Thursday, April 11, 2024

Weekly Message: Who are the two Beasts Antichrist and False Prophet? Discover the mystery of Revelation Chap.13 &17 By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Weekly Message: Who are the two Beasts Antichrist and False Prophet? Discover the mystery of Revelation Chap.13 &17                                                

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                      4/10/2024

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & counseling

Ø  The angel of the abyss his name in Hebrew Abaddon means destruction, in Greek name Apollyon means destroyer  

 Who is Antichrist? According to the book of Revelation 9:11 Apostle John unveils the vision, “the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon; and in Greek he has the name Apollyon. (Rev.9:11). The abyss is the dwelling place of the demons (Luke8:3). The angel of the abyss is the beast Antichrist, who will come out of the pit of the abyss. The Hebrew word means destruction; it is used also in Job26:6; 28:22. The Greek word means destroyer. As the destroyer, Antichrist will do much destroying (Dan.8:23-25). In the first woe, the woe of the fifth trumpet, Satan falls from heaven to earth and Antichrist comes up from the abyss, and the two works together to torment man. Since it is at the fifth trumpet that Satan falls from heaven to damage the earth and persecute the people of God for three and a half years (Rev.12:10, 12-17,6) and since it is at the same time (the last three and a half years) that Antichrist comes up out of the abyss to collaborate with Satan to torment people, persecute the saints, and blaspheme God (Rev.13:5-7;11:7)

Ø  Two Beasts, one out of sea is Antichrist, one Beast out of the Earth is the false prophet

1)      The first Beast out of sea is Antichrist

 Revelation Chapter 13:1 John says, “And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of blasphemy …and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” (Rev.13:1-2). The beast coming up out of the sea, the sea here is the Mediterranean Sea, out of which Antichrist will come. In Revelation 9:11, Rev.11:7 and Rev.17:8 we are told that Antichrist will come up out of the abyss, Here Rev.13:1 we are told that he will come up out of the sea, as is mentioned also in Dan.7:3. This indicates that Antichrist will come from two sources. His spirit, which exists in the abyss before he is born, will come up out of the abyss. His body will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. In biblical figure, the land signifies the nation of Israel and the sea signifies the Gentile nations (Rev.17:15; Isa.57:20). That Antichrist will come up out of both the abyss and the sea may indicate also that the sea is the mouth of the abyss, because the abyss is in the heart of the earth. (Rom.10:7; Matt.12:40) and the sea is above the earth.

The ten horns and seven heads of the beast are those of the dragon (Rev.12:3). This indicates that the beast is one with the dragon. The ten horns are the ten coming kings (Rev.17:12;  Den.7:24); the seven heads are the seven Caesars (Rev.17:10). The Ten horns correspond with the ten toes of the great image mentioned in Dan.2:42-44. The word here indicates that the Roman Empire, Antichrist, and the ten kings are one with Satan. The seven Caesars symbolized by the seven heads of the beast claimed deity and called for their people to worship them as gods. That was truly a blasphemy against God.

 The beast, Antichrist, is like a leopard, and his feet like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. According to Dan.7:4-6 the leopard, which is characterized by swift and cruel movement, was the symbol of Alexander the Great, the king of Greece. The bear, characterized by its destroying feet, was the symbol of the monarchy of Medo- Persia. The lion, characterized by its devouring mouth, was a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Since Antichrist, the beast, is like these three, he will have all their characteristics, as mentioned in Dan.7:4-7. He is the totality of all the evil powers in human history. That the dragon gives his power, his throne, and great authority to the beast indicates that he makes the beast one with him so that on behalf of the dragon the beast can resist God and persecute God’s people on the earth. 

 Rev.13:3 mentions about one of his heads refers to one of the Caesars, who will be slain and resuscitated. His death stroke was healed means that the Caesar will be resuscitated from death.(Rev. 17:11) Because of this the whole earth will marvel and follow after him.

 Rev.13:5 indicates the forty-two months here and in 11:2 are the three and a half years in 12:14, and are also the one thousand two hundred and sixty days in 11:3 and 12:6, the time of the great tribulation (Matt.24:21). At the end of this age Antichrist will make a seven year covenant with the nation of Israel. Three and a half years after the covenant is made, he will break it, terminate all the Jewish worship and service to God (Dan.9:27), persecute the saints (v.7), and destroy the holy city (11:2) for three and a half years.

The saints in the Rev.13:7 here constitute the rest of the woman’s seed mentioned in 12:17, which consists of the Jews, who keep God’s commandments, and the believers, who bear the testimony for Christ. This proves that in the great tribulation there will still be believers on the earth who are not yet raptured.

2)      The second beast out of the Earth---the false prophet (Rev.13:11)

 This other beast will come up out of the earth, since the earth, the land, signifies the nations of Israel, this other beast, the false prophet, will come out of the Jews. This one may be Judas Iscariot (John6:70-71), because after Judas died, he went to his own place (Acts1:25), not to his people as others did (Gen.25:17; 35:29). Geographically, this false prophet will come up out of the earth, and figuratively, he will come out of the Jews. The false prophet looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon that he appears to be a lamb but speaks like the dragon, Satan, indicates his falsity.  The false prophet will employ satanic power to perform great signs, such as calling down fire out of heaven as Elijah did (1Kings18:36-38), thus it will be difficult for people to distinguish the real prophets from the false prophet.

Rev.13:15-18 the number of the beast 666 is the number of a man Caesar Nero.  

 No idol made by man has ever been able to speak, but this last idol will be enabled to speak as a living image. This surely will be a marvelous sign to those who dwell on the earth, and will cause them all to worship the idol. The number of the beast is the number of a man. This man is Caesar Nero, who is the coming Antichrist. (17:8,10,11) Because the book of Revelation was written during the time of the Roman Empire, John did not mention the name of Nero but indicated it with a number. Therefore, wisdom is needed to understand.

 The number represented by the Hebrew letter of the name Caesar Nero is 666 as follows:

Greek   Hebrew               Greek   Hebrew 

          נ             50          Kαι     ק                     100

   ρ       ד             200           σα       כ                     60

   ω       ז                6              ρ         ד                  200

     ν     נ                50                                              ---

                           306               +                        360    =   666 

Revelation 17:8 mentions about the beast who is Antichrist, was in the person of Caesar Nero before John wrote this book. He is not at the time of John’s writing, because Nero had died by that time. That he is about to come up out of the abyss implies that Nero’s spirit is now in the abyss and is about to emerge from it to take possession of the body of the slain and resuscitated Antichrist, as indicated in Rev.13:3.

 Revelation 17:10 indicates that seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a short time. And the beast who was and is not, he himself is also the eighth and is out of the seven and goes into perdition.

Revelation 17:11 mentions about the seven kings are seven Caesars of the Roman Empire. The first five heave fallen; they died unnaturally (Judg.3:25;2 Sam.1:10,25,27). Those five are Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, all of whom either were murdered or committed suicide before John wrote this book. The sixth, Domitian, who was also murdered, was living when this book was written; therefore, it is said “of him that he is”, “The other”, the seventh, is Antichrist; he had not yet come at that time. When he comes, he will remain only a short time and then will be slain and will be resuscitated by the spirit of the fifth, who is Nero, to become the eighth.

 Antichrist will be the coming seventh Caesar. But he is also the eighth Caesar. According to 13:3, Antichrist will be slain and resuscitated. In that resuscitation the spirit of Nero (the fifth Caesar), which will come up out of the abyss (when Satan is cast down to the earth -12:10,13), will animate and resuscitate the dead body of the seventh Caesar, Antichrist, thereby imitating the resurrection of Christ. This one, composed of the fifth and seventh Caesars, is the eighth. Hence, he is “out of the seven,” having the body of the seventh and the spirit of the fifth. Therefore, he will be all the more capable, all the more intelligent, and all the more powerful to charm; deceive, and allure people, capturing those who do not believe in Christ. It is no wonder that people will marvel at the sight of such an extraordinary person and will follow him.

              Rev.17:12 the ten kings will be raised up in the revived Roman Empire before the great tribulation. They will be one with Antichrist in opposing God and persecuting His people the Jews and the believers. These ten kings are likened to the ten toes of the great image seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream (Dan.2:42). They will submit themselves and their kingdom to Antichrist (17:17).

Caesars of the Roman Empire kings as follows:

Julius Caesar 49BC-44 BC,  Augustus 27 BC-14 AD, Tiberius 14-37 AD, Caligula 37-41 AD, 

Claudius 37-54AD,  Nero 54-68 AD, Galba 68AD-69AD,  Otho 69AD, Vitellius 69AD, 

Vespasian 69-79AD, Titus 69AD-81AD, Domitian 81-96AD,Nerva 96-98AD, Trajan 98-11AD,

Hadrian 117-138AD,Antoninus Pius 138-161AD,  Marcus Aurelius 161-180AD, Commodus

177-192AD…


 








 In this generation, may God continue unveiling His mystery in the book of Revelation, who is the beast Antichrist? The number eighth mentions in the Revelation 13:1-3? Antichrist will be slain and resuscitated. In that resuscitation the spirit of Nero (the fifth Caesar), which will come up out of the abyss will animate and resuscitate the dead body of the seventh Caesar, Antichrist, thereby imitating the resurrection of Christ. This one, composed of the fifth and seventh Caesars, is the eighth. Therefore, he is “out of the seven,” having the body of the seventh and the spirit of the fifth.

 

Bibliography,

        

  King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

   

  Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.

 

  Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

 

 

 

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