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Revelation Beasts

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Revelation
13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea [populations of the Middle East], having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy

13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth [the land of Israel]; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.


The study of the beasts of Revelation is a real challenge and the approach to accurate and meaningful understanding needs to include some basic tenets. The visions are dimensional, interactive, and interdependent. This understanding of the angelic realm is essential and necessary for unlocking the prophetic scriptures.

A broad knowledge of text pertaining to the subjects is essential and requires careful investigation of the visions contained in other sections of the Bible as well as a comprehensive and correct rendering of the book of Revelation.

A great deal of symbolism is used and it is necessary to define the meaning of each symbol and its application. All of the definitions are explained within the text or in other related passages of scripture.

The symbol of the "dragon" is used in the book of Revelation to represent Satan [the ancient serpent in the garden] and his relationship to human kingdoms as "the god of this world". [Genesis 3; Revelation 12:3-17; 13:2; 20:2]

Satan is a fallen angel and is the instigator of a rebellion against the Lord's position and authority. [Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:12-19; Revelation 12]

The symbol of a "beast" is used in Revelation to identify two specific fallen angelics. They are angelic princes who worship satan as their god and do his bidding on the earth for him.

The first is Abaddon-Apollyon, the angelic prince and king of the abyss who rules over seven Middle Eastern kingdoms for satan and is also king of the fallen angelics of the abyss. [Jude 1:6; Revelation 9:11; 11:7; 17:8]

He is seen coming out of the "sea" of Middle Eastern habitations in Revelation chapter 13. The sea is symbolic for the Gentile masses in the Middle East proper that surround the nation of Israel .... he is the "Assyrian" in Micah 5:5-6.

The same are the many waters that the woman [symbol for the condition of lost humanity apart from the Lord's providence and direction] sits on. These are described as peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. [Revelation 17:1]

The second is the false prophet who will control two religious clerics [two horns] who will support Abaddon-Apollyon and will lead a cult religion that worships him as a god. Abaddon-Apollyon is also associated with eleven horns who are all human kings.

The little horn of Daniel's visions is the one who will be possessed by Abaddon-Apollyon .... the other ten are those who will be united and will rule with the little horn. [Daniel 7; Revelation 9:11; 11:7; 13:1; 17:8] .... he is the king of the northern Middle East in Daniel 8:9-12; 8:23-25; 11:36-45; 12:7

The false prophet is seen as coming out of the "land". The land is symbolic for the land of Israel and this will be where he will operate when Abaddon-Apollyon and his followers occupy and control Jerusalem and the temple mount. [Revelation 11:2; 13:11]

Satan is addressed early in Ezekiel 38 and 39 as gog the "chief" angelic prince of Mesheck and Tubal. He is the same as the dragon revealed in Revelation. [Ezekiel 38:17; Revelation 12; 13:1-2]

Revelation 12 includes a vision of satan's role as the god of this world, and ruler of the kingdoms of the Gentiles ....he is the enemy of the Lord, the predator of the nation of Israel, and the adversary of the Christian believer. Revelation 12 gives the account of his invasion of the nation of Israel at the middle of the coming tribulation period.

Revelation 12:2 and 17:8 present the seven heads [dominions, kingdoms] of satan's beast, seven angelic principalities [indicated by the crowns] seven human king positions [not in the vision], and ten additional human kings [indicated by the horns]. [Danel 7:7-25; Revelation 12:3]

Satan delegates authority over these dominions to Abaddon-Apollyon. Further investigation of chapters 9; 11; 13; 16; and 17 will reveal Abaddon-Apollyon as the first beast of Revelation who receives power and authority from satan.

The seven human king "positions" are revealed in the 17th chapter Of Revelation. Daniel's little horn, human king of the north, is Abaddon-Apollyon incarnate and he will occupy the 6th [king that "is"] and 7th [king "yet to come"] "king positions". [Daniel 7, 8, 11:36-45; 12:7]

Revelation presents a picture of satan's past and future relentless pursuit of attempting to disrupt, prevent, and destroy the Lord's plans for the salvation and future immortalization of human beings to enter eternal life.

He has been on this track since he discovered the Lord's purposes related to the creation of humans, provision of a remedy for their salvation, and their eventual inheritance of His universe.

It should be noted that the time line of this part of the vision presented in Revelation 12 starts with satan's rebellion which included drawing off 1/3 of the angels to follow him in the distant past after his creation and initial habitation of the Lord's universe. [Revelation 12:4]

He will have all of these angels with him when he is cast to earth at the beginning of the Lord's coming hour [time] of trial and wrath [Revelation 12:4, 12:9]

The Lord will allow the release of those which are in the abyss and those bound at the Euphrates River for the purpose of taking part in His judgment process of the earth. [Jude 1:6; 2Peter 2:4; Revelation 9:1, 9:11, 9:14]

Abaddon-Apollyon is now among the captured abyss angels and he is their king. He will also be satan's representative on the earth, the first beast of Revelation. He will be released with them at the beginning of the Lord's future hour of trial upon the earth. [Revelation 9:11; 13; 16; 17]

Abaddon-Apollyon and the abyss angels are the ones who inhabited the pre-Adamite earth and were involved with the corruption of humans before Noah's flood. They were all sent to the abyss during the flood except for Abaddon-Apollyon. [Genesis 6:1-7; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6]

Abaddon-Apollyon was free to continue and rule his five Middle Eastern post-flood dominions [human kingdoms] and was then sent to the abyss just before the first century. He will be released from the abyss by satan at the beginning of the coming tribulation period. [Revelation 9:1; 9:11]

The four bound fallen Euphrates angelics are the fallen angelic princes of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Grecia. These were subordinated to Abaddon-Apollyon in his past rule of the Middle East and will be released to do his bidding at the time of the end. [Daniel 10; Revelation 9:13-21]

Their function will be to lead their fallen angelic armies [200 million of them] to kill 1/3 of all humans during the coming tribulation period of the Lord's judgment. [Revelation 9:15-20]

Abaddon-Apollyon ruled his first dominion for satan [Satan is gog in Ezekiel 38], the land of Magog, just after the flood and the next 4 in succession .... all were located in the Middle East. He will rule over his 6th and 7th dominions of the little horn when he is released from the abyss at the time of the end.

The rest of the fallen angels have been and are with satan now and they reside as powers and principalities of the air [the earth's atmosphere].

Satan and these angelics still have access to the heaven, but will be thrown down to the earth with him at the time of the end. [Revelation 12:4, 12:9]

Next the vision moves to satan's attempt to kill the Lord in the first century and then jumps to the time of the end of this age when he will be earth bound and will persecute Israel. [Revelation 12:6]

The vision then re-states these things and adds more details. Michael and his angels will force satan and his fallen angelics that reside with him out of the heaven.

This archangel is assigned to Israel and he will stand up against satan at the beginning of the time of the end. [Daniel 12:1; Revelation 12:7]

Satan and his angels will be thrown to the earth and denied access to the heavenly dimensions at the beginning of the 70th week. The restraining function of the Lord's holy spirit will be diminished to allow satan the freedom to destroy the earth and its inhabitants. [2Thessalonians 2:6-12]

He will go forth with great wrath because he will know that his time is short. He will cause great destruction on the earth, attack the nation of Israel, and will persecute believers on a worldwide scale. [Revelation 12:12-17]

Satan knows that the Lord is working out His plans and purposes through the nation of Israel and believes that Israel's destruction will complicate, if not end, the process.

He has great fear of the Lord and knows that he must attempt to eliminate Him, or be eliminated himself. He knows that the Lord will return to the earth and to Israel at the time and will attempt to prevent this.
 
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Revelation 13:1 says that "it (the "dragon", Satan the Devil, Rev 12:9) stood still upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemous names." Being as the book of Revelation is highly symbolic, other scriptures within the Bible itself often times provides clues as to their meaning. As Revelation 13:1 speaks of "a wild beast ascending out of the sea", the book of Daniel helps unlock the meaning.

At Daniel 7:2, 3, Daniel sees this in vision: "I happened to be beholding in my visions during the night, and, see there! the four winds of the heavens were stirring up the vast sea. And four huge beasts were coming up out of the sea, each one being different from the others". These "four huge beasts" are represented by a "lion", a "bear", a "leopard", and a "fearsome and terrible and unusually strong" beast.(Dan 7:4-7) To Daniel, it was revealed that these "four huge beasts" picture "four kings that will stand up from the earth."(Dan 7:17) Who are these "kings" ?

The Babylonian Empire was pictured by a "lion", Medo-Persia by a "bear", Greece by a "leopard", and the Roman Empire by a "fearsome and terrible and unusually strong" beast. Thus, human governments are represented by "beasts" in the Bible, for they display beastly qualities, tearing apart anyone or anything that blocks their "path" of sovereignity. At Revelation 13:2, the "wild beast" here has the appearance of a "leopard", a "bear" and a "lion" all rolled into one "wild beast". What would this mean ? That this "wild beast" represents all composite human rulership or governments throughout the earth under the control of Satan, for Revelation 13:1 says that the "dragon...stood upon the sand of the sea" and out came a "wild beast". This "wild beast", or all human governments, is a creation of Satan.

What is meant by the "sea" that the "dragon" stands on ? Isaiah 57:20 provides the clue to unravel this, saying that "the wicked are like the sea that is being tossed, when it is unable to calm down, the waters of which keep tossing up seaweed and mire." Hence, from among the restless masses of mankind that have reached for their own independence apart from God, has arisen nations. These have formed their own governments, their own sovereignity, wanting to be self-governed without God, though the US coins has written on them, "In God We Trust." Since after the flood of Noah's day, the "sea" or restless masses of mankind have sought to govern themselves without any consideration for God's rulership, starting with Nimrod.(Gen 10:9)

Thus, the "wild beast" pictures the composite political arrangement of Satan or all human governments as one "wild beast". Satan manipulates or controls the "wild beast", being his creation. Revelation 13:1 further said that the "wild beast" had "ten horns and seven heads".

Since God formed the descendants of Abraham into a nation in 1513 B.C.E., becoming the nation of Israel as his people then (Ex 19:5, 6), and later casting them off because of their disobedience and rejecting God's Son (Matt 23:37-39), with a new "nation" of spiritual Israel being formed (Matt 21:43; Gal 6:16), there has been seven world powers that have had a direct impact on God's people, (1) Egypt, (2) Assyria, (3) Babylon, (4) Medo-Persia, (5) Greece, (6), Rome, and (7) the Anglo-American dual world power now existing, with these seven world powers pictured by the "seven heads", with the "ten horns" representing all human governments now existing in the form of a "wild beast", for the number ten in the Bible is seen as earthly completeness.(Ex 7-12; 34:28; Deut 4:13; Zech 8:23)
 
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