Books Of The Bible
The Beast

Revelation Series • Revelation 13:1-18
FIRST LESSON • Revelation 13:1-18;  14:9-11;  17:7-14

Leader:  Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the seashore.

Congregation: And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names.

L: And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.

C: And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority.

L:  One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed.

C: In amazement the whole earth followed the beast.  They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?"

L: The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months.  

C: It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

L: Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.

C: It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation,  and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.

L: Let anyone who has an ear listen:  If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

C: Then I saw another beast (a second beast) that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.  

L: It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed.

C:  It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all;  and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived;

L: And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

C: 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 who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.

L: This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.

C: Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands.

L: They will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

C:  And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name."

L: But the angel said to me, "Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

C:  The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

L: This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings,  of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while.

C:  As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

L:  And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.  These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast;

C: They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

GOSPEL     Luke 19:41-44

As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it,  saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God."

Bulletin Cover

Revelation 13
The Beast
Patricia Marvenko Smith

http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-13.htm

The Beast                                     

Today, we continue our summer series of sermons on the Book of Revelation. Today is the ninth in a series of twelve sermons on Revelation. Why study the Book of Revelation? Because it is the inspired Word of God. Why Revelation? Because it speaks to our daily lives. Why Revelation? Because more than any other book in the New Testament, the Book of Revelation addresses the issue of what happens when the power of evil penetrates the authority of government, so that those people invested with the power of government do incredibly evil things.

Last week, we heard that the dragon, the symbol of demonic evil, was thrown out of heaven after a battle with the archangel Michael. This seven-headed dragon with its ten horns was thrown out of heaven and down to earth where this dragon fumes and rages in anger here on earth.

In the Revelation text for today, we will hear that this dragon with its seven heads and ten horns will become a beast which comes out of the sea. The beast, like the dragon, also has seven heads and ten horns. We will discover that the seven-headed beast represent the seven Roman emperors and the ten horns represent ten lesser kings of the Parthian empire at that time. We will discover that the seven-headed beast represents or symbolizes Nero and Domitian. Domitian was thought to be Nero revived and come back to life again. We will discover that the Book of Revelation is like all books in the Bible and that was addressed to a specific time in history, the specific time of the evil rulers named Nero and Domitian.

More than any other book in the New Testament, the Book of Revelation addresses the age-old human problem of what happens when the power of demonic evil infiltrates and penetrates the governing authorities. That was true twenty centuries ago; that is still true today.

To begin the sermon, I would like to share two illustrations, two symbolic stories which seem like fairy tales but are more than fairy tales.

Do any of you remember the story of YERTILE THE TURTLE by Dr. Seuss? We used to read this book to our children and our children just loved it. Dr. Seuss writes in wonderfully worded rhymes, and YERTILE THE TURTLE begins with this rhyme.

“Once on the far away island of Salama Sond, Yertile the turtle was king of the pond.    

A nice little pond, it was clean. It was neat. The water was warm. There was plenty to eat.

The turtles had everything turtles might need and they were all happy, quite happy indeed.

They were until Yertile the king of them all, decided the kingdom that he ruled was too small.”

The story goes on to tell of how Yertile expanded his kingdom to include other ponds and other turtles. But the end of the book, there was a towering pillar of turtles some two hundred turtles tall. In Seuss’ book, the tall column of turtles piled on top of one another makes an endless spiral into the sky. At the bottom of column of two hundred turtles was a turtle called Mack. Mack burped and the whole spiraling tower came toppling down.

Some years later, I heard Dr. Seuss in a rare television interview.  Dr. Seuss said that the story of YERTILE THE TURTLE was not simply a children’ story but a story of the rise and fall of Hitler. It was a story about the rise and fall of the Third Reich. I had always thought that the book, YERTILE THE TURTLE, was a children’s story but then I learned that it was a profound parable, a symbolic story, about the rise and fall of Hitler.

A second illustration.   The book CANCER WARD by Alexander Solzeneitzen. As a young man, I had been a chaplain at a cancer ward in a hospital in Chicago and I knew what cancer wards were like. I read this novel, CANCER WARD, and finally, about two thirds through the novel, it dawned on me that this story was not about a cancer ward but about life in the Soviet Union which was like living inside a cancer ward. The novel, CANCER WARD, was a profound symbolic story of living within an evil empire called the USSR, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic.

These are two illustrations of what happens when evil gets a hold of government and government leaders such as Hitler and Stalin. The amount of evil is magnified when it penetrates the power of political authority. Hitler and Stalin were two of the worst beasts who ever lived. The word, “beast,” is a term from the Book of Revelation. Beast symbolizes what happens when evil gets a hold of government.

The Book of Revelation was addressed to the problems of its day, and the problem of that moment in history were the persecutions of the Roman emperors Nero and Domitian. There was a popular legend abroad in those days that Nero, who committed suicide in they year 68 CE, came back to life in the person of Domitian.

Let’s remind ourselves about the consequences of beastly evil penetrating and ruling Nero and Domitian. About Nero. We recall from a previous sermon that Nero persecuted both Christians and Jews, that Nero had Christians and Jews put into sacks filled with rocks and had them thrown into the river to drown. Nero had their bodies covered with animal skins and sent the hunting dogs chasing those Christians with animal skins around their bodies. Nero had the bodies of Christians covered with oily pitch and set their bodies on fire to burn as torches for his parties. Nero had their heads covered with honey, their bodies buried except for the heads out of the ground, and then unleashed wild boars to eat their heads sticking out of the sand. Nero was crazy. I sometimes suspect that the insanity of the Roman emperors was because of incest and marrying within the family.

The second emperor of the Book of Revelation is Domitian. Many people believed the popular legend that Domitian was none other than Nero, come back to life after his suicide in 68 CE. Domitian, too, was crazy. That is, he sat around all day with a stylus, stabbing flies. Domitian was a homosexual who was in love with a man by the name of Paris who had a son who looked with his father. Domitian was jealous of the son of his lover and so he had the son brutally killed. Domitian killed numerous Roman senators. Suetonius, one of the contemporary Roman historians, said of Domitian: “After Domitian’s victory in the civil war, he became even more cruel. If he discovered any conspirators who were hiding, he tortured many of the opposition party a new form of inquisition, inserting fire into their private parts and he cut off the hands of some of them in order to find out where his enemies were hiding.”

Domitian was the first Roman emperor who took emperor worship seriously. Domitian wanted to be worshipped as a God. He wore a gold crown with the figures of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva on it. He thought that he was god and demanded his subjects would worship him. He made emperor worship compulsory for all, including Jews and Christians who refused to submit and bow before the statues of Domitian. The worst possible sin in the Book of Revelation is to worship the beast, the Roman Empire and Roman emperors who insisted to be worshipped.

That is what the Book of Revelation is all about. Twenty centuries ago, rulers insisted that they be worshipped; Jews and Christians resisted. Today, twenty centuries later, we still find that rulers want to be worshipped and adored such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao in our life times. The Book of Revelation still speaks powerfully to our world today or whenever a political leader elevates themselves to divinity.

It is with this background that we approach the Book of Revelation. Please bring out your bulletin insert so that we can do an expositional sermon of this text. Bring out your pen or pencil in order to circle and highlight certain words and phrases. A pen or pencil helps your mind to slow down and focus on specific words and specific phrases.

FIRST LESSON  Revelation 13:1-18

Romans 13 is so positive about the Roman government;  Revelation 13 is so negative about the Roman government. Romans 13 and Revelation 13 have become symbolic of two attitudes toward government: constructive and confrontational. In the church, we normally hear sermons based on Romans 13. We almost never hear sermons based on Revelation 13.  The question of Revelation 13 is: What are you to do when your government has turned enormously evil?

Leader: Then the dragon took his stand on the sand of the seashore. Circle the word, “dragon,” and write he word, “Satan” or “Devil.” We remember the seven-headed dragon from last week with its ten horns. We remember that the dragon in the Book of Revelation as the devil, Satan, the enemy, the liar, the deceiver, the serpent. This dragon and his angels were thrown out of heaven during a war with the archangel Michael and have come down to earth. There must be some place in the universe where there is no evil and that “someplace” is called “heaven.” There is no longer any dragon in heaven anymore.

Congregation: And I saw a beast rising out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names. The seven heads with crowns are always political kings; the ten horns are always lesser political powers. This was true in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 7, and also in the Book of Revelation. In the Book of Revelation, the seven heads represent the seven Roman emperors from the time of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. The names of the seven Roman emperors at that time in history were:

THE SEVEN ROMAN RULERS AFTER CEASAR AUGUSTUS

1) TIBERIAS   14-37 CE

2) CALIGULA  37-41 CE

3) CLAUDIUS  41-54 CE

4) NERO   55-68 CE

5) VESPASIAN  69-79 CE

6) TITUS 79-81 CE

7) DOMITIAN  81-96 CE

Nero was crazy. We recall that the Apostle Paul was beheaded by Nero, that Peter was crucified upside down during the reign of Nero, and that many atrocities were committed with the blessing and approval of this deranged emperor.

L: And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. Circle the words, “leopard,” “bear,” and “lion.” Focus on the skin of a leopard, feet of a bear and a mouth of a lion. These images are all from the Book of Daniel. We recall that the prophet John of Revelation often took his images and resources from the book of Daniel.

The next painting is from Patricia Malvenko Smith. Notice the seven-headed monster on the left. This seven-headed monster was thrown out of heaven by the archangel Michael and this monster and its angels/agents came down here to earth.

Out of the sea comes the beast. We can see that the beast is similar to the monster. It seems that the beast is a child of the monster. The beast too has seven heads and ten horns. Notice the beast: the spots of the leopard on its skin, the claws of a bear and the face of a lion. There are crowns on the heads of the beast. The beast is the set of seven Roman rulers during the time of the Book of Revelation.

Notice on the upper right corner of the picture the second beast. The second beast represents a religious authority that pushes the worship of the beast. The second beast is the religious propaganda machine that elevated Nero or Domitian to be worshipped or Hitler or Stalin or Moa to be worshipped. There are always a set of people who organize the worship of the evil dictator. They create images/statues of the dictator to be worshipped.

Notice the people of the earth worshipping the beast. In the background near the red flying comment, notice the image of the beast on a pedestal. The second beast creates idols and statures so that people on earth begin to worship the first beast.

http://www.apocalipsis.org/rev-13.htm

C: One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. This is the first of seven references to Nero, who seemed to have died of suicide by the sword but that wound had been healed and Nero came back to life in the person of Domitian. This was a famous legend at the time of the Book of Revelation.

L: In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’ Underline the phrase, “the whole earth followed the beast.”  That is the way it was with Nero and Domitian. That is the way it was under Hitler, Stalin and Mao. It felt as if “everyone” was following this new political messiah.

Underline, “they worshipped the beast.” This is what the Book of Revelation is all about. This is the fundamental issue of Revelation. People began to worship the beast, the Roman emperors and Roman Empire, and not the one true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

C: The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. Underline the words, “forty two months.” Also write 3 ½ years, or “one time, two times and a half time.” We recall that the phrase of 42 months, 3 ½ years and  one time, two times and a half time comes from the Book of Daniel. We recall that Roman emperor Antiochus Epiphanes ruled for 3 ½ years, from 168-165 BCE. We recall that he killed 80,000 Jews. We recall that our Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah on December 6th to remember the victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus Ephiphanes. His time was limited, and so will be the time of Nero and Domitian.

L: It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

C: Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered. Circle the word, “allowed.” God allowed evil to exist; God allowed Job to be tested by Satan; God allows evil to exist. 

Highlight, “to make war on the saints.” That is also what the Book of Revelation is all about. That the government is going to make war on the followers of Christ. All of inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. Circle the word, “worship.” This is the problem. Domitian was the first Roman emperor to insist that he would be worshipped as god. Domitian took this rule seriously; he was to be worshipped.

We discover that the believers had their names written into the book of life before the world began. The Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation do not teach the concept of free will, but that a person’s salvation was predestined before the world was created.

L: Let anyone who has an ear listen: If you are to be taken captive, into captivity you go; if you kill with the sword, with the sword you must be killed. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. Near the words, “if you kill with the sword, you will be killed.” We recall Jesus told Simon Peter to put away the sword and not further harm the high priest’s servant. Write the word, “pacifism.” Christians are to endure the brutality of Nero and Domitian. Many scholars conclude that the earliest Christians were pacifists until the time of Emperor Constantine and the beginning of the Christian empire.

C: Then I saw another beast that rose 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 on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. Highlight the phrase, “it makes the earth worship the first beast.” This is the role of the second beast: to make sure the first beast is to be worshipped. Every evil dictator has a propaganda machine that elevates the worship of the dictator. Hitler had the nazis; Stalin and Mao had the communists. Nero and Domitian also had their propagandists, those people who elevate the worship of the new divinity, the new emperor. At the end of the sermon today, we will see the statues of Stalin and Mao who were to be worshipped.

Underline, “the first beast whose mortal wound had been healed.” This is the third reference to that urban legend, that Domitian was none other than Nero coming back to life in the person of Domitian. Domitian was thought to be “Nero revived.”

L: It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of all; and by the signs that it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives the inhabitants of earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet lived; Underline, “telling them to make an image of the beast.” Throughout all centuries, there have been people who are the priesthood for the divinity of the ruler/king/emperor. They are those people who push the worship as the king as god.

Underline, “the beast that had been wounded by the sword yet lived.” This phrase is very clear. Nero had not been killed by his own sword but only wounded and therefore came back to life in the person of Domitian. This is the fourth reference to this urban legend.

C: And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. Underline “give breath to the image of the beast.” There is always that secular priesthood who wants to promote the divinity of the king/ruler/dictator.

L: 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 who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. Circle the word, “marked.” This is the mark of the beast which is the seal of the beast. That mark is the name of the beast. That mark is also the number of the beast. So the name and the number of the beat are the same.

C: This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six. Circle the word, “wisdom.” We are to have wisdom, insight, brains and thought about this matter. We ask, “What is the meaning of the number, 666?”

We need to know the word, “gematria.” Gematria is a number game with letters. The Greek alphabet has 24 characters and each character is a numerical value. The letter A stands for alpha and alpha is worth one point. The letter B stands for Beta and beta is worth two points. G is for gamma and is worth three points. D is for Delta and it is worth four points, etc.

THE GAME OF GEMATRIA

The Greek letter Alpha = 1

The Greek letter Beta = 2

The Greek letter Gamma = 3

The Greek letter Delta = 4

There are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet.

Caesar Nero, in Greek, adds up to the numerical  value of 666.

There are other interpretations of the number 666, using the game of gematria, but it seems that the most sensible interpretation of the number 666 is the name, Caesar Nero, in Greek or in Hebrew.

The number 666 is a symbol of imperfection, just as 777 would be a symbol of perfection.

The following are pictures from the gallery of Duncan Long and shows the image of the number 666 on a person’s forehead. There is a barcode on that person’s forehead and the number 666 is the first of the several numbers of their forehead. The number 666 is a spiritual symbol that shows that this person belongs to the power of evil rather than to the power of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

DUNCAN LONG, ARTIST

http://www.apocalipsis.org/artwork/mark-of-the-beast-detail.htm

DUNCAN LONG, ARTIST

http://www.apocalipsis.org/artwork/mark-of-the-beast-detail.htm

Revelation 14:9-11

L: Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, ‘Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, Those who worship the beast will drink the fury of God’s wrap and the cup of his anger.

C: And they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name.’ There is no more firey statement in the Book of Revelation than this condemnation: Anyone who worships the beast will be tormented in the lake of fire.

Revelation 17:7-14

L: But the angel said to me, ‘Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The prophet does not  want to leave his readers with all kinds of questions in their minds. The prophet John wants us to understand the symbolism of the woman, the seven headed beast with ten horns.

C: The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. The beast that “was, is not, and is about to ascend from the bottomless hit of hell” is Domitian who is “Nero revived.” This is the fifth reference to this urban legend of Domitian being none other than Nero having come back to life.

L: And the inhabitants of the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will be amazed when they see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. Some people’s name were not written in the book of life from the very beginning of time. Again, this is the teaching of pre-destination in the Book of Revelation. For a sixth time, we hear about this beast that “was, is not, and is to come.” Nero was (lived), was not (died), and then was to come again (lived again) in the person of Domitian.

C: ‘This calls for a mind that has wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; also, they are seven kings, of whom five have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. The prophet John wants his readers to understand the symbolism in is book. Underline, “the seven mountains.” From your knowledge of ancient history, which is the city know for its seven hills. Rome. We may recall the stories of Romulus and Remus and Rome, the city of seven hills.

There are also seven kings which represent the seven Roman emperors. Five have died. One is living. The other who has not yet come is Domitian, Nero revived.

L: As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

C: And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are united in yielding their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.’ The ten kings represent the ten Parthians kings at the time of the Roman emperors. For a limited time, these Parthian kings and the beast will make war on the lamb.

The Lamb will conquer them, for the Lamb is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. The Lamb is greater than all the kings of the earth.

Here ends our expository sermon and Bible study.

The following are images from the twentieth century of rulers who claimed to gods. This always happens in history: a human being claims to be god and does incredibly evil things. There is always a propaganda machine that elevates the ruler into divinity.

http://www.photorussia.com/Stalin_exhibit/stalinex_14.htm

http://203.10.106.20/hsc/evrev/cultural_revolution.htm

http://www.germaniainternational.com/hitler6.html

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