This evil being is none other than Satan, the archenemy of God, who is now putting forth a supreme effort to destroy the righteous from the face of the earth. He is the Dragon who launched a rebellion against God. John tells us that "there was war in heaven" as Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon and his angels. The result of the conflict was that the Dragon was cast out of heaven and one third of the angels were cast out with him. This same Dragon worked through King Herod in an attempt to destroy the Christ child as soon as he was born. His work has continued ever since, and according to John, he is now trying to accomplish his purpose by working through the Roman emperor. His evil character is manifest in the cruel persecutions that are being inflicted upon Christians.
In characterizing this power that now appears to be gaining mastery over the world, John resorts to imagery used in the Book of Daniel to describe the wicked ruler who tried to coerce the Jews into submission. The author of the Book of Daniel uses the symbol of a great and terrible beast that has seven heads and ten horns. In like manner, John uses a beast to represent the Roman emperor, whose image was stamped on the coins used in the empire. At one point, John is quite specific in his identification of the one symbolized by the beast. He says, "This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666." John is seemingly referring to the Roman emperor, but he is also personifying the forces of evil, and his condemnation of the emperor is due to the fact that John believes Satan is incarnate in the actions of the empire, for Satan and the empire are linked together for the achievement of a common purpose.
