Revelation 13:1-14:5
The Four Beast of Revelation
#1. The Great Red Dragon
#2. The Composite Beast (Continued)

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As we will see, the seven heads of the composite beast are seven religious systems, and the headthat was wounded is the 6^th head, the Roman Catholic Church.

 

The Roman Catholic Church was seriously wounded during the French Revolution (1798-1799) and only in recent years (largely due to the popularity of Pope John Paul II) has the church regained much of the influence and respect that it once enjoyed.

 

The point here is that the deadly wound was inflicted in 1798 and it is not healed until the papacy once again has authority over nations as it did prior to its wounding in February, 1798. Like the former Taliban government in Afghanistan, the composite beast will be a ruthless monster driven by misguided religious zealots and sustained by false theology.

 

Because the devil is the hand inside the glove and the devil is a violent predator, the composite beast will waste no time persecuting the saints of God. This persecution will last for 42 months. (Revelation 13:5)

 

During these 42 months, the composite beast will have “authority” over all nations (Revelation 13:7) and Jesus at the Second Coming will destroy the composite beast. (Revelation 19:20,21)

 

This beast is called “Babylon” in the book of Revelation  (revelation 14:8, 17:5) because it parallels the ancient world empire of Babylon both in arrogance and ignorance. Remember how king Nebuchadnezzar demanded that everyone worship as he dictated or face death? Daniel 3.

 

Ironically, the composite beast will claim to speak for God, but it actually blasphemes God and misrepresents God and most of the world will not realize the blasphemy until the 144,000 points it out.

 

The devil has been preparing to make war on the saints for a long time (Revelation 12:17) and this development will be his last chance to destroy the woman. “He (the composite beast) was given power (by the devil) to make war against the saints and to conquerthem….” (Revelation 13:7)

 

The devil will appear to win the war.

 

7 Heads /  10 Horns

 

The anatomy of the great red dragon in Revelation 12 and the anatomy of the composite beast in Revelation 13 is identical (both have seven heads and ten horns).

 

God represented these matters to John in this way so that we can trace the devil’s hidden presenceand evil activities as he “enters” the human glove (the composite beast) to prey upon the saints. This human glove will be demon possessed just as Herod was demon possessed. This human glove will be a violent predator just as Herod was a violent predator.

 

This is an interesting paradox about the Great Tribulation.

 

While Lord Jesus is doing everything possible to save mankind from the curse of sin, the devil will be doing everything possible to destroy God’s people.

 

Jesus knows this.

 

Nevertheless, Jesus will use His justifiable wrath, man’s blasphemous theology and the hatred of Lucifer to achieve glorious results in the end! Wow!!!

 

Millions of precious people will be saved. In fact, a God of love deliberately and carefully designs the Great Tribulation so that He can save the maximum number of people! The composite beast will persecute God’s people for 42 months. But, Jesus will give His people sufficient grace and strength to deal with persecution and death.

 

Remember, God sustained the woman in the desert for 1,260 years, and He will also sustain the remnant of the woman to the very end of the age.

 

Matthew 28:20   “…. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Revelation 13:9     He who has an ear, let him hear.

 

Revelation 13:10   If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This (level of submission to God’s will) calls for patient endurance and faithfulnesson the part of the saints.”

 

Earlier, I made the comment that Jesus does a “fruit basket upset” in order to show common people the foolishness of religion. The first four trumpets will prove to be embarrassing to the clergy of the world’s religions in two ways.

 

1.   Ignorance exposed: If the “expert’s” properly understand God’s Word, which also includes the book of Revelation, they would be informed and prepared their people for these things.

 

What will the clergy say when their members say, “We paid you a substantial sum of money to inform us about the will of God, we paid you well to teach us the Word of God. But, you said nothing about these things. You took our money and gave us nothing in return. We have been defrauded and mislead.”

 

2.   Faulty doctrines exposed: When the reality of the Great Tribulation dawns, millions of people are going to realize they have been mislead by their experts.

 

When religious beliefs have to be abandoned or compromised in order to align with undeniable realities, laymen smell a dead rat.   : -)

 

Laymen may not be well educated in ecclesiastical matters, but they can be very quick to detect deception. What will the experts say when their members ask,  “Where is the rapture? Where is the escape from God’s wrath you promised? Why did you mislead us? How can we believe anything you have to say?”

 

Who Are The Seven Heads?

 

The composite beast has seven heads. Notice these nine specifications.

 

Revelation 13 says:

 

1.   Each head has a blasphemous name.   (v.1)

2    One of the heads had been wounded and healed.   (v.3)

3.   The beast was given a mouth to blaspheme God.   (v.6)

 

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