The Beast From The Earth - Revelation 13:11-18
INTRODUCTION:
Last week we began our study of Revelation 13 and we looked at the first 10 verses and the rise of the beast from the sea, we discovered that this beast like the 4th beast in the prophet Daniel’s dream in Daniel 7 is a kingdom and a person. The kingdom will be the revived Roman empire, the person will be the Antichrist which was represented in Daniel’s dream by a little horn, in John’s dream the beast represented both the kingdom and the person.
This morning we will finish up Revelation 13 and we will be introduced to the third person of Satan’s unholy trinity. You will remember last week I said that Satan, or the dragon is the counterfeit of God the Father, the Antichrist, the beast we were introduced to last week is Satan’s counterfeit of God the Son. This week we are introduced to another beast who is Satan’s false prophet and he is the counterfeit to God the Holy Spirit. The false prophet will be the Antichrist’s partner in Satan’s final deception of the world. This false prophet will introduce a concept that has been speculated and debated about for years, it involves a number that even those who do not go to church or do not call themselves Christians know about. Will we solve all the mystery around this number this morning? No, but we will look at what God’s Word says. Let’s pray and get into the Scripture passage for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Revelation 13:11-18 our passage for this morning. Please stand if you are able in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Revelation 13:11-18,
“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb and he spoke as a dragon. He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Revelation 13:11–18, NASB95)[1]
THE SECOND BEAST’S PERSON (Revelation 13:11)
John’s vision which we have just read reveals three key elements about this second beast, who is later on in Revelation revealed as the false prophet. These three key elements are essential to the false prophet’s role.
John informs us that he saw another beast. This word translated “another” refers to another of the same kind which means like the first beast represented a person, a human being, this second beast also represents a person, a human being. This is the first key element, the person of the second beast.
The first beast rose out of the sea, which we equated with the abyss. This second beast John saw coming up out of the earth, which possibly means he arose out of society. For John’s readers the sea was mysterious, the earth not so much and that the false prophet rises from the earth suggests that he will be less overpowering and not as terrifying as the Antichrist. He will be appealing and persuasive, he will be like a wolf in sheep’s clothing that Jesus warned us about in Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15, NASB95)[2]
The description of the first beast with it seven heads and ten horns looking like a mix of animals was hideous and frightening. But in contrast, this second beast has only two horns, showing that he is not characterized by the same massive might as the Antichrist. The description of the Antichrist characterized him as ferocious, vicious, and deadly; the false prophet is likened to a lamb. He does not come as a conquering dictator like the first beast, but instead comes as a subtle deceiver, seemingly meek and gentle, though bearing great authority.
The false prophet’s deceptive appearance makes him no less a child of hell than the Antichrist. He will be possessed by a demon that does Satan’s bidding. This is evident because John says this beast spoke as a dragon, a strange voice for a lamb. Like the Antichrist, the false prophet will be Satan’s mouthpiece, speaking the dragon’s words. His words of praise for the Antichrist will be persuasive and deceiving and will lure the world to worship the Antichrist, the satanic dictator.
THE SECOND BEAST’S POWER (Revelation 13:12-14)
The false prophet’s primary role will be that of a deceiver, this he will do with great power, his second key element. John notes that “he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.” (Revelation 13:12, NASB95)[3] The phrase “in his presence” indicates that this authority was delegated to the false prophet by the Antichrist. The false prophet’s mission will be to cause the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. He will be the leader and promoter of Antichrist worship.
As the false prophet seeks to lead the world in worship of the Antichrist, his efforts will receive a tremendous boost from an amazing event which we spoke about last week. The apparent healing of the first beast’s fatal wound. This is nothing more than a satanic imitation of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only that but the world had watched as the two witnesses were resurrected and now the Antichrist. The Scriptures are not clear if this fatal wound and resurrection are real or staged, but the result is that the world will accept the Antichrist’s resurrection as genuine and the respect of both the Antichrist and the false prophet will grow throughout the world.
This false prophet has the ability to perform great signs to authenticate his lies. This word translated “signs” is the same word used to describe the miracles that Jesus performed during His earthly ministry. John even gives us an example of one of the great signs that the false prophet can perform, John says he is able to make fire come down from heaven to the earth in the sight of men. This was a sign that was given to the prophet Elijah when the fire of heaven fell and burned up his sacrifice on Mount Carmel when he prayed that God would prove that He was God by burning up his sacrifice. The two witnesses had fire come out of their mouths and kill those who tried to harm them. Now this false prophet is able to make fire come down from heaven to earth. That fact that this sign is described in the present tense suggests that the false prophet repeatedly performed this supernatural act to impress those who dwell on the earth with his power. John MacArthur writes, “Those who reject the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will eagerly accept the damning false gospel preached by the false prophet since it appears to be verified by spectacular supernatural signs.”[4]
John goes on to tell us that the false prophet deceives those who dwell on the earth. Again, this phrase “those who dwell on the earth” is a phrase that refers to those living on the earth that have rejected Christ, they have rejected the true gospel and they have blasphemed the true God by being eager to believe the deceiving lies of the false prophet.
Believers during this time will recognize the lies, they will know the truth. Our Scripture reading from Deuteronomy described how we can recognize a false prophet even if a sign or wonder he gives you comes true, if he has tried to persuade you to go after other gods then you are not to believe him, he is a false prophet. Paul talks about this deception that will take place during the tribulation in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, he speaks of the Antichrist and says, “that is, the one [the Antichrist] whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12, NASB95)[5] This deception of wickedness preached by the false prophet God uses as a judgment on those who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. They will believe what is false so that they can be judged for their unbelief in the truth.
The power of the Antichrist and the false prophet will grow, and they will have greater and greater influence over those who dwell on the earth, Satan will use this growing power to escalate his false religion of Antichrist worship. The false prophet will convince the world that they need to build an image of the beast who was wounded by the sword and has come to life. Then the world will engage in the most appalling and deliberate idolatry ever witnessed. This blasphemous image will be set up on the temple grounds, possibly in the Holy of Holies, in Jerusalem and it is connected to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel and Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 24:15-21, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.” (Matthew 24:15–21, NASB95)[6] The image, the abomination of desolation will be a tribute to the overwhelming power of the Antichrist, who has come to life, to have seemingly conquered death.
THE SECOND BEAST’S PROGRAM (Revelation 13:15-18)
The image of the Antichrist will be unlike any other idol in human history. In a further display of his power to deceive we are told that the false prophet will give breath to the idol of the beast, so the image of the beast would be able to speak. In other words, the false prophet will give the image the appearance of being alive. When you consider the advances in technology and special effects in our world today this is in the realm of possibility. When you add to this the world’s desperate need, within the destruction and carnage of the tribulation, to believe in one who seemingly conquered death, then this deception becomes very believable.
After the success of the false prophet on a world-wide scale he will drop his disguise of gentleness and call for the death of anyone who does not worship the image of the beast. The destruction and death of those who refuse to worship the beast will be decreed. Many of the martyrs already mentioned in the book of Revelation are those who will be killed during this terrible time of persecution. The death sentence will be decreed on all who refuse to worship the beast, not all will be killed. Some believers will survive until Jesus Christ returns and will enter the millennium as living people, this includes many Jews, those who God hid away from the dragon and the 144,000 who were sealed by God.
The false prophet to enforce the worship of the Antichrist puts into action a plan that will require all people to receive a mark on their right hand or their forehead. This word translated “mark” is the Greek word for the images or names of the emperor on Roman coins. In John’s day, such marks in the form of tattoos or brands were commonly given to slaves, soldiers and followers of religious cults. As believers Paul writes in Ephesians 1:13 that we have been sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. God sealed the 144,000 Jews with a mark on their foreheads to preserve them from His wrath against the unbelieving world; in the same way the false prophet marks the unsaved to preserve them from the wrath of the Antichrist against God’s people. The mark will show that they are loyal to the Antichrist. The Roman emperors of John’s day required their subjects to prove their loyalty by once a year offering a sacrifice to Caesar. Those who refused, like those who refuse to take the mark of the beast, were subject to execution. Going a step further the false prophet required the mark to be shown in order to buy or sell anything. The Antichrist’s empire will maintain strict economic control over the world. Food and other necessities of life will be in short supply on the earth devastated by the tribulation and will be unobtainable for those without the mark. Some have suggested that this mark could possibly be a chip under the skin of the right hand or forehead, and that is possible, our dog already has such a chip that can be read with a special reader, but I believe this will be a distinguishable mark on the right hand or forehead.
John further describes this mark and says that it will consist of either the name of the beast or the number of his name. The Antichrist will have a universal designation consisting of his name within a numbering system. What this exactly means is not clear, what is clear is that everyone will be required to have the identifying mark or suffer the consequences.
When John writes, “Here is wisdom” he is writing a warning to those alive at the time when the mark is being required, during the Great Tribulation, he is calling on believers to be wise and discerning. They will need to recognize what is happening and understand the significance of the number connected with the Antichrist’s name. John writes, “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” (Revelation 13:18b, NASB95)[7] Most people if you mentioned this number 666 they would know something about it or at least heard of it. Possibly no detail in Revelation has intrigued people more than this number. There is no end to the speculation as to what this number means and finding the significance of it and understanding how to calculate it to find the name of the Antichrist. I have spent considerable time this week looking at how different people have sought to solve this number and come up with a name. My conclusion is that this is written to those who will be living during the tribulation and God will give full understanding when it is needed, in those last three and a half years of horror and danger. He has never failed His saints.
For us I think it is important for us to understand that as stated the triple six is the number of man, each digit falling short of the perfect number seven. Those Satan sets up as his counterfeit Godhead is not perfect, it falls short of God, Satan’s masterpiece, limits him to man’s level which is far short of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the truly perfect One.
CONCLUSION:
Revelation 13, taken as a whole, is one of the great prophetic chapters of Scripture and is the only passage that presents in any detail the two main evil characters of the end of the age who form with Satan an unholy trinity.
The verses this morning that deal with the false prophet revealing his person, his power and his program is not given to us to be a source of fruitless speculation about its details, rather this chapter as a whole should be a warning to the unbelievers of today that they need to repent of their sins and believe that Jesus Christ died in their place, paying the price required for sin and that He was buried and on the third day rose triumphant from the grave showing that the payment for sin was accepted. This is the one and only way to escape the horrible days of the tribulation and eternal separation from God. This week the world was saddened by the death of Stephen Hawking, but what sadden me more than his death is that fact that he has entered into a Christ-less eternity because of his refusal to even believe that God existed when it was declared to him daily as he studied the heavens. Do not make his mistake, repent and believe today.
For us who are believers, brothers and sisters in Christ, this chapter should challenge us to lead careful, godly lives. Listen to Peter’s words first in 1 Peter 4:7-10, “The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:7–10, NASB95)[8] Now listen to his words in 2 Peter 3:10-13, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:10–13, NASB95)[9] As we wait for this new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells lets be about the work of evangelizing this old world headed for destruction.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]MacArthur, John, Because The Time Is Near. Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 2007
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[8]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[9]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995