Revelation 13 - Beast from the Land

Israel - Michael - Satan

Let’s look back at chapter 12 to set the stage for next few chapters

Revelation 12:7–9 “7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”

This is not the first time these two have been in battle

Around 600 BCE we are told of a battle

Daniel 10:20–21 “20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.”

The battle from Rev 12 is prophesied in Dan 12

Daniel 12:1–4 “1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.””

Michael and Satan also had a battle prior to Daniel

Jude 9 “9 But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.””

What’s this battle really about?

Territory - Moses was not allowed in the promise land - The dispute for his body is territorial

Chapter 13 describes Satan’s world system

It’s a counterfeit system - a wicked copy designed to deceive people into believing he is God

1 Government v7; 1 Cashless Monetary System v17; 1 WTO w/ slavery v16; 1 Legal System w/ death penalty v15; 1 Supreme Leader v14; 1 Communication System v15

Satan’s plan has always been a one world government he can control

Genesis 11:1–6 “1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.”

English Standard Version Chapter 13

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.

The Beast out of the Sea

This individual will be a political leader from world - not Israel

10 horns = Rulers and their Nations or territories

7 heads = Empires set against Israel

Rev 17:9-12 Give us more detail on these entities

The 10 horns have crowns - not earned but given suggesting a political system corruption

The 7 heads are named with disrespect to Yahweh

As John describes the beast in v2 we should be reminded of Daniel’s vision

Daniel 7:2–6 “2 Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. 5 And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ 6 After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”

Notice how John describes the beast in an order opposite to Daniel - John is looking back in time

The beast John describes here is a version of the 4th beast from Daniel vision which also represents the 7th Empire or 7th head from Rev 13:1

Daniel 7:7–8 “7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.”

The translation of Daniel’s vision

Daniel 7:16–17 “16 I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. 17 ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.”

Daniel 7:23–25 “23 “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. 24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. 25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”

7 Empires, 7 Kings, 4 Beasts?

4 Empires are recorded in Daniel - Where / who are the other 3?

From the beginning Satan has used 6 World Empires to attempt to destroy Israel

There will be one final Empire \ King

Assyria - Nimrod - Gen 10:8; Isaiah 10:5 “5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury!”

Egypt - Pharaoh - Genesis 12:15 “15 And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.”

Babylon (Iraq) - Nebuchadnezzar - 2 Kings 25:9 “9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.”

Persia (Iran) - Xerxes - 2 Chronicles 36:20–21 “20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

Grecian - Alexander the Great - Daniel 8:8 “8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Roman - Caesar / Herod - Daniel 9:26 “26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.”

Revised Roman Empire - False Trinity - Dan 9:27 “27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Revelation 13:3–4 “3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?””

Satan’s final Empire begins with a resurrection power play - remember it’s a counterfeit system designed to deceive and trick people into worshiping him

This resurrection of this beast (anti-christ) will elevate him to a position of esteem unlike anyone since Nimrod. Such esteem that he’ll be worshiped by the entire world as God.

Revelation 13:5–6 “5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”

The beast has great authority and his message is clear - Yahweh is the enemy and all that follow Him as well

Notice those who dwell in heaven are singled out to those who dwell on earth and follow the beast

Revelation 13:7–8 “7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”

He wages war against the saints of earth and defeats them - not the church, bride

He has authority over the whole earth and the worship of all who do not belong to Yahweh

Revelation 13:9–10 “9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear: 10 If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”

A warning similar to what we’ve heard before but not to the same group

A warning - there is no mercy in this last period of time

Matthew 26:52 “52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”