The Antichrist - The Beast

The Antichrist fights against the two propets of God. God kept His faithful witnesses to attest the truth of His Word and worship, and the excellence of His ways, The number of these witnesses is small, yet enough. They are supported during their great and hard work, till it is done. This event in the End Times was foretold by the prophet Zechariah, recorded in chapter 4:2-3,6, 11-14. (Zechariah 4:14 "Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.")
_Revelation 11:3-13; "3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth."_
They prophesy in sackcloth. It shows their afflicted, persecuted state, and deep sorrow for the abominations against which they protest and speak the Word of God to correct and win those willing to believe to the side of God and His people. Their period of prophecy is about their and a half years, or one half of the period of the reign of the Antichrist. This means that they will begin their stand against the Antichrist shortly after the gathering together of the Body of Christ and shortly after "the restraining prophet" has been removed either as part of the rapture or removed by the Antichrist.
_"5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will."_
These two prophets will manifest the great wonders of God's power as seen in the Old Testament times with the power to bring on drought, the plagues of Egypt, produce fire for heaven to consume their enemies and this will not be just power on local scale but on a Global scale. They will be able to send these plagues "as often as they will" or as often as they want too.
_"7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves."_
The Antichrist will marshall his forces against the two prophets, overcome them by the number of his forces and kill them. Only in todays times would it be possible for the event recorded in verse 9 be possible, "the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies," yes the modern marvels of broadcast media will be there to have them in view on the news channel and the talk shows and on the internet and on satalite TV.
_"10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth."_
Rebels against the light of God's Word rejoice, like on some happy holiday, when they can silence or destroy the faithful servants of Christ, whose doctrine and conduct torment them.
_"11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them."_
These two individual anointed prophets that stand for the God of the whole earth were raised from the dead after 3 days as shock factor to the wicked of the earth. To remind them that the Christ they had rejected as well, was raised form the dead by God after 3 days.
_"13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven."_
In judgement on the perpetrators who were instrumental in the death of these two saints, Jerusalem was struck with a great earthquake of Biblical proportions, and not counting women and children, seven thousand men were killed. That got the attention of the survivors, who repented and turned to God out of fear of what just happened.

In chapter 13 we have the appearance of two beasts. The first is the beast form the sea described in verses 1-9. The sand of the sea represents the Gentile world. The sea itself the beast is rising out of represents the persecuting power of the demonized state and at this point there is open worship of the Devil taking place upon the earth by those who have rejected God.
_Revelation 13:1-9; "1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
The description of the beast in verse 2 combines features from the four beasts of Daniel 7:1-8, 17-27, which represent idolatrous kingdoms. In verse 2 we also see that the power of the Antichrist is derived from the Devil (the dragon).
_"2 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."_
All of lost mankind now not only worshiped the Antichrist, but is openly worshipping the Devil openly. They believed that no power in heaven or on earth could defeat the Antichrist.
_"3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?"_
In verse 5-6 we are shown that now is the second three and a half year reign of the beast. This is substantiated in Revelation 11:2 "Revelation 11:2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." This is the three and a half year occupation of the Holy City Jerusalem by the Antichrist and his false prophet and the Gentile nations.
_"5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."_
The Antichrist compels worship of himself and when the saints refuse to submit and worship him they are imprisoned and killed for their stand for God and Christ. The only people on the earth that worship the beast are those, for the most part, who are already lost and have already earned their place in the second death.
_"7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear."_

Next we see the rise of the second beast from the earth. This the false prophet and he will function as the propagandist for the Antichrist, the Antichrist's "spin doctor." His signs and wonders are a counterfit of the witness of the Holy Spirit in manifestation in the senses realm. Counterfit miracles will be exhibited by the false prophet.
_Revelation 13:10-18; "10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, "
The false prophet deceives all of mankind on the face of the earth and promotes the making of Idols representing of the Antichrist which are set up to be worshiped by all mankind on the earth. He appears as a lamb, obvious counterfit of the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus.
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."_
The false prophet is the one responsible for putting into effect the one world economy and causing all people to receive the mark of the beast without which no one could transact business. Even if they had the money to buy the necessities of life no one would sell to them without the mark. The Antichrist owns those who are marked with his mark and they are literally his slaves. The mark of the beast is the counterfit of the mark that God marked His reserved people on the earth with. It will be a cashless society.
_"16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."_

_Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."_
This is the account of the relationship between the Antichrist and "the woman," representing the end time church of the apostasy, occupying the place and facilities of the gathered together Church part of the Body of Christ) that occupied Rome prior to the gathering together, the rapture. Many today supposee it is the Catholic Church, as too many "learned" schollars today propound, even though some of it might be left behind members of the church. But this will be a common case with all of todays divisions of the Church, not everyone will have a ticket to ride when Christ Jesus returns to gather together his Body. Remember the words of Jesus, recorded in Matthew: "Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Cleary Jesus illustrated the point.
_"9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth."
The seven Hills of Rome.
_"10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition."_
At the time of the recording of the prophecy by John, five of the seven kingdoms had appeared and vanished into history. One was in existance, the Roman Empire, and one was to come...the kingdom to be established in the future by the Antichrist.
_"12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."_
The ten kings, leaders of ten nations yet to come who had not received power to rule will come to power for a short time under the Antichrist as his confederation, his cumulative kingdom which he will rule.
_"13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."_
These ten national leaders will vindicate their positions of leadership in the end and give all the power of their kingdom over to the Antichrist.
_"14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."_
Rome ruled over the kings of the world for a lengthy period of time after the first century and the Rome of the Antichrist will again establish this dominance and power over the world until it is destroyed and the Antichrist sets up shop in Jerusalem (moving from the major center of Christianity to the major center of Israel).
_Revelation 18:1-24; "1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."_
The herald angel of God now appears to warn the end time saints in Rome (end time Babylon) to get out quickly or they would suffer the same that was about to happen to the city along with the servants of the Antichrist.
_"5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."_
Out of pride and arrogance in the false security encouraged by the Antichrist, the "men of perdition" in the city feel they are immune to any repercussions from God, they like the New Pagans today, believe that the Devil will defeat God.
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14 And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; "_
All of the followers and worshippers of the Antichrist all over the entire world will morn the loss of this city that rewarded their rebellion against God with worldly "profit." The city will be destroyed in the period of one hour by fire as Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed. AND, note in the next verses , "for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived," sorceries is drug trafficking and drug use. Drugs will be the means that the Antichrist will utilize in the deception of all nations.
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."_

Finally we see the defeat & destruction of the Antichrist and his Prophet.
_Revelation 19:11-21; "11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God."_
Enters the King of King, the Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus mounted on a white horse. His weapon is a sharp two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12 " For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.") and he is followed by the armies (plural) of heaven. Plurality because there is one army of the saints, them martyred and them who met him in the air when he came to gather his body (the Church) from the earth prior to the great tribulation. The other army is that of the angels who serve God and Christ. This is a feirce army of judgement, seeing what power of God just one angel could manifest and it is not a small army either. Jesus said as he was taken prior to his crucifixion that, "Matthew 26:51 And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" A legion is comprised of 6,000 troups, Jesus said even at that time he could command 72,000 angels from God had he wanted to not go through with his purpose. The exciting thing to look forward to is that we believers will return in the army of saints who accompany Christ in the final defeat of the Adversary.
_"14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."_
The Antichrist's (the Beast's) army is totally destroyed and the Antichrist and his prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire.
_"19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."_

Even before all of these events, we as believers and members of the Body of Christ can be joyful because we know we win over our adversary and that he will pay the cost for all that he has inflicted on the believers from the beginning and there will be a new heaven and earth. The thing that we, as believers, need to do is to boldly hold forth the word of truth, the Word of God, the light of the world, to rescue that are blinded by the darkness of this present time and present as many as we can with the message of salvation of the Gospel.