Revelation, Part 22 Series

Revelation Part 22

Revelation 13:1-8

Introduction

Today begins the study of the Book of Revelation, Chapter 13. In this chapter we will examine the beast, the anti-Christ, the false prophet, and of course the relevance of the number 666. Chapter 13 should take us two messages to get through, and the importance of this sermon is vital to your survivability as a Christian. God needs you to understand these next two messages.

They are the explanation of the clear and present danger that we face as Christians, and without this knowledge I tell you today that you are living in a world of denial. Understanding the purpose of Satan is mandatory comprehension to ANY Christian.

Pray

Point 1 – The Beast (v1-2)

We have covered that Satan appeared on the Earth and wanted to attack the woman (Israel), so I am not going to go in depth on that again.

In Daniel and Revelation the Beast seen by both Daniel and John are portraits of the last Human government before the return of the Messiah. WHEN Christ returns the Beast of Daniel and Revelation will be the dominant force on the Earth.

The beast mentioned in Daniel will be the revived Roman Empire, and Daniel covers this completely in Daniel Chapters 9, 7 and even in Chapter 2.

Because Daniel is seeing this beast come from the sea, this sea is figuratively referred to here and it is the Sea of humanity. Note that the anti-Christ will be a man.

The 10 crowns represent the 10 Kingdoms which make up the initial kingdom to be established by the anti-Christ – his authority over the Earth is supreme, and there is no where to hide from him and his minions seeking to do his bidding. Get this – Satan has absolute power from God.

However, in his own show of defiance, he places a blasphemous name on him. This name will signify his defiance to God, and those who follow him will have the same defiance. Rather than creation worshiping God, he will demand worship – this is blasphemy!

Biblical references for animals: The Lion represented, Babylon; The Bear, Persia; The Leopard, Greece; The Beast, Rome. If you combined all of these images, you would have one pretty ferocious beast on your hands.

The kingdom of Antichrist will be a world kingdom with a world capital. This means that all control will be had by Satan, and through him all things will be said, done, bought, and sold on this Earth. Those living on the Earth during this time will have one option, and is to worship Satan (follow his rules, etc.) or be destroyed.

Point 2 – The Man (v3)

This is the anti-Christ’s entrance onto the world: John says, “I saw one of his heads …” The heads represent the succession of kingdoms throughout history opposed to God’s redemption through Israel’s Messiah. This Seventh head represents a “Revived Roman” kingdom, which has recovered from its mortal wound. This head, the “Roman Head” is lead by the Antichrist, who is Satan himself. John like Daniel focuses on the Beast’s appearance and notices one of the 7 heads. Daniel notices one horn among the 10 and describes its appearance and actions.

"I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:8

Sometime during his reign, the Beast is somehow mortally wounded, and from Rev 17:8 we know he dies or appears to die, went into Hell and ascended out of Hell. The Beast is a satanic counterfeit of Christ resurrection. The death of the Beast corresponds with the fall of Satan from Heaven. At the death of the Beast, Satan was able to indwell the body begin to rule the world thru the Antichrist.

The mortal wound becomes the focus of worship during the last half of the tribulation. (Read Rev 13:12)

Because the beast resurrected himself, the entire world marveled at who he is! The mysterious death of this world leader and his resurrection will give credibility to the next phase of Satan’s plan. The world turns to the Beast not only as a political leader but also as “god on earth”. Satan’s pride was his undoing, in Heaven he sought to be god; he will seek to be god on earth too.

Summary – The anti-Christ is a man; brought from the Roman Empire; who dies and is resurrected by Satan’s power. If you are left behind and you are hearing or reading this, these are the things to watch for.

Point 3 - The Religion of the Beast (v4-8)