THE SECOND BEAST

 

11 Then I saw a Second Beast,

Coming out of the Earth.

I had Two Horns like a lamb,

But Spoke like a dragon.

12 12 It Exercised All the Authority

Of the First Beast on its Behalf,

And Made the Earth

And its Inhabitants Worship the First Beast,

Whose Fatal Wound had been Healed.

13 And it Performed Great Signs,

Even Causing Fire

To Come Down from Heaven to the Earth

In Full View of the People.

14 Because of the Signs

It was given Power to Perform

On Behalf of the First Beast,

IT DECEIVED THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH.

It Ordered Them

TO SET UP AN IMAGE

In Honor of the Beast

Who was Wounded by the Sword

And yet Lived.

15 The Second Beast

Was given Power to Give Breath

To the Image of the First Beast,

So that the Image could Speak

And Cause All who Refused

To Worship the Image

TO BE KILLED.

15 It also Forced All People,

Great and Small, Rich and Poor,

Free and Slave,

TO RECEIVE A MARK

ON THEIR RIGHT HANDS

OR ON THEIR FOREHEADS,

17 So that they

COULD NOT BUY OR SELL

Unless they had the Mark,

Which is the Name of the Beast

Or the Number of its Name.

18 THIS CALLS FOR WISDOM.

Let the Person who has Insight

Calculate the Number of the Beast,

For it is the Number of a Man.

THAT NUMBER IS 666.

(Revelation 13:11-18, NIV)