²⁵ He will speak against the Most High^(A) and oppress his holy people^(B) and try to change the set times^(C) and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.^[a](D)

²⁵ He will cause deceit^(A) to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.^(B) Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.^(C)

The King Who Exalts Himself

³⁶ “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself^(A) above every god and will say unheard-of things^(B) against the God of gods.^(C) He will be successful until the time of wrath^(D) is completed, for what has been determined must take place.^(E)

⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed,^(A) whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth^(B) and destroy by the splendor of his coming.^(C)

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^(A) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{(B) 6} It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^{(C) 7} It was given power to wage war^(D) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(E) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(F) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(G) the Lamb^(H) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[a](I)

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(J)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^(L) on the part of God’s people.^(M)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(N) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^{(O) 12} It exercised all the authority^(P) of the first beast on its behalf,^(Q) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(R) whose fatal wound had been healed.^{(S) 13} And it performed great signs,^(T) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(U) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs^(V) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(W) the inhabitants of the earth.^(X) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(Y) 15} The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^(Z) the image to be killed.^{(AA) 16} It also forced all people, great and small,^(AB) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(AC) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(AD) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(AE)

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom.^(AF) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[d](AG) That number is 666.