Beast’s Priests

The beast from the land forms a priesthood. He turns the people of the land to worship the first beast, and Mosaic/Elijan signs and wonders encourage the people to worship the image of the beast (Revelation 13:14). He can bring fire from heaven, not only like Elijah, but like Yahweh Himself who descends from heaven in fire at the dedication of the temple (2 Chronicles 7:3; Revelation 13:13).

The worshipers he organizes into a pseudo-church, where distinctions of economic and social and political class are erased (13:16). They are all marked, as the high priest was, with an “engraving” on the forehead: “Holy to the beast.”