The Person and Ministry of the Beast
Scripture has quite a lot to say about the individual who will appear in the end time as the head of the Gentile powers in their ten kingdom federation.
I.
His person
and work
Ezekiel 28:1-10
The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, Son of man, say unto
the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and
thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas;
yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine
heart as the heart of God: {midst: Heb. heart} Behold, thou art wiser than
Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: With thy wisdom and with thine
understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver
into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick
hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is
lifted up because of thy riches: {thy great…: Heb. the greatness of thy
wisdom} Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will
bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw
their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy
brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt
die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet
say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no
God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. {of him that slayeth: or, of him
that woundeth} Thou shalt
die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken
it, saith the Lord GOD.
Daniel 7:7- 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. I considered the horns, and, behold, there
came up among them another little horn, before whom
there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in
this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Daniel 7:20-26 And of the ten horns that were in his
head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that
horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great
things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the
saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and
judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the
saints possessed the kingdom. 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. 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. But the
judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to
destroy it unto the end.
Daniel 8:23-25 And in the latter time of their
kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce
countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. {are…: Heb. are accomplished} And his power shall be mighty,
but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper,
and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the
holy people. {holy…: Heb. people of the holy
ones} And through his policy also he
shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his
heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the
Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. {peace:
or, prosperity}
Daniel 9:26-27
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end
of the war desolations are determined. {but…: or, and
shall have nothing} {desolations…: or, it shall be cut
off by desolations} And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall
cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate. {the
covenant: or, a covenant} {for the…: or, with the
abominable armies} {the desolate: or, the desolator}
Daniel 11:36-45 And the king
shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself
above every god, and shall speak marvellous things
against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his
fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify
himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour
the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and
pleasant things. {in…: or, as for the Almighty God, in
his seat he shall honour yea, he shall honour a god, whom, etc} {estate:
or, stead} {forces: or, munitions: Heb. Mauzzim, or, God’s protectors} {pleasant:
Heb. things desired} Thus shall he do in
the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he
shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over
many, and shall divide the land for gain. {most…: Heb.
fortresses of munitions} {gain: Heb. a price} And at the time of the end shall the king of
the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also
into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall
escape out of his hand, even
II Thessalonians 2:3-10 Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
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. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these
things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. {withholdeth: or, holdeth} For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working
of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Revelation 13:1-10
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. {name: or,
names} 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. 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. {wounded: Gr. slain} 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? 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. {to continue: or, to
make war} And he opened his mouth in
blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that
dwell in heaven. 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. 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. If any
man have an ear, let him hear. 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. And with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received
not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Revelation 17:8-14 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 here is the mind which hath wisdom. The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen,
and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he
cometh, he must continue a short space.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the
seven, and goeth into perdition. 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. These have one mind, and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast. These
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord
of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen,
and faithful.
The facts
concerning his activities
1.
He will appear on
the scene in the “latter times” of Isreal’s History
(Daniel
2.
He will not
appear until the Day of the Lord has begun (II Thessalonians 2:2)
3.
His manifestation
is being hindered by the restrainer (II Thessalonians 2:6-7)
4.
This appearance
will be preceded by apostasy (II
Thessalonians 2:3)
5.
He is a Gentile
A.
Since he arises
out of the sea (Revelation 13:1)
B.
Since the sea
depicts Gentile Nations (Revelation
6.
He rises from the
7.
He is the head of
the last form of Gentile world domination because he is like a leopard, a bear,
and a lion (Revelation 13:1) (Also Daniel 7:7-8, 20,24; Revelation 17:9-11)
A.
He is a political
leader
B.
The seven heads
and ten horns are federated under his authority (Revelation 13:1;
8.
His influence is
world-wide
A.
Because he rules
over all nations (Revelation 13:8)
B.
This influence comes
through the alliance he makes with other nations (Daniel
9.
He has eliminated
three rulers in his rise to power (Daniel 7:8, 24)
A.
One of the
kingdoms over which he has authority has been revived
B.
One of the heads
representing a kingdom or king (Revelation
C.
Has been healed
(Revelation 13:3)
10.
His rise in power
comes from his peace program (Daniel
11.
He personally is
marked by his intelligence and persuaveness (Daniel
7:8, 20;
A.
Marked also by
his subtlety and craft (Ezekiel 28:6)
B.
His position over
the nations is by their own consent (Revelation
12.
He rules over the
nations in his federation with absolute authority (Daniel
A.
He is depicted as
doing his own will
B.
This authority is
marked by a change in laws and customs (Daniel
13.
His chief
interest is in might and power (Daniel
14.
As the head of
the federation
A.
He makes a seven
year covenant with
B.
The covenant is
broken after three and one-half years (Daniel
15.
He introduces
A.
An idolatrous worship
(Daniel
B.
In this worship,
he sets himself up as god (Daniel
16.
He bears the
characterization of a blasphemer because of the assumption of diety (Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel
17.
He energized by
Satan (Ezekiel 28:9-12; Revelation 13:4)
A.
He receives his
authority from Satan
B.
He is controlled
by the pride of the devil (Ezekiel 28:2; Daniel
18.
He is the head of
Satan’s lawless system (II Thessalonians 2:3)
A.
His claim to
power and deity
B.
Is proved by
signs wrought through satanic power (II Thessalonians 2:9-19)
19.
He is received as
god and ruler because of the blindness of the people (II Thessalonians
20.
This ruler
becomes the great adversary of
21.
There will come
an alliance against him which will contest his authority (Ezekiel 28:7; Daniel
22.
In the conflict
he will gain control over
23.
This ruler, at
the time of his rise to power, is elevated through the instrumentality of the
harlot, the corrupt religious system, which consequently seeks to dominate
him (Revelation 17:3)
24.
This system is
destroyed by the ruler so that he may rule unhindered (Revelation
25.
He becomes the
special adversary of the Prince of princes (Daniel
A.
And His program
(II Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation
B.
And His people
(Daniel
26.
He continues in
power
A.
For seven years
(Daniel
B.
His satanic
activity is confined to the last half of the tribulation period (Daniel
27.
His rule will be
terminated by a direct judgment from God (Ezekiel 28:6; Daniel
A.
This judgment
will take place as he is engaged in a military campaign in
B.
He will be cast
into the lake of fire (Revelation
28.
This judgment
will take place at the Second Advent of Christ (II Thessalonians 2:8; Daniel
29.
This judgment
will constitute a manifestation of His Messianic authority (Revelation
30.
The kingdom over
which he ruled will pass to the authority of the Messiah and will become the
kingdom of the saints (Daniel
The Person and Ministry of the False Prophet
In close association with the beast, the head of the federated empire,
is another individual known as the “False prophet” (Revelation
Revelation
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 13:11-17 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. 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. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 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. 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. {life: Gr. breath} 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: {to receive: Gr. to give them} 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.
1. This
individual is evidently a Jew, since he rises out of the earth, or land, that
is now
2. He
is influential in religious affairs (“two horns like a lamb”) (Revelation
3. He
is motivated by Satan as the first beast is (Revelation
4. He
has a delegated authority (Revelation
5. He
promotes the worship of the first beast and compels the earth to worship the
first beast as God (Revelation
6. His ministry is authenticated by the signs and miracles he does, evidently “Proving that he is Elijah who is to come” (Revelation 13-14)
7. He
is successful in deceiving the unbelieving world (Revelation
8. The
worship promoted is an idolatrous worship (Revelation
9. He
has the power of death to compel men to worship the beast (Revelation
10. He has the
authority in the economic realm to control all commerce (Revelation
11. He has the
mark that will establish his identity for those who live in that day
(Revelation
Relating the Dragon, the Beast, and the False prophet
I.
Revelation
presents the false prophet as subservient to the first beast
A.
He is called
the false prophet (Revelation
B.
He ministers
in connection with the first beast as his prophet or spokesman.
II.
We are
presented with a satanic trinity
A.
The unholy
trinity
B.
The trinity
of hell
C.
Consists of
1.
The dragon –
Satan (Revelation 12:9)
2.
The beast
3.
The false
prophet (Revelation
D.
That place
occupied
1.
By God
assumed by Satan
2.
By Christ
assumed by the first beast
3.
By the Holy
Spirit by the false prophet