Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • Reviving the Two Witnesses
    Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
    • “And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them.

  • Reviving the Two Witnesses
    Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
    • Revelation 11:7

  • Reviving the Two Witnesses
    Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
    • 20. What is “the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss”?

      20 This is the first of 37 references in Revelation to a wild beast. In due course we will examine this and other beasts in detail. Suffice it to say for now that “the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss” is of Satan’s design, a living political system of things.b​—Compare Revelation 13:1; Daniel 7:2, 3, 17.

  • Reviving the Two Witnesses
    Revelation—Its Grand Climax At Hand!
    • b The “abyss” (Greek, aʹbys·sos; Hebrew, tehohmʹ) refers symbolically to a place of inactivity. (See Revelation 9:2.) In a literal sense, however, it can also refer to the vast sea. The Hebrew word is often translated “watery deep.” (Psalm 71:20; 106:9; Jonah 2:5) Thus, “the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss” can be identified with the “wild beast ascending out of the sea.”​—Revelation 11:7; 13:1.

English Publications (1950-2026)
Log Out
Log In
  • English
  • Share
  • Preferences
  • Copyright © 2025 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • JW.ORG
  • Log In
Share