REVELATION 13 PART 2 OF 2

REVELATION 13   PART 2 OF 2

VERSES 10 - 18
666

  10) He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:  he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.  Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

   11) 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.

   12) And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

   13) And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

   14) 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.

   15) 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.

   16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

   17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

   18) 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.  King James Version (KJV) public domain

COMMENTARY

   Verse 10 is a word of encouragement from our Lord.  The dispensation of grace has ended and we revert back to "an eye for an eye" principle of the Old Testament.  The tribulation saints rests their patience and faith and confidence in this promise:  that vengeance belongs to The Lord.

   This second beast, as we will see later in Revelation, is the false prophet of the Antichrist.  He is a miracle-working religious leader.  This utterly breaks my heart.  I have loved ones who reject Jesus as some fairy tale, a myth.  They say only fools believe in such nonsense.  But the time is quickly coming when they have to choose to which "fairy tale" they will bow.  It is my prayer that they will choose wisely.

   "The lamb with two horns speaking as a dragon"; haven't we seen this sort of behavior in our elected officials in government?  They promise one thing then vote just the opposite?  They don't listen to us!  Well, this "prophet" will speak sweet words and pretend to love but he is hiding a heart of stone.

   Verse 15 must be talking about demon possession of the statue, just as "legion" possessed the swine when Jesus exorcised them, even though they didn't live long thereafter.  (Matthew 8: 28 - 34)

   The "mark of the beast" has been discussed from days of old.  This mark will be voluntary.  This is the ultimate rejection of God.  When this mark is received, the soul is lost for eternity; not receiving this mark makes them totally dependent on God for their survival in an active way.

   Verse 18 is for the saints who are watching for The Lord's return.  This beast will probably gain much religious prominence before the rapture.  Therefore, we will be cautious about believing anything he says (much as we don't believe what the news media reports today).

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