<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Amazing Facts

The Beast

Joe Crews

The Beast Part 1

The Beast Part 2

The Beast Part 3

Several countries have disappeared completely from the pages of history as a result of communist aggression.

Many years ago, another tyrant power uprooted 3 small governments and the result is still seen today.

I'll be back in a moment with the amazing facts about the dictator who was different.

Hello this is Joe Cruz and the Amazing Facts Broadcast, facts which affect you.

In our last broadcast, we introduced 1 of the most interesting and urgent prophecies in the Bible revolving around the activities of the beast of Revelation 13.

The most terrible punishment of all time is pronounced against anybody who follows that beast's power.

Listen once more to those solemn words of warning in Revelation 14, 9, and 10, If any man worship the beast, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation.

And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." So there it is, friends, and language so clear that nobody can fail to see its vital importance.

Now let's read the Bible description of that beast in Revelation 13, verses 1-3.

"...And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having 7 heads, and 10 horns, and upon his horns 10 crowns, and upon his heads a name of blasphemy.

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." Now you will immediately recognize, friends, that this is not a literal animal at all, but a symbolic prophetic representation.

But the Scriptures provide the key of interpreting the different symbols here in the Bible.

For instance, this animal comes up out of the water and Revelation 17, 15 tells us, "...the waters which thou sawest are multitudes, and nations, and tongues, and people." Now this helps, but What about the other strange parts of the beast?

It has the body of a leopard, and the mouth of a lion, and the feet of a bear.

All right, going back to Daniel 7 verse 2, we read that a very similar vision was seen by the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament.

He saw the same water, for example, which symbolizes people.

But notice what came up out of the water.

And 4 great beasts came up from the sea, diverse 1 from another.

So you see Daniel saw 4 animals instead of just 1 as John did in Revelation.

And the angel explains another key to Daniel about animals and prophecy.

Notice verse 17 in chapter 7, "...these great beasts which are 4, are 4 kings which shall arise out of the earth." And then verse 23 says, "...the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth." So friends, here are the only 4 world empires of history represented by animals.

Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome rising up 1 after another from 606 B.C.

The lion, bear, leopard, and terrible nondescript beasts symbolized those great pagan kingdoms which ruled the earth during those years.

The last kingdom of Rome was to be divided into 10 parts.

Listen, it had 10 horns and it was described like this, "...and the 10 horns out of this kingdom are 10 kings that shall arise." That is Daniel 7.24.

And sure enough history records that when the Western Roman Empire collapsed in 476 A.D., that territory was divided into exactly 10 parts.

These 10 parts were those northern tribes who came sweeping down over the Roman Empire to divide it up, the Anglo-Saxons, the Alamanni, Heruli, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Suevi, Lombards, Burgundians, and Franks.

And by the way, 7 of them survive until this very day in the form of modern nations.

Now we are prepared to read verse 8 of this prophecy, I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were 3 of the first horns plucked up by the roots.

And, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." Now here we must be very careful indeed.

We must not make a mistake about the identity of this little horn because it will prove later on to be the great Antichrist power of history.

So in order to avoid all mistakes of identity, I will read 9 identifying characteristics right out of the Bible.

Now these marks of identity, friends, will apply to only 1 power so we can be certain of the interpretation later on.

First of all, the little horn came up among the 10, we are told here very plainly.

Now this places it geographically in Western Europe.

Second, it came up after the 10 arose because it came up among the 10, and since the 10 came up in 476 A.D., the little horn would have to arise sometime after 476 A.D.

Third point, it would uproot 3 of the 10 when it would come forth.

Now verse 8 says that before the little horn there were 3 of the first horns plucked up of the roots, and sure enough 3 of them were plucked up and disappeared completely, the vandals, the heruli, and the ostragoths.

Next point, point number 4, it says that this little horn would have eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things, verse 8.

So this means then that a man would be at the head of that power.

Fifth point, He shall be diverse from the first horns.

This means that the little horn would be a different kind of power from those political powers that preceded it.

Now let's go on to the sixth characteristic in the first part of verse 25, And he shall speak great words against the Most High.

Now another text says, Great words and blasphemies.

Now at this point we ought to define from the Bible the meaning of blasphemy.

In John 10, 30-33, Jesus was about to be stoned for claiming to be 1 with the Father.

The Jews who were about to kill Him said, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou being a man makest thyself God.

Now friends, according to this text, it is blasphemy for a man to be accorded the place of God.

Of course we know Jesus was God, and it was no blasphemy for Him.

But now let's read Mark 2, 7 and get another definition of this word blasphemy.

Jesus had just forgiven a man his sins and the scribe said, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?

So Friends, clearly Jesus was not a blasphemer because He was God, but for a man to make these claims would constitute blasphemy.

And so we see then how these identifying marks were so clearly given in the Bible.

This little horn power would take the place of God and he would claim to forgive sins.

But now let's move on to the seventh point of identity.

In verse 25 it says, And he shall wear out the saints of the Most High.

This tells us that the little horn is a persecuting power.

Let's remember that as we begin to seek for the identity.

All right, eighth mark of identity is also given in verse 25, "...

He shall think to change times and laws." Now let me say this, friends, God's law cannot be changed, but this power will try to do it.

And now the ninth, we read in verse 25 just how long this little horn would exercise power in the earth.

And they shall be given into his hand until the time, and times, and the dividing of time." Now let's ask this question, how long is that?

It is a strange prophetic way of speaking.

The answer is found By comparing Revelation 12, 6 with Revelation 12, 14, these 2 verses speak of the same event but they use different descriptions of the time period involved.

Verse 14 says, And to the woman were given 2 wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time." Now you will notice that this is exactly the same period as Daniel tells us that the little horn would rule the earth, a time, times, and a half a time.

But verse 6 says, "...the woman fled into the wilderness a thousand 200 and threescore days.

In other words, friends, a time times and a half a time is equal to 1260 days.

This means that a time is a year, times plural is 2 years, and a half a time is a half a year, and that adds up to 3 and a half years.

That's equal to 1260 days exactly, giving the Bible year of 360 days to the year.

Now we must apply the prophetic rule of a day for a year.

Please take notice that always in prophetic reckoning a day represents a year.

Now this is not true in history or narrative.

It is only true in the prophetic parts of the Bible.

In Ezekiel 4, 6 we read that rule, and it says, I have appointed thee each day for a year.

Now God spoke those words to the prophet.

Further support is found in Numbers 14, 34.

And this method of reckoning time must always be applied in the study of Bible prophecy.

This means that the little horn power would rule, instead of just 1260 days, would rule literally 1260 years.

All right, now we have completed the 9 points of identity.

If you mark them down, you have an impressive list with the Bible's own word, the description of God concerning the identification of this power.

Now you may be wondering what this has to do with the beast of Revelation 13, and we are now ready to identify that strange composite symbol.

Let's read the description of that beast again with the body of the leopard, the feet of the bear, and the mouth of the lion in Revelation 13, verse 5.

And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies." All right, you will notice that this beast of Revelation 13 does exactly the same thing as a little horn of Daniel 7.

And then Revelation 13, 5 continues, And power was given unto him to continue 40 and 2 months.

And friends, that's exactly 1260 days, the same as the little horn of Daniel.

And then in verse 7 it says, And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.

The beast is a persecuting power, and we read in Daniel 7 the little horn would be a persecuting power as well.

They both do the same things and they rule for the same period.

They are both symbolic in fact of the same power.

Now notice 1 further thing in closing today, friends.

Back to Menu

Series

The Beast

The Beast Part 2

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

The Beast

The Beast Part 3

14m

The Millennium

The Millennium Part 3

14m

Prophecy Encounter

A Woman Rides a Beast, Pt. 2

28m

All the World Wondered- Part 1

28m

The Beast

The Beast Part 1

14m

The Millennium

The Millennium Part 1

14m

The Three Angels

14m

Which Way, America?

04 Rise of the Antichrist

58m

Plenary Sessions

666 Part 3

1h 50m

Change of the Sabbath

A Change of the Sabbath, Part 1

14m

The Arch-Villain of Prophecy

The Arch-Villain of Prophecy, Part 2

28m

Sound Doctrine