Revelation Chapter 13

The Antichrist and The False Prophet

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, heaving seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns." (13:1)

These seven heads literally represent seven of the great world empires, from Egypt on down to the final anti-christ kingdom. The ten horns are ten kings of the end who cooperate with the antichrist for a short time and "receive power as kings one hour with the beast." (See Rev. Chapter 17)

The fact that crowns are upon the ten horns show that this prophecy is dealing with the time when these kings are in power--or with the final anti-christ government itself.

Though it is the final anti-christ government that the rest of chapter 13 deals with, God is showing us by this beast with seven heads that the anti-christ government has always been in existence from the beginning. It's all the same beast, although it has manifested its ugly head in the seven major governments of the world: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, anti-christ. Whatever government it is, it's all part of the same beast, all part of the devil's governments.

"And the beast which I saw was like unto 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." (verse 2)

This beast looks "like unto a leopard" with "feet like a bear" and a "mouth as the mouth of a lion," all beasts that Daniel saw in his vision representing different great kingdoms of man. (see Dan.7:17.)

"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 ... Which had the wound by a sword, and did live." (13:3,14)

"And all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast." (13:3,4a) in worshipping this beast they may or may not know it, but they're worshipping the devil. And they said, "who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (13:4)

"There was given him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies." (13:5a) this description of the antichrist was also used by Daniel in his various descriptions of the antichrist. (Dan.7:8,11,20,25; 11:36)

"And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months." (13:5) Daniel said for "a time and times and the dividing of time." (dan.7:25) Jesus couldn't be any more specific about the length and duration of the tribulation period. And the main reason is so that we will know it's only going to last so long and then it will be over.

Speaking of the tribulation, Jesus said, "except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elects' sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days." (Mk.13:20)--3-1/2 years and no longer!

And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them." (13:6,7) There are so many of these scriptures that sound just like Daniel's prophecies about this same period. (See dan.7:21; 8:24; 12:7.) God devoted almost two entire books, plus multitudes of other prophecies throughout the Bible, just to these few years of the Endtime. He doesn't want us to be deceived along with the rest of the world. He wants us to be prepared

"And power was given him over all kindreds (races), and tongues (languages), and nations. 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." (13:7,8)

The antichrist is going to be the greatest dictator the world has ever known, but he'll get his reward, for "he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."(13:10)

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (13:11) In revelation chapter 19 verse 20, this second beast is called the "false prophet." just as Jesus had John the Baptist, so the antichrist will have his forerunner to "prepare the way of the Devil."

           "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (13:12-15) (Since the "false prophet" uses these "miracles" to help bring about the making of the image of the beast, it would seem that these "miracles" must take place before the Great Tribulation begins, perhaps during the first three and one half years of the seven year covenant.)

This image or idol of the beast was called by Daniel the "abomination of desolation," which would be set up in a temple which is yet to be built by the Jews in Jerusalem on Mount Mariah where the Dome of the Rock now stands. It could very possibly be a super computer, possibly using the Internet with its center in Jerusalem.

It says that the false prophet "causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" (13:6) "With the VeriChip and RFIDs receiving more widespread use and publicity, the campaign to sell the world on the chip implant idea is underway. VeriChip is a rice-size injectable microchip. It is a product of the U.S.-based company Applied Digital Solutions, and is already being used to monitor children, convicts, pets, Alzheimer's patients, and others, as well as to provide ID in government agencies and trendy nightclubs and resorts. Other applications are sure to follow."

The results, they say, would bring a true utopian society: no murder, stealing or rape, because everybody would be monitored and the minute the brain detected any "abnormal" behavior in anybody's brainwave pattern, inhibitory signals would be sent out by the computer, blocking any "abnormal" actions.

"And that no man will be able to buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (13:17) the time will come when money will no longer be used as a medium of exchange. Instead, the money medium of exchange will be replaced with a remarkable credit system in which every person in the world who belongs to the system will have a credit number, this mark of the beast, without which he can neither buy nor sell, and by which he is accredited in his governmental account with the value of whatever goods or services he produces and to which he can charge the goods and services that he needs!

This image of the beast will definitely have something to do with the money system, even if it is a new money system, "for the love of money is the root of all evil." (1Tim.6:10) Money (or credit systems like this one will be) is made by the government and it really represents the power of the beast (king or government).

"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 six hundred threescore and six"--666. What that means, we don't know exactly. Some theories are:

1) six is the number of man, as man was created on the sixth day. Three 6's indicate a trinity, which would indicate man trying to play God or trying to be perfect.

2) the so called Jewish star of David may not be the star of David at all, but being 6-pointed it could be a symbol of the antichrist.

3) in many of the ancient languages, the letters of their alphabets were also used as numbers, so it may be that the letters in the antichrist's name will numerically add up to 666. It may not be any of these or it may be all three.