Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (Revelation 13:11-18 ESV).
There are several mysteries around the image of the beast that won’t be clear until the day arrives but note three interesting aspects from our text. First note who makes the image. Several Bible teachers believe that the Antichrist sets up an image in the rebuilt temple and this is part of the abomination of desolation. But the Bible doesn’t specifically state this, and we should note that it is not the Antichrist or the False Prophet that makes the image. It is all who dwell on the earth who are instructed to do so. So, is there one image or are all instructed to make an image? It is possible that everyone has a personal image of the beast.
Second, the image, whom the inhabitants of the earth make will be given breath and life so that it can speak. From this people have wondered if this is a satanic miracle similar to Egypt’s magicians throwing down their staffs and having them turn into serpents (Exodus 7:12). Or could it be an AI empowered hologram that is given the ability to watch and speak? We do not know at this stage.
This leads to the even spookier third point. This satanically empowered image can kill anyone that won’t worship it. This is one of the reasons, along with the fact that it is made by the inhabitants of the world, that each family may have an image of the beast. And note that this image can watch and see and even kill! It can somehow take note of who is worshiping and who isn’t. Is this death through demonic spirits who watch or could there be some type of kill-switch built into the mark of the beast? Again, we do not know how this will all play out but imagine if each home had an empowered image watching what you were doing, listening to what you were saying, and noting whether you were falling down and worshiping this image or not. All freedom, even within your own home, would be gone, with fatal consequences for not complying. It is a scary thought.
One thing that’s clear is that the image of the beast will play a huge role in the tribulation. The image of the beast is mentioned another 6 times after our reading and every time it links the worship of the beast with the worship of his image. And the Bible also says that anyone that is victorious over the beast is also victorious over his image (cf. Revelation 14:9, 11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4). So whatever this image is, it will have a profound impact and influence on each person on this earth. The only means to victory is through our faith in Christ!