If our lives as Christians do not clearly identify us (mark us) with Christ (Gal 6:17), then there’s something wrong. Symbolic identification of those who belong to the kingdom of darkness (vs. 16). Even now, believers are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph 1:3; Col 3:3). Again, this is not a literal, physical mark that is placed on the body. We must always live with eternity in view. It didn’t really die, it just transformed into a different type of kingdom. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. As for the “two horns,” like the horns of the first beast, they probably represent power and authority. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. All of these things describe this beast—the kingdom of darkness. The period of the sea-beast extends throughout the whole Church age, but will be ruled by the “eighth king” (Rev 17:11) at the end of it. Again, this is no more literal than the mark (name) on their “forehead.” Mention of the “hand” might be a reference to what unbelievers do. Christians belong to the Kingdom of light, and we are the only ones who stand in opposition to it. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Yet, together they are one number: the number 666. However, Christians are members of the Kingdom of Christ (Col 1:13) and protected by the “armour of God” (Eph 6:13), while unbelievers are totally under the influence of the rulers of darkness and have no protection. The two are one and the same. Cancel. NET – 17 Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. How many years, we have no way of knowing. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 16 because all that is in the world (the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance produced by material possessions) is not from the Father, but is from the world. Revelation 13 New King James Version (NKJV) The Beast from the Sea 13 Then [ a]I stood on the sand of the sea. This king will be the full embodiment of the seven heads of this beast, as well as Satan himself. Those who are “marked” or identified by the “name” of the beast (kingdom of darkness, Satan), are normally clearly seen. Many people today love the sea, but as a whole the Jewish people in Biblical times regarded the sea as a wild, untamed, frightening plac… The reason is probably because John was living in the days of the fourth beast, which, of course, was the Roman Empire (sixth world empire). 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. We’re now living in the period of the seventh empire, which covers the whole Church era. K.J.V. While there’s no doubt that this number refers to Satan and his kingdom, it’s through humanity that he carries out his evil schemes. All the unsaved of the world follow the ways of the beast, the ways of darkness. 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. Think of it as one office, filled by several different leaders. This book is about the conflict between these two kingdoms. It’s also important to note that Christ’s Church is the “dwelling place” of the Holy Spirit. YLT – 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the land, and it had two horns, like a lamb, and it was speaking as a dragon. 14 And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him 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 who hath the stroke of the sword and lived. Those who belong to the kingdom of darkness are normally easy to identify. In other words, the events of this chapter have been terribly sensationalized. (ESV), (1 Jn 3:10) – 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. I believe this king is the “man of sin” (“man of lawlessness”) of 2 Thessalonians 2:3. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Proud member The whole world system is the “spirit of antichrist. Furthermore, they speak on behalf of Satan, who is their General. It appeared to have been killed because the Roman Empire fell. Thus we do not have this same sense of awe toward the beast that the rest of the world has. (NET). NKJV: New King James Version . The kingdom of darkness is not a world empire without a ruler. Therefore, at that time, he will fully embody all the sin and evil that humanity represents, for he will be fully indwelt and controlled by Satan himself. Satan is the great deceiver of this world, and so he and his demonic beings make themselves and their kingdom look attractive and appealing. (Rev 13:7) – 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. The spirit of antichrist rules over the world now, which equates to the kingdom of darkness (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13; 1 Jn 5:19; Eph 6:11-12). NET Notes “sn Diadem crowns were a type of crown used as a symbol of the highest ruling authority in a given area, and thus often associated with kingship.”. A lamb is gentle, like Jesus is gentle. This is definitely associated with Satan, as Rev 12:3 informs us. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six. While the seventh king is not named, by comparing scripture with scripture, we’re able to confidently identify this king as Satan. It’s important to understand that there is a gap or an interval between the sixth world ruler and the eighth and final world ruler (Rev 17:8-11). (Rev 13:11) – 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. He goes by many names: Great red dragon, old serpent, Satan, devil, deceiver of the world, roaring lion (Rev 12:3,9; 1 Pet 5:8). 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. We have the beast and the false prophet (Rev 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) and the image of the beast that talks; the great signs of the false prophet; the seven heads and ten horns; the mark of the beast (666); no buying or selling without the mark; and we have the book of life of the Lamb. They’re the originators of it all, while using the sinfulness of humanity as vehicles. It means that the people of the world, worship the beast (kingdom of darkness) through the false beliefs they embrace. I outline those reasons below: (Eph 6:12) – 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. In other words, everything regarding these two beasts originate with him, and is orchestrated by him. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Christians are to be fully prepared for what may come our way—whether it be “captivity” (imprisonment) or “the sword” (death) for our allegiance to Christ. This is simply figurative language to depict the association between unbelievers and the kingdom of darkness. Everything in this chapter (and book) should be interpreted with that in mind. Copyright © 2021, Bible Study Tools. Version. But there are other reasons why I believe the beast of this chapter is the kingdom of darkness, which opposes Christ and His truth. It’s the realm that we’re all in before we come to faith in Christ: (Col 1:13) – 13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” (NASB), (Acts 26:18) – 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. I believe the mention of the number three times is for one of two reasons, or both: One, stated three times could be merely an emphatic expression. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. We have the truth. i. 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. NET – 8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. John informs us that “the antichrist is coming.” I believe this refers specifically to the “eighth king” (Rev 17:11), whom I also believe to be the “man of sin” (2 Th 2:3). Once Rome fell, it continued on as the seventh empire, which is what we have throughout the whole Church age—keeping in mind that this seventh empire has two kings: Satan, who rules as the seventh king (over the kingdom of darkness) until the rise of the eighth king (at the end of the Church age), who rules as a human king in the likeness of the kings of the first six empires. (Rev 13:9) – 9 If any man hath an ear, let him hear. 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. All the voices of false religion, anti-Christian philosophies, anti-Christian government, worldly values, sinful pleasures, etc., speak, So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both, The blasphemy of this beast, of course, is directed against God and His holy, Both Christians and non-Christians alike, who may be hearing this or reading this, need to listen to what’s being said here. That won’t happen until we get close to the return of Christ, where there will be a worldwide assault against the followers of Christ—known as the “War of Armageddon” (see commentary on Rev 11:7). So we see that both the sea-beast and the land-beast refer to the kingdom of darkness—with Satan as the ruling authority of that kingdom (sea-beast), and his demonic army as the sub-rulers of that kingdom (land-beast)—which focuses on their activity within that kingdom. NET Notes provide a long discussion about these two renderings, and why “if anyone is to be killed by the sword” is favored over the other—which is something you can read yourself, if so inclined. Thus when Rome fell (“appeared to have been killed”), this beast continued to live in the form of the seventh head or empire. When we consider the kingdom of darkness and its world-wide dominion, I believe the “image” of the beast (kingdom of darkness) has to be the kingdom of the world (Rev 11:15), since the kingdom of the world is a reflection of the kingdom of darkness. This verse refers to the fall of the Roman Empire: “In 476 C.E. This “seven-headed” beast represents world dominion, which is carried out via seven different world empires in seven different time periods. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like … All rights reserved. To interpret this false prophet as a particular person (like the Pope, for example) is far too limiting. Whether it’s through those who lead countries or through those who lead false religions, it’s sinful man that represents the kingdom of darkness as the “image of the beast ” (kingdom of the world). Putting it all together, that this seven-headed beast (Church-age beast) is the kingdom of darkness, seems all too clear to be anything else. Even more specifically, I believe what’s in view here with this beast is the actual demonic activity of the kingdom of darkness. But I believe it’s much simpler than what most people think. 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