Beasts Part II

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,  so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. Revelation 13:11-18

This second beast “out of the earth” is the ruler of Palestine during the Tribulation. “out of the earth” defines Palestine (Israel). This beast is a Jew. He is antichristian, antijewish, anti-any kind of religion. Daniel 11:36-37 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.”

At any given time in history, in any geographical location, there are men who display this kind of ego. There have been kings and princes in the past, and who are alive even now, who have the ruthless ambition and hatred for God that makes them prime candidates for this position.  They have no respect for God or gods or government authorities, except their own. They don’t even have a normal desire for the opposite sex. They don’t know any kind of love, but they do have an unhealthy self-admiration. The difference here is that it is the great tribulation, the Holy Spirit restraint is gone from the earth, and Satan has unprecedented capability to possess and control these world leaders. And his time is short. This beast's method is “like a lamb.” There will be a surge of “neo-judaism” among the inhabitants of Palestine, and there will be much talk of the coming Messiah. This beastly ruler, though he rejects all faiths, will pass himself off as the Messiah, setting himself up as the only Savior, dividing the land for gain (Daniel 11:39). He will be anti-Christ: instead of Christ, and against Christ. He is another of the same kind (Revelation 13:11) of beast as the first. Both receive their powers from Satan, and are under Satan’s authority. They also speak Satan’s words. Verse 11: “he spake as a dragon.”

He is identified as the beast out of the earth: (Palestine) Revelation 13:11

The false prophet: Revelation 16:13,19:20, 20:10.

The willful king: Daniel 11:36-40

Dan the serpent: Genesis 49:16-18

Sometimes called the anti-Christ.

He is a contemporary of the first beast, the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire.

In the middle of the tribulation, the second beast will need political and military help and will forge an alliance with the first beast.

This beast, this religious leader is the one who will pander to the first beast by making his followers and all inhabitants of Palestine worship the first beast, claiming deity for the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire, because he seemed to have been killed, and yet lives. He brings fire down from heaven in the presence of the first beast and deceives with other cosmic parlor tricks by demon empowerment. He convinces the Jews and other inhabitants of Palestine to make an image for the first beast and worship it or be killed. He uses demonic trickery to make the image appear alive.

And then….and then….he decrees that every living human must have a mark (tattoo?) on his forehead or on his right hand…the name or the number of the beast…authorizing him to buy or sell. Without the mark, he cannot conduct business at all. The number is 666.

Only unbelievers will be capable of receiving this mark, because the believers have been sealed with God’s own identifying mark, and are being provided for by those who have compassion on God’s persecuted people. Jesus made reference to this situation in His overview of the judgments: 

Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Jesus' brothers are not just any living humans. They are Jews who believe in Him. 

The mark of the beast symbolizes evil at its maximum. Evil times three. 1-Satan, 2-the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire, 3-the false prophet. All are anti-Christ. All are ultimate evil. All have one goal: to defeat Jesus Christ and destroy His people. The mark of the beast is the system they use to deny freedom to the humans under their authority. Without freedom to choose or to buy or sell, the people are completely enslaved. It was their own arrogance that placed them in this helpless position. It was Satan’s pure pleasure to take advantage of that arrogance and entrap them.

Here’s what we know: It is the number of man: 6,6,6. Man, man, man. Evil, evil, evil.

It is NOT the number of God.