“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3).

“And I saw” (vs 3)

“I saw” is not in the original text. This is helpful because what follows has already occurred and is only a point of reference. The dragon is waiting for the ten kingdoms to give support to the beast. Thus – John is not seeing a vision of the wounding of the head and its healing – as many contend. He is identifying this beast as the one of importance related to the time when one of its papal heads had a wound which was then healed. The beast that prophetically begins the story in Revelation 17 is the beast with the head that “is.” By number, that head would be Pope John Paul II – the sixth leader. This matches the event of the wounded head.

“one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:” (vs 3)

Refer to 17:10. The assassination attempt on the sixth pope’s life in 1981, from which he recovered, ties this beast with its specific heads to the beast here in chapter 13, which had had a wound that had healed. They are the same beast.

The word “wounded” is in the perfect tense. It had occurred in the past in John’s narrative. The word for “healed” is etherapeuthe and is indicative that at some point in time this healing had occurred. John had described the beast by comparing it to parts of the Daniel 7 beasts in the previous verse. Now he characterizes the beast by one of its seven leaders having had a wound that was healed. This, in turn, reveals its end-time significance.

This is a parody of Christ dying and coming to life (5:6).

“But there is a difference between the Lamb’s recovery and that of the beast. The Lamb really did conquer and defeat death by its resurrection, but the beast’s continued existence is not a reversal of his actual defeat. We have seen that the devil’s defeat entailed his loss of authority to accuse saints and condemn them to spiritual perdition … Though he and the beasts are repeatedly mentioned as having ‘authority’ in ch. 13, they have no authority over the saints and no authority but what God gives them.”[1]

The identity of the specific pope means everything to our end-time understanding. Most scholars see the picture of the beast’s rise as eschatologic, yet struggle to find an ancient Roman emperor who had a wound that was healed! That’s unfortunate because its meaning and the very purpose that God gave to the prophecy remains elusive to them.

In “John’s description of the beast, there are numerous parallels with Jesus that should alert the reader to the fact that John is seeking to establish, not a historical identification, but a theological characterization (though in this there is no implication against the historicity of Jesus): Both wielded swords; both had followers on whose foreheads were inscribed their names (13;16–14:1); both had horns (5:6; 13:1); both were slain, the same Greek word being used to describe their deaths (sphagizo, vv 3, 8); both had arisen to new life and authority; and both were given (by different authorities) power over every nation, tribe, people, and tongue as well as over the kings of the earth (1:5; 7:9; with 13:7; 17:12). The beast described here is the great theological counterpart to all that Christ represents and not the [ancient] Roman Empire or any of its emperors. So it is easy to understand why many in the history of the church have identified the beast with a future personal Antichrist.”[2]

“and all the world wondered after the beast.” (vs 3)

The word for wondered (ethaumasthe) is the same one as used for the crowds’ reaction to Jesus’ miracles and teachings (Matthew 8:27, 9:33, 15:31, Mark 5:20).

This “world” that fawns over the papacy is described in 17:8 as those who are “not written in the book of life.” The ambassadorial ties from the United States to the Holy See began a high level exchange of diplomats (1983). The world has since accelerated its political ties to Rome, and the papacy now sports 179 (2009) ambassadors from as many different nations. The irony of this is enormous. Note this report:

“Ambassador to the Holy See &

Religious Tests for Public Office

Thursday December 11, 2008

“America's ambassador to the Vatican is the most unusual and disputed appointment — ambassadorial or otherwise — that a president can make. First and foremost, it isn't really an ambassador to the Vatican city–state but rather an ambassador to the Holy See, which means they are a representative to the pope personally as the head of the Catholic Church. We don't send official representatives to any other religion, so why do we treat the Catholic Church as special and privileged?

“Because this ambassador is an official representative to the pope as head of the Catholic Church, the office has a de facto religious test: only practicing Catholics are even considered, never mind actually appointed. Can you imagine not even considering non-Jews as ambassadors to Israel or non-Hindus as ambassadors to India? Then, because only Catholics are considered as representatives to the pope, we should apparently narrow the religious tests even further by only considering those Catholics whose political and religious views are exactly what the pope prefers.”[3]

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This world-wondering prophecy regarding the Roman Church is stunning! The Vatican reports every two months on the political and civic figures who visit the pope. Every week foreign diplomats, presidents, prime ministers and kings find an audience with unquestioningly the most recognized man in the world. Pope Benedict XVI is the seventh head of the beast – and the last pope. The world is enamored.

There is another issue that this verse opens. For the world to look in worshipful awe to the papacy – including pagan and atheistic regimes – some extreme event or events must convene to turn their attention to this religious power. It is unfathomable to conceive a small sovereign power of 108 acres geographically within another power (Italy) drawing such dependant attention without a “reason.”

Most countries view the Vatican with great favor – now. But there are few conceivable things that might cause the world to look at a religious power in such a dramatic way as unravels in this prophecy. Economic helplessness might be one. Perhaps the most important, however, is what Christ said would precede earth’s final events – calamities (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).

Intriguingly, He noted that after they begin to occur together (distinctly in a significant way), persecution would follow. That’s very interesting. Here in Revelation 13, a key focus is on the persecution of the saints. The reason is over a religious issue! There is a tie between calamities and religious issues and persecution. The world wonders after the beast because this brings focused attention at this time(!) to the Roman Catholic Church. They have an “answer” to the helplessness of the world.

“Satan puts his interpretation upon events, and they think, as he would have them, that the calamities which fill the land are a result of Sundaybreaking. Thinking to appease the wrath of God these influential men make laws enforcing Sunday observance.–10MR 239 (1899).”[4]

Stay tuned. This is just the beginning of the unthinkable.