Time of Distress (10) - Terrible Beast
A few powerful nations will begin to dominate the nations of the earth. They will be given permission to intervene is horrible situations all over the world to try and bring control. One powerful nation will rise above the rest and dominate the world. At the beginning of the Times of Distress, this nation will be celebrated as a force for good in the world. The people of the world will welcome its greater involvement, as it rolls back some of the distress. It will receive widespread democratic support.
As the Times of Distress progress, the true character of this political power will be revealed and people will realise that it is opposed to God. Many Christians will wake up and realise that the mighty empire they trust has morphed into the Terrible Beast of Revelation and Daniel.
The king will do as he pleases… He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place (Dan 11:36).
The Terrible Beast will be different from those the empires that have gone before. They were established by military power and anyone who opposed their rule was forced to submit with ruthless violence. The new empire will get its power in a different way. Instead of being conquered by force, the people of the world will be deceived into offering voluntary submission to it. He deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived (Rev 13:14).
The people of the world will be deceived into supporting the Terrible Beast. Many national leaders will freely submit to this new empire, because it offers military and financial support. This Beast will not rule the world directly, but the influence of its power will extend further than any previous empires.
This Beast will be a democratic empire.The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast (Rev 17:8).
People will be impressed with the democratic form of government, because it seems to give them control over the power of the state. A democratic republic will seem like the best form of government ever. (Its true nature will eventually be revealed). People longing for peace and prosperity will support any government power that promises to fulfil their dreams.
The only challenge to this aggregation of political power will come from Christians who understand the signs of the time. When most people are calling on the political powers to do more to turn back the overwhelming crisis, they will expose the real character of the “best government ever”. Suggesting that this democratic republic is just another manifestation of the beast will make them unpopular. Opposition to the Beast will lead to the persecution of the God’s people (Rev 6:9-11).
Many Christians will miss the emergence of the Beast, because they are looking for a wicked man, who will gain control by devious means and then wreak evil on the world. This is a mistake. The Terrible Beast is not a manifestation of evil and wickedness, as is often assumed. This view has been spread by movies and books, but it is not based on the scriptures.
2 comments:
I wonder if you could give a basis for your beast as a democratic form of government? I don't see how that comes from this.
I think this scenario actually more fits an Islamic model. Islam as the beast.
Saudi Arabia perhaps.
You are right, that the democratic thing is not clear from here. I will need to do a separate post to explain.
Islam has a big influence during the Time of Distress, but it is not the beast. Here are just a few reasons.
1. The white horse represents an advance of Islam, but it is not the Beast. The four horsemen create the conditions which allow the Beast to emerge. It emerges as a solution to the problems caused by the advance of Islam. Islam causes distress whereas the Beast is the great de-stresser.
2. The nations and the people of the world commit adultery with the Beast. They will welcome its advances, because they like what it gives them. Islam does not work that way. It does not give much of a salvation. It does not have a prosperity gospel. It advances by military and political conquest. The people submit to it, because they have no choice, but it does not deliver stuff to those who submit. Instead, it offers a fatalism, which encourages people to resignation and acceptance of misery, because that is Allah’s will. If Islam were the Beast, the image used in Revelation would be rape, not adultery.
3. Further on in history, the Islamic nations will engage in war against the beast. This could not happen if Islam is the Beast.
4. The Beast appears to be good, and sets out to do good. This rules out Islam, because it is obviously the opposite.
5. The Beast comes from the West. It is the child of the Greek and Roman culture (Dan 11:2; Dan 8:5 Rev 13:2).
6. Saudi Arabia is too small to be the Beast. It only has 20 million people, so it will never be really influential. At some point, it will probably succumb to Iran, as it advances to the south and the west.
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