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The Unholy Trinity Pt.2 A Study of Revelation 13 1. According to the text where does the second beast of Revelation 13 come from? a. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the Earth Revelation 13:11. i. According to the text the second beast of this chapter comes up out of the Earth. 2. Is there a previous reference to where this beast comes from? a. The previous reference is found in Revelation 12:15-16, where the earth is seen as a Helping Agent for God s people. i. So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth Helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood, which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Revelation 12:15-16. 3. Does the understanding of the location imply anything? a. Understanding the location implies that this beast of the earth would initially appear to be Friendly. i. The next part of the verse drives this home even farther 1. and he had two horns like a Lamb and spoke like a Dragon. Revelation 13:11. 4. What does this one verse reveal about Satan s shift in strategy? a. Satan has moved from using Force to convey his message to now using Kindness. 5. Is there anything else that this verse 11 reveals, another aspect of the character of this earth beast? a. Verse 11 reveals that the Intent of the beast is different from its Appearance. i. The rest of this chapter depicts the earth beast as the facilitator of the dragon s continued War against God s people. 2
6. How is this beast the same as the first beast? a. And he exercises All the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first, whose deadly wound was healed. Revelation 13:12 i. This beast has the Same authority as the first beast. 1. Through the working of the earth beast the sea beast has great Power and Authority over the entire earth. 7. What is the two-fold nature of this beast? a. This beast is both Religious and Political. i. From this point in the book of Revelation this earth beast is referred to as the False Prophet. 1. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet. Revelation 16:13 2. Then the beast was captured, and with him the False Prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Revelation 19:20 3. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the False Prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10 8. What member of the Godhead is the earth beast supposedly trying to imitate? a. To quote a theologian, This Satanic ally is clearly a parody of the Holy Spirit. i. This beast exercises the authority of the sea beast as the Spirit exercises the authority of Christ (See John 15:26) ii. This beast has power and uses that power to direct everyone to worship the sea beast just as the Spirit has 3
power and uses that same power to lead everyone to worship Christ. iii. This beast will do great signs and wonders that will convince most to follow the sea beast and this is a reminder of the signs and wonders that the Spirit wrought through the apostles in the book of Acts and remember that these signs and wonders convinced people to accept Christ. iv. Lastly this beast will mark those who fall under its deception with a seal just as the Holy Spirit will seal the people in the last days. b. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And 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. Revelation 13:13&14 i. This deceit is Satanic in nature because the Dragon endowed the power and authority to perform these signs of the beast. 1. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. - 2 nd Thessalonians 2:8-10 9. How significant is the deadly wound of the sea beast to the rise of the earth beast and the eventual re-establishing of the power of the sea beast? a. Firstly it would appear that the rise of the earth beast Coincides with the initial mortal wound inflicted on the sea beast. Secondly it would also appear that making the whole earth worship the sea beast is directly linked to the Healing of the deadly wound of this beast. 4
i. This is significant because it helps us Identify who this second beast of Revelation 13 is 10. Who is this second beast? a. The description of this beast accurately fits the United States of America and here are at least five clues that will help us solidify this. i. It comes to power around 1798 as the Papacy is going into captivity and receiving its deadly wound. At that time the United States was just coming up as a youthful nation. The United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776, and by 1790 all thirteen colonies had ratified the constitution. This nation was quickly drawn into world politics and today is the only world superpower. ii. The sea represents multitudes and nations. Revelation 17:15. The beasts that rise from the sea usually do so amid times of war and strife. By contrast, this beast rises out of the earth," representing a relatively peaceful emergence in a comparatively unpopulated area. This is exactly the manner in which The United States came to power, although eventually bathed in blood through slavery, a civil war and the forced relocation of many Native Americans, these things came after their ascent as a nation. iii. This beast with two horns like a lamb represents a nation of youth, innocence and gentleness, which is based on the two great principles of civil and religious liberty ( for where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Corinthians 3:17). At its inception, the United States had the strength of its form of government, and of its people s religion. Republicanism and Protestantism were the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. It is strong because the government and the church are separate, without one controlling the other. iv. It is noteworthy that this beast lacks any crowns. The United States of America is a grand experiment in government that serves its people rather than enslaving 5
them, and it allows freedom of conscience and expression in the area of religion. It s a country that has government without a king and religion without a pope. v. It becomes a world power and according to Revelation 13 this power will be strong enough to force the world to worship the first beast. 11. What hope do we have concerning the reign of terror that this beast will institute on the world? a. According to the rest of Revelation God will Destroy this beast and He will come and save His people from the power and the evil ways of the beast. 6