Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the book of Revelation, p. Essentially he is inviting his readers to see Satan for who he really is, using parallelism and symbols to teach these truths. Essentially the dragon and his beasts are the opposite of Jesus Christ and John is working to show the parallels throughout his text. As Christ received authority from his Father, so the Sea Beast received authority from the Dragon. Both have followers who carry their name upon their foreheads.Ħ. Note the similarity between the lamb and the beast:ģ. The admiration given to the beast is not given out of love, but rather out of fear. This beast will die, but not in this moment. The Savior is killed and is resurrected, and the beast receives a fatal wound θανάτου πληγή thanatou plege – and is healed. Both the beast and the lamb (the Savior) receive wounds. Satan is the classic imitator, always working to mimic what the Savior is doing in order to deceive. The phrase in Revelation 13.3 ὡς ἐσφαγμένην hos esphagmenen “slain” is just about identical to the one used to describe the Lamb’s wound in Revelation 5.6 – ἑστηκὼς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον hestekos hos esphagmenon, “standing as slain,” illustrating for the reader that John is punning on the beast, showing essentially that the beast is in imitation of the Savior. Is the Lord who fits this description – see Exodus 8.10, 15.11 Deuteronomy 3.24 The beast is a parody of the Lord and his government on earth The battle in chapters 12 and 13 is for the hearts and minds of the sons and daughters of God, and the fight is real, ongoing, and there are casualties. “The ‘Mahan principle’ is a frank recognition that the world’s economy is based on the exchange of life for property.” (“The Law of Consecration,” Collected Works of Hugh … Continue readingWe see this Moses 5.29-31, where Satan “did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth…” See also Helaman 6.27. This is the classic Mahan principle so perfectly taught by Hugh Nibley, whereby Satan works to convert the sons and daughters of God into property, into commodities. What is the objective of these beasts? To lead people astray, and to buy/sell, and get gain. Or false law-givers whose powers will rule through the last days. There is little doubt that John is working toĮxpose these beasts in symbolic terms as the counterfeit godhead, or deceivers, Monsters as the Son draws his power from the Father, so too the first beast drawsĪuthority from the dragon as the Holy Ghost glorifies the Son, so too the evil 146.Īs the son has two witnesses, so too the dragon ahs two The two beasts with their master, the dragon, “constitute an unholy trinity of malicious evil.” Richard Draper, Opening the Seven Seals: The Visions of John the Revelator, Deseret Book, 1991, p. We are dealing with a text that is accentuating the dualism of these powers. Just as the Kingdom of God has both an ecclesiastical and political arm, so too does the kingdom of the Devil. This beast wants people to worship the first beast. He has limits to his power, but while he has the time, he is striving to destroy the souls of men.Ī second beast comes up out of the earth, what I will call “The Land Beast,” a creature with 2 horns like a lamb and speaking like a dragon (Rev. All of this can certainly be read as a type- a symbol for the limited power of the Adversary as he works inside of time. 42 months also is about the time of ministry of Jesus while he sojourned upon the earth, a time when he faced severe opposition to the truths that he taught. 11.2 King James Version, years in the JST), and so all of this could indicate that this beast has at least a 1,200 year long history of wreaking havoc with the children of God on the earth during a time of deep distress. He shall speak words against the Most High,Īnd shall wear out the saints of the Most High,Īnd shall think to change the times and the law įorty-two months is the period that corresponds to 1,260 days of the dragon’s pursuit of the woman (Rev. The time allotted to the beast is essentially three and one half years, where the text states: The 42 months, or 3.5 years is probably related to the time period in Daniel 7.8 -25. This beast has political power, the ability to “make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. One beast arises out of the sea, hence we will call it “The Sea Beast.” This creature has 7 heads and 10 horns and is “like a leopard” but with the feet of a bear, mouth of a lion, and is given power by the dragon (Rev. Revelation 13 depict two mighty beasts coming to the fore, both representing different aspects of the Kingdom of Satan in his time as well as ours.