What does the beast coming out of the sea signify in Revelation?
The beast from the sea symbolizes both the revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist, the man of sin who will rule the final world system. The sea represents the masses of humanity and the nations, from which this final empire arises, a restoration of the ancient Roman Empire’s geographical area.
Les teaches that the word “beast” has a two-fold meaning: it can refer to the Roman Empire, both original and revived, and also to the man of sin, the Antichrist, who will rule this final world system. The sea imagery does not mean a literal dragon or sea monster coming up out of the ocean. Instead, it is symbolic: out of the sea of humanity, out of the masses of the nations, there will come this final empire. Les identifies this as a restoration of the same geographical area as the ancient Roman Empire, and he says it is happening before our eyes with the European community. He also reminds his class that although the ancient Roman Empire ended between 3 and 400 A.D. and this revived empire is rising almost 2,000 years later, that long interval is like a blink of the eye in the mind of God, as if there were no interval in between.