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Revelation Segment 12

All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Before beginning this study, I suggest you pray and ask God to guide you through this study. I also suggest that you do you own study of this material in order to ensure its accuracy.
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In Revelation chapter thirteen, we see two beasts; one comes out of the sea and one out of the earth.

The first beast is from the sea of nations and is a composite of all the great empires of Daniel; the final one was Rome. It is, therefore, an empire itself reminiscent of Rome. It resembles the dragon of chapter twelve, which also has seven heads and ten horns. It is a world empire, the last political system of the age and is global in scope under the rule and power of Satan. All nations and peoples are ruled by it. When Rome was an empire, it ruled all of the known world. The beast here in Revelation rules the entire planet. This beast had a deadly wound but survived it. This is reminiscent of Rome (on which this beast is based) under Nero. In 64 AD, about 30 years before John wrote the Revelation, two-thirds of Rome burned. This was a seemingly deadly wound that should have ended the power of Rome. But its leader, Nero, rebuilt the city and made it even better for he had included fire safety in its construction, making it unlikely that Rome would burn again. Thus Rome, which should have ceased to exist as a world power because of this wound, was alive again and well. This is in keeping with the obvious references to Rome. Nero is the emperor on which the wounded head is based. It is this head or king or beast that has an image made of it for the peoples to worship. Because of this, the beast has also been called the revived Roman Empire. (This also explains why the mark of the beast, 666, is sometimes considered to be a code for Nero.)

The beast has ten horns, which are to be minor kings under the control of the beast. They will rule only for a short time with the beast and then they will go away.

The second beast comes from the earth. It is a single entity, probably a flesh person. This beast looks like a lamb (Christ) but speaks like a dragon. It is the antichrist, who looks like Christ but is actually of the Devil (2 Thes 2:3-4) This beast is also known as the False Prophet (19:20). This beast makes an image of the head or king with the healed wound. This image is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet (Dan 9:27). Antiochus Epiphanes (a general of Alexander), and Titus the Roman General are both types of the antichrist. Each one tried to destroy the people of Jerusalem and destroy the temple. Titus did destroy the temple. Each one placed an abomination; Antiochus sacrificed a pig on the altar. Titus raised the Roman eagle standards near the eastern gate, which is near the spot where the holy of holies stood, and the soldiers worshipped the standards. In Antiochus' days this caused the temple to be desolate until it was cleansed. But Titus made it desolate even right up to this current day. He was not able to control his men who razed the entire temple with fire. Both caused the abomination of desolation to be placed in the Temple and each was also a desolator.

Let us talk about this king that had the deadly wound. From whom does the beast derive its power? From the dragon. The dragon also had seven heads and ten horns The dragon is Satan. The beast is based on the dragon. The beast has the power of the dragon. It is a simple step to make that the image of the beast is the image of Satan. The dragon is a red serpent with wings, horns, and a forked tail. The only thing missing is the pitch fork. Would the world worship an image of that? No, of course not. That is why Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Paul said, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. {14} And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. {15} Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." (2 Cor 11:13-15) Satan looks like Jesus Christ. Here is a picture of Satan from Revelation: "And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." (Rev 6:2) Here is Christ: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. {12} His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. {13} And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." (Rev 19:11-13) Satan is mimicking Christ. Satan will be a beautiful creature who seems to have only good in mind for the world. He will come promising peace but will cause war. His image will be of him when he appears as an angel of light. People will worship this image.

These two great beasts that come up out of the sea and the earth are typical of the two Old Testament monsters Leviathan and Behemoth. These were well known creatures that had a long history in Jewish and Israelite thought. They are both mentioned by Job as two very large and very strong creatures. They are mentioned also in the books of Enoch and Baruch. Enoch and Baruch tell us that when the Day of the LORD shall come, these two monsters will appear. (I Enoch 60:7 & II Baruch 29:40) Well, each of the beasts is either out of the sea (Beast 1) or the earth (Beast 2) and they are figures of Leviathan and Behemoth. Leviathan was female and Behemoth male. John knew of Jewish thought about these monsters and I believe that he drew on these conceptions as the basis for his two beasts. His contemporaries would have immediately understood this.

In summary, he beast coming up out of the sea (like Leviathan) is a one world government on the order of Rome. It rules the world and gets its power from Satan. Like Rome, it should have ceased to exist because of a deadly wound, but like Rome, it still exists. This astonishes people. And the beast out of the earth (like Behemoth) is the False Prophet or antichrist. He sets up an image of Satan in the temple and causes the world to worship it. It speaks.

John could have literally stood on the beach sands of the Mediterranean Sea at Patmos, but that is not what is meant here. There is symbolic usage here. What are the sands of the sea? Literally they are the grains of sand on any beach in the world. They are also the sands under the sea anywhere in the world. How are they used figuratively in the Bible? God compares the offspring of Abraham to the sands of the sea:

The offspring of Abraham, the father of many nations, will be innumerable just like the sand of the sea. These sands are used figuratively to represent the people of the many nations that will come from Abraham. That does not just include Israel, but Ishmael, Esau, and all of their descendants. In other words, they are a great part of all the peoples of the world. The bible also tells that the children of Israel would be as the sands of the sea in Genesis 32:12. So the sands of the sea figuratively represent the offspring of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and Esau; a number that cannot be counted for we do not know who they all are.

The word rendered "upon" is epi (Strong's 1909), which can mean a variety of things. It not only means upon, but also over, in, into, at, above, against, toward, among, before, after, touching, through, and many other related things. In English it means much the same thing (e.g., epicenter—over the center, epilogue—after word, episode— in coming, etc.). But it never means all of these things at the same time. The context tells us what is means.

Another meaning of the English word, upon, is "in close proximity to" something. For example, "We saw the brakes lights of the car ahead, and we were upon it almost before we knew it." The fictitious persons in the car were not standing on the car in front of them, they were simply close to it. I think we can make a case that, given the context--the tribulation that will come upon the world after the seventh trumpet sounds--John is standing above the peoples of the nations, but in close proximity thereof, viewing in heaven all that is transpiring. After all we are told in Revelation 1:10 and 4:1-2, that John was taken in the spirit to the Day of the LORD, that is the end of the age to view and write what he saw. What I believe he means by standing upon the sands of the sea is that he was standing in heaven above the peoples of the nations viewing the tribulation so he could write down what he saw. He did and we are presently studying what he saw and wrote.

Another clue that this is true is the word "seas". It is used symbolically of the nations. There are many places in the Bible that verify this. Here are a couple of the more readily understood places: Isaiah 17:12: "Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!" Revelation 17:15: "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." See also Psalm 24:2, Psalm 46:2-3, Psalm 65: 2&3, Psalm 68:22, Isaiah 5:30, Isaiah 11:11, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 51:42, and many, many others. So the sands of the sea symbolize the peoples of the nations. John was standing above the peoples of the nations and viewing them.

The word translated beast is thieron (Strong's 2342), which means a wild, dangerous, venomous animal. In Revelation 4, the word beast was a translation of a word meaning living creature. The beast here is a dangerous animal that is wild and venomous. They are definitely not the same beast.

There are four separate beasts in Daniel 7. The similarities between Daniel and Revelation are great. Let us list them.

There are many similarities between Daniel and Revelation. But there are differences as well. They are similar enough to state that we can interpret Revelation with the help of Daniel and other prophets.

In both Daniel and Revelation the beasts rise out of the sea, that is they arise from the nations of the world. There is no doubt that in Daniel the beasts are kingdoms that arose out of the nations throughout history. Because they are kingdoms in Daniel, we can safely understand that the beast in Revelation 13:1 is a kingdom or at least a political entity.

There have been several differing opinions among scholars as to who these kingdoms in Daniel were. But the general consensus is that the lion is Babylon, the bear is Persia, the leopard is Greece, and the fourth kingdom is Rome (except in Daniel 7). These correspond with the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The head of gold is Babylon, the chest of silver is Persia, the belly and thighs of bronze are Greece, and the legs of iron are Rome. The fourth kingdom in Daniel chapter seven is not Rome but is the kingdom of antichrist in the end times.

In Daniel there are four beasts, but we only have one here in Revelation. This beast, John's beast, is a composite of Daniel's beasts. Daniel's beasts were a lion, bear, leopard, and a beast described as dreadful, terrible, and strong with iron teeth. John's beast was made up of a lion, bear, and leopard. It was given power by the dragon. (Who is the dragon? Satan of course, see Rev 12:9 & 20:2).

Daniel's beasts were four distinct kingdoms and Daniel does not say here who gave them their power. But we know that their power came from God because of verses like Daniel 2:37 "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory." Daniel was speaking to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. God also raised up kings like Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 and Darius in Daniel 5:23-31. Kings rule at God's pleasure; see also Isa 41:25, Jer 50:41, 51:11.

God gave power to the four kingdoms spoken of by Daniel, but Satan gave John's beast its power. It is then, a kingdom of Satan's power. But let us get a little more specific. The explanation of Daniel's beasts begins in Daniel 7:17: "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth." The beasts are four kings, that is, they are men first, and then kingdoms. Yes, they are kingdoms led by kings. Daniel says the beasts are kingdoms in verse 23. So they are kingdoms led by men who are kings. So it stands to reason that John's beast is a kingdom that has a king who is a man.

John's beast is a composite of Daniel's beasts. The beast is a leopard. The leopard has the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. It therefore would walk like Persia, talk like Babylon, and be strong like Greece and be terrible and have power like Rome. There have been four great kingdoms of the world that have eclipsed all others. They were again, Babylon, Persia (actually Medo-Persia), Greece, and Rome. (The Roman Empire is still in existence. Its capital is the Vatican. Rome still has influence throughout the world through the Pope.) John's beast is therefore a representation of all the major kingdoms of the world throughout history. It will have universal attraction to the world. It will be the government in control of the world. The UN aspires to be in that position--government to the entire world (though I doubt it will for it is an inane and impotent entity run by marxist socialists). No state will have sovereignty in that day. All sovereignty will belong to this beast.

The final kingdom in Daniel is that "which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces." It is the one in existence when the "Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." It is the last kingdom to flourish on the earth before the return of Christ in power and glory. It is represented by the ten toes mixed with clay in Daniel 2:41 (more of this when we get to Chapter 17). It will be prospering when Christ comes. It will fight against Him along with all the kingdoms of the world (its vassals) and He will destroy them with the sword of His mouth. The final kingdom of Daniel is, therefore, this beast in Revelation 13. Another proof is that they both have ten horns.

But John's beast has an additional feature, seven heads. We also see a beast with seven heads also in Revelation 12:3: "And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." This beast is a red dragon. He is Satan. In 12:3, the dragon has ten horns and seven heads with seven crowns, but in 13:1, the beast has ten horns with ten crowns on the ten horns but no crowns on the heads. Remember that we discovered that each beast represents a kingdom and its king. The dragon is the king of the beast in Revelation 13. Since the kings in Daniel are men, it is a good bet that the man in charge of John's beast or kingdom will be Satan incarnate (in the flesh). Why not? Satan wants to be Christ (2 Thes 2:4, Isa 14:13). Why not imitate even His incarnation (compare 13:11)? Why the change from ten horns, seven heads, to seven crowns to ten horns, ten crowns, and seven heads (and names of blasphemy)? Of course, it is more likely that this leader will be a man under Satan's direct control.

In Revelation 12:3, Satan is still in heaven. Michael casts him out in 12:7 and he becomes very angry. In 13:1, Satan is upon the earth. In heaven it is Satan who has seven heads and seven crowns, but in 13:1, it is the beast that gets is power from Satan and not Satan that has ten crowns on ten horns. Seven is the number of divine perfection. Ten is the number of divine order, completeness (since the numeral system of the entire world is based on ten), and new beginnings (since it begins a new series of numbers).

The reason there are seven crowns while Satan is in heaven is that seven is the number of divine perfection. Lucifer was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty; he was the anointed, protecting cherub; and he was perfect in his ways from the day that he was created, until iniquity was found in him (Eze 28:12-15). When iniquity was found in him he was judged to die (Eze 28:16, Isa 14:15) but he was allowed to remain in heaven until Michael cast him out (Rev 12:7). When cast out, it is in God's divine plan and order; when cast down, he is trying to start anew, hence the number changed to ten. Ten also signifies that this beast was all-powerful, encompassing the entire world and all its kingdoms. Since he could not win against the LORD and His people while in heaven, he will try again on earth.

On earth, each head has a name that blasphemes God. What is blasphemy? To the world it is impiety and irreverence toward God, but biblically, it is cursing God or taking His name in vain. Taking the LORD's name in vain is not just using it as an expletive. It is also breaking a vow made before Him. Anyone but the LORD who calls himself God blasphemes God. When Jesus said "I AM", the high priest tore his robes and asked, "what further need have we of witnesses?" because to him, Jesus committed blasphemy right in front of the high priest. Jesus claimed to be the great I AM and was charged with blasphemy. Satan will blaspheme God by calling himself seven of the names of God. Here are seven names of God whose attributes are mentioned in Psalm 23:

Since Satan will claim to be Jesus, the Shepherd, and Psalm 23 is the Shepherd Psalm, then it is very possible that Satan will use these very seven names listed here. This is just conjecture, but it is an educated guess. There are other names such as Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Prince of Peace, Christ, Messiah, El Shaddai, Most High God, LORD of Hosts, Word (Memra), Shepherd, Yeshua, etc. Satan might employ any of these names, or others. But employ the names of God he will for that is what the names of blasphemy are.

There are seven kings that correspond to these seven heads in Revelation 17. We will wait until we get there to study them. Suffice that there will be six kings that will rule with the beast subservient to the beast and the one from whom the beast gets its power.

There are also ten kings that correspond to the ten horns, but these kings will only rule for a very short time with the second beast, the dragon. We will discuss them further in chapter 17.

Now this beast is a kingdom. A kingdom in today's world would be more accurately described as a political system with a chief administrator (king, czar, president, secretary general, prime minister, dictator, premier, etc.). I got into a bit of controversy when corresponding with another Bible teacher when I called the beast a "beast system". That is Arnold Murray's term, and my correspondent took offense at its use because he does not care for Arnold Murray. But the fact is, the phrase "beast system" readily describes exactly what we have here. We have a political system that rules over all other political systems of the world. It is a political system administered directly by Satan. It is called a beast by John the Revelator, the writer whose authority to record these things comes from God. It is a political system as well. Hence the use of the term "beast system". There is a second beast and it is obviously a person. But this beast is a political system.

The beast is described as a leopard with a lion's face and bear's feet. If one were to draw a picture of this beast based on John's description, it would have a leopard's torso, legs, neck, and head with a lion's eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, and bear's feet, toes, and claws. What you would see is an almost complete leopard with unmatched face and feet. What is the most distinguishing mark of a leopard? A leopard has spots, black spots all over its body. What is the biblical significance of spots?

Spots are blemishes. All blood sacrifices had one overriding requirement that they be without blemish. Depending on the offering, sacrifices could be male, female, a bullock, goat, ram, dove, or lamb. But regardless the offering, the sacrificial animal had to be without spot or blemish. A spot or blemish might be that the animal was lame, or stunted, or have some other imperfection. Any imperfection whatsoever rendered the animal unfit for sacrifice.

The same goes for the priesthood. No man could have any part in the priesthood if he was blemished or spotted. If the person was a blind man, or a lame, or had a flat nose, or any thing superfluous (like extra fingers or toes), or a broken foot or hand, or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or had a blemish in his eye, or had scurvy, or scabs, or imperfect testicles, he could not approach God with an offering.

The upshot here is, of course, that Jesus our Passover Sacrificial Lamb, and our High Priest, was perfect and without blemish or sin in any way.

But the beast, the political system of Satan after he is cast down to the earth, has spots all over it like the leopard. This beast is so blemished that it has not even any semblance of God. Yet as we will see, the people worship it. That is because Satan is disguised as an angel of light. Anti-Christ means "in the place of" and "opposed" to Christ. Satan is opposed to Christ but wants to be Christ so he comes looking like Christ. Remember the rider on the White Horse when the first seal was broken? He was not Christ, but looked like Christ.

When the beast comes up out of the sea it will be the political system of Satan who claims to be Christ. He will look like Christ and many will believe he is Christ. But it just ain't so!

This beast was wounded in the head. This would seem to be a mortal wound, but like burned Rome, it is healed and alive. The wound should have caused its destruction but did not. Apparently this system will have already been in existence in some form, then will seem to be destroyed by something. But this entity will arise again from its deadly wound like the phoenix rises from its own ashes. One scenario could perhaps be a world power or organization like the UN, that seems to be destroyed but somehow regains its former strength, prestige, and power. This astonishes people who thought he organization dead, but yet it is viable again.

Who are "they"? They are those peoples of the world who are not God's people. They are not the 144,000, nor are the woman who was carried to safety on eagles wings. They are the other people of the world. They are the unsaved, those whose names were not written in the Book of Life. They worship the dragon and therefore his beast. The dragon is Satan so it is Satan they worship. Why? Because the dragon looks like a lamb (v. 11). Satan wants to be God; he wants to be Christ. So he looks like Christ. The rider on the white horse looked like Christ. Satan masquerades as an angel of light. He claims to be Christ (2 Thes 2:4). The peoples of the world are ready to worship the dragon because he comes peaceably, offering peace. He makes a seven year covenant of peace with them. There will have been war, famine, and disasters. These will have taken their toll. The world will be in a shambles. The world will be looking for a savior. In comes the dragon looking like a Lamb, masquerading as an angel of light, claiming to be Christ, the herald of peace and the savior of the world. So they worship him. Since they worship him, they will worship his political system, the beast. Paul says of this time, "And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved {11} And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: {12} That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.." (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10) That is why they worship the beast.

In the world there will be no state or nation that can stand up to the beast. Just like Rome. The nations and states of the world were no match for Rome and the world will be no match for the beast. There will be no resisting it either militarily or politically, hence the statement " who is able to make war with him?"

Stay on subject. The subject is the beast, not the dragon. The dragon controls the beast, but the beast is the subject. The beast, or the one-world political system, will have a spokesman (much like the President's press secretary) who will speak for it. What blasphemies and things does it speak? Well the dragon claims to be God. That is the blasphemy. Paul tells us: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: {9} Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, {10} And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10) These lying wonders, signs, and deceptions will be the blasphemies spoken by the beast.

Daniel tells us that the prince who will come (antichrist) will make a covenant with these peoples for seven years of peace. We know from these verses that he makes this promise to them if they will make him the world leader and worship him. He will give peace for three and one half years before breaking his covenant. The beast will speak these lies and deceptions for exactly that time, forty-two months (Note that when the subject is Satan, time is recorded in months, which means moons or lunar time. When any of the Trinity is the subject, time is expressed in days or years, which is solar time. God is the light of the world. Satan is in darkness. Solar refers to light and God, the Light of the World. Lunar refers to the moon and night and darkness therefore it refers to Satan, the Prince of Darkness.) Then things will turn ugly. Then the seven vials of God's wrath will pour out upon him and upon the earth. Then the kings of earth will be gathered together to Armageddon.

In Verse 5, the beast was given a mouth with which to speak. In this verse the speaking begins. The spokesman blasphemes God. How? Just like we said above. "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. " (2 Thes. 2:4) Do you understand? Satan who gives power to the beast, will claim to be God! Blasphemy! The beast will claim to be of God, but that will be a lie.

This beast will war with God's people just like the old Roman Empire did under such leaders as Diocletion, Nero, etc. Those emperors overcame and killed many saints, but were unable to stamp out the church. Remember that the woman that represents God's people is taken on eagles wings to a prepared place where they will be protected and nourished. The second phrase here is proof that this will be a one-world political system that rules over all others. The war with the saints lasts 3½ years (12:4).

This means that Christians will be singled out as those who will not conform to the new system. That will subject them to scorn, ridicule, and persecution. The world has always hated the church, and that hatred will be even more intense during this time. Christians will be the only ones who refuse to worship the beast. Therefore the dragon will try to subdue them.

This tells us that what will happen will happen. But we are not to worry, God is in control. We are to endure hopefully. "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

This beast looks like Christ (the Lamb of God) but speaks like a dragon (Satan). He is the False Prophet. This is easy to understand if we will look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 again: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; {4} Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." Antichrist will claim to be Christ (the Godhead is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) showing himself as Christ. This beast looks like Christ, but his speech (and his thoughts) are that of Satan. This beast is the antichrist. Many claim this identification for the first beast, but that does not fit what the Bible teaches. The first beast is without doubt the fourth world empire of the dragon, and not the antichrist.

Now we see the people worshipping the first beast. Is there evidence of people worshipping a city? Yes. The faithful turn toward Mecca at prayer time. They bow down on their faces in worship. I am not saying that the faithful of Mohammed actually worship Mecca; they are worshipping Allah, but it appears to be worship of a city. The people of Israel did the same thing when they could not get to Jerusalem. There have been many throughout history that have given allegiance to a particular city like Rome, Babylon, Sparta, Jerusalem, Memphis, Thebes, Thessalonica, Ephesus, and on and on the list could go. Allegiance is akin to worship. It is not a great step to take to worship the political system of antichrist.

Antichrist has the full power of Satan behind him. He has the exact same power that was given to the first beast. He is basically its emperor.

Thus mimicking the prophets of God. Jesus spoke of this: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (Matthew 24:24) Even the elect will be in awe. The time will be shortened so that God's people will not be deceived.

Let us do a mini study of these three, the two beasts and the image:

The beast is a one-world kingdom ruling the entire earth at the end of the age. It is the final kingdom of the age prophesied by Daniel the prophet and John the revelator. The second beast is a being, a man like being that looks like Christ (the Lamb Slain) but is actually the Dragon (Satan). This beast is none other than antichrist, for anti in Greek means instead of or in the place of or a substitute for (like the Latin vicaris, vicar in English) as well as opposed to. So antichrist comes as a substitute for Christ, looking like Christ, but is actually opposed to Christ. The second beast is also called the False Prophet.

An image (eikon in the Greek, icon in English) is either a statue or a representation of something (something built in the image of another). The image of the beast is NOT a statue as is commonly supposed, which is made to look alive. It is an image of the system. It is another system. The false prophet (antichrist) causes it to have life and causes all to worship it. It is a system to which a religious leader gives life. It is like Martin Luther establishing the Lutheran Church. He gave it life. Jesus Christ gave life to the Church. The false prophet begins a religious system in the image of the beast, the final kingdom of the world before the return of Christ. In other words, we have empire worship, which was the religion of Rome when the church was under heavy Roman persecution. Empire-worship necessarily means Emperor worship. Rome was worshipped by proxy through the emperor.

Who is the emperor of the last empire of the age? The Dragon! Who is the Dragon? He is that "old serpent, which is [or called--12:9] the Devil, and Satan". (Revelation 12:9 & 20:2). So the false prophet will start a religious organization, a church, based on the beast and the worship of the Dragon. That is just what he has always wanted since his fall. He will get to have his cake for a short while (Rev 12:12). This church will be ecumenical in scope, inviting all religions to unite as one through this "church". Bible believing Christians will not touch this one and so will be persecuted because they will not worship the beast or his image.

The signs and wonders performed by the false prophet will convince the world that the Kingdom of God has come and that antichrist is the real Jesus Christ. That is what makes this time so dangerous. He will look so much like Christ that even the very people of God will be almost convinced. There will be many who are not well grounded in scripture that will actually believe this is the Christ and worship him not knowing any better. Preachers and teachers should really be careful to properly teach their students.

Those who have been taught the rapture theory will be particularly susceptible to worshipping this beast and false prophet. Believing that Jesus will come before the tribulation and snatch them away, they will actually believe that this is Christ. Satan might actually catch bunch of them up into the air as one of his signs and wonders. They will believe that this is the rapture and will worship antichrist in Jerusalem (more about this later), thinking that is where they will be safe until after the tribulation. Satan may also stage a wedding feast there and call it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It will be a fake. Those who fall for this nonsense are in for a rude awakening when the real Christ comes.

Again, The False Prophet will begin a religious system in the image of the beast, the final kingdom of the world before the return of Christ. He will give it life, that is, he will be its founder.

Currently the world is looking for someone to worship. They have mostly rejected Christ because believing that He is the only way to salvation is unacceptable, because it leaves out the non-Christian. This is dubbed as intolerance by UNESCO's Declaration of Principles on Tolerance. Tolerance is the new religion of the left. It is the New Age's answer to how to convert the entire world to their views. Those deemed to be intolerant will be the outcasts of society. Guess who these intolerant misfits are. Christians. According to Berit Kjos, author of Conforming the Church to the New Millennium, "Few things offend the liberal church establishment more than an uncompromising faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to God." The peoples of the world will be looking for something they can worship in "perfect harmony" (a New Age song sung on the side of a hill) and they will find the dragon and fall for him.

The Caesars told Christians to reject Christ and worship Caesar and they would be set free. The true Christians refused, sealing their fate. Many were killed and eaten by lions, some were drawn and quartered in stadiums, some killed by gladiators, some burned to death, some crucified and some subjected to even more horrible deaths that these. They readily accepted this fate rather that reject Christ. Satan, with this mark, is saying "if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Mat 4:9), I will give you this mark. If not, you will not receive it. Only those who worship the beast will get this mark. It is not the mark that condemns them, but their belief. If they believe in Satan and the beast and worship its image, the end time ecumenical church, then they are condemned. But if they worship God, then no mark is going to change that. So don't worry about forcibly receiving this mark. Satan wants your worship. Without it there is no reason to have his mark.

This mark will be placed on the right hand or on the forehead. There is much speculation about what this mark is. Some say it is a UPC code tattooed into the skin. Others say it is a tiny electronic device injected under the skin. Some say it is some sort of brand. Whatever it is, the mark itself cannot condemn anyone. It is just a mark. It is the person's belief in the one giving the mark that it the problem. So, in order to receive this mark, a person will first have to state his loyalty to the beast. Let us see what the Bible says about marks.

The Greek word is charagma, which means an etching (tattoo) or a stamp. The word can also mean an idol statue. So this mark can be etched into the skin or stamped upon it. Cain had a mark. Let us take a look at it. Genesis 4:15: "And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him." This mark was a signal. When anyone saw Cain, they would immediately know that he was Cain and should not be touched. How? Well it must have been some identifying mark such as hair color, skin color, skin texture, or blemish upon the skin. Whatever it was it was readily identifiable.

Revelation 7:4 "And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." These were sealed. This Greek word means a secret or private mark. This mark is not readily identifiable because it is hidden. This sealing takes place spiritually. Only God and the people know they are sealed. Christians are sealed by their faith. Only God and the faithful person know if he has been sealed. "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; {22} Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

It is because of what is in one's heart that he worships God or Satan. If he worships God, then no mark will be given to him. If he worships Satan the mark will be given to him. The mark may be a physical tattoo or stamp, or it might be just what is one's heart. But since this mark allows one to buy or sell, it seems as though it must be a visible mark. But wait, what if in order to buy or sell one has to bow down and worship a televised picture of the image of the beast on the spot, at the store in order to make a purchase? So the mark is either a visible mark, or one must bow down to the beast marking him as one able to buy and sell.

This verse goes further that just the mark. There are three conditions one could meet to buy or sell: he could have the mark, he could know the name of the beast, or the number of his name. All three indicate worship of the beast. Remember this is the second beast who is the false prophet and the antichrist. To have his mark, one must worship him. To know his true name (Lucifer) one must worship him. To have the number of his name (and its meaning) one must worship him. Those with the mark will be citizens of the end time kingdom and will be members of the apostate church, the image of the beast.

What does this 666 really mean? There are enough answers to that question to fill an entire volume. I will list a few, and take a stand on none. Some are tongue-in-cheek.

In ancient Greek and Hebrew, the numbers were the letters of the alphabet. This is their gematria. For example, in Hebrew, Aleph = 1, Beth = 2, Shin = 300, etc.

Here are the Hebrew and Greek alphabet gematria:

	Hebrew					Greek
1.	א	-1	(aleph)		1.	α	-1	(alpha)
2.	נ	-2	(beth)		2.	β	-2	(beta)
3.	ג	-3	(gimmel)		3.	γ	-3	(gamma)
4.	ד	-4	(daleth)		4.	δ	-4	(delta)
5.	ה	-5	(he)		5.	ε	-5	(epsilon)
6.	ו	-6	(vav)		6.	ς	-6	(digamma/stigma)
7.	ז	-7	(zayin)		7.	ζ	-7	(zeta)
8.	ח	-8	(het/chet)		8.	η	-8	(eta)
9.	ט	-9	(tet)		9.	θ	-9	(theta)
10.	י	-10	(yod)		10.	ι	-10	(iota)
11.	כ	-20	(kaph)		11.	κ	-20	(kappa)
12.	ל	-30	(lamed)		12.	λ	-30	(lambda)
13.	מ	-40	(mem)		13.	μ	-40	(mu)
14.	נ	-50	(nun)		14.	ν	-50	(nu)
15.	ס	-60	(samek)		15.	ξ	-60	(xi)
16.	ע	-70	(ayin)		16.	ο	-70	(omicron)
17.	פ	-80	(pe/phe)		17.	π	-80	(pi)
18.	צ	-90	(tsadek)		18.	Ϟ	-90	(qoppa)
19.	ק	-100	(qoph)		19.	ρ	-100	(rho)
20.	ר	-200	(resh)		20.	σ	-200	(sigma)
21.	שׁ	-300	(sin/shin)		21.	τ	-300	(tau)
22.	ת	-400	(tav/thav)		22.	υ	-400	(upsilon)
					23.	φ	-500	(phi)
					24.	χ	-600	(chi)
					25.	ψ	-700	(psi)
					26.	ω	-800	(omega)

Note that in the Greek gematria, there is no letter for six. That is because some of the letters have other forms such as the final form. The Greek letter sigma (English "s") has a final form. It is called stigma:

This is sigma: σ; this is its final form: ς, stigma (or digamma).

The stigma was the Greek letter used to denote six. So the number 666 could be rendered stigma stigma stigma. What is a stigma? L.L. Strong defines it as a mark. So 666 could be the equivalent of three marks. The dictionary defines stigma as "a mark or token of infamy or disgrace." This number and the mark of the beast are definitely a token of infamy and disgrace.