Why is the Antichrist called the beast?
The Antichrist is called the beast because the term has a twofold meaning: it denotes the Roman Empire, both original and revived, and it also identifies the man of sin. Since he will rule the final world system, he is himself identified as the beast.
Les explains that the word "beast" carries a two-fold meaning. It can refer to the Roman Empire, both the original and the revived form, and it also refers to the man of sin—the Antichrist—who will rule the final world system. The vision of a beast rising from the sea is symbolic, not a literal sea monster. It depicts the sea of humanity, the masses of the nations, from which will come first this final empire. Les points to the European community as the restoration of the ancient Roman Empire's geographical area. Though the demise of the ancient Roman Empire occurred between 3 and 400 A.D. and the revived empire is rising in the 1990s, Les reminds his class that to us that is a long time, but in God's mind it is a blink of the eye. The whole interval is as if it never happened, so the Antichrist who rules this final system is identified as the beast.