Revelation 13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:6

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God ,.... By sitting as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God; by suffering himself to be called by the name of God, God on earth, Lord God the pope, and to be worshipped as God; and by assuming infallibility, giving out that he cannot err, which only belongs to the God of truth; and by his idolatrous practices commanded by him, as the worshipping of idols of gold, silver, wood, and stone, which is in Scripture called... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:7

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints ,.... The remnant of the woman's seed, Revelation 12:17 , whom God has set apart for himself, Christ has cleansed from sin by his blood, and the Holy Spirit has sanctified by his grace; and who under the influence of it live holy lives and conversations; against such Satan always bore an enmity; and it is an aggravation of the wickedness of the Romish antichrist, that he makes war with such, which he is stirred up to by Satan, with a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:8

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him ,.... The inhabitants of the Roman empire, the idolatrous part of it, the men of the world, earthly minded men; who are as they came into the world, and are of the earth, earthly, and seek only after earthly honours, pleasures, and profits; these are the admirers and adorers of the beast: whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world ; by which book is meant God's predestination of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:9

If any man have an ear, let him hear. And diligently attend to this mystical description of antichrist, as being matter of some difficulty to understand, as well as of great moment and importance, and seriously consider it, that he may know him, and his followers, and avoid them; See Gill on Revelation 1:7 . read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:10

He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity ,.... As the devil, by whom men are led captive at his will, and the Romish antichrist, who leads multitudes of souls to hell; these shall be taken and cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. The Jews F7 Pirke Abot, c. 5. sect. 9. have a saying, that "captivity comes into the world for idolatry, uncleanness, and murder;' which three things are notorious in the Romish antichrist: and in the same treatise they say... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:11

And I beheld another beast ,.... The same with the first, only in another form; the same for being and person, but under a different consideration; the same antichrist, but appearing in another light and view: the first beast is the pope of Rome, at the head of the ten kingdoms, of which the Roman empire consisted; this other beast is the same pope of Rome, with his clergy, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, &c.; before he is described as a temporal monarch, now as a spiritual... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:12

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him ,.... Sitting in the same seat, having the same power and authority from the dragon, making war with the saints by preaching and writing against them, by anathemas, excommunications, and bulls, and so overcame and silenced them, or delivered them over to the secular arm to be put to death, ruling over the consciences of men in a tyrannical way, in all nations, kindreds, and tongues, in the empire; and all this before, in the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:13

And he doeth great wonders ,.... Or miracles; not real, but pretended ones, lying wonders, which the Popish legends are full of the accounts of, as done by the priests, or by this or the other saint: so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men ; in imitation of Elijah, 2 Kings 1:9 ; and this single instance is put instead of all others, it being usual with the Jews to express all wonderful and miraculous operations by this miracle of Elijah's: and this... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:14

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth ,.... The Complutensian edition, and two of Stephens's copies, read "mine", instead of "them"; creatures of God, and professors of Christ, carnal and unregenerate men; not the elect of God, and true believers in Christ, these cannot be deceived by the signs and wonders of false Christs and false prophets; antichrist's deceivableness of unrighteousness only operates in them that perish: by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:15

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast ,.... Or "breath"; he breathed into it, and animated it; he gave this new religion a sanction, he confirmed and established it, and obliged all in his dominions to embrace and acknowledge it; and this he did by his decrees and canons, and those that refused were delivered over to the secular power, which he also exercised under another consideration: that the image of the beast should both speak : so that it was not like... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:6

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:8

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:9

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:10

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:12

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:13

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:14

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:15

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