Understanding the "Beasts" of Revelation 13: A Prophetic View of the "End of Days "

By Larry E. Ford

The “Beasts” of Revelation 13 are enigmatic characters that are to appear in a prophetic panorama of the “last days” of our present civilization. There are numerous interpretations about whom or what these characters represent. One concept even says that the second ‘Beast” of Revelation 13:11-18 is non

• Language: English
• Publisher: TOPLINK PUBLISHING, LLC
• Release date: Nov 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781948262385

Larry E. Ford

Larry E. Ford delivers a potent, spiritually challenging message - a fresh breath of "straight talk and plain truth." His experiences as educator, minister, and author have prepared him to speak authoritatively about the "Beasts" of Revelation 13 ... from both the historical and scriptural points-of-view. He is not a "parrot" of the findings of others; rather, he has dug deeply into the scriptural and historical records to demonstrate the process of how to prove the Bible as God's source of truth and orthodoxy. He willingly "stands alone before God" in order to increase your faith in the plain and simple truth He reveals. As a result of Ford's research and development of the "Beasts" thesis, the reader has an opportunity to understand scriptural concepts not available anywhere else. The reader can study this book over and over and continue to learn new and profitable lessons.

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Understanding the Beasts of Revelation 13

A Prophetic View of the End of Days

Larry E. Ford

Copyright © 2017 by Larry E. Ford.

Hardback: 978-1-948262-37-8

Paperback: 978-1-948262-36-1

eBook: 978-1-948262-38-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Scriptures in this work are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible, unless otherwise noted. The author changes terms like thee, thou, thine, and other 17th Century expressions to more modern terms.

Other versions of the Bible used in this work are: The American Standard Version, The Anchor Bible, Barclay’s Daily Study Bible, The Interpreter’s Bible, The Jerusalem Bible, The Living Bible, Martin Luther’s Die Heilige Schrift, The Modern Language Bible, James Moffatt’s The Bible: A New Translation, The New International Version, and The Revised Standard Version.

Unless otherwise stated, all definitions for Greek terms are from the Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon, and all definitions for Hebrew terms are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew-English Lexicon.

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Also by Larry E. Ford: …And God Remembered Babylon… (Viking Press, 2002); God: Accused or Defended? (Solving the Unsolvable Paradox); and Seven Biblical Mysteries Unveiled: Revisiting Theology You Thought was Settled (WestBow Press, 2015)

Epigraph

Only grant two things to me, then I will not hide myself from your face: [1] withdraw your hand far from me, and do not let my dread of you terrify me. [2] Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and you reply to me (Job 13: 20-22; Author’s paraphrase based on the Revised Standard Version).

Table of Contents

Foreword

Preface

Introduction: How to Study This Book

1. Interpreting Prophecy

2. Defining Beast

3. The Red Dragon and the Two Beasts

4. Defining Roman Empire

5. The Origin of the Holy Roman Empire

6. Who is in Charge of the Empire: Pope or Emperor?

7. The Beast from the Sea

8. The Beast from the Earth

9. The Fate of the Great Whore

10. A Noteworthy Consideration (?)

11. Putting the Puzzle Together

12. The Path We Have Followed

13. The Sequence of End-time Events

Author’s Afterword

About the Author

Bibliography

Foreword

Literally multiple thousands of individuals have contributed to our understanding of scriptures. We have studied the theological and philosophical opinions of many different schools of thought. Hopefully, our searches have not been narrow or limited. Hopefully, we have made serious effort to confront God’s truth in all of our biblical studies. It might not always have been an easy or comfortable pursuit; but, perhaps, it has been very challenging and rewar ding.

Certainly, not many of us want to absolutize any of the concepts that we believe and teach as though they are the final truths of God. We dare not think that we presently know and understand the fullness of the thoughts and ways of God. Our individual funds of knowledge and understanding are not all our private accomplishments, even though we have had to expend many years of personal study, prayer, and contemplation in order to plant the seeds of the knowledge and understanding of God’s truth into our minds and hearts. So much insight from so many other people has been placed on the written page and shared with us. No doubt, even the mistakes and outright misinterpretations that we have encountered have served useful purposes in building our understanding and knowledge of God’s truth.

James Smart, former Professor of Biblical Interpretation at Union Theological Seminary (New York) and author of The Strange Silence of the Bible in the Church (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press; 1970), expresses very well the situation in which many of us have legitimately found ourselves under those circumstances:

We become dogmatic that what we see and hear [in Scriptures] is what everyone should be seeing and hearing....Each interpreter has tended to identify what he has found in Scripture directly with the content of Scripture itself and attribute to the interpretation the same authority that he assigns to the Scriptures. The interpretation then becomes a veil drawn over the surface of the text preventing the text from saying anything that would contradict the interpretation. (p. 56; emphasis added)

Smart goes on to explain that some of those involved in rendering scriptural interpretations tend to attach the same infallibility to the interpretation as they do to the Scriptures—thereby, making it blasphemy against God to contradict the interpretation. In the bargain, the interpreter and those who follow him in such practices become "severely afflicted with [spiritual] deafness" (Ibid; pp. 56, 57; emphasis added). Our challenge lies in whether or not we have made a conscientious effort not to be spiritually blind or deaf or a mindless consumer of others’ teachings (see Matt. 13:10-17). Why do I say this?

Some strong and prominent voices challenge all who study their teachings to check up on them and believe them only to the degree that they agree with God’s word. This is an open invitation to critically study the truth of their teachings. Such a process invites close examination to find and identify faults in their concepts of God’s truth, if there are any. We must be prepared to study and question the truth of their teachings and let the truth fall where it may (see 1 John 4:1).

Anyone who puts forth such a challenge creates an open forum for a discussion of the differences that might occur in the proving process. It is not wrong or forbidden to enter that open forum with proper regard for others’ positions and spiritual statures, but not so much that you have to automatically hew the line of their conclusions at mere face value.

In the trial of his faith, Job asked two things of God: (1) Do not make me afraid to question what you are doing and why; and (2) Ask me questions, and I will answer … or allow me to ask my questions, and you give me a clear answer (Job 13:20-22). You must stand in awe only of God. Any man who claims to be the sole interpreter of God’s word does not have to be accepted merely on his word that he is doing it in spirit and truth (see John 4:23, 24). You have a personal obligation not to trust any man so thoroughly that you would overlook questionable teachings. No one has the scriptural warrant to demand that anyone should simply fall into lockstep with his teachings as though he and his interpretations are infallible. Take this challenge seriously.

So, while you might have great respect for someone’s work, you should have learned from him that every true believer is responsible only to God as they sort through the plethora of Christian traditions and teachings—even his. You can agree with any minister who quotes a Scripture that the Scripture: (a) is located in the Bible where he says it is located and (b) that it reads the way he says that it reads. However, the ground upon which you must maintain your spiritual fight is simple: Does it actually mean what he says that it means? Any disagreement you espouse with anyone’s interpretation of meaning must come from a depth of thought and conviction that you have acquired through repeated study, prayer, and contemplation.

Your greatest indebtedness is, however, to God, who, through His Holy Spirit, has enabled you to ask questions that you never knew existed and to reach conclusions that you never imagined. Be an honest seeker of God’s truth, not the so-called truth that any man imagines is His truth. Admit that you have just as much a potential as any other human to make mistakes, but also have the humility to admit them when you see that they exist. Have the humility to change your mind when God convicts you of the error.

This, I think, is Larry Ford’s approach in this timely study of the Beasts of Revelation 13. He makes an honest attempt to be led by the Holy Spirit to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Now join him in this fascinating study of the prophecy about the Beasts in Revelation 13. It will be time well spent sorting out the scriptures and history involved.

Preface

The Beasts of Revelation 13 are enigmatic characters that are to appear in a prophetic panorama of the last days of our present civilization. There are numerous interpretations about whom, or what, these characters represent—anywhere from the rise of Papal supremacy over a continental empire in Europe to the last of seven resurrections of the Holy Roman Empire led by a German ruler who is aligned with 10 European nations and the Pope, who will be a powerful religious figure who can do mighty signs and wonders to further the cause of a strong man of Germany in attempting to take over the world. One concept even says that the second Beast of Revelation 13 is none other than the United States! Some ideas are very convin cing!

Amid all the clamor to establish an exact interpretation that is, in fact, revealed by God, numerous voices have arisen and do with these Beasts about the same thing Jesus warned us about the prophetic voices that will cry out in the last days Here is the Christ! and There is the Christ! (Matt. 24:23-28). They already are saying: This is the ‘Beast’! or That is the ‘Beast’! If they are not careful, most who are trying to understand the meaning of these Beasts will probably become confused and follow uncertain trumpets (1 Cor. 14:3-8). I have been wearied by those who have shown themselves to be false prophets simply because their claims of being exactly right have long since turned to dust and blown away. I make no such claim.

The objective of this book, therefore, is not to give you an uncertain sound as though it is from God Himself. I do not pretend to have the exact interpretation from God about the Beasts of Revelation 13. What I propose to do is to give you some important information to consider when you approach this most enigmatic prophecy. If we cannot figure out exactly what the interpretation is, then, perhaps, we can figure out, through thoughtful consideration, which interpretations we can definitely eliminate. That, in and of itself, would be worth the effort put into this important study. Look up all the references. Think ... watch ... and pray. I hope to give you more understanding than you presently have.

This book is dedicated to all of the unsung heroes who, throughout history, have dedicated their lives to searching out the history and mystery of the Bible’s prophetic messages. Whether or not they have been correct in any or all of their assumptions and answers, at least they have provided a fundamental basis for more precise inquiries. Even an incorrect interpretation provides enough questions to get to a higher, more sensible level of inquiry and certitude—even with the understanding that our ultimate knowledge of God’s truth is going to be vastly less than what He has in mind. These unsung heroes have, at the least, blazed a trail that can be examined and corrected where it needs to be corrected. May we all look forward to the day when God will open the door to fuller, more perfect understanding through the prophets He will commission to bring it to us (Amos 3:7).

Larry E. Ford, Pastor/CEO

The Seventh Day Christian Assembly, Inc.

www.theseventhdaychristianassembly.org

[e-mail]

– Introduction –

How to Study This Book

It is important to know how to approach a study such as the one you are about to enter. To present the how to method of studying this book is a second-nature attribute of mine that is part of the training I received in education. The how to should make your efforts easier if you follow it without deviation. I know, of course, that some will want to take short-cuts and get on through the material. If you do, you will be settling for superficial understanding. My objective is for you to emerge from this study more fully informed and prepared to take on even greater scriptural and spiritual challe nges.

What follows are several important steps to take in your approach to this lesson:

1. Do not approach this book as a pleasure-reading exercise. It is not. It is a textbook that relates to a specific topic: The Beasts of Revelation 13. It is not designed to be a once-through kind of book. It is designed to be studied over and over again. One time through will not ingrain the content into your permanent, long-term memory. Practice the Bible Study Skills discussed in Lesson One of our downloadable Bible Study Course (www.theseventhdaychristianassembly.org.).

2. Read each chapter once before you begin to study the chapter. This prepares you for the discussion that is to be had in the chapter. During your first reading, you might want to highlight or underline important thoughts and Scriptures. Prepare yourself for what you are going to be studying.

3. When you begin to study the chapter, be prepared to take notes and have your Bible handy so you can look up every Scripture cited. It is important for you to understand the main point of every chapter and to relate that point to the contents of the chapter. It is important that you understand each Bible reference relative to the point being made. You might even write down any questions you have about the various conclusions reached, as well as why you have those questions. Approach this just like you would if you were taking it as a college course and being held responsible for the contents. Put yourself under the pressure of learning the information. Keep your notes in a notebook for ready reference.

4. When you have completed a chapter, write a summary of what you think you have learned. Keep track of the relationships between the chapters by reviewing the summaries before you begin a new chapter.

5. If there is someone else that you know who is studying this material, arrange to meet with them and have frank discussions with them about the subject matter. You might gain additional insight from someone else’s point-of-view.

You may contact me at [e-mail] if you are unable to find answers to your questions, or if you do not understand certain aspects of the instruction. I welcome the opportunity to assist you in this effort.

Please realize that this will not be a quick in-and-out project. My assumption is that you want to learn and understand the material. Learning and understanding come at a price. You have to be willing to pay the price (see Luke 14:28, 29). It has taken me well over 3 years to put together the appropriate Scriptures and related history to make this project complete. I want you to derive the full benefit of that effort. Please do not build on sand (see Matt. 7:24-27).

In Chapter 12, I give you a summarization of each chapter so that you can see the progress you have made from seed to flower. Those summaries contain additional information that broadens the scope of the study and assist in tying up loose ends. Feel free to read those summaries before you study through each chapter. Doing so might assist in opening up your better understanding of what you are about to study.

If you will diligently follow these suggestions, you will have a rich, rewarding spiritual experience perhaps unlike any that you have had before. May God bless your efforts and help you to understand more fully the subject you are about to study.

– One –

Interpreting Prophecy

(Deuteronomy 18:14-22)

There are two basic characteristics of God’s prophets to which we should pay attention. The first is that they will not speak their own words; they will speak what God has commanded them to speak. The second relates to whether or not a prophecy is fulfilled. If it has not been, then one of two things is possible: (1) It most definitely has not been spoken by God, or (2) the time for its fulfillment has not yet come. It is important to know what has and has not been spoken by God, and, therefore, who really represents God (see Matt. 24:4, 5). With that said, I want to study through an aspect of prophecy itself that is also of great importance: correctly interpreting God’s prophe cies .

Why should that be of any real importance to us? Surely, if we are led by the Holy Spirit into all truth (John 16:13-15), then we will have a correct understanding of God’s prophetic messages. Or, our valued and trusted ministers will be able to properly explain them to us! In light of that, let’s consider a warning in Matthew 24:3-5, 11, 15-28 that Jesus Christ gave about just such a thing. There are several aspects of this warning to which we must pay attention.

First, there will be those who will preach and teach in the name of Jesus Christ. This, at first glance, would appear to be harmless. But, when Jesus adds the element of deception to the mix, then His warning takes on an entirely different character. Many will come in His name, and many will be deceived as a result of it. We must not take this lightly, nor should we get so wrapped up in our own ideas that we superimpose scripture over them to make it seem as though our own ideas have the official approval of God Himself.

Second, He warns that there will be those who are specifically regarded as false prophets. The Greek term is pseudoprophetes, which means that they are religious imposters. Jesus describes them in Matthew 7:15 as ravening wolves who come in sheep’s clothing. How will you be able to identify them if you do not know God’s truth? Lacking God’s truth, against what would you be able to compare their messages? Logic? Reason? Intuition? Gut feelings?

Third, He also adds false Christs (Greek = pseudochristos) to the mix. In this panorama of history He is prophesying, He shows the increasing difficulty even His true disciples will face in sorting out the ones who represent God and those who do not. The ultimate deception will come in the form of great signs and wonders. He warns in vv. 23, 24 that the very elect will face great difficulty in discerning the validity of the imposters’ prophetic claims if the very elect fall for the great deceptions used to validate the imposters’ claims of either representing God’s voice or actually being God’s Christ.

Finally, when these imposters claim that the Christ has, indeed, come to a desert spot or a secret chamber, Jesus warns His followers not to believe it or go out to see if it is true (v. 25)! I suppose that this warning could include such things as the Secret Rapture concept. Why? Because His return will not be something done in secret: The entire world will be aware of it. Revelation 1:7 says that He will come in such a manner that every eye shall see Him (KJV). If those who are the very elect believe this from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself, then they will not be deceived! The Rapturists claim that Christ will be seen in His later public appearance.

By reading the following Scriptures, you should be able to understand that the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy began very shortly after His ascension to the Father’s right hand just prior to Pentecost on June 17, AD 31:

1. Galatians 1:6-9: Written about AD 58 (about 27 years after Christ’s ascension), this describes what Paul calls a perverted gospel (v. 7). Paul means by that term that this gospel was corrupted and distorted and was being used to lead people astray from God’s true gospel (see Mark 1:14, 15). Some who were considered to have been converted to God’s truth were having difficulty staying with that truth.

2. 1 Corinthians 15:12: This was written about AD 59 (about 28 years after Christ’s ascension). The question about the resurrection of the dead was a direct contradiction of Christ’s own words in Matthew 22:23-33—the point of which is simple: How can God be the God of the living and dead if there is no resurrection from the dead? Abraham himself believed in the resurrection of the dead (see Rom. 4:17 and Heb. 11:13-19). Paul explains the process in 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. Christ also said in John 5:28, 29 that there will be two types of resurrection from the dead: (a) one to life and (b) one to eternal damnation. How, then, could anyone calling himself a Christian not believe in the resurrection of the dead? Yet, this heresy Paul is addressing in 1 Corinthians 15:12-58 was a Christian heresy (see also John 11:25 and Luke 14:14).

In actual fact, that heresy is not as foreign to modern Christianity as it might appear. By syncretizing the doctrine of the immortality of the soul into Christianity, the resurrection of the dead and the judgment really serve no practical purpose because one’s fate is already enforced at death. Some accept a resurrection from the dead for the saved because there is a concept that includes a re-unification of a glorified body with the saved soul. In this way, they satisfy their inclination to accept a traditional belief from paganism and claim that it is proved by scripture.

John Nelson Darby, a leader among the Plymouth Brethren during the 1800s, believed in man’s innate immortality (the inborn nature of man as he was created by God), but he said that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul was not to be found in Scripture. He said that the concept came directly from Plato and "just when the second coming of Christ was denied in the Church ... the doctrine of the immortality of the soul came in to replace that of the resurrection" (Lectures, vol. IV; emphases added). (You can engage in a more thorough study of this concept in our free, downloadable Bible Study Course, Lesson 3: What is Man?)

3. 2 Corinthians 11:3, 4, 13-15: This was written about AD 60 (about 29 years after Christ’s ascension). There were false Christians who went around posing as apostles and ministers (see 2 Thes. 2:2) and preaching another Jesus, another gospel, and another spirit. Paul calls them false and deceitful masqueraders. There are myriads of ministers today who fit into the same category without even realizing it. Why? The deceived person does not know that he is deceived. If he did, he would have an immediate obligation to come out of the deception into God’s truth.

4. Ephesians 4:11-15: Paul wrote this about AD 64 (about 33 years after Christ’s ascension). He says that God has specifically designed positions in His true ministry for those who will teach His people His unmitigated truth—truth that is not polluted or reduced by the addition of traditions of men or by mixing it with pagan concepts. Their responsibility is to educate His people in His truth and to build them up spiritually and morally in order to keep them from being led astray by specious doctrines promulgated by subtly deceitful pretenders.

5. 2 Peter 2:1-3: Peter wrote this about AD 66 (about 35 years after Christ’s ascension). He says that the false prophets bring in damnable heresies in order to corrupt God’s truth and to make merchandise of God’s people. Their main motivation is greed and to use whatever means possible to take advantage of you for material gain. Such people cause true Christianity to be mocked and scorned because the unrighteous do not know how to separate the genuine from the counterfeit. If the truly converted are not careful, they, too, can be led astray by doctrines and practices that pervert God’s truth. It can be as simple as whether or not you believe that you are an immortal soul that goes directly to heaven or hell when you die. In v. 14, Peter says that these counterfeiters "beguile unstable people."

6. Jude 3, 4, 16-21: The Lord’s brother, Jude, wrote this about AD 66. He is appealing to true Christians to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. He says that we must put forth the arguments for God’s truth. We must engage in spiritual warfare against falsehoods and counterfeits. We must compete against them, as opposed to lying back and refusing to confront them. Why? Because the purveyors of these false doctrines sneak into God’s congregations and pervert His truth in order to lead people away and make merchandise of them. They pervert God’s grace and use it as an excuse for licentiousness, which, in effect, denies the message and purpose of God’s Christ and Savior.

7. 1 John 4:1: John wrote this sometime after AD 90. His objective is to instruct true Christians that they do not have to pay attention to everyone who comes along and professes to preach and teach in the name of Jesus Christ. He says to put them to the test. That test is more than just checking their messages against the scriptures of the Bible. How so?

8. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 suggests that a false prophet can come along and use prophecy to lead you astray. He can actually prophesy something that comes to pass! The key to the test is whether or not he then leads you away from the true God—as Paul warned, to another Jesus, another gospel, and another spirit. Matthew 7:21-23 is Christ’s own warning that things must be done according to God’s will. All of the preaching, teaching, healing, casting out of demons, and good works done in the name of Jesus Christ are of no value unless they are done according to the will of God, which includes the idea that they will be done in spirit and in truth (John 4:23, 24; 8:31, 32).

All of these Scriptures describe the actions of religious imposters. Paul, Peter, John, and Jude had to understand God’s truth in order to make us aware of how God’s word is to be validated by the events of history. Each man was led to add prophetic statements about how God will lead His people to understand the increasingly difficult times ahead.

Some say that the Bible is 25% prophecy; some say 33%; and some say 80%. I would say that, from Genesis to Revelation, it is all prophetic. It is not prophetic just because Scripture is filled with symbols and types. It is prophetic because it is a message of good things to come (Heb. 10:1). All of the past historical events were written as warning messages to us—that is, to the ones who are alive during the generation in which it is all to be fulfilled (1 Cor. 10:6, 11). We have typically called it a witness (testimony and proof of its truth) and a warning.

This witness and warning are embedded in the meaning of all of God’s Holy Days, including the weekly seventh-day Sabbath (compare Lev. 23 to Heb. 4). They are all prophetic insights into God’s plan of salvation. The Fall Holy Day season that begins with the Feast of Trumpets and runs through the Last Great Day (the Great White Throne Judgment) is all of a single fabric—the Feast of Trumpets being a symbol of the point at which Jesus Christ actually returns with His saints to set up the Kingdom of God to intensify the reconciliation of all things to God the Father (which is the actual application of the atonement sacrifice; see Eph. 1:9, 10 and Col. 1:20). If that is true, and if Jesus Christ is truly concerned that we understand the nature of world events just prior to His return, then we should see what His witness is regarding it so that we will not be led astray by the deceptive notions of the pretenders. The first question we need to consider is simple: For what are we to be looking? While that might sound easy enough to figure out, let’s consider three cases that miss the mark.

In Luke 21:20-36, notice the way Jesus Christ admonishes His followers to be aware of the evidence that is around them regarding His return. Note especially vv. 20, 22, 25-28, 29-31, 36. How do you watch for something if you do not know exactly for what to watch? What if you see something that appears to be one of the signs—so much so that you are convinced that it is the fulfillment? If you cannot figure it out, to whom do you listen regarding the answer?

Part of the problem involving the interpretation of prophecy centers on the fundamental basis used for deriving the interpretation. Some in the past who considered that they had found the keys that unveil the meaning of prophetic secrets focused their attention on every known prophecy pertaining to the consummation of the age and concluded that the 20th century was the generation upon whom the ends of the world are come (see 1 Cor. 10:11). Why and how?

Case #1: Misuse of the Fundamental Basis for Interpreting Prophecy

The 6,000-year ‘week’ is a centuries-old, oft-used key to biblical understanding that supposedly demonstrates that God has allowed 6,000 years from Adam’s fall for mankind to conduct his personal business and pursue his self-motivated agendas. This concept is based on a blending of 2 Peter 3:8 and the first six days of the seven-day week.

Howard B. Rand, in his book Study in Daniel (Chapter 24: End of Days), gives a