Satan's End Time Collaborators Series

May 18, 2024

Satan is angry. His dreams of reigning supreme in the universe have come to nothing. Christ has resumed his place on the throne and Satan no longer has access to heaven. He now turns his attention to earth and those who have chosen faithfulness to God. His sole purpose is to destroy and he will use every weapon in his arsenal: persecution, coercion and deception to accomplish his goal. From this point on, deception will be his main weapon of choice.

Throughout history, Satan has always had collaborators. Specifically, religious or political powers who have joined forces with him to suppress and oppress God’s people. As earth’s history comes to a close, he will, once again, have collaborators: The Sea Beast and the Earth Beast.

The Sea Beast (13:1-10)

John watches as the Dragon (Satan) stands on the shore of the sea. Suddenly a Beast arises from the depths. It has 10 horns and 7 heads and 10 crowns – each head has a blasphemous name. As the Beast slowly appears, John sees that it looks like a leopard, has feet like a bear and the mouth of a lion. Power is given to it by the Dragon.

This Beast mirrors the description of the Red Dragon (12:3), the Scarlet Beast (17:3) and the 4th Beast of Daniel 7:7, 24.

It also looks a whole lot like all the Beasts in Daniels vision (ch. 7) but in reverse order:

o Daniel: lion, bear, leopard, beast.

o Revelation: beast, leopard, bear, lion

Christ has the character and agenda of the Father and the Sea Beast has the character and agenda of the Dragon because, “The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (compare with Rev. 2:26-27; 3:21; 5:12-14; 12:10)

At some point one of the heads of the Sea Beast received a deadly wound, but the wound has been healed.

The death and resurrection of the Sea Beast also mirrors the death and resurrection of Christ (the same Greek word used for the slaying of the beast is used for the death of Christ).

The resurrection of the Beast prompts amazement among the earth’s inhabitants. In admiration they worship both the Sea Beast and the Dragon (Satan).

The worshippers ask, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (Rev. 13:4):

• “Who is like the beast” stands in contrast to “Who is like God” (Ex. 15:11; Ps. 35:10; Mic. 7:18), which refers to the incomparability of God and the name, Michael, which in Hebrew means, “Who is like God.” This end-time ally of Satan is a true counterfeit of Jesus.

John describes the Sea Beast as having a mouth, speaking great things and blasphemies to exercise his authority for 42 months:

• He blasphemed God, slandered his name, his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.

• He was given power to make war with God’s people and overcome them.

• He was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation and all the inhabitants of earth will worship this Beast – “those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb.”

Which is very reminiscent of the Little Horn Power in Daniel 7.

This religious/political system appeared at the chaotic end of Roman Empire and was fully developed by 538 AD. It exercised authority and power during the prophetic period of 42 months / 3 ½ years / 1260 days, suppressing the knowledge of God and oppressing God’s faithful people.

• In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9, Paul states that this apostate power would take “its seat in the church of God” and exalt itself above God, displaying itself as God and manifesting itself in all the power of Satan – finally coming to its end at the Second Coming of Jesus.

Finally, John says, “Listen up. If someone is to go into captivity, into captivity he goes; if someone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed,” implying that the Sea Beast will eventually receive judgment proportionate to the harm he has done to God’s people.

The description of the Sea Beast suggests that it is a representation of all religious/political world powers that have oppressed God’s people throughout history.

• Egypt

• Assyria

• Babylon

• Medo Persia

• Greece

• Rome

• Medieval Church

This Beast, having the character and agenda of the Dragon (Satan) has always been active through one of its heads.

The head that received the mortal wound represents the Catholic Church. A study of history reveals that the Institutional Church of the Middle Ages enforced a system of belief that distorted the truth of God, sought to claim the prerogatives of God and created a priesthood that replaced the atoning ministry of Jesus to further its own political and religious agenda.