The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about

Transcription

1 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about 8 to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. Revelation 17:8 In the first reference to the beast in the 13th Chapter, we discovered that he came out of the sea. Now we find that he comes up out of the bottomless pit. What s up with that???

2 In the 13th Chapter, he comes out of the sea, or the mass of people. The beast is inflicted with a deadly wound. Some commentators state that he will be brought back to life by the power of Satan. From, that point the beast will be a supernatural being inhabited by Satan who comes not from the sea, but from the bottomless pit. Now, as a supernatural being inhabited by Satan, the beast will command the worship of the masses of people still on earth at that time.

3 Though I m no authority, I tend to side with other commentators who feel that the resurrection from the mortal wound was a fake and that the beast was never dead in the first place. But all seem to agree that the beast is directed and managed by Satan himself.

4 Some have tried to suggest from this verse that the final world ruler is some resurrected being such as Judas Iscariot, Nero, or one of the more recent world rulers. This is a view shared by Preterists. Preterism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets some (partial preterism) or all (full preterism) prophecies of the Bible as events which have already happened.

5 Jon Courson writes I personally believe Caesar Nero will one day reappear as Antichrist. Oh, he ll not come wearing a toga, playing a fiddle, saying I m back. Rather the perverted spirit of Caesar Nero that caused massive bloodshed under his reign will reappear in Antichrist.

6 This calls for a mind 9 with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; Revelation 17:9

7 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, 10 one is, Revelation 17:10a Of the original emperors, the lives of five were cut short. Julius Caesar was assassinated. Tiberias was poisoned. Caligula was stabbed. Claudius was smothered, and Nero committed suicide. one is, When John penned this book, Domitian was on the throne. He was a cruel man.

8 the other has not yet come, and when he does come 10 he must remain only a little while. Revelation 17:10b This is a reference to the antichrist. His reign will be short.

9 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth 11 but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. Revelation 17:11 What will happen to the antichrist. He will have an apparently fatal wound. Heitzig writes that he will supposedly die and undergo a false resurrection. When he dies, his kingdom will die. When he is resurrected, his kingdom is also resurrected, so that he and is kingdom was and then was not, was the seventh but is now the eighth, and will certainly go to destruction. There are also other views.

10 Robert L. Thomas, in his book Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary, writes that verses 9-11 actually refer to the great Gentile empires of the earth. The final form of world government, symbolized by the eighth beast itself, is the world empire of the great tribulation. The revived Roman Empire that will be in power immediately after the rapture of the church is apparently indicated by the seventh head, while the beast is the eighth and final. This eighth world empire will be destroyed by Jesus Christ at His Second Coming.

11 GENTILE EMPIRES OF THE EARTH (Reference Robert L. Thomas) Egypt Assyria Babylon Medo-Persia Greece Historical Roman Empire Revived Roman Empire (Revelation) The Eighth and Final Kingdom (Antichrist)

12 McGee states that the beast that was refers to the past history of the Roman Empire under the emperors. The term is not refers to the end of Imperial Rome with it s global empire which came to an end sometime between the 3rd and 5th centuries. The statement it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven identifies the Antichrist with the return to the imperial form of the restored Roman Empire. He s the little horn of Daniel 7. He s not only one of the ten horns, but he is separate from them. He s an eighth head in this seven, yet he is one of the seven because he restores the last form of Roman government.

13 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who 12 have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand 13 over their power and authority to the beast. Revelation 17:12-13 Daniel 7 tells us that the ten horns of the beast signify the ten nations of the revived Roman Empire. Antichrist and this ten-nation federation will be of one mind.

14 In Chapter 7 of Daniel, this fourth beast represented the prophetic history of the Roman Empire down to the little horn and his destruction. The little horn of Daniel and the wild beast are identical.

15 Gold (Babylon 606 BC -539 BC) Silver (Medo-Persian 539 BC BC) (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-4) Bronze (Grecian 332BC - 68 BC) Iron (Roman 1 68 BC -?) Iron + Clay ( Rome II ) Ten Toes/Ten Horns

16 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will 14 conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful. Revelation 17:14 Stupidly, they will make war with the Lamb.. and will lose! Just wait for Revelation 19!

17 And the said to me, The waters that you saw, 15 angel[c] where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. Revelation 17:15 We already talked about the reference to the waters.

18 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast 16 will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, Revelation 17:16 The beast that supported her now devours her. She has served her purpose and now there is no constraint upon the beast to raise himself to the position to be worshipped. The antichrist teams up with the church only as long as it is useful to him. Some commentators feel this will occur mid-tribulation when the beast sets up the abomination that causes desolation.

19 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his 17 purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. Revelation 17:17 God will use the beast to destroy the false religious system.

20 And the woman that you saw is the great city that 18 has dominion over the kings of the earth. Revelation 17:18 At the time that John wrote this there could be only one explanation of this great city. This is Rome.

21 In summary - In that final stage of the tribulation, there will be a vast religious system in operation. This vast political system will join together with the political system. The apostate church (false prophet) and the government (antichrist) working together. At the moment when the apostate church is no longer useful to the antichrist, he will totally destroy it.

22 After this I saw another angel coming down from 1 heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. Revelation 18:1 After this - Meta tauta - After these things. After Mystery Babylon is destroyed, another angel, different from the angel in 17:1, comes with great authority to do a great work on behalf of God. Some commentators feel that, because the earth was made bright with his glory, this might be a reference to Jesus.

23 The Two Babylons of Revelation Revelation 17 Religious Babylon Revelation 18 Political/Commercial Babylon Focus Babylon as a system Babylon as a city Timing Falls at the beginning of Great Tribulation Falls at end of Great Tribulation Destroyer The Beast and the Kings Jesus Christ at His second coming Result No mourning Great mourning This chart taken from Revelation by John F. Walvoord

24 The woman (Religious Babylon) is destroyed in mid-tribulation in Chapter 17 when the beast assumes the role of God at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This new religion is based upon the worship of the political dictator, the beast out of the sea in Chapter 13. The new religious center is now Jerusalem.

25 Whereas Chapter 17 looked at Babylon from a religious aspect, tracing it all the way back to its roots in Genesis 10, Chapter 18 looks at the political and vast economic empire that is destroyed at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Think about this. Ancient Babylon spawned the political power that was Nebuchadnezzar s first world empire.

26 Just as the religious Babylon had its roots in Genesis 10, the political and economic power of Babylon was the basis for the Book of Daniel.

27 Gold (Babylon 606 BC -539 BC) Silver (Medo-Persian 539 BC BC) (Isaiah 44:28-45:1-4) Bronze (Grecian 332BC - 68 BC) Iron (Roman 1 68 BC -?) Iron + Clay ( Rome II ) Ten Toes/Ten Horns

28 31 You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. 32 The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:31-35

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30 And he called out with a mighty voice, 2 Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. Fallen, fallen because Babylon fell twice. It became a place for Satan s minions (demons and unclean spirits).

31 a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness. And wild animals 14 shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; Isaiah 34:11,14a It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it 32 is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. Matthew 13:32

32 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them. 20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. 21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches[a] will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. 22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged. Isaiah 13:19-22

33 For all nations have drunk 3 the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living. Revelation 18:3 An unholy alliance of government and business. The merchants of the world have become rich, fat and happy due to the evil and immoral relationship they have had with corrupt, commercial Babylon. They are drunk with wealth.

34 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the 1 miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have 2 rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold 3 and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, 4 the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. James 5:1-4

35 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, 4 Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, 5 and God has remembered her iniquities. McGee states that God s people will be in the world to the very end of the Tribulation. This command calls for a physical separation from Babylon similar to the separation called for in other Old Testament Scriptures.

36 When you are in tribulation, and all these things 30 come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey his voice. For the Lord 31 your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:30-31

37 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken 5 by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. Flee from the midst of Babylon; 6 let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her. from the fierce anger of the Lord! Jeremiah 51:5-6

38 20 Go out from Babylon, flee from Chaldea, declare this with a shout of joy, proclaim it, send it out to the end of the earth; say, The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob! Isaiah 48:20

39 Walvoord states that this voice is calling on God s people to flee the doomed city, just as His people were urged to flee Babylon in ancient days. Go out of the midst of her, my people! Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the Lord! Jeremiah 51:45 Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go out of the 8 land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. Jeremiah 50:8

40 Flee from the midst of Babylon; let every one save his life! Be not cut off in her punishment, for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance, the repayment he is rendering her. Jeremiah 51:6 God s people are instructed to leave Babylon so they will not engage in her sin or suffer their plagues.

41 Jon Courson states that the voice from heaven speaks to those who become believers during the Tribulation. Stay away from Babylon!

42 Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, 6 and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, 7 so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see. Revelation 18:6-7 God s judgement is an eye for an eye!

43 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall 16 surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to 17 death. Whoever takes an animal's life shall make it 18 good, life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as 19 he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for 20 fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him. Leviticus 24:16-20

44 mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed. Revelation 18:6b But Babylon is in for a double portion!

45 since in her heart she says, I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see. Revelation 18:6-7 She is the queen of evil and she is no widow because of her illicit love affairs with the kings of the earth. She feels she will never see mourning because she is more powerful than God! Remember too that Semiramis, wife of Nimrod, was worshipped as the Queen of Heaven in false Babylonian religions.

46 For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her. Revelation 18:8 She will fall in a day!

47 And he told them a parable, saying, The land of a 16 rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to 17 himself, What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops? And he said, I will do this: I will tear down 18 my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 19 Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, 20 Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? Luke 12:16-20

48 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual 9 immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and 10 say, Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come. Remember, this Babylon was beloved by kings! The confederation of the beast! They will mourn her destruction and marvel over the speed of God s judgement on her!

49 Picture a cloudless, late-summer night along the banks of the gently flowing Euphrates River. Thousands of guests and dignitaries walk by torch light to the Procession Street leading into the city of Babylon from the north. They line the street flanked by massive walls to watch row upon row of soldiers with swords, spears, shields and helmets march past on the Processional Street toward the Ishtar Gate. Interspersed among the ranks of soldiers are groups of musicians playing harps, horns, and drums; children carrying palm fronds; and runners carrying bowls of smoking incense.

50 The crowd follows the last of the soldiers through the Ishtar Gate and into the city of Babylon for the concluding ceremony of the evening - a tribute to Ishtar, the mother goddess of Babylon. Is this a scene of pagan worship in the time of Daniel?

51 No! A scene I witnessed in September 1988 as part of the second International Babylon Festival held under the patronage of Saddam Hussein! Taken from the Prelude- The Rise of Babylon - Sign of the End Times Dr. Charles H. Dyer

52 DR. CHARLES DYER served as provost and dean of education at Moody Bible Institute before becoming Professor-at-Large of Bible at Moody and host of The Land and the Book radio program.

53 And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for 11 her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, Revelation 18:11 The merchants will weep and mourn from their ships, not for the city, but for their lost wealth that came from their trade which is now come to an end.

54 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, 19 where moth and destroy and where thieves rust[a] break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves 20 treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be 21 also. Matthew 6:19-21

55 cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple 12 cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, Revelation 18:12 Every conceivable evidence of commercial materialism. Treasures that are first in the hearts of men.

56 cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, 13 oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. Revelation 18:13 Twenty-eight different items of merchandise. Sadly, note that slaves and human souls are listed in the list of commodities owned by the system. Human souls are sadly listed as just another commodity that people own. At the zenith of Babylonian commercialism and materialism, the human soul will have no value. Human life has no value. Communism to the nth degree!

57 The fruit for which your soul longed 14 has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again! Revelation 18:14 They wanted and longed for these riches that they will never have again. They were focused on their 401Ks and not on God.

58 Lamenting, but no repenting! Their weeping will continue through all eternity! The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will 41 gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In 42 that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the 43 kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:41-43 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:4

59 The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth 15 from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, Revelation 18:15

60 Alas, alas, for the great city 16 that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! Revelation 18:16 The economic hub of the world is gone! It all goes up in smoke.

61 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid 17 waste. And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried 18 out as they saw the smoke of her burning, What city was like the great city? Revelation 18:17-18

62 And they threw dust on their heads as they wept 19 and mourned, crying out, Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Revelation 18:19

63 Rejoice over her, O heaven, 20 and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her! Revelation 18:20 Ryrie states Babylon has slain the saints; now, God slays Babylon. We will see the great multitude in Chapter 19 who rejoice over the judgement of the great prostitute. This is the multitude who have cried out for justice and have now seen it! There is a multitude in heaven rejoicing!

64 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great 21 millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; Revelation 18:21 Babylon s downfall comes with great violence! The great Babylon will disappear like a stone sinking into the sea.

65 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you come to 61 Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, 62 O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever. When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it 63 and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, 64 Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted. Jeremiah 51:61-64

66 Whoever receives one such child in my name 5 receives me, but whoever causes one of these little 6 ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is 7 necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! Matthew 18:5-7

67 and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute 22 players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, (no music, just silence) and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, (the sounds of commerce are silenced) Revelation 18:22

68 and the light of a lamp 23 will shine in you no more, (no light) and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, (no joy, as in the sound of joy in the voices of a bridal procession and a new bride and groom) Revelation 18:23a All the joys and life of the great city have vanished.

69 23 for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. Revelation 18:23b Seems that, among other things, Babylon will be the center of sorcery gr. pharmakeia Strong s g5331 medication ( pharmacy ), magic, witchcraft, the use or administering of drugs drug trafficking.

70 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of 24 saints, and of all who have been slain on earth. Revelation 18:24 The blood of the saints was on the head of Babylon.

71 Some have commented that this 18th Chapter is not talking about a real city, but rather the economic and commercial system of the Antichrist. There are people that believe that there will be built, at the Persian Gulf, a city called Babylon. It will literally be rebuilt. It will be raised up out of the ground and will become the center of everything that happens. Today, that area is certainly a focal-point of interest throughout the world.

72 There are others who believe that this is not a reference to a literal city, but rather, it is a reference to an economic and commercial system of life and culture. A culture based upon a principle of alienation from God. This system is already in place and growing, even here in America. It is evident in the New-Age and humanistic movements. The system could be a great world city in America, or England, or Europe. This new order is summarized in a city called Babylon.

73 Before we move to Chapter 19 and experience the awesome joy of our Savior s Second Coming, let s attempt to review the 7 years prior to that marvelous event. All of the commentators and expositors that I ve used tend to agree that the church is raptured at the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation period. We will look at the Book of Daniel and explore that in greater detail when we finish the Book of Revelation.

74 After the Rapture, Antichrist comes to power as the world dictator on the platform of peace and prosperity. In the first part of the Tribulation, he brings about radical changes that would appear to benefit mankind. He ll bring in a false peace and all governments and religions will be controlled by him. He brings a one world and one religion platform. The world will buy into his big lie. Through 144,000 witnesses, sealed by God, 12,000 each from twelve tribes of Israel, and two strange witnesses, the truth is still preached on earth.

75 There are numerous end-time prophecies by many major and minor Prophets in the Old Testament. There is agreement among some commentators that the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 occurs somewhere near the middle of the seven-year tribulation period. The hordes from the far north will move against Israel and the floodgates of war will be opened. Some believe these hordes from the far north represent an invasion from Russia.

76 In any event, the world begins to fall apart, and the man of sin, the Antichrist, breaks his covenant with Israel and the Mideast becomes the center of world activity. Jerusalem becomes the religious capital of the world as the Antichrist assumes the position of God in the temple that was rebuilt at the beginning of the tribulation.

77 It would appear that Antichrist began in Rome, and then the false prophet in Jerusalem and then rebuilt Babylon as the center of world power. The apostate church is destroyed by Antichrist and Babylon becomes the political and economic center of the world. Judgements of God will fall swift and sudden upon a God-rejecting and blaspheming world. One fourth, and later one-third of the population of the world is destroyed. Nature is afflicted and the earth begins to die. The sun, moon and stars are in convulsion.

78 Disaster upon disaster falls on the earth. But man still refuses to repent. Armies march toward Israel. War rages for 3 1/2 years until the final Battle of Armageddon. Millions upon millions of men are marching at the time upon the land of Israel. They are engaged in battle and will ultimately be annihilated in blood up to the bridals of the horses. Into this chaos of man s making and Satan s scheming, Comes the KING OF KINGS and the LORD OF LORDS!