“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.”
–Revelation 13:1
There is a famous end times “beast” described in Revelation, beginning with Revelation 13:1.
The question which surfaced time and again: “Just exactly who, or what, is this beast?”
According to the Modern American Prophecy Industry (MAPI), it is almost unanimous that the beast is a scary bad guy they call “the antichrist.” To support their case, the MAPI points to passages such as Revelation 13:4 and 19:20.
“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.”
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
A few others have pointed out the beast is a system of end times government. To support this case, proponents point out such verses as are contained in Revelation 17, where an angel explains to John what the beast is.
“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. 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. 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.”
–Revelation 17:7-8,12
From these selections–as well as the rest of the Book of Revelation–it should be clear that the “beast” refers to BOTH a powerful end times leader AND the powerful worldwide government which he leads.
But for confirmation, one only need turn to the Book of Daniel.
In Daniel 7, the prophet Daniel had a dream about four beasts. An angel came to Daniel and explained what the beasts represented.
“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”
–Daniel 7:7
The angel specifically tells Daniel that the beasts are four persons (KINGS).
“These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,, which shall arise out of the earth.”
However, the angel also tells Daniel that the beasts represent KINGDOMS.
“Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.”
–Daniel 7:23-24
SO, whenever Revelation and/or Daniel use the term “the beast” they can be referring to EITHER a king OR a kingdom (specifically the end times worldwide government governed by the beast and the man of sin). Which meaning is meant is determined by the context in which the term is used.
The entire meaning of various end times warnings and descriptions of future events can be drastically changed by misreading the biblical context.
This has happened more than once.
Which makes perfect sense, particularly IF one believes that deception surrounds us in the times in which we live.
God’s Word (the Bible) has much more to say about the end times beast. These are mostly warnings about what will take place. Knowledge of these events will allow the prudent to prepare themselves.
Will the reader take heed?
REGARDLESS of what the beast is, will the reader be prepared for its/his coming?
There’s still time to repent, call on God and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
THE GOSPEL
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
MORE
- 666: The Number of the Beast
- MAN OF SIN: The Man of Sin is Coming
- 666: End Times Deceptions About the Mark of the Beast
- Revelation 13: Beast Empire of Dust’
- Pre-Flood Civilization, Man of Sin: The Second Golden Age of Man is a Nightmare for the Workers of Iniquity
- Mark of the Beast 666: 7 Observations
- Surrounded by Darkness
RELATED ARTICLES
- Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
- Do You Know if You are Going to Heaven? Be Sure!
- Deceitful Workers are Victims of Deception Themselves
- END TIMES PREPARATION: 15 Ways to Prepare for the End Times
- End Times Survival, End Times Preparation
- 35 Most Important ETPR Articles
by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
image: ETPR/Wikimedia Commons/pd
© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-15. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.
Related articles
Filed under: Biblical Teachings, END TIMES PREPARATION, End Times: What does the Bible say, beast of the Bible, end times beast, Revelation 13 beast
![CREEPY - Door-to-door children's book sellers with foreign accents seeking information about children in the house. [photo credit: End Times Prophecy Report.wordpress.com]](https://endtimesprophecyreport.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/door-to-door-book-sellers-foreign-accents-asking-about-children-231.jpg)
