Additionally, we know that the devil is the father of lies, and the second beast—the one who walks upright, a man who orders the creation of the first beast’s image—is called the false prophet.
Therefore, the necessity of the image lies in the fact that the image of the Beast will not directly reflect its true form. This image—which will be presented to the public—will be "photoshopped" so as not to provoke repulsion or suspicion due to its disgusting appearance. The image of the Beast, or rather its public representation, will not only be its appearance but also its program of actions, its calls, stated goals, and the nature of their achievement, and so on. It is clear that people will be presented with an image of the Beast that conceals its true intentions for mankind, replacing them with the deception of populism.
However, only a narrow circle of the chosen—those in spiritual therapy—will see the true external and spiritual form of the Beast.
Let us return to the deadly wound inflicted on the Beast by Christ through the Resurrection. This wound, as predicted to Eve and described in Revelation, was inflicted on the devil’s head. Because this wound is spiritual, through it, the power of the devil in the world was limited. If a person believes in Christ, they become part of His Church (I do not mean the Russian Orthodox Church or any other specific Orthodox Church), then the devil loses power over this person, and the person gains the possibility of salvation. However, a person can also reject this opportunity and voluntarily come under the power of the devil.
"The victory of Christ over the devil," it is said, "He struck the head of Leviathan," was sufficient for every person to resist the Beast. But was it final? It was not final. Why? Was it to completely free man from the struggle? No. It was sufficient for our salvation, but it was not final because we must still go through the path of struggle." – Avdeyenko
In essence, a person was given the opportunity to either deepen the spiritual wound of the devil by turning away from the devil to Christ, or conversely, to heal it by turning away from Christ to the devil. Throughout its history, Christianity has rejoiced in Christ’s victory over the devil, but John writes in Revelation that in the last days, something terrible will happen: the wound of the devil will be healed (θεραπεύω). Moreover, people will willingly worship the beast-devil. But how, after the Resurrection, after the establishment of the Church, after the assemblies of martyrs, saints, and righteous people, is this possible?
John used the term θεραπεύω (therapeuō) to describe the healing of the beast’s wound. For us, this is a familiar word—therapy, meaning healing. However, in ancient times, the word θεραπεύω in the context of healing was not used very often. Its primary meaning was to serve, to attend, to perform religious worship. Therefore, the healing of the beast’s spiritual wound includes both conscious and unconscious worship of the devil. It is interesting to ask: who organized and led this healing-worship of Satan in a world where, seemingly, the triumph of Christianity was taking place? Who are these brilliant therapists?
