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9/26/10. Revelation 13:1-8. Faithfully Endure. (The Dragon And The Two Beasts) – Messages and questions

Faithfully Endure. (The Dragon And The Two Beasts)

FourthBeastAndDragon

Link to Revelation Messages and Questions        Link to Kevin’s Bible study materials

Revelation 13:1-18                                                                                                                   Lesson 13

Key Verse: 13:10b                                                                                                                     Kevin E. Jesmer  9-26-10

“…This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.”

      In this passage introduces Satan’s (the dragon’s) two evil accomplices: (1) the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth. The beast of the sea represents worldly power. The second beast looks like the Lamb and represents false religion. He deceives people and puts his mark on everyone. Through a study of this passage may we recognize the identity and the evil activities of the two beasts. Why? So that we can take a firm stand on Jesus’ side and overcome. May we also resolve our hearts to have endurance and patience and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus and to follow and worship Jesus alone.

Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)

We all know that there are not literally beasts like this alive in the world. We will not find fossils of such creatures. They are obviously symbols with symbolic meaning. Let explore their meaning together. The first beast makes his grand appearance inverse 1. Let’s read this verse all together. “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.”  Who is this beast? This verse gives us a few clues. First, the beast came out of the sea. The people in Asia Minor thought that whatever came ‘from the sea’ was foreign and whatever came from the land as native. They associated things that were evil with the sea and used the sea as a figure for the abyss. The early Christians thought that the first beast was Rome, whose governors and soldiers came by sea to early Christian centers, like Ephesus. Roman ships literally seemed to be “rise up” out of the sea as they appeared on the horizon.  (Constable’s notes) Nowadays, “the sea” may mean something different. We have all heard the expression, “the sea of humanity.” In that case the sea may be symbolic of humanity with undulating waves of political and social life from which comes various kinds of social movements, some of which are very much threatening to Christians.

What does this beast look like? Let’s look at verse 1b again. “…He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.”  In the Bible horns are a symbol of strength. The ten crowns are symbols of governmental authority. The fact that the crowns are resting on the horns and not on the head of the beast, could mean that the authority of this beast rests on the use of force. This beast symbolizes worldly government that maintains its power through force and is opposed to Christianity. The blasphemous names reflect the beast’s opposition to God. Maybe the names were “secular humanism”, “atheism”, “communism” and various others philosophies or religions that set themselves up against Jesus and his people.

John goes on to further describe the beast from the sea. Let’s read verse 2, “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.” We see that the image of the beast was comprised of three animals, a leopard, a bear and a lion. In Daniel, these animals are used to describe kingdoms. Listen to Daniel 7:4-6, The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it.  5 ‘And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ 6 ‘After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.’” These are kingdoms that previously ruled the world, Greece (Dan. 7:6), Medo-Persia (Dan. 7:5), and Babylon (Dan.7:4). The fourth kingdom that Daniel described (Dan.7:23) includes the Antichrist’s kingdom.

The beast was initially identified with Rome, because the Roman Empire, in its early days, encouraged a godless life-style, persecuted Christians, and opposed God. Many other individual powers throughout history have also been anti-Christ. The beast and the kingdom he represents may also possessed qualities of three animals, perhaps swiftness, agility, vigilance, craftiness, and fierceness; brutality; strength and majesty. If that is the case then this upcoming kingdom that John is envisioning will be more powerful than any kingdom that this world has every seen.

There is a close affinity between the dragon and this beast. Look at verse 2b, “…The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” The beast is actually under Satan’s power and control. The beast will share the dragon’s hatred towards God and the angels for having cast the dragon out of heaven and will work together against him.

This beast will show a lot of resilience that will deceive the world. Look at verse 3, “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” This seems to imply that one of the governmental bodies under Satan’s authority perished, but then miraculously revived. Another possibility is that the beast himself died and then experienced resurrection The Antichrist’s ability to revive this entity will make him appear invincible and the nations will stand in awe. Look at the result in verse 4, “Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?’” There will be worldwide admiration for the beast. Many people will follow and worship him. He will unite the world under his leadership (13:7,8), and he will even control the world economy (13:16, 17). True believers however will know that he should not be followed. They will know because Jesus, our good shepherd, has warned us in this Holy Word, the Bible. Listen to what Jesus says tells his disciples in Matthew 24:23-26, “23At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time. 26“So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” But those who do not know Jesus will give their allegiance and their worship to the Antichrist. In so doing they will also unknowingly submit to Satan who is behind him.

We must never be misled by claims of great miracles or reports about a resurrection or reincarnation of someone claiming to be Christ. We must not be amazed by the resurrection of political entities either.  When Jesus returns, he will reveal himself to everyone. It will be very obvious. Listen to Matthew 24:27-28, “just as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.”  Never be deceived by false sounding Christs but remain true to Jesus alone.

The beast used its power and authority to oppose God. Let’s read verse 5, “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.” Paul reveals more about his activities in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 which read, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”  He will blaspheme God. It is not easy to endure this. Whenever we hear someone use the name of our Savior as a swear word our hearts cringe. Whenever we hear someone putting down the Bible, Jesus and Christians, we get angry. Can you imagine the inner sufferings that Christians had to endure?

 

This beast will not stop until he achieves world wide domination. Let’s read verse 7, “He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”  The beast will conquer the world’s people and rule over them. He will become a worldwide dictator (Dan. 7:21, 23).  He will demand that everyone worship him.  And many will. Look at verse 8, ““All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” Everyone will be deceived except true believers.  Refusal to worship the beast will result in temporary suffering for God’s people, but they will be protected spiritually and be rewarded with eternal life in the end.  We must always remember that as long as we are in Jesus we are indeed secure. Nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus.

       Verses 9-10 reveals what some of the persecutions believers will experience. Let’s read these verses together. He who has an ear, let him hear.  10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killedwith the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” At this time, being faithful to Christ could bring imprisonment and even execution.  Some believers will be hurt or killed.  These verses are an encouragement for believers to submit to the sovereignty of God realizing that God has permitted the Antichrist’s activity but that they are secure in Christ. It also assures them of the coming of divine justice and urges them to persevere faithfully. All believers will enter God’s presence perfected and purified by the blood of the Lamb (1:9-17).

     During these times of great persecution all believers must practice patient endurance and faithfulness.  This even goes for today’s believers like you and me, suffering in today’s world.  The tough times we face right now are all opportunities to practice patience and faithfulness.  Don’t fall into Satan’s trap and turn away from God when hard times come but rather be patient and endure and grow through them. Grow through the demands of school. Grow through financial demands. Grow through relational problems. Grow through the constant barrage of temptations. Grow when you are overcoming your sinful nature. Grow when God stretches you to reflect the image of Christ. In times of hardship and trials we need to always look to Jesus. (Heb 12:1-3)

Part ll: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)

And now, what about the second beast? Let’s read verses 11-14a, “Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth….” In the minds of the ancient peoples’, none of the animals of the earth could compare in power with creatures from the deep. The beast coming out of the earth was inferior in power to the first. (Constable’s notes) This beast had two horns. It may have some political power but it was different. This beast looks like the Lamb. Later on he is identified as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20). He represents false religion.

 

We can see the role of this beast in verse 12, “He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.”  Clearly this second beast is a servant of the dragon, but his connections with the dragon are not as obvious as those of the first beast. He forms a coalition the first beast. He deceives people. Let’s read verses 13; And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.”  He deceives by performing many counterfeit signs that appear to be from God but are not. He will fool people by revealing the pseudo resurrection of the first beast. These will be genuine signs and wonders, not just tricks. Like Elijah and the two witnesses in chapter 11, he will even be able to call down fire from heaven. Throughout the Bible we see miracles performed as proofs of God’s power, love and authority.  But here we see counterfeit miracles performed to deceive.  Believers must be very vigilant in order to not be deceived.

 

The second beast will use false religion to capture peoples’ heart and make them devoted to the first beast and the dragon. Let’s read verse 14, “Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.”  He will lead the worship of the first beast as the leader of a worldwide religious movement. We see this kid of worship in North Korea. They have statues of the original leader and he is venerated. He is founder of a type of human philosophy called Juche. And so we see how it can happen even today. Verse 15, “He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.”  The image will be able to speak. Maybe it will be a type of robot? The folks at Disney Studios can probably come up with such a statue. It will put to death those who do not worship the beast (cf. Dan. 3:11), possibly by issuing commands for executions. Evidently these events will all take place in Jerusalem. Paul warns the early Christians of this type of activity in his second letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. He writes in  2Thessalonians 2:9- 10, The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”

 

Extreme pressure will be placed on the people of God to deny Jesus. Let’s read verses 16-18, “.He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” The mark of the beast is evidently a brand-like mark, similar to a tattoo, or an implant, that will identify beast-worshippers and will enable them to buy and sell.  There is some connection with ancient customs. Slave owners sometimes branded their slaves with their mark. Those bearing the mark of the beast show that they are the beast’s followers. Roman soldiers branded themselves with the mark of their general if they were loyal to him. Those devoted to the beast will take his mark. The same Greek word translated “mark” (charagma) also described the seal attached to legal documents that bore the name of the emperor and the date. When a person burned a pinch of incense to worship Caesar, he received a certificate. This kept him from death and enabled him to buy and sell. The mark of the beast appears to be such a certificate of worship that a person may obtain by showing their public veneration of the Antichrist.

 

It is hard to believe that people could be so deceived by such a diabolical and evil creature, but they are.  They are mainly because they are offered something or they are deceived by fantastic things or false miracles. Why was the nation of Germany overcome by the Nazis and led the world into WWll? One of the reasons is that Germany was going through a depression and they were humiliated by the terms of surrender after WWl. The population wanted a change and a scapegoat and the Nazis offered all of it. Today we are suffering a lot. There is 15% unemployment. People are loosing their homes to foreclosure. 50 million Americans are living in poverty. (2010) We want a change. We want answers. We want a scapegoat. It is easy for someone to stand up and offer solutions and to hand out a few morsels of money and win hearts. In the future, the antichrist will capture hearts around the world in much the same way as the Nazis took over Germany in the 1930’s but in a more supernatural way.

 

Accepting this mark is identifying with the purpose of this mark.  Those who accept it show their allegiance to Satan, their willingness to operate within the economic system that he promotes, and their rebellion against God. The choice of right hand or forehead is to make the mark conspicuous or so that it can be easily scanned, like a bar code.  To refuse the mark means to commit oneself entirely to God, preferring death to compromising one’s faith in Christ. Many believers will not take the mark of the beast. Perhaps they will be able to survive by pooling their resources and by obtaining the necessities of life in underground markets. God may also provide for them by supernatural means, like he did when he fed Elijah in the desert with ravens.

 

What about the number 666? Let’s read verse 18, “This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Here is an interesting bit of trivia. The Greek letters of Nero’s name represent numbers that total 666. The first readers of this book probably applied the number to the Emperor Nero, who symbolized all the evils of the Roman Empire. A simple interpretation may be as follows. The number seven frequently occurs in Scripture. The Israelites understood seven to represent a completed work of God. The number 777 would indicate something divine. However “666” would appear almost like “777”.  Each digit is one short of seven, the perfect number. It is a very subtle deception. Deception is the devil’s evil tool to capture hearts. Whatever specific application the number is given, the number symbolizes the worldwide dominion and complete evil designed to undo Christ’s work and overthrow him.

Matthew 24:24-25 reads, “24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.” Jesus says that the times will come when even Christians will be deceived. Sure it is true that Christians must always support what is good and healthy about our society. Sometime we want to compromise with things to get ahead.. But there will be a time when we can no longer co-operate. Some will be deceived. Some will give in out of fear. Some will take their stand even when it means suffering, even giving up their lives. Jesus tells his disciples ahead of time so that that they can prepare their hearts for what is coming. How can we prepare our hearts right now? Look at verse 9-10 again, “He who has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” We need an ear to listen to the word of God. That means take time out and make an effort to hear the word of God and let the word of God settle in your hearts. We need to live under the sovereignty of God. And we must live out our lives of faith with patient endurance, never giving up, like a long distance runner. Then our hearts can be protected from the devil’s deception.

Surely there will be a time of great persecution and martyrdom for believers. Rather than getting better and better, the world will get worse before Jesus Christ’s Second Coming. As we see world events shaping up for this scenario, not despair or be fearful. This unholy trinity – the dragon, the beast out of the sea and the beast of the land –may unite in a desperate attempt to overthrow God, but their efforts are doomed to failure.  See what becomes of them in 19:19-21 and 20:10. We should cling to Jesus. We need patient endurance and wisdom to be faithful to Jesus in a world dominated by the two beasts. We must have ears to hear the precious words of God daily.

Part 1: The Beast Out Of The Sea (1-10)

  1. What did John see coming out of the sea? (1) Describe this creature in detail. What was written on its seven heads? (1) What did the dragon give this creature? (2) What does he represent? (Da7:4-6) What is the relationship between the dragon and this 1st beast?

 

  1. What did John notice on one of his heads? (3) Why was the whole world in awe? (3) How is this creature a counterfeit of Christ? (3-4) Why will people follow and worship this strange creature? (4) How will we know the real Jesus? (Matt 24:23-28)

 

 

  1. What did the dragon encourage the creature to do? (5) How will he establish world wide dominance? (6-7) Who will worship him? (8; 2 Thess 2:3-4)

 

 

 

  1. What will time of persecution bring God’s people? (9-10) Why must we endure and be faithful? (10) Why are tough times opportunities for us to grow spiritually? (10)

Part 11: The Beast Out Of The Earth (11-18)

  1. Where does the second strange creature come from? (11) What is the role of this beast? (12)

 

  1. How is he the counterfeit of the Holy Spirit? (13-15; 2Th2:9,10) What is the purpose of his miracles? (14) Why does a statue want to be worshipped? How is a statue a counterfeit of God the Father? (15) How does he deify the first beast and indoctrinate the people? (16,17)

 

 

 




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