The Antichrist || It’s a Zoo in Here || Part 3

Revelation 13:1-10

1             Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horn. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God.

2             This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the best his own power and throne and great authority.

3             I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery – but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast.

4             They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against them?”

5             Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.

6             And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling – that is, those who dwell in heaven.

7             And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.

8             And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.

9             Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.

10          Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.

The beast was originally identified with Roman because the early days of the Roman Empire encouraged evil lifestyles, persecuted believers, and opposed God and his followers. This is why there’s heavy language describing the death of Christians and the death of believers in both Revelation and the latter half of the New Testament. This was a legitimate fear from the government that believers could have been killed. It’s not a concern in our modern US culture today, but this is still prevalent in different countries overseas and in the Middle East.

The beast also symbolized the Antichrist. This is not Satan, but it’s someone under Satan’s power and control. The Antichrist is described as a combination of the four beasts that Daniel saw centuries earlier in a vision (see Daniel 7). As the dragon fights God, the beast from the sea fights Christ and can be seen as Satan’s false messiah. Remember, God is to Satan as Jesus is to the Antichrist. The early Roman empire is strong and very anti-Christ. There have been many other regimes that followed the design on the Roman Empire. Many Christians believe that Satan’s evil plan with come to pass with a final Antichrist as a powerful entity that will focus all of their evil power against Jesus and his followers. Some believe we’re there now with our current presidency in the US. Some believe we were there in the last leadership. Some believe we’ve been there for years. The main thing to remember is that none of us know when this will happen. We need to keep focus on the fact that Jesus has won this battle. We are called to care for God’s creation, and while this can loom large on our minds, we can still do this task and rest knowing that Jesus is covering the bigger battle.

Because the Beast is the false messiah, they will be a counterfeit of Christ (think someone who will appear and sound like Christ but will use that power to rebel against God’s teaching) and even stage a false resurrection. People will follow and worship him because they’ll be in awe by the miracle and power they perform. He will create world unity and control the world economy. People will be impressed by the power and will follow those who display that power forcefully or offer it to their followers. I know this sounds…familiar…but again, we are not sure if this is the real thing. I use under the mindset of: “Until we know, we don’t.” Worrying about the possibilities, speculation between what we believe to be true or not. This is how I’ve been able to keep my anxiety low and been able  to stay in the present and focus on what I need to do today.

Those who follow the Beast will only be fooling themselves. He will use his power to manipulate others, to point to himself and promote evil plans. The teachings of God use the power to love and build others up. Don’t be misled by someone claiming to make great miracles or reporting about a resurrection/reincarnation claiming to be Jesus. When Jesus returns, he will instantly reveal himself to everyone and no one will question it. Someone can pretend to do what appears to be good and what appears to be beneficial for the greater good, but the Antichrist will use these things for their own good and for the intentional opportunity to rebel against God’s teaching.

God will limit the power the Beast has. The he will allow the Beast to exercise authority over for a short period of time. Even while the Beast walks among the earth, God will still be in control. The Beast will conquer God’s people and rule over them, but the people will be protected spiritually. The Beast will show worldwide dominance and demand that everyone worship him – everyone except true believers. Refusing to worship the Beast will result in temporary suffering for God’s people, but they will be rewarded with eternal life.

In this time of persecution, being faithful to Christ would potentially bring imprisonment and even execution. Someone believers could be tortured and killed. The Beast and his followers will only be able to harm our earthly selves; we have hope that when the second coming happens and when we join God in the eternal life, he will restore our bodies. All believers will be perfected and purified by the blood of the Lamb. These times of great persecution that John saw will provide a place of exercise patience, endurance, and faithfulness. The world right needs us to be patient, to endure, and to have faith in God that he will keep us doing his will on this world to love him with all of who we are and to care for those around us as he cares for us. The tough times we are in right now are also opportunities for spiritual growth. Don’t fall for the antichrist’s ways. Use these times to testify for God.

Next bible study blog: It’s a Zoo in Here – Part 4

Associated Scripture:

Revelation 13:1          Daniel 7:2-8; Revelation 17:12

Revelation 13:2          Daniel 7:4-6; Revelation 2:13, 12:3

Revelation 13:3          2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 17:8

Revelation 13:5          Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 25, 11:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 11:2

Revelation 13:7          Revelation 5:9, 11:7

Revelation 13:8          Daniel 12:1

Revelation 13:10       Jeremiah 15:2, 43:11; Matthew 26:52; Hebrews 6:12