Tucson Mountain Baptist Church

Prophetic interpretation: broadly held historic facts.

Prophetic speculation: personal ideas, various possibilities of God’s word

I. THE BEAST OUT OF THE SEA

“And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” Vs. 1-2

There are three basic interpretations or ideas about this beast

1. It represented the Government of Rome.

2. It represents Any Power that sets itself up as anti-God in the world.

3. It represents the great Final Ruler of this world

There are truths in all three of these. In Rome there was incredible power of evil working to destroy the first Christians.

In any government that has ever existed that has oppression of those who want to believe in our God.

God has revealed to us that what began in the first century is going to culminate in one great evil final world ruler. Who is going to be against God and His people.

What about these seven heads and ten horns? They are indications of evil powers.

Jesus said He didn’t even know the day or the hour, only His Father who was in heaven knew. If we can’t figure out the day or the hour, should that bother us as Christians? No.

“Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, “Get up and eat your fill of flesh!” After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.” Daniel 7:3-6

What kind of a world ruler is this first beast? It is a Political Leader that rules through Intimidation.

“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 astonished and followed the beast. Men 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 make war against him?” The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he 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 book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” Vs. 3-8

Three classic interpretations about this wound. 1. It’s symbolic of the Weakness of this ruler or kingdom. 2. It’s a picture of a Nation that falls and rises again. 3. It’s all about an Individual.

“He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Vs. 9-10

How are believers supposed to face and deal with this kind of intimidation? The Bible tells us it’s through two things – patient endurance and faithfulness.

2. The beast of the earth

“Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” Vs. 11-15

This is a Spiritual Leader who rules through Deception.

If you can get people politically, spiritually, religiously, and financially, you’ve got them.

He sets up an image of the beast, It’s an Idol.

“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich, and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” Vs. 16-18:

You cannot accidentally receive the mark of the beast.

The believers have been Saved and Sealed by God.

How do we defeat these beasts? For the beast that rules through deception. The Bible says in v. 18. “This calls for wisdom.”

For the beast that rules through intimidation. The Bible says in v. 10 This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness

We see the dragon, the first beast and the second beast. Satan’s setting himself up as an unholy counterfeit trinity.

Revelation 17:8 speaks of this counterfeit trinity, “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.”

Remember God’s story in Revelation 4:8; He is “…Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is, and is to come.”

We see counterfeit rulers, counterfeit miracles, counterfeit worship, counterfeit resurrection and now this counterfeit trinity.

The Bible calls for wisdom and then it says, “It is man’s number.”

The number 6 is thought to be Imperfect. Six is the number that indicated man in that day. This maybe saying this is not some spiritual or political power.

This maybe an individual now personified as Satan, a man who is going to be used in an ungodly way. This evil trinity, this evil 666 mimics the holy trinity of 777.

Yes, Satan will be allowed to throw his worst at the world. The doors to the pit are open wide and yet, it’s not enough. It’s not enough to defeat those who believe in Christ Jesus. The dragon is defeated by Michael the archangel. Satan doesn’t have the power to have victory in heaven or on earth. The beast from the sea is defeated through patient endurance and faithfulness. The beast from the earth is defeated through wisdom. Satan doesn’t have the power to defeat us or defeat our faith.