Revelation 13: Beasts

In Neville Goddard’s teachings, the cryptic imagery of Revelation 13 becomes a fascinating metaphor for the internal dynamics of consciousness. It is not about literal beasts rising from the earth, but about the mental beasts — the wild, untamed states of mind — we entertain within ourselves. These beasts are not demons to be feared but aspects of our awareness waiting to be unified and transformed. The nature of the beast is first inplied as anger and displeasure in the story of Cain and Abel

The First Beast: The Dominant State of Mind

The first beast, with ten horns and seven heads, symbolises an oppressive state of consciousness dominated by limiting beliefs. The “seven heads” represent the many fragmented perceptions we hold — distorted ways of seeing ourselves and the world, formed when we forget our creative power. Just as the “many eyes of God” symbolise expanded divine perception, these heads reflect the scattered, incomplete views of a mind not yet unified.

The “ten horns” speak to the illusion of external authority: the false idea that our world shapes us rather than the truth that we shape the world through imagination. The “wound that was healed” refers to the temporary overcoming of one limiting belief, only to have it resurface in another form — a cycle of partial transformations without true integration.

Those who "worship the beast" are those who remain in bondage to these fragmented states, continuing to act from fear, doubt, and separation rather than unity.

The Second Beast: The False Prophet of the Subconscious

The second beast, rising from the earth, appears gentle — "like a lamb" — but speaks "as a dragon." This is the subtle voice of the subconscious mind that masquerades as harmless but keeps us bound to old patterns. It is the quiet inner narrative that sustains the illusion of separation, whispering that we are small, broken, or powerless.

The “mark of the beast” (which is perpetuated through literal misunderstanding) is not an external symbol but the mental programming we accept — the assumptions and beliefs that govern our actions and self-concept. In Neville’s framework, the “hand” symbolises action and the “forehead” represents the symbolic place of thought and intention. The beast is the embodiment of a a limited self-image, to live out a reality shaped by perceived limitation rather than creative love. When the 'beast is marked', it is marked for transformation through the law of Assumption.

The True Meaning of Six and the Mark

Traditionally, "666" has been presented as a fearsome omen — the ultimate sign of evil. Yet, as explored deeply in Hebrew symbolism of the letter vav (ו), and it's numerical correspondence — six is actually the number of love and joining. Vav means "nail" or "peg," the element that joins and fastens. It represents cleaving, uniting, and binding together the seen and unseen.

This connection resonates with Genesis 2:24, where a man cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh — a metaphor for the union of desire and imagination, assumption and expression. In the context of Revelation, the “mark of the beast” becomes the mark of man’s power to join states of consciousness together through assumption. Far from being a curse, it is the invitation to see the mind as the sacred peg that holds our reality intact.

The number six represents man created on the sixth day — man as the image and likeness of Elohim, the plural creative power named God. The “beast” thus symbolises the incomplete, earthly consciousness that is always just one step from perfection in the law of Assumption. 

The Key to Overcoming the Beasts

The message of Revelation 13 is not to fear the beasts but to understand them as wild aspects of our mind ready to be tamed and integrated through love and conscious assumption. We are not condemned by these beasts; we are invited to unify them within the divine image.

To “overcome the mark of the beast” is to reclaim your creative power — to see yourself not as a passive recipient of external fate, but as the living connector (vav), the one who joins thought and feeling into manifest reality. It is the conscious choice to embody the truth that your imagination is God, and your inner states are the judges and rulers (Elohim) convening to shape your world.

Conclusion

Revelation 13 reveals not a distant apocalypse but the ongoing inner drama of your consciousness. The beasts are your wild, divided states of mind. The “mark” is your choice to cleave to limiting assumptions or to unite thought and desire in divine love.

In this deeper view, the number six becomes a symbol of man’s creative capacity — the divine peg that holds all together. Far from a dark omen, it is a call to realise your true nature as the image and likeness of God. You are not at the mercy of the beasts; you are the master of your own inner kingdom, invited to unify all states and live from the awareness that “I AM” is the only true power.