Revelation 13:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Indeed, being cunning and arrogant toward the servants of God, and wishing to destroy them and drive them out of the world because they do not give him glory, he commands everyone everywhere to set up censers.

In this way none of the saints will be able either to buy or to sell unless he first offers sacrifice. This is the mark placed on the right hand. The mark on the forehead indicates that all will be crowned and will wear a fiery crown, but not a crown of life.

It will be a crown of death. This is exactly how Antiochus Epiphanes, that Syrian king from the line of Alexander of Macedon, contrived to act against the Jews. He too, having become proud in his heart in those times, issued a decree.

This is said so that no one may think he will perform the sign by divine power rather than by sorcery. Nor should one be surprised that, when demons and apostate angels serve him, he performs signs through them by which he deceived those who dwell on the earth.

He deceives those whose heart is constantly set on earthly things. But he cannot deceive those who have acquired their dwelling in heaven, for they have been firmly established by the prophecy of his coming.

The saints who are in the Church receive Christ on the hand and on the forehead, but hypocrites receive the beast under the name of Christ. If they do not worship the beast or his image, they do not receive the mark on their forehead or on their hand.

It is not contrary to the faith to understand the beast himself as the impious city, that is, the society or agreement of all the impious or proud. It is called Babylon and understood as confusion.

To it belong those who wished to bring everything worthy into confusion. This is the people of the unbelieving, standing against the people of the faithful and the city of God.

And by miracles he deceives those who dwell on the earth. He works miracles by deceiving the eyes of those who look, like the magicians before Pharaoh. For both Antichrist and the magicians were directed by one and the same lying demon. It is well said that he performs signs before the beast. After he raises up an image for him, which he will compel all to worship, he will indeed perform miracles before it, as though deifying the image. For from the latter comes the power to do this. "And it was given to him to give spirit to the image." Many images, they say, are made to sweat by the devil's power and appear to speak.

It is as if he said: this deception became so strong that the inhabitants of the earth, seduced by the sign of the beast, consented helplessly and accepted it. By mutual veneration they encouraged one another to make an image of the beast in the fantasies of the heart.

Thus they no longer even thought of doubting. They were surely finally convinced by this manifest fiery false witness that he truly is Christ, while in fact he is the devil in the Antichrist. He is the same evil one who assumed the form of a spirit.

By divine permission he sets such tempting snares. For it is said, "And it was given to him to put breath into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast should speak."

"And he deceives those who dwell on the earth," and so forth. As it is said, his coming, according to the working of Satan, will be "with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess 2:9).

It is not entirely clear what is meant by "signs and lying wonders." It may mean that human senses will be deceived by phantoms, presenting the Antichrist as doing what he has not in fact done.

Or it may mean that the signs and wonders will be real, but will lead those who believe in them into error. Since they do not know the power of the devil, they will think such things can be done only by the power of God.

For the household of holy Job, together with a great number of cattle, perished not in phantom fire and wind, but in real fire and wind.

The false prophet, in order to deceive men, will work false miracles by the power of Antichrist. They will be like those performed, for example, by Apollonius of Tyana, Simon Magus, and others. It is he who will establish the worship of Antichrist's image.

What will be the power of the wonderworking of the Antichrist's false prophet?

This power will be extraordinary and astonishing. For example, he will be able to bring fire down from heaven to earth. What is especially noteworthy, for the deception of men he will be able "to put breath into the image of the beast, the Antichrist, so that the image of the beast should speak and act."

Yet whatever these miracles consist of, they will not be miracles in the true sense. For a true miracle, in its essence, is possible only to the almighty Lord God. Therefore the holy Apostle Paul directly calls the miracles of the Antichrist lying wonders (2 Thess 2:9).

In explaining verses 12-18 of chapter 13 of the Apocalypse, St. Andrew says: "By sorcery and deceit the forerunner of the apostate, the false Christ, will do everything to deceive men, so that they will regard the Antichrist as God.

He will be like the Baptist, who led believers to the Savior. For in deceiving men, falsehood also strives to imitate the truth. Therefore it is not surprising if the deceived see with their eyes fire coming down from heaven.

For we know from the history of Job that, by God's permission, fire came down from heaven through Satan's action and burned Job's flocks. Therefore there is nothing strange in this either.