Antichrist is Coming, Part 2 (The Beast Out of the Sea)

Photo by icon ade, vecteezy.com

By Marv Rosenthal

This is the second of a 2-part series

Read Part 1 here.

Believers Attacked
Revelation 12 ended with these words:

So the dragon [Satan] was enraged with the woman [Israel], and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:17).

The “rest of her seed” against whom the dragon will make war during the Great Tribulation is not simply the Jewish people, or those Gentiles who come to faith during the 70th Week of Daniel (the final 7 years of this era of human history) – it also includes the believing Church which is still upon the earth (Revelation 14:12).

It is through the provision of the covenant God made with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, that all humanity can be saved (Genesis 12:1-3). The believing Church is not Israel; it never was Israel and never will replace Israel. Replacement Theology has no legitimacy in God’s Word. It is not only a form of spiritual anti-Semitism, it is far worse; for it impugns the faithfulness of God to His eternal promises.

However, it is equally true that all of the Church’s blessings come through Israel and her incomparable Son. It is this association which will place Gentile believers – the “rest of her seed” – in the crosshairs of Satan’s persecution in the Last Days.

In America – and every other Western nation – we are already seeing the increasing attempts to dismantle Christianity, to rewrite the Judeo-Christian foundation out of our history, and the insidious persecution of those who hold to biblical principles. It is only going to get worse – much worse.

Satan’s attack against believers during the Great Tribulation will be so successful that the Lord taught:

And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved [that is, survive the persecution of Antichrist]; but for the sake of the elect those days [the Great Tribulation] will be cut short (Matthew 24:22).

Satan is not attacking the unsaved world unless it is in the realm of expanding his political power base. He desires the worship and allegiance of the unsaved world with the intent of making them subjects of his kingdom of darkness.

It is believers – whose worship and allegiance he does not have – he seeks. If God does not directly intervene by shortening the length of the Great Tribulation, no believers will survive the onslaught of Satan (Matthew 24:22). But God, in great grace, will intervene – He will shorten the Great Tribulation with the beginning of the Day of the Lord (Matthew 24:29-30).

Called to Martyrdom
There are 3 divisions (not 2, as often taught) to Daniel’s 70th Week. They are: the beginning birth pangs; the Great Tribulation; and the Day of the Lord. The Lord clearly reveals these 3 divisions in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew Chapter 24.

One day Jesus told His followers to “take up [your] cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). He was not teaching that everyone has a cross to bear as is frequently suggested. What He was teaching was: If you are not willing to die – be a martyr – for Me at a future time should the need arise, you are not worthy to live [be a disciple] for Me today.

Biblical Christianity is not some kind of tiptoe through the tulips; turn the other cheek; let’s be politically correct; easy-believism religion. It is a call to take up arms and follow our Savior wherever the battle leads – even to martyrdom. If we are afraid to share our faith with our neighbors today, what kind of martyrs will we make then?

No wonder young people are lulled to sleep in many of our churches – we give them no legitimate biblical challenge. Ever-expanding contemporary programs may bring in young people, but they are not a substitute for a biblical call to total commitment.

Contemporary programs may grow churches, but this alone will not develop disciples. The Greek word for “martyr” carries with it the idea of being a faithful witness, even if it leads to death. And this is the challenge He gives to all His sons and daughters.

There is no greater truth in the universe than this: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). But once you do, there is an equally important corollary truth: “You’re in the army now.”

The French Foreign Legion had a motto: “If I falter, push me on. If I stumble, pick me up. If I retreat, shoot me.” As a former Marine, I always liked that motto. Perhaps it is a little over the top for the Christian because of God’s infinite grace. But, do we really want to retreat and become a deserter? I think not!

The Beast Out of the Sea
John wrote:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names (Revelation 13:1).

How ominous! How fearful! A 7-headed, 10-horned, grotesque beast – one of history’s most powerful demonic beings – emerging from among the nations of the world and about to join Satan in a diabolical war against those who refuse to give them their allegiance but choose instead to follow Christ!

It would be wonderful to be able to say to all believers at that time, “Gird up your loins. Now is the time for us to go to war; free your swords from their scabbards, and slay this 7-headed, 10-horned beast.” But the reality is, he is too powerful for us. We must leave his defeat to our King. Our part is to remain faithful.

It is the dragon (Satan) of Chapter 12 who summons the beast “out of the sea” to assist in his assault against God and His redeemed people. The beast will emerge “out of the sea” which appears to be a reference to the Gentile nations (Revelation 17:1, 15). However, we are also told that the beast was summoned from the abyss or bottomless pit (Revelation 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3).

The bottomless pit is where demons are incarcerated (Revelation 9:1-2; 11; see also Luke 8:31). I must assume, therefore, that the beast is a man (a king or ruler from among the nations) wholly given over to the control of a powerful demonic being from the abyss. John wrote of the unsaved world: “And they worshiped the dragon [Satan] because he gave his authority to the beast” (Revelation 13:4).

When John beheld the emergence of the beast, he saw the 10 crowns (or diadems, an indication of regal authority) rise out of the sea first, then the 10 horns, followed by the 7 heads, and finally the body of the beast came into full view.

This beast which emerges from the sea (Gentile nations) and is summoned from the bottomless pit is the Antichrist and should not be confused with the false prophet. Concerning the Antichrist, some basic observations can be made:

• As Jesus is the Son of God, the Antichrist is the progeny of Satan.
• As Jesus represents perfect humanity, the Antichrist represents totally depraved humanity.
• As Jesus came to provide light and life, the Antichrist comes to impose darkness and death.
• As Jesus was empowered for His ministry at His baptism when the Spirit of God came upon Him, the Antichrist will be empowered for his diabolical work by a demon from the abyss which will fully possess him.
• As Jesus lived before His incarnation – His “His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2) – the Antichrist lived upon the earth before his final incarnation during the Last Days. It is said of the beast that he was, he is, and he will be (Revelation 17:8, 11).
• As Jesus literally died by crucifixion, the Antichrist will literally die by a fatal wound.
• As Jesus was literally resurrected from the dead to die no more, the Antichrist will be literally raised from the dead (Revelation 13:14; 17:8, 11). But unlike Christ who will live forever, the Antichrist will go into perdition – he will be imprisoned forever in the lake of fire.
• As Jesus (the seed of Abraham) is Jewish, destined to rule the world, the Antichrist (perhaps the seed of Nimrod, from the tower of Babel) is a Gentile who will be defeated in his attempt to once again revolt against God and usurp the kingdom of this world.
• As all who follow Christ will be eternally blessed, all who follow Antichrist will be eternally cursed.

His “Resurrection”
In appearance, the beast of Revelation 13 represents both a kingdom and a king, and is nondescript. That is, there is no one animal which can accurately represent the beast’s appearance because there is no one animal which can reflect its character. For this reason it is described as a composite beast.

John wrote: “And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion” (Revelation 2a). This is immediately reminiscent of the beasts of Daniel 7.

The leopard represented the agility and speed of the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great. The feet of a bear represented the lumbering power of the Medo-Persian Empire, and the mouth of a lion represented the fear and ferociousness of the Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar.

In speaking of the king, we are told: “And the dragon [Satan] gave him his power and his throne, and great authority” (v. 2b). John saw one of the 7 heads of the beast “as if it had been fatally wounded” (v. 3). The expression “as if it had been fatally wounded” is precisely the same Greek wording used of Christ and translated “as if slaughtered” (Revelation 5:6).

If Jesus, at His crucifixion actually died (and He did), it must be concluded that one of the heads of the beast actually died. But more than that, John tells us “his fatal wound was healed” (v. 3). This can only be referring to a restoration to life. Some don’t want to attribute this power to Satan – but I believe it is so.

Since a “head” of the beast can refer to both a kingdom and its king, the question is: “Who or what died and was raised to life again?” Is the text referring to one of the 7 kingdoms over which the beast ruled which died and came back into existence, or is it referring to a king of one of the 7 kingdoms who died and was brought back to life?

Either, or both, could be true. If only one of the options is chosen, it would seem to me that a king – the Antichrist, himself – is in view and that the restoration to life will be observable by the masses of people. As a result of the restoration of the Antichrist to life, John wrote, “And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast” (v. 3c).

In response to repeated questions, Jesus told the Jewish leaders that the sign (miracle or wonder) to authenticate all He did in life and death would be His resurrection (John 2:18-21). Satan, therefore, will perform a counterfeit resurrection to authenticate his counterfeit message concerning the Antichrist.

Jesus was resurrected, never to die again. The Antichrist will be raised from the dead, but eventually, he will be thrown into the abyss for eternity (Revelation 19:20).

Beware Deception
One cannot help but reflect on the Lord’s comments in His discourse on the Mount of Olives. He said: “And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they will mislead many people’” (Matthew 24:4-5).

And again, He said: “For false christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). What greater counterfeit sign could there be than one being raised from the dead?

As a result of these things, we are told:

They [the mass of humanity] worshiped the dragon [Satan] because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast [the Antichrist], saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (Revelation 13:4).

The Antichrist will blaspheme God, but his power will be limited to 3½ years (v. 6).

During part of that period of time, he will persecute believers and establish a one-world government:

It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them [only in the physical realm and only for a short time], and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation (v. 7).

Again, we are told:

All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered (v. 8).

The world will worship the Antichrist. But there is a crucial exception. All will worship him, “whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life” (v. 8).

The powerful truth being revealed is this: Those whose names are written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world will not worship the Antichrist. A line from a chorus we used to sing in seminary years ago comes to mind at this moment: “More secure is no one ever, than the loved ones of the Savior.”

A Call to Understand
Then, suddenly, in the midst of this discussion of the dragon (Satan) and the beast (the Antichrist) and the persecution of the sons and daughters of God, John proclaims: “If anyone has an ear, let him hear” (v.9).

It is an immediate reminder of Matthew’s comment in the midst of the Lord’s teaching on the Great Tribulation. Matthew wrote, “let the reader understand” (Matthew 24:15).

In both instances, the idea is this: The subject being discussed is critically important; therefore, make every effort to understand it, because it is truth Satan will make every effort to keep the Church from understanding.

Suddenly we are given a promise of righteous vindication and divine justice with these words:

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints (v. 10).

Here is the ultimate manifestation of capital punishment. It is an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. There are no excuses – there are no exceptions. Those who have persecuted or slain God’s sons and daughters will suddenly have the roles reversed.

What the unsaved have done to believers God will do to them. It is not a matter of revenge; it is a matter of justice. “Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” Two things are in view. First is perseverance, which is remaining true to God in the midst of great pressure and adversity. In view is the persecution directly attributed to the Great Tribulation.

The second thing is faith, which is the soul resting in the sufficiency of the evidence. It is taking God at His word with the unshakable conviction that what He has promised, He will bring to pass, even if the world itself and all the powers of Hell appear to be conspiring against it.

A New Personality
Then, without warning, John said: “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth” (v. 11a).

Oh, my! Wasn’t the first beast devastating enough? And now, we are confronted with a second beast. The first beast (the Antichrist) comes out of the sea (the Gentile nations) and will be a Gentile.

The second beast (the false prophet) comes out of the land (the nation of Israel) and will be Jewish. Like the Antichrist, he too will be empowered by the dragon (Satan) for 3½ years.

Satan has now assembled his demonic team for his final attempt to take over the earth. What strategy does he employ for his diabolical work?

In the next 2-part series, we will examine this Beast of the Earth.

Marv Rosenthal, founder and President of Zion’s Hope, was an acclaimed international Bible teacher for almost 6 decades.