Rev 13:1-10  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.  (2)  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.  (3)  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.  (4)  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?  (5)  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.  (6)  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.  (7)  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.  (8)  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  (9)  If any man have an ear, let him hear.  (10)  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Welcome back! Our study is coming along and we are currently smack dab in the middle of the Tribulation period. You know, reader, my heart is conflicted: I’m excited to be with the Lord but I am also grieved. I grieve because I still have lost family and friends who think that I am a religious nut. I would rather be known as a religious nut than the person who did not give them the gospel of Jesus Christ! If you want to get an idea of what will happen once you die, this little booklet is a minute read and is right on point!

As we move on, this chapter introduces the diabolical duo. The first beast rises out of the sea and is known as the Antichrist, who is the devil incarnate. Just as Satan entered Judas to betray Jesus, Satan will enter the Antichrist and the Antichrist will do his bidding. He will be a global dictator and will work in concert with the second beast, who is the false prophet. The false prophet will be in charge of the one world religion and its religious leaders. They will team up to achieve Satan’s demonic agenda for the earth. Are you able to see that this one world religion is in its formative years? I surely can. By the time these two come on the scene, people will be ready – their hearts will be so entrapped in sin that makind will not want to hear about their sin or that they need to repent!

This Beast is none other than the man of sin and son of perdition referenced in 2Thessalonians 2:3. Zechariah prophesied of him in Zechariah 11:15-17 and says he is the idol shepherd. Daniel prophesied of him in Daniel 11:36-39. Wow … just wow! This timeframe is in the second half of the Tribulation because we see in Revelation 13:5 that the Beast “continues” for forty and two months. If you recall, the Antichrist comes into power with peace at the beginning of the Tribulation when he signs a peace treaty with Israel. In the middle of the Tribulation, he breaks that peace treaty. He continues to wage war and raises up two imposing figures. It isn’t till this second half of the Tribulation that they impose their power upon the earth. If you think Hitler was bad, history records that Stalin killed 30 million of his own people! The Antichrist will be even worse. He will have this type of evil power until the end of the Tribulation and King Jesus will put an end to that power.

Daniel prophesied (Daniel 11:36-39) that the Antichrist will speak blasphemies against God. This prophecy comes true in Revelation 13:6. Also, Daniel says (Daniel 11:37) the Antichrist will not “regard the God of his fathers” which leads us to believe he may be Jewish but won’t be following Judaism since he blasphemes “his tabernacle.” If he were a Gentile, he would have no need to blaspheme the tabernacle. The Antichrist’s reign will revolve around the following characteristics:

  1. Wickedness – Revelation 13:1 – the definition for blasphemy reveals to us just how wicked he is. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines it as: vilification (especially against God): – blasphemy, evil speaking, railing.
  2. Wounding – Revelation 13:3 – The injury sustained will result in healing and all will worship him because of it. He will be raised from the dead or will be healed which reveals that the Antichrist will be able to do counterfeit miracles. Remember, Zechariah 11:15-17 calls him an “idol shepherd,” which is a good choice of words!
  3. Words of – Revelation 13:5-6 – He will speak great things. It reminds me of today’s preachers who don’t preach the Word of God but preach what people want to hear; words that will tickle their ears. (2Timothy 4:3) Just what is this tickling of the ears? Preaching sin does not tickle the ears, so it will be the total opposite! Today’s popular preachers are great orators and “life coaches,” but they do not preach from the Word of God; they love to speak of prosperity and the “love” gospel. Yes, God is love and He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. But God doesn’t stop there. Those who do not love His Son, Jesus, and are not born again will receive His judgment. These preachers do not talk about sin and God’s judgment for that sin. Be leary, reader, of whose teachings you sit under. The Antichrist will speak blasphemies and deceive earth’s inhabitants, so much so, they will be led to believe that he is God.
  4. Warfare – Revelation 13:7 – We see war against the saints in this verse. But notice a very important word here: he overcomes them. This is yet more proof that today’s Church is not going through the Tribulation because these saints are martyred. We are not to go through God’s wrath: 1Thessalonians 1:10, 1Thessalonians 5:9, Romans 5:9.
  5. Worship of – Revelation 13:4, Revelation 13:8 and Revelation 13:12 all speak of this first Beast, the Antichrist, receiving worship. Think about this for one moment: can you picture yourself bowing down and actually worshipping this being? It may seem farfetched but it won’t be during the Tribulation. Everyone will worship this Beast, except for the Tribulation saints. Their payment for denying to worship him will be death.

As you can see, the first Beast will be a furious and evil one. Don’t let the distractions of this world sidetrack you, reader. There is a judgment coming and you do not want to be a part of it. Settle this matter once and for all. Don’t delay as the Rapture can happen at any moment. (Matthew 24:36-42) It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!