Verse 1 And 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 sea being referenced here would have been the Mediterranean Sea. A beast in Scripture is metaphor or representative of an earthly governmental system. The number seven in Scripture is representative of divine perfection, but the number ten is representative of worldly government and/or control. It would appear that this worldly system is not of God but is masquerading as a Christian or, at the very least, a God ordained entity. Further reading supports this idea as there are ten horns or powers that are reigning as kings or as royalty. The whole system is blasphemous and anti God and therefore it is anti Christ.
Application: Remember that in chapter 12 a woman was introduced that was/is metaphor for both the Mosaic religious system put in place by God under the Old Covenant and for the Christian church put in place by God under the New Covenant. Historically, both the religious Jews and the Church have been scattered throughout the Earth and they exist together. The difference between them is huge. Jesus said the Jews served their father the Devil. The Church of Jesus Christ follows after Him. The Jews hate the Son of God, Jesus, and spit at the mention of His name. The Church worships and adores Jesus as He is God and is truth and is salvation for His people. The Jews exercise religious rituals and put their people in bondage. The true Church provides freedom in Jesus and should have no religious rituals, but it does exercise communion in remembrance of Jesus and His shed blood for the redemption of sins as commanded in Luke 22:19 and then reviewed in 1 Corinthians 11:24. The Jews have always had a governmental system not of God both in their own land and in the worldly governments of other nations. The true Church is spiritual with Jesus as their King, their High Priest, and their LORD and not desiring to control the peoples of the Earth through worldly legal and governmental systems. The Jews desire to have a one world government and to be in charge. The true Church desires to have the spiritual Kingdom of the LORD enlarged for the benefit of mankind. The Jews control the banking/financial systems of the world and money is their god. The true Church believes as stated in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” For the Church, money is a tool to be used for the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind. More could be said, but the point here is that the beast above has the appearance of godliness but it is not what it seems. As such, many people have concluded that the Catholic church fits the description above of this governmental system. Rome sits on seven hills, has spread throughout the world with its religious doctrines, serves the Devil as evidenced by its history of bloodshed and child abuse, teaches a different Jesus and elevates the Pope to godhood, has multiple religious rituals, has historically put its followers in bondage and not taught the truth of the Gospel, has the appearance of Christianity but none of the substance, has always been a governmental system controlling many nations of the world in its effort to be in charge of a one world system, has been a banking system, and has a close relationship to Judaism. On the other hand, Judaism is centered in what is today called Israel and Jerusalem sits on seven hills just like Rome. A careful study of both religions, Catholicism and Judaism, should demonstrate that they are basically the same blasphemous systems. So you decide. This writer believes that both Catholicism and all the false churches that have come out of her as well as Judaism make up part of this beast that the Apostle John is describing and that it is a composite of many things and should not be assigned to represent just one religious/governmental system. Again, you decide as you read on.
Verses 2-3 And 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. 3 And 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.
As the Apostle John describes this beast he is seeing it becomes clear that it is a composite of animals known to man. A leopard is known for its speed. A bear is known for its devouring appetite, strength and fearlessness. A lion is known as “the king of the jungle” and it is stealthy, strong and feared. All of these animals are meat eaters or carnivores and mankind has had a healthy fear and respect of them down through the centuries. Imagine if this vision of a beast system was composed of a rabbit, a deer and a horse. It would not put much fear into anyone. So the animals God chose to represent this governmental system are predators that kill, shed blood and rip their prey apart and devour them. Quite the picture of what earthly governments have done and are doing to their citizenry. But to understand the symbolism of the New Testament Scripture, it is necessary to understand the Old Testament. The following verses are from the book of Daniel, chapter seven.
Chapter 7:1-12 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. 5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. 6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. 10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. 12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Notice that the animals are in reverse order. Daniel reports a lion, a bear, and then a leopard whereas John reports a leopard, a bear and then a lion. The reason for this is that Daniel’s vision was in the future and he was looking forward. John’s vision is in the past and he is looking backward.
Notice that both visions have the critters coming up from the same Mediterranean Sea. Daniel was in Babylon and John was on the Isle of Patmos but both were familiar with the Mediterranean Sea. So this governmental system has its geographical origin from the lands around the Sea which includes Israel.
Until Jesus came to this Earth, there had always been a one world government starting with Egypt and then Assyria. After Assyria came Babylon, the nation that the prophet Daniel was taken captive to when Babylon conquered Assyria and Judah. The lion represents Babylon as it was at one time the strongest one world governing nation and it is from Babylon that the things of the Devil have come down to the present day. The bear represents Medo/Persia which was a bloody conquering nation. The leopard represents Greece because Alexander the Great managed to conquer Persia and establish the Grecian empire as a one world government by the time he was around 30 years old. As each nation was conquered, the attributes and culture of each nation was adopted by the winning nation. So much of the Egyptian architecture and beliefs can be seen in those of Assyria, Babylon and Greece. Likewise, each succeeding nation influenced the next. Today these influences can be seen not only in architecture and religion, but in languages, philosophy, art and so forth. It is a composite.
Notice that the Apostle John states that this beast was “like” a leopard with feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. Since Babylon, Medo/Persia and Greece had all been conquered by the Romans at the time of John’s writing of this book, this beast has to be the fourth beast of Daniels vision that had iron teeth and ten horns, Rome. Rome acquired a huge land mass and plodded along persistently with their military to become the greatest and longest reigning one world government. They mastered the manufacturing of iron weapons of mass destruction and had no problem destroying the military of Greece which used brass and softer metals for their weaponry. Rome fell over time in ten sections which represents the ten horns or seats of power. Rome was referred to as the Holy Roman Empire and has always had religious associations.
Notice that this beast is given authority by none other than the Devil. This is the system governing the world today. It is the Devil’s system and it is and will always be in opposition to God and to His people. It is composed of political, economical and religious systems passed down through the centuries from one nation to another and it has enslaved all the people of the Earth. However, this beast system received a wound and that was when the LORD Jesus Christ came to this fallen world and established His spiritual Kingdom and His Church which is and which will always be opposed to the Devil’s beast system of governance and religion. But the Devil’s power and rule continues on at this time. Again, to understand the head wound referenced above, the book of Genesis has to be consulted. When the Devil tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced judgement upon him. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15
Verses 4-5 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
To worship means to give the heart. People today worship all kinds of things. Some are worshiping devils unawares thinking that they are worshiping God. Some worship Hollywood, rock stars, sports figures, money, power and possessions. In the midst of all this misplaced worship, most people, if they are honest, will admit that they feel a certain hopelessness and helplessness at how their lives are being controlled by the forces of government and the legal system that protects these governments. They often fail to vote if that opportunity is given to them as they feel powerless. They feel they cannot win any battle against this system. This is what is being described in the verses above. This system runs concurrently with the Church for as long as the Church has a ministry here on Earth. The 42 months represents the 3 1/2 years of ministry of the LORD Jesus Christ, that ministry being delegated to the Church at the resurrection of Jesus and the Day of Pentecost as recorded in the book of Acts.
Application: Christian believers may not be able to fight the demonic system with the things of this world such as corrupt legal systems or by force, and unless directed by God, should not use the things of man. Believers have the power of the Holy Ghost/Spirit, the Word, prayer, truth, faith, righteousness, and salvation. The Devil and his fallen angels cannot stand against these weapons. The evil and wicked people serving the Devil and his beast systems cannot stand against these weapons as they are of God. Just learn to use them and watch and see what God will do. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” Ephesians 6:10-18
Verses 6-8 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Throughout this chapter, man-made doctrines such as that developed by Cyrus I. Scofield, have taught that these verses mean this beast is some kind of Antichrist (and capital A is used here to delegate a single person called by the Christian establishment churches the Antichrist) who assumes power on the Earth and ushers in 7 years of tribulation and who receives a wound of some kind but rises from the dead and does great miracles. This is false doctrine. This beast operates on Earth right along with the Church which has been going for over 2,000 years. It is simply not possible to ascribe a specific human being to this beast the Apostle John has recorded in these verses. It is a system of control, finance, religion and destruction. Since all human governments are ordained by man and not by God, it can be safely said that all the power structures in the nations of the Earth have at some time and are now blaspheming God Almighty. They do this in many ways, but particularly by disregarding the laws of God and putting in place legislation that restricts the rights of people and sets up a system that enslaves the average person. A quick survey of T.V. or Internet programs will display total irreverence as the names of God are used as swear words, often in the context of sexual and/or violent crimes. Comedic skits make fun of the LORD and of His Church. The Jewish rabbi and the Catholic priest are often the heroes of a program whereas the villain is some kind of demented Christian heretic. Anyone spending time viewing shows knows this is true. This demonic system has as its goal the attempted destruction of the things and people of God. This system and the people working in and for it blaspheme God as they are serving the Devil.
A quick look at history shows that this beast system has made war with the saints and continues to do so. True Christians have always been persecuted, starting with the Jewish persecution of the Apostolic Church as written about in the New Testament books and in such books as Foxes Book of Martyrs. There was the Crusades and the wars waged against Christians by the Turks. For over 50 years the Catholic church tortured and/or murdered Christians that disagreed with their doctrine or policies. More recently, Nazism and Communism have waged war with the people of God. Muslim beliefs do not allow for Christians to share their belief in Jesus, often ending with the murder of the Christian believer. China has constantly persecuted believers. China today murders many people for organ harvesting which is a very profitable business. Christians, along with other religious groups, are considered to be excellent sources for this as they usually do not abuse their bodies with drugs, alcohol, tobacco or poor diets. Their organs are in demand. If this seems outlandish to you the reader, you are simply not informed. Jesus said, “. . . in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” John 12:33 As described in verse 7 and 8 above, this beast system is in every country and all the people living in these countries that are not serving the LORD Jesus Christ are serving this system and have given their worship to it.
Application: Notice that the power over “all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” does not include the Christian believer. Demonic forces do not have power over those believers whose names are written “in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Demonic forces will attempt to oppress and attempt to destroy God’s chosen people, the Church, but they cannot have power over them unless the believer gives them an opening into his/her life. Disobeying the commandments of God, unrepentant sin, failure to pray or read the Word are just some of the ways a believer can allow demonic activity into his/her daily life. But as soon as the believer takes charge of his/her spiritual walk, the demonic activity is of no affect. So it is absolutely imperative for the Christian believer to walk in the Spirit and stay close to the LORD.
Verses 9-10 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
The Greek word translated as “leadeth” is “sunago” and it means to gather together, to draw together much like fish when caught in a net, or to assemble. This verse is a warning to those that would assemble or gather others for captivity or that would kill others as God promises that they will also go into captivity or be killed. As a result of this warning to unbelievers and this promise that they will not go unscathed for their anti God behavior, the saints can be comforted. If they are patient and have faith, the saints will see God keep His promise to give these wicked people the same treatment they give to Christian believers. God will repay. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19
Verses 11-12 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
This beast is not described as a composite of the one world governments/nations that have ruled in the past. This beast also comes up out of the earth and not out of the sea. The picture here is a system that appears to be gentle or benign like a lamb, one of the meekest and sweetest critters on the Earth. No one runs away in fear from a little lamb. But this beast has the attributes of a dragon. The Greek word translated here as “dragon” is “drakon” and as stated before, this means a great serpent and is a name for Satan. Since the geographical one world governments Satan controlled have all disappeared into history, it appears that Satan and his followers have set in place a worldwide system patterned after Rome – legal and religious system – but one that does not have specific geographical borders. Today that system of control is often referred to as “the deep state” or “the shadow government” or “the Illuminati”, etc. The people running this system on behalf of Satan have no allegiance to any country or to any people group. Their goal is to reduce human population down to a manageable size, to enslave all but the elite, to amass all the wealth of the world into their hands, and to rid themselves of God and of His people. They believe they are gods and that they have the right to rule over the “ordinary” people or, as Hilary Clinton put it, the “deplorable”. This earthy system of government includes everything that takes away the God given rights of humankind. It is the legal/judicial system, the banking system, the educational system, the communication/entertainment system, the corporate system, the healthcare system, the military and policing system, the agricultural system, every governmental system, and the religious system. A serious look at all the illegal agencies and illegal laws and statutes should clearly demonstrate this fact. Human beings are nothing more than slaves to the current Satanic system that the Apostle John saw come out of the Earth. Don’t get too depressed. The LORD Jesus Christ will return and end all this nonsense and this writer believes that His coming will be sooner than is thought.
Application: Do people worship Satan? Just look around you. What is coming out of Hollywood or the print media? What kind of lyrics can be found in modern music? Witchcraft abounds and practicing Satanist are common place in many big cities. The mainstream organized evangelical establishment churches often cannot be distinguished from those of the occult due to their teachings and practices which are contrary to the Word of God. Yes, the world is busy worshiping Satan, and often people are not even aware that they are doing so. Pope Francis, in his midnight mass a few days ago, spoke about the “littleness of Jesus”. He said, “This is the message: God does not rise up in grandeur, but lowers Himself into littleness. Littleness is the path that He chose to draw near to us, to touch our hearts, to save us and to bring us back to what really matters.” Since millions of Catholics believe incorrectly that the Pope is acting in the place of Jesus here on Earth and that every word he speaks is coming from the mouth of God, can you, the reader see the blasphemy and deception here? The Creator and God of this universe, the LORD Jesus Christ, is not and has never been viewed in “littleness”. His power is awesome, His wisdom is perfect, His divinity is unquestionable, and His love is unparalleled. He is the force that holds everything together and He holds the breath of every living being, including Pope Francis, and of every critter in His hands. His majesty and “grandeur” can be seen every day in His creation, and ascribing “littleness” to Him is an insult. This papal message is from Satan and is just one of his demonic means to confuse people and to make the one true God, Jesus Christ, into a being He is not in the minds of those who hear these words. Another example of people worshiping Satan is highlighted in a Fox news report titled, “Satanic display inside Illinois Statehouse days before Christmas draws protestors”. The Satanic Temple of Illinois was permitted to display right next to a Christian nativity scene their idea of a nativity display which featured a baby version of Baphomet, the Satanic goat like deity after which the streets of Washington DC are patterned. The Satanic worshipers were reported to be chanting, “Hail Satan”. Hmm.
Verses 13-15 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Satan mimics Almighty God as much as he is able to. Can Satan heal? Yep, he can to a degree. Ask any missionary who has spent time in a third world country and they will tell you that village witch doctors or shamans get results from their rituals and words. The difference is that often these healings usually do not last, and the afflicted person is worse off when the symptoms return than they were before visiting their healer. Can Satan predict the future. Yep, he can to a degree because his human practitioners (tarot card readers, palm readers, crystal ball readers, etc.) speak a prediction to the person paying them for the reading and evil spirits hear the words spoken and then make sure the predicted events happen. So can Satan and his fallen angels cause events to ocurr in the lives of individuals? Yep, they can, so believers need to be careful what they say. Can Satan or devils know what a person is thinking? No, they can’t. They can only interpret what a person might be thinking by body language and by the spoken word. That is why Christian believers are commanded not to grumble, to give thanks in all things always, and to be joyful. Any expression of dissatisfaction, doubt, or fear can become ammunition for demonic oppression. This writer was bothered for a time to the point that driving became impossible. It was only after realizing that the events occurring on the road were because of admitting out loud a fear which evil spirits used to made sure this writer encountered a very negative experience every time the car left the driveway, that the events were stopped and life got back to normal. A joking statement made to a friend that this writer would probably die of a heart attack lead to a night time event of severe chest pain and inability to breath to the point that it was not possible to reach a phone to call for help. The Holy Ghost/Spirit let this writer know that all was well. After rebuking the evil spirit, the chest pain vanished and this writer went back to sleep. Yes, Satan and his devils can bother believers if given an opening to do so. Words count and they are powerful.
With the advent of technology and such things as CGI (computer generated imaging), Satan and his fallen angels through their human servants can use this technology to create appearances of miracles. Weather manipulation technology has been going on for decades and fire can come out of the sky with laser and other devices or weapons such as DEWs (direct energy weapons). Seeing is no longer believing as it is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is real and what is not. AI (artificial intelligence) and robotics further provide tools for demonic manipulation. Computer directed robots do not care about people or things and therefore make the perfect instruments for destruction of both people and property.
Application: People today are so caught up with technology that they can have emotional and mental melt downs if their devices malfunction. They have given their time, their attention and their souls to technology. In other words, they are worshiping AI and all that goes with it. More could be said, but the inventions that have come to be part of most people’s life make it easier to worship Satan and to be manipulated by evil influences so that Satan’s power becomes greater in the lives of those who do not know the LORD Jesus Christ. While the Church is waiting for and believing that a great spiritual revival or awakening will ocurr, less and less people believe in the existence of God and more and more people seek out alternative religions, drugs, alcohol, and other addictions as a way to sooth their troubled minds and emotions. The current beast system encourages and rewards anti Christ beliefs and actions. There should be no doubt that these are the last of the last days prophesied in Scripture.
Verses 16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13)
Much has been said about this mark, referred to as “the mark of the beast”. Most of it is not supportable by Scripture. Again, one has to go back into the Old Testament books to understand what this mark really means. The priests had small, probably leather, pouches that they tied on their wrists and on their foreheads which contained Scripture. This was mostly for a show of piety. However, what God was asking was that people think about Him and obey Him. The forehead is metaphor for thinking and the right hand is metaphor for doing. The mark in the verses above simply means that this beast system of control influences people enough to make them comply with the system. They accept the system controls in their minds and their actions are in compliance with the system’s demands. This writer has been stating that the current Covid-19 jab (called a jab because it is not a vaccine) is the mark of the beast. Why? Because Covid-19 means Certificate of Vaccination Identification-Artificial Intelligence. Because Covid-19 has never been isolated in nature and therefore does not exist and a jab is therefore not necessary. Because Covid-19 is patented and therefore has to be man-made as natural things cannot be patented by law. Because it is worldwide and it is becoming required of all human beings. In many countries such as Israel, un-jabbed people are refused goods and services and required to be quarantined. If a person cannot leave their home to work and earn money, that person cannot buy or sell. In Australia, concentration camps have been built and police have gone door to door arresting and removing un-jabbed individuals. The pressure is so great to accept this foreign, experimental substance into the body that people have lined up to get the jab without any understanding of what they are doing to themselves. Since the patent number on this jab is 060606, it seems pretty clear that this medical procedure that is done without informed consent and without justification is indeed the long awaited mark of the beast. You decide. Regardless, remember that the goal of Satan is to kill and destroy God’s creation and His people, so as time marches on, the effect of this jab will be clearly seen. Those who know the Word of God and who obey it will be protected.