Post by beckrl on Aug 3, 2020 21:44:26 GMT
THE SEVEN HEADED BEAST OF THE SEA
I want us to learn of this beast with seven heads mentioned in the book of Revelation. People have concluded that this vision is concerning Rome and at times calling the beast, Rome and then other times calling the beast, Nero. The beast is never Rome nor Nero so let me help us determine what actually it describes.
First we must understand that the images of the beast coming out of the sea are derived from the book of Daniel. In Daniel these four beasts coming up out of the sea are four pagan kingdoms.
BEAST OF THE SEA
In Revelation chapter 13 John was standing on the sand of the sea and saw a beast come up out of the sea. He goes on to describe this beast from the sea as having seven heads and tens horns, then saw crowns upon the horns and written on it heads the name of Blasphemy. He goes on to describe it looked like a leopard and had feet of a bear, mouth of a lion. John also notices one of the heads was wound almost to death yet it lived. As well John said that the red dragon gave this beast power and great authority.
So let take a minute to figure out this beast of the sea that John described with all these attributes. You might notice from studying the Prophet Daniel of his beast of the sea descriptions that John sees 3 of the four beasts from Daniel with in this beast. Notable all those beasts imagery from Daniel were pagan kingdoms which came upon the land of Israel to dominate the people. So here this beast is a collective image of the previous pagan kingdoms. We might also take notice how both Daniel and John here in Revelation describe these beastly kingdoms as coming up out of the sea. The imagery of the sea here is revealed by John in chapter 17:15 “and he said unto me, the waters which thou saw, where the whore sat are people’s, multitude’s, nations and tongue’s”.
As well the imageries of Revelation 12 of the dragon , satan opening it mouth and flood of waters come out to carry the woman away. This imagery is of the many pagan nations surrounding Jerusalem and the people of Israel in so much that they get tossed back and forth by ever wind of doctrine.
Revelation 12: 15 “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
It is this picture of no more sea in Revelation 21 that the earth had opened up and swallowed all the sea waters from the mouth of satan.
Both Daniel and John were describing the kingdoms rising up from out of the raging waves of the sea that which toss men back and forth from every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). As Daniel would describe that these kingdoms forced all to worship their image of idol’s (Daniel 3:14) Hellenizing the people into their pagan cultures. We see this mentioned later on in this chapter (Rev.13:15).
As John described the beast with seven heads he notice one that was wounded and when it was healed all wondered how it was possible and was force to worship. Revelation 13:3 as in Daniel it reveals that when the beastly kingdom of Greece with Alexander the Great had died it was as if the head had been wounded to death, but Greece remain because it was divided among his leaders (Daniel 8:21-22).
Revelation 13:7 it was given that he (beast) makes war with the saints and to overcome them. Now make note that John went to a personification to describe the collective beast as he.
MOUNTAINS AS KINGDOMS
John is seeing all these beastly kingdoms as a collective beast dominating over Israel and the people. Therefore John’s time line is from the first beast unto the last beast kingdom. For this purpose the seven heads are later told of as seven mountains (mountains kingdoms) which have seven kings. Five of the seven kings (kingdoms) are fallen (Rev.17:8-15).
In my opinion John has describe to his readers the seven heads of Egypt, Babylon, Median, Persian Greece, Rome and then the seventh and last kingdom of Darkness. For this reason mountains have been used to represent kingdoms such kingdom cities were built on high mountains and fortified. We know that Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel all used mountain to describe such a kingdom (Isaiah 14:12, Jer. 51:25 & Daniel 2:35).
Isaiah described the coming mountains kingdoms upon Babylon. This again is the wisdom that John was revealing to his readers that of SEVEN MOUNTAINS AS SEVEN KINGDOMS.
Isaiah 13:3-5
3”I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph. 4Listen, a tumult on the MOUNTAINS, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the KINGDOMS, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts musters an army for war. 5 They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country.”
That of the seventh kingdom John has described as coming upon out of the abyss is that of this collective beast as the kingdom of darkness and having a king Abaddon, Apollyon which means a destroyer.
Paul and James both made mention of this force against the saints. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 That their fight wasn’t against men, but against the dark powers, the rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. James wrote of the spirit of anti-Christ the spirit that was against the word and work of Christ. For both it was men that they had to deal with such of those in high official places that was against them, but both men understood it was the power and wicked spirit that these men had is what ultimately the fight was about.
It is not the seven Caesars as some people conclude, but are seven kingdoms, kings.
1) Egypt ~ Thothmes II (?)
2) Babylon ~ Nebuchadnezzar
3) Median ~ Darius
4) Persian ~ Cyrus
5) Greece ~ Alexander the Great
6) Rome ~ Nero (last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty)
7) Darkness ~ Apollyon
From this time until the destruction of Jerusalem would be the great apostasy that Paul spoke of to the Thessalonians in warning them as does John encourage the saints to endure and stay steadfast in their faith until the end. However many fell into doubt becoming weak because of the heavy persecution and the deceptions and lies by false teachers. This is how John described these false teachers in chapter 9 of Revelation as an army of locust riding upon horses which hurt men by the mouth and tails.
Roger Beck
I want us to learn of this beast with seven heads mentioned in the book of Revelation. People have concluded that this vision is concerning Rome and at times calling the beast, Rome and then other times calling the beast, Nero. The beast is never Rome nor Nero so let me help us determine what actually it describes.
First we must understand that the images of the beast coming out of the sea are derived from the book of Daniel. In Daniel these four beasts coming up out of the sea are four pagan kingdoms.
BEAST OF THE SEA
In Revelation chapter 13 John was standing on the sand of the sea and saw a beast come up out of the sea. He goes on to describe this beast from the sea as having seven heads and tens horns, then saw crowns upon the horns and written on it heads the name of Blasphemy. He goes on to describe it looked like a leopard and had feet of a bear, mouth of a lion. John also notices one of the heads was wound almost to death yet it lived. As well John said that the red dragon gave this beast power and great authority.
So let take a minute to figure out this beast of the sea that John described with all these attributes. You might notice from studying the Prophet Daniel of his beast of the sea descriptions that John sees 3 of the four beasts from Daniel with in this beast. Notable all those beasts imagery from Daniel were pagan kingdoms which came upon the land of Israel to dominate the people. So here this beast is a collective image of the previous pagan kingdoms. We might also take notice how both Daniel and John here in Revelation describe these beastly kingdoms as coming up out of the sea. The imagery of the sea here is revealed by John in chapter 17:15 “and he said unto me, the waters which thou saw, where the whore sat are people’s, multitude’s, nations and tongue’s”.
As well the imageries of Revelation 12 of the dragon , satan opening it mouth and flood of waters come out to carry the woman away. This imagery is of the many pagan nations surrounding Jerusalem and the people of Israel in so much that they get tossed back and forth by ever wind of doctrine.
Revelation 12: 15 “And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”
It is this picture of no more sea in Revelation 21 that the earth had opened up and swallowed all the sea waters from the mouth of satan.
Both Daniel and John were describing the kingdoms rising up from out of the raging waves of the sea that which toss men back and forth from every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). As Daniel would describe that these kingdoms forced all to worship their image of idol’s (Daniel 3:14) Hellenizing the people into their pagan cultures. We see this mentioned later on in this chapter (Rev.13:15).
As John described the beast with seven heads he notice one that was wounded and when it was healed all wondered how it was possible and was force to worship. Revelation 13:3 as in Daniel it reveals that when the beastly kingdom of Greece with Alexander the Great had died it was as if the head had been wounded to death, but Greece remain because it was divided among his leaders (Daniel 8:21-22).
Revelation 13:7 it was given that he (beast) makes war with the saints and to overcome them. Now make note that John went to a personification to describe the collective beast as he.
MOUNTAINS AS KINGDOMS
John is seeing all these beastly kingdoms as a collective beast dominating over Israel and the people. Therefore John’s time line is from the first beast unto the last beast kingdom. For this purpose the seven heads are later told of as seven mountains (mountains kingdoms) which have seven kings. Five of the seven kings (kingdoms) are fallen (Rev.17:8-15).
In my opinion John has describe to his readers the seven heads of Egypt, Babylon, Median, Persian Greece, Rome and then the seventh and last kingdom of Darkness. For this reason mountains have been used to represent kingdoms such kingdom cities were built on high mountains and fortified. We know that Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel all used mountain to describe such a kingdom (Isaiah 14:12, Jer. 51:25 & Daniel 2:35).
Isaiah described the coming mountains kingdoms upon Babylon. This again is the wisdom that John was revealing to his readers that of SEVEN MOUNTAINS AS SEVEN KINGDOMS.
Isaiah 13:3-5
3”I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph. 4Listen, a tumult on the MOUNTAINS, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the KINGDOMS, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts musters an army for war. 5 They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country.”
That of the seventh kingdom John has described as coming upon out of the abyss is that of this collective beast as the kingdom of darkness and having a king Abaddon, Apollyon which means a destroyer.
Paul and James both made mention of this force against the saints. Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12 That their fight wasn’t against men, but against the dark powers, the rulers of darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places. James wrote of the spirit of anti-Christ the spirit that was against the word and work of Christ. For both it was men that they had to deal with such of those in high official places that was against them, but both men understood it was the power and wicked spirit that these men had is what ultimately the fight was about.
It is not the seven Caesars as some people conclude, but are seven kingdoms, kings.
1) Egypt ~ Thothmes II (?)
2) Babylon ~ Nebuchadnezzar
3) Median ~ Darius
4) Persian ~ Cyrus
5) Greece ~ Alexander the Great
6) Rome ~ Nero (last Roman emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty)
7) Darkness ~ Apollyon
From this time until the destruction of Jerusalem would be the great apostasy that Paul spoke of to the Thessalonians in warning them as does John encourage the saints to endure and stay steadfast in their faith until the end. However many fell into doubt becoming weak because of the heavy persecution and the deceptions and lies by false teachers. This is how John described these false teachers in chapter 9 of Revelation as an army of locust riding upon horses which hurt men by the mouth and tails.
Roger Beck