Revelation 13:1: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

The Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Revelation 13:1 adds an introductory phrase to the King James Version of the same verse, saying: "I saw another sign in the likeness of the kingdoms of the earth; a beast rise up out of the sea."¹ The JST identifies this First Beast as another sign because JST Revelation 12:1 gave the corresponding sign of a woman in the "likeness of things on the earth."² The sign of the First Beast represents earthly kingdoms³ that are part of the great and abominable church of the devil.⁴ The sign of the First Beast is the mirror opposite image of the sign of the woman that represented the premortal church of God in Revelation 12:1 and then became the woman in Revelation 12:13, who represented the ancient earthly church of Jesus Christ.⁵

Satan attacked the woman who represented the ancient church in 70 AD, as described in Revelation 12:15-16.⁶ Satan's attack on the woman occurred in 70 AD immediately before John saw the beast rise up out of the sea in Revelation 13:1.⁷ The sea represents commotion among people and nations⁸ or chaos associated with evil.⁹ The First Beast rose from the sea of evil with great power¹⁰ to fight against the remnant or what was left of Christ's ancient church after 70 AD.¹¹

JST Revelation 13:1 further clarifies that the First Beast from the sea was in the likeness of the kingdoms of the earth.¹² As of 70 AD, the prior kingdoms of the earth were Babylon, Persia, and Greece. John symbolically identifies these kingdoms in Revelation 13:2 as a leopard to represent the Greek Empire, a bear to represent the Medo-Persian Empire, and a lion to represent Babylon.¹³ The same kingdoms of the earth are identified as the dominions of Satan in Daniel chapter 7.¹⁴ The First Beast is a symbol for the Roman Empire that rose from the sea in 70 AD to make war against the remnant of Christ's ancient church.¹⁵ Many scholars correctly identify the First Beast in Revelation 13:1 as a symbol for the Roman Empire, but they frequently place its rise from the sea at a date much later than 70 AD.¹⁶

The First Beast in Revelation 13:1 is the first of two beasts mentioned in Revelation chapter 13.¹⁷ Both beasts are dynamic symbols of earthly kingdoms and evil institutions that continually evolve¹⁸ and become more powerful between 70 AD and the Second Coming.¹⁹ The sign of the First Beast in Revelation 13:1-10 is specific to Satan's kingdom on earth, beginning with the Roman Empire and successor kingdoms from the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD to the restoration of the gospel in 1830.²⁰ A Second Beast emerges at the time of the restoration of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1830, as recorded in Revelation 13:11.²¹

Revelation 13:1 implies that John stood upon the sand of the sea and watched the First Beast rise up out of the sea.²² However, a number of scholars believe the Dragon (Satan)‒not John‒stood on the sandy shore when the First Beast rose from the sea.²³ The JST clarifies this part of the vision by saying that the First Beast stood upon the sand of the sea after it rose from the sea.²⁴ Thus, the First Beast rose from the sea and then stood upon the earth to symbolize earthly dominion and conquest.²⁵ This symbolism depicts the Roman persecutions of the remnant of Christ's ancient church after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation in 70 AD, including the persecution of Christians for more than two centuries thereafter.²⁶

The number of heads, horns, and crowns on the First Beast are symbolically significant.²⁷ They align with various characteristics of the Roman Empire. For example, the seven heads of the First Beast correspond to seven actual hills on which Rome was built.²⁸ Some scholars also believe the seven heads represent seven Roman dynasties or forms of Roman government.²⁹ The Roman empire was the sixth and last empire of the ancient world that began with Egypt after the flood.³⁰ From this sixth head emerged a seventh head with ten horns and ten crowns representing the modern nations that emerged from the Roman Empire after the fall of Rome in 476 AD.³¹ The ten crowns symbolize Roman dominion as a matter of imperial authority.³² The Romans also took dominion by brute force³³ so the First Beast has ten horns of power.³⁴ The Greek word for beast (thērion ) means wild and untamable.³⁵

The seven heads, ten horns and ten crowns of royal despotism³⁶ on the First Beast are similar to the seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns on the image of the premortal Dragon in Revelation 12:3.³⁷ These symbolic similarities exist because, in Revelation 13:2, the Dragon (Satan)³⁸ gave the power of his heads, horns, and crowns to the First Beast in 70 AD.³⁹ This delegation of evil power in Satan's earthly kingdom is antithetically parallel to God the Father giving his power to Jesus Christ as the head of God's earthly kingdom.⁴⁰

Just as Christ is the head of God's kingdom on earth,⁴¹ so also the First Beast, which is the kingdom of Satan on earth,⁴² has a person that stands as its earthly head. Cain, the son of Adam and Eve who loved Satan more than God,⁴³ is the head of Satan's earthly kingdom whose image is in the likeness of the First Beast. The Dragon gave his power to Cain in 70 AD, just as Satan gave his power to Cain at the time Cain murdered his brother Abel.⁴⁴ Cain then became Master Mahan,⁴⁵ the head of Satan's kingdom on earth,⁴⁶ and a mortal son of perdition.⁴⁷ When Cain died, his disembodied spirit entered the postmortal spirit world.⁴⁸ He was still there when the resurrection began and Jesus Christ became the first fruit of them that slept.⁴⁹ After Christ's resurrection, Cain and other disembodied spirits were not resurrected, but they were released from their spirit prison.⁵⁰ They rose up from the sea in Revelation 13:1 and were then given power on earth as recorded in Revelation 13:2, saying "The dragon gave him [the Beast] his power, and his seat, and great authority."⁵¹ Cain and the disembodied spirits that followed him received their power in the same way that unembodied (premortal) spirits received power on earth at the time of the physical creation.⁵²

When the disembodied spirit of Cain was released from his spirit prison no later than 70 AD, he resumed his role as head of Satan's earthly kingdom called the First Beast.⁵³ John described this when he said that he saw a beast rise up out of the sea. The sea symbolizes the abyss or bottomless pit that was the postmortal home to Cain and other disembodied sons of perdition until the time of their release.⁵⁴ When the disembodied spirit of Cain rose from the bottomless pit, Satan again gave to Cain his power as Master Mahan.⁵⁵ The mortal followers of Cain in the kingdom of the First Beast are the Dragon's metaphorical offspring on earth⁵⁶ and Satan continues to be their spiritual father.⁵⁷

The name of blasphemy was inscribed on each of the seven heads of the First Beast⁵⁸ to symbolize its pretense to godliness.⁵⁹ In general, a blasphemy occurs when reproachful or evil language is spoken against God with the intent to cause injury.⁶⁰ The First Beast was blasphemous because it claimed to be holy and sacred even though it embodied evil.⁶¹ For example, Constantine committed a blasphemy when he made Christianity the state religion of Rome⁶² because his adopted religion was Christian in name only.⁶³ His church blasphemously taught the worldly precepts of mankind as though they were the true doctrines of Jesus Christ.⁶⁴ The First Beast also committed blasphemy when the Roman emperors deified themselves.⁶⁵ The popes of the ancient Roman church were likewise blasphemous in their claim to be the vicar of Christ, which is to say that they claim to be the embodiment of Christ as "Lord God, the universal Head, the Husband of the church."⁶⁶