Interpreting the Vision of Revelation 13

It is so exciting to see the events happening around the world today with our Bibles wide open and see how relevant it all is in light of what is coming. We know from the Bible that Edom, Moab and Ammon are mentioned and when you look at modern day Jordan, that remains. Petra exists but in the Bible it is referred to as Sela. Indiana Jones visited it in the Temple of Doom movie and it wasn't a stage that was built but it is the Kingdom Treasury that we see carved into the rock face.

Any religion that says that Jesus Christ is not the Son of God that is the Spirit of the Antichrist. Around the Dome of the Rock Mosque declaration in Arabic, "God was not begotten, nor does God have a son. This did not exist in the mid-600s and shows just how much the world is leaning against this type of teaching in the world.

Yet Proverbs 30:4 declares something much different according to Solomon.

Proverbs 30:4 ~ "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!"

Solomon knew that this was God and His Son, Jesus Christ! In order to get to heaven, Jesus was perfectly clear in his conversation with Nicodemus, one of the greatest Jewish scholars of the time. Jesus told him that he had to be born again, but not a new rebirth, but born from above. When it came time for Jesus' body to be removed from the cross, who was there to take down his body? Nicodemus. He understood what Jesus was saying by then. Even Paul the apostle with all his religious credentials counted every single one of them a loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ. No one gets to heaven regardless how long you've been an active church member, no Christian, no devout Hindu, No Buddhist or even a Koran carrying Muslim unless you have been born again. NO ONE!!!

John 3:3 ~ "Jesus answered him (Nicodemus), "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is 'born again' he cannot see the kingdom of God."

We know in our study of the character, nature and physical persona of the Antichrist in Revelation 13, all the heads of the beast that rises up from the sea has on them blasphemous names against Jesus. We see this happening all around us today. Mention any other religious figures name, and no one bats an eye, but mention Jesus and everyone becomes unraveled. The cults have this in common that they all deny Jesus! Jesus must not, will not be who the Bible says He is. In order to define the beast we see rising up from the sea in Revelation 13, you have to go back and read Daniel 2 and 7 to make sense of it all and we will look at it in further detail tomorrow.

We understand he contains three animal like characteristics about him, a leopard, a bear and a lion. Like a leopard, the Antichrists spots can not be changed. His character and nature can not be changed. Let's look at Daniel 2 and it is in reference to a dream Daniel is interpreting for King Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 2:31-44 ~ " You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of hem could be found. But the stone that struck the image because a great mountain and filled the whole earth. This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all - you are the head of gold (Babylonia Empire) . Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you (Medo-Persian Empire), and yet a third kingdom of bronze (Grecian Empire), which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom (Roman Empire), strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,"

Daniel 7:1-8,16-25 ~ "In this first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dram and visions in his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and behold another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broken in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever. Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, "As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. Ad for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall rise, and another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times and half a time."

Man see these powers as glorious kingdoms from Daniel 2.
Babylonian Empire (Gold) - LION
Medo-Persian Empire (Silver) - BEAR
Grecian Empire (Bronze) - LEOPARD
Roman Empire (Iron) - Hasn't been conquered but will rise again in the End Times

The LORD sees these powers as brute beasts from Daniel 7.  We see a lot of indicators that the stage is being set. We study the Bible because it is true and it speaks about the Antichrist, but we don't look for him because, we, as believers in Jesus Christ, will not be here when the Holy Spirit reveals who he is.

Things can't save you, only Jesus can.

Look to Jesus. Search your heart. If you died today, where would you go? Are you born again?

It is between you and God and no one else. It you are born again, you know without a doubt where you would go if you died today.

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of Go, that He came to die for your sins on the cross, was raised on the third day and if by faith you believe in Him, surrender your heart to Him and be saved, you will spend eternity in heaven.

Spirituality is NOT your salvation. JESUS is!