Revelation - Woman and the Dragon

(Revelation 12:1-17)

Revelation 12:1-17 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:[2] And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.[3] And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.[4] And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.[5] And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.[6] And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.[7] And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,[8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.[9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.[10] And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.[11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.[12] Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.[13] And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.[14] And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.[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.[17] And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

Woman and the Dragon: A woman or women prophetically represent not a religious group but a theocracy. Israel and Judah are represented as women in the Old Testament and both are religious nations not a “Church”. The woman in verses One and Two is the nation of Israel and her crown with the Twelve Stars represents the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Through her would the messiah, Jesus Christ, who will eventually rule all nations with a rod of iron. In verses Three thru Five we see Satan; the red dragon who took a third of Heaven with him when he fell. The description given of the dragon having seven heads, ten horns and seven crowns is a foreshadowing of what Satan was planning for the future and it is also connected to the first beast mentioned in the next chapter. After Satan’s would he then seek to have the child killed just as he did a couple years after Christ’s birth when Satan had King Herod have all the children killed from two years of age and younger. Jesus would later on, after his three and a half year ministry ended with his death, ascend to Heaven to be with his Father again. By the time of verses Six thru Nine the 1260 days or three and a half years is making reference back to the time of Jesus’s ministry when he feed the nation of Israel, the women, and the final fall of Satan from Heaven when Jesus makes the comment to his disciples that he saw Satan fall from Heaven like lightning (Luke 10:18 “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”). Verse Ten goes along with the first half of verse Twelve, while verse Eleven goes along with the second half of verse Twelve. Heaven rejoices at Satan being cast out from it, never again being able to go up there, but woe to the earth and its inhabitants because of Satan’s anger of being cast out and knowing his time is short. Verse Thirteen the inhabitants of earth on the other hand struggle against Satan even more because of him being banished from Heaven completely and his attention now being directed more fully against the women down here. Now in verses Fourteen thru Sixteen the woman becomes a more notable nation when she receives the wings of an eagle and flies to a wilderness. There she is given another reprieve for a time period of three and a half Times or 140 years. A Time is a generational period of forty years. This is speaking of the Nation we know as America and from roughly 1770’s to the 1910’s America remained isolated from the world. WWI would make the ending of the reprieve and the large influx of immigrants, would represent the water sent forth by the dragon to flood the woman, as to have her carried away. Regardless of the influx of immigrants America was able to handle the huge migration of people that would continue on from that point. By verse Seventeen Satan changes his tactics from focusing on the woman to focusing on the bigger threat, the people who keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ. These are the true followers of God and His Son and we see that persecution even now and it will only grow worse.

Revelation – Beast from the Sea

(Revelation 13:1-10)

Revelation 13:1-10 “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?[5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.[6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.[7] And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.[8] 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.[9] If any man have an ear, let him hear.[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.”

Beast from the Sea: We see a beast that is a configuration of the beasts mentioned in Daniel 7:1-27 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.[2] Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.[3] And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.[4] The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.[5] And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.[6] After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.[7] After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.[8] I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.[9] I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.[10] A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.[11] I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.[12] As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.[13] I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.[14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.[15] I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.[16] I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.[17] These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.[18] But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.[19] Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;[20] And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.[21] I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;[22] Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.[23] Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.[24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.[25] And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.[26] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.[27] And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him”.

This beast also has similar features as the Red Dragon that represented Satan in the previous chapter. This beast from the sea is the final World Power that will be around during the end-time and has been in the works for a very long time. People forget that Satan is not a complete idiot and that he too can plan and see ahead what the future may hold. This Beast from the Sea is derived from the world powers and this collection of world powers receives its power and authority from Satan himself. The Beast from the Sea has all the parts of the four beasts in Daniel. The Lion, Bear and the Dreadful beasts all have one head, while the Leopard has four giving us a total of Seven Heads and the Ten Horns come from the fourth Beast. The Four Beasts of Daniel are called kings, but at the same time the Fourth Beast is called a Kingdom (Daniel Chapter 7 Verses 17&23). These beasts are not just Kings, but Kingdoms and the Horns are Kings that will be around during the reign of terror of the Fourth Beast. There will be one leader (King) that will arise and be more prominent than the others. The Beast from the Sea will be seen again later on in Revelation as the Beast that the Harlot is riding upon.

Revelation – Beast from the Earth

(Revelation 13:11-18)

Revelation 13:11-18 “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.”

Beast from the Earth: This Beast is unique because it has two horns like a lamb and speaks as a Dragon. The Horns like a Lamb depicts that this Beast is going to portrait itself Christ-like but speaks like a Dragon, in other words it speaks like the Devil. This is the Vatican, which is both its own nation and religion. It will bring about the worship of the First Beast (Revived Western Roman Empire). The Image, a copy of the original, that is created for the First Beast is a computer system designed to manage and control those that live on the earth. It will be used to track and punish those that oppose the First Beast. Unlike those that think of the Mark of the Beast as singular, the Mark comes in three forms. Those forms are the Mark, Name of the Beast and the Number of his Name. Without it people of all walks of life will not be able to truly live. All these Beasts will be established to control the World and to persecute God’s true followers. While many may think that the “Church” is not around at this time, they will still be here until the reaping takes place, which we will see shortly when that event happens.