Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 14

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Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 14

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Quarantine Day 66.  Sunday.  This needs to end.

Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

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Revelation 14

New International Version

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. 3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. 5 No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

The Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’[a] which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man[b] with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.[c]

Footnotes
Revelation 14:8 Isaiah 21:9
Revelation 14:14 See Daniel 7:13.
Revelation 14:20 That is, about 180 miles or about 300 kilometers

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo

Bible Project
Revelation 12-22

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A Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand Virgins
Verse 1
1And I looked, and a lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 having his Father's name written on their foreheads.
Commentary:

"a lamb": Christ is consistently represented as a Lamb throughout Revelation (a parallel with the unblemished lamb of Old Testament sacrifices).

"Mount Zion": Possibly Jerusalem, though Hebrews refers to Mount Zion as "the heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb 12:21-23).

"144,000": Chapter 7 speaks of 144,000 "of all the tribes of the children of Israel." This may refer to a separate group of 144,000, though it seems likely that the two groups are the same. If they are, it should be noted here, as with chapter 7, that "children of Israel" does not necessarily equate to "Jews." See notes on 7:1-8 [1]. The 144,000 may be alluding to God's army which we will learn about later in Revelation.

"having his Father's name written on their foreheads": In chapter 7, the 144,000 are described as being "sealed" in their foreheads (v3). For more on this, see notes on 3:12 [2].

Verses 2-3
2And I heard a voice from heaven like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of a great thunder, and I heard the sound of harpers harping with their harps, 3and they sung a new song before the throne, and before the four creatures, and the elders, and no one could learn that song but the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth.
Commentary: The voice of many waters and of a great thunder refers to God. If the 144,000 are martyrs (see on 7:1-8 [3]), this passage appears to refer to a special reward set aside for those who have made that ultimate sacrifice, perhaps a song set aside only for them to learn. Perhaps the harpers are angels and saints that were previously accepted into heaven. Not everyone could hear these glorious tunes, only those who are true believers.

Verse 4
4They are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were redeemed from among mankind, being the firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.
Commentary: In the first sentence of this verse, John seemingly asserts that the 144,000 are actually all celibate men. This is certainly problematic because it would mean that all the victims of persecution would be male. Consequently, scholars agree that this depiction should not be taken literally. Rather than an exaltation of celibacy, this verse should be taken metaphorically in terms of the sexual abstinence required before contact with the divine (Exodus 19:15). Also, John could be drawing on the sexual abstinence required of warriors entering a holy war (Deuteronomy 23:9-14; 1 Samuel 21:5; 2 Samuel 11:9-13). Instead of referring to a physical purity, John is likely referring to a spiritual purity. Babylon is seen as a great whore and the soldiers of Christ are not to be seduced by her wicked ways.This virgins here are the ones, not only men, who avoid the idol worshipping that is famous in Babylon, or Rome.

Verse 5
5And in their mouths was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
Commentary: They are innocent of the only sin which Jesus did not forgive: religious hypocrisy. These men are perceived as perfectly pure because they were never married. God sees them as the purest of the bunch. It is said that the remaining people will be judges based on how they treated these pure men. This will decide whether they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven or be crushed.

Three Angels Make Announcements
Verses 6-7
6And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth, and to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 7saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. Worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the springs of waters.”
Commentary: We have a cultural idea that angels are spiritual beings with wings. The Greek angelos literally means messenger, however, and it is translated both as angel or messenger, and refers to both heavenly and earthly beings. The Greek word for heaven also means sky. With that in mind, this angel may be a man or woman of God who travels the world preaching the gospel by "flying in the midst of heaven," which is possibly a first-century vision of modern air travel. God will send this Angel so that all may hear the good news of God and that no one has an excuse for not hearing the message of the salvation of Christ.

Again we see worship showing up, which serves as a reminder than proper worship of God is one of the key themes of the book. This chapter is at a crossroads of worship, in chapter 13 those who do not worship the beast are killed, but in chapter 15 the righteous are rewarded for their proper worship of God. This chapter is then about the outcome of each choice. Of course, there is no middle ground-either one worships God or one is in league with the beast. This reflects the outsider mentality of early Christians. Being unable to take part in many aspects of Roman life, it would be easy to be tempted to worship the Roman Gods and therefore partake in the benefits of Roman life, John views this as immoral. They are to worship God and only God.

Verse 8
8And there followed another angel, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
Commentary: This "angel" truly is a messenger, for he or she brings the news of Babylon's fall.

The Greek “thumos” here translated as wrath can also be rendered passion. Some have preferred this because it seems to make more since that fornication would have passion rather than wrath. However, in verse 10, the same phrase is used clearly referring to wrath. The image of God’s wrath being like a drink of wine is frequent in the Old Testament (see Job 21:20, Ps 75:8, Isa 51:17, and Jer. 25:12). Wine causes stagger, just as following Rome (the woman) has caused people to do.[1]

Verses 9-11
9And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead, or on his hand, 10the same will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Commentary: Just as the people of God have his name "on their foreheads" (see v1 above), Satan, in imitation of God, initiates his followers with his mark. In spite of his pretensions to divinity, he apparently will not be fooling anyone, because this verse indicates that those who follow him do so knowingly and willingly, and as a result will receive a stern punishment.

"He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels..." refers to the eternal torture the devil followers will face. They will be able to see the happiness of all in Heaven, but will never be able to attain this because they bare the mark of the devil. Instead, they will be in the heat of hell where everything constantly burns, but the people will never be consumed. Instead, they will be in pure agony.

This chapter in revelation is interesting because these three angels are no longer people to worship and cleave to God. Instead, three angels carry messages of judgment and punishment to the people of earth. The eternal punishment that is the price for bearing the mark of the beast is just the beginning of the divine justice that is inevitable.

The Son of Man Reaps the Harvest
Verses 12-13
12Here is the patience of the saints. Here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours and their works follow them.”
Commentary: This verse serves to bring edification and encouragement to the saints, telling them to remain faithful and continue their preservation. The identity of the voice from Heaven is not explicitly stated, but it is presumably the voice of God. The beatitude nature of the speaker's statement offers a promise of eternal rest, and ultimately life. The earthly struggles in comparison to the Heavenly treasures they will inherit and the sleep they will attain are minuscule. Since many people will take what these men have to say to heart, they will have trust in Jesus, and receive awards for their patients.

The phrase "blessed are the dead who die in the lord from now on," can be translated as "henceforth," if the Greek word is ap arti, or "assuredly" if the word is aparti. The difference is an issue of permanence or consequence.

Verse 14
14And I looked and saw a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Commentary:

The remaining verses of Chapter 14 are to serve as a preview of God’s final judgment over the “wicked earth-dwellers”. The appearance of a white cloud has appeared time and time again in both the Old and New Testament. In this instance, the white cloud is an introduction of a fourth event. Unlike other events, it is not introduced by an angelic being. Clouds metaphorically act as ambulatory "vehicles" to transport heavenly beings in heaven and on earth. In this case, one who is like a son of man. Some state that it is indeed Jesus, while others proclaim it is the angel Michael, as his name means "who is like God." Regardless of the identity of “one like the son of man” is a heavenly being because he is “like the son of man”, the fact that he rides on the white cloud, and the golden crown. A golden crown similar to this is worn by each one of the twenty-four elders mentioned in Chapter 4, the rider on a white horse in Chapter 6, and the locust cavalry wear golden crowns in Chapter 9. The golden crown on his head signifies that this being has authority and a great status. A sickle was a hand-held agricultural cutting tool typically used during harvest time. The sharp sickle signifies the new beginning of harvest.

Verses 15-16
15And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, “Thrust in your sickle, and reap, for the time is come for you to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” 16And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
Commentary: In this sense, the sickle and reaping the earth is referring to the harvest of those ripe for judgment. Some believe that Christ will be the one to harvest the good while the other angel would be the one to harvest the wicked. The loudness of the angel's voice suggests a sense of urgency and also that the angel would want many to hear of his cry. The shear size of these angels must also be mentioned since they are sitting on the clouds yet have a sickle big enough to harvest the entire earth.

The Grapes of Wrath
Verse 17-18
17And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. 18And another angel came out from the altar who had power over fire, and cried with a loud cry to the one that had the sharp sickle, saying, “Thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.”
Commentary: This is the second angelic being with a sharp sickle, also ready to begin harvest. This being is like the one mentioned in verse 14. The third angel has “authority over fire”, a symbolic image of judgment. The fire shows the holiness of God. "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of earth” comes from Joel 3:13. This shows that this harvest is a grape harvest. The general idea of this passage is that the wicked get the punishment they deserve.

Some propose that this angels has come to harvest the wicked, just as Christ harvests the righteous.

Verse 19
19And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even up to the horses' bridles, for 1,600 furlongs.
Commentary: The angel is to gather the wicked of the hearth in the harvest and give them to the Lord for his judgment. This also shows the severity of the punishment. 1,600 furlongs is approximately 185 miles, also the length of Palestine and a horse's bridle is normally 4–5 feet off the ground. The blood could refer to grape juice, but is more-likely to refer to blood from a great battle that will occur outside the city.The point of the detail of blood is to show the severity and the vast people that were judged by the Son of Man. The fact this occurs outside the city is fitting because this is where people would have been executed. The only valley that fits this description is the Jordan Valley. It is also unclear whether this is a literal war or an event directly from God, comparable to Sodom and Gomorrah.

Witherington argues that this vicious judgment must be interpreted as "God's justice tempered with mercy." But this mercy can be better described as vengeance, or the justice of a jealous autocrat without consideration of morality or forgiveness. This image of blood running like a river was presumably a hopeful on to Christian sufferers at the time of writing.

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Isaiah 21 New International Version (NIV)
A Prophecy Against Babylon
21 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:

Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
    an invader comes from the desert,
    from a land of terror.

2 A dire vision has been shown to me:
    The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
    I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.

3 At this my body is racked with pain,
    pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
    I am bewildered by what I see.
4 My heart falters,
    fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
    has become a horror to me.

5 They set the tables,
    they spread the rugs,
    they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
    oil the shields!

6 This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout
    and have him report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots
    with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
    or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
    fully alert.”

8 And the lookout[a] shouted,

“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
    every night I stay at my post.
9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot
    with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
    ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
    lie shattered on the ground!’”

10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,
    I tell you what I have heard
from the Lord Almighty,
    from the God of Israel.

A Prophecy Against Edom
11 A prophecy against Dumah[b]:

Someone calls to me from Seir,
    “Watchman, what is left of the night?
    Watchman, what is left of the night?”
12 The watchman replies,
    “Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
    and come back yet again.”

A Prophecy Against Arabia
13 A prophecy against Arabia:

You caravans of Dedanites,
    who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14     bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
    bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee from the sword,
    from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
    and from the heat of battle.

16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.

Footnotes:
Isaiah 21:8 Dead Sea Scrolls and Syriac; Masoretic Text A lion
Isaiah 21:11 Dumah, a wordplay on Edom, means silence or stillness.

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Daniel 7

Daniel 7 New International Version (NIV)
Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

9 “As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
    the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
    and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
    coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
    and the books were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The Interpretation of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[b]

26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Footnotes:
Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.

Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year

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Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

(c) Ben Witherington III, Revelation, Cambridge University Press: New York, 2003.

Witherington, Ben. Revelation. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Biblical_Studies/New_Testament_Commentaries/Revelation/Chapter_14

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END

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Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 13

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Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 13

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Quarantine Day 65.  Saturday.  This needs to end.

Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

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Revelation 13

New International Version

The Beast out of the Sea

13 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. 6 It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.[b]

9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.

10 “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed[c] with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”[d]

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.



18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.[e] That number is 666.

Footnotes
Revelation 13:1 Some manuscripts And I
Revelation 13:8 Or written from the creation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was slain
Revelation 13:10 Some manuscripts anyone kills
Revelation 13:10 Jer. 15:2
Revelation 13:18 Or is humanity’s number

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo

Bible Project
Revelation 12-22

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Verses 1-2
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. 2 And the beast which I saw was like 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.

Commentary: The beast from the sea, the dragon of chapter 12, and the Babylon of chapter 17 are all described as having seven heads and ten horns, indicating a connection between them. The sea here may represent the Gentile nations of the world, from which the Beast will come. The Beast has been suggested to represent a so-called "anti-christ", the "false messiah" of Matthew 24:5 and I John 2:18, and is also the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8, 20, 21, 24, 25. The Beast could to be understood either or both as a person and an empire. As a man, he is the "willful king" of Daniel 11:36, the "coming prince" of Daniel 9:26, and the "man of sin" of 2 Thessalonians 2:3. As an empire, he represents the revival of the Roman Empire, both with respect to lands and belief systems. The leopard, bear, and lion refer to the first three beasts of Daniel Chapter 7. The horns and heads will be discussed in Chapter 17. He speaks blasphemy against God because his power and authority come from Satan himself.

The seven heads have been known to represent the Rome because the capital is built on seven hills. The ten horns represent the ten provinces of the Roman empire. The appearance of the beast as a whole (looking like a leopard with bear feet and a lion mouth) also relate to the Roman empire because by giving an analogy of the qualities of the empire.

If we assert that there is a possible connection between the number of the beast and Nero and if not Nero, then at least some would agree that John may be using the beast as a symbol for the governing Roman Emperors at the time he was writing and aligning them with the anti-christ.. If so, the sea could be a connection to the Roman emperor's proconsul emerging from the sea at the arrival for his annual visit to Ephesus (Witherington III, Revelation). Also important to note is that the according to ancient beliefs the sea was a symbol of chaos, evil, and demonic powers. While the sea may be a symbol of chaos and evil, historically speaking, the sea was a major source of the Roman Empire as far back as Julius Caesar's defeat of the Mediterranean pirates and Caesar Augustus' naval defeat of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. This comparison lend some credit to the argument that much of John's revelation is a warning against the pagan religion of the empire.

Verse 3
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 about the beast.
Commentary: It is unclear how to understand the Greek verb "esphagmene" at work in this verse. Generally, this verb is translated to mean "to slay" or "to murder." One interpretation that could be taken from this verse is that the wound was nearly mortal, thus causing the head to die. However, another interpretation is that the wound was actually mortal, and only the head survived. This verb is also used in Revelation 5:6, referring to the death of the Lamb. Recall that the Lamb rose again though. Scholars have argued that the reader is meant to see a demonic imitation of Christ in this verse.

A prophetic reading of this passage could refer to the Holy Roman Empire and its collapse in the fifth century. This reading is only possible if the Beast with seven heads is understood to be the Gentiles of the world and represent the kingdoms who had succeeded the empire. One of the heads, presumably the seventh head, is mentioned specifically in this text and could possible represent a succeeding kingdom that was lead by Satan. This head, being "wounded to death" and then healed is Satan overtaking and rule the kingdom. Satan will enter the body and proceed to deceive all those who did not believe, ultimately overtaking the kingdom. But, this can only be done because God wants it to be done. All of these events (even the absolutely horrible ones) are only done because they are God's will.

Verses 4-6
4 And they worshiped the dragon which gave power to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given to him to continue forty-two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Commentary: John may be discussing living in the day when the government saw themselves as deities and required everyone to worship them. The dragon is Satan. People will not realize they are worshiping Satan; they will believe the Beast must have divine (messianic) power because of the things he is able to do. He will deliberately foster this belief in his speaking, which constitutes blasphemy since he is claiming God's authority.The word "great" in this text can be translated as arrogant words. The blasphemies allude to Daniel 7 v 8 & 20. He will have worldwide power during the last half of the Tribulation: forty and two months or three and a half years. Satan gives the beast freedom of speech and the authority to continue for forty-two months, as God limited the beast's power of influence and reign.

It is highly unlikely that Satan would limit his time to create havoc. With this we must consider how did he get his power? Ultimately God has allowed Satan to have this capability which is hard to imagine if you only see his work as positive without considering the opposite. This time period of 3½ years occurs in several places in Revelation: Gentiles tread the holy city underfoot for "forty-two months," or 3½ years (11:2); the two witnesses are given power to prophesy "1,260 days," or exactly 3½ years, according to the Hebrew year of 360 days (11:3); the "woman clothed with the sun" is protected in the wilderness for "1,260 days," or 3½ years (12:6); and in this passage, we see that the beast is given authority to continue for "forty-two months," or 3½ years (13:5). It is very likely that all of these passages refer to the same time period, and that they coincide with either the first or the second half (depending on interpretation) of Daniel's 70th week (cf. Dan 9:26-27).

Verse 7
7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them, and power was given him over all kindreds, tongues, and nations.
Commentary: The Beast will challenge and create war with the true believers (saints) and overcome them. This war may be seen more as a war of persecution as opposed to an actual war with soldiers. Because God has given Satan control over the Earth and its inhabitants, he has decidedly not protected the saints who are instead supposed to endure there tribulations. The saints were defined as “the women’s children who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. The power of this beast is not meant to be underestimated, he is predicted to have power over the earth and its inhabitants.

Verses 8-9
8 And all who live upon the earth will worship him, whose names are not 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.
Commentary: The figure of the lamb indicates some sacrifice and in relation to the mentions of humanity, "the book of life" and its relation with salvation, it seem to indicate the initial sacrifice by Adam, the initiation of the human condition. The foundation of the world predates the coming of Christ, the last Adam. If the effects of Adam’s original sin are not undone before a person dies or before judgment day, then they are doomed. Numerous passages in the Bible refer to “the book of life”, this seems to indicate a book with a genealogical record of some type, for registering peoples names for divine purposes. Accordingly, this reference indicates one of God's records of men, that is kept in heaven (Luke, 10:20) as "the book of life". There are many other books/records kept (Revelation, 20:12), this particular one was started in the foundation of the world (Revelation, 17:8). Names are added and removed from this record in accord to their relation with God. Only the righteous (Psalm, 69:28) are kept, and only those will be saved (Daniel, 12:1), the others will suffer (Revelation, 20:15) as they will believe the falsehoods of the Beast and will worship him. Verse 9 is an often repeated formula originating in Isaiah 6:9-10 used in the Gospel of John to emphasize the importance of a concept. Here he is pointing out that the Lamb offers the only path to salvation, and that all who reject Him will be lost.

Verse 10
10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity. He that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Commentary: God will punish the evildoers when their allotted time is over. The Beast and his followers will be defeated, judged, and punished. Patience here is the Greek hupomonē, meaning "endurance". Saints, in this verse, is the Greek hagiōn, better translated as "holy ones". Those who have saving faith will endure the persecutions of the Beast. Some of the saints will be held captive and others will become martyrs according to God's plan. The faith of the saints through such tribulatory periods and through physical death will be the key to saving them in the end from Eternal damnation. They are not to take the sword and attach their foes, but instead they should suffer the evil and end the cycle of killing by revenge. Some say that the wars that are waged against God's people are brought about by the people of earth alone. It is said that once the time comes for this to be fulfilled, Satain will not even need to wage war because the people on earth will have brought war upon themselves already.

The Beast from the Earth
Verses 11-13
11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon, 12and he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
Commentary: The second beast is the False Prophet. His role is to encourage people to worship the Antichrist. His two horns like a lamb represent his attempt to appear gentle, reverent, and harmless. But his power comes from Satan, and he has the full supernatural power of the Antichrist, who is the political ruler. The False Prophet equates to the Holy Spirit in Satan's false trinity. His actions show him to be a religious leader. His wonders and miracles, accomplished through the power of Satan, will convince the world to worship the Antichrist. He is able to make fire come down from heaven (a vision of modern weapons?).

Verses 14-15
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he has power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by the sword and yet lived. 15And he had power to give life 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.
Commentary: The False Prophet will use the miracles of Elijah (I Kings 18:38 and II Kings 1:10) to trick people into worshiping the false messiah, and to create an image of the Beast in violation of God's commandment. This image will be set up at "the holy place", which is either the Well of Souls or the Western Wall, both on the Temple Mount at Jerusalem. This is the "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15 and Daniel 9:27). The people of the earth must either worship the image or be killed. There is no room for religious freedom in the Beast's empire! Seeing that the second Beast has the power to give life, it has the same ability as the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says: "When you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place... there will be great tribulation."[Mt 24:15,21] The "abomination of desolation" is usually understood to mean the setting up of a pagan altar in the temple at Jerusalem. This has happened twice already: once in 168 B.C., when Syrian forces under the Greek general Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem, and again in 70 A.D., when Roman forces under Titus destroyed the city. Since Jesus was referring to a future event, the first of these does not apply. Some believe that the prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD, because Jesus said, "This generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.[Mt 24:34] Others see a partial fulfillment in 70 AD, and a more complete fulfillment at some future date, because many of the contextual details attached to Jesus' prophecy were not fulfilled in 70 AD. This future occurrence of the “abomination of desolation” will herald a time of great tribulation “such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever will be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened."[Mt 24:21-22]

Verses 16-17
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17so that no one might buy or sell except those who have the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Commentary: There have been many attempts to identify this mark. Given modern technology, it is quite possible that the "mark" might be an embedded microchip, readable electronically at a short distance, that uniquely identifies every person. This could be tied into financial accounts and used much as a credit card, allowing the transfer of funds without cash. Others believe that this could possibly relate to a bar code since it is imprinted on every product at a store. Those who refuse the mark are unable to buy food, thus forcing people to accept it. The right hand is symbolic of authority and power as evidenced in the Scriptures when describing God's power (e.g. Ps 63:8; Ps. 139:10). The right hand may be used to show the power and authority Satan will have over those who take his mark. Also, the right hand and forehead are clearly visible demonstrating that there is no secrecy when it comes to this mark. One cannot purchase food or other necessities without taking on this mark. Starvation coupled with poverty or submission to the beast will be the only alternatives to choose from.

Verse 18
18Here is wisdom: Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Commentary: Of all the verses in Revelation, Rev. 13:18 has easily received the most attention. There have been many interpretations regarding the number 666. It may simply signify incompleteness and chaos by virtue of the fact it falls short of the perfect 777.

However, gematria, the ancient practice of assigning letters numerical value, was common in John’s day. Going the other way (numbers to letters) involves a little more guess work after 2000 years. Having said this, the Greek to Hebrew to number translation of Nero can produce 666. Also, the word Beast itself also produces 666. It seems John is showing as explicitly as he is able that 666 is the Beast is Nero is 666, etc. Nero is also a likely candidate due to his rampant persecution of Christians. Furthermore, he would have been extremely well known to John's audience, so that even after concealing his identity in the number, the beast would have clearly stood as a symbol of Nero.

Additionally significant is the fact that 666 is the eighth sequential doubly triangular number; that is, it is the eighth number which is the sum of successive numbers beginning with 1 whose last number in the series (in this case 36) is also triangular. Some have argued that this could be the meaning of the symbolism of the beast having seven head, with Nero being the eighth and the beast himself. This may be pushing the symbolism too far.[1]

There is actually some contention that the number is not, in fact, 666, but is instead 616. This can be found in some early manuscripts of the book. These are certainly in the minority, although they are not totally without merit. This comes from using the Latin form of Nero's name, translating it to Hebrew, and then assigning a number value to the letters. This is the same process discussed above which translates the letters of Nero's name to 666.

Others see this verse differently. Given that John expected his early Christian readers to understand it, it seems unlikely to be a complex code. Perhaps it is a pointer to the only other place in scripture where this number is given in exactly the same way: I Kings 10:14. If so, the verse itself is not the target; the intent is rather to draw the reader to I Kings Chapter 10. That chapter, taken together with the secular history of Ethiopia's Solomonic Dynasty, would explain very nicely how the Antichrist can fulfill the prophecy of being from the line of King David while also being a Gentile (King Solomon was King David's son). [cf. the Wikipedia article on the Solomonic Dynasty.]

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Daniel 7

Daniel 7 New International Version (NIV)
Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts
7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

2 Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

4 “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

5 “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

6 “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

9 “As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
    the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
    and its wheels were all ablaze.
10 A river of fire was flowing,
    coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
    and the books were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The Interpretation of the Dream
15 “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 17 ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. 18 But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’

19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.[b]

26 “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. 27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

28 “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Footnotes:
Daniel 7:13 The Aramaic phrase bar enash means human being. The phrase son of man is retained here because of its use in the New Testament as a title of Jesus, probably based largely on this verse.

Daniel 7:25 Or for a year, two years and half a year

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Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

(c) Ben Witherington III, Revelation, Cambridge University Press: New York, 2003.

Witherington, Ben. Revelation. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Biblical_Studies/New_Testament_Commentaries/Revelation/Chapter_13

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END

"Hugh C. Wood", "Hugh Wood", Book of Revelation, John the Elder, Peachtree Church, Revelation 13, the mark of the beast, 666, the beast with ten horns and seven heads, slain lamb, 42 months,