Sunday, January 4, 2015

Revelation 13

Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation, page189: "One government, materialistic in philosophy and absolutist in character, ruled by a single political and economic genius, is predicted in Revelation. Such a government, unthinkable a generation or two ago, now seems not too remote a possibility. The dictatorship of one man over the world might be welcomed if he could offer some assurance of universal peace and prosperity. What seemed like a dream to statesmen of yesterday is prophesied in this book, and as the years roll by it comes closer and closer to fulfillment."
As one studies this section, it is helpful to keep in mind that this prophecy is closely tied to the prophecies of Daniel (Daniel 2:42, 44; 7:7, 8, 20; 8:25; 11:36; 9:27). Also, remember that this is still a parenthetical section describing some of the key forces, kingdoms and personages of the Tribulation.
We meet three beings in this chapter:
  1. The dragon, whom we met in chapter 12, is Satan, the Devil, the Accuser.
  2. The beast out of the sea:
    • This first beast is closely identified with the dragon—having seven heads and ten horns. He is also the beast whose deadly wound was healed. Moreover, he is the object of worship and aided in this role by the second beast (Revelation 13:11).
  3. The beast out of the earth:
    • The second beast is known as the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13+; 19:20+; 20:10+).
(12:18) Then he [or "I] stood waiting on the shore of the sea.
(1) AND NOW in my vision I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God.
  • Beast - Greek: therion - a wild, dangerous animal:
    • We seen this beast before in 11:7, where John was told that "When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them. He will conquer them and kill them." The description matches that of the beast in chapter 13. After the passing mention in chapter 11, John now provides the beast with a more formal introduction. 
    • John sees two beasts in this chapter - the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth. 
    • Most Bible Scholars Agree that the little horn of Daniel 7 is the first beast of Revelation chapter 13. The little horn and the beast arise in the same location, do the same things, speak the same words and rule for the same amount of time.
    • Daniel 7: Earlier, during the first year of King Belshazzar's reign in Babylon, Daniel had a dream and saw visions as he lay in his bed. He wrote the dream down, and this is what he saw. In my vision that night, I, Daniel, saw a great storm churning the surface of a great sea, with strong winds blowing from every direction. Then four huge beasts came up out of the water, each different from the others. The first beast was like a lion with eagles' wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And a human mind was given to it. Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, "Get up! Devour many people!" Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four wings like birds' wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast. Then in my vision that night, I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, dreadful, and very strong. It devoured and crushed its victims with huge iron teeth and trampled what was left beneath its feet. It was different from any of the other beasts, and it had ten horns. As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were wrenched out, roots and all, to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn's boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. As for the other three beasts, their authority was taken from them, but they were allowed to live for a while longer. As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal -- it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. I, Daniel, was troubled by all I had seen, and my visions terrified me. So I approached one of those standing beside the throne and asked him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: "These four huge beasts represent four kingdoms that will arise from the earth. But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever." Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, the one so different from the others and so terrifying. It devoured and crushed its victims with iron teeth and bronze claws, and it trampled what was left beneath its feet. I also asked about the ten horns on the fourth beast's head and the little horn that came up afterward and destroyed three of the other horns. This was the horn that seemed greater than the others and had human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and was defeating them, until the Ancient One came and judged in favor of the holy people of the Most High. Then the time arrived for the holy people to take over the kingdom. Then he said to me, "This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling everything in its path. Its ten horns are ten kings that will rule that empire. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten, who will subdue three of them. He will defy the Most High and wear down the holy people of the Most High. He will try to change their sacred festivals and laws, and they will be placed under his control for a time, times, and half a time. But then the court will pass judgment, and all his power will be taken away and completely destroyed. Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them." That was the end of the vision. I, Daniel, was terrified by my thoughts and my face was pale with fear, but I kept these things to myself.
      • See our study on Daniel 7 entitled Daniel 7 - The “Times of the Gentiles” at http://studyingdaniel.blogspot.com/2013/11/daniel-7-of-gentiles.html:
        • Although its interpretation has varied widely, conservative scholars generally are agreed, with few exceptions, that Daniel traces the course of four great world empires, namely, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, concluding in the climax of world history in the second coming of Jesus Christ and the inauguration of the eternal kingdom of God, represented as a fifth and final kingdom which is from heaven. The eleventh horn, with the eyes and mouth that spoke great things, is often linked with the great beast of Revelation 13 who appears as the world dictator of the last days and is known as the Antichrist. Many believe this refers historically to Antiochus Epiphanes who desecrated the temple and slaughtered thousands of Jews from 171-165 B.C. However, Daniel 8:9-10 goes way beyond that. Therefore, Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of Antichrist - one of Satan's many attempts to get rid of the Jews and destroy Israel
    • Revelation 14:9-11: Then a third angel followed them, shouting, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand  must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.
    • Revelation 17:1-18: One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. "Come with me," he said, "and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. The rulers of the world have had immoral relations with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality." So the angel took me in spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that had seven heads and ten horns, written all over with blasphemies against God. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and precious gems and pearls. She held in her hand a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of her immorality. A mysterious name was written on her forehead: "Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World." I could see that she was drunk -- drunk with the blood of God's holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her completely amazed. "Why are you so amazed?" the angel asked. "I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The beast you saw was alive but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from before the world began, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died." "And now understand this: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills of the city where this woman rules. They also represent seven kings. Five kings have already fallen, the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief. The scarlet beast that was alive and then died is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, will go to his doom. His ten horns are ten kings who have not yet risen to power; they will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign with the beast. They will all agree to give their power and authority to him. Together they will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord over all lords and King over all kings, and his people are the called and chosen and faithful ones." And the angel said to me, "The waters where the prostitute is sitting represent masses of people of every nation and language. The scarlet beast and his ten horns -- which represent ten kings who will reign with him -- all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will mutually agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
    • Revelation 19:20: And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast -- miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
    • Some of the names given to Antichrist:
      • The seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15)
      • Little horn (Daniel 7:8+)
      • Insolent king (Daniel 8:23+)
      • Prince who is to come (Daniel 9:26+)
      • One who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27+)
      • The Despicable Person (Daniel 11:21)
      • The Willful King (Daniel 11:36)
      • The Worthless Shepherd (Zechariah 11:17)
      • The Insolent King (Daniel 8:23)
      • The Abomination (Matthew 24:15)
      • The Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
      • The Son of Destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
      • The lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
      • The Antichrist (1 John 2:22)
      • The Beast (Revelation 11:7,13:1)
  • The Papal system is an ever-popular candidate for the beast: Following Augustine’s lead, the Reformers took the Scriptures pertaining to the Antichrist and the mark of the beast as an allegory of either the Pope, Islam (Constantinople had fallen to the Turks in A.D. 1412), or both. The Waldenses held the Pope to be the Antichrist. Wycliffe also was of this opinion as was Tyndale. Luther regarded the Pope and the Turks both as Antichrist. Calvin took the Antichrist’s desecration of the Temple to be an allegory of the Church and the Pope to be the desecrater. Arminius also held “that the Roman pontiff, who calls himself the head and spouse, though under Christ, is Antichrist.” - Hal Harless, “666: The Beast and His Mark in Revelation 13,” in The Conservative Theological Journal. Although the Papal system is an ever-popular candidate for the beast, this view falls short of serious consideration on at least two counts: (1)The Antichrist is an individual and not a position or system, (2) It appears the Antichrist will be an emerging political leader rather than the existing leader of an established system of religion.
  • Daniel K. Wong, “The Beast From The Sea in Revelation 13,” in Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. 160 no. 639, page 337: "Is the beast out of the sea a man or an empire? The answer is both. (a) The beast is a man because his number is that of a man (Revelation 13:18+). Also the use of the masculine pronoun (auton) (Revelation 13:8+) to refer to the neuter (thērion) (Revelation 13:1-2+, 4+) indicates that he is a human being. In addition, parallels between the beast and the Lamb indicate that he is a person: both have followers on whose foreheads are inscribed their names (Revelation 13:16-17+; 14:1+), both are conquerors (Revelation 5:5+; 13:7+) and both receive worship (Revelation 5:8+; 13:4+). (b) At the same time the beast is an empire over which the man reigns. This fact is demonstrated by the symbolism of the beasts of Daniel 7+."
  • Sea:
    • Daniel’s four beasts also were seen rising from the sea (Daniel 7:2-3+). The Beast’s ascension from the sea speaks of the origin of his kingdom from the Gentile nations. This beast shares characteristics of the first three of Daniel’s beasts (all Gentile kingdoms). Also note that in Revelation 11:7-8, the Beast is coming up out of "the bottomless pit".
    • Whenever the word "sea" is used symbolically in the Scriptures, especially in the book of Revelation, it is a symbol of the Gentile nations. Since the Beast of Revelation rises out of the sea, and since the sea represents the Gentile nations (Revelation 17:15+), this points to the Antichrist as being of Gentile origin. The nationality of the Antichrist can be deduced from Daniel 9:26 (the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary KJV) - The obvious conclusion is that the Antichrist is a Gentile of Roman origin.
  • Seven heads:
    • The 7 heads are explained in Revelation 17:10 as sequential rulers! The seven heads represent the seven gentile world empires. The three empires before Daniel were Samaria, Egypt and Assyria. The four from Daniel’s time are Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman. This last one comes in two phases: Ancient Rome ("Phase I") and the final re-emergent revival of the Roman Empire ("Phase II").
    • According to Revelation 17:11, there is also an "eighth king," and the beast himself is the 8th head. The beast is now said to have seven heads, because there is a relation between seven kings/kingdoms and this "beast" in Revelation. These are the world monarchies which precede the kingdom of the Antichrist.
    • This same Beast with seven heads is ridden upon by the Harlot, the “Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World” (Revelation 17:5). We are told that the seven heads “represent the seven hills of the city where this woman rules. They also represent seven kings.” (Revelation 17:9). One of the heads of the Beast receives a fatal wound which is healed (Revelation 13:3). This revived head is considered as “the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, will go to his doom.” (Revelation 17:11+). The terminology describing the Beast indicates he is both a kingdom and its representative leader or ruler.
    • When Daniel saw Rome, he couldn't compare it to any animal he'd seen, so he called it a large and terrifying beast. John shows it to be a monster with multiple heads and horns.
  • Ten horns:
    • The 4th beast in Daniel 7 has ten horns (Daniel 7:7). The 10 horns in Daniel 7:24 are 10 kings which arise out of the 4th kingdom (and they are contemporaneous rulers, since the little horn subdues three of them). The ten horns are interpreted in exactly the same way in Revelation 17:12-13. They are 10 kings who unite to form a kingdom and eventually merge their power with the beast. Notice that Revelation 17:17 says they "mutually agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast".
    • Pentecost, p. 1354: "When the hordes from the north conquered the Roman Empire in the fifth century A.D., they did not unite to form another empire. Instead, individual nations emerged out of the old Roman Empire. Some of those nations and others stemming from them have continued till the present day. The present Age, then, is the 10-horned era of the fourth beast. (Other premillenarians, however, hold that the time of the 10 horns is yet future, that the present Church Age is not seen in this vision, and that 10 kings will coexist over a future revived [or realigned] Roman Empire.)"
    • John F. Walvoord, "Revival of Rome": "The ten-nation confederacy of the future anticipated in these prophecies would naturally be considered a revival of the Roman Empire if for no other reason than that it is portrayed as an integral part of the fourth empire."
    • The feet and ten toes on the image of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue are the ten kings in the last phase of the Roman Empire and represent the same leaders as do the ten horns in Revelation. The ten toes are the ten horns that have power with the Beast for one hour and it is they that will be crushed by the stone cut out of the mountain made without hands. Daniel speaks to the king of Babylon explaining the king’s dream:
      • Daniel 2:39-45: "But after your kingdom comes to an end, another great kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third great kingdom, represented by the bronze belly and thighs, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth great kingdom, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw that were a combination of iron and clay show that this kingdom will be divided. Some parts of it will be as strong as iron, and others as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But this will not succeed, just as iron and clay do not mix. During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain by supernatural means, crushing to dust the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has shown Your Majesty what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain."
  • Ten crowns:
    • Unlike the dragon which wears crowns on its heads (Revelation 12:3+), the beast’s crowns are on its horns. The dragon’s crowns are associated with historical kingdoms of which this beast is one. The beast has crowns on each of his ten horns, indicating the rule of the ten contemporaneous kings associated with the last head or kingdom. These ten horns are the same as those of the last (terrifying, dreadful beast) of Daniel’s four beasts (Daniel 7:7+).
(2) This beast looked like a leopard, but it had bear's feet and a lion's mouth! And the dragon gave him his own power and throne and great authority.
  • Leopard . . . bear . . . lion:
    • This beast is a composite of the four beasts of Daniel’s vision: Daniel 7:4-6: The first beast was like a lion with eagles' wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was left standing with its two hind feet on the ground, like a human being. And a human mind was given to it. Then I saw a second beast, and it looked like a bear. It was rearing up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And I heard a voice saying to it, "Get up! Devour many people!" Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four wings like birds' wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast.
    • The order in which the attributes are listed, leopard then bear then lion, are reversed from what Daniel saw. This reflects John’s different vantage point. Daniel, living in the days of the lion beast (Babylon), looked forward in time to see the rise of the bear (Medo-Persia), then the leopard (Greece) and finally the terrifying beast not compared to any animal. John, writing in the time of the first phase of the terrifying beast (Rome), looked backward in time to see them in reverse order.
    • Many understand this final kingdom to be a “revived Rome.” This view is based on continuity expressed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The ten toes of the image are on its feet which are partly of iron which symbolizes Rome (Daniel 2:41-44).
    • Rome fell from within but the wreckage has always been in place and several leaders have tried to put it back together again. The last attempt until now was with Hitler but today we see the revival of the Roman Empire taking shape in Europe - the European Union (EU). The EU as of this writing (2014) has 27 members. The goal is for all members to join together in one central government, constitution and currency. There are also plans to merge North Africa and some of the Middle East into this union and if that happened we would see a revived Roman Empire on much the same borders as the old Roman Empire. At some point in the not too distant future, the present EU or the wreckage of it may very well evolve into the final ten horned Beast.
  • The dragon:
    • We know that Satan is the power behind this Beast because we have been told that Satan is the dragon.
  • Him:
    • The passage tells us that the Beast is not only a world empire but a person as well (the dragon gave “HIM” his power).
    • W.A. Criswell writes, “In all time and tide and history, there will never have appeared a human being with the glory, the personality, the intriguing, bewitching, ingratiating manner of this man, a veritable god of wisdom, insight, accomplishment and achievement. Satan gave him his power and his throne and his authority. This man accepts the gift that Jesus spurned when Satan offered him all the glories of the kingdoms of this world; and the whole earth acclaims the man as the very incarnation of glory and wisdom and might and power and honor” (Expository Sermons on Revelation, vol. 4, pp.  106 -07).
(3)  I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery -- but the fatal wound was healed! All the world marveled at this miracle and followed the beast in awe.
  • One of the heads:
    • To which one of the seven heads does this refer? Revelation 17:8-11 answers this for us. It is the seventh head, i.e., the revived form. It is the head which “was, (old Rome) and is not, (the fallen Roman empire in its fragmented condition) and is yet to come” (the revived Roman empire of the first half of the Tribulation, and the imperial form which becomes an eighth in the last half of the Tribulation).
  • Fatal wound:
    • Revelation 17:11: The scarlet beast that was alive and then died is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, and he, too, will go to his doom.
  • Healed:
    • Many expositors believe that this refers not to a man but rather to the Roman Empire being reconstituted. Also, some see the Islamic Caliphate that was abolished in 1924 being reconstituted. It's interesting to note that this would constitute the two legs of the Roman Empire - Western and Eastern.
    • Walid Shoebat in his book, "God's War on Terror," says: "Historically the Caliph is the supreme political, military and administrative leader of all Muslims worldwide. Try to understand it this way: the Caliph is essentially the Vicar of Mohammed as the Pope is the Vicar of Christ to Catholics worldwide. The office and government of the Caliph is known as the Califate (Khilafat). It is the only form of government that is fully sanctioned by Islamic jurisprudence. But since 1924, after nearly fourteen centuries of "divine rule," the office of the Caliph was finally abolished. Today, the movement throughout the Muslim world to reinstate the Caliphate is exploding with a force that is volcanic. With a mandate to have both seats of the Mahdi and Caliph in one, Mohammed said, "There would be a caliph in the last period of my Ummah...He would be the Imam Mahdi." In other words, this last Khalifa, when installed, would be the Mahdi of the End Times."
    • Great emphasis is placed upon his death and revival, indicating its importance in the events which transpire at the end. It is the primary motivator for his worship in verses 4 & 12 and in Revelation 17:11.
    • At that point, this risen man will enter the temple of God and claim to be God incarnated. The whole world will believe him. There is a reference in scripture that indicates that the wicked shepherd will be blind in his right eye and that one arm will be useless. This will apply to either the Antichrist or his false prophet:
      • Zechariah 11:16-17: This will illustrate how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves. Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!"
(4) They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they worshiped the beast. "Is there anyone as great as the beast?" they exclaimed. "Who is able to fight against him?"
  • Worshiped:
    • At the time of the end, Satan will almost achieve one of his most treasured goals: universal worship (Isaiah 14:14; Matthew 4:9; Luke 4:7). This is the first phase of the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15) when the man of sin himself sits in the temple of God proclaiming himself as God. His initial declaration as God will take place in the Tribulation Temple. Worship of the Beast will include worship of his image (verse 15).
    • Revelation 13:8,12: And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast.... And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast
  • The dragon:
    • Revelation 20:2: He seized the dragon -- that old serpent, the Devil, Satan -- and bound him in chains for a thousand years.
(5) THEN the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do what he wanted for forty-two months.
  • Allowed:
    • Who allowed him to do this? Who has the power to allow it? God!
  • Blasphemies:
    • Daniel 11:36: "The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god there is, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed -- until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place.
    • Blasphemy is to claim godlike powers, to claim to be God or to identify God with lesser persons or objects. Idolatry, for instance, is blasphemy. That is what this individual becomes guilty of. He blasphemes God by claiming to have the powers of God. It would also involve an attack upon those who do not accept his claims. Remember, Jesus was accused of blasphemy.
  • Forty-two months (3 ½ years - 1,260 days):
    • So, this beast's appearance has to be at or before the mid-point of the tribulation - not any later.
    • Again, we are told that this person will be given power to continue for 3 ½ years. This period of time starts at the time Satan is cast out of heaven and indwells the world leader who has probably died and becomes incarnated by the Beast that ascends out of the pit. The Beast then kills the two prophets and desecrates the Jewish temple (this occurs at the end of the sixth trumpet). The reign on the earth by this Beast will last until Jesus defeats Him at His coming. The period of the reign of the Beast is the same 3 ½ year period when the obedient that flee from Jerusalem are under the protection of Michael in the mountains.
    • Revelation 12:6,14: And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to give her care for 1,260 days. ... But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle. This allowed her to fly to a place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.
    • Joseph A. Seiss, Voices from Babylon: Or the Records of Daniel the Prophet, p. 311: "Our Lord ministered on earth three and a half years, and the Antichrist shall enact his Satanic ministry for the same length of time."
(6) And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and all who live in heaven, who are his temple.
  • I believe that this refers to the abomination of desolation as recorded in Daniel and Matthew. I also believe that when this event happens midway into the tribulation that the Antichrist’s personality will change from a charismatic, hero personality to a very aggressive, beastly personality. This chapter signals the last half of the tribulation.
  • All who live in heaven, who are his temple:
    • This means he speaks against those who were taken in the rapture, and are therefore out of his reach.
    • 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God's temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple.
    • 1 Corinthians 6:19: Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
    • 2 Corinthians 6:16: And what union can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
    • Ephesians 2:21-22: We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also joined together as part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
(7) And the beast was allowed to wage war against God's holy people and to overcome them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.
  • Wage war:
    • Antichrist will try to use force to get people to obey his religious rules. He will hurt and kill God's people in order to accomplish his goals. It is important to remember that Jesus never used force to compel people to worship Him
    • Consider how Islamic terrorist groups operate today and how the Roman church operated in the middle ages.
    • During the dark ages, the Roman Catholic church put untold millions to death (Christians and Jews), especially during the inquisition. It should be borne in mind that one Pope (Innocent III), in just one day, murdered 12,000 Christians. In only one crusade, two million Albigenses were killed. One of the most horrific and heinous of crimes in France was in 1572, with the torturing and massacre of seventy thousand Huguenots in Paris and other major cities in France. This evil crime commenced at 3 o'clock in the morning of Sunday 24th August and continued until the Tuesday morning. This has become known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day. After this slaughter, pope Gregory XIII was so elated at its success that he held a special mass of thanksgiving; bonfires and fireworks were also used in the celebrations. Throughout this highly controversial and torrid history of catholicism (which lasted for over six hundred years, under orders from eighty so-called "infallible" popes), millions of innocent people had been tortured and murdered for not wishing to follow or convert to their false pagan religion. Even Napoleon's much hardened soldiers were sickened when they found naked and insane people imprisoned under the floorboards in catholic prisons. They were so appalled at what they found, they released these religious prisoners and blew up the Spanish monastery that had so long held them. One can easily see where the Nazis got their cruel and wicked methods from. Remember, the Nazis didn't invent the yellow star used to identify the Jews - the Roman church did! Why was the Roman church silent during World War II and during the Holocaust?
    • Grattan Guinness in the 19th century stated, "I have stood in that valley of Lucerna where dwelt the faithful Waldenses, those ancient Protestants who held to the pure gospel all through the dark ages, that lovely valley with its pine clad slopes which Rome converted into a slaughter house. Oh, horrible massacres of gentle, unoffending, noble-minded men! Oh, horrible massacres of tender women and helpless children! Yes, ye hated them, ye hunted them, ye stuck them on spits, ye impaled them, ye hanged them, ye roasted them, ye flayed them, ye cut them in pieces, ye violated them, ye violated the women, ye violated the children, ye forced flints into them and stakes, and stuffed them with gunpowder, and blew them up and tore them asunder limb from limb, and tossed them over precipices and dashed them against the rocks; ye cut them up alive, ye dismembered them; ye racked, mutilated, burned, tortured, mangled, massacred holy men, sainted women, mothers, daughter, tender children, harmless sacrificed them in heaps, in hecatombs, turning all Spain, Italy, France, Europe, Christian Europe, into a slaughter-house, a charnel house, an Akeldama." (A charnel house is a vault or building where human skeletal remains are stored. Akeldama refers to Judas' field of blood).
    • The Ottoman Empire killed countless numbers of Christians, including the Armenian genocide, which Turkey denies to this day, in which 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were killed.
    • Daniel 7:21: As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and was defeating them,
    • Revelation 11:7: When they complete their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them. He will conquer them and kill them.
  • God's holy people:
    • These are those who come to Christ after the church has been raptured.
  • Overcome them:
    • The saints at the time of the end are under tremendous persecution. They are killed by the little horn (Daniel 7:21+, 25+), the Harlot (Revelation 17:6+), the Beast (Revelation 13:7+) and even the image of the Beast (Revelation 13:15+). The saints are martyred during this period because they are unwilling to worship the Beast and his image (Revelation 13:15+).
    • Overcome does not mean that the beast can overcome the faith of the saints, but that he can destroy their physical lives, and by all appearances defeat the cause of God's people on this earth.
    • Revelation 7:14: And I said to him, "Sir, you are the one who knows." Then he said to me, "These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white.
  • Every tribe and people and language and nation:
    • This speaks of his global control. Daniel 7:23+ clearly states that at some point the Fourth Empire devours the whole earth. This is something the ancient Roman Empire never did. This speaks of the ultimate manifestation of Gentile power of the end as seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream
(8) And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life, which belongs to the Lamb who was killed before the world was made.
  • Worshiped:
    • After the great and terrible totalitarian rulers of the 20th Century (Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao), it isn't hard to imagine a dominating world leader demanding such a declaration of allegiance, tantamount to worship.
    • 2 Thessalonians 2:4,11: He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. ... So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.
    • Revelation 14:9-11: Then a third angel followed them, shouting, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.
      • Those who choose to worship the beast and take his mark are forever lost.
  • Names ... not written in the Book of Life:
    • Philippians 4:3: And I ask you, my true teammate, to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.
    • Revelation 17:8: The beast you saw was alive but isn't now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from before the world began, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died."
    • Revelation 20:12,15: I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. ... And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
    • Revelation 21:27: Nothing evil will be allowed to enter -- no one who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty -- but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
  • The Lamb who was killed before the world was made:
    • Even before the perfect creation of Adam and Eve, God knew the end of history. This is evidenced in His provision for their first sin, spilling the innocent blood of animals to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21).
(9) Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand.
  • A textual clue found in Revelation 13:9 has led many Bible interpreters to the conclusion that those addressed in Revelation 13:10 are not the seven churches of Asia Minor but rather, consist of a different group all together. When Christ addressed the seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation chapters 2 & 3, He always used the phrase, “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (Revelation 2:7+, 11+, 17+, 29+; 3:6+, 13+, 22+). . . . Conspicuously missing from this phrase here are the words “what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
(10) The people who are destined for prison will be arrested and taken away. Those who are destined for death will be killed. But do not be dismayed, for here is your opportunity to have endurance and faith.
  • Prison ... arrested ... taken away ... killed:
    • These fatalistically sounding words are not meant to discourage the believers, but to tell them that given the shortness of the time, it is better to go to jail or submit to death, rather than hold out for one’s own continued earthly existence. Because heaven awaits us, earth and its freedoms can be forfeited without real loss.
  • Have endurance and faith:
    • In light of the coming imprisonment and death of even more Christians, the readers are to have endurance and faith.
(11) THEN I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, and he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
  • Another beast:
    • Another is the Greek word allos: Generally, another person or thing of the same kind (as the first beast), as contrasted with heteros (another of a different kind or form).
    • Together with the first Beast and the dragon, this second beast forms an evil trinity. A primary function of this second beast is much like that of the Holy Spirit in relation to Christ.
    • Revelation 16:13: And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.
    • Revelation 19:20: And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast -- miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
    • Revelation 20:10: Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
  • Out of the earth:
    • Many Bible teachers suggest that his coming up out of the earth indicates that he will not come up out of the sea of peoples, as the first beast does. That is, he will not be of mixed nationality; that he comes out of the earth (around Palestine) may indicate that he will be a Jew. This points to an apostate Jew who, during the first 3-1/2 years, will lead Israel to make a covenant with Antichrist and deceive them by hiding his apostasy until the middle of the Tribulation period, at which time he will serve his purpose by revealing his apostate beliefs and practices.
  • Two horns:
    • Horns frequently symbolize power. The Lamb has seven, the number of completeness. This beast has two, the number of witness, for he shall serve as the ultimate witness to the first beast. He will not have crowns so he does not rule over two nations.
  • Lamb:
    • His appearance as a lamb might mean that this beast will appear gentle and talk peace. However, this leader will speak the lies of Satan. This False Prophet is the worthless shepherd from the tribe of Dan that will not spare his own flock (Zechariah 11:15-17). He will tell the world to worship the first Beast who claims to be God. The False Prophet will take on the role of his Elijah and perform similar miracles as Elijah by making fire come down from heaven in the sight of the first Beast.
  • Spoke with the voice of a dragon:
    • Although he looks like a lamb, his verbal instructions are energized by the dragon. It is he who causes worship of the Beast. He tells those who dwell on the earth to make the image of the Beast. He is also the enforcer of the mark required in order to buy or sell.
(12) He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and those who belong to this world to worship the first beast, whose death-wound had been healed.
  • Worship:
    • The False Prophet’s main focus is to direct worship to the Beast. This is his key role among the world’s religions at the time of the end, made all the easier by a large reduction in Christians beginning with the disappearance of the true Church in the Rapture. Eventually, even a universal ecumenical religion proves to be a threat to the worship of the Beast. The Beast (empowered by the dragon) desires all worship personally. This may be a contributing factor in the demise of the Harlot (Revelation 17:16+), for she is the mother of worldwide spiritual idolatry and abomination (Revelation 17:5+) and could otherwise compete with the Beast in the area of religion. His role as religious leader may also fulfill Israel’s expectation of a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18; John 1:21; Luke 7:19). The false prophet arises to play the part expected of the prophet who had been announced for so long, and his role will be to tell Israel that their Messiah has come.
(13) He did astounding miracles, such as making fire flash down to earth from heaven while everyone was watching.
  • Astounding miracles:
    • Matthew 24:24: For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones.
    • 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12: This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies. Then they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do.
  • Fire ... from heaven:
    • Apparently, he will have the power to call down fire from heaven like Elijah did. The False Prophet may even claim to be Elijah. Many Jews have always expected Elijah to come and prepare the way for the Messiah.
    • In the eyes of the deceived world, he answers the miracle of the two witnesses, who minister during this period and are persecuted by the Antichrist and his false prophet (Revelation 11:5). We can imagine the false prophet as saying, "Let the true God answer with fire" and then performing his deceptive wonder.
    • Fire from heaven was associated with God’s power, consuming both His adversaries (2 Kings 1:9-12) and His sacrifice (Numbers 16:35; 1 Kings 18:38). The False Prophet shows the Pharisees of the end the very signs they sought as validation of Messiah when Jesus walked the earth (Matthew 16:1). Yet all is not as it appears, for he is a great deceiver.
(14) And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people of the world to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.
  • Deceived:
    • They are completely open to deception because their faith is based upon experience rather than Scripture. When they see the miraculous signs provided by the False Prophet, they easily succumb to the desired conclusion: the Beast is god. Miracles alone are not trustworthy.
    • Hitler had plans that included a thousand year reign (a millennium) by the Aryans. His attempt to unite Europe by using war and by using Jews as scapegoats was a foreshadow of the coming Antichrist government and its deception.
  • Statue of the beast:
    • There was a foreshadow of this when a statue of Zeus was set up in the “Holy Place” under Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 168 BC. Titus did not want Herod's Temple destroyed - he too had planned on setting up a statue in the Holy of Holies.
    • This idolatrous image is what Daniel, Jesus and Paul spoke of as the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). It is an idolatrous image set up in the holy place of a rebuilt temple; it is an abomination in the sense of being supreme idolatry, and it is desolation in the sense that it will bring the judgment described by the seals, trumpets and bowls:
      • Daniel 3:15: I will give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments, all will be well. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. What god will be able to rescue you from my power then?"
      • Daniel 9:27: He will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. Then as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the end that has been decreed is poured out on this defiler."
      • Matthew 24:15: "The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place" -- reader, pay attention!
      • 2 Thessalonians 2:4: He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship. He will position himself in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
(15) He was permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.
  • Permitted:
    • Who permitted him to have this power?
  • Life to this statute:
    • The False Prophet gives life (breath - pneuma) to that which is initially inanimate as God did to clay in Genesis 2:7. Unlike all previous lifeless idols, the image of the beast is given life. This is probably the capstone of the lying miracles which the False Prophet performs - the grand finale of his deception.
    • Morris suggests another possibility, that the spirit given may be an unclean spirit, or demon: "The word in the Greek is pneuma, meaning “spirit” or “wind.” The false prophet is enabled (by his own master, Satan) to impart a spirit to the image, but that spirit is one of Satan’s unclean spirits, probably a highly placed demon in the satanic hierarchy. This is a striking case of demon possession, with the demon possessing the body of the image rather than that of a man or woman."
    • This event concludes at the middle of the final week, after the Beast overcomes the two witnesses (Revelation 11:7+). It is the signal for the flight of the Jewish remnant to the mountains and thereafter to the wilderness.
    • The first commentary we have on the Book of Revelation, written by Victorinus in the early church, says of this Revelation 13:15 : “He shall cause also that a golden image of Antichrist shall be placed in the temple at Jerusalem, and that the apostate angel should enter, and thence utter voices and oracles.”
(16) He required everyone -- great and small, rich and poor, slave and free -- to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.
  • Everyone:
    • This is the point of no return. The entire population of the earth is now divided into those who retain physical life, but forever lose spiritual life versus those who retain spiritual life, but are likely to lose physical life. The former are those who worship the Beast and his image. The latter refuse to worship at the cost of their physical lives. The only exceptions are the believing Jewish remnant which is hidden by God (Revelation 12:6+, 14+) and those who manage to stay alive underground within the Beast’s system (Revelation 18:4+) or flee to the mountains (possibly Petra). Many of those which refuse the mark and reside within the Beast’s system will be Gentiles who come to faith during this time of the end. Their survival will be precarious on two counts: (1) both Beasts and the Harlot seek their death and (2) they will be unable to purchase the basic necessities of life. Many of them will achieve victory over the Beast, not by survival, but by persevering in martyrdom (Revelation 7:14-17+; 20:4+).
  • A mark:
    • Those who worship the Beast and his image and take his mark are warned by an angel concerning the seriousness of what they are about to do. This unique global warning indicates the irreversible nature of taking the mark. There is no possibility of redemption once the mark is taken - Revelation 14:9-11:
      • Then a third angel followed them, shouting, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.
    • Those who have victory over the Beast, his image, the mark and the number of his name are seen in heaven prior to the pouring forth of the bowl judgments (Revelation 15:1-2). Therefore, this command to take the mark must occur prior to the bowl judgments.
      • Revelation 15:1-2: Then I saw in heaven another significant event, and it was great and marvelous. Seven angels were holding the seven last plagues, which would bring God's wrath to completion. I saw before me what seemed to be a crystal sea mixed with fire. And on it stood all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name. They were all holding harps that God had given them.
      • Revelation 16:2: So the first angel left the Temple and poured out his bowl over the earth, and horrible, malignant sores broke out on everyone who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue.
    • Those who refuse to worship the Beast or his image and refuse his mark are “beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God” (Revelation 20:4). These live and reign with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom. When the third bowl judgment is poured forth, the remainder of the rivers and springs become blood. An angel explains this righteous judgment of God: “For your holy people and your prophets have been killed, and their blood was poured out on the earth. So you have given their murderers blood to drink. It is their just reward.” (Revelation 16:6).
    • The Greek word translated “mark” is charagma and denotes the official stamp of the Caesar. This stamp is applied to documents to certify them.
    • A man who had lived under Bulgaria’s communist regime remarked: “You cannot understand and you cannot know that the most terrible instrument of persecution ever devised is an innocent ration card. You cannot buy and you cannot sell except according to that little, innocent card. If they please, you can be starved to death, and if they please, you can be dispossessed of everything you have; for you cannot trade, and you cannot buy and you cannot sell, without permission.” (Cited in W. A. Criswell, Expository Sermons on Revelation [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1969], 4:120–21)
  • Forehead:
    • The high priest wore a plate of pure gold upon his forehead with the engraving, “SET APART AS HOLY TO THE LORD” (Exodus 28:36-38). It declared him to be one who was set aside for the purpose and ministry of God. Ezekiel was shown a vision where those to be spared God’s judgment receive a mark on their foreheads. The 144,000 sealed of Israel have the name of the Father and of the Lamb written on their foreheads.
      • Ezekiel 9:4: He said to him, "Walk through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of all those who weep and sigh because of the sins they see around them."
      • Revelation 7:3: "Wait! Don't hurt the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants."
      • Revelation 14:1: Then I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads.
      • Revelation 17:5: A mysterious name was written on her forehead: "Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World."
(17) And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.
  • That mark:
    • In the Papyri, charagma (mark) is always connected with the Emperor, and sometimes contains his name and effigy, with the year of his reign. It was necessary for buying and selling. It is found on all sorts of documents, making them valid; and there are many on “bills of sale.” Charagma is therefore the official seal.
    • The purpose of the mark will be to serve as a sign of identification of those who will own the Antichrist as their god. Only those who have this number will be permitted to work, to buy, to sell or simply to make a living. The verse does not speak of credit cards, banking systems, a cashless society, a one-world money system, or computers, etc. I would also assume that it will be impossible to duplicate or fake.
    • The technology to give people a mark that enables them to buy and sell in the electronic economy is available. There are many different ways it could happen. One interesting possibility from a company named Applied Digital Solutions, which has developed a product called “Digital Angel.” Digital Angel™ is a microchip implanted in the body powered by the body’s own biomechanical electricity and able to communicate with satellites. This is from a real, legitimate company whose stock is traded on major exchanges. In a press release, Digital Angel’s Dr. Peter Zhou commented: “I’m particularly excited about Digital Angel’s ability to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and providing emergency rescue units with the person’s exact location. I also see great potential for Digital Angel in the area of ‘location-aware’ e-commerce. This is a whole new wireless and Web-enabled frontier in which a purchaser’s actual location is integral to making a successful sale or providing a valuable, location-critical service.” It isn’t hard to see how this kind of “mark” can become commonplace, simply as the logical step in the course of the electronic economy. Digital Angel has produced the VeriChip, an implantable computer chip which monitors human biometric functions and transmits the data with GPS technology. The VeriChip was approved for human medical use by the FDA in 2014. About the size of a grain of rice, VeriChip is a subdermal radio frequency microchip. Once inserted under the skin in a brief outpatient procedure, the VeriChip cannot be seen by the human eye. Each VeriChip contains a unique 16-digit verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the insertion site. The captured 16 digit number links to the database via encrypted Internet access. The previously stored information is then conveyed via the internet to the registered requesting healthcare provider. It's easy to see how this technology can be expanded to further uses.
(18) Wisdom is needed to understand this. Let the one who has understanding solve the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
  • Number:
    • The number of the Beast will be 666. The number of Man is 6 because Man was created on the sixth day. God’s number is seven because it represents completion and perfection, since on the seventh day of creation, God rested from His work which He declared to be good or perfect. The number 666 might refer to Satan + Antichrist + False Prophet versus 777 for the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
    • History is full of names conjectured to fulfill the riddle of this verse.
    • The better part of wisdom is to be content that the identification is not yet available, but will be when the future false Christ ascends to his throne.
Revelation 14:1-7: THEN I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roaring of a great waterfall or the rolling of mighty thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. And no one could learn this song except those 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. For they are spiritually undefiled, pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been purchased from among the people on the earth as a special offering to God and to the Lamb. No falsehood can be charged against them; they are blameless. And I saw another angel flying through the heavens, carrying the everlasting Good News to preach to the people who belong to this world -- to every nation, tribe, language, and people. "Fear God," he shouted. "Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all the springs of water."

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