As the beast arose from the sea, the dragon on the shore gave it his power and his throne and great authority.
Before his ascension, Jesus proclaimed that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me
(Matthew 28:18; see also Ephesians 1:19–23). The dragon, then, had no power or throne or authority unless it were given him by the Lord himself (John 19:11). Even so, whatever power or throne or authority the dragon has, he gives to this beast. In doing so, the dragon connects the evil bent in human hearts directly to himself so as to use that bent in his battle against the woman’s offspring.
It should further be noted that the enthronement of the beast through the actions of the dragon are intended as a parody on the enthronement of the Lamb as described in Revelation 3:21 and Revelation 5:6–8. In fact, throughout this paragraph there are numerous connections to Revelation 5:1–14 as the dragon tries to impress humanity that he is more than Jesus Christ.
2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.