Here we are introduced to two people. One a gentile, one a Jew.
There are 33 different titles in the Old Testament and 13 in the New referring to these two people.
The first ten verses deal with “the beast”.
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 word “beast” here in the Greek is “theiron” meaning a wild animal, or a brutal ferocious savage. This beast is seen as coming out of the sea. In Old Testament prophecy the word ‘sea’ is used as meaning the nations, the heathen or the gentile world. This is why it is thought that this first beast will be from Gentile origins.
We also have here the “seven heads and ten horns”. Note that the crowns are on the horns not the heads.
These terms run through the scripture, one of the best places to look at this is Daniel 7. Dan 2 & 7 are where all the Gentile history is led out before us. Daniel sees 4 beasts rise up, each referring to a world empire, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. The fourth beast is the one that interests us here. It goes in two phases. Phase 1 is the ancient Roman Empire that broke into pieces, that will be reassembled and has started to be reassembled in the last 40 years.
Looking at verse 8 we see another little horn coming up from within the other 10 horns. This refers to the “beast”.
Verse 15 on the vision of Daniel is interpreted for us.
In verse 19 Daniel only asks questions about the fourth beast. In verse 21 the word “saints” refers to the end time saints, those saved through the tribulation.
Verse 2
“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.”
Notice that these 3 animals were the animals used by Daniel for the first three beasts. The order of them reversed, because Daniel was looking forwards in time whereas John is looking back.
The dragon gives him his power, who is the dragon - Satan. He is going to be immensely powerful.
Verse 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.”
Here we come to his head wound. We will see where he is killed and brought to life again. The question will be, is he really killed. But this head wound is so important that it is used 3 times in this chapter alone. It becomes a major part of his identity.
Verse 4
“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?”
Remember the beast came from (Rev 11:7). The bottomless pit.
Verse 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.”
42 months = 3 ½ years.
Verse 6
“And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”
Here we see a reference to the height of his blasphemy, when he enters the Holy of Holies and sacrifices in there.
Verse 7
“And it was given unto him to make was with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
He will rule the world and will win his war with the saints. Here was have a verse where people say that the Bible contradicts itself. In Matt 16:18 Jesus says that hell will not prevail over the church. But, if we believe that the church is in Heaven then we have no problem, there is a distinction between the Church and the end-time saints.
Verse 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.”
The distinction gets very clear, people are not going to worship different ‘gods’ or say they don’t believe in God, they are either going to worship God, or the beast, no other alternative, everyone on the earth will worship one of the other.
Verse 9 - 10
“If any man have an ear, let him hear.”
“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.”
Reminds us of chapter 2 & 3. We all have ears, the warning is to us all, we cannot say that we didn’t know.
Verse 11
“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.”
Here we have the second beast. The horns are authority.
We will see later that this particular beast is referred to as the false prophet.
Verse 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 makes clear that we are looking at a different person. The first person is mainly identified by commentators as a major global political ruler, the second person as like his John the Baptist. He will promote him in a religious way.
Also remember that Satan is behind them both, and his ambition is to be like God, taking this and Satan’s ‘Messiah’ and then his ‘Holy Spirit’ we have the Satanic Trinity.
Verse 13
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”
He has supernatural power as well, it looks as if he is copying the two witnesses.
Verse 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 I live.”
He will lead the world into idol worship of the first beast (the world political leader)
His wound becomes a definite identity.
Verse 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.”
This is one of the reasons that many people see Daniel 3 as preview of end times.
We see a gold image of the kind, probably in reference to his dream, which all had to worship, but 3 didn’t. They were thrown into the furnace.
They were accompanied by Jesus and no harm came on them.
So in this chapter Nebuchadnezzar is in the role of the world leader, he worship under penalty of death, we see first being used, the 3 young men are preserved through the fire, like 144,000 in Revelation.
BUT the question is - Where was Daniel?
If he had been around he would have been involved as well, because he would not have worshipped the image either. Daniel was senior in the King’s government at this time and was probably away on a matter of state. It was probably Daniel’s absence that give the others the opportunity to get the King to bring this law in.
If Nebuchadnezzar is an example of the anti-christ and the 3 men of those preserved through the tribulation that Daniel could represent the church which is absent from this whole situation?
Verse 16
“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:”
The mark here is like a ‘brand’ or a ‘seal’ which is Lev 19:28 is strictly prohibited.
Verse 17 - 18
“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.”
“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.”
Today this sort of technology is possible.
But notice here that is it HIS number that is referred to, not any number of your own.
We will see that if you take this mark upon you, you will not be able to be saved!
The number 666 has been studied in many different ways. Remember the number 6 is the number of man.
If we look at the number 666 in Greek we will see that the first letter is the first letter of Christ’s name, also the last letter is the last letter of Christ’s name, with a serpent in between. ΧξϚ
No-one really knows (yet) what exactly this number 666 means, or refers to.
It is not so much a number that people will take on them, but a symbol of his name to show their worship and allegiance to him.
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