REV. # 43~13:1 THE REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE 2-20-10
Today we’re in the 13th chapter of the Revelation, “13” is the number of depravity and wickedness, for instance, in chapter 13: of John we are told about Judas Iscariot, the name Judas Iscariot ” has 13 letters in it, listen as I read John 13:26** which is two times 13.
Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
Ø And we find the Satanic trinity in
Revelation 16:13 **And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.-vs.13
This trio of wickedness will be set on deceiving and destroying the earth dwellers. In Revelation 13: we find two sections, and each section describes a beast.
Verses 1-10 tells us about the Beast “out of the sea.” This Beast represents “the kingdom as well as civil and military power; we believe the beast in verse 1 is telling about the revived Roman Empire and then 2-10 about the Antichrist who will head up this Empire.
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Ø Have you ever wondered why God allows such evil to exit?
John’s vision of a beast rising up out of the sea (Rev. 13:1) and causing great havoc in the world does not explain why there is evil, but through this we can be encouraged as we see the evils of the world happen only by “permission” and the evil that does happen have limits imposed on it by God.
Notice: in verse 5 the beast, that is, the Antichrist “was given **authority to continue for forty-two months”
God allowed him to do so, but notice its not forever, it’s for the last half of the Tribulation period.
Today, as we watch televised reports of death and disaster around the world, and as we experience pain and suffering in our own families and among our neighbors, let us remember, its not going to last. God has placed limits on evil.
---------------------So let me say again, why does God allow such evil to exit?
Let me remind us all, that God said in Rom. 6:23 that the wages of sin is death.
Remember that the parents of us all, Adam and Eve, we’re warned not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest they die. –GEN.2:16—3:1-6
We all know the story, they disobeyed God, and the sin nature was then handed down to the entire human race, you may say, but brother Brown, I couldn’t help what Adam and Eve did, that wasn’t my fault.
No it was not our fault but let me ask you a question, “have you ever committed a sin, just one”?
And we all have, then Rom. 6:23 the wages of sin is death, applies.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Adam and Eve don’t cause us to sin, listen dear heart, we don’t sin because we’re sinners, we’re sinners because we sin.
But as we’re learning here in our study of the Revelation that God has a Master Plan, as we’ll see toward the end of our study that God does away with the devil, the antichrist, the false prophet, and all sin and also stubborn rebellious sinners that refuse to repent.
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Verses 11-18 tells us about the 2nd beast, and he is comes up from “out of the earth.” We believe this 2nd beast is the False Prophet. He will head up the one world religion once the True Church has left; he will direct all people to worship the 1st beast, the Antichrist.
Both Beasts are instruments of the Dragon, which is the Devil. They’re called “beast” because their so evil and cruel.
Ø Listen as I read verses 1-3 of Revelation 13:
1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
I want to point something out right here, in putting these studies together I read behind a lot different people to see what they say about the verses at hand, and almost every one that I read behind to do with verse 1 say that a better translation of who it is standing “upon the sand of the sea” would be, “he” in stead of “I” stood upon the sand of the sea” most say that it was Satan because that Satan was cast out of heaven in chapter 12: down to the earth, and it does make some sense.
But listen:
John was caught up in the spirit in Revelation 4:1-2 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven,---
So I believe John is in the spirit here in our text Rev.13:1 as well.
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea”
--Strongs concordance says {I} and {he} are two different Greek words and meanings,--
{I} The word is [his´-tay-mee}
and {he} the word is [ec-ho}
I Personally believe its John just like it says, especially in light of what verses 2 & 3 says, listen as I read them again.
2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard ,---***
3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; ***
And so I personally believe that the {I} in verse 1 is the same as the {I} in verses 2 & 3, and so I’m going to leave it be. I believe it’s dangerous to knowingly change it.
Rev.22:18-19 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. ----- To me, It wouldn’t even make sense if it was telling about any one other that John.
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Ø Let me read verse I again and try and make a few comments;
1And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
--- the sand of the sea-- Sand of the sea” is a phrase associated with the growth and population of the Earth.
-out of the sea- the sea represents multitudes of nations in tumult and unrest
Revelation 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
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In prophecy it’s sometimes hard to determine when a passage is speaking about the king or the kingdom since the kingdom is typical of the king from whom it gets its character.
Here in our country we often speak of the administration in power by the name of the President, presently it’s the Obama administration.
And so a passage may refer to the king in one verse and the kingdom in the next, or vice versa. Verses 1 and 2 look more at the kingdom, the empire;
Verse 3 includes both the king and kingdom, and verses 4 and the following verses refer more to the individual, the Devil controlled or possessed dictator, the antichrist.
And so “the beast” here in these verses may refer to the end time kingdom, the empire, or to the dictator or both.
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The “ten horns” figuratively speaking are ten future kings who will rule over ten nations.
17:12 - And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,--
Ø The “seven heads” are seven historic Gentile kingdoms, which are represented by seven kings or rulers.
These nations refer to the major world empires up to the time of Rome and which also were connected with the nation of Israel and her enslavements. –Listen to the names of the seven previous world empires.
These were:
(1) Egypt: This was the first great world empire and the cause of Israel’s enslavement before entrance into the land of Palestine.
(2) Assyria: Historically this was the next great empire, which took the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity in 722 B.C. –the 10 northern tribes.
(3) Babylon or the Chaldean empire: This is where Daniel’s prophecies begin and where we have the captivity of Judah, the southern kingdom. –The other 2 tribes, Judah and Benjamin.
In Daniel’s prophecies he don’t list the three preceding Gentile powers because his prophecies look forward only from his time in history to the final Gentile power and the return of the Lord.
But Rev.13: and 17, notice their in the N.T. both chapters look back to the seven heads, and also forward as well to the 10 kings, lets understand that in Daniels prophecy, Daniel looks ahead, and Johns prophecy he is looking back and ahead, the past world empires as well as the 10 kingdoms to come, as he tells about: the “7 heads” and the 10 kings to come.
(4) Medo-Persia: with Persia being dominate, This Gentile power followed Babylon and was the kingdom under which a remnant of Israel were allowed to return to the land of Palestine from which they were taken from, to go back and rebuild the city and the temple ( Ezra and Nehemiah both tell of it.
(5) Greece: This was the kingdom of Alexander the Great as he was referred to and his successors who likewise ruled over the land of Palestine.
(6) Rome: The Roman Empire of New Testament times was the empire of the emperors who reigned from before Christ: Augustus (30 B.C. - A.D. 14), to Domitian who was emperor when Revelation was written (A.D. 81-96), and afterwards.
During this time, Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews dispersed worldwide (A.D. 70 - A.D. 135).
These 7 Gentile powers or nations find their culmination in the Beast.
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Later the Roman Empire divided into the eastern and western divisions (they are the two legs of iron in the image in Daniel chapter 2: and when the Roman Empire finally fell, it became fragmented into many nations.—as it is to day.
(7) What about the seventh head?
Rev.17:10-11 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh,** he must continue a short space. –7 year tribulation--
1. Julius Caesar—assassinated
2. Tiberius—poisoned or smothered
3. Caligula—assassinated
4. Claudius—poisoned
5. Nero—committed suicide
“The one is” refers to Domitian who was living in John’s day, who was also assassinated.
“The other is not yet come” refers to the Antichrist.
17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,
He is an eighth head in this seven, yet he is one of the seven since he restores the last form of government to Rome
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Rome is known as the city of seven hills, but the hills of Rome are not mountains.
Ø The term mountain is commonly used in Scripture as an image of a kingdom.
Isa 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
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Lets remember there in verse 1 that the “ten horns” look at the future history of the Beast kingdom while the seven heads look at the past history.
The “ten crowns” are symbols of governmental authority.
The CROWNS are placed on the horns, which is to come, rather than on the heads of the Beast, which is past Empires, to show that his claim to authority to rule.
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The “name of blasphemy” reflects the Beast’s opposition to God.
The Beast is the Antichrist, who is the head of a future empire.
