Chapter Ten – The Beast of Revelation

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The book of Revelation speaks of a terrifying “Beast” to appear at the end of the age. Theories abound surrounding this mysterious entity’s identity, yet the pages of your Bible plainly reveal its identity—and what this means for you!

The subject of the Beast now receives in-depth examination in its own chapter. Earlier referenced scriptures will sometimes be repeated for impact and clarity in this fuller context.

The world is drifting along—sleepy, drunken and oblivious to what lies ahead. The average person has no idea what the future holds—and, again, many do not care. Few are concerned beyond “tomorrow”—and fewer still remotely suspect what is coming in our time.

When God’s Plan—His great overarching purpose—is understood, confusion, mystery and misunderstanding disappear. Events become clear!

Historians can only record what has already happened. They cannot see into the future—prophecy—I repeat: history written in advance! God foretells major events before they happen. Over 80 percent of Bible prophecy remains unfulfilled. Many major events must yet come to pass.

Behind the Scenes—Now
Conditions in Europe and around the world will soon dictate that a single great authority must be given power for a short time. Much is written of the Beast, and events surrounding its appearance, but little is understood of what the Bible actually reveals about this powerful, dominant governing system, eventually united under two men.

World history is the study of the rise and fall of empires. But few know why dominant civilizations ebb and flow—why governments rise and fall—why events move as they do. Most see these things as products of the normal cycle of economics, war, disease and natural calamities.

This thinking is about to change—in a BIG WAY! This chapter explains how—and why.

Christ’s Grave Warning
Recall yet again that Matthew 24:1-51 (including Mt 25:1-46), Mark 13:1-58 and Luke 21:1-38 are parallel accounts of Christ’s greatest prophecy. Each of these chapters adds additional details, together forming the picture of what will happen from here on.

Luke’s account contains a strong warning to all who live at the end of the age. Jesus explains that those who serve God must be careful not to be swept away by conditions that give a false impression of what is happening—or coming. Here is how He began: “And take heed [be careful!] to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [indulgence], and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day [terrible, world-shaking events] come upon you unawares” (Lk 21:34).

This passage pictures the values and lifestyle of most people. Almost no one is “taking heed,” and “that day” will come on them “unawares.” Here again is how Jesus describes the sudden arrival of worldwide cataclysms: “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Lk 21:35).

Jesus carefully chose this analogy. Snares catch unsuspecting victims, who carelessly step into them—and find themselves suddenly trapped, often hanging upside-down, completely disoriented. This is a graphic picture of what will soon strike “the whole earth”! And these are the words of Christ, not some “doomsday prophet” speaking without facts or authority.

But this snare need not catch you—or anyone who heeds Christ’s words. Calamity will not come without notice to those who are vigilant. Here is what Christ said to do: “Watch you therefore…” (Lk 21:36).

The snare that Christ spoke of will entrap the entire world. Despite His warning, almost no one is preparing for what lies ahead.

Stark Reality
To “watch,” you must know what to watch for. Otherwise, such watching is useless—it has no value. Many will be deceived—fooled—because they will be watching in the wrong places for the wrong things, or expecting events to occur in a wrong sequence or timeframe.

The Bible is: (1) A history book, (2) a prophecy book and (3) a book about essential, revealed knowledge that man could not otherwise discover for himself. If world history is the study of the rise and fall of past empires, then prophecy is primarily the study of the rise and fall of world empires before they appear.

Men cannot discover what the future holds without God revealing it!
Early world history records little about nations, kingdoms and empires that may have existed prior to the great Flood of Noah’s time. However, the Bible does discuss the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and various other nations as they came into contact with God’s people, the nation of Israel, after the Flood.

The first great empire that God focuses on, both through history and Bible prophecy, is Babylon. It was founded by Nebuchadnezzar in the 600s BC, and consisted of multiple nations and regions unified under his leadership. King Nebuchadnezzar was perhaps the first great Gentile leader—and Scripture focuses on this man and his system all the way to the Return of Christ!

Paralleling this foretelling of the rise and fall of great Gentile empires are prophecies describing the nation of Israel—both ancient Israel and the modern-day nations populated by its descendants.

The role of the symbolic Beast of Revelation has everything to do with world empires. Many know that it represents “Babylon the Great” (Rev. 17:5) in some way, but are unsure how. And the nature and identity of this “wild beast” remains shrouded in mystery, even for those who profess to and think that they understand who or what it is. Yet, the real truth of how the Beast will eventually affect and change the earth will shock you beyond belief!

Terrible plagues will strike the disbelieving and unprepared. Notice this most blunt warning to all: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture [Greek: undiluted]” (Rev. 14:9-10).

This is serious! God is not a “respecter of persons,” playing favourites. He says, “If any man worship…” Woe to ALL who remain ignorant of the facts surrounding this awesome prophecy. They will suffer horribly in ways God describes most graphically. There is no room for misunderstanding on this most sober of Bible warnings.

So then, the following questions must be answered:

Who or what is the Beast of Revelation 13:1-18 and 17:1-18? Is it a man?—a church?—a government?—an empire?
Who is the “woman” of Revelation 17:1-18 who rides it?
What is the “mark of the Beast”?
What is the “image of the Beast”?
Who is the “False Prophet” often spoken of in conjunction with the Beast?
When will these things occur—how long must we wait to see these figures appear?
How will world trends, conditions and events spawn the Beast’s arrival?
Why is it so important to correctly identify the Beast, with all related prophecies?
How will it affect you?

The world does not know God. It is unaware of the Plan and Purpose that He is working out “here below.” While worldwide disobedience to His laws, and rejection of His truths, will cause plagues to be poured out on a God-hating humanity, the God of the Bible is a loving God. Before punishment takes place, He always makes certain His “watchman” (Ezek. 33:7) sounds the alarm to those in harm’s way. He wants no one to have an excuse, saying, “I didn’t know” or “Why didn’t you tell me?”
There is a responsibility to caution—to WARN—all who will yet take heed of the seriousness and meaning behind world-shaking events and calamities, lying just over the horizon.

The Bible speaks of several different beasts. To understand them all, each must be explained separately. Revelation 13:1-18 speaks of a Beast in its first 7 verses. Another Beast, ridden by a woman, is described in Revelation 17:1-18. Daniel 7:1-28 speaks of four separate beasts, with a reference to a “little horn” that appears during the time of the fourth beast. Revelation 13:1-18 describes a second “two-horned beast,” beginning in Rev 13:11. Daniel 2:1-49 describes a giant image of a man composed of four separate metals. Relative to most of these descriptions, a specific number of “heads,” “horns” and “toes” are mentioned.

No wonder this subject is so confusing. It does require thorough explanation, and God must supply the clues—the critical knowledge to unlocking all of the above terms.
God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). This chapter will strip away the confusion, misunderstanding, wrong knowledge and outright deceit that is now deluding so many who do not know the plain truth of this prophecy. Every day, end-time conditions grow more ominous—and you must understand!

The Beast, Its Mark and Plagues

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