| THE BEAST |
|---|
| 1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. |
| Rev 13:1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore – the sea represents man’s salvation. The dragon, Satan, who was cast down in Rev 12:13, waits on the seashore for the beast to appear. The beast who is about to appear, will keep men away from the relationship God desires, resulting in man’s eternal destruction. We have now passed the year 313. Let us recapitulate what happened in Revelation Chapter 12, as explained by Daniel 9:26. In Dan 9:26 we learned that the “people of the ruler that is to come. ① “shall destroy the city” (A.D. 70; in Luke 21:24 and Rev 11:2, ‘the city’ that Daniel mentions is equated to the New Jerusalem, with the same meaning as ‘the sanctuary’) ② “and the sanctuary” (A.D. 193, the abomination of desolation, Rev 12:14) ③ “and the end of it shall be with a flood” (to 313, the Great Persecution, Rev 12:15) ④ “And till the end of the war desolations are determined.” (Rev 12:17, we are now about to describe that war.) a beast – as mentioned, at Rev 12:3, the four beasts of Daniel were described as four kings and four kingdoms. As a King, the fourth beast of Daniel represents Satan, the Dragon. The fourth kingdom, as John describes in Rev 13:18 is the kingdom of an “anthropos” a race of men, who are the Latins, Latienos, 666. The kingdom of the Latins will continue through the power of the bishop of Rome, as described in Rev 13:3, “one of the heads was as slain, and his fatal wound was healed.” The Roman Empire fell through the Gothic War of 376-382, but the power of Latins continued through an alliance of the bishop of Rome and the Kings of Europe. Revelation Chapter 13 describes the power of the Latin beast that was exercised through the Bishop of Rome. This is he whom Jesus describes as “standing in the holy place” (Matt 24:25), the one who Paul says “takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess 2:4). Daniel said, “he shall magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper” (Dan 11:36). coming up out of the sea – this expression brings us back to Dan 7:3: “four beasts came out from the sea.” In verse 2, we will only see three of the four beasts, because Rome has fallen. having ten horns and seven heads – these are the ten horns and seven heads described more clearly in Chapter 17. on the horns were ten diadems – the diadems were on the heads in Rev 12:3, but now power of the beast has now shifted to the ten horns. As explained clearly in Dan 7:24, these ten horns are the ten European states that came out of Rome, and gave the beast its power. The Roman Empire fell through the Gothic War of AD 376 – 382. Now we are in the fourth century. The fourth century was very significant for a few events. In 325, the “universal” or Catholic Church was established through the Nicene Creed. The head of the “universal church” would be the Bishop of Rome who would be called the Pope. In 325, the pope named Sunday, “the Lord’s Day.” The Nicene Creed of 325, began the Trinity doctrine, which was completed by the Nicene-Constantinople Creed of 381. on its heads were blasphemous names – this beast was represented by the Pope, who took names on himself, such as “Christ on earth,” and “Father.” And “Our lord god the Pope.” For example, on April 30, 1922, before cardinals, bishops, priests, boys, and girls who bowed their knees before him, Pope Pius XI, said: “you know that I am the Holy Father, the representative of God on the earth, the Vicar of Christ, which means I am God on the earth.” – Pope Pius XI, quoted in the Bulwark, October, 1922, p. 104. |
| 2 The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. |
| Rev 13:2 (body) like a leopard, feet like a bear, mouth of a lion – here we are taken back to Daniel’s four beasts (see our discussion of the identity of those beasts under Dan 7:1-8). There are only three described here: Greece (the leopard), Persia (the bear) and Babylon (the lion). In Revelation Chapter 17, John tells us the beast was scarlet in colour, but scarlet is just a shade of red. Was the fourth beast that Daniel saw like this beast? We presume that it was. Daniel did not mention whether it had more than one head. The mouth of the lion (Babylon) tells us that the King of Babylon is the Beast (Dan 4:25), these are the “eyes and mouth” of Satan that speaks pompous words (Dan 7:20). He is “the King of Kings,” as he was in the statue of Dan 2:37. His kingdom will be described in more detail in Revelation Chapter 17. |
| 3 One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. |
| Rev 13:3 one of the heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed – in Rev 17:10, we will see these heads are seven kings: “five have fallen, one is, and one is yet to come.” The one that “is” in John’s time, was Rome. The fall of Rome, helps us to identify the time frame of this passage in verse 14. After Rome fell, the beast continued, through the power of the ten horns, where the diadems are now. the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast – the power of Satan continued through an unusual relationship between the beast and the ten kings (horns). We will discuss this more in Rev 17:8-18. |
| 4 They worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” |
| Rev 13:4 they worshiped the dragon – they worshiped Satan, the father of lies, without realizing it. The Spirit of the Antichrist, behind the man, is Satan. He is the real “lawless one” (2 Thess 2:8). John called him the serpent of old (Rev 12:9), who deceived all of mankind when he first questioned God’s commandment, saying: “Indeed has God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” (Gen 3:1). they worshiped the beast..”who is able to make war with him” – the beast is the false Lord and teacher who uses “religion” rather than weapons to exercise his control. |
| 5 A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to continue for forty-two months was given to him. |
| Rev 13:5 speaking arrogant words and blasphemies – here we can go back to Dan 7:8,20; Dan 11:36-37; and 2 Thess 2:4. The beast is a religious/political power and has “a voice.” Satan speaks to the world through the bishop of Rome. authority to act for 42 months – we have shown to be from 193 to 1471 (1278 days/years). Dan 7:25 told us the “saints were given into his hand for time, times and half a time” – 42 months. Jesus Christ established the true teachings of the Church in three and a half years (42 months). The beast, or “antichrist,” meaning “substitute Christ,” is a figurative person, represented by the Pope. He established false teachings over a period of three and a half years, which are 1278 days as years. (Days are as years throughout Daniel and Revelation). The Spirit of Christ was “manifest in the flesh” in Jesus Christ. We might say that the Spirit of the Antichrist, “the lawless one” (2 Thess 2:8), was manifest in the flesh in the Bishop of Rome. The Bishop of Rome would later call himself “Vicarius Christi” in Latin, meaning “substitute Christ,” which translated in Greek is “antichrist.” |
| 6 He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tent, those who dwell in heaven. |
| Rev 13:6 blasphemies against God – there are specifically two great blasphemies, we will see in verses 14-17: the creation of a three person God, and changing the commandment of God. to blaspheme His name – he renamed God: “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” and his tabernacle -the tabernacle describes the worship of the saints, “in the wilderness” for time, times and half a time. The Israelites worshiped in the tabernacle while they were in the wilderness. In Rev 14:15, Rev 15:5, and Rev 15:8, the saints are in “the temple,” the end time sanctified Church. that is those who dwell in heaven – those who dwell in heaven are the saints of New Jerusalem, described in Rev 12:1, and Rev 12:12. They are contrasted with the worshipers who dwell on earth, in verse 8. |
| 7 It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. |
| Rev 13:7 to make war with the saints and overcome them – see Dan 7:21 authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation – this authority spread throughout the world, as described in Rev 17:1, the “great harlot sits on many waters.” |
| 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. |
| Rev 13:8 All who dwell on earth – they are not the saints described in verse 6. They worship according to the teachings of men, they bow down to the teachings of the beast. all will worship him – the word for worship, in Greek, means to “bow down and kiss.” Not all believers worshipped the beast, as we mentioned in Chapter 11: the countries of Europe “swelled with dissidents who repelled as the Antichrist the Bishop of Rome.” They would not “bow down” to the Bishop of Rome or the “false Christ” he represented. whose name has not written from the foundation of the world– Bible translations are divided on whether the phrase “from the foundation of the world” applies to the Lamb who was slain, or the writing of the name of the saints in the Book of Life. In the Greek, the phrase “from the foundation of the world” directly follows “the Lamb who was slain.” Therefore, this sentence is translated as, “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world,” in the King James and New International Versions. Both views can be supported. Most definitely, Jesus Christ was the Lamb who was slain, in a forward looking manner. John 3:16 says: “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” The idea that one’s name was written in the Book of Life before creation, and before completing the course of life is supported by Eph 1:5, and Rev 3:5. |
| 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. |
| Rev 13:9 if anyone has an ear let him hear – this advice was directed to those in the Reformation. |
| 10 If anyone gathers into captivity, into captivity he goes. If anyone will kill with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. |
| Rev 13:10 if anyone for captivity, to captivity he goes, if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed – this statement was first made by Christ in Matt 26:52. The Reformation was a “war” between the Protestants and the supporters of the beast. Of course, it was God’s desire for the saints to free themselves from the beast, but not to act in the manner of men, in war. This is a warning against such behaviour, and its consequence. here lies the faith and patience of the saints – in other words, the saints will try to deal with this crisis in a godly way. Martin Luther, in 1522 preached, saying: I will preach, speak, write, but I will force no one; for faith must be voluntary. Take me as an example. I stood up against the Pope, indulgences, and all papists, but without violence or uproar. I only urged, preached, and declared God’s Word, nothing else. … Had I appealed to force, all Germany might have been deluged with blood Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. VII, ch. 4, sec. 68. |
