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Revelation Chapter 13
Summary
We read about a beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit:
“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.” (Revelation 17:8)
The beast is Satan himself. He is the one who ascended from the bottomless pit at the beginning of the Great Tribuation when he was loosed (see Study on The 1,000-Year Reign). He is the one that “was, and is not, and yet is.” He “was” in that he was once able to deceive the nations to a very high degree. He “is not” in that he was dealt a devastating blow at the cross when Christ bound him and greatly reduced his abilities to deceive. However, during the Early Rain he was still present working his deceit and in that sense he “yet is.” (The Early Rain is the period from 33 AD to the beginning of the Great Tribulation – see Study on The Latter Rain)
Revelation chapter 13 speaks of two beasts. Both of them are Satan as he is manifested in two different ways. The first beast is Satan as he has spiritual rule over the whole world (both in the church and in the world) during the first part of the Great Tribulation, which is the period of silence when very few people were being saved in the world (see Study on The Latter Rain). The second beast is Satan ruling specifically within the churches during the second part of the Great Tribulation, which is the Latter Rain when a great multitude is being saved outside of the churches.
We will study this chapter verse-by-verse over the next three segments.
Verse 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.”
The sea often signifies God’s judgment or wrath (see Word Study on “Water”). The beast rising out of the sea identifies with Satan being loosed from the bottomless pit at the beginning of the Great Tribulation:
“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7)
The fact that the horns are crowned signifies that the beast is ruling. We read in Revelation 17:12 that the ten horns represent ten kings who rule for one hour with the beast. The “one hour” is a figurative timeframe that identifies with the entire Great Tribulation period. This is why the period of silence is spoken of as “half an hour”:
“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” (Revelation 8:1)
The figurative half-hour represents the first part of the Great Tribulation when very few people were becoming saved worldwide. It is the space of time that divides the Early Rain from the Latter Rain, the Latter Rain being the second part of the Great Tribulation and is the part in which we are currently living (see Study on The Latter Rain).
Verse 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.”
The fact that the beast has a seat and authority indicates rulership. This first beast has spiritual authority worldwide. This first part of the Great Tribulation is when God allowed Satan to keep the whole world in a spiritual famine. It is like the parable of the sower where some of the seed fell by the wayside and the fowls devoured it:
“And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.”
(Mark 4:4)
Jesus then explains that this represents Satan coming to prevent the seed, which is the Word of God, from bringing salvation:
“The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:14-15)
This was the situation worldwide during the first part of the Great Tribulation, which is why the Bible calls it a period of silence, as well as a period of spiritual famine:
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11)
The lack of hearing the Word of God means that salvation is not occurring:
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
The common teaching is that the Great Tribulation will be a time when those who identify themselves with Christianity will be physically persecuted and, in many cases, literally killed. The picture that many paint of the Great Tribulation is a time when Christianity is nearly stomped completely off the visible map. Most of those who believe this also agree that the end is near. Exactly how near varies from teaching to teaching, but it is widely accepted in the Christian community that the end of the world is not far off.
Look around. Do we see the Christian community being hated all over the world? Does it appear that we are building toward a time when the world will begin literally killing off those who claim to be followers of God? No, instead we find quite the contrary. Churches are popping up everywhere. Bibles are widely available in over 2,370 languages.1 In fact, studies show that about one-third of the world’s population calls itself Christian.2 Page 711 of the 2008 World Almanac indicates that 2,173,183,400 people worldwide attend a Christian church on a regular basis. Given that the world's population was estimated at 6,677,563,921 as of July 20073, that means 32.5% of the world's population attends a Christian church on a regular basis.
It is important to keep in mind that the Bible is not a political or economic book and is therefore not concerned with the politics of our day. It is a spiritual book and we need to understand the end-times prophecies in light of that fact. This is why we read that during the Great Tribulation it will appear to be business as usual in the world:
“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)
“Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” (Luke 17:28-30)
Some churches teach that these verses are speaking of the situation at the beginning of the Great Tribulation because they teach that the Rapture will occur just before the Great Tribulation begins. I grew up under that teaching so I am quite familiar with it. However, now we know that isn’t true. God actually allowed for many churches to figure out that the Rapture occurs after the Great Tribulation, but their understanding of how the end would pan out was still somewhat incorrect. God had hidden a very important piece of information from us until our day; namely, the five months of wrath that will occur immediately after the Great Tribulation and Rapture (see Study on The Sixth Seal).
The implication in the verses above is that the vast majority of the world’s population will be completely unaware when the Great Tribulation is already in progress. If the events of the Great Tribulation were political in nature, then at least the third of the world that is attending church would know full well that the Great Tribulation had begun and people would be behaving differently.
But the Great Tribulation is a spiritual tribulation when Satan disguises himself as God in the churches. This is confirmed by the fact that the beast looks like a leopard with bear’s feet and the mouth of a lion. These are all figures that identify with God:
“Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.” (Hosea 13:7-8)
Satan comes into the churches counterfeiting God.
Verse 3
”And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
Satan was dealt a devastating blow at the cross when he was bound. It’s at that time when his ability to deceive the nations had been greatly reduced (see Study on The 1,000-Year Reign). When Satan was loosed at the beginning of the Great Tribulation it was as though his wound had healed. This event coincided with the beast rising from the bottomless pit (Revelation 17:8).
Verse 4
”And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
No professing Christian would worship Satan by name, but the Bible teaches us that Satan rules in the church looking like Christ. The Bible uses the language as him coming as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Those in the church do not realize he is ruling in the church. Instead, they think it is Christ as it always had been (see Study on The Antichrist).
Verse 5
”And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
These 42 months refer to the first part of the Great Tribulation, the period of silence, when Satan’s spiritual rule encompasses the whole world. We know these 42 months are figurative because God identifies the number 3.5 with the first part of the Great Tribulation. He refers to it as a time when the Two Witnesses are dead for 3.5 days (see Study on The Two Witnesses). He calls it the time when the power of the holy people will be scattered for a time, times, and half a time which is language to illustrate 3.5 (Daniel 12:7).
It is also referred to in Daniel 7:25 as the time when Satan will wear out the saints for a time, times, and dividing of time, again illustrating 3.5. We know this passage isn’t referring to the entire Great Tribulation because the next verse (Daniel 7:26) says that the saints will take away his dominion and when we examine that in light of the rest of the Bible we know that is speaking of the Latter Rain when Satan’s spiritual authority outside of the church has been once again greatly limited.
The timeframe of 42 months is also identified with 3.5 in that it is exactly 3.5 years. This number is being used symbolically and does not mean that the first part of the Great Tribulation is a literal 3.5 years in length (see Study on Timing Of Events).
Verse 6
”And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”
This identifies with what we read in Daniel chapter 8 about Satan casting truth to the ground:
“And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.” (Daniel 8:12)
It also parallels Revelation chapter 8 where it talks about the waters becoming bitter:
“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8:11)
The waters are the Gospel (see Word Study on “Water”). The bitter water identifies with the Gospel being polluted.
Satan pollutes the Gospel enough so that it still looks like the true Gospel, but in actuality is a false gospel. The majority of those under the hearing of these false gospels are deceived into thinking all of this is of God when it is actually of Satan:
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 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 Corinthians 11:14-15)
Daniel warns us about this time when Satan will be changing times and laws:
“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
(Daniel 7:25)
In other words, the beast will alter the law of God.
I think perhaps the statement in Daniel 7:25 that Satan will change times (not just laws) points to the fact that he will do everything in his power to keep the churches believing that the antichrist will be a political figure, the Rapture will be before the Great Tribulation, the “1,000-year” reign will be after the Great Tribulation, and so on. By keeping these false understandings alive and well in the churches Satan is able hide his presence within them because the churches will continue to think they are safe and secure. They will continue to look for a time when the political antichrist will rise, oblivious to what is happening right in their midst. To a high degree, the churches won’t focus much attention on the end-times prophecies because they will continue to believe they will be raptured before the Great Tribulation begins anyway. In fact, we are seeing this in our day. According to a recent study, only 1% of church sermons are focused on end-times material.3 We are warned of this in First Thessalonians 5:3:
"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."
The churches think all is fine within them, but unfortunately that is not the case. It's terribly sad, but it is the situation we must face in our day.
Verse 7
”And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
The beast making war with and overcoming the saints identifies with the true believers being removed from the churches. We will develop this fact when we get down to verse 15.
Verse 8
”And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
This is a reminder that anyone who is not saved ultimately belongs to Satan. The Bible speaks of the unsaved as children of Satan (John 8:44), slaves of sin (John 8:34), and people who are under the authority of Satan (Acts 26:16-18). The Bible says that when we become saved we are translated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13). In other words, there are only two kingdoms: God's and Satan's. There is no in-between or neutral ground. We don’t typically think of it this way, but ultimately if we are not a part of the kingdom of God then we belong to Satan. We typically identify Satan worship with the occult and such, but every human belongs to one of the two kingdoms and therefore serves its corresponding ruler.
Verse 9
”If any man have an ear, let him hear.”
This is a very interesting statement that we find placed in the middle of this chapter. Whenever we see it in the Bible it reminds us that God is teaching something that not all will understand. All of mankind has physical ears, but the ears in view here are spiritual ears to hear as God grants understanding. God explains this phrase to us in Mark 4:9-12:
“And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
In other words, God speaks to us in parables or riddles. He does this in order to intentionally hide the true meaning of passages. God could have clearly said what He had to say, but He chose to write the Bible in a way that it must be studied very carefully to properly understand.
Verse 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.”
The sword is the Word of God:
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17)
False gospels do not bring salvation and the alternative to salvation is spiritual death, so as Satan brings false doctrines into the church it as though he is killing with his own kind of a sword. Remember, false gospels are not just the work of man but ultimately the work of Satan:
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
But in the end it is the true Word of God that condemns the wicked:
“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law” (Romans 2:12)
“Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” reminds us that the believers will be present on Earth during this time of Great Tribulation. I think maybe it also points to the idea that, before the Great Tribulation ends, the truly saved will all understand what is really going on inside the churches. The saints are patient in that they realize the horrible situation the churches are in and they are concerned about their loved ones within them. It is not an easy time for them:
“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 6:10-11)
When we get down to verse 15 we will learn that the killing in view here is not a literal killing, but rather it is a figure of speech to indicate that they have been removed from the churches.
Verse 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.”
The fact that this second beast has horns like a lamb again reminds us that Satan comes looking like Christ who is the Lamb of God (John 1:36). He speaks as a dragon in that he does not bring the true Gospel.
Remember that the first beast rose out of the sea, which was language that identified with Satan being loosed from the bottomless pit at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This second beast rising out of the earth points to the fact that when the second part of the Great Tribulation began Satan was already in the world. The second part of the Great Tribulation, the Latter Rain, is just a continuation of the first part insofar as the churches are concerned. However, out in the world the situation has changed as God begins saving a great multitude which no man can number (see Study on The Latter Rain).
Verse 12
”And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
This is a reminder that the second beast is very much just a continuation of what the first beast started, and remember that both beasts are actually Satan himself.
Verse 13
”And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,”
This ominous verse holds a huge piece of information, along with a very serious warning. The Greek word for “wonders” here is semeion, which is a word that actually means “miracles.” This is not just saying that the beast will do great things like we would associate with a popular politician. No, it is a direct reference to supernatural miracles.
Jesus performed miracles to prove that His Gospel was the true Gospel:
"And many other signs [semeion] truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name." (John 20:30-31)
The gift of tongues was also classified by God as a supernatural miracle:
“Wherefore tongues are for a sign [semeion], not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.” (1 Corinthians 14:22)
The Greek word “for” in the phrase “tongues are for a sign” is the Greek word eis, which can also be translated as “into.” This phrase should be understood as “tongues are a sign” or “tongues fit into the role of a sign.”
The gift of tongues is no longer distributed by God. Many of us may look around at the churches that incorporate tongues and wonder, “How can that be possible, that all of this is not coming from God?” If this is new information to you, then you are strongly encouraged to see the Study on Tongues for a much more detailed explanation of how we can know that the tongues of today is not coming from God.
God no longer performs spectacular miracles such as tongues and healings that visually defy the laws of medicine. Yes, He may heal people today but not in the way Jesus did. The kind of healing where someone’s mutilated hand is miraculously restored, those kinds of healings are no longer performed by God. Why not? Because the purpose of those miracles were to prove the legitimacy of the Gospel. Now we have the completed Word of God and are instructed to live by faith (Hebrews 10:38).
However, Satan imitates God in order to lead people astray:
"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, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Just as Jesus proved the genuineness of His Gospel through miracles Satan is attempting to do the same thing today by coming with signs and wonders:
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs [semeion] and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24)
We are warned not to be trapped by this attraction to spectacular miracles:
“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign [semeion]; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matthew 12:39)
These supernatural activities we are seeing or hearing about are not serving to support the true Gospel, but rather are serving to support a lie:
“Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs [semeion] and lying wonders”
(2 Thessalonians 2:9)
Getting back to Revelation 13:13, it says that the beast will make fire come down from heaven. We know that Satan is not actually capable of literally making fire come down from heaven (1 Kings 18:21-38), so for us to understand this statement we must study the act of fire coming down from heaven. Let's look at three occurrences:
Occurrence 1
In Numbers chapter 16 we read of the rebellion against Moses led by three men: Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. God brought judgment on these men by causing the earth to open up and swallow the three men and their families, and the 250 men who rebelled with them were consumed by fire from heaven.
Occurrence 2
Second Kings chapter 1 tells us of the wicked king of Israel who ordered the capture of one of God's messengers, Elijah. The king sent a captain with 50 men to bring Elijah down from a hill, but they were unsuccessful as God sent down fire from heaven to consume them as judgment. The king sent a second captain with another 50 men and the same thing happened to them.
Occurrence 3
We also read in Revelation 20:9 of Satan assaulting the camp of saints by means of the world's nations and judgment is brought upon them through fire from heaven.
There is another account where Satan assaulted the kingdom of God and fire should have been called down from heaven to destroy him. Instead, a different action was taken to show that Satan could have been destroyed by fire. That action, therefore, became the equivalent of calling down fire from heaven. The event was when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Judas and the temple soldiers came to take Jesus. Following the examples of when God's enemies tried to bind His people, Jesus should have called down fire from heaven to destroy the enemies of those who tried to bind Him. However, He could not do that because it was necessary for Him to be bound and taken to the cross. So instead of calling down fire from heaven He caused them to fall backward:
"As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground." (John 18:6)
Since Satan is not capable of literally calling down fire from heaven he does the supernatural equivalent, once again following Jesus' lead, to deceive them that are interested in it. Today it is called being “slain in the spirit.” The experience of being supernaturally pushed backward is seen as a good thing by those who take part in it. However, in the Bible this action signifies God's judgment upon someone. This clearer understanding of fire from heaven, or supernaturally being pushed backward, should prevent any believer from wanting any part of this activity.
Verse 14
”And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
Here again we find the Greek word semeion, translated as “miracles” in this verse. Notice the reiteration of the entire purpose of these miracles: it is to make people follow Satan, just as Jesus performed miracles to make people believe in His Gospel. This is just one more way Satan is attempting to counterfeit God. People, by nature, are attracted to spectacular things, supernatural things. They trust their feelings and Satan is capitalizing on that by appealing to their emotions and overcoming their objectivity.
Verse 15
”And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
As believers become uncomfortable within the church during the Great Tribulation they may express their concerns to their pastors or share with other members their findings in the Bible about Satan’s position within the church. This activity will ultimately result in the believers either leaving the church on their own or being asked to leave. The Bible does speak of being removed from the church as being killed, spiritually speaking:
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” (John 16:2)
We may wonder why God uses this language. Why does He equate being removed from the church with being killed? Recall that the Israelites, the earthly representation of God’s Kingdom in the Old Testament, were commanded to remove evil-doers from amongst them by literally killing them:
“And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.” (Deuteronomy 13:5)
“Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” (Deuteronomy 22:21-24)
Likewise, the churches (the earthly representation of God’s Kingdom after the cross) were commanded to remove evil-doers from amongst them:
“But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.”
(1 Corinthians 5:13)
“And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” (1 Corinthians 5:2)
Though the believers during the Great Tribulation are not actually the evil-doers, they are perceived as bringers of heresy and are removed from the churches. Read John 16:2 again and notice that those who are removing the believers from the church honestly believe they are doing the right thing:
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”
Verse 16
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:”
This verse is commonly interpreted literally. Many read a political or economic interpretation into this and are looking for a day when the antichrist forces all people to receive some kind of literal mark on their foreheads or right hands. When social security numbers were introduced in the 1930s some believed that was linked to this verse. Then UPC barcodes were introduced in grocery stores in the 1970s and some thought there’d come a day when we’d have them printed on our hands. This has even been depicted in movies. Now we are living in a day when people suspect we may someday be forced to have computer chips embedded in our skin.
This is all very interesting and, at first glance, might seem like reasonable conclusions, but we must remember to use Scripture to interpret Scripture. Though it's an extremely ugly truth, we know that unsaved individuals are slaves of Satan:
“And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
(2 Timothy 2:26)
“Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” (John 8:34)
Anyone who is not saved belongs to the dominion of darkness:
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13)
The unsaved are under the authority of Satan:
"To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." (Acts 26:18)
The Greek word translated as "power" can also be translated as "authority."
We’ve also learned that both the beast and the antichrist are Satan himself.
God often uses the word “forehead” in reference to an individual’s mind:
“Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.” (Jeremiah 3:3)
“And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” (Exodus 28:38)
“Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:3)
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1)
“And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)
Likewise, often when the Bible references our hands or our feet it’s speaking of our will:
“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:30)
The unsaved are slaves of Satan; he is their master. Slaves are marked to indicate to whom they belong. Likewise, we are marked spiritually. If we are saved, then we have the seal of God in our foreheads as spoken of in Revelation 9:4. If we are not saved, then we have the mark of the beast. Either way, both are spiritual marks that have nothing to do with this world’s politics or economics.
Verse 17
”And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
The mark’s assumed link to economics is typically based on this verse’s phrase “buy or sell.” We have to remember that the Bible is not an economic book; it is a spiritual book so we must look for the spiritual meaning. There are a couple pieces of information in the Bible that help us understand this phrase.
In Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus referenced those who were buying and selling in the temple as those who had turned the temple into a den of thieves:
“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
When we read Jeremiah 7:9-11 we discover that God defines a den of thieves as a church where those who come into it are claiming to be followers of God and yet they worship other gods:
“Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.”
In today’s world spiritually, this is the situation we are faced with in the churches. Satan comes into the church disguised as God and creates false gospels that are very close to the true Gospel, but they are twisted just enough that they are no longer the true Gospel. Those who attend these churches unknowingly follow a false gospel and turn the church into a den of thieves.
The phrase “buy and sell” also has to do with spiritual merchandising. We read about ships going out to gather gold and silver:
"For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." (2 Chronicles 9:21)
The ships represent the church as it goes out into the world with the Gospel (see Word Study on “Ship”). The gold and silver represent the believers:
"The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts." (Haggai 2:8)
The apes and peacocks represent the unbelievers within the church. During the Early Rain, as the church shared the Gospel it came back with both believers and unbelievers within it.
It is the role of believers to go into the world with the Gospel. We find this activity identified with the merchandise of God’s law:
“For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” (Proverbs 3:14)
This is why we sometimes find those who teach from the Bible are called merchants:
“And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:” (Revelation 18:11)
So when God says that no man can buy or sell unless he has the mark of the beast, He is speaking of a time when only gospels of the beast (Satan) will be tolerated. We know that professing Christians will not follow blatantly false gospels, but Satan comes looking like Christ and his gospels appear to be faithful to the Word of God.
Verse 18
“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.”
We read that God symbolically divides the human race into three parts:
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.” (Zechariah 13:8-9)
Two of the parts represent the unsaved and the third part represents God's people.
Likewise, in Second Samuel chapter 8 we read about where David caused the Moabites to lie down in three lines. Two of the lines were put to death, but he spared the third line and they served him. This is an illustration of the believers who are saved by God’s grace and serve Him as a result.
We also read in Second Kings chapter 1 about the wicked king of Israel sending a group of 50 men to capture Elijah, but Elijah called down fire from heaven and destroyed the group. The king sent a second group and the same thing happened to them. The king sent a third group and those men fell on their knees begging to be spared. Elijah spared them and this again is a representation of the believers who are saved and serve Christ.
In Luke 14:31 we read of a king with 10,000 warring against a king with 20,000:
"Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?"
The King with an army of 10,000 is Christ (Deuteronomy 33:2, Jude 1:14-15) and the one He wars against is Satan. Therefore, here again we find the believers represented by the fraction one-third (10,000 is one third of the total 30,000 in battle).
In these illustrations the fraction two-thirds is being used to represent those who are under the wrath of God and the fraction one-third is being used to represent God's people. As we examine other passages in the Bible we discover that the fraction one-third can sometimes refer to those who claim to be God's people rather than those who are actually saved. For example, we read about one third of the stars being cast from heaven to earth:
"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born." (Revelation 12:4)
"And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them." (Daniel 8:10)
The stars normally identify with those who share the Gospel (Daniel 12:3) so the fraction one-third is being specifically assigned to those who look like believers but in actuality are not saved.
Likewise we read about the third part of the trees being burnt up:
"The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up." (Revelation 8:7)
The trees identify with God's people (Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 104:16). The fact that they are being burnt up indicates that they are under God's judgment. Since the unsaved out in the secular world do not identify with trees, those in view are specifically those that look like they are believers but in actuality are not saved.
When we piece this together we discover that the human race is broken into the following three parts spiritually:
1/3 = the true believers
1/3 = those who look like they are believers but aren't saved (the unsaved in the churches)
1/3 = the unsaved out in the secular world
These are spiritual numbers and therefore do not imply that literally one-third of the human race is saved.
The fraction two-thirds (which represents all of the unsaved, both in the churches and out in the secular world) is .666 when written as a number in decimal form. Notice that Revelation 13:18 indicates that 666 is also the number of man. By nature we are born into sin (Psalm 51:5, 58:3). We are born slaves of Satan (John 8:44; Romans 3:9-12, 6:20; Galatians 4:3). As long as we are unsaved, we are part of Satan’s kingdom.
King Nebuchadnezzar was a picture of Satan and he set up a golden image which was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (Daniel 3:1). There were 6 instruments that sounded to indicate that it was time for the people to worship the image (Daniel 3:5). Perhaps these three sixes tie in with the number 666.
We have seen in other studies that numbers can be broken down to reveal additional spiritual truth (see Studying Numbers ). The number 666 breaks down into 37 x 6 x 3. The number 37 signifies judgment and the end of the world (see Number Study on 37). The number 6 signifies work (see Number Study on 6). The number 3 signifies God’s plan (see Number Study on 3). Together these numbers indicate that it is God’s plan that those who are relying on works for their salvation will fall under the judgment of God. The works in view here are that of obeying God, which will not get anyone saved:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5)
Every religion (except Christianity) is based on the notion of, “What can I do to get on good terms with God?” However, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by works and so all of those who are trying to become saved on their own merit will continue to remain under God’s wrath.
Many people in the Christian community are also asking, “What can I do to get right with God?” and so they look for a prayer they can say or some other action such as baptism to get themselves saved. When we have a correct understanding of the Bible we learn that nothing we do can get us saved. Any action we take is a work. Even faith itself is a work:
“Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father” (1 Thessalonians 1:3)
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
Faith is not a cause of salvation but rather it is the result of God saving us:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22)
For a more in-depth explanation of what salvation is please see the Study on Salvation.
Conclusion
The beast that rises from the sea is Satan as he is loosed from the bottomless pit at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, also spoken of as the man of sin being revealed in Second Thessalonians chapter 2. This first beast has spiritual authority over the whole world and identifies with the period of silence that is the first part of the Great Tribulation when very few people were saved in the world.
The second beast that rises from the earth is also Satan as he continues his rule within the church. However, his deceptive hold on the world outside the church is once again limited as it had been during the Early Rain so that God can save a great multitude during this second part of the Great Tribulation known as the Latter Rain.
Both beasts are spoken of as looking like God and both are spoken of as directing their attacks on the Kingdom of God. When we compare this with the rest of Scripture we know that it is Satan’s rule within the church as he brings signs and wonders (tongues, healings, “slain in the spirit”, etc) to make people believe God is the one ruling there. The killing of the believers is a reference to them being silenced as they are removed from the churches, either of their own will or by being asked to leave.
A diagram of these events on our end-times timeline looks like this:
To see how the events of the beast tie in with the rest of the end-times events see the End-Times Events Timeline.
1http://www.biblesociety.org/trans-gr.htm
2http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
3https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/xx.html
4http://hirr.hartsem.edu/org/faith_megachurches_FACTsummary.html
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