Because of the “times and seasons” I have been feeling a need to clarify my position on the main players mentioned in Revelation chapter 13-19. This is a topic that has always been in the forefront of my walk with Christ for almost a quarter of a century. I say that not to convey any type of obsession with Revelations, it just seems to be one of the main topic apart from the Gospel that the Lord has kept me attentive to while watching and praying. Perhaps it has to do with what the Lord impressed upon me long ago. The thoughts I am intending to share over the next few of posts are reflections which over that time have come to offer the most clarity in my view of end time events and players. Much of it has unsettled me personally during that time and obligated me to make many adjustments in my own life and commitments. Sadly, the sharing of my convictions has proven to cause many of my family and friends to become angry over them.
To start, I would like to say that my thoughts are usually very different than most who have unquestioningly ingested the perspective of the admittedly fictional “Left Behind” series with its “16 best-selling novels” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Sadly, to me that fact alone seems only to affirm the truth spoken under unction of the Holy Spirit that in the latter times men would not be able to endure sound doctrine. But instead they would swallow the mere fables of men as if it were the truth of God which only serves to promote doctrines of devils instead. I still chuckle to myself when I remember a comment I once overheard someone make about Moses and his appearance . . . because they saw Charleston Hesston in the movie The Ten Commandments.
Before I get into the things of Revelation though, I want to submit a couple of thoughts for everyone’s prayerful consideration. To be upfront, it is not my conviction that there will ever be a unified one world government under one leader which many today would call the “antichrist.” I know, I probably will lose a lot of readers right there, but if you bear with me through this post I will make a few points along the way that may offer some support to that position. That does not mean this position is unshakable or true, it may very well be nothing more than a three legged table if that. However, if these points do in fact have any credibility to them, regardless what you have always believed or been taught by whoever, then scripture would obligate you to prove all things that you may hold fast to that which is in fact good and solid.
My first point I would make is simply that God did not allow Nimrod to complete his plans concerning the Tower of Babel. It may be argued God stopped it because “it wasn’t time” for the “One World Government.” If that is the truth, then we would also have to conclude that the One World Government will actually part of God’s plan and not simply a natural result and witness to the sinful nature, pride and arrogance of men . . . as it was in their attempt to build the Tower of Babel. We must acknowledge it was because of Nimrod’s pride as well as some of the committed loyalists under him that drove them to compel the masses through enticement, manipulation or intimidation to engage in this monumental effort to build to the heavens . . . or into the skies.
Gen 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Even though God bore witness to how because of their unity nothing was impossible to them, I scarcely interpret that as God being concerned of them reaching His heavens. Logic demands an acknowledgement that Nimrod, though acting as a god with his workforce laboring to build Babel, they were still but mere men, flesh and blood, meager little finite creatures who existence in time and space could have never threatened God’s kingdom or plan. This is evident by the ease of which God spoiled their plans and dispersed them. It is my personal opinion that what God was addressing as “nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do” is simply the boundless limits to which men’s pride and sin could take them if left unchecked by the righteousness of God .
Left to rule over themselves, men will always group together around a cause or purpose that glorifies them, robbing their Creator of the glory and honor due Him alone. This was the very purpose in the hearts of Nimrod and the people, “let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Their building up into the heavens was simply to exalt themselves and flaunt their deception of independence from God. Now it must be noted that Nimrod and his people where in fact being deceived and manipulated by powers of darkness . . . as in fact all nations have been throughout time.
Therefore, since God did not let mankind accomplish a unified and independent kingdom apart from Him then, and because of several other biblical principles, I am persuaded that He never will . . . regardless the theologies flooding the churches out there. They are but a witness to the dragon’s attempt to cause the woman (saints) to be carried away from the truth which enables them to stand and overcome.
Re 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
Please take a moment to consider this very important truth Jesus taught about kingdoms –
Mt 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
When Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of darkness He refuted His accusers with the above statement. Kingdoms, cities, and houses divided against themselves “shall not stand.” Now Jesus refuted their accusation in regards to His preaching the Kingdom of God and casting demons out of the children of the Israelites. However, it would be foolish to think Jesus’ words were affirming that the kingdom of darkness is in itself a unified kingdom. However, many believers seem to think the kingdom of darkness enjoys the same commitment and loyalty as God’s heavenly kingdom with the holy angels, but it doesn’t.
The righteous precepts of God are such that all His spiritual creatures will “reap what is sown.” Consequently, it would appear reasonable to me to conclude that since Lucifer had sown discord in the heavenlies when he drew the affections and loyalties of part of the angelic host away from God that his newly formed “kingdom” would suffer discord as well. To believe that there are some rogue demonic spirits that are refusing to serve Satan does not require an uncomfortable stretch of my reasoning, especially when we see God affirming the “reap and sow” principle to kingdoms in Revelation 13:10-
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.
It would seem that God is very determined to make the uncertainty and instability of nations who resist His will known while He continually affirms the sureness of His word and covenant to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob regarding Israel. Therefore as Paul stated regarding all the nations of the earth, they have their allotted time and boundaries, but none will ever in my opinion be allowed to reunify humanity under one banner.
Ac 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation
To start off, I thought it would be good to establish a basic list of the players with brief descriptions of them with some minor observations. For the purpose of brevity here I am only listing the dark players and not the Lamb or the angels or the hundred and forty four thousand.
First - The entity that appears in Revelation 13 is the beast that which rises up out of the sea.
Rev 13:1 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.
Second – The second beast that comes up from the earth –
Rev 13:11 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.
Third - This is actually an assemblage, the ten horns –
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
And of course, the fourth – The woman riding the beast.
Re 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
There are some points I would like to make at this time for those wishing to review this further on their own are the following -
1. John receives a vision that overwhelms him in considerable detail in chapters 13-16. In chapter 17 an angel tells John he is going to show him the mystery behind it and continues by explaining the destruction of the beast and events up to the marriage of the Lamb.
Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.
2. This mystery is a mystery that the true believers of Christ are to know.
Re 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
This should not surprise us, because Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for not knowing the time of His “visitation.”
Lu 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Also, we can see how Daniel understood things by the books concerning the times and events of his day regarding Israel.
Da 9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
Likewise, Paul demonstrates how the church of Thessalonica needed no one to explain things to them.
1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
3. The first beast that comes from the sea is not a man. It is actually the eighth beast that goes into perdition. The seven heads represent the succession of mountains (kingdoms) on which “the woman” sits and will have had “seven kings.”
Re 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Further confirmation that the first beast in Rev. 13:1 is not a man is it comes up out of the sea, which represents many people.
Re 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
4. It is the dragon, or Satan who is ultimately the manipulating entity behind this rise to supremacy.
Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Re 13:2 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.
5. The second beast that comes from the earth is a man, for just as Adam came from the dust of the earth, so does this individual. His appearance is that of a lamb, but he speaks with the mouth of a dragon. This symbolizing to me that he appears, or claims to be for peace but actually seeks to make war. The fact that he exercises all the authority of the first beast establishes his position as a leader or ruler. It is interesting that unlike the ten horns which the angel acknowledges as kings, this man/beast isn’t so identified. That leaves room for speculation that his authority is as Daniel might say, “diverse from all . . . before it.”
6. When the first beast arises in chapter 13 the woman isn’t even mentioned. It isn’t till chapter 17 that the woman is mentioned sitting on it, perhaps signifying a definite change in the religious foundation of the eighth beast as it merges with another religious system prior to its heading to perdition.
7. The ten horns do indeed merge very briefly with the beast, but it is clear that it is not a sincere merger. It is only for an hour before God puts it in their hearts to turn against the woman on the eighth beast which is now the controlling force behind it.
Re 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
The fact that the ten kings give their power to the beast for only one hour is another factor which to me undermines the “One World Government” belief. I have always been struck with the impression that this was not an actual surrender of power, but only a consent or political agreement made to align and merge powers, maybe in only an economic way. However, this consent would only be to deceive the beast in order to stall to make ready for an assault that would bring the eighth beast to its destruction.
Please bear with me as I address these things. Comments are still most welcome, thought I may not respond to all of them right away if questions are involved. However, I will purpose to address all questions as I go or as appropriate in the overall presentation.
It is my intention to simultaneously be addressing the doctrine of “hell” as well in light of Rob Bell’s new book Love Win’s. It seems both of these topics have been laid on my heart as we can see “the day approaching.”
Part Two – The Eighth Beast
Thanks for everyone’s patience and understanding.
