Revelation 13 Part Two

Scripture Reading: Revelation 13

Last week we covered the first three verses of chapter 13. We learned about the kingdom and the man of the tribulation. This week we will try to finish up this extensive chapter. Let’s look deeper into the meaning of the rest of the chapter.

Religion of the Beast:

Revelation 13:4-8 “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

“They worshipped the dragon” The religion of the earth will focus on the Beast, the man indwelt by Satan. The Beast and his image will be a central part of the religion of “kingdom of Satan”. The second half of the tribulation will be an end to the “Women who rides the beast” of Revelation 17.  The Beast, Satan incarnates the beast and will demand worship from the Earth inhabitants, just as he tempted the angels, man and Jesus on the mount of Temptation (Luke 4)

“Gave authority to the beast” The dragon (Satan) is the force behind the Beast’s power.

“They worshiped the beast” The beast was Satan and the soul of the Antichrist both indwelling the same body.  After the “Glorious return” the Antichrist is cast into the “Lake of fire” and Satan is chained and cast into the Abyss. (Rev 19:20,20:2)

“Who is able to make war with him” The kingdom of the beast will have military superiority over the Earth and will seem invincible in the eyes of the world. Prior to the second half of the Tribulation, the Antichrist with “Great fury” meaning great heat annihilates many (Daniel 11:44).  This battle corresponds with the death of 1/3 of the earth population, and the 6th Trumpet. This battle will set the stage for world domination in the second half of the tribulation. Probably during this period, three of the horns or kings rebel against his authority and are pulled up by the roots as described in Daniel 7:8  “three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots”

“Forty-two months” 1260 days, 3.5 years, the 2nd half of Daniel’s 70 weeks.

“He opened his mouth” Satan is outraged at the position he is in, He is not used to being confined to the Earth and he knows his time is short, so he rages against Heaven.

“Granted to him to make war with the saints” The saints are those who come to Christ during the 7-year period, those who were “Left Behind”. During this time, Satan intensifies his search for the offspring of the women who fled into the wilderness for 1260 days. The women’s offspring both physical and spiritual are hunted for destruction.

Matthew 24:30-31 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”

What is the purpose of the persecution? Through the saints persecution many will come to faith, and the sins of man will be manifest. During the “Sheep and Goats judgment” (Matthew 25:31-46) the actions of those on Earth toward the saints will be revealed.God will demonstrate his righteous judgments by the way the saints were treated.

Persecution of Saints:

Revelation 13:9-10 “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

“If anyone has an ear” This is a call for understanding to those who are about to die. The ear is a “Spiritual ear” in much the same way the letters to the churches addressed those who had ears this is addressed to the surviving believers who are about to be killed. An interesting point can be made here, the church is not addressed, but those who have an ear. Since the church is not specifically mentioned, more then likely the church was raptured prior to the tribulation.

“He who leads” God is allowing this to happen for a purpose. In the 5th Seal, we see those who are killed in the first half of the tribulation. Here saints from the second half are prepared for what is to come. Death is not to be feared because the very next phase for the martyr is Heaven in God’s presence (Revelation 6:9-11, 7:9-11, 15:2) There is a place in Heaven waiting for their arrival.

“Here is the patience” The ability to suffer for their testimony will bring many to a saving knowledge in the last days. Much in the same way the early church spread under persecution, this last group of Gentile and Jewish faithful will grow through persecution. God is allowing this persecution, because its only temporary and exposes those who dwell on the earth for who they truly are. Daniel, also wrote about this future period of persecution for the believer.

Daniel 7:25 “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.”

Daniel also saw this period as 3.5 years (Time and times and half a time), to be followed by a period when the saints would rule over the kingdom. Because God would resurrect the martyred saints following this period of suffering, they were to endure.

Daniel 7:26-27 “But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

Daniel 12:13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days."

Revelation 13:11-12 “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, who’s deadly wound, was healed.”

“I saw another beast” This is the third member of this unholy trinity, Satan’s counterfeit of the trinity. This beast is a man called the “False prophet” (Rev 19:20). He is a religious leader who counterfeits the Holy Spirit, by pointing to the Beast (First Beast) as the object of truth and worship. The false-prophet and the Antichrist work together from the start. This new world religion will operate under the false ideal of “Relative truth”, those who insist on Jesus being the focus of objective truth will be killed during the first half of the tribulation. (Revelation 6:9-11) Jesus spoke about this individual and the antichrist in the Olivet discourse,

Matthew 24:24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand”

“Out of the earth” (Greek .. land, earth as a standing place) Contrasted to the “Beast out of the Sea” this Beast is out of the earth. Some commentators feel this reference to the Earth means he will be an apostate religious leader as opposed to being out of the sea of humanity.

“He had two horns like a lamb” Lambs are used mainly in the scriptures as a picture of sacrifice; Jesus is called the “Lamb of God”, God’s Passover lamb. The lamb like nature of this beast demonstrates his religious aspect. The two horns have significant meaning and can be interpreted in several ways. Horns are clearly spelled out in scripture as representing seats of authority. The ten horns of the beast represent ten kings (Rev 17:12, Daniel 7:24)

In Daniel 8, the horns on the ram and goat represent the King’s of Greece, Persia and Media. These powers in the conflict, picture Greece as the one-horned goat and Persia-Media as the two-horned ram. Jesus is also pictured as a horn in Luke, He is called a “Horn of salvation”, (Luke 1:69) The two horns on this lamb can represent two distinct religious systems unified by the false prophet. There is strong evidence to suggest, this united religious system will be the adulterous church pictured in three of the seven churches (Laodicea, Sardis, Thyatira) unified with the remnants of Islam by the False Prophet.

“Spoke like a dragon” The source of this world religion will be Satan, whose goal is to destroy those created in the image of God. Biblical Christianity is exclusive; there is no room for a competing “Jesus”. Islam denies Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross. The Muslim Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. Judaism today rejects Jesus as Messiah and labels him a false prophet. Many in the evangelical movement deny Jesus as the son of God along with countless heretical beliefs. What the bible say about those who reject the biblical Jesus ?

“Exercises all the authority” The role of this “false prophet” is to help the world accept the claims of the first beast. The first Beast is Satan manifested, so the second Beast is in complete union with him and works to bring him credibility.

“In his presence” As Aaron was the spokesman for Moses, the false prophet will represent the Beast before the world. In his name and presence he points people on Earth to the Beast.

“Whose deadly wound was healed” The death and resurrection of the Beast at the Mid-point will be in conjunction with the casting out of Satan from Heaven. His death and resurrection will be highlighted as evidence for the Beast being God on Earth. In the same way Jesus was crucified and resurrected was evidence of his being the Son of God, Satan will counterfeit the resurrection.

Satanic Signs & Wonders:

Revelation 13:13-14 “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”  

“He performs great signs” The false prophet does the signs as a means of deception … Signs are not limited to God’s kingdom alone. God allows Satan to perform signs as a way of testing people.

Deuteronomy 13:1-4 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”

A wicked and adulterous generation will turn from “Truth” to a “Lie” for the sake of a sign (Matthew 16:4) The psychics who claim to speak to the dead are in fact speaking to “Familiar Sprits”, demons posing as departed loved ones (Lev 19:31, 20:6, 20:27) This practice is old; Satan has deceived people for thousands of years. God allows the deception because those who choose to follow the practice are being disobedient and in the process failing a test. Satan’s deception will be exposed during the 2nd half of the tribulation.

“Makes fire come down” An impressive sign to those on the Earth who are being deceived, but a clear identifier to believers who are waiting for the return of Christ. Who will be able to question such signs without knowing the Truth?  This is also counterfeit of the two witnesses who called down fire on their enemies.

“He was granted to do” Satan can only do what he is permitted to do as we see in Job. Man is not being tempted beyond his ability to say no but the test on earth will intensify because time is short.

Job 1:9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?

“The Image of the Beast” ( Greek…eikon... a likeness, that is, (literally) statue, profile, or (figuratively) representation, resemblance:—image., an icon). Those deceived will demonstrate their worship by making an image of the Beast. This is similar to Satan’s deceptions throughout history. Man’s nature is to be worshipped if ultimate power can be obtained. Great military leaders eventually viewed themselves as god on Earth, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the great, and Julius Caesar are 3. The 20th century, has had their share of leader worship transferred to man made images Lenin, Hitler, and Sadam Husain are recent examples. Man worship will ultimately be played out as Satan inhabits the body of a man and demands the world worship him as god.

Satan will immediately break 2 of the 10 commandments. 3 You shall have no other gods before me and 4 You shall not make for yourselves an idol. Do not worship the image. The resurrection of the Beast will be the focus of the image for those dwelling on the Earth.

In Daniel 3, the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is a look into what is to come. Three men choose death rather then worship the image of king Nebuchadnezzar. They were thrown into the furnace. They were not harmed for the “Son of God” rescued them. (Dan 3:25) The message in Daniel is to the whole world, if three men could survive a fiery furnace because the “Son of God” was with them, then we can survive because the “Son of God” has redeemed us, but we must not submit to the Beast.

Through the book of Daniel, God demonstrates the way of salvation for those living in the tribulation period. The picture of Daniel 3 when contrasted to Revelation 13 is unreal.

The image of the Beast:

Revelation 13:15 “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.”

“He was granted power” The image created by men of the Beast seemingly comes to life. This Satanic miracle is allowed to take place by God. Man is being tested by this part of the strong delusion that God is allowing to fall on those who refuse to believe the “Truth”. The “Image” of the Beast comes to life further validating the identity of the “Beast” … Those who know the scriptures will have a clear choice.

“The image of the beast” The Beast-Image is able to expose all who refuse worship … those who refuse are executed. Worldwide hunts will begin for those who are identified by the Beast for refusing to worship. Many will go into hiding and it will take the Angels at the return of Christ to find them and bring them to meet their Lord.

Matthew 24:30-31 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

The Economic system of the Beast:

Revelation 13:16-18 “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”

“He causes all” The False Prophet will implement a system to demand worship from all. The rich and powerful will not be able to escape the requirements. All people will need to submit to worshipping the Beast.

“To receive a mark”   (Greek…charagma
; a scratch or etching, that is, stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue):—graven, mark.) The Greek word indicates the mark to be an outside mark demonstrating loyalty and submission to the Beast. The location of the mark is either on the forehead or on the hand.

“That no one may buy or sell” The mark will be a system that allows control of the individual. Without submission to the Beast there will be no ability to participate in the economic system. Bio-metrics has been developed to track and control segments of the population. With terrorism at an all time high, little resistance is being met today. Fear of terrorism has removed many of our concerns of intrusive government; citizens want to know who is a threat. One way is to have everybody marked and accounted for.

“Let him who has understanding” Here is another call of understanding to those who are alive at the Midpoint. This is one more piece of evidence for those who are alive not to accept the mark.

“The number of a man” The Antichrist is a Man, his name or some identifier is listed as a number. Each letter in a name has a numerical equivalent. When the letters in a name are added the total numerical value is the number of the name. Most interpreters of revelation feel this is what is meant by this verse. Whether the name uses a Greek or Hebrew letter is not known.

18 verses, so much information and all dealing with what is to come. The stage is being set for a terrible time ahead. If were not raptured prior to the Tribulation are you going to be prepared? Will you still name the name of Jesus? Will you be able to survive the Abomination of Desolation? I like to be prepared, I pray that you are as well.