Revelation 13

Written on 05/10/2024

Verses 1-8

  • Based on the description, this beast from the sea is the antichrist, or the man of sin, that will arrive in the end (Daniel 7:7-8). He will have in his possession a power to bring healing to mortal wounds, even to healing himself, and this is one of the things that will cause the world to follow him. 

    • I expect that “the mark of the beast” will grant this same power to those who receive the mark, even to a promise of immortality. This would be why the mark would be so compelling.

  • The antichrist's power comes from the devil himself, as he is fully possessed by the devil.

 

Verses 9-10

  • During the end, as today, the measure you use will be measured back to you. How you judge others will determine how you are judged (Matthew 7:1-2). So learn to be patient and gentle when necessary.

    • We do not want to be among those who arrest and kill, during the end, and do so unjustly.

  • As believers, and during the end especially, we will have to be careful. We will have to exercise discernment and patience for fellow believers in their struggles, so that we do not bring unjust judgment upon them. But we will also have to use discernment to weed out false believers who will try to be tucked away with the church. 

    • Today, be patient and discerning in your faith. Be patient with genuine believers who are struggling, but be swift to rebuke those who must be rebuked.

 

Verses 11-15

  • The antichrist will also have, at his side, a man called the false prophet (Revelation 16:13, 19:20) (the beast from the earth) who will use signs and miracles to garner worship to the devil and to the antichrist. 

    • Understand that the devil has power to work miracles, and these miracles will be used to deceive people during the end (Matthew 24:24). Do not believe signs and wonders. Believe the Word only!

  • Interestingly enough, the devil manifests himself during the end as a trinity, similar to the Godhead being a trinity. During the end we will see an anti-father (the devil or the dragon), an anti-son (the antichrist), and an anti-holy-spirit (the false prophet). 

    • In one sense, this is part of how the devil will deceive the world, feigning himself to be God.

  • The false prophet will also have a power to make an inanimate image into what appears to be a living thing, causing it to speak and move, and all people will be required to worship this image.

    • This will require likely the same kind of technology or power that will be used for the mark of the beast.

 

Verses 16-18

  • The antichrist and false prophet will require all people on the planet to take a mark called “the mark of the beast”. 

    • Trade and commerce will not be allowed for the individual unless he/she has this mark, but whoever takes it cannot be saved, but will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 14:9-10).

    • Learn to survive off of natural resources and you will be able to endure better during the end, when normal buying and selling become prohibited.

  • The beast (or the antichrist) has number, and that number is 666. The significance to the number 666 is multifaceted, but I will offer a basic explanation. 

    • The devil likes to have counterfeits to what God gives. A number that God likes to use, and uses often, is 7. Satan has chosen 6 to be his number.

    • Therefore, the antichrist also has the number 6 as his number. The antichrist will incorporate 666, in particular, in the mark of beast. This number represents technologies and abilities that will be granted to all those who receive the mark of the beast.