The Beast and the False Prophet

The apostles of Jesus were traveling to various parts of the world to tell the good news of another King who came to reconcile mankind back to God and to administer righteousness and justice on the earth. This King died for mankind in order to accomplish this. He took the sins of mankind with Him to His death so that they could be forgiven and made righteous before God. He was resurrected from the dead, thereby defeating death. He came to defeat the works of the devil, and to give life and eternal life to those who believe. There is an alternative to man's ways and the government's decrees: another King, one called Jesus (Acts 17:7).

As the apostles went, many people believed, and became disciples of Jesus, also known as Christians. In turn, they told everyone they knew about this King, and many more believed and became Christians. News about this King spread all throughout the world. 

Belief in Jesus around the Roman Empire was causing many people to turn away from worshipping idols, which was a big business and source of revenue for Roman cities. The people who had become Christians no longer viewed Rome's immoral, and violent culture as being acceptable, and therefore they no longer participated in its cruel and highly sexualized events or culture. Furthermore, the message of another King that was being spread throughout the Empire by Christians was unwelcomed, because the Emperors wanted the people to worship them. Belief in this other King was causing people to not only worship Him rather than the Emperor, but to also defy Caesar's decrees, and not comply with their gross immoral practices or values. In short, the Christian's belief in Jesus was greatly impacting the culture, and the Romans did not like it. 

This led to Rome's persecution of Christians. Jesus's apostle John was only one of the apostles who experienced Rome's persecution for bearing witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ and everything that he saw. Scholars believe that John ministered throughout Asia-Minor. John's witness and testimony of Jesus and what he saw Him do, caused many people throughout that region to repent and believe in Jesus. These Christians met regularly to edify and equip one another for the work of ministry. They were called, "the church". These groups, called churches, popped up throughout Asia-Minor, including the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. John probably oversaw these churches, and some of his letters address his concerns for false teachers and antichrists who had infiltrated the church, and were attempting to lead them astray. 

John's activities no doubt made him one of Rome's primary targets. Foxes Book of Martyrs says that several attempts were made by persecutors to take John's life, including being boiled in oil, however God intervened and kept him from being killed by his persecutors. John was eventually exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian, which was occupied by the Roman Empire during that time, and within Asia-Minor where John ministered.

While in exile, Jesus sent an angel to John, to signify the Revelation that God had given to Jesus to show His people, of things which would soon take place. The Revelation is a prophecy that Jesus made regarding time that was near. John recorded the Revelation, and addressed it to seven churches that he oversaw - the church in Ephesus, the church in Smyrna, the church in Pergamos, the church in Thyatira, the church in Sardis, the church in Philadelphia, and the church in Laodicea. In his letter to them, he wrote that he was their brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. John wanted to encourage the churches by letting them know that they were of God's Kingdom,  and that he was experiencing the same tribulation of persecution that they were, but to remain patient, just as Jesus is. John's letter was likely circulated to these seven churches.

In the Revelation, John was shown many strange things which he recorded in his letter to the churches. Chapter 13 introduces the two beasts of the Revelation, and chapter 12 provides some background and leads into their story, therefore the following is a basic summary of what I think chapters 12 and 13 mean. 

God had chosen Israel to bring the Messiah through her, and the prophets often prophesied to Israel of His coming. Revelation 12:1-2 describes Israel and the birth of the Messiah:

[1] Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. [2] Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

Revelation 12:3-6 describes Satan and his attempt to destroy the Messiah by Herod after He was born, and then throughout His life on earth. However, Satan was unsuccessful in his attempts, and Jesus was taken to His throne in heaven, accomplishing His mission. This occurred when Jesus ascended to heaven:

[3] And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. [4] His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. [5] She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. [6] Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Revelation 12:7-9 describes the battle between God and Satan that took place at the crucifixion of the Lord. Satan lost the battle and was banished from heaven and cast down to earth:

[7] And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, [8] but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. [9] So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 13:10-12 is proclaiming that salvation, strength, the kingdom of God, and the power of His Christ have come to the people of God because Jesus offered Himself as the once for all sacrifice, which defeated Satan and cast him out of heaven. The heavens rejoice, but woe to the inhabitants of the earth and sea because Satan was cast down to them, and he is full of wrath because his time is short:

[10] Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. [11] And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. [12] Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Revelation 12:13-17 describes Satan's wrath being displayed after he was cast of heaven by persecuting the remnant of Israel. The persecution began with Stephen, followed by the apostles and the early church, and has continued throughout history, until this day. But by Christ's sacrifice, God has brought His people out of bondage through salvation. However, Satan spews lies like a flood through false prophets and false teachers to try to deceive Israel, so that they will be led astray, but God supernaturally preserved her despite his persecution and deception. Therefore, Satan was enraged at the remnant of Israel, and went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who are the Gentiles who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ:

[13] Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. [14] But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. [15] So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. [16] But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. [17] And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 13:1-18 describes Satan standing on the shore of the sea, beckoning his allies to join him in his war against the saints. The first ally is a beast rising up out of the sea, and the second one is a beast coming up out of the earth:

[1] "Then he stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. [2] Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. [3] And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. [4] So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

[5] And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. [6] Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. [7] It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. [8] All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

[9] If anyone has an ear, let him hear. [10] He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

[11] Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. [12] And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. [13] He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. [14] And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. [15] He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. [16] He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, [17] and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

[18] Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666."

The first beast represents a political system, and the second beast represents a religious system, both which are allies of Satan, who operates through them against God's people (the ekklesia). The first beast is a representation of the empires of the world who are hostile towards the church, and through whom Satan works to persecute and oppose the church. The second beast represents false religions through which Satan also works in opposition to the church. From the time of the apostles, political and religious systems have been the primary sources of opposition against the church.

In biblical times in the Roman Empire, a numeric code was sometimes assigned to a person to conceal their name. Some believe that the apostle John did this when writing about the first beast in the Revelation, so that the early churches whom he was writing to would know who it was he was referring to. However, if the Romans were to read it, they would not. The Romans severely persecuted the church, so it is believed that the apostle John was taking a precautionary measure to protect the church in case the Romans obtained the letter. 

If this is the case, the person the apostle John was referring to as "the beast", may have been Caesar Nero, the emperor of Rome *at the time of the apostle John's writing of the Revelation. If the Greek spelling of Nero Caesar (Neron Kaisar) is transliterated into Hebrew (nrwn qsr), the numerical equivalent is 666. Nero brutally persecuted Christians living in Rome, and is believed to have blamed the Christians for starting the fire that burned through Rome in AD 64, even though he himself is believed to have started the fire. Nero was an enemy of Christians, and Satan worked through him to persecute Christians and to try to destroy the church. Nero was an evil man who also murdered his mother, and had his wife imprisoned and then killed, after he had married another woman. 

Another reason that Nero might be who the apostle John is talking about, is because John described the beast again in Revelation 17:9-10 as having seven heads, ten horns with a crown on each horn, and a blasphemous name on his heads. The passage says:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time."

John wrote that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains of which there are seven kings. The seven kings are believed by some to be seven emperors of Rome, and the "one [who] is", would have been Nero if Revelation was written during Nero's reign. Nero was the emperor who represented the beast (the political system) at that time, and was the vessel through whom Satan worked to oppress and persecute Christians. Even though Nero is long dead and gone, the beast is continuous throughout history. It will exist until Jesus returns to finish establishing righteousness and justice over the earth, and throws it into the lake of fire, destroying it.

Revelation 17:12-16 describes ten horns, who are ten kings, who received power and authority for a short time as kings with the beast. God enabled these rulers with power and authority for the purpose of waging war against the Lamb and His called, chosen, and faithful followers. God put it in the hearts of these kings to destroy Jerusalem, "the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth".

 Relevance of the Beast and the False Prophet as Being Political and Religious Systems 

Given the events that were taking place at the time of the writing of the Revelation, as well as John's purpose for writing it, it seems both logical and likely, that many of the events that John wrote about were relevant to the churches that he was writing to. God had revealed the Revelation to Jesus, who sent an angel to reveal it to John, who wrote it down in a letter, and revealed it to the seven churches which the events pertained to. These were seven churches that existed at that time, which he oversaw, and which he was a companion with in Rome's persecution of the church. Regarding the two beasts, John was taking precautionary measures by transliterating Nero's name into a numerical value, when letting the churches know that Nero was the beast whom he was talking about. As the overseer of the churches, he was acting to protect the church, just as the underground church does today. He was informing and warning the churches which he oversaw, that their persecution will come primarily by way of political and religious systems, which it did, and has proven to be true throughout history, until this day. Prior to the early church being persecuted by Rome, its primary source of persecution was by the Jews who opposed Jesus and His followers. Judaism was the religious system which John described as the second beast rising up out of the earth. 

It is difficult for the American church to comprehend this idea, not because it is difficult to comprehend, but because first, it has been taught for so long that Revelation is entirely prophesying the end times, and second, it has resided in freedom, comfort, and safety for so long, that it functions differently than the example of the church that is given in the Bible, and the church in other parts of the world. For example, persecution is an issue that we do not have to worry about in the American church, and therefore pastors do not have the task of protecting the sheep from persecution as they did during John's day, or they do in many countries around the world. For many pastors (not all), it is just a job through which they present sermons and manage the church organization, but they have never considered that pastoring, also known as shepherding a flock, includes protecting the flock from persecution and false teachers. Therefore, the notion that the apostles wrote letters to the churches to inform and warn them of persecution and false teachers, may seem foreign to some American pastors and Christians. 

In countries like Iran, the underground church, which is predominantly comprised of women,  is less concerned about whether or not a woman is in a pastoral role or wearing a head covering, and is more concerned that the shepherds are overseeing their flocks by protecting them against persecution, and providing Biblically accurate teaching that can be taught to faithful Christians and passed on to their disciples. The underground church's priority is to protect the flock. Protection against persecution is an issue that the American church, for the most part, does not comprehend, and protection against false teachers is usually not high on its priority list. Given that much of the New Testament consists of letters that were written by the apostles to address these matters to the churches, they should be important subjects for the modern day church to address to modern day Christians as well. 

Another thing of importance to understand is that the American church forms alliances with the two beasts whom Jesus prophesied would persecute the church - the political and religious systems. Its religious alliances, through which persecution of the church comes, include anti-Christian religious groups, or antichrists, which John informed the church were already present in the world, and religious institutions which yields its power to persecute true Christians. Political alliances include political parties, government leaders, government armed forces, and law enforcement agencies. 

Many of the people within these systems may be good people, but they are employed by their religious system, party, or government, and therefore they are required to comply with their employer if they want to obtain a paycheck. Furthermore, bad character corrupts good judgment. These systems are corrupt, and any good person can be corrupted, especially if they are spending time with corrupt people in a corrupt environment. All it takes is for the one(s) who is in control of the system to make the call, and everything can change in an instant.

Although used in a fictional movie, "Order 66", in one of the Star Wars movies, is a good example of this, and has the possibility to become reality in America at any time. During the Clone Wars against Federation Separatists, Order 66 was given to the clones who were fighting alongside the Federation and its Jedi allies for peace and justice in the galaxy. When Senator Palpatine gained political control, he gave Order 66, which turned the clones against the  Federation, causing the clones to fight against those who were once their allies, and for those who were once their enemies. Palpatine ordered his military to serve his own agenda of dominance over the entire galaxy. It seems like a far fetched scenario, but in the United States, all it will take is for the wrong person or people to gain control of the country, and give Order 66, and the church's allies will become its oppressor, and persecutor.

In many countries around the world, such as Iran, Turkey, and China, persecution is primarily by way of the two beasts of Revelation. Many people who convert to Christianity are persecuted by their friends and family who are members of other religions. In many cases, these countries are governed by their religious beliefs, and are led by dictators who oppress and persecute minority groups, and anyone who does not comply. The military and law enforcement authorities are controlled by these oppressive dictators who authorize them to arrest, persecute, imprison, and kill Christians. The government may oppress Christians by not providing food, water, or medical aid to them, or they may legislate oppressive laws against them. This is very common in Muslim, Hindu, and Communist countries. 

The government is not a Christian's friend in these countries, and they do not form alliances with the government who persecutes and oppresses them. I suspect many of them would be astonished, and maybe even appalled, to hear that the American church does. This is because the American government is complicit in many crimes against the church, as well as humanity. America, like every other geo-political nation on earth, is corrupt and is not guiltless of sin, especially sin against the people of God. Furthermore, Christians in these countries who interpret Jesus's prophecy of the two beasts as being about political and religious systems, would understand that forming alliances with them would not be heeding Jesus's warning about them, and would not do it based on that alone. They have an entirely different posture and view of the church than what American Christians have. They take the commands of Christ at face value, and would never even consider allying with their government, because it is one of the beasts that Jesus prophesied of, and because their government opposes them and the kingdom work they are doing. Their view is to use their gifts, talents, and resources for the Kingdom of God, and not for worldly kingdoms. Many do not have, or have never known, the comforts or freedoms that American Christians have been blessed with, and therefore they have no need to form allies with political parties or government to maintain them. These are issues that are unique to the American church, and are not even on their radar. Their trust is in the King of kings for salvation, and not the government. 

Revelation says that the second beast, the False Prophet, who is allied with Satan, is going to work with the first beast to deceive its followers by the signs it performs. Satan works through the church to deceive and persecute God's people, and it works through other religious systems for the same purposes. Throughout the history of the church, there has been false teachers and persecution by the religious institution of Christianity, as well as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Communism, just to name a few.

Modern day Israel, which is highly supported by the United States and American Christians, is a persecutor of Christians. About 2% of the Palestinian population, and about 2% of the Jewish population in Israel are brothers and sisters in Christ, and some are persecuted, with persecution by Orthodox Jews, Muslims, and the Israeli government. Israel has laws against Christians, including proselytizing, and its government contains members who are working to establish more laws. Yet Israel receives over $38 million per day in military aid from the United States, and has received millions of dollars from Christians through churches and charities since the war began. There are other corrupt countries besides Israel who are supported by American Christians as well. This is an example of how the church is being deceived by Satan, and forming an alliance with the two beasts of Revelation. Persecution of Christians, or of any any people, is a matter of righteousness and justice which God's people should be concerned with and working to resolve, not be in support of. 

Because persecution comes from the two beasts that Jesus prophesied of in the Revelation, it would be wise for the church not to ally with either system, otherwise it will be an accomplice to the persecution of the church. Political and religious systems are filled with corruption, and evil intent towards the true church, and therefore a discerning Christian would realize that it is not good to form alliances with them. They are worldly systems that are not of the Kingdom of which Jesus reigns over, therefore there is the possibility that they will betray the church, and oppress and persecute it.

There was a time when the church was highly regarded and respected by believers and unbelievers alike. It had influence on the culture because it followed Jesus as its Lord. It did not need political allies to fight for it. It was its own entity working for justice and righteousness, apart from the government. Its work was focused on the Kingdom of God, and not on securing its own rights or saving an earthly nation from self destruction. In contrast, the American church today believes that forming an alliance with the beast of Revelation is the answer to the salvation of the country. However, the salvation of the country is not a Christian's duty. Doing our part to steward it - yes; forming allies with the beast to save it from its own demise - no. 

Revelation is usually interpreted as future prophecy (future from the modern church's perspective) and eschatology, making this prophecy about a  political Antichrist, and religious leader who will rise up thousands of years later than it was predicted. By doing so, it removes any relevant information, concerns, or warnings for the church that are mentioned in the letter. Instead, it causes a distraction to Christians by watching the events of the world unfold in the news, to see if the coming of Antichrist and the return of Jesus are near. This is what is referred to as, "newspaper exegesis", where the events of the world are compared to the passages in Scripture which are interpreted by some Christians to be about the end times. Although Jesus said that He does not know the exact time or date of His return, He did say that it will not be until after the gospel of the Kingdom has been preached as a witness to all nations, and there is a united body. Many Christians are so distracted by trying to figure out if the events that are happening in the world are signifying the end times, that they have lost focus of what really matters - heeding Jesus's commands and warnings, and making disciples of all nations, so that the gospel of the Kingdom will be preached as a witness to them, and promoting unity in the body by being a peacemaker. The end will come after these, therefore Christian, place your attention here, instead of on newspaper exegesis. 

Like the Epistles, Revelation contains information that is relevant to the churches that it was addressed to, as well as to the present, and future church. And like the Prophets, Revelation contains messages and warnings to its recipients, as well as prophesies about things which some of its recipients would experience, and the future return of Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Revelation seems to be both a book of prophecy, and an epistle, and it would be wise to read and interpret it as such. And like any book of the Bible, its contents should be appropriately applied.

*Note that the date of the writing of Revelation is debatable among biblical scholars. Many believe it was written in AD 90, and many believe it was written prior to AD 70. In order for the interpretation of the two beasts presented to be true, it is required for Revelation to have been written during Nero's reign, prior to AD 70. There is sufficient evidence that the letter was written during that time, however there is also sufficient evidence that it was written later, therefore the date which it was written is inconclusive. One of the strongest arguments in my mind for the early date (other than that the information was relevant to the recipients of the letter), is that many of the teachings that we hear about Revelation today, would not have been taught in the church just two hundred years ago, at which time John Nelson Darby developed Dispensationalism and incorporated it into a futurist approach of interpretation. There were earlier versions of Dispensationalism that did not really catch on, but it was not until later when Darby's ideas emerged, and then Cyrus Scofield published a Bible containing Darby's ideas (as well as some of his own revisions), that Dispensational teaching took hold in the church. Prior to that time, the primary interpretation of Revelation was by the Historicist, Idealist, and Preterist approaches. Today, Dispensationalism is the most popular approach in the American church, however it is not the primary teaching of Revelation by the church in other parts of the world. 

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If the events were not to take place until two thousands years later, much of the information contained in the letter would be irrelevant to the churches he was writing to. The letter itself says that the events were soon to take place, and that the time was near. Everyone who was alive at that time have long been dead, and therefore if the events are still yet to take place even in our time, almost two thousand years later, they would not be "soon to take place", or a "near" time, relative to the recipients of the letter. Furthermore, the information in the letter would not affect them in the least bit.

One view that Christians hold, is that the first beast coming out of the sea is the Antichrist, who is essentially a political leader who is possessed by Satan, and who will attain power to rule over the entire world at some point in the future. He will usher in the Great Tribulation and eventually the return of Jesus.

Antichrist's name has the number 666 somehow associated with it, which is the number of the beast. For example, in the '80's some thought that President Reagan was the Antichrist because each of his three names - first, middle and last - have six letters in them - Ronald Wilson Reagan. Fyi, ever since FDR, the President of the United States has been a candidate for being the Antichrist. Other popular candidates have been Hitler, the Pope, Henry Kissinger, and Mikhail Gorbachev.

The second beast who comes up out of the earth, is believed to be a religious leader, similar to the Pope, or perhaps the President in the Mormon religion. He performs signs and wonders - miracles - which causes many of those who are left remaining on the earth to worship the first beast. Prior to the time of the Antichrist and the false prophet, the church has been raptured, meaning believers have been taken up to heaven with Jesus, to escape the Great Tribulation. The second beast is a false prophet who will try deceive the remaining inhabitants of the earth, although God will cause many of them to repent during the Great Tribulation.

According to this view, the mark, or number of the beast, will be stamped on the right hand and on the forehead of those who worship the beast in order to identify them as being loyal and belonging to him. Today, some believe that the mark of the beast will be a computer chip implant or the COVID vaccine, or something that government officials force upon the people against their will. Regardless of what it is, those who do not have the mark of the beast would not be allowed to buy or sell, which would make it very difficult to live, because you would not be able to buy food or to make a living. These would primarily be Christians, because they would not be deceived by either of the two beasts.

Hopefully this helps to clear up what the number of the beast really is, not that having the knowledge of it has life changing altercations, but because knowing the truth of what the Bible actually teaches is important so that we can pass it on to others. You can decide which, if either of these two views, are the correct view.

*The date of Revelation is debatable among biblical scholars. Those who hold this view believe the letter was written during Nero's reign prior to AD 70.