.- The “beast that ascends from the abyss” (Revelation 11:7) is the Antichrist who institutes the economic, political and religious structures designed to control the people of the world. Note that the “beasts and the dragon” in Revelation 13 are different from the “four beasts” that appear in Revelation 17 and following.
The dragon stood at the edge of the sea. And I saw a beast come out of the sea
Revelation 13:1
Juan has a nightmare vision of a dragon and a beast. The beast comes out of the sea and receives power from the dragon. The beast is the Antichrist. The dragon is Satan. The sea is most likely a symbol of the evil that surrounds the Gentile nations in general.
Beast with ten horns and seven heads
“And I saw a beast rising from the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority”, (Revelation 13:1-2).
The prophet Daniel describes a coalition of ten nations coming together in the geographic area of the old Roman Empire. As prophesied in the book of Daniel, chapter 8, a little horn, the Antichrist, grows up and defeats three of the nations, leaving seven. The Antichrist now has the basis to capture Israel and bring great terror on the earth.
There is much discussion about the identity of the heads and the horns. Some believe that the book of Revelation is completely historical. They refer to the beast as the Roman Empire, concluding that the seven horns represent the seven Roman emperors: Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
Three more emperors followed and were crowned and killed over the next 18 months, bringing the total to 10 heads.
I personally believe that the seven heads and ten horns will be a coalition of nations rising to power to bring the earth under the control of Satan and his Antichrist minions. His crowns are a reflection of his attempt to be God. The chiefs speak blasphemies against the holy God.
A head of the beast receives a mortal wound and lives
“One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with amazement and followed the beast” (Revelation 13:3).
The Greek words mean “to slaughter with a knife.” This assassination will be as if the president of the United States (or another nation) had his throat slit and died. But then, during the funeral, he sits in the coffin and comes back to life.
This resurrection is Satan’s counterfeit of the resurrection of Christ.
conclusion
The following are some thoughts on Revelation 13 and the events of the End Times.
1. Make sure you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You don’t want to miss the Rapture when Jesus leads his people off the earth and into glory. You don’t want to be anywhere near when the angels pour out the vials of God’s wrath.
2. Beware, Christians alive during those days will be persecuted and the persecution will intensify. I recently had to vote against a bill that would allow the government to control how many Christians can gather at any one time. That’s just the beginning.
3. Do not sell your soul for the goods of the world. Today’s culture continually tempts us to sell ourselves at any price.
4. The cost of following in the coming days will be really high… but I must add that the cost of No following Jesus will be even greater.
Written by: Dr Roger Barrier, who retired as senior teaching pastor of Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. In addition to being an author and conference speaker, Roger has mentored and taught thousands of pastors, missionaries, and Christian leaders around the world.
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