End Time Insights

The “ great voice in heaven ” pronounced “ woe ” on the “ Inhabitants of the Earth and the Sea because the Devil has descended to you, having great wrath .” The “ Dragon ” then began his war against the “ Seed of the Woman ” by summoning his own “seed,” the “ Beast from the Sea ” and the “ Beast from the Earth .”

John saw the “ Beast ascending from the Earth ” intent on deceiving the “ Inhabitants of the Earth .” The “ Beast from the Sea ” is characterized by its political power. In contrast, the “ Beast from the Earth ,” the “ False Prophet ,” uses religious performance and propaganda to deceive men, and economic sanctions to suppress all those who do not submit to its demands.

The False Prophet coaxes and coerces men to take the Beast’s “mark,” its “name” or “number” – Revelation 13:16-18 .  The “false prophet” uses the power of the first Beast against anyone who refuses to give full allegiance to the “beast from the sea,” and its “mark” becomes an economic weapon against nonconformists. Commerce is the lifeblood of the beastly empire and imposing sanctions is its enforcement mechanism, and economic restrictions produce deprivation and suffering.

The inhabitants of the earth willingly venerate the Beast and receive its mark, although Christians are not immune from its allure .  Discussions on the Beast's “ mark ” focus on questions about what it is - medical implant, barcode, tattoo – and the significance of its “ number. ”  As important as these issues are, more critical is the question -  How is the mark implemented, and how does the believer avoid taking it ?

Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb who redeems men, but both the Beast and the False Prophet mimic him to deceive humanity .  In  Revelation , several names are applied to Jesus, but by far the most frequent and important is the designation “ Lamb .” And in his war against him, the “ Dragon ” employs two entities that imitate the “ Lamb ,” namely, the beasts from the sea and the earth.

The False Prophet uses every means necessary to coax or coerce men to give their allegiance to the Beast from the sea .  The “ false prophet ” uses “ signs and wonders ” and its control of commerce to cause the “ inhabitants of the earth ” to render homage to the “ Beast .” Whether he employs force or persuasion, the goal is the same. Anyone who refuses to submit is excluded from the economic life of the  Empire.

The “ False Prophet ” uses economic power against anyone who refuses to render homage to the  World Empire , and the “ Mark of the Beast ” is his enforcement mechanism. The ability to impose monetary penalties on nations, communities, and individuals is key to the imperial power of the First Beast.

The Rider on the White Horse destroys the beasts from the sea and the earth at the last battle, Armageddon – Revelation 19:17-21.  In chapter 19 of Revelation , John sees the destruction of the “ Beast from the sea ” and the “ false prophet ” at the final battle when the “ rider on the white horse ” overthrows the forces of “ Gog and Magog .” The passage does not state where this occurs other than on planet earth. The focus is on the destruction of the two beasts and their consignment to the “ Lake of Fire. ”

Fifty years ago, I was influenced greatly by the bestseller, ‘The Late Great Planet Earth.’ In it, I read how last-day prophecies were being fulfilled before our eyes in the daily news headlines. All the “signs” indicated that I was a member of the “last generation” that would live before the return of Jesus. The Antichrist, Armageddon, and the Millennium were just around the corner.