Revelation 13: 1 – 18
Copy Cat
1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 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. 4 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?” 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 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. 8 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. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 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. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 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.
Wow! Here we go. This chapter is pack with goodies. You got the Antichrist, The False Prophet, The mark and image of the beast, and the number 666.
I have said this before and I will say this again. I have reviewed for years all the great teachers of the Bible and sadly no one really covers the book of Revelation. It was on my heart what our Lord Jesus Christ said two thousand years ago to us disciples of His. In the Gospel of John Chapter 15 we read this, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
I know that there are mysteries that our Precious Holy Spirit has kept from Prophets, yet when He says something I believe it is true. So, for us believers on this side of time we should know what our Great God Is up too. Would you agree?
I believe that from Scripture all the neat things that people are curious about is revealed. So, yes, through the Holy Word of God, you will find out exactly who the Antichrist and False Prophet will be, In fact you will also know their name along with the information on the mark and the number 666.
As Martin Luther once declared that he stands on ‘Scripture Alone’, so do I. I want to uncover the answers from God’s Word so you yourselves can see the answers. However, to do this it will take a few studies to complete. I do think it will be fun and interesting for you.
Satan was given the name Lucifer by our Holy Creator. He was given a high position in our Lord’s Holy habitation in Heaven. He was in charge of the worship. However, sin entered his heart due to pride. He wanted more. He wanted to be in the same category as El Shaddai – Almighty God. That was not going to happen. However, he has not ceased from attempting on his own to attain this position by copying everything our Great God accomplished. This all comes to a head in the book of Revelation.
Look with me at the book of Isaiah chapter 14 which teaches us this, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! 13For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. 16“Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ 18“All the kings of the nations, all of them, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house; 19But you are cast out of your grave like an abominable branch, like the garment of those who are slain, thrust through with a sword, who go down to the stones of the pit, like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20You will not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land and slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named. 21Prepare slaughter for his children because of the iniquity of their fathers, lest they rise up and possess the land, and fill the face of the world with cities.”
Our Great and Holy Creator Is One God. We know this from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 6, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one”. He Is A Blessed Holy Trinity of three Divine Holy Ones known to us as our Father [Yahweh], our Lord Jesus Christ [Yeshua], and our Precious Holy Spirit [Adoni Holy Ghost] being totally unified.
Satan will copy this Holy union by forming his own trinity as himself attempting to be like God The Father; the Antichrist as a copy of our Lord Jesus Christ; and The False Prophet as a copy of our Holy Spirit.
Our Holy Lord Jesus told us that this would happen as He taught. In Matthew chapter 24 we read, ““For false [Anti] Christ’s and False Prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
In today’s study we are going to see how Satan copies things our Great God has done. First of all we are going to see how he tries to copy the ministry of our Great Master and King, our Lord Jesus Christ and our Precious Holy Spirit, by inserting into the world his copy false Christ and false prophet.
The significance of water
Our Lord Jesus began His ministry after He Was baptized and He left the water. We read in the Gospel of Mark in chapter 1, “It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan”.
The Antichrist begins his evil work by also coming up out of the water, “And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea”
Dedication
As the True High Priest our Lord Jesus has on His head a crown of Holiness. The Blessed Holy Trinity Is One –Father, our Lord Jesus, and our Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus fulfilled all the prophecy relative to the promised Messiah, Prophet, and High Priest. He dedicated His life to the Father’s guidance and Is our Mediator as the One and True High Priest. In Exodus chapter 39 we read, “Then they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote on it an inscription like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
The Antichrist’s head band is “on his heads a blasphemous name.”
Messenger
Our Lord Jesus came to earth to do the Father’s Will teaching us the Great Truths of God. He Was God’s Spokesperson. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 9 we read, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.”
The Antichrist’s is Satan’s messenger. He is going to be talking a lot. “5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,”
Time
Our Lord Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 and ½ years [42 months]. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 3 we see the age of our Lord when He began and then He ministered until He died for us on the cross, “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli.
The Antichrist evil works last the same time – “and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”
Rewards
After having been baptized by John The Baptist our Lord began His ministry. His life was totally dedicated to do the Will of The Father. He came and told the world the message of God and was rejected by mankind. Our Lord Jesus after pouring out His Blood and giving His life for us arose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He sits in Honor, Power, and All Authority next to The Father. In the book of Revelation chapter 4, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.”
Satan and his followers want it all now. A famous quote fits here ‘Show me the money!’ Romans 6: 23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Authority
We read in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 28 this, “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
The Antichrist is given authority from Satan, “The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority”
Our Great and Awesome Blessed Trinity Are Totally united. Our Lord Jesus told His disciples and us that He would not leave us as orphans but send The Holy Spirit Who lives in us. This is what the book of John chapter 16 this harmony of each Holy Person in the Trinity, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
Like the antichrist the false prophet will also get his power and authority from Satan, 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence,
Death
Our Lord Jesus received a deadly wound at the cross and died. In the Gospel of Luke chapter 23, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.' ” Having said this, He breathed His last.
” The Antichrist appears to have a deadly wound “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded”
Resurrection
Our Lord Jesus Arose from the Dead. Matthew chapter 28 teaches us, “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” We know this as reflected in the book of Romans chapter 8, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, Who Is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Satan’s magic trick for the Antichrist is “ and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”
Worship
All the world will worship our Lord Jesus. In the book of Philippians chapter 2 we read “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.”
Satan wants the worship for himself and his evil partner, “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?”
War
Our Lord Jesus will lead a war against all those who reject Him as we will find out more in chapter 19 but here is a taste of what will happen, “11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
The Antichrist will wage war against God’s own, “7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them
Rule
Our Holy God Is The Only One Who rules for all eternity. He has not nor will not give up this ultimate Majesty. He Is Almighty God, there Is no other. He rules over the Heavens and the earth. He Is The Creator and Sustainer of all things. We read in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, “Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”
Satan will get control of all people left on the earth for a short time and rule over them, ‘And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Eternal Life
All of God’s people whose names have been written in the book of Life will worship Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High forever. We read in chapter 3 of Revelation, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Satan and his partner will receive worship from all those whose names are not written in the Book of Life for a short time. “8 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.
Starting in verse 11 we read about the False Prophet the third person of the unholy three some. Again we see the copy cat at work.
Deity
Our Holy El Shaddai, God Almighty has always existed. We read in the book of Isaiah chapter 43 verse 10 this, “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant Whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I Am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.
”In the book of Revelation chapter 1 our Master and King, Lord Jesus said of Himself, “I Am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “Who is and Who Was and Who Is to come, The Almighty.”
Satan is his weird way lists himself this way which we read in chapter 17, ““The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.”
Forgiveness of Sin
. Only God can forgive sins
Matthew 9, 1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city. 2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.” 3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, “This Man blasphemes!” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 7 And he arose and departed to his house.
One of Satan tools is great deceit. With his antichrists and false doctrines he leads human beings into believing that priests are given the right to forgive sins. This is Blasphemy.
A man claiming to be God
John 10 31 , Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
In the book of 2 Thessalonians The Antichrist will cause the abomination of desolation in outright demanding that people worship him as their god. “who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
This is Blasphemy
Appropriating God’s Glory for oneself
Only of Holy El Shadai, God Almighty, deserves all worship from all living things. Isaiah 42 “I AM the LORD, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.
For someone to bow down to an idol or another human being is sacrilegious. Satan, The Antichrist, and The False Prophet desire worship from mankind. We read in chapter 14, “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Now let’s look at how Satan will copy things our Precious Holy Spirit does.
Wisdom from Above or From Below
Our Adoni Holy Ghost teaches us through His Word. He continues to speak and guide us with God’s direction which comes from Heaven. In the Gospel of John chapter 3 we read, “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all”
The False Prophet will come from the earth and speak the things of the fallen earth, 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
Strength and Power
Our Holy God alone Is The Ruler over all things. Mankind has always wanted to break away from God. For all of us who have committed our lives to the Lord, He tells us that He will direct our paths in life. We need to place our entire trust in our Holy God. He has given us The Precious Holy Spirit to direct us in all things. We do not need to trust in our own abilities and strength. Unbelievers however do trust in their own talents to gain worldly things. In the book of Zechariah chapter 4 we read, So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.
The False Prophet comes from the earth and he will rely on strength and power as the ‘two horns’ represent. He comes in like a real nice guy but in reality he is a bully. - and he had two horns like a lamb
Worship
We are to worship our Holy God alone. These two scriptures really get to the right point. In the book of Exodus chapter 34 we see this truth, “(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God)”. In addition, I love this verse in the book of 1st Chronicles chapter 16, Give to the LORD the Glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness!”
Again Satan wants to be worshiped so his 2nd assistant causes all the earth to worship him. and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast
Truth and Deceit
Our Holy Spirit Is Truth. Everything He says and does is true and right. In the Gospel of John we read in chapter 14, “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
The methods which Satan, his antichrist, and the false prophet use is deception. Remember our Lord Jesus warned as reflected in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24 that we should not be deceived. The false prophet will be an imitation Elijah. He will use deception to trick the people of the earth. As Elijah called down fire from heaven so will the false prophet appear to call down fire from heaven, 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast,
Image
We are made in God’s image. All Three members of the Blessed Holy Trinity were at work in creation. We read this beautiful statement from El Shaddai, God Almighty, Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Satan likes the fact that unbelievers love his image. In the book of Jeremiah chapter, 10 we read, Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; every metal smith is put to shame by an image; for his molded image is falsehood,
and there is no breath in them. So, in his trickery Satan’s representative will make an image of the dragon and make it look like it is alive, 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak
Life
Job understood the life giving power of The Holy Spirit when he said, The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of The Almighty gives me life.
There is no one who can give life but God alone. Do you remember back in Exodus when Pharaoh’s magicians were duplicating what miracles Moses was doing? That was until the creation of life as these unbelievers even testified, “16 So the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod, and strike the dust of the land, so that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ” 17 And they did so. For Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast. All the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt 18 Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So there were lice on man and beast. 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.
With his magic tricks the False Prophet will make the image of the beast appear to come to life, 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak
To take away life
When I was growing up my dad in anger said to me “I gave you life and I can take it away.’ I think about the time in the book of Acts chapter 4 as our Lord’s church was beginning that a couple came in and tried to deceive the leadership. Look at what happened. “1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. 2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” 5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. 6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. 7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
If people will not worship the image of the beast the False Prophet will kill all who refuse. and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Seal verses Mark
We will cover more of this in another study but for now please note that our Holy God seals all that belong to Him with The Precious Holy Spirit. In the book of 2 Timothy chapter 2, Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Satan’s version is to mark all that remain faithful to him, 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast
