This beast is able to make “the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast.” Already in Revelation 13:4 we learned that the earth’s population gave to the first beast the worship that belonged only to God and to the Lamb (Revelation 4:1 – 5:14). If anyone hesitates in or interrupts their worship of the first beast (an anti-God bent manifesting itself in institutions of government, education, Big Tech, or wherever people can force their will upon others), this second beast through its speaking entices “the earth” to worship that beast.
12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.