came down from heaven to destroy the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah as another foreshadow of the Second Coming.⁵⁸ God has also been the source of fire from heaven in other historical contexts.⁵⁹

The Second Beast has great power to do many wonders of wickedness that are already apparent in the latter end of these latter days. His power will continue to grow, and wonders will rise to the level of great wonders as the Second Coming approaches. For example, in Revelation 11:7-10, John previously described several great wonders of the Second Beast that will occur when the Two Witnesses minister at Jerusalem during the Great Tribulation. The description of the Second Beast in Chapter 11 closely corresponds with John's more general description of the Second Beast in Revelation 13:12-13.

Revelation 11:7 corresponds in time with the eve of the Second Coming when the Second Beast will ascend from the bottomless pit to kill the Two Witnesses in Jerusalem.⁶⁰ This will be one of several great wonders carried out by the Second Beast as described in Revelation 13:13. This act will fully justify the Lord as he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men as a judgment upon the Second Beast. John specifically states in Revelation 11:5 that anyone who causes harm to the Two Witnesses will die by fire.⁶¹

In Revelation 11:8-9, the earthly agents of the Second Beast will leave the dead bodies of the Two Witnesses unburied in the streets of Jerusalem for 3½ days.⁶² This spectacle will be another great wonder that will occur in the sight of men. In fact, John records in Revelation 11:10 that the earth-dwellers shall rejoice over the deaths of the Two Witnesses, and shall make merry, and shall send gifts one to another. During the same 3½-day period, the Second Beast will carry out another great wonder in Jerusalem called the Abomination of Desolation.⁶³ The horrors of this abomination upon the Jews and Jerusalem will occur as a very public display in the sight of men.⁶⁴ The Second Beast will carry out this final Abomination of Desolation at the Second Coming as the First Beast (Roman Empire) carried out the Abomination of Desolation in 70 AD.⁶⁵ When the two Abominations are compared, it becomes self-evident why John said in Revelation 13:12 that the Second Beast exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him.

Revelation 11:10 refers twice to the earth dwellers involved in the deaths of the Two Winesses, saying, "they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice ... because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth."⁶⁶ This description mirrors John's mention of the earth dwellers of the last days who worship the image and wonders of the First Beast in Revelation 13:12, saying, the Second Beast "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast." These linguistic consistencies confirm that the great wonders mentioned in Revelation 13:12-13 are apparently the activities of the Second Beast during the Great Tribulation described in Revelation 11:7-10.

Collectively, the foregoing verses of scripture indicate that wicked people who are part of the Second Beast will die in God's fiery judgements because of the great wonders that carry out prior to the Second Coming.⁶⁷ The fire that comes down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men at the Second Coming will destroy all manmade churches and secular institutions that are part of the Second Beast.⁶⁸