Image of the Beast – Worship
Mankind has a long history of worshiping images – from things created in the form of animals to statues of kings or emperors. Quite often, worship has included things created by man’s own hands.
We see this in Scripture with the building of the tower of Babel. It was a corporate gathering with a single purpose: to build a city and a tower that reaches to the heavens (Genesis 11:1-9). There was one focus/one system of worship, with every aspect of culture engaged.
Another example is found in Daniel 3 where King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image to be worshiped. Based on evidence within the text, it is surmised by many theologians this golden statue was actually an image of himself. The worship of it was forced. All were to bow down and worship this image. When Shadrach, Meschach and Abed-nego refused to do so, they were thrown into a fiery furnace.
With the “image to the Antichrist,” it will be more of the same kind of thing. However, it will be on a much grander scale. It will be the final, ultimate, corporate, planned, and worldwide worship of an image, all led by the False Prophet.
14 And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Revelation 13:14-15 NASB
The word “image” here (Greek – eikon) is the same word used for physical images, as well as the image of man, or the God-Man, Jesus Christ (see Romans 1:23; 8:29; Colossians 1:15; 3:10). But not a lot of detail is given about this “image of the beast.”
Is this a physical statue, a digital image, or something else? We do not know, and instead of trying to figure out the specifics, we should simply focus on the spiritual reality. Fallen mankind will displace worship of the true and living God, with worship of the fallen and corrupted image of God in man.
This is nothing new. Romans 1:25 states, “For they exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
The world, even in its fallenness, seeks after spirituality and destiny. But it is apart from God. It is through one’s own self. Worshiping the image of the Antichrist will be the embodiment of this rebellion and self-worship. This is in direct violation of the first and second commandments.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,” Exodus 20:4-5a
It makes sense that worship of self/man is the ultimate extreme rebellion against God. It was within the temptation of Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden – “You shall be as God!” (Genesis 3). The False Prophet (and Satan) will reiterate the Serpent’s lie of fake life/destiny for those who worship the image of the Antichrist. But the devil cannot deliver on his word. After all, he is the father of lies.
There is a process and coordination that leads up to this kind of false worship. We know from earlier in Revelation 13 that the world has already been prepped for the worship of the Antichrist, as well as – whether the world realizes it or not – worship of the dragon (Satan):
3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” Revelation 13:3-4 NASB