Two Beasts and a Mark

Revelation 13

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads…  One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.  And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”….  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain….

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.  It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed….  Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,  so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.  This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Enter into the ring the 2 beasts of Satan.  We have all heard the terms anti-christ and false prophet as they relate to the end of times.  The first beast appears from the sea with 10 horns and diadems (crowns) on them, with 7 heads.  We are told in Daniel 7 that the 10 horns represent a federation between 10 kings, and the 7 horns are 7 mountains on which the beast will stand and rule. He was given authority and power from the dragon, Satan, for 3.5 years of the great tribulation.  This beast is likened to Jesus Christ, having been given authority from the Most High.  This beast is known as the Anti-Christ.  He will blaspheme God and make war on the saints to once and for all conquer them.  He will receive a deadly wound to his head, but will miraculously survive.

The saints referenced here are those who have given their lives to Jesus during this time of the Great Tribulation.  For Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:18, “the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.”  Therefore, the saints that the beast will rain war upon must be those who have committed themselves to Christ after the church had been removed.  For this period of time, those who have not put their faith in Christ will fall down to worship the beast. The saints will be martyred for their beliefs, for not worshipping the beast and Satan.  Satan has ruled over the earth as long as God allows, and he will give this authority to the anti-christ.

The second beast mentioned in Revelation 13 has two horns and speaks like Satan, the dragon.  This beast is the False Prophet and reigns on the earth to lift up the anti-christ, perform miracles, and great signs, and to draw people to the beast.  He deceives the people of the earth to follow and worship the anti-christ, even as far as receiving a mark, on their right hand or forehead, of allegiance to the beast.  We all know this mark as ‘666’, the mark of the beast.

The time will come when man will not be able to buy or sell without the mark of the beast.  Man will be forced to take the mark or face death.  The technology exists today to biologically tattoo or implant a chip into the hand or forehead, to allow for buying and selling.  We have seen the increase in chip readers for debit cards, Apple Pay, Smart Pay, and tap pay.  One can envision a time when that technology is simply embedded biologically, so we need not worry about our cards being stolen or lost.  Also, take digital currency as another example of a controlled buying/selling environment.  If all governments got behind digital currency and the physical currency were eliminated, then the governing bodies could determine one’s ability to buy or sell simply through their control mechanisms.

We live in a world where it has become an acceptable norm to blaspheme God without fear of His wrath.  Through movies, social media, music, and the internet, we have normalized the depraved, the sick and twisted, the evil, and the blasphemous.  We idolize those who blaspheme God and don’t think twice about it because it brings us temporary joy.  Musicians and movies that profess Satanism, witchcraft, and idolatry are elevated and lauded for their actions, while the masses pay homage through ticket sales and imitation.  You can’t look at the society we live in and not realize that we are living in the end days.  Satan is alive and well; the beast (anti-christ) and false prophet are not far away, based on the debauchery present in today’s daily walk.  

Is it feasible to happen in our lifetime? Yes, very much so.  But, we are confident to know that God, the Creator of all things, knows exactly where we are and when enough is enough.  His promise is true that He will return to take His church home, and to separate us from the wrath to come.  I put my faith in Him alone and pray for those around me to do the same.  Today, can you think of 5 people in your life to lift up in earnest prayer for God to intervene and bring salvation?  Please take the time to do so now.