What does the beast coming out of the sea represent?
The beast from the sea represents the Roman Empire, original and revived, and the Antichrist, the man of sin who rules the final world system. The sea symbolizes humanity and the masses of nations, out of which this final empire comes, restoring the ancient Roman Empire’s geographic area.
Les teaches that the beast has a twofold 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. He explains that the sea is not a literal ocean or sea monster; it is symbolic of the sea of humanity and the masses of the nations. Out of that humanity will come, first, this final empire, which he identifies as the European community, a restoration of the ancient Roman Empire’s same geographical area. He adds that although the ancient empire ended between 3 and 400 A.D. and the revived empire is rising much later, in God’s mind the interval is like a blink of the eye, as if there were no interval.