A Triad of Trinities

A Triad of Trinities April 20, 2015

Revelation 12-13 describe draconian and bestial attacks on the saints. The enemies form a triad. Indeed, they form a double triad.

First, dragon, sea beast, land beast. Then: Sea beast, land beast, image of the beast. Alternatively, we can see four: Dragon, sea beast, land beast, image of the beast. Two triads and a quartet: A triad of triads (plus one).

The correspondences with the Trinity work in each of these schemes. The dragon is the Father who gives authority to the filial sea beast; the pneumatic land beast exercises the authority of the sea beast and directs the people of the land to worship the sea beast.

This pattern is reinforced by the parallels between the dragon and the sea beast on the one hand, and the parallel descriptions of the sea and land beasts on the other. 

With regard to the dragon and the sea beast: The dragon is a “great red dragon” (12:3). We learn later that the sea beast is scarlet (17:3). Both the dragon and the sea beast have seven heads and ten horns (12:3; 13:1). The dragon has diadems on his seven heads (12:3), and the sea beast has ten diadems on his ten horns (13:1). The beast receives authority from the dragon (13:2). Both the dragon (12:17) and the beast (13:7) attack the saints and make war against them.

As the sea beast is the image of the dragon, so the land beast is an image of the sea beast:

Sea Beast, 13:1-8 Land Beast, 13:11-17
I saw I saw
beast coming up from the sea beast coming up from the land
horns and heads horns and speech
dragon gave authority speaks like a dragon
authority of dragon authority of first beast
wound healed makes land worship wounded beast
worship the dragon worship the first beast
amazement signs
arrogant words and blasphemies deceit
make war with saints those who don’t worship are killed
land-dwellers worship Mark on hand and forehead to buy and sell

Hence: Dragon, sea beast, land beast = Father, Son, Spirit. (Like the Son, one of the heads of the sea beasts suffers the “plague of death” but is healed.)

On the other hand, there is a triad within Revelation 13 itself. From this angle, the sea beast takes the position of the Father, who shares his authority with his image, the land beast, who causes the people of the land to worship the sea beast and in fact resembles a lamb (13:11); and the land beast enlivens the image of the beast so that it speaks and kills those who do not worship the sea beast. 

Roughly: Sea beast, land beast, image of the beast = Father, Son, and Spirit.

It may be best to combine these triads into a quartet. The dragon is paternal; his image, the sea beast, is filial; the land beast breathes a pneumatic breath; and the image of the beast that is enlivened by the breath of the “spirit” (land beast) is analogous to the church, bride, and temple of God. 

In this scheme: Dragon, sea beast, land beast, image = Father, Son, Spirit, church.


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