Revelation: Two Beasts Rise Up; Still, We Have Hope!

2023-07-09

Dr. Troy Temple

Revelation 13:1-10

As we continue our series through Revelation, the picture becomes darker and darker as two beasts rise up to carry out the assault on God and His people. But, still, we hope because God has a plan.

 

Let’s take a quick at how far we have come…

So far,

• Chapter 1 – John’s vision of Jesus, Jesus’ message for the churches, and His plans for eternity
• Chapters 2-3 – Jesus delivers a message to each of the 7 churches
• Chapters 4-7 – Jesus pulls back the curtain and unveils what things must happen and will happen
• Chapters 8-10 – We walked through the 7 trumpets, then the Little Scroll that God had them seal up what the seven thunders said and not write them down
• Chapters 11-12 – We were introduced to 2 witnesses who were killed by the antichrist and continues the campaign of persecuting Israel as an attack on God and His promises to Israel with the ultimate goal of destroying Jesus Christ
• Chapter 13 – The beast of the sea and the beast of the earth

 

Revelation Scorecard:

END-TIMES SCORECARD: Seven Symbolic Players in the Great End Times Drama
Woman 12:1–2, 6, 13–16	Israel
Dragon 12:3–4, 9, 12–13	Satan
Male child 12:2, 5	Christ
Michael 12:7–12	Archangel
Rest of her offspring 12:17	Seed of Woman (saved Israel)
Beast of the sea 13:1–10	Antichrist
Beast of the earth 13:11–18	False Prophet

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 134.

But first…

My prayer for all of us this morning is that we, truly and from deep inside our innermost hurts, walk out of here with a strong assurance that we are not without hope! Today & forevermore!

We can all see the times and how they have grown increasingly worse!

Beloved, know that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” (Proverbs 18:10, NKJV)

 

This is why we hope! This is Christian Hope!

• He will never die!
• He will never fail!
• He will never reject His people!
• He will always answer!
• He will keep every promise!

 

THIS IS CHRISTIAN HOPE!!

So, why is it all getting worse?

 

Now, I think it’s paramount that we understand where Christ is in the biblical narrative at any place in the Bible.

We can see that this book of the Bible has generally two sections: chapters 1-3 which is set in John’s day, chapters 4-22 which describes events, both yet to come and events that must come.

But I want us to think about this journey and why God describes all of these things yet to come even though His church will not experience much of these future events.

The story that we find ourselves in now cannot be clearly understood without understanding where it all started.

 

Let’s jump back in time all the way back to Genesis 3.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

 

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

The dragon’s plan was initiated back in Genesis 3 with that great deception in the garden.

Things went way off course from that point on and continue to go off course more and more every day.

Deception has always been the dragon’s weapon of choice.

 

Ever since that day in Genesis 3, all humanity has begged and cried, ”God, fix it!!“

Our God hears those pleads! Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

Zephaniah 3:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.

 

OUR GOD HAS A PLAN THAT GIVES US HOPE!

 

Now, let’s look at Revelation 13

This chapter introduces us to 2 beasts that are tasked with carrying out the dragon’s evil agenda against God and His people.

 

Points of Comparison: Antichrist & Christ

Christ	Antichrist
Many diadems (19:12)	Ten diadems (13:1)
Worthy name (19:11–16)	Blasphemous names (13:1)
Causes men to worship God (1:6)	Causes men to worship Satan (13:4)
Power and throne of God (12:5)	Power and throne of Satan (13:2)
Died but lives again (1:18)	Fatal wound is healed (13:3)

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 141.

 

The Agenda of the First Beast

1. He will establish and control evil leaders & governments (Rev. 13:1-2)

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

 

Don’t miss the significance of these symbols that describe a limited authority.

 

Look back at Daniel 7.

• 7 heads = the sum of the heads of the 4 beasts in Daniel 7
• 10 diadems on 10 horns = the 10 horns of the 4^th beast in Daniel 7 and represents 10 kings who follow him
• In Daniel 7, the 4 beasts and 10 kings are the nations attacking & persecuting Israel.

Grant Osborne notes, For a short time (“for one hour”), these ten kings will be given authority by God “to wage war against the Lamb.” But their final doom is certain. In other words, the beast from the sea is the Antichrist, who will stand against Christ and try to usurp his authority and power. Only Christ is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16; note his “many diadems” in 19:12). Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 491.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

 

2. The worship of world leaders (Rev. 13:3-4)

3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

 

Walvoord well notes, “The identification of a head with the government over which he has authority is not a strange situation. The person is often the symbol of the government, and what can be said of the government can be said of him” (Revelation, 199). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 223.

This is why the world worships the first beast.

He has imitated death & resurrection.

Chuck Swindoll states, “How like Satan! The one who “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14) will provide the world with a copycat “christ” to match all their man-centered ideals of personality, politics, and power. No wonder the whole world will be swept off its feet by this attractive, persuasive figure (13:3)!” (Insights, 181).

 

“Who is like the beast?” is a parody of the acclamation of Yahweh (Exod 8:10; 15:11; Pss 71:19; 89:8; Isa 44:7; 46:5; Mic 7:18). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 223.

 

3. The temporary war of evil leaders (Rev. 13:5-8)

5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authoritywas given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The war campaign was temporary because he didn’t bring his own authority. Authority was given to him, and it will be taken from him.

 

Osborne elaborates the “it is clear that the beast’s authority merely appeared to come from Satan; in reality, God was the true source. However, God allows that authority to be exercised only for a limited time, namely “forty-two months” (cf. Dan. 7:25; 12:7), a reference to the three-and-a-half-year period that comprises this final period in human history (Rev. 11:2; see also “1,260 days” in 11:3 and 12:6; and “time, times, and half a time” in 12:14). Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 499.

 

4. The deception of evil leaders (Rev. 13:8-10)

8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

 

Listen to what Dr. Akin say about this verse.

Verse 8 says, “All those who live on the earth will worship [the beast].” But there is a second group on this planet who are not “earth-dwellers” and devotees of the dragon and beast. They follow a different Leader, march to the beat of a different Drummer, pledge allegiance to a different Master. And unlike the earth dweller “whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered” (13:8), their name has been. The book of life is the book containing the names of the redeemed, the saved (see Phil 4:3); those who follow the Lamb have their name in this book. We should note in this the security of our salvation. Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 225.

 

Who is the second beast?

If we look back at our scorecard, we see that he is the false prophet.

 

Points of Comparison: False Prophet & Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit	False Prophet
Points men to Christ (John 15:26)	Points men to Antichrist (13:12, 14)
Instrument of divine revelation (John 16:13)	Instrument of satanic revelation (13:11)
Seals believers to God (1 John 3:24)	Marks unbelievers with the number of Antichrist (Rev. 13:16)
Builds body of Christ (John 7:37–39)	Builds the empire of Antichrist (13:17)
Enlightens mankind with truth (John 14:17, 26)	Deceives mankind by miracles (13:13–15)

Ed Hindson, Revelation: Unlocking the Future, Twenty-First Century Biblical Commentary Series (AMG Publishers, 2002), 142.

There are 7 specific characteristics of the second beast which comes from the earth.

Seven Characteristics of the Second Beast

1. He is a deceiver (Rev. 13:11) – a lamb, even friendly.

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

 

2. He speaks the words of satan

– to be sure, his appearance may seem harmless, but the true test of character is decided in the words he uses

 

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matt. 7:15 warning us of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing but on the inside are “ravenous wolves.”

Satan twisted God’s words in the garden, and he has never stopped.

 

3. He is a false worship leader (Rev. 13:12) –

12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

He will call for and lead people to worship beast one, the antichrist.

 

4. He uses miracles to amaze and deceive (Rev. 13:13-14) –

13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

 

He will call down fire from the heavens for all to see.

Remember chapter 11 and the 2 witnesses (11:5)?

Elijah (1 Kings 18:28) when he called down fire on the altar of Baal?

 

5. He will kill those who reject worshipping beast one (Rev. 13:15) –

15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

 

6. He marks all antichrist worshippers as his (Rev. 13:16-17) –

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

 

7. He will, ultimately, lead all people to worship a mere man (Rev. 13:18) –

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

 

Dr. Akin says this about Revelation 13:18 (EJR):

Verse 18 issues a call for wisdom. Perhaps the wise person would avoid this hermeneutical quicksand altogether. But an important statement in the verse might lead us to make a cautious suggestion. The statement is, “It is the number of a man. His number is 666.” I think the number is more of a description than an identification. Six is the number of man. He was created on the sixth day. He is to work six days. In contrast, the number of perfection is seven, and the superlative of seven is 777. The beast is the greatest man but still a man. He is a six, not a seven. He, along with Satan and the false prophet, is a 666, a trinity of imperfection. Not now or ever will they be a 777! He is the best man can produce, but he is still just a man! He is “the completeness of sinful incompleteness,” the ultimate in “coming up short.” He is good enough to deceive many, but he is nowhere close to good enough to displace Jesus (Beale, “Number of the Beast”). Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 236.

We do not know exactly what that mark will be. We do know as David Platt said, there will always be a price to pay for believers who do not worship the idols of this world. Life will not be easy in this world when you fight the idolatry of this world, plain and simple. Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 235.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. (Zeph. 3:15)

 

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

Easter Friday is good because Resurrection Sunday was coming!

The darkest hours of our lives today have hope because Jesus has overcome!

The darkest events, that John saw and recorded here, will pale when the King of kings rides out in Revelation 19 and 20.

Our God has a plan that gives us hope!

There will never be an imitation that can stand against that truth.

Still, we have hope!