A Study of The Book of Revelation
THE SECOND BEAST
As we continue our study of the seven of the seven personages, we are careful not to spiritualize the message. Biblical symbology carries it's own meaning. For instance "beast" What do you see? Something vile, ugly, demonic, now adds kingdom, government, and political power. For a further study of biblical symbology log on to our web site. A simple prayer to the Father to open up our understanding would be appropriate at this juncture, for it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us all things spiritual.
Revelation 13:11-18:
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.
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 three score and six. A second
Beast makes his appearance - this time, out of the earth. This Beast will have
two horns like a lamb - but he has the voice of a dragon. These two Beasts
are world dictators in their separate fields - one political, one religious. When the second Beast makes his appearance,
things will be leveled off politically. It will be a time of false peace.
Let us compare these two Beasts:
- The first Beast is a secular power; the second is a religious
power.
- The first Beast is a Gentile; the second is a Jew.
- The first Beast had ten horns; the second had two horns.
- The first Beast is a civil authority; the second is a religious
authority.
- The second Beast is subordinate to the first Beast. He used the
military power of the first Beast to enforce his demands and his dictatorship.
- The second Beast is lieutenant to the first. He appears after
the first Beast - they do not both appear at the same moment.
The first Beast is the head of a vast military and political system, and as such he perishes at the coming of the Lord, at the close of the Tribulation, when Jesus comes in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God. To this Beast Satan gives what he offered Jesus in Luke 4:6-7, which Jesus refused with the rebuke, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” It will do you good to read Luke 4:6-7 and see the power Satan really has. Read the second Psalm. God the Father will give Jesus the kingdom and the earth. No power on earth can withstand this tremendous political Beast . . . But, of course, God’s power will finally put him down. The second Beast rules in Palestine. He finally becomes the minister of the first Beast, and all kingly and priestly power is merged in the first one. But the second Beast is the one who deceives the world and labors untiringly to put Judaism and all religions of earth into the arms of Satan. There will be a world church, about which we are hearing much today. Both Beasts will share one thing in common: They will meet the same fate. Revelation 19:20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet . . . These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” They led the masses into captivity, and they must go into eternal captivity. Sometimes it seems as though the believers are fighting a losing battle, but we are not. We are in the minority - but we are on the winning side. From the standpoint of numbers, we are outnumbered, but “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We are definitely on the winning side. We cannot lose with God. God does not always payoff on Saturday night, but when He DOES pay, He pays in full!
The first Beast is the head of a vast military and political system, and as such he perishes at the coming of the Lord, at the close of the Tribulation, when Jesus comes in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God. To this Beast Satan gives what he offered Jesus in Luke 4:6-7, which Jesus refused with the rebuke, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” It will do you good to read Luke 4:6-7 and see the power Satan really has. Read the second Psalm. God the Father will give Jesus the kingdom and the earth. No power on earth can withstand this tremendous political Beast . . . But, of course, God’s power will finally put him down. The second Beast rules in Palestine. He finally becomes the minister of the first Beast, and all kingly and priestly power is merged in the first one. But the second Beast is the one who deceives the world and labors untiringly to put Judaism and all religions of earth into the arms of Satan. There will be a world church, about which we are hearing much today. Both Beasts will share one thing in common: They will meet the same fate. Revelation 19:20: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet . . . These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” They led the masses into captivity, and they must go into eternal captivity. Sometimes it seems as though the believers are fighting a losing battle, but we are not. We are in the minority - but we are on the winning side. From the standpoint of numbers, we are outnumbered, but “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). We are definitely on the winning side. We cannot lose with God. God does not always payoff on Saturday night, but when He DOES pay, He pays in full!
The devil, the Beast, the false prophets the false preachers and all the wicked have a
date at the judgment bar of God Almighty.
At the Great white Throne, God will judge in righteousness, and all wickedness
will be put down forever. The devil is the prince of the power of the air
today, he is the god of this age; but the day is coming when he will be
stripped of all of his power and placed in the lake of fire. He has been
leading poor souls into captivity for six thousand long years, but soon God
will put a stop to his activities.
The first three verses in chapter 13 refer to an empire. Verses 4
through 10 refer to a person, the dictator of the empire, the ten-kingdom
confederation. The second Beast is a person - not literally a beast, but a
beastly human. All through the books of prophecy in the Old Testament, empires and emperors are symbolized by beasts.
This mysterious and terrible Beast is called by various names. In the Old
Testament he is called:
- King of Babylon - Isaiah 14:4.
- Lucifer - Isaiah 14:12.
- The little horn - Daniel 7:8; 8:9-12.
- A king of fierce countenance - Daniel 8:23.
- The prince that shall come - Daniel 9:26.
- The willful king - Daniel 11:36.
In the New Testament he is called:
- The man of sin - II Thessalonians 2:3-8.
- The son of perdition - II Thessalonians 2:3-8; John 17:12.
- That Wicked - II Thessalonians 2:3-8.
- Antichrist - I John 2:18.
- The Beast - Revelation 13:11.
Jesus prophesied concerning this Beast when He said, “I am come in
my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive” (John 5:43). Jesus made this statement to the Jews who
shouted, “Crucify Jesus! Give us Barabbas!” But when Antichrist comes they will
receive him with open arms. The Lamb of God in Revelation 5:6 has seven horns -
seven being the number of divine perfection. The Lamb of God has fulness of
power . . . He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. The false lamb - the
Antichrist - has but two horns, denoting limited power. This second Beast is also called “the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13, 19:20, 20:10).
He has two horns “like a lamb”, but his voice betrays him: he “spake as a dragon.”
Both spiritual and moral ruin is the aim of the dragon, and he is supported one
hundred percent by the Beast. Rome and Jerusalem are the centers of influence from
which Satan conducts his program in Europe, Palestine, and the whole world.
Verse 12 tells us that this second Beast has all the power of the
first Beast, and he tells the people on earth that they should worship the first Beast whose deadly
wound was healed, which seemed to be a great miracle. Never forget, the devil can perform
miracles, limited, yes - but miracles.
Verse 13 tells us that the second Beast is so mighty and powerful
that he makes fire come down from Heaven on the earth in the sight of men. The stage is set for
the appearance of this miracleworking personality. Imagine what would happen in
church meetings today if the pastors could reach up in the air and pull fire down from the air in the sight of men! There is not
a building in the United States that would seat the people who would come to see them pull fire down
out of Heaven. This Beast will have that power. Keep in mind that these two Beasts work together - political and
religious. The first will be the leader of the most powerful. united kingdom that has ever been on
this earth. He will be the most colossal ruler - the boldest, most blasphemous ruler who ever
lived upon the face of this earth. The second Beast will have no royal authority outside of Palestine;
therefore, he uses the power and prestige of the political Beast to bring about his diabolical
design to get all the peoples of earth to bow down to Rome and worship the great Beast who was
wounded unto death but now has miraculously come alive.
The second Beast will have no military power of his own. Military
power will be turned over to the first Beast by the dragon - the devil. The second Beast is
much worse than the first. He influences men religiously and leads them into the vilest blasphemy
and idolatry. He demands men to worship him. He sits in the temple in Jerusalem and
announces publicly that he is God Almighty. It has been reported by reliable sources that the Jews now have
every stone cut, ready to rebuild their temple the moment they conquer and take over the temple area
where the Mosque of Omar stands now. The Jews are now in possession of the land within a
short distance of the temple area (where Solomon’s Temple stood) and the only reason they did not
take it in the last war between the Jews and Arabs was that prophetically it was not time for them
to possess that particular spot.
The second Beast is the one “who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of
God, shewing himself that
he is God” (II Thessalonians 2:4), Jesus came in His Father’s name, to do His Father’s will. He came
unto His own, and His own received Him not. The false messiah will come in his own name, to
do his own will (John 5:43). With the exception of those who have believed and been redeemed
through the testimony of the 144,000 and the two witnesses of chapter 11, the masses will fall
down and receive the Beast as their messiah, and joyfully line up to receive his mark in their
forehead or in their right hand. They will be sent a strong delusion; they will believe the lie. Read
II Thessalonians 2:8-12.
All that is happening today is just a prelude of things to come. It's not going to get better until Jesus set up his Kingdom here on earth.
Next
Chapter 14
The Lamb and the 144,000
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