02.43. LECTURE No. 43 -- Rev_13:11-18
LECTURE No. 43 -- Revelation 13:11-18 The Book of Revelation a Light in the Midst of Darkness - It Is Also a Book of Truth - A False Prophet Also Will Arise Who Will Exercise the Power of the Antichrist - The False Prophet Will Be a Worker of Miracles - The False Prophet Will Set Up an Image of the Antichrist and Demand Worship - The "Times of the Gentiles” Began with the Worship of an Image and Will End in the Same Way - Under the Antichrist and the False Prophet All Religious Liberty Will Be Gone - The Mark of the Beast and the Number Six-Six-Six - An Interesting Summary of Revelation 13:1-18
Introduction
CERTAINLY, we should be thankful for this last Book of the Bible, because we are finding it to be a light in the midst of spiritual darkness. History tells us of the dark ages, but those who understand the Word of God, and who are able to read current events in the light of scripture prophecy know that the world is now entering a period of spiritual darkness greater than that which has existed at any time in human history. This is confirmed in Isaiah 60:2 where it says, “For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people;” as the darkness draws on apace and deepens into spiritual night, the light and truth contained in the Book of Revelation will shine forth even brighter than ever before to light the way of those who are lost, back to God. A Book of Truth
We should be thankful for this Book of Revelation because it is a Book of truth in the midst of lies and falsehoods. The closing days of the present dispensation and the tribulation period are to be marked by the presence of false teachers and false prophets, who will preach and teach false doctrines to the people; but in the midst of all this, the truth of this Book will remain and will stand against every effort to discredit or to destroy it, and through the truth recorded in this book many will be made free. In John 8:32 Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
We may rightfully say, therefore, that the truth of this Book, which we are now studying will be a real joy to those who are in sorrow, and that it will serve as a foundation for the faith of those who are standing upon sinking sand. It will be an anchor for multitudes of needy souls when everything else around them gives way.
Earnest Attention
Understanding these things, therefore, why should we not give our earnest and prayerful attention to the wonderful things recorded for our instruction in this Book? We sincerely believe that all who are following us in these studies are getting just the light and blessing and help they need in these trying times in which we live. Therefore, we bespeak once again the blessing pronounced in Revelation 1:3, where it says,
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”
We have progressed in our present study to Revelation 13:11, where our present lesson will begin.
We have already pointed out that the first ten verses of this 13th chapter of Revelation are a revelation of the Antichrist and of the kingdom over which he will rule, when he comes into power during the tribulation period.
In our last lesson we summarized these verses by giving to you a scriptural outline of the rise and fall of the Antichrist.
Lesson Text
We are now ready to advance in our study by reading what is written Revelation 13:11-18, where John said:
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom.
“Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
Here again, my friends, we have very interesting and enlightening passage, for our consideration. The Two Beasts The first beast which John saw, who we have already studied about, came up out of the sea; but the second beast which he saw was coming up out the earth; that is, at the time when John beheld the vision, and he is described as having two horns and it says he spake as a dragon.
By way of comparison, it is interesting to note that the nondescript beast that John saw in the beginning of this chapter had ten horns, all of which were crowned, indicating imperial dominion and authority! But the second beast which John saw had only two horns, which were not crowned. This would seem to indicate that he will be invested with civil and ecclesiastical power and authority, but in a subjective sense.
In other words, the Antichrist is the one in whom all imperial authority will be vested during that time, and all others, including the second beast, and the ten kings, who are to be associated with him, will receive their authority and power from the Antichrist. The fact, therefore, that the second beast which John saw had only two horns like a lamb and that they were uncrowned indicates that the second beast will receive his civil and ecclesiastical authority from and be in subjection to the Antichrist! The Power of the Second Beast This is confirmed in Revelation 13:12 of our lesson text where it says:
“And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”
Thus, my friends, we see that this second beast with the two horns will be associated with the Antichrist in his diabolical schemes, and purposes to be accomplished during the tribulation Period. This second beast is commonly called the false prophet.
This is confirmed in Revelation 16:13, where it says,
“I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.”
Also, in Revelation 19:20, it says,
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
Thus, my friends, we see that the alliance which will be between them in the beginning will continue on through to the very end until the judgments of God are brought upon them both and they both go to the same place. A Worker of Miracles In Revelation 13:13, we learn that this false prophet will be a worker of miracles, for it says, “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.”
Many people nowadays boast of their unbelief in the supernatural and a lot of modernistic preachers refuse to believe the miracles which Jesus performed and try to explain them as the result of natural causes; but when this time comes even the most unbelieving among men will be compelled to believe in the supernatural, for this false prophet will be a worker of miracles and no one will be able to doubt this fact because he will produce the evidence of his power.
No doubt he will perform many miracles, but one in particular is mentioned; namely, he will make fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. The False Prophet an Imitator This is of unusual interest because the very same thing has been done before. We cannot read this passage without remembering the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal recorded in 1 Kings 18:1-46. The contest was based upon the statement, spoken by Elijah, when he said, “How long halt we between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.”
Then Elijah said, “Call ye upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord: and the god that answereth by fire, let him be God.” And it says, “all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”
I trust we all know the story full well of how the four hundred prophets of Baal prayed in vain for an answer to their prayers and no fire fell upon the sacrifice, which had been placed upon the altar. But when Elijah prayed, it says, “Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.”
Thus, my friends, we see that fire was used as the supreme test in the case of Elijah and the false prophets of Baal to prove the power of God and that Elijah was the divinely chosen prophet of God.
Also in 2 Kings 1:3-16, there is an interesting account of how Elijah called down fire from heaven upon the different companies of men which were sent unto him.
In the tenth verse (2 Kings 1:10) it says, “And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.” The Purpose of Such Miracles
After reading these things we do not wonder that when the false prophet comes into power associated with the Antichrist that he will seek to convince the people of the deity of the Antichrist and of the fact that he is his prophet by performing a similar miracle to the one which Elijah performed so many centuries ago.
Satan has always been an imitator of the true things of God and by this power of imitation he has deceived multitudes of people in every age and has drawn them to himself and away from God.
Just imagine, if you can, how people will be led to believe and follow the beast and the false prophet when he actually makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. No doubt, at that time many who witness this miracle, failing to realize that it will be accomplished by the power of Satan in imitation of that which happened so long ago, will believe that this is being done by the power of God, when in fact it will be accomplished by the power of Satan, working through the Antichrist to whom he will have given his power and his seat and great authority. The Result of This Miracle
Now what will be the result of this miracle when the false prophet calls fire down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men? The answer to the important question is given in Revelation 13:13-14 of our lesson text where it says,
“And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”
The first result stated here is that the people will be deceived by these wonder which the false prophet will perform, and while they are in the midst of such deception, before there is any time for any investigation or for any unfavorable reaction to set in, the false prophet will propose that they set about at once to set up an image of the beast or Antichrist, which had the wound by the sword and did live. To this, no doubt, the people will give their ready consent.
We have already explained in our previous lessons that during his career the Antichrist will be killed and then be brought back to life again by the power of Satan, which will be in itself a great miracle, which will be intended by Satan to imitate the death and resurrection of the true Christ. This miracle, also, will be used and intended to deceive the people, and to cause them to believe in the deity and power of the Antichrist.
Thus, my friends, we see that when the false prophet comes into power he will use these two miracles; namely, the power to call down fire from heaven, and the resurrection of the Antichrist, whose deadly wound will be healed; as the chief reason why he should set up an image to the beast and cause the people to worship him as God. The “Times of the Gentiles” Began with an Image
We do not need to wonder at the fact that he will do this, because just such a thing has been done before. It is of striking interest to note that “the times of the Gentiles” began with the erection and worship of a great image, which fact is confirmed in Daniel the 3rd chapter, where it says:
“Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
“Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
“Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the comet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
“Therefore, at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.”
Three Faithful Witnesses
This, my friends, is what happened away back in Babylon when the children of Israel were in captivity, and we know of how the three Hebrew children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the image and were cast into the midst of the fiery furnace and were delivered by the power of God. The Gentile Age Will Close with A Great Image And so, my friends, according to our lesson text, the Gentile age will end with the erection of a great image by the false prophet in honour of the Antichrist, who will deify himself, and who will require that men worship the image of himself which the false prophet will set up.
Another Miracle
We are told that the false prophet will perform another miracle in connection with the erection of this image, in that he will have power to give life unto the image of the beast, “that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
No doubt, this will be the first time in history that any such thing was ever done.
It seems unreasonable to believe that anyone would have power to give life to an inanimate object such as this image will be, but, believe it or not, that is what the false prophet will do. By reason of this miracle he will deceive the multitudes into paying homage and will cause them to worship to the image of the beast. And we are told that as many as will not worship the image of the beast will be killed. Not a Matter of Choice
Thus, my friends, we see that worship of the image of the beast will not be a matter of choice but a matter of compulsion. This was true of the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up, and it will be true of this image of the Antichrist, which will be erected at the command of the false prophet when the Antichrist comes into power.
This is an age of grace in which men may or may not worship God. During this age men may accept or reject the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Son and as the Messiah of Israel and as the Saviour of the world. During this age men may worship what they choose, or they may not worship anything at all, but when the Antichrist and false prophet come into power it will not be so. Today, in this age of grace, there are multitudes of people who refuse to attend church and refuse to worship God in any way whatever. Imagine, therefore, how they will feel when they will be compelled contrary to their will, to worship the image of the beast or be killed.
Religious Liberty Will Be Gone
Indeed, my friends, when that time comes, religious liberty will be a thing of the past! Men, whether they are thieves, drunkards, gamblers, agnostic atheists or what not, will become worshippers of the Antichrist, either by choice or by compulsion. The Work of the Antichrist
Now, in Revelation 13:16-18, it says,
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save that he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.” An International Monopoly
These words are very clear and straight to the point. They reveal that when the Antichrist and the false prophet reign there will be an international monopoly on the necessaries of life and that in order to enforce their edicts and to secure the allegiance of the people, they will literally mark them in the right hand or in their foreheads with the mark of the beast.
At that time, conditions will be so bad that no man will be able to buy or sell unless he has the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. This is just another way of letting us know that in those times, men will either bow to the will of the Antichrist and the false prophet and do the things which they require, or starve. It will be a pitiful thing when a man will be unable to buy food for his family or even to exchange what he may have on hand on the market for the kind of food he needs, merely because he will not swear allegiance to the Antichrist and the false prophet and will not submit to receiving their mark upon him.
But that, my friends, is exactly what we are headed for! In many nations of the earth today we already have systems of controlled agriculture, which control both production and consumption. Therefore, with conditions as they exist today, when the Antichrist does come into power it will not be difficult for him to bring this about. Surely the world stage is being set for just these very things.
How long it will be before these things come to pass, no one knows, but certainly any thinking man who observes what is taking place today knows that they are coming.
The conditions as they are now will continue to grow worse until the climax is reached under the jurisdiction of the Antichrist and the false prophet.
What Will the Mark of the Antichrist Be?
Many people ask what the mark of the beast will be. We are unable to discover from the text just exactly what the mark will be like. But whatever it is to be, it will signify personal allegiance to the Antichrist and the false prophet. Let me say right here that it will be better for a man to die than to receive that mark, for it will spell his final doom as we shall learn in our studies later on. The Number of the Beast Will Be 666
We are plainly told that the number of the beast will be 666. This is of great significance because six is the incomplete number and is the number of man. Three, we are told, is the number of manifestation; and since the number of the Antichrist is three sixes what we have, therefore, is a full and complete manifestation of everything pertaining to man summed up in the person and works of the Antichrist.
There has been a great deal of speculation concerning the number 666, but we shall avoid going into a discussion of these things.
Suffice it to say, that “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.” An Interesting Summary In his book on the Revelation, William R. Newell gives us the following summary of Revelation 13:1-18, quoting:
“In brief review, we find Revelation 13:1-18 to reveal:
1. As to Satan:
(a) His hatred toward God and toward His saints.
(b) His peculiar rage at being cast from heaven to earth.
(c) His deadly ambition to be worshipped as God.
(d) His copying God’s plan: of a “Christ,” or one fully empowered, under his control, through whom to work; and then of an agent or “prophet” of that false Christ, who will carry directly into effect the Satanic program; and of astonishing miraculous energy to accredit before the world his system and himself. (All this God calls “the lie” in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 -Greek).
2. As to Man:
(a) Man’s willingness to lose his own soul to gain the whole world (as do these “beasts,” who are human beings.) (b) Man’s desire, from the fall onward, to “be as gods.”
(c) The finale of man’s refusing to “have God in his knowledge,” and his turning to the “likeness of an image of corruptible man” (Romans 1:1-32).
(d) The development by man to the full of that final form of economic life, godless international commercialism, by which man falls into Satan’s steel-trap: they can “neither buy nor sell,” except they have the beast’s (that is, Satan’s) mark.
3. As to God:
(a) The inexorable, inescapable, righteous operation of God that “gives up” such to believe an eternal damning falsehood (2 Thessalonians 2:1-17).
(b) The bringing upon the earth of the “third woe,” “The Great Tribulation”: because of which, except, for His elect’s sake, God had “shortened the days,” no flesh would be saved! (Mark 13:19-20).
(c) God’s infinite unconquerable grace, which preserves His saints, “patience and the faith” even in the frightful days (Revelation 13:8-10).
“We must read and ponder the scenes of Revelation 13; as we hope be protected from the last-day errors; as we hope to understand the prophetic Scriptures of both Old and New Testaments; as we desire to “escape all these things that shall come to pass, and stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36).
“For all the forces of hell that head up in Revelation 13:1-18 are marshalling public or in secret today!”
~ end of lecture 43 ~