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Chapter 38: The Two Beasts
In the book of Revelation the coming to power of the Antichrist and the False Prophet is portrayed as the emergence of two great beasts, one from the sea, and one from the Earth. Revelation 13:1 & 8 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. All inhabitants of the Earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. Revelation 13:11-13 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the Earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the Earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to Earth in full view of men. The first beast, the beast from the sea represents the Antichrist, and the second beast, the beast from the Earth represents the False Prophet. We will have to turn to the Old Testament and also look at some apocryphal literature to find the basis for using the two beasts as symbols in the book of Revelation. On the fifth day of creation God created the creatures that live in the water and those that fly above the Earth. This was one day before he created mankind, on the sixth day. According to the 2nd book of Esdras from the Greek Orthodox bible, God created two special creatures on the fifth day. 2 Ezra (Esdras) 6:49-52 (Paraphrased) Then thou didst create on the fifth day the two living creatures. The name of one thou called Behemoth, and the other Leviathan. To Behemoth thou gave the land to live on, and to Leviathan thou gave the watery parts. Leviathan: The Antichrist
The leviathan is mentioned in the book of Psalms and there is a long description of it in the book of job. Psalms 104:25-26 There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. Job 41:1,2 & 5 & 8-9 "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. Job 41:25-26 & 31-34 When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on Earth is his equal--a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud." In the verses above we see that the sword has no effect on this creature. This is a reference to Antichrist being wounded with a sword but he will appear to rise from the dead also notice that he is the king over all who are proud. Pride and boasting are Satan’s characteristics, and they will also be the traits of Antichrist and his supporters. No creature that we know of today even faintly resembles the monster of the sea named leviathan. The only thing that might come close to resembling it are the reported sightings of the Loch Ness monster in Scotland. But, even that has only one head, so it is not leviathan. Behemoth: The False Prophet
Job 40:15-19 "Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. Ancient writers say that the behemoth was a creature that was similar to a hippopotamus, but a little larger. The purpose of studying the scriptures and other references to behemoth and leviathan is not prove or disprove the existence of such creatures today. It is to show where the symbolism in the book of Revelation for the Antichrist and the False Prophet are derived from. Another reason is to alert those who are watching for the return of Jesus Christ that these monsters could still exist, and if they are discovered it may be a sign from God to his people that the Antichrist and the False Prophet are about to appear on the world scene. Job 3:8 May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. Job indicates that there are people who are ready to rouse leviathan. This may pertain to those people who are working to form a one world government, which will enable the Antichrist to assume control of the world Psalms 74:12-14 But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the Earth. It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert. 2 Baruch 29:3-4 And it will happen that when all that which should come to pass has been accomplished, the Anointed One will begin to be revealed. And Behemoth will reveal itself from its place, and Leviathan will come from the sea, the two great monsters which I have created on the fifth day of creation and which I have kept until that time. And they will be nourishment for all who are left. The Earth will also yield its fruits ten thousand fold. Isaiah 26:21 & 27:1 See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the Earth for their sins. The Earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer. In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea. The Lord will slay leviathan, the monster from the sea. He will defeat the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon, and give their dead bodies as food to the animals, birds and insects. According to the apocryphal book of Baruch (Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribes name) there will also be an actual leviathan and behemoth that the Lord will slay and give for food to those who are left alive on the Earth when he returns. Note: the next six chapters are background material concerning the origin of the conflict between God and Satan, and a review of the ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. If you wish continue on immediately with the prophetic study you may skip these chapters for now and proceed to chapter forty five. |