power, rather than a precise list of first century sovereigns.”9 However we parse out the details, the resurrection of the beast10 or its coming11 leads people to worship, for the beast, in the estimation of the people, is incomparable, just as God is incomparable, and thus they exclaim, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” (13:4). People put their trust in the beast and praise it as a divine figure. The beast casts a spell over people, deceiving them because it speaks with a