Only God can make a prophecy. We don’t know the future but God does. See Isaiah 46:9-10. Few could have foreseen that men would fly in planes; the telephone would be used to communicate throughout the world and the information highway of computers and the Internet. The Devil does not know the future. If he did he wouldn’t have tried to overthrow God!

1 – The social agitation that delivers the Beast (vs. 1)

This beast comes out of the sea. The sea represents evil and wicked people. See Isaiah 17:20-21 & Revelation 17:15. There is a sea of social agitation as the people of this world are troubled. Out of this sea comes the Beast. The world will be looking for a new “Caesar”.

2 – The satanic attributes that describe this Beast (vs. 1-2)

Notice three things:-

• His father (vs. 1) – Revelation 12:9. Satan is the father of this Beast. Notice the similarity in the crowns. See Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 12:3. He has the attributes of his father. See 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Jesus could say when He was on earth that those who had seen him had seen the Father. When the Devil enters into the Antichrist then the Antichrist will be able to say the same thing.
• His family (vs. 2) – Lion, bear and leopard. See Daniel 7:4-8. Babylon is described as a lion. The bear is the Persian Empire. The leopard is the Greek empire. These ancient civilisations are fore-runners for the last great kingdom. This world empire belongs to the Antichrist. It will have the combination of strengths found in the previous empires.
• His fortune (vs. 2) – This man will receive from Satan power, a throne and authority. Satan had offered it to Jesus but he was refused. See Matthew 4:8-11. Jesus did not dispute Satan’s right to give it to Him. This Antichrist will take up this offer. He will be diabolically wicked.

3 – The seductive appeal that disguises the Beast (vs. 3-4)

He will have wide-world appeal. The world will love Him. It is his character that is “a Beast”. He will be handsome, charming and intelligent. Like Satan he appears as an angel of light. He will produce a counterfeit resurrection. He will come back to life. Satan is out to counterfeit what God does. He is still trying to take over from God. The world will be deceived.

4. The sinister ambitions that drive the Beast (vs. 4-10)

There are five to consider:-

• He wants to deify Satan (vs. 4) – Just as God the Father receives worship through God the Son, the Devil (the Dragon) will receive worship through this Beast. Satan has always wanted to be worshipped.
• He wants to deny the Saviour (vs. 5-6) – There is blasphemy against all that is good and holy. The Devil would deceive the elect if it were possible.
• He wants to destroy the saints (vs. 7) – He wants to stamp out any belief in the true God and He hates those who love God. During the Great Tribulation it will very difficult to be a believer as there will be horrendous persecution.
• He wants to dominate society (vs. 7) – The time is coming when the Beast will have world control. The Beast will intimidate some and seduce others to follow Him. It will be by persecution or reward. He will get what he wants – global control of this world.
• He wants to delude sinners (vs. 8-10) – The closer we get to the end of time the more we will see Satan worship, demonism, occultism, etc. Satan wants converts not casualties. If he can’t convert you then he will try to kill you.

5 – The supporting agent that declares this Beast (vs. 11-18)

The Beast will have a consultant to make him popular. This second beast comes out of the land. It looks like this second beast will come from Israel. The second beast may look like a lamb but he has horns and he has the voice of a dragon. This person will be against the Spirit of God and will seek to control the minds and hearts of the people by three major methods.

• By deceiving wonders (vs. 13-14). He is able to do mighty miracles. Satan is able to do some miracles. Don’t be led astray by miracles. Look to Jesus. He will make fire come from heaven. It will be a dazzling display.
• By enforced worship (vs. 14-15). People will be forced to worship the image of the Beast. It may be by television and the Internet. We heading towards virtual reality.
• By controlled wealth (vs. 16-18). The only way you will be able to buy food, medicine, etc is by having the mark of the Beast. It will seem efficient but it is control. The number 666 represents man representing himself as god.

Are you ready for the Second Coming of Christ? He will take you away from the time of these beasts that will enslave the earth. If you don’t know Jesus then trust Him today before it is too late. It will be harder to be a Christian once the beasts take control.

Categories: Revelation