The Beast

Karen

2 years ago

“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.”
Revelation 13:18 NKJV

The Beast (or Anti-Christ) and the number 666 are synonymous. Understanding the meaning of these terms is universal, even for those who have never read the Bible or set foot in a church. Singers in rock bands, for example, may flash a sign during concerts and in their music videos, signifying their allegiance to Satan.

Revelation 13 introduces us to pure evil. Satan loses his domain in the heavens after Michael the Archangel defeats him and casts Satan down to earth with his fellow demons. Then he goes to work to deceive the whole world and take as many as he can to hell. He will give power and authority to two world leaders to deceive people to take the mark of the beast on their forehead or right hand. At that time, the world’s economies will also be cashless, and without the mark, no one can buy or sell, among other repercussions we’ll explore later.

The first beast emerges from the sea.

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
Revelation 13:1-2 NKJV

Remember when Satan took Jesus to the top of a high mountain after His 40-day fast? He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and offered it to Jesus if He would worship him (read about it HERE). Although Satan couldn’t tempt Christ, he will successfully tempt a man who is likely alive now and waiting in the wings for his appearance on the world’s stage.

Satan, referred to as the dragon, establishes the Anti-Christ as a powerful ruler with great authority. This world dictator comes out of the sea, which represents all the nations of the world.

Ten Horns and Seven Heads

We must jump ahead to Revelation 17 to fully understand the horns and the heads. The ten horns represent ten blaspheming kings who will receive authority for one hour with the beast. The seven heads represent seven mountains, but also seven kings. We’ll go into more detail when we survey Chapter 17, but you can read ahead about it HERE.

Leopard, Bear, and Lion

The key to understanding this description of the beast requires referencing Daniel 7. Daniel introduces us to four beasts he saw in a night vision: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and then a fourth terrible beast. These animals symbolize the former kingdoms of the world as shown to King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream: Babylon, the Medes and Persians, Greece, and the fourth one of the Tribulation. Therefore, this beast from the sea is a composite of all the former kingdoms of the world. (See Daniel 2:31-45 and Daniel 7:2-8)

The Mortal Wound

And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 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?”
Revelation 13: 3-4 NKJV

Now the world will engage in full-blown Satan worship due to deceptive miracles. During the initial rise of the Anti-Christ, someone will understand who this evil politician is and will kill him. He will lie dead, but after three-and-a-half days, Satan will raise him back to life. The whole world will be amazed, and they will worship him as a false Christ.

The Powers Given to the Anti-Christ

Let’s take verses 5-8 apart and examine the Anti-Christ’s powers.

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. (verse 5)

Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. (verse 6)

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. (verse 7)

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. (verse 8)

So for the second half of the Tribulation, the beast will blaspheme God and everything related to God. He will wage war against God’s people and kill them. His authority will cover the whole earth, and all people whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will worship him.

Hasn’t this always been Satan’s main passion–to have the world worship him as God? His wicked aspirations will come true, but only for forty-two short months. God will cast him into the Lake of Fire that burns for eternity, which we’ll read about later on.

The Beast from the Earth

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, whose deadly wound was healed.
Revelation 13:11-12 NKJV

Now we meet the third person of this unholy trinity: the false prophet. This man isn’t an international politician; he’s a religious leader. We know this because of the description of his two horns like a lamb, signifying Christianity. He also speaks like a dragon, which means he tells deceptive lies to make the world worship the Anti-Christ. Later on, we’ll read about the kinds of miracles Satan gives him the power to perform.

In Summary

–Satan will establish himself as God;

–the Beast will be killed and resurrected as a false Christ;

–and a church leader will arise as a false prophet who performs deceptive miracles, and who directs worship to the Beast and the Dragon.

What happens if a person takes the mark of the beast?

Taking the mark of the beast will be an automatic eternity in hell, followed by the Lake of Fire. How could that be so, if God forgives all sin? We’ll find the answers in our next post where we will survey Chapter 14.

Dear Father, thank You for telling us the truth about the future in Your Holy Word. As the seeds of the apostate church are growing through the NAR (New Apostolic Reformation), we pray that innocent lives truly seeking You will be saved from this deceptive movement. These churches have apostles who prophesy falsely in Your Name, perform false miracles, and lead their congregations to worship a false Christ. May our churches guard against the infiltration of such lies and deception, and may the truth in the Bible be preached with boldness in every pulpit. In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.