Revelations - The Beasts

Revelation 13 thus begins with the story of the Antichrist. I think that Revelation 13-15 are telling us of the story from the beginning of the Tribulation unto the end. However, the first 3 ½ years are very brief in that the statue is set up and war is made with the saints within the first few verses.

¹And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

² And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Revelation 13:1-2

We’ll start with verse 1. The beast comes out of the sea. Remember the vision in Daniel 7 started with these 4 beasts coming out of the sea. We can also reference this with Isaiah 27:1

In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

This is Leviathan. It is the Antichrist. The beast out of the sea is the start of the 7 years of Tribulation. When we read verse 2, we find that the 4 beasts of Daniel seem to by hijacked. Here we have a hybrid of the 4 beasts. Why is this important? It is important because there is a mystery going on here.

The statue in Daniel 2 represents 4 (or 5) kingdoms (depending on how you view it). They are all different kingdoms, but they are all the same statue. They all have Satan as the principality over them. In that way, they are all intertwined, though they are all different. You can even see at the end of verse 2 that Satan is the one that gives the Antichrist his power.

We know from Daniel that the Antichrist starts as a nobody. He isn’t a major politician or anything of the sort. Much like Hitler’s rise to power was quite extraordinary, so too will the Antichrist’s rise to power be unimagined. Satan raises him up and gives him authority, power, and his throne. I do think that this means that Satan actually gives his authority, power, and throne. I reference Matthew 4:8-11:

⁸ Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

⁹ And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

¹⁰ Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

¹¹ Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Notice that the exact same promise was given to Jesus. Jesus, however, rejected it. I assume that somehow Satan will be able to offer this man that same promise, and the man will take him up on it. Thus, he will gain the whole world and lose his own soul.

³ And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Revelation 13:3

We know that these 10 horns represent 10 kings. What we haven’t examined is what the 7 heads represent. We’ll examine that in Revelation 17 when John writes out what it means. One of the heads are wounded. My wife likes to point out the Scripture Ezekiel 30:24 whenever we reach this point:

²⁴ And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

This does skip ahead a little bit. For those of you who already turned ahead to read Revelation 17 and figure out what the heads represent, you know what I’m saying. Some of you might be smart enough to figure it out from this cross-reference. I’m not going to get too far into it here, so forgive me for not being clear at this moment.

What we know is that this could also very well be a reference to the curse in Genesis 3:15. The seed of the woman (Christ) will crush the head of the serpent. This beast that has 7 heads and 10 horns is so much in line with the red dragon mentioned in Revelation 12. The depiction is supposed to be similar. That is the mystery at work here (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). 

⁴ And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Revelation 13:4

Notice the correlation between the praises we find of our God and the praises we find here of the beast. Who is like our God? And yet Satan takes these praises that we sing to the Lord and places them upon himself.

⁵ And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

⁶ And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

⁷ And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

⁸ And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

⁹ If any man have an ear, let him hear.

¹⁰ He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:5-10

Once again notice the parallels with Daniel. The horn had a mouth to speak great blasphemes. This is what the Antichrist is known for. It is a distinguishing characteristic of him. I’m sure that those who are not versed in the faith could succumb to this man’s words. That isn’t to say those that are young in the faith have no hope. Christ is our hope. He can preserve any and all that come to Him. What I mean to say is that those who spend more time watching their sports than reading their Bible are in for trouble. Will you be able to distinguish between a blasphemer who tries to call himself a godly man and a man after God’s own heart? Can you distinguish between true and false teachers today without someone pointing it out to you? These are crucial questions. We are told to test the spirits. We are told to test the teachings. For a mature saint, this comes pretty naturally. For a beginner in the faith, this takes effort. I don’t mean to discourage, but simply to plead that you practice now while the Antichrist has not been established.

Also, note the mention of how long the Antichrist rules. The first 3 ½ years are not mentioned. It is only after that. We know from Daniel what the first 3 ½ years will entail. Yet, Revelation seems to mostly focus upon the last 3 ½ years – the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

¹¹ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

¹² And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

¹³ And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

¹⁴ And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

¹⁵ And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Revelation 13:11-15

This second beast comes out of the land/earth. This is what we refer to as the false prophet. Notice that he has 2 horns. Horns represent kings. But the added detail is “like a lamb…” This is on purpose. It is to say that this false prophet will be some sort of a religious figure. That isn’t to say the pope or some sort of religious figure like that. I mean that this will be Jezebel for the Ahab. Ahab was the king (political power) and Jezebel brought forth the false religion of Ba’al and Asherah (religious power).

This false prophet might or might not be affiliated with a religious background. The point is that he establishes worship of the beast. He establishes and enforces a false religion. He has horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon – nothing but lies (John 8:44). He imitates God’s prophet Elijah and fools the world into worshiping the beast. He calls fire down from heaven.

Now just think about this for a moment. Is it possible that Satan is still sore about losing on Mount Carmel, and therefore puts up the challenge again to show his “might” and “power?” This would cause for a lot of people to reject their religion and follow the true religion (or at least supposedly true). But think here about the Jews. Who are they awaiting? They have been awaiting him for 2000 years.

Every Jew that practices the Passover knows that the end of the Passover meal is marked by going to the door and looking to see if Elijah has come. They are awaiting and expecting Elijah to come to prepare the way for the Messiah. Are you following me? What is going to happen when they see this false prophet calling fire down from the sky? They are going to think that this must be Elijah. And, of course, the Antichrist will come in a manner that they expect the Messiah to come: a military and political force that brings peace to the world.

This will be a massive deception. Don’t think that Satan will kill all the Jews. He might, but he might not. Why kill them if they follow you? Why persecute them if they are in your army? There will be some that are “betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolk, and friends” (Luke 21:16). This might also come to the Church. There will be that which is apostate and that which is apostolic.

¹⁶ And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

¹⁷ And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Revelation 13:16-18

I’ll hit this first before moving on and forgetting to touch on it: he forces all to receive the mark. Now, the newer translations say that the mark is on the hand or forehead. I’ll be frank. If you are stupid enough to think that there is a major difference between on and in, so this can’t be the mark of the beast, then you do not know God. I don’t care if it goes on the skin or in the skin. Nothing is going to be put on my right hand or forehead. I don’t even wear rings (except a wedding ring, which is on the left hand).

Now that I’m clear on that point, what is the mark of the beast? There is a lot of speculation about this. It might be a microchip, it might not be. It might be a tattoo. It might be something that none of us have ever considered. I think the key to recognizing the mark of the beast is in verse 18: it is the number of man.

What is the number of man? It is the number 6. A repetition signifies deeper importance. When it is repeated 3 times, it is utter. Thus, 6, 6, 6 is ultimate man, which is to say, ultimately without God. It is the utter contrast between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness.

The Kingdom of God promotes selflessness. The kingdom of darkness promotes selfishness. The Kingdom of God promotes counting others before self. The kingdom of darkness promotes looking out for self before others. The Kingdom of God promotes truth and reality (and peace without truth and reality is a false peace). The kingdom of darkness promotes tolerance and propaganda.

There are commercials playing where everyone is in line for food or groceries. Everyone is moving quite quickly until someone decides to pay with cash instead of credit card. Though the concept is brilliant when we are speaking in marketing terms, the problem arises when we examine it spiritually. It is a lie. When was the last time that you went to a restaurant and everything went quickly and smoothly? I don’t care if everyone pays with a credit card; it still takes 20 minutes before the 6 people in front of you are done.

It is a lie. What about the peace between nations? Europe isn’t in any war. They haven’t been for a long time. In fact, even the Berlin walls came down in 1989. Doesn’t that signify peace? Never. Peace does not depend upon whether or not there is war. The nations are still as envious about land and money and other policies as ever. There is still national pride that allows the Ku Klux Klan to exist. There is still a hideous presumption behind all the “peace” that says war is just around the corner. The Berlin walls coming down only signified the beginning of the end.

In the same way, we know that the “peace treaty” that will allow Israel to rebuild its Temple marks the beginning of the end. This is a false peace. This is a false selflessness. This is a false system. Everything is still predicated upon force, manipulation, deception, and hatred. Tell me, if we were to allow homosexual marriage, then would the gays stop rushing church buildings and making out on the altar? If we were to ban American citizens the right to have guns, would that stop crime? Are these really the cure?

Evil is evil. It will never stop being evil. If Satan runs the system, don’t think for a second that people will get “nicer.” It won’t be utopia like the media will have you to believe. We’re even seeing a shift now in the general display of Christianity. When you oppose gay marriage, evolution, health care for everyone, and all the other “issues” that are circulating today, you are marked as an enemy of progression.

I must ask: Progression at what cost? What kind of progression are we talking about? Nothing short of complete submission to the Law of God will bring utopia. Nothing short of the return of Christ will bring world peace. Nothing short of humility and selflessness will constitute harmony. Anything else is a lie.

And we ought to know better. It says that the Messiah will come from the clouds (Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:30). Anything less than Jesus descending with the holy angels should be a sure fire sign that it is not the Messiah. And if you want to play that game that says, “Well, I wasn’t there when it happened…” then I suppose you should ask the question, “Did Jesus Christ come in the flesh (1 John 4:2-3)?”

Anyway, I think the point has been made. It should be pretty easy to determine whether or not such and such is the mark of the beast. It should be especially easy because we know what to look for and we know what the Antichrist is going to be like. If the Antichrist is still alive (and by this point you shouldn’t need to ask how you can tell), then do not take any mark whatsoever.

¹And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

² And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:

³ And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

⁴ These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.

⁵ And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Revelation 14:1-5

³⁶ And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holiness To The Lord.

³⁷ And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be.
Exodus 28:36-37

The golden plate was a crown worn by the high priest. The fact that these 144,000 have the same thing upon their foreheads speaks to me of priesthood. It is in verse 4-5 that we learn a little more about these elusive 144,000. They remain sexually pure. Reference that with Matthew 19:12. These are not necessarily people that have kept from marriage. They are people who are solely married to their God. What that means is that they do not commit idolatry. Now, I could be wrong. Maybe they are eunuchs. However, I do think that they are qualified for that third option in Matthew 19:12 that they have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of God.

Next I would like to point out that this is following a very specific timeline through Messianic history. In Leviticus 23, we’re given the 7 feasts ordained of God. The first feast is the Passover, followed immediately by the feast of unleavened bread. The next feast is first fruits. In the middle of the year comes Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks. All of these have been fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah. He was our Passover Lamb, unleavened from sin (resurrection) the first fruit to ascend up to heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.

There are 3 more feasts: feast of trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the feast of tabernacles. The feast of trumpets happens at the second coming. At the final trump, Jesus returns. The Day of Atonement is the judgment seat. The feast of tabernacles is fulfilled in the New Heavens and New Earth when God “tabernacles” with us.

But the 144,000 are called first fruits. I toyed with this earlier. It might be a reference to the quality of holiness and lifestyle that they live. It might be a reference to the marriage of the Lamb mentioned in Revelation 19 (and then there will be another marriage after the judgment seat). It could be that this is a reference to those that will make it into the first resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20. Whatever is meant by it, the concept of first fruits is that the rest of the harvest comes after.

I’m not for certain as to what is meant by these being the first fruits. I am certain that this is not rapture. These are they who have been sealed to endure to the end. I am much more confident in the idea that these are people that God seals to remain in Israel. I have an idea of what it might be that they are first fruits. But I am not certain. Let me explain with Isaiah 27:

⁹ By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.
Isaiah 27:9

Read the whole chapter of Isaiah 27. Pulling out a couple verses here and there for this book doesn’t give you the glory of the passage. It starts with God saying He will destroy Leviathan. And then it goes through the day of the Lord. Here in verse 9, Israel finds their full redemption in destroying their idols. What better idol to destroy than the dragon statue mentioned in Revelation 13:14?

I think this is what is meant by the first fruits. These are they that are sealed to not die in Israel. When Christ returns upon the Mount of Olives, these are those that will be first arriving. They will be those that see Him as He comes in the clouds and weep at His coming (Zechariah 12:10-14). Their repentance doesn't constitute only weeping, but also that they would destroy that statue set up at the Temple. These are those that Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 9. 

⁶ And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

⁷ Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

⁸ And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

⁹ And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

¹⁰ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Revelation 14:6-11

These 3 angels cry out very specific things that help us place this in our timeline. The first angel (which is the second – verse 6) declares to the people that the hour of judgment is come. When is the hour of judgment? It is the day of the Lord. I am a strong advocate that the Day of the Lord is a single day. It is the second coming. It is no more and no less than that. One day is all it takes God to conquer the Antichrist and to destroy the nations that would challenge Him.

The second angel cries, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” We will see this same wording again in Revelation 18. This puts the us at the time right before the Jesus returns. It is probably that moment in Revelation 11:15-18 where the angels are proclaiming the wrath and judgment before heaven opens and Jesus returns. It is the final trumpet.

¹² Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

¹³ And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

¹⁴ And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.

¹⁵ And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.

¹⁶ And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

¹⁷ And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.

¹⁸ And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

¹⁹ And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.

²⁰ And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Revelation 14:12-20

Was this the second coming? I think so. There is a parable that Jesus tells of the harvest of the earth in Matthew 13:

²⁴ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

²⁵ But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

²⁶ But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

²⁷ So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

²⁸ He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

²⁹ But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Matthew 13:24-30

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

³⁷ He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

³⁸ The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

³⁹ The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

⁴¹ The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

⁴² And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³ Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:36-43

Here Jesus explains that the angels coming and harvesting the people of the earth marks the end of the age. Isaiah also has a passage that seems to indicate that Jesus comes to tread grapes (Revelation 14:18-19).

¹Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

² Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?

³ I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

⁴ For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
Isaiah 63:1-4