Unraveling The Book of Revelations

The Beast

Nearly 2,000 years ago the apostle John, who prior to meeting Jesus had been a fisherman by trade and had been called an “uneducated and untrained” man (Acts 4:13), predicted that a global economic system will one day be instituted in which everyone will be forced to receive a number, without which they will not be able to buy or sell. Only in this era of computers and electronic commerce could this prophecy be fulfilled.

Revelation chapter 13 begins with a beast (the Antichrist), raising up out of the “sea”, which represents the nations of the world. The beast is the Antichrist or the false messiah. He will be the final world ruler, also known as the little horn (in the book of Daniel. He is both a person and an empire. The description of the Beast connects it closely both to the “dragon” and to the fourth beast of Daniel chapter 7 (the Roman Empire; Dan. 7:7, 23).

The end times will be a time of confusion and uncertainty, which will cause the people to desperately look for a strong leader that could bring hope and security in a time of fear and apprehension. People will desperately seek a strong, charismatic, authoritative leader who can pull the world back from the very brink of disaster. 

The unbelievers of the world will be deceived into believing that the Beast is a god (compare 2 Thess. 2:4, 11). Only those whose “names” are “written in the book of life” will refuse to “worship” the Beast. This book of life of the Lamb contains the names of all those who have called on the Lamb of God for salvation. The Beast will persecute the “saints” of God, and exercise power throughout the world. Satan's "authority" will be all but unlimited, and almost everyone on earth will worship him. This is the very thing Satan has sought from the beginning, worship from angels and men. 

Revelation 13:9 "If any man have an ear, let him hear."

This again is a warning not to let this go in one ear and out the other, but to take heed to this warning. This is emphasizing a very important truth.

Revelation Chapter 13

The scene shifts to describe a beast who also has seven heads and ten horns, who is closely identified with the dragon. He and another beast institute a series of satanically-empowered deceptions which bring the whole world under the sway of the beast with seven heads and ten horns, and ultimately Satan. This is the rise of the Antichrist, 2 whose activities are key to The 70th Week of Daniel.

1Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 

  • Daniel 7:23-24:  He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom.
  • Rev 17:3: And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (false prophet) that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
  • Rev 17:9-10: The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

Unlike the dragon which wears crowns on its heads (Rev. 12:3), the beast’s crowns are on its horns. The dragon’s crowns are associated with historical kingdoms of which this beast is one. The beast has crowns on each of his ten horns, indicating the rule of the ten contemporaneous kings associated with the last head or kingdom. These ten horns are the same as those of the last (terrible beast) of Daniel’s four beasts (Dan.7:7).

2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

  • The four descriptors represent former superpowers: Babylon, Assyria, Greece, and Rome.

3 One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.

Zechariah relates the payment of thirty pieces of silver for the value of Messiah at His First Coming when he was betrayed by Judas (Mtt. Mat. 26:15; Mat. 27:3). The passage then describes a “foolish . . . worthless shepherd” who will specialize in consuming the sheep. He is said to exhibit wounds affecting his arm and right eye.

 4 They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”

  • Luke 4:6-7: I will give You authority over all these kingdoms and all their glory,” he (Satan) said. “For it has been relinquished to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”

The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. (Raptured Saints)

  • 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4:  Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
  • Daniel 7:11: Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
  • Daniel 11:36: And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous (blasphemous) things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

7 Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. 

(The dragon, cast out of Heaven after his final defeat at the hands of Michael and his forces, comes to the earth looking for an instrument through whom he can carry on his warfare against his hated Creator and God.)

  • Daniel 7:25: He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the set times and laws, and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time (3.5 years)
  • Daniel 8:24: His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.
  • Rev 11:7: And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them...

...And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

  • Rev 20:12-And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done”
  • Rev 17:18-The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the best, because it was and is not and is to come.”

9 He who has an ear, let him hear...

10 “If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he will go; (Some saints will be imprisoned) if anyone is to die by the sword, by the sword he must be killed.” (Saints are not to defend themselves by killing, but accept the method of their impending deaths (as did the early saints).

Here is a call for the perseverance and faith of the saints. (The great tribulation saints must endure until their deaths)

11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. This beast had two horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon.         (False prophet)

12 And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

He is the false prophet who speaks for the first beast. He represents world ecumenical religion. He looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. He looks like the Lord Jesus (John 1:29; Rev 5:6) but speaks like the devil. He pawns himself off as the Lamb, the Messiah.

It is by the signs that the False Prophet deceives the earth dwellers to receive the mark of the Beast and worship his image. Rev.19:20            

  • Matthew 7:15: Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

13 And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. 

  • Matthew 24:24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

14 Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.

  • 2 Thessalonians2:10: For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.
  • (Parallel) Daniel 3:10: Therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, the people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

 15 The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.

  • (Parallel) Daniel 3:6: And whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into the burning fiery furnace.
  • 2 Thessalonians2:9-12: The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

16 And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 

God warns us not to worship the beast and his image, and not to receive his mark on our forehead and on our hand (Revelation 14:9). If we do, we will ‘drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation’ (Revelation 14:10).

We have read of the sealing of the servants of God in their forehead (Rev 7:3) we shall hear of it again (Rev 22:4); the power of evil also has its mark or stamp. The Lord will finally allow Satan the use of this mark to force the issue with all the inhabitants of the world.

17 So that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Those who refuse the mark are automatically cut off from the global economy. They are driven underground to rely either upon supernatural provision (as the woman in the wilderness of (Revelation 12:6) or the black market.

  • The mark of the beast would signify to the reader of the time that the recipient: worshipped the beast as divine, acknowledged the beast’s authority, is devoted to the beast, and considers himself to be the beast’s property; the mark identifies the category to which the person belongs and serves as an indication of character. Those who take it are completely opposed to God and unwilling to repent in the face of overwhelming evidence of His judgment.

18 Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.

Who is The Antichrist?

  1. He will appear on the scene in the "latter times" of Israel's history (Daniel 8:23).
  2. He will not appear until the Day of the Lord has begun (II Thessalonians 2:2).
  3. His manifestation is being hindered by the Restrainer (II Thessalonians 2:6-7).
  4. This appearance will be preceded by a departure (II Thessalonians 2:3) which may be interpreted either as a departure from the faith or a departure of the saints to be with the Lord (II Thessalonians 2:1).
  5. He is a Gentile, since he arises from the sea (Revelation 13:1). Since the sea depicts the Gentile nations (Revelation 17:15), he must be of Gentile origin.
  6. He rises from the Roman empire, since he is a ruler of the people who destroyed Jerusalem (Daniel 9:26).
  7. He is the head of the last form of Gentile world dominion, for he is like a leopard, a bear, and a lion (Revelation 13:1). Cross reference also Daniel 7:7-8; 20-24; Revelation 17:9-11. As such he is a political leader. the seven heads and ten horns (Revelation 13:1; 17:12) are federated under his authority.
  8. His influence is world wide, for he rules over all nations (Revelation 13:8). This influence comes through the alliance which he makes with other nations (Daniel 8:24; Revelation 17:12).
  9. He has eliminated three rulers in his rise to power (Daniel 7:8, 24). One of the kingdoms over which he has authority has been revived, for one of the heads, representing a kingdom or king (Revelation 17:10), has been healed (Revelation 13:3).
  10. His rise comes through his peace program (Daniel 8:25).
  11. He personally is marked by his intelligence and persuasiveness (Daniel 7:8, 20; 8:23) and also by his subtlety and craft (Ezekiel 28:6), so that his position over the nations is by their own consent (Revelation 17:13).
  12. He rules over the nations in his federation with absolute authority (Daniel 11:36), where he is depicted as doing his own will. This authority is manifested through the change in laws and customs (Daniel 7:25).
  13. His chief interest is in might and power (Daniel 11:38).
  14. As the head of the federated empire he makes a seven year covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27, which is broken after three and one-half years (Daniel 9:27).
  15. He introduces an idolatrous worship (Daniel 9:27) in which he sets himself up as god (Daniel 11:36-37; II Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:5).
  16. He bears the characterization of a blasphemer because of the assumption of deity (Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel 7:25; Revelation 13:1, 5-6).
  17. This one is energized by Satan (Ezekiel 28:9-12; Revelation 13:4, receives his authority from him, and is controlled by the pride of the devil (Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel 8:25).
  18. He is the head of Satan's lawless system (II Thessalonians 2:3) and his claim to power and to deity is proved by signs wrought through satanic power (II Thessalonians 2:9-19).
  19. He is received as God and as ruler because of the blindness of the people (II Thessalonians 2:11).
  20. This ruler becomes the great adversary of Israel (Daniel 7:21, 25; 8:24; Revelation 13:7).
  21. There will come an alliance against him (Ezekiel 28:7; Daniel 11:40, 42) which will contest his authority.
  22. In the ensuing conflict he will gain control over Palestine and adjacent territory (Daniel 11:42), and will make his headquarters in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45).
  23. This ruler, at the time of his rise to power, is elevated through the instrumentality of the harlot, the corrupt religious system, which consequently seeks to dominate him (Revelation 17:3).
  24. This system is destroyed by the ruler so that he may rule unhindered (Revelation 17:16-17).
  25. He becomes the special adversary of the Prince of Princes (Daniel 8:25). His program (II Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 17:14), and his people (Daniel 7:21, 25; 8:24; Revelation 13:7).