The Dragon and the Two Beasts
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. …The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world...
Whoever has ears, let them hear.
“If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword they will be killed.”
This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.
Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And it performed great signs,even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.
This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
Revelation 13: 1-18
This passage immediately follows the vision concerning the Woman and the Dragon. Remember, at the end times, the great dragon will be hurled down from the heavens—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. In our previous lesson, John has heard:
Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.” Revelation 12: 12
Do you remember full of joy, what Jesus, when full of joy, told the disciples and the 72 he had sent out to preach and heal upon their successful return? “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Luke 10: 18. At that time, while still on the earth incarnate, Jesus, the Son of Man, had seen this future ejection from heaven that John now witnesses.
Some of the most enigmatic, mysterious passages in all of John’s visions concern the dragon and his two beasts. The dragon will stand on the shore of the earth’s sea and a beast will emerge that will be given the dragon’s power and authority. But, remember, the dragon’s time is short. Also remember, Satan has no power or authority except that which has been given to him by God. Remember God's conversation with Satan in the throne room in the story of Job?
The first beast arising out of the sea appears to have been fatally wounded but has miraculously recovered from his wound. The whole world is amazed and worship both the beast from the sea and the dragon. But the fatal wound is fake; it's a deception. Who has really been wounded fatally? Christ, of course. This first beast only seemed to have a fatal wound. This beast is a counterfeit, an antichrist. Remember there are only three groups of people left on the earth now. This antichrist will have power to war against God’s holy people of Israel and against every tribe, people, language and nation. Our third group, all inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast.
Next, John witnesses a second beast that comes out of the earth. It will deceive the inhabitants of the earth by performing great signs and wonders. It will set up an image of the first beast, the antichrist and give breath to the image of the first beast. Do you remember who had, has, and is the breath of life? Who is the true Ruach? The Holy Spirit. Do you remember the three young jewish men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, thrown into the furnace by Nebuchadnezzar when they refused to worship the golden image?
Here we have an unholy trinity, really just a threesome of liars: the dragon, the antichrist, and the false spirit, here we have the 666. The fallen angel, Satan, “the prince of the earth,” “the god of this world” and now identified as the huge red dragon, cast out of heaven and hurled to the earth, will stand on the shore of the earth's sea and fashion his counterfeit beasts, his false son and spirit, his unholy trinity. He will be furious because he knows his time is short.
Babylon
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names ... The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus...“This calls for a mind with wisdom. ... Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages... The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” Revelations 17: 1-18
Who is this symbolic woman? John tells us that she is a mystery. I believe she represents all in and on God’s beautiful but perverted and broken creation that desires to lead us away from our Creator. Babylon is lust and its perverted child, sin. She is the lover, whore, and essence of Satan. Babylon is Satan’s influence upon the world, where God’s image, all of humanity, has scattered and so filled the entire earth. She is greed, ambition, power, and every other possible abomination we are so heartbrokenly aware of. She is seduction. Take a moment to read Revelation 17-19. These three chapters are devoted to Babylon. She is fascinating.
She is dressed in purple, the color of royalty, and red, the color of sin and blood. She has in her hand a golden cup. Remember, gold is what symbolizes God in his holy inner temple. This cup is full of the wine of three horrible things: abomination, the filth of her adulteries, and the blood of God’s holy people. What does the word abomination mean? Something that is abominable is loathed, disgusting, abhorrent, hated, grotesque, raunchy, and perverted.
Is there anything more destructive to a family than adultery? A man and a woman join in a union that promises to remain secure and true. The betrayal of one to the other is devastating. And if children are part of the equation, the result is always heartbreaking. The reverberations are felt immediately and in the years, and I’d say, even in the generations to come. We know inside of our hearts, a marriage is supposed to be forever. It’s supposed to be holy and complete. It’s supposed to be an unbreakable promise. But temptation outside of marriage can be so very seductive.
Remember Jesus, the Son of Man, as he revealed himself as the Son of God, as he offered his disciples the cup of wine, drunk in remembrance of him, symbolizing his blood as humanity’s atonement for sin. Babylon’s cup is the vile corruption of Christ’s Passover cup. Jesus’ cup promised redemption; Babylon’s cup promises damnation. Remember the martyrs under the altar of the Lamb? She is drunk from the blood of those souls who are crying out for justice. Babylon's cup is full of the wine of the second harvest: The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 14: 19- 20
Do you remember the story of the Tower of Babel? Listen to the echoing of that story: peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. What specifically was the sin present in the story of the Tower of Babel? Ambition and pride for starters. This story reminds me of God’s lament of his archangel, Satan’s self-centered ambition: "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; ... I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” Isaiah 14: 12-15
Now, compare this grotesque woman, Babylon to the woman clothed with the sun. God's beloved, the nation of Israel. This hard headed stubborn child of God, this daughter of Zion, Israel, will be redeemed and washed white in the End Times. And, remember another lovely woman: the Virgin, Mary, clean and unblemished, who would carry the Son conceived by the Holy Spirit. Now let’s think of yet another lovely clean and unblemished woman, the Bride of Christ, washed white through his blood. The Trinity, three in one, will be joined in marriage with its creation, bearing the symbolic holy number four. Together at last, seven, the symbolic holy number of completion: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit joined with the creation. Perhaps the number for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with the bride is 777.
Satan and his two beasts, his unholy trinity, and his bride, his prostitute, Babylon, are powerful, insidious, and so very seductive. They have led the world, God’s beloved creation, astray since the dawn of time, since the birth of the earth and its first man and woman, Adam and Eve. This corruption continues in the present time and will continue until the Second Coming of Christ.
The waters that Babylon sits on? Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. Revelation 17:15. Those waters will be redeemed through living water and the Holy Spirit, as we, the church, have been. Remember the Samaritan woman at the well?
Discussion
How do you envision the dragon, the two different beasts, and Babylon?
What does the world offer you?
What in your life have you been seduced by?
Is that the same as being attracted to something?
What do you indulge in?
What do you overindulge in?
Do you drink alcohol? Is it a good or bad thing?
Do you have adultery in you family history? How has it affected you and your loved ones? How many generations has it affected?
What is it that you want? What do you desire? What would satisfy you
Have you ever witnessed anything that was disgusting and vile?
Jesus Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, The Word
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?”he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Matthew 24: 1-16
And then the end will come...
The 29:11 Story
What does the bead for the 144,000 and the Two Witnesses look like? Why is it bronze? What beads in the Old Testament are prophetic of the Revelation's nation of Israel? Can you find the Twelve Tribes and the series of the Major Prophets?
What beads on the 29:11 Story are gathered from among the other peoples, multitudes, nations and languages of God's creation? Can you find Hagar and Ishmael? Ruth? The Syrian Gentile woman, the Samaritan woman at the well? Can you locate Luke, the Gentile physician of Paul?
Who on the 29:11 Story foreshadows the inhabitants of the earth? What color bead would they be? Can you find Cain and Judas? How about the Tower of Babel.
Can you find the old red dragon and its corresponding bead, the red apple in the beginning of God's Story? What parallels can you draw between the two?
Can you find Babylon, in red, and her corresponding red bead of the Tower of Babel? What connects the two?
Closing
What surprised you today?
What new connections in the Bible did you make today?
What questions do you want to explore further about today's study?
Digging Deeper
The book of Daniel is absolutely fascinating to read, especially once you have read Revelations. Like John who is held prisoner for his religious convictions by the Romans, Daniel is held under house arrest by the Babylonians. In the light of this lesson, read Daniel 7. What do you glean from his prophetic vision?
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7: 25. Who are the holy people in this passage?
Do you remember what the martyrs under the altar called out for?
Who has harmed you such that you desired revenge? What were the circumstances? Did you get your revenge?
Who have you ever harmed? Did you deserve revenge?
What is the definition of the word "revenge"? What is the definition of the word "avenge"? Why does this matter?
Salley's Story
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Jeremiah 29:11-14
I brought The 29:11 Story project to a small Christian nonprofit some 7 years ago. This lovely organization has nurtured my ever changing group of women by providing support, experience, and a small cottage in one of our town's most under-resourced neighborhoods. My desire has always been to offer spiritual fellowship from the kingdom of the heavens as well as some small financial possibility along with some business skills for the kingdom of the earth. I was so naive. It is one thing to know of poverty but it is quite another to see it face to face. These women struggle daily as they try to provide for their children. The depth of suffering the earth and its inhabitants are under is unrelenting.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come....
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