Daily Thought

Chapter 13 reveals to us the trinity of evil persons who will persecute true believers during the second half of the tribulation. Verses 1-10 concern a first beast, an evil man who behaves like a wild animal. John sees him arising from the sea of nations with seven heads and ten crowned horns bearing blasphemous names against God. He and his lieutenant, the second beast, or False Prophet, of verses 11 to 18, are Satan’s henchmen, and demand that the whole world worship the first beast and the dragon as God. This is the deification of a man in place of the true God, Satan’s ultimate objective. His nationality is unclear, but may prove to be half-Jewish, half-Gentile, to gain acceptance by all unbelievers. He bears the features of Daniel’s world rulers and derives his authority from Satan. He is elsewhere called the Antichrist, the Man of sin, the little horn, the coming prince, and the wilful king. He will win the world’s allegiance as a result of a violent death and a resurrection experience which counterfeits that of Christ. After this he will be indwelt by Satan and claim worship as God. For 42 months he will be allowed to persecute believers, and many will be martyred. This is their great tribulation, for which they will need patient endurance and faith in Christ.

John sees the second beast arise from the land of Israel. He will probably be an apostate Jew. He will support the first beast by performing counterfeit miracles to convince men of the latter’s deity. He will set up an image of the first beast in the rebuilt temple sanctuary, and enable it to speak and kill all who refuse to worship it. This is elsewhere called ‘the abomination of desolation’. He will also compel all men to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead which enables them to buy and sell. Life will be very difficult for all who refuse to accept it. The mark will be the number 666, the number of a man who falls short of perfection. But the duration of this satanic reign of terror will be strictly limited by God. Satan’s men will not succeed in usurping God’s place on earth, because God will intervene to save ‘His own’ at Christ’s second coming in glory. This will give believers courage to endure their suffering. Hallelujah!