Hello again, everyone. Welcome to this show number 14 in the Bible Prophecy Masterclass, where we have been randomly discussing various themes relative to, or taken from, the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In today's episode, which is number 29 in our series of studies from this puzzling book penned by John the Revelator, we will continue our discussion of the character to whom God unaffectionately assigns the title of the beast, concentrating our attention mostly on that person who will be the head or leader of that political entity which is given the same name.
Having looked at a few highlights regarding his background and rise to power in previous studies, in this lesson, we will be given a look at the understandably hellish character, the scope and the duration of his diabolical reign, per Revelation chapter 13. As was true in our previous lesson and as will be the case throughout the duration of this study, the text will be Judgment Day, Volume 3, Armageddon, Acts of God vs. Gods of Earth. The book is written by Mr. Alvin Mitchell.
I, Carol, will be your host and narrator. For the record and by way of review, the world at this point in the Revelation narrative is or will be in a very dangerous situation.
Food will be extremely scarce, billions upon billions of people will be missing, for one reason or another, meaningful employment will be virtually nonexistent, temperatures in most areas around the world will be unseasonably cool or cold, life will be almost unbearably hard, all thanks to the judgment of God, under the administration of the seals and the trumpets, per Revelation chapter 6 through 11.
In accord with woe number 1 of the three woes, mentioned at the end of the fourth trumpet judgment, for which the world was to ready itself, a weary world of bedraggled, rebel men have been left reeling in pain from the relentless attack of the locusts straight out of the bottomless pit, Revelation chapter 8 verse 13, 9, 1 to 12.
In addition, that hellish onslaught was supplemented and supplanted by the agony administered by the two prophets of God, in accord with woe number 2, see Revelation chapter 11 verses 1 to 6.
Satan having been kicked out of heaven for good with no possibility of ever setting foot in the presence of God again, Revelation chapter 12, and to initiate number 3 of the three woes, he has made his way to the abyss, where he has been given license to bring up and to reunite the spirit and the soul of the Italian prince with his otherwise dead body, Revelation chapter 11 verse 7, 17 to 8.
Now, fully resurrected and empowered by the devil who revitalized him, this prince, in full beast mode, has tracked down, overpowered and murdered God's two candlesticks, Revelation chapter 11 verses 7 to 14. Where the watching world is concerned, hope never looked so good. They cannot contain their joy.
As this prince, the beast, makes his public debut, a spiritually and morally bankrupt world of humanity erupts in praise and wild adoration for both him and the devil behind his being, knowing already that this is his handiwork. With this update behind us then, pray with me, if you would please, that God will, in full accord with his promise, add a blessing to this and every study of his word. Chapter 13. The Beast. Preface.
Should you find yourself among the most fortunate, you will live to see his day albeit from the safety and tranquility of, per the Bette Midler tune, a distance. If your lot is with the fortunate, you might narrowly escape his allure in one of two cleansing blood baths. On the other hand, should you number amongst the unfortunate, you will live only to regret the day you bowed the knee in homage and subservience to his lying deceptions.
From his post in the end times, his roots will sink deep into the empire of the ancient Romans. His globe-spanning reign will be over a world in ruins, wrecked by the foolishness of men, yes, but just as much, actually, more so left ranshackled and reeling from a fresh outpouring of the wrath of God.
In his inaugural moments, when he signs a seven-year peace accord with the Jews the world's reigning, albeit to them, unseemly, global economic and military power, in the last days he will rise to prominence but not dictator status with the great whore at his back, this peace treaty will mark the beginning of the last seven years before Christ comes again. His war with God's two witnesses will demand his death, in a frightful, unsuccessful bid to stop their torment.
Following the beast's resurrection and ascension from the abyss, indwelt and powered by Satan as when God's spirit indwelt the earthbound Christ he will begin a sweeping campaign to establish his authority, hereby igniting the last 3.5 years of the last seven years preceding Christ's return at Armageddon. First, he will locate and assassinate the two witnesses. That alone will earn him fame and worldwide acclaim.
Afterwards, he will break the seven-year treaty with Israel in a battle that will dethrone the Jews and leave him in charge at Jerusalem.
Desecration of the newly rebuilt temple with his presence and proclamation of himself as God therein will be paralleled by his destruction of the mother of all harlots the great whore, on account of whose spirit, religious bent and heavy hand in matters political has earned for the chief city of her abode, namely Rome, the inscription, Babylon the Great on her head.
All the world, including the remnant of the church rejects, will embrace him like an umbrella, for shelter from the fury of the true and living God. There, with the full support of his equally endowed false prophet in the prime minister's role, he will proceed to secure and tighten his grip over the reins of the world. All, the EU, Russia, India, and China included, will bow the knee to him.
Through masterful deception and the employment of all that the modern sciences and technology has to offer, all dissension to his truly globe-reaching rule, the first ever of its kind, will be crushed early, nipped literally in the blood of every one of the perhaps billions saved by the ministry of the 144,000.
Even now, with so little in the form of apparent justification where the common eye can see man, led by the observations and concerns of astronomers and astrophysicists, fears the possibility of an imminent invasion from the heavens. He'll not be disappointed. A full-scale, all-out assault is forthcoming.
As soon as the beast assumes the reins of the world and settles into his role as, God, of all the earth, saviour of mankind, all hell will break loose, when they shall say, Peace and safety, 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, 2 to 3.
Already desperate and disparaging living conditions on earth will be rendered impossible by God's bold judgments, further desecrating the entire planet, destroying the beast's kingdom and his credibility in the eyes of his followers, in the process, thus setting the stage for the challenge and his showdown with the disenchanted kings of the east.
The beast will emerge the victor in the Battle of Armageddon, only to suffer an ignominious, near-effortless defeat at the hands of his maker, during the final phase of the battle in the Valley of Decision. Consignment of the beast and the false prophet to the Lake of Fire and the devil to Hades throughout the millennial reign will temporarily cap the creature rebellion. But, all that said, chapter 17 having identified the great whore for us, who is this beast?
This study will answer these questions and more. The Riddle of the Beast Fire-breathing Skies, Robots and AI, Revelation chapter 13 verses 12 to 18. And he caused all the inhabitants of the earth, the world over, to worship the beast, and he will do great wonders, causing fire to come down from the sky.
By means of which fire he will deceive the men and women of the earth, he will convince them that they should build an image of the beast, to which he is able to impart life, such that the image can both speak and demand the lives of all who refuse to give him it, worship. And, everyone from the least significant of people to the most important and highest ranking of people will be duped into receiving a mark, either upon the right hand or upon their foreheads.
Without this mark, the beast's name or, the number of its name, commerce or trade, of any type on any level, will be impossible, the name of the beast corresponds to the number of a man, which is 666. The Resurrection, Rise and Rain. Daniel's Mouthy Little Horn, aka, The Abomination of Desolation, Paul's Son of Perdition. Advent of the Beast, Revelation Chapter 13, Verses 1 and 2.
This juncture in the unfolding drama of the apocalypse marks the halfway point in the period of seven years immediately preceding the Battle of Armageddon. This, mother of all, battles will usher in the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Jews' Messiah for whom they long and wait.
This does not, however, indicate the midpoint of the entire period encompassed by the apocalypse, nor does it limit this span of the apocalypse to only seven years as is commonly taught in evangelical and perhaps some Pentecostal or other circles. Verse 1, And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
In this vision, John finds himself standing upon sands that adorn the shore of the sea, a most likely reference to the Mediterranean, although this ocean is itself most probably a symbolic reference to the restless mass of humanity. There, he is shown the emergence of a strange-looking creature called a beast, in the sense of a dangerous, wild animal, per the Greek word, θερειάν, they re, on, bearing striking, though not exact similarities to those of the dragon, studied earlier in Chapter 12.
No doubt, these physical likenesses are meant to signify an inextricable link between the two, while at the same time assuring readers that they are not the same. Combined, one might say, the, name, and physical traits help set the tone in terms of character or psychological orientation and general description. This beast, John says, is emerging out of the chaos and restlessness of humanity, symbolized by the Mediterranean.
Furthermore, like the dragon, this beast has seven heads, each of which is marked by names of blasphemy. That is, this creature has that about it, let's call it an aura or an atmosphere, for now that clearly signifies a willful, woeful misrepresentation, mischaracterization and defiance of the true and living God.
John also observed that the dangerous wild animal coming out of this clamorous agitation, that is the noisy commotion of mankind without a central focus in terms of leadership, had ten horns, upon which were ten crowns. In biblical terminology, horn as a metaphor in poetry and prophecy is usually a symbol of authority, strength, power, and rugged individuality.
The crowns, Greek, kingly, diadems, as opposed to, Stefanos, or wreaths given to the winner of a contest, of course, symbolize sovereignty and dominion. Thus, while the horns wearing crowns signifying sovereign individuality are in a close alliance with the beast, they are yet symbolic of ten different personalities, separate and distinct from that beast and its seven heads, in an association that is largely voluntary.
In addition, each horn is separate and distinct from each other, able to govern as well as stand on and under their own authority. Ironically, per chapter 17, as such, neither existed during the days of John, they do not exist today and they will not exist as any kind of geopolitical entities until after the bowl judgments, shortly before the return of Christ.
While John does go on to touch briefly upon the beast's rise, popularity, and activity, he gives no other clarifying remarks relative to the heads, the horns or the sea here in chapter 13. However, the topic of the beast, its heads and horns, and, a fuller discussion does resurface again in chapter 17. There, although the concept of the beast is anchored in the past, John shows that it has a definite presence in what was then the distant future, i.e., the end times.
The Sea In Old Testament Hebrew thought, the word for sea is the term, yam, yam, which is said to come from an unused root meaning to, roar. When used in biblical thought, it therefore brings to mind the, sea, as in terms of its never-ending, noisy breaking of surf a large, restless body of water, always in motion, constantly making a, roaring, noise. Thus, we may safely conclude here that the Greek term, thalassa, connotes the same.
Each term, as biblical metaphors in prophecy and poetry, signify the masses of the people, as bodies of constant unrest. Hence, when John saw the beast rise out of the sea, he spoke in language emblematic of an entity emerging out of a restless, tireless commotion, a ceaseless tumult that characterizes agitated mankind, void of qualified, concerned leadership. i.e., one who could suppress whatever is, will be the underlying cause or causes for said agitation.
This is particularly descriptive here, given the excruciating wringer that humanity will have gone through per the hand of Almighty God by the time they reach this point in the Revelation narrative. To reiterate, at this time, global economics and industry will be in complete, irreparable disarray. Jobs worldwide will be virtually nonexistent.
Farming of any kind anywhere on earth will be a virtual impossibility due to severe shifts in climate around the world, brought on by irreversible damages done to the biosphere and the ecosystem. Hence food and drinking water will be in extreme short supply. The locust attacks will have driven men to such despair that they will have actively sought relief in the arms of death, only to have death locked them out, as it takes flight at the sight of them.
On top of all that, the two witnesses will have added 3.5 long years of misery, short-circuited by the resurrected Italian ruler who will be empowered by Satan so that he is able to kill them when he assumes his role as the beast. Names of blasphemy. Each of the seven heads of the beast was labeled with blasphemous names, names which bespeak defamatory falsehoods relative to God the Almighty.
The suggestion here being, of course, such that it has that about it which is misleading in that it leads viewers to perceive or conclude incorrectly that it has a credible, viable, working relationship with God, contrary to its otherwise evident, God-less persona. That is, although highly regarded as the epitome of absolute disgust in the eyes of God.
This beast, the dangerous wild animal, also has a strong aura of religiosity, which will lead people the world over to believe that it is in fact Christian, a true server of God. It should be noted here that, the term, beast, as used in this context is a reference to the revived kingdom over which, the beast, the end-times ruler or head of that kingdom will rule. This beast of a kingdom is also where the great horror will be domiciled.
This highly visible exterior proponent will be a serious stumbling block for many, if not carefully vetted, in light of the word of God. As will be shown and discussed in chapter 17, this atmosphere of blasphemy is something that the great horror brings, totally independent of the religious system that will be created and presented to all mankind as the authentic answer to the cries of their hearts by the beast.
Verse 2a, And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. John does little or nothing here to give any meaningful details about the beast, other than those in verse 1.
Thus, its identity or what specifically the concept, beast, is meant to represent is difficult or impossible to establish, at best, in this context, just on the information given in this passage.
Based upon John's comparatively thorough, much more descriptive analysis and discussion in chapter 17, we know, however, that the term, beast, is representative of an analogous of two entities, 1. a kingdom, having firm ancient roots and strong end-time ramifications, and, 2. an end-times, individual and a descendant of the antiquated ruins of that kingdom, who arises to command a kind of global end-times facsimile of that otherwise, local, ancient
kingdom, that is, he is the leader or king of that kingdom. In addition, John reveals in 17, 9-10 that the seven heads of the beast have two meanings, 1. seven kings or rulers, five dead, one ruling, the seventh coming, and, 2. seven hills, that speak with respect to locality. That is, the heads are the resting place of a woman, this woman, we are told, represents a, great, city, one that would have been well known during that time.
This then, helps to more positively ID the beast as a familiar kingdom, a very familiar kingdom, having a ruler still in power, during John's dark days there on the island of Patmos. John goes on to show that the beast carries a woman, who happens to be a kind of deranged individual with a split personality. That woman, John says, in chapter 17, is the symbol of an entity plagued by two separate and distinct personalities.
In addition to being 1. a fornicating, bloody, staunchly religious pervert and breeder of other perverted religions, she was also 2. being, that great city, a secular, political entity, which in John's day was noted for its perch upon seven hills. While no domineering religious aspect of the woman existed in John's day, being yet future, none would have missed seeing in her political aspect that great city sitting on seven hills the imperial city of Rome, Italy.
Verse 2b, And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. John goes on to say of the beast that his position, and his power and his authority was considerable. Dragon-Beast Relationship. The source of all of that position, power and authority is the devil the dragon, from Revelation chapter 12. As such, this dragon-beast relationship will be unprecedented. Never before will the devil have been allowed the privilege of interacting so closely with mankind.
i.e., everything that the beast will be, as the term metaphorically signifies, kingdom, will be straight out of hell itself.
Thus, we may safely infer then that the beast, as it comes out of the sea is itself, ultimately, one of the seven heads of the dragon, in which case, although no such inference was made in chapter 12, all of the other six heads of the dragon must also be symbolic of kingdoms that were forerunners to this seventh, all likewise shaped, heavily influenced, and, guided ideologically by the pits of hell.
In so far as, no kingdom exists except as there is at least one person at the helm, we may safely further infer that Satan's transfer of power and authority was not to the kingdom directly, per se, as in, to every individual, but, to that one individual who best represents the leadership of that kingdom.
This individual, then, will be the hellish personification of everything that this hellish kingdom represents, in the eyes and mind of God the Almighty so much so that the term, beast, can be and is used interchangeably to refer to both the kingdom, and, to the individual who is its top leader, as John will show more clearly in chapter 17. Verse 3a, And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast.
As John continued to study the drama unfolding before him, he saw one of the seven heads of the beast having incurred a wound that looked as if it were fatal. The Greek describing this event reads more literally, And I saw one of the heads of it as having been slain to death, and the wound of the death of it was healed. In so many words, as far as John could tell, the head died. We are not told which of the seven heads was wounded to death here.
However, in chapter 17, John assures us that, of the seven heads, all kings, or heads of state, five had already been, one was on the throne as he wrote the apocalypse and the seventh king had not yet come. He never ruled in John's day, nor did he live before the total collapse of the Roman Empire, in around 476 AD for the past 1800 plus years, there has been no such kingdom, no such empire, no seventh king.
Thus, the coming and reign of that seventh king was then to take place in the distant future. When he does come, John says, he will only govern for a short time, before he is replaced by the emergence of an eighth king, who will not be someone new, but, actually one of the seven. This eighth king, John says, will be the one who will be awarded the indubitable distinction and title, the beast. Thus, without question, it is number seven who will die and be resurrected. How, you ask?
The rhetorical question posed by the watching world in verse four infers that the leadership factor of the kingdom of the beast, before he actually becomes, the beast, incurred his deadly wound in battle. Who can make war with the beast? They ask with unfeigned, unrestrained enthusiasm. John was shown in chapter 11 that this battle that will lead to his death will occur when he fights with God's two witnesses.
He will have been dispatched on a mission to put a stop to the menace and mayhem they will have caused internationally by killing them, but will lose his own life in the process, as the plan of God is such that anyone opposing them, including Italian royalty, will pay for the privilege with his own life. This head of state will also become the beast who ascends out of the abyss, 11 to 7.
That is, he will die at the hands of the witnesses, his soul will leave his body for consignment to the abyss. Beast, as king of, the beast.
Satan, having been kicked out of heaven never to return, will as part of his preparation for his last fight with his maker be allowed to reunite the departed spirit of this man, king or Caesar number 7, with his body, so that he is resurrected and further empowered by the devil, while he will remain dead long enough for his spirit to depart into the abyss, he may well not be deceased long enough to be buried, before Satan brings him back to life.
It will be at this point, in this manner, that the eighth king will come to lead the end times version of the beast with seven heads, which will be established after he takes control of Jerusalem and expands his authority over the whole earth. Verse 3b And all the world wondered after the beast. The Greek describing this event reads more literally, and I saw one of the heads of it as having been slain to death, and the wound of the death of it was healed.
His spirit having been dragged out of the abyss, reunited with his body, which will be brought back to life and healed, the world will be amazed and ecstatic. The entire world will ingratiate themselves to him, wholeheartedly for having set them free from the scourge and torment of God's two witnesses. John told us why in chapter 11. That this end times ruler will actually die is confirmed by 11 to 7, which speaks of him as the beast who comes out of the abyss.
That refrain is repeated in 17 to 7, 8, 10, and 11 i.e. he is the beast, who was, is not, and yet is, to come out of the abyss. That is, he lived, he died, and, he rose again from the dead. This language is similar in tone to that God uses to describe the son, as well as himself. See chapters 1 to 4, 8, 4 to 8. It signifies his coming role as a false deliverer, a false messiah, Christ, and a false God, at the beginning of the latter 3.5 years prior to Armageddon.
He will have been killed in battle and resurrected, whereupon, he will be indwelt and empowered by the devil himself. As such, then, being quite literally hellishly transformed, he will be the eighth of John's kings, 17 10, 11. Verse 4, And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?
John says of the people of the world that they will be so thrilled, so filled with gratitude, at the sight of the revitalized body of the king who died, that they will actually worship and venerate the devil, knowing that it was he who made it all happen, giving him supernatural powers, to boot.
Being warred with the two witnesses, who will cause them such grief and suffering, at the cost of his own life, been resurrected and empowered by the devil, the world will view this, eighth of seven kings, being the seventh resurrected, aka the beast as invincible. They will idolize him in worship, as well. To them, he will be, one of a kind. There will have been nothing like him. None can stand before him in battle, or, so they will think.
For John's note in chapter 11, this they will conclude following a successful rematch between the beast and the two prophets, after he personally tracks them down, renews the battle that got him killed and finally kills them in the streets of Jerusalem. Egotistical Maniac. Verse 5, And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given to him to continue forty and two months.
To say that his apparent victory over death and all the power and authority he will have will go to his head, might be something of an understatement. Egotistical to the nth degree, he will begin mouthing off, speaking great things, spouting out grandiose ideas and plans, perhaps, speaking blasphemously with regard to God, showing him a total lack of reverence.
In his vitriolic bombast, he will even enter the temple in Jerusalem, and, not just declare himself to be an, anti-Christ, but, assert in no uncertain terms that he is in fact, God. Daniel portrays him in this role, as an arrogant, mouthy little horned Daniel chapter 7 verse 8, 11, 20-21, 24-26. Duration of his kingdom. The beast will have power and authority to lead his kingdom for a period of 42 months, or 3.5 years. Daniel chapter 7 verse 25, Revelation chapter 13 verse 5.
Therefore, contrary to current evangelical, fundamentalist thought, he will only rule the world for the latter half of the last seven years before the coming of Christ at Armageddon, not for the entire seven-year period. Verse 6, And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. Throughout his egocentric rant, the beast will continue to blaspheme God and his name, heaven, everyone and everything that lives in heaven.
Being totally dominated, engulfed and controlled by the mind of Satan, the personification of all that the devil is or will be physically once he takes over Jerusalem and the temple, Daniel, Jesus and Paul tell us that he, the abomination who will cause desolation, the son of perdition, will position himself in that temple of God, and declare himself to be, God. Daniel chapter 7 verse 25, 12-11, Matthew chapter 24 verses 15-22, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, 3-12.
Holocaust verse 7a, And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. As he proceeds, progressing in his effort to establish himself, the beast will turn his attention so as to vent his disaffection with the Jews.
The seven-year treaty brokered with him as the Italian, Prince, or head of state, 3.5 years prior to his death, and his resurrection as the, beast, Daniel's, Prince, chapter 9, 26-27, will be voided.
In the war of extermination that ensues, Daniel chapter 9 verse 27, 720-25, John told us in 12, 13-17 that the Jews will be driven out of Jerusalem, and are evacuated to a safe haven that God will have set up for them somewhere in the desert, there they'll be safely cared for, throughout the remaining 3.5 years.
Satan's military assault will be thwarted, so that he will give up his pursuit, in favor of taking complete control of Jerusalem from its remaining defenders which will include the 144,000.
If one's hunch is correct, so that the 144,000's following of their Lord, wherever he went, means they followed him to the point of death, and the sacrifice of their lives, then, the fact that the beast prevailed in his war with the Jews at Jerusalem seems to imply that all those remaining and fighting in the holy city, saved and unsaved, will ultimately be killed. For sure, the beast and his allies will be alive to greet the Christ and his armies, upon his physical return.
It appears, moreover, however that the beast and his armies may never actually set foot within city limits in spite of any victory they may have won, outside in the valley of Megiddo, against the kings of the east. That triumph and any celebration will be short-lived and thwarted by the return of Christ, the planting of whose foot upon the Mount of Olives, Zechariah chapter 14, will cause a split that will block the beast's entry into the city.
Verse 7b, And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. With the most strategic point from which to rule the world, now nip and tuck, firmly under his thumbs, the beast will proceed to expand his authority, making his presence felt over the entire earth.
He will have to work quickly and efficiently to solidify his authority and rule, establishing himself as a God, to be worshipped and praised, bringing absolute control of, people, industry, commerce and trade under his domain. Beast as Kingdom It is at this point that the end times version of the entity that John saw coming up out of the sea will be born or, more aptly put, completed, in terms of its end times formation. The ancient forerunner to this kingdom died when Rome collapsed in 476 AD.
There is no such kingdom now as of 8 January 2013. When the beast, the eighth ruler, who is number seven killed and raised from the dead by Satan, takes charge, the ten nations will not have assembled in any configuration reminiscent of their past, or such as they will have formed by the time they face off with the Messiah, at his return. Daniel chapter 7 verse 8, 20, 24.
After all, they will only be in authority for a very short period of time, preceding his coming, most probably not ascending to any throne until after the beast's kingdom is destroyed by the bowl judgments. Following the drubbing, boundaries will doubtless be redrawn, and new leadership installed, three of which will rebel, only to be forced into submission under the beast's rule.
Verse 8, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So devoted to him will they be, the entire world of unbelievers will actually bow down to him in worship. Those who do so will be the ones whose names do not and will never appear in the Lamb's book of life.
The Lamb who, per the plan of God, was accounted of as one dead even before the foundational particles that form the pillars of the world were made. Verse 9, If any man have an ear, let him hear. Everyone hearing should pay strict attention, listening with understanding augmented with faith. Verse 10, He who leads into captivity will go into captivity. He that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Whoever leads others into captivity will himself be taken captive. Anyone who kills with the sword will likewise be killed by sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. The signification here appears to be to the effect that everyone responsible for leading others into captivity and the service of the beast will be themselves led captive.
Those responsible for the killing of all who refuse to bow to and serve the beast, as will all newborn Christians during these terrible times, will themselves likewise be killed, but through it all the saints will distinguish themselves by their unwavering faith, dedication and their patience. They will not give up in the face of the horrors and all of the bloodshed they will be forced to endure knowing the much worse horrors that are to come.
Alright ladies and gentlemen, here is where we will end today's lesson in this edition of the Bible Prophecy Masterclass Podcast. Please do make plans to be with us next time when we will continue our discussion of the beast in show number 15, episode number 30 in our series. On that show, we will further discuss the beast, shifting our focus more onto him who will be his prime minister, so to speak.
Also, make sure to inform others about this timely and very necessary study of the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ. We pray that the blessing of God will be upon you until our next meeting. Mark of the Beast Verse 16, And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. Verse 17, And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Following implementation of the image, every man, woman, and child on the earth will be required to receive a mark, either in the right hand, or on the forehead. There will be no exceptions, whether great or small, rich or poor, free or slave, all will be required to accept this mark. Normal commerce and business transactions will be impossible without this mark. No one will be able to buy or sell without either the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
But, why might such a thing be mandated? How will it be enforced, universally? Without question, the answer will involve a marriage of some variation of what we know today as RFID chips and cryptocurrency. If this is so, then no doubt all other physical currencies will have to be banned. RFID, the infrastructure for just such a system is in existence today, has been for quite some time.
Called Radio-Frequency Identification, see Appendix, all kinds of people in industry, commerce, law enforcement, and government, the military, etc., salivate for the day when this kind of a system will be in widespread usage. Already widely used in select, limited areas of everyday life, the thing preventing its global embrace is politics not money or materials. Verse 18, Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 603 score and 6. Number of the Beast, for the informed reader, John is given a hint to help identify this beast, who is the eighth king. The number of the beast, he is told, is the number of a man, and, the number is, 666.
There is no way anyone living today, at this hour, could ever accurately determine the identity of the beast, the eighth king of the Roman Empire, the revived version, who is ruler number 7 resurrected although, truth be told, he may well be alive now, even as we speak. Only tribulation era Christians living at the time of the signing of the seven-year treaty will ever have the slightest chance of figuring that out in which case, they won't have to dicker with the number.
Those who know him or who know of him during the stretch of time leading up to that treaty, having some idea which way the world is headed and what is coming next, might be able to take whatever information is available to them and piece together his ID. In the wake of the ministry of the 144,000, this may be the tipping point that leads them to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.
Alright, ladies and gentlemen, here is where we will end today's lesson in this edition of the Bible Prophecy Masterclass Podcast. Please do make plans to be with us next time when we will continue our discussion of the beast in show number 16, episode number 34 in our series, featuring a discussion of the horrific aftermath of the rise and the reign of the beast that God has planned, anchored in Revelation chapter 16. Once he assumes the reigns of the world, having declared himself to be God.
Also, make sure to inform others about this timely and very necessary study of the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. We pray God's richest blessing will be upon you, until we meet again.