Terrible Beast

If the Terrible Beast described in Daniel and the book of Revelation were to emerge in this season, you would expect to see the following.

• A nation that claims to be a force for good, while doing much evil. Most of its people would be deceived by this claim.

• A nation that is the strongest military power that has ever existed. It would love using military power.

• It would use military power to trample down nations that oppose it.

• A nation that would claim to be a force for peace, but have been at war for most of its history.

• A nation with the strongest and richest economy that the world has ever seen.

• It will use economic power to control other nations.

• It would pretend to support free enterprise, but would use its economic power to prevent companies and peoples who will not submit to its power from buying and selling.

• This nation would be an amalgam of independent states kept together by military force after a civil war.

• A nation that tracks its legal and political lineage back to Greece and the Rome.

As this nation enjoys bullying weaker nations, so you would expect a bully to gain control over it.

Deceit and Lies

Daniel prophesied a terrible political power (beast) that would trample the earth. Its demise will bring a great victory for the Kingdom of God (Dan 7:27). (If this prophecy is to be fulfilled in our time, then there is only one nation powerful enough to fit).

Daniel says that when it rises to power.

It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground (Dan 8:12).

He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior (Dan 8:25).

Lies and deceit seem to be thriving in the current season.

More at Times and Seasons

Horned Prophets (2) Two Horned Prophet

A prophet with horns appears against in the book of Revelation. John saw a beast with two horns.

Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (Rev 13:11).

This beast does not exercise military and political power. It is a speaking beast, so it is prophetic.

The beast looked innocent like a lamb, so most people will think it has come from God to represent Jesus. However, John realised that it speaks on behalf of the dragon, who is the devil. This makes this beast a false prophet. It has two horns, so it is the ultimate horned prophet.

This two-horned prophet loves war. It stirs up the world to give power and authority to the political power called the Terrible Beast in Revelation. When the church and its prophets love war, human political power is released.

Later in Revelation, the two-horned beast is called the False Prophet. He stirs up the nations of the world to fight against the people of God. He releases demonic spirits to stir up the leaders of the nations to get into a war that leads to a terrible judgment (Rev 16:13). The two-horned false prophet also stirs up the rulers of the nation to fight against those who have chosen to follow Jesus (Rev 19:19-20).

Zedekiah was the first horned prophet mentioned in the scriptures. The False Prophet of Revelation is the ultimate horned prophet. However, there have been many horned prophets in between. Wherever there is faith in political and military power, horned prophets will emerge. They will stir up the political leaders to engage in military activities. Their prophecies will often cause a growth in political control and military force.

Islamic State (9) Fear of Islam

Many Christians are worried about Islam and the Middle East. They see it as a single entity fighting the west. For a start, the largest Moslem country in the world is Indonesia. The reality is that Islam in the Middle East will dominated by these three principalities and powers described in the previous post. They will always be in conflict with each other, so they will not be able to unite together for a common purpose.

The main role of the four horsemen is to produce fear. When the people of the world are afraid, they look to the political powers to provide peace. When fear turns into terror, the most powerful human government that the world has ever known will emerge. People and nations will surrender their freedom to the Beast in order to obtain security.

Christians in America seem to be really afraid of the Islamic State. I am not sure why, because it is not capable of inflicting serious harm on the United Sates. Many Christians are demanding that President extend American power to control and destroy the Islamic State. Fear of the world, and trust in political and military power to provide security are the attitudes that will allow the beast of revelation to rise to power.

Christians who trust in God should not fear the world. They should not look to political leaders for salvation. They already have a glorious saviour and wonderful comforter.

Do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it (Is 8:12).

This promise was given in the context of the Spirit of Assyria (Is 8:7).

Time of Distress (11) - Role of the Beast

The book of Revelation describes the emergence of the Beast and explains that it will do four things. They are quite different from what many Christians expect.

1. Blasphemy

The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies…. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven (Rev 13:5-6).

A person blaspheming usually speaks against God to mock him. The Beast is different, as it speaks “proud words” not rude word. It insults God by claiming his place and offering salvation that is better than the salvation offered through Jesus. This is the blasphemy of the Beast.

He will speak against the Most High and…try to change the set times and the laws (Dan 7:25).

Political messiahs will promise complete human salvation using political power. Most people believe there is no God, so human government is the only hope for salvation. The Beast is an attempt to create a better world by applying human wisdom to government. It is not established by evil men to do evil, but is established by good men to do good.

2. Economic Control
The Beast will control the economic system to prevent economic collapse.

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave (Rev 13:16).

Political powers have always manipulated the little people who are poor. Their misery does not change. The big difference is that the Beast controls the rich and the powerful. It will even control those who are too big to fail (the big and the free). These activities will make preferred merchants and traders very rich (Rev 18:11-20).

3. Worldwide Influence
Authority and influence will be surrendered to this dominant nation by governments all over the world (Rev 13:5).

And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation (Rev 13:7).

For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled (Rev 17:17).

The nations do not disappear during this period. They carry on, but give some of their sovereignty to the dominant nation, so it can deal with crises sweeping across the earth.

John calls this behaviour adultery and names the beast as a prostitute.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries (Rev 18:3).

The nations belong to God, so they should have been loyal to him. Instead they surrender to a power nation for pleasure and prosperity. They compromise to get what they want

Daniel suggested that some nations would be broken up under the Beasts influence (Dan 7:7). This has already happened in Yugoslavia, Somalia and Sudan, and may possible happen in Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan.

4. Christians Persecuted
Christians who cannot accept the authority and the provision of the Beast will experience terrible persecution.

It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them (Rev 13:7).

If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed (Rev 13:7).

As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them (Dan 7:21).

Some Christians will understand that the Beast is a false messiah offering a false hope. Those who warn of the dangers of trusting this dominant nation for salvation will be persecuted savagely.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people (Rev 13:7).

The main role of the Beast is to persecute Christians to create the suffering church that will be ready to receive the kingdom.

This powerful nation does not engage in blatant evil. It controls trade and puts big business back in its place. It puts uncooperative Christians back in their place, too. It promises to bring peace and prosperity to the people of the world. These are things that all good governments are expected to do. Many Christians will applaud this nation when it begins to exercise greater influence in the world.

The book of Revelation warns that this Beast will collapse and fail eventually when the next season emerges. This is a positive message for Christians, as the church is guaranteed to endure and outlast the Beast.