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What are the two beasts in Revelation Chapter 13?



      

Revelation 13:1 - 18

ESV - 1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.

Clarify Share Report Asked September 18 2015 Photo Nangiar Lawai Supporter

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

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Mini Shirley H. Supporter prayer warrior
Daniel 9:26, "And after sixty-two weeks an Annointed One put to death..." This has already happened.

Psalm 2 Also describes the messianic drama. Part has happened, part is yet to come. Read it carefully.

I believe on one hand we have The Holy Trinity - on the other we have an unholy trinity.

In the beginning God created - Genesis 1:1. In the beginning was The Word, John 1:1. Isaiah 44:3, " For I shall pour out water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shall pour out my Spirit on your descendants..."
John 7:38,39 "...From his heart shall flow streams of living water. He was speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive;.."The Holy Trinity.

Lucifer, Satan was called in Isaiah 14:12, "Daystar, son of Dawn." The Hebrew word helel means to shine or to bear light. Ezekiel 28:12-14 describes him. He will become the son of perdition, the Anti-Christ, the counterfeit referred to in Revelation chapter 13. This person will head a powerful government. This person will be swift, ferocious and cunning. He will be full of the spirit of Satan.- His puppet. - The "Dragon" will control him. This is the first beast in Revelation 13. 

Revelation 13:11 "Then I saw a second beast..." This I think will be the false prophet. He will be a religious leader. He is the right hand man of the Anti-Christ.

Remember Jesus said- Luke 21:8-13, "...Take care not to be deceived...and that will be your opportunity to bear witness." Matthew 10:17-22, "Be prepared...You will be universally hated...stand firm..."John 15:20 "Remember the words I say to you...16:1,2 " I have told you all this so that you may not fall away..." Mark 13:22,23 "For false Christ and false prophets will arise....I have given you full warning."

So we have Satan, the Anti-Christ and the false prophet, an unholy trio.

Beast #1 = The Anti-Christ. Beast #2 = the false prophet. Under the evil control of Satan, Lucifer.

And so, "The curse of destruction will be abolished. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city; his servants will worship Him". Amen.

September 20 2015 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Donald Woody Supporter Musician/Producer
The term "beast" as used in the book of Revelation is a symbolic term for a ruling world power. It is from the symbolic language in the Old Testament and is always symbolic of a world power that rules over the whole known world.

The bible mentions mentions several of these beast every one of them ruled on earth in antiquity and there has not been nor will there ever be any again save one "the Kingdom of Christ" which came during the first century and is the kingdom that was not made with human hands and came during the time of the 4th beast of the book of Daniel which was the Roman Empire. It is an everlasting kingdom therefore the one and only world kingdom that exists today. The one book that talks about these "beasts" more than any other is Daniel. 

The book mentions a great beast made up of 4 other beasts that appears in a dream of the Babylonian King Nebecanezer; the 4 beast making up the great one was the Babylonian Empire; the 2nd was the Medo-Persian Empire which over threw the Babylonian Empire; the 3rd was the Grecian Empire built by Alexander the Great who over threw the Medo-Persian; the 4th was the Roman Empire which was over thrown and sacked by God Himself. The kingdom of Christ is the stone the smashed the feet of iron and clay of the Great Beast.

The book of Revelation is the unveiling of the prophecy given to Daniel about the demise of the 4th beast. 

Thus the beast of Revelation 13 is the Roman Empire and not some future destruction of the world. Revelation also give the demise/defranchisement of the jews as the chosen people of God by unveiling in great detail the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

September 19 2015 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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My picture Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church
The first beast is most probably the antichrist as Ryrie believes (Revelation 13:1) 

"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."

Ryrie refers us to Revelation 11:7 and “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.” (the 1st beast)

The 2nd beast comes "out of the earth" and directs all peoples of the earth to worship the first beast. The second beast is associated with Revelation 13:11-18 and so is called “the false prophet.” (Rev 19:20; 20:10).

Walvoord says concerning the 2nd beast in Rev. 13, Futurism interprets the beast from the earth, or false prophet, as the future head of the apostate church or as a future expression of false religion in general. I see this person as an actual individual, a man as Antichrist’s lieutenant, who will enforce the worship of Antichrist by doing miracles such as calling down fire from heaven (Rev 13:13; see also Rev 13:14-15, the making and animating of an image of Antichrist, i.e. giving life to a statue that bears the image of the Antichrist.) He, the false prophet, further enforces the worship of Antichrist, the 1st beast, by sentencing to death those who disobey (Rev. 13:15), and by mandating a mark on the right hand or forehead, the number 666, in order that they might buy and sell (Rev. 13:16-17).

Now, aren't you glad that the true church, made up of true believers in Jesus Christ, and purchased with His blood, will NOT be here during this time of "great tribulation" (Mt 24:21) when these 2 beasts rule the earth (temporarily for those 7 years)?

October 19 2020 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini John Appelt Supporter
The two beasts are described as follows.

THE FIRST BEAST, Revelation 13:1-10. This beast comes out of the sea, perhaps from the Mediterranean Sea area or restless humanity.

“Beast” is used for both the reconstituted Roman Empire and the head of it. Daniel 9:26 identifies him being from the same people who destroyed the Temple. His empire is a composite of previous empires: Babylon depicted by the lion in its ferocity, Medo-Persia by the bear in its crushing power, and Greece by the leopard in its swiftness. The prophecies of Daniel 2 and 7 make it clear this empire will extend into the future days. Daniel 2 sees it as feet of clay and iron. The ten toes represent ten nations emerging from the two divisions (legs) of the empire. 

Daniel 7:19-20 portrays it as a hideous, dreadful creature with iron teeth, bronze claws, and ten horns. Revelation 13:1 says it has seven heads and ten crowned horns. Revelation 17:9-13 explains the seven heads are the seven mountains, the famed seven hills of Rome, which also represent seven kings. These kings are forms of governments which ruled from Rome. The first five were consuls, dictators, decemvirate, military tribunes, and triumvirate. The sixth was the imperial form. 

The seventh is a future phase of ten horns symbolizing ten kings with their ten crowns. Out of this, one of the horns emerges as world-wide ruler who will subdue three kings, Daniel 7:7-8, 19, 24. He becomes the eighth form of government. 

This one is mortally wounded by the sword, Revelation 13:3, 14; 17:7-8, but his wound is healed, and the world is awed, and they worship him. 

Revelation 17:3 also describes a woman, the harlot, the apostate church, riding the scarlet beast as if controlling it. Then the ten kings will destroy the harlot and give their kingdom to the beast, Revelation 17:13, 16-17. This pompous and blasphemous person will war against the saints, Revelation 13:7-8, Daniel 7:19-22.

THE FOLLOWING BEAST, Revelation 13:11-18. He comes from the earth which, to many, represents Israel. Whereas the first beast has civil power, the second beast has religious power. This beast, the false prophet, leads the world in the worship of the first beast, and making an image of him that becomes life-like. He ties this in with a world-wide economic program requiring the mark of the beast. 

Depicted as a lamb with two horns, he speaks as a dragon and performs great signs to deceive the earth. 

He is likely “the man of sin” and “the lawless one,” the one who sits as God in the temple, II Thessalonians 2:3-4, 8-11. In every way he is the opposite of Christ, the holy One and will imitate Him. In I John 2:18, 4:3, John calls him the Antichrist who will come. 

When Jesus comes from heaven, He will capture these two beasts and cast them alive into the lake of fire, Revelation 19:20, to be later joined by Satan, Revelation 20:10.

January 01 2023 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Justin Hale Supporter
The Bible's symbolism is never 'new' in the sense that scripture uses 'patterns' that continue throughout history until GOD clearly 'ends' them. So when we read of the infamous 'mark of the beast' we should be reminded immediately of the 'mark of Cain' from early in Genesis, for example.

The word translated 'beast' in Revelation is actually the Biblical Greek 'therion' meaning, 'fugitive' or 'hunted one.' So both of these 'beasts' are 'on the run from the law,' just like Cain. They are 'rebels' against GOD and His holy Law forced to 'restlessly wander the earth.' The story we are reading is actually about how they are eventually 'seized' and punished, (Revelation 19:20).

Are they physical 'people?' 

No.

How do we know?

In the same passage in Revelation 19, they are the only ones 'thrown alive into hell' while the 'fleshly' people themselves constitute a 'great supper of GOD' after they are killed and eaten by carrion birds, (Revelation 19:17-21). 

'Hell' was designed for 'the devil and his angels,' (Matthew 25:41), and 'fleshly' people will only be joining them after the 'Judgment Day.' Since we read of Satan still being 'loose' even after these 'beasts' are seized and cast into hell, we can conclude that these 'beasts' are fellow demons who represent a world regime and its influences driving the 'fleshly' men who ultimately end up as food for the carrion birds.

In the same way that GOD looks upon the entire nation of physical Israel and calls them 'Jacob,' He describes an 'evil king' when He sees this 'wandering nation of antichrist.' 

As early as when scripture was still being written, we are told that 'antichrist' was already forming from out of 'many antichrists,' (1 John 2:18). These are 'social movements' driven by demons ultimately coalescing into 'one shared purpose.' 

Scripture tells us that a great betrayal of the Church called the 'apostasy' would mark this 'final coalescing' and the removal of our earthly authority and power, taking us 'out of the way,' (2 Thessalonians 2:3-7). 

This happened during the historical event known as the 'Renaissance' which was a 'rebirth' of dead pagan cultures thought lost to history, including both Roman and Greek. This is the 'mortal head wound' that was healed and caused the world to wonder and worship its wisdom and revived skills. 

This was also the birth of global 'secularism' and a new military might culminating in the 'abomination of desolation,' (another 'pattern' first resulting in the pagan destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD), which has now infiltrated the Church Herself, (GOD's Temple, 1 Corinthians 6:19), as this 'desolating abomination' equally threatens all life on earth. We call this 'idol' nuclear weapons. 

Does it 'simulate human breath and speech, commanding when fire should be dropped upon the heads of men?' 

The 'supercomputer' that operates it does. If you think about it, the 'computer' is even made of conducting metals once literally used in making pagans idols before being melted down for 'modern' uses!

The 'false prophet' is the global system of media infrastructure, computers, entertainment and military technology that 'goes before' (that is, prepares the way like John the Baptist for Christ), conditioning the secular world to accept the 'false wonders' being displayed by the revived paganism currently 'ruling the world.'

It is this system that will achieve its greatest heights only to meet 'face to face' with our Lord Himself, (2 Thessalonians 2:8). 

Why?

No one else can address the 'desolating abomination' that currently holds the world in dread of total annihilation. Every 'fleshly' person involved will face a sudden end and the world will be restored to reverence for Christ and for GOD the Father. 

What about the 'seven years' and '3 1/2 years?'

Bear in mind that these are 'recurring divine patterns' playing out the same drama on different scales. Likewise, our 'supersized' version is now playing out over generations.

February 25 2023 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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