Revelation:13:1-18
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And he took up a position upon the sands of the sea-shore .
Then I saw a Wild Beast coming up out of the sea ,
and he had ten horns and seven heads .
On his horns were ten kingly crowns ,
and inscribed on his heads were names full of blasphemy .
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The Wild Beast which I saw resembled a leopard ,
and had feet like the feet of a bear ,
and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion ;
and it was to the Dragon that he owed his power and his throne and his wide dominion .
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I saw that one of his heads seemed to have been mortally wounded ;
but his mortal wound was healed ,
and the whole world was amazed and followed him .
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And they offered worship to the Dragon ,
because it was to him that the Wild Beast owed his dominion ;
and they also offered worship to the Wild Beast ,
and said , »
Who is there like him ?
And who is able to engage in battle with him ?«
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And there was given him a mouth full of boastful and blasphemous words ;
and liberty of action was granted him for forty-two months .
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And he opened his mouth to utter blasphemies against God ,
to speak evil of His name and of His dwelling-place –
that is to say ,
of those who dwell in Heaven .
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And permission was given him to make war upon God '
s people and conquer them ;
and power was given him over every tribe ,
people ,
language and nation .
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And all the inhabitants of the earth will be found to be worshipping him :
every one whose name is not recorded in the Book of Life –
the Book of the Lamb who has been offered in sacrifice ever since the creation of the world .
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Let all who have ears give heed .
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If any one is eager to lead others into captivity ,
he must himself go into captivity .
If any one is bent on killing with the sword ,
he must himself be killed by the sword .
Here is an opportunity for endurance ,
and for the exercise of faith ,
on the part of God '
s people .
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Then I saw another Wild Beast ,
coming up out of the earth .
He had two horns like those of a lamb ,
but he spoke like a dragon .
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And the authority of the first Wild Beast –
the whole of that authority –
he exercises in his presence ,
and he causes the earth and its inhabitants to worship the first Wild Beast ,
whose mortal wound had been healed .
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He also works great miracles ,
so as even to make fire come down from Heaven to earth in the presence of human beings .
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And his power of leading astray the inhabitants of the earth is due to the marvels which he has been permitted to work in the presence of the Wild Beast .
And he told the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the Wild Beast who had received the sword-stroke and yet had recovered .
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And power was granted him to give breath to the statue of the Wild Beast ,
so that the statue of the Wild Beast could even speak and cause all who refuse to worship it to be put to death .
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And he causes all ,
small and great ,
rich and poor ,
free men and slaves ,
to have stamped upon them a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads ,
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in order that no one should be allowed to buy or sell unless he had the mark –
either the name of the Wild Beast or the number which his name represents .
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Here is scope for ingenuity .
Let people of shrewd intelligence calculate the number of the Wild Beast ;
for it indicates a certain man ,
and his number is 666 .