Revelation 13

A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
EDGEMONT BIBLE CHURCH
FALL 2009- SPRING 2010
MARCH 03,2010
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET - Part 8
REVELATION CHAPTER 13:1-18
THE SEVENTH SEAL

IX. THE SEVENTH SEAL IS OPENED (Continued from previous week)
J. The Seventh Trumpet sounds - Two beasts on earth with Tribulation powers
(Continued from previous weeks)
1. Standing on the sea shore
a. The vision is clearly back to earth again
* Textual clarity is needed here. Who is it that is standing on the sands of the sea? NKJV says "I" meaning John. Some other texts read "he" most likely referring to the dragon. It makes sense that it is most likely the dragon that is in view here.
b. He is summoning up the beast out of the sea. The statement
probably belongs at the end of the previous chapter as its last verse.
2. The beast comes out of the sea.
a. The sea must be identified with the abyss for Rev 11:7 and 17:8 identify this beast as coming out of the abyss or bottomless pit. Since the abyss had been the dwelling of other demons, it is logical to assume this beast is a demon as well. He must be a powerful demon, as it appears he has been the power behind the 7 empires that have persecuted Israel. He is an identical image of Satan. He looks to be coming out of the abyss corresponding to Satan's fall from heaven about mid-Tribulation. He has 3 1/2 years or 42 months of a reign of terror during the last half of the Tribulation. He will inhabit and empower the Antichrist (see below, "CONJECTURE")
b. The description of this beast matches that of the 4 beasts in Daniel 7with some added detail. These beasts pictured the Babylonian empire (lion), The Medo-Persian empire (bear), the Grecian empire (leopard) and the Roman empire (a dreadful, terrible and powerful indescribable beast) with ten horns.
c. This beast has 7 heads and 10 horns matching the description of the dragon in 12:3. The seven heads correspond to the kingdoms that have enslaved or persecuted Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and now this last one. This does not imply that other earthly kingdoms did or do not exist but that these kingdoms had a relationship to His covenant people, Israel. Other kingdoms such as the mean, Mayan, Chinese and etc., may all have been powerful and expansive but their relationship with Israel seems to have been nil. The Bible's emphasis is placed on Israel, His covenanted people, their existence, their future, the future of the gentile nations as it is tied with theirs and the devil's hatred of them.
d. This is the last gentile, earthly kingdom before the final earthly kingdom, the one in which Jesus is king, is established. It is a combination of all previous kingdoms, most likely coming geographically and perhaps ethnically from the old Roman empire.
e. This beast is both a nation or kingdom and a person at the same time. Identities of nations are often tied up with a prominent leader even today. Egypt is tied to Pharaoh, Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, Greece with Alexander the Great, Rome with Julius Caesar etc. Barak Obama speaks for and is the United States in the eyes of many of the world just as it had been with all other previous presidents. So as this beast is spoken of it is both as a kingdom and as its king.
f. He is fully empowered by the dragon in his authority, power, and throne. The devil, who has all earthly kingdoms in his control, puts all the power he intends to share with a mortal, in this last empire and its king. The dragon, of course, is Satan.
g. One of the beast's head is described as having had a mortal wound which miraculously seems to have been healed!
* Since the heads have referred to empires or kingdoms in
the past, is this referring to a kingdom or empire which had been "mortally wounded"? It would be consistent with biblical hermeneutics to keep the symbols the same.
* Since an empire being mortally wounded may be a hard concept to grasp, could this by referring to the king or head over some nation or empire who was wounded mortally in the head?
CONJECTURE: Is it possible that the human anti-christ
who had made the covenant with Israel for a 7 year time of peace is human for his first 3 1/2 years, is assassinated about that time with a head wound and is resurrected by the beast out of the sea? It is the beast out of the sea who takes over his place for the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation then known as the Great Tribulation. This makes sense of Rev 17:11 where he is said to be the eighth who is of the seven.
* Whichever it is, the head wound which killed him is healed and some sort of resurrection has followed, giving rise to another false perception of a Christ. It looks to be an imitation of Jesus' death and resurrection in order to bedazzle the world into believing he is the messiah.
* Whether this is a genuine resurrection allowed by God as a great delusion (2 Th 2:11,12); or it is a lying wonder, a fake or fraud (2 Th 2:9,10) it is enough to fool the whole world into amazed following of him.
h. His first act as the Antichrist/beast is to murder the two witnesses Rev 11:7. He then begins to exalt and magnify himself
3. Satan, the dragon, has given the beast its power and the world knows it. They worship the dragon who has given the beast the power
4. The beast is granted authority and his arrogance, since he can go unchecked, extends now to his mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. He blasphemes God, His Name, His tabernacle and those who dwell in Heaven.
a. He is given authority to do his blasphemous work for 42 months, the last half of the Tribulation or the period known as the Great Tribulation.
b. He is given authority to make war against the saints and to overcome them. Notice: this will be the Gentile saints since believing (elect) Israel has been protected by God.
c. Additionally this authority extends over every tribe, tongue and nation. His is a world-wide empire and kingdom.
5. The worship of him is also world-wide among those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
6. A solemn, bone-chilling warning is given to anyone with an ear to hear:
Re 13:10 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. (NKJV)

7. The beast out of the earth
a. This is probably some sort of chained demon now released from an earth-bound prison, as he is called "another" (Greek meaning another of the same kind) beast.
b. He is described as much more subtle than the first. He has horns like a lamb but a voice like a dragon. Not much other physical description is given of him
c. When he is in the presence of the first beast he has the same authority as the first beast.
d. He causes the whole earth to worship the first beast
e. He has power to perform miraculous signs and wonders including bringing fire down from heaven
f. He uses these signs to deceive the world (of unbelievers) and to make an image of the first beast and worship it
g. He gives breath to the image to make it speak and kill those who do not worship the image of the beast.
h. He is the one who uses the scheme of a mark of the beast or the use of his name to ensure proper economic distribution of all necessities of life to those with the mark and no other
i. Here is a mystery given to us:
Re 13:18 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 six hundred and sixty-six.(NKJV)

AS A SIDE NOTE: The devil is always about the business of deceiving and creating the false so that he may be "like the Most High!" With the coming of this last beast the unholy trinity is complete: The Devil, is counterpart of the Son; and the last beast is the counterpart of the Holy Spirit.