REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 17.7

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

 

Chapter Seventeen

The Great Tribulation

Parenthesis

Mystery Babylon

(Religious Babylon)

 

1. The Definition of the Harlot (Vv. 1-6)

2. The Description of the Beast (Vv. 7-14)

(Verse 7)

                                                              

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

 

John: “What does all this mean?”

In response to John’s puzzlement of the harlot woman and the beast, one of the seven angels having seven bowls informs John in verse 8, and following he will receive a further chronological detailed description of the Antichrist in Chapter 13. For example:

Revelation 13:1 - And I (John) stood upon the sand of the sea (humanity), 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.

 

Secondly, John will also receive an explanation of the relationship between the bloody harlot, the wild beast, and his kingdoms. Together, the woman on the scarlet-colored beast sitting upon many waters forms one mystery.

 

The phrase the beast that carries the harlot is the key to its understanding. So, the harlot (false religious system) is seen coexisting with the beast (Antichrist) which has seven heads (kings) and ten horns (nations, i.e., a ten-nation confederacy), impacting and controlling the world.

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(Verse 8)

 

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

 

 

Prophetic in nature, the angel summarizes Antichrist’s (the beast’s) ascent to power.

 

The beast that thou (you, John) sawest was, and is not

Essentially, the phrase was and is not referring to Antichrist’s false death and resurrection. Recall earlier:

Revelation 13:3 – 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.

 

This miraculous fake resurrection will shock and deceive humanity. Convincingly, the world will follow and worship him as a great leader both religiously and politically. He will rise to the apex of his power at mid-Tribulation and attempt to thwart the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

 

And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition

Jesus holds the keys to Hell and death (Cf. Revelation 1:18), however, for a short time, Satan is given the power over the Abyss [the abode of Satan and demons (cf. Revelation 9:1-2)]. Satan then releases demonic power from the Bottomless Pit or Abyss to enable Antichrist, i.e., the power behind him being satanic (cf. Revelation 13:4).

Recall a comparative verse:

Revelation 11:17 - And when they (the witnesses) shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

 

However, Antichrist [also the False Prophet and his followers] will quickly go into eternal perdition (destruction, damnation, eternal ruin in the Lake of Fire) as explained in a later chapter:

Revelation 19:20 - And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them (unrepentant followers) that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire (the final form of Hell) burning with brimstone.

 

They (the deceived unbelievers) that dwell on the earth shall wonder (marvel or be astonished), whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world when they behold the beast (Antichrist) that was, and is not, and yet is

Impacting upon unrepentant multitudes, one of the seven heads that were fatally wounded and came to life references the revived Roman Empire (one-world government, ten toes). That is, peoples, nations, and tongues, will re-emerge in their final form during Tribulation both as a religious and political entity empowered by Satan and led by Antichrist. This speaks of the ten toes mixed with clay [Eschatologically: Clay, the political aspect and iron, the religious aspect (cf. Daniel 2:31, 33b)].

 

The Identification of Antichrist

After his deadly wounds were healed, the entire world wondered or marveled after the beast, says Revelation 13:3 and as a result, they worshipped and followed after him. Antichrist will gain momentum and popularity, as such, by bringing about peace to all the nations at war with one another. Hence, everyone will be convinced he is the invincible deliverer of the world.

Additionally, he will possess super self-willed charismatic attributes:

1. He will be cunning

2. He will be convincing

3. He will be compelling

 

In the middle of the seven years of Tribulation, Antichrist will enter and desecrate the Tribulation temple, magnify himself, and proclaim to be a god.

 

Characteristics of Antichrist

1. He will be an intellectual genius

Daniel 8:23 - Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. (HCSB)

 

2. He will be an oratorical genius

Daniel 11:36 - And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

 

Daniel 11:17a - He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom.

 

3. He will be a political genius

Daniel 11:21 - And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

 

4. He will be a commercial genius

Daniel 11:43 - But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

 

5. He will be a military genius

 

Daniel 11:42 - He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

 

Revelation 6:2 - And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

 

6. He will be a religious genius

Revelation 13:8 - 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.

 

Dr. H.L. Wilmington has analogized Antichrist to United States presidents. As a world leader, he will possess:

1. The leadership of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln

2. The eloquence of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

3. The charm of Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan

4. The charisma of John F. Kennedy or Barak Obama

5. The popularity (militarily) of Dwight (Ike) D. Eisenhower

6. The political savvy of Lyndon B. Johnson

7. The intellect of Thomas Jefferson

 

Activities of Antichrist

1. He will be energized by Satan

Daniel 8:24 - And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully (miraculously), and shall prosper, and practice (perform), and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.

 

2. He will be a master of deceit

Daniel 8:25 - And through his policy also he shall cause craft (deceit, cunning) to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand (human hand or power).

 

Daniel 11:23 - And after the league (alliance) made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

 

3. He will conquer much

Daniel 8:9 - And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the Pleasant Promised, Holy, Beautiful) Land.

 

4. He will profane the Temple

Daniel 8:11 – Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down (overthrown).

 

5. He will offer a false peace program

Daniel 9:27 - And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation (offering) to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

 

Daniel 11:31 - And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate [The abomination of desolation, i.e., Antichrist (cf. Matthew 24:15)].

 

NOTE: In Daniel’s day the first abomination of desolation was Antiochus Epiphanies, 168 B.C., and eschatologically, Antichrist will do likewise, i.e., desecrate the Temple.

 

6. He will hate and persecute Israel

Zechariah 13:8 - And it shall come to pass, that in all the land (Israel), saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.

 

7. He will speak against the Lord God

Daniel 7:25 - And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time (3 ½ years, 42 months).

 

Summary

Thus, the Antichrist (Greek, antichristos, against or instead of Christ), an antagonistic of Christ will eventually meet his final defeat at the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus Christ comes the second time.

 

The description of the beast continues and the destruction of the harlot is explained in the following study.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   Identify the woman.

2.   Identify the beast.

3.   Who is, is not, and is yet to come?

4.   Who arises out of the Bottomless Pit?

5.   Name those cast into the eternal Lake of Fire.

6.   What are some of the Antichrist’s attributes?

7.   Name some activities of the Antichrist.

 

 

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