A New Beast Emerges
REVELATION 12:18 - 13:18
(December 22)
Even though the dragon did not get to the woman, he was not finished yet. He stood by the sea and "all hell broke loose!"
A new beast emerged from the sea with seven heads and ten horns, each horn having a crown. Every head had names written on it ... names of the wicked who had blasphemed God. Blasphemy is showing great disrespect to God.
This beast had an unusual appearance, with a body like a leopard, feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. And he was given great power by the dragon.
John noticed that one of the seven heads seemed to be fatally wounded. And right there, while he watched, the fatal wound was healed! The world saw this and thought it was amazing. They worshiped the dragon, for he was the one who had given the power to the beast. (Seems like this one incident caused them to forget all the miracles of Jesus.) This is a counterfeit miracle meant to deceive, much like Pharaoh's magicians, who copied Moses' signs in Egypt.
If it is a true sign or miracle, it will point to Jesus. Counterfeit, false, and phony miracles are meant for deception. But this helped the beast gain influence through the power he was given by Satan.
This beast started blaspheming God and was given the authority to do whatever he pleased for 42 months. He waged war on God's people and ruled over every tribe, language, and nation. The worldly people all worshipped him. It is those people who didn't have their names written in the Book of Life.
As if that wasn't enough, another beast came up out of the earth with two horns like a lamb, but a voice like a dragon. He, too, had the same authority as the first beast. He did some awesome miracles, deceiving the people even more. He ordered that a great statue be made of the first beast, then he gave life to the statue, and it began to speak. The statue commanded that anyone who did not worship it must die.
Every single person was required to receive a mark on the forehead or right hand. Without the mark, you could not buy or sell anything. They would not survive without it. That number was 666.
This mark of the beast is designed to mock the seal that God places on his followers. God marks his people to save them. Satan's beast marks his people to save them from the persecution that will come from following Christ.
Those who accept this mark show their allegiance to Satan. It is a refusal to commit to God, preferring death over faith in God. The number is a symbol of worldwide dominion and complete evil of this unholy trinity (the dragon and the two beasts), whose purpose is to undo the work of Jesus and overthrow him.