This power is designated as "the beast," "the first beast," "the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live," and, the "beast whose deadly wound was healed." These expressions all refer to the same power; and wherever they occur in this prophecy, they have exclusive reference to the papacy.2.The two-horned beast.

This power, after its introduction in verse 11, is represented through the remainder of the prophecy by the pronoun "he;" and wherever this pronoun occurs, down to the 17th verse (with possibly the exception of the 16th verse, which perhaps may refer to the image), it refers invariably to the two-horned beast.3.

The image of the beast.

This is, every time, with the exception just stated, called the image; so that there is no danger of confounding this with any other agent.
The acts ascribed to the image are speaking and enforcing the worship of itself under the penalty of death; and this is the only enactment which the prophecy mentions as enforced under the death penalty.

Just what will constitute this worship, it will perhaps be impossible to determine till the image itself shall have an existence.