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

_______________________________

page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l

-4-

Revelation 17 says:

 

4.   The seven heads are seven hills.   (v.9)
5.   The seven heads are seven kings.   (v.9)
6.   Five have fallen.   (v. 10)
7.   One is.   (v. 10)
8.   One is yet to come.   (v. 10)
9.   The beast that ascends out of the abyss (the fifth trumpet) will be the eighth king and is a companion of the seven (kings) heads.   (v. 8, 11)

 

Ok, seven is a perfect number, a whole number. Because there are seven of the same thing; namely, seven heads, each head must symbolize the same thing. Revelation 13 says that each head has a blasphemous name on it.

 

This means the seven heads are religious in nature that is, they usurp God’s authority. According to Webster, blasphemy is defined as assuming the prerogatives of God. The composite beast will speak blasphemies against God. (Revelation 13:6)

 

This means the composite beast will speak with authority, e.g., it will demand laws be made that are contrary to God’s laws. This is blasphemy.

 

Remember when the Sanhedrin demanded that the apostles must not preach the name of Jesus in the streets of Jerusalem? What did the apostles say?

 

Acts 5:29   Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!

 

God has declared in His fourth commandment that the seventh day of the week is His holy day; it is a memorial to His creation of Earth and all that is in it.

 

Satan has lead the religious systems of the world to think that the fourth commandment has been terminated or worse, that man has the authority to declare which day is holy to God. Therefore, laws will be enforced regarding the sacredness of Friday (Moslem countries), Saturday (Israel) and Sunday (Catholic and Protestant countries). These laws will be imposed on nations according to prevailing religious traditions.

 

The problem here is that (a) God will not accept forced worship, and (b) God’s Sabbath is holy on the basis of His authority, not men. God has never forced anyone to worship on His holy day. So, why should man? 

 

Remember the panic motto? “We must appease God or He will destroy us all.”

 

Does “forced worship” appease a God of love? Not at all. Forced worship is demonic theology. 

 

Seven Mountains

Revelation 17 says the heads are also seven hills (or mountains, KJV).

 

How can seven religious systems also be seven hills? In ancient times, the highest hills and mountains were reserved places of worship or they were believed to be the dwelling place of deity. Notice these words spoken to Israel just before Israel entered Canaan.

 

“Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.”

 

Ancient temples or shrines were placed on prominent high above ordinary terrain because high places were believed to be the dwelling places of God.

 

King David wrote, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1)

 

Israel’s temple mount is often referred to as “Mt. Zion” and Bible writers often spoke of the temple mount as “God’s holy hill.” (See Daniel 9:16,20; and Micah 4.) Here in the United States, we refer to the official building of the U.S. Congress as “Capital Hill” because that building is our nation’s source of authority.

 

The point here is that the seven heads are also seven hillsbecause they represent the source of authority for each religion. Seven blasphemous religious systems are seven “capital” hills. People look up (respect, depend on) to their religious authorities for knowledge and instruction on the will of God. Some authority determines every person’s view of God.

 

If your authority is the Bible only, you are on good ground. If your authority is anything other than the Bible, you are on sinking sand.

 

Matthew 7:26   But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practiceis like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

 

Matthew 7:27   The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

 

Every religious system has experts, clergy (men and /or women who claim to speak for God. This is how and why the clergy is recognized as religious authorities.

 

Seven Kings

Revelation 17 says these seven heads are also seven kings; that is, the seven heads, the seven hills have subjects.Do religious systems have subjects? Yes! People submit to the teachings or demands of their religious authorities thinking they are obeying God.

 

Do you remember how Saul/Paul persecuted the believers thinking all the time that he was doing God a service? This is the power of religion!!! When confronted with a spiritual question or problem, to what authority do religious people turn to if not their religious leaders? Billions of people go through religious rituals every week for no other reason than their religious leaders think it necessary.

 

>>>History proves that religion has sufficient power to subjugate kings.

 

Five Are Fallen

 

Perhaps the most revealing specification about the seven heads is timing. The angel said to John, “This calls for a mind with wisdom…. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.”

(Revelation 17:10)

 

This conversation between John and the angel took place around A.D. 95.

 

The statement by the angel, “five heads have fallen” is stated in the past perfect tense indicating that at the time of this discussion (A.D. 95), five of the seven heads had fallen. According to Webster, the term “fallen” means, “brought down” or where trust is required, fallen means “proven false.”

 

In both cases, one could say the former televangelist, Jimmy Swaggert, is “a fallen” man. 

 

He was brought down.

He was proven false.

He violated the trust many put in him.

 

page l 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l

-4-

[TOP]