End Times-
putting the pieces in place
by Sonny Bowman
[Table of Contents] [Previous] [Next] [Download Copy] [Beginning
of Book]
Chapter 6
The Beast and False Prophet
Revelation 13:1-2 (NKJV) Then I stood on the sand of the sea.
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. 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. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and
great authority.
The Beast and False Prophet are the two primary
causes of persecution during the Great
Tribulation. The Beast is sometimes called the Antichrist. In
the Book of Daniel, he is referred to as a little horn. The Beast
is probably an individual, but he may be an organization or
system. Daniel 7:7-11 describes a beastly kingdom in which
several rulers are depicted as horns. One of these rulers (horns)
excels the others and becomes the Beast. The False Prophet is an
associate of the Beast.
The Great Tribulation begins when the Beast
establishes the Abomination of Desolation.
Prior to this time, the Beast will be advancing in position and
power in preparation for his activities during the Great
Tribulation. The Beast’s power and authority is granted to
him by Satan (the dragon, Rev. 13:2-4).
Until the Abomination of Desolation, the Beast
may not be readily identified for who he is. One possible advance
clue is that the Beast will suffer some kind of physical,
political, or other fatal wound to the head (Rev. 13:3). This
temporarily knocks the Beast out of commission according to
Revelation 17:8, "The beast that you saw was, and is not,
and will ascend out of the bottomless pit ... the beast that was,
and is not, and yet is." It seems that this wound occurs
before the Great Tribulation.
When the Beast sets up the Abomination of
Desolation, his identity and purpose will be exposed to those who
heed the Gospel writer’s warning to understand Daniel’s
prophecy (Mat. 24:15). At that time he will blaspheme the true
God and declare that he (the Beast) is God. He will intensely
persecute and kill those who oppose him fulfilling the prophesied
Great Tribulation.
During the reign of the Beast during the Great
Tribulation, the False Prophet will perform signs and wonders to
deceive people (Rev. 13:13-14). He will also make an image of the
Beast which he will bring to life. Those who refuse to worship
the image of the Beast will be killed (Rev. 13:15).
The False Prophet will also institute a special
mark often called the mark of the Beast (Rev. 13:16-18).
People will not be able to buy or sell in the economies
controlled by the Beast without the identifying mark in their
hand or forehead. Apparently, this mark is only given to those
who are willing to worship the Beast or his image. All who take
the mark will suffer severe punishment during the Wrath of God (Rev. 14:9-11).
Some Christians and possibly some non-Christian
nations will oppose the Beast (Dan. 11:32-35). Some who oppose
him will be killed. Many nations, including Israel and Egypt,
will be conquered by the Beast. Some, including Edom, Moab, and
the prominent people of Ammon, will escape his efforts (Dan.
11:41-43).
The main purpose of the Beast will be the same
as Satan’s—to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10).
His rantings and ravings against the true God and God’s
people will be particularly intense during the majority of the
Great Tribulation.
For the entire 3½ years of the Great
Tribulation, things will seem to go well for the Beast. Many will
believe that the Beast and Satan are unconquerable (Rev. 13:3-4).
Suddenly, his reign will be brought to an end by the coming of
Jesus (2 Thes. 2:8). At that time, the people of God will be
gathered from the earth and the people left behind (i.e., those
who do not belong to God) will mourn because of the coming Wrath
of God (Mat. 24:30-31; Rev. 6:15-17).
During the Wrath of God, the Beast will suffer
along with the other people on earth (Rev. 16:10-11). Between the
sixth and seventh plagues, the Beast will attack and kill the two
witnesses of God (Rev. 11:7-14). There will be much rejoicing
over the death of the two witnesses. The people probably will
think that the death of these two witnesses will bring an end to
the severe plagues of God’s wrath.
Three and a half days after the two witnesses are killed, they
will be brought back to life and called up to Heaven.
Also prior to the last plague of the Wrath of
God, the Beast will gather the people of the earth together at Armageddon for battle against God
(Rev. 16:14-21; 19:17-21). Apparently, it will not be much of a
battle. After this, the final plague of the Wrath of God will
fall (Rev. 11:14-19; 16:13-21). The Beast and False Prophet will
be thrown into the lake of fire where they will remain forever
(Rev. 19:20).
Summary
Term Definition:
The Beast refers to the
individual or government that is empowered by Satan
during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 13:1-8). He is also
called the Antichrist (1 John 2:18; 4:3), the little
horn (Dan. 7:8; 8:9-11), the lawless one, and
the son of perdition (2 Thes. 2:3,8).
The False Prophet refers to an
individual who assists the Beast, performs false signs,
and demands that people worship an image he makes of the
Beast (Rev. 13:11-17; 20:20). He is also called a beast
and is demon possessed (Rev. 13:11; 16:13-14).
Significance of the Beast:
The Beast is the earthly source of the
persecutions and problems of the Great Tribulation. His
activities will produce great problems for God’s
people on the earth.
Source of the Beast:
The Beast comes out of the bottomless
pit (in the sea?) (Rev. 11:7; 13:1). His source of power
is Satan (2 Thes. 2:9; Rev. 13:2,4) through a demon that
dwells in him (Rev. 16:13-14).
Length of the Beast’s Activity:
The Beast has authority to act with
blasphemy for 42 months during the Great Tribulation
(i.e., 3½ years, Rev. 13:5). The Beast is active before
the beginning of the Great Tribulation as he maneuvers
himself into a position of power and authority, but the
total length of time is not specified (Dan. 11:21-31). He
also suffers punishment after the Great Tribulation
during the plagues of the Wrath of God (Rev. 16:10-11).
Finally, the Beast and the False Prophet gather the
people against Jesus for battle at Armageddon where they
are defeated and cast into the lake of fire (Rev.
16:13-16; 19:19-20).
Events Prior to the Beast’s
Activity:
Since the Beast’s primary activity
occurs during the Great Tribulation, all events that
precede the Great Tribulation also precede his primary
activity. Before the start of the Great Tribulation, the
Beast will work to obtain a position of authority and
power (Dan. 11:21-31). When the time is right, he will
set up the Abomination of Desolation.
This is the primary identifying event for the Beast and
the start of the Great Tribulation (Mat. 24:15, 21).
Events Associated with the Beast:
The Great Tribulation is primarily a
result of the persecutions, blasphemies, and wars of the
Beast. A few events are associated with him during the
Wrath of God, but that is a time when he is suffering
from the plagues of God’s wrath rather than
functioning from a position of power.
God During the Beast’s Activity:
God is not the source of the troubles
during the Beast’s reign and the Great Tribulation.
He will provide some assistance to those who are
persecuted by the Beast during that time (Dan 11:33-34;
Rev. 12:6, 13-16). Jesus will rescue His people from the
Beast and bring an end to the Beast’s reign when He
cuts the Great Tribulation short by gathering His people
(Mat. 24:21-22, 29-31; 2 Thes. 1:6-8; 2:8).
Christians During the Beast’s
Activity:
Christians will oppose the Beast and
explain to many other people the meaning of certain
end-time events (Dan. 11:32-35). Christians will suffer
the worst persecution that has ever been launched against
God’s people (Mat. 24:15-22, Dan. 7:25; Rev 13:7).
Some will lose their lives (Dan. 11:33-35; Rev. 13:7-8),
yet many will find a place of protection provided by the
Lord (Dan. 11:34; Rev. 12:6, 13-16).
Satan During the Beast’s Activity:
Satan is the primary source of power
for the Beast (Rev. 13:2-4).
Non-Christians During the Beast’s
Activity:
Some non-Christians will apparently
falsely claim to be Christians in an attempt to join with
the people of God (Dan 11:34). Many people will worship
Satan (the dragon) because of the great authority he
gives the Beast (Rev. 13:4). They will be required to
worship an image of the Beast and to take a mark in their
hand or forehead (Rev. 13:15-18). Because of their lack
of love for the truth they will be easily deceived by the
Beast and False Prophet (2 The. 2:9-12; Rev. 13:14). The
people of Edom, Moab, and Ammon will escape the attacks
of the Beast (Dan. 11:41).
Events Following the Beast’s
Activity:
Since the Beast’s primary activity
occurs during the Great Tribulation, all events that
follow the Great Tribulation also follow his primary
activity. After the Great Tribulation, certain signs will
be seen in the sun, moon, and stars
and Jesus will return to gather the
church. After those events, the Wrath
of God will be poured out on the Beast and all who
followed him (Rev. 14:9-11; 16:10). Eventually, the Beast
and False Prophet will be thrown alive into the lake of
fire (Rev. 19:20).
Scripture references for the Beast and
the False Prophet:
Mat 24:15, 21; 2 The. 2:1-12; 1 Jn.
2:18, 22; 1 Jn. 4:3; 2 John 1:7; Rev. 13:1-8, 11-18; Rev.
16:10-11; Rev. 17:3-14; Rev. 19:19-20; Rev. 20:20; Rev.
14:9-11; Rev. 11:7-14; Rev. 16:13-21; Dan. 7:7-8, 11,
19-27; Dan. 8:9-14, 23-26; Dan. 11:21-45
[Table of Contents] [Previous] [Next] [Download Copy] [Beginning
of Book]
End Times - putting the pieces
in place
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from
the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc.
NKJV indicates quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New
King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
KJV indicates quotations taken from the King James Version
of the Bible.
Numbers associated with Greek (italic) or Hebrew (upright)
words refer to the corresponding words in the Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible, by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D.
Please make copies of this book to give to your friends. (A
searchable and printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is
available for download.) Your comments
and suggestion are also welcome. Thank you for helping others to
understand the Bible teachings on the End Times.
God bless you.
Sonny Bowman
If you have questions or comments, please contact
Sonny Bowman.
|
