Mary Fairchild
The following is based on the phonetic writing of the expository teaching tapes of Pastor Jim Mooberry.
The beast symbolizes three things.
1. A kingdom; a worldwide revival, an extension of what was once called the Roman Empire. This kingdom in the last days will encircle the globe and it will be a one-world government.
2. A spiritual power; a being that is behind this kingdom (Satan, the dragon) Rev. 12:3,9.
3. A king of that kingdom. Daniel calls him skilled and the willful king. Paul calls him the man of sin. Others call him the antichrist.
THE WOMAN SYMBOLIZES A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM. This woman is a harlot. She is unfaithful to God. She is Babylonian mysticism. It is the prototype of all false religion and all idolatry. It has infiltrated all of the great religions in world history. This scene is of the last days before Christ returns. The world will, once again, be unified by a world government and a world religious system called Babylon the Great. This system will reign for the better part of seven years called the tribulation. It will then be utterly destroyed by the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The kingdom of darkness is ruling even today on the earth. Since the fall of man, Satan has had rule on this earth under God’s permission. The fullest manifestation of darkness that has ever occurred will be when after the church is raptured.
In Deuteronomy 29:29 JOSHUA SAYS THE SECRET THINGS BELONG TO THE LORD OUR GOD, BUT THE THINGS REVEALED BELONG TO US. There are things that God has not chosen to reveal. We should be satisfied with what God has given us. It is sufficient. We shouldn’t be seeking additional knowledge in other places like human wisdom and experiences or some other spirit. We should also be obedient to what is revealed. Are you responding to what you know? In verse 7 an angel comes to interpret John’s dream because he is so befuddled by what he has seen. John is going to be given some more
revelation. Sometimes it is still difficult to understand for us, but it won’t be in those days. This is characteristic of biblical prophecy.
THE ANGEL REVEALS THREE INSIGHTS ABOUT THE BEAST THAT JOHN SAW.
1. IT IS A REVIVED KINGDOM(vs. 8). This is the kingdom aspect of the beast. The beast who was it the past history and the reign of the Roman empire, who is not is the present disorganized and disjointed remnant, is about to come is the revival of this empire on a global scale. All of this is from the perspective of those who live on the earth while this is happening (vs. 8).
2. THE BEAST IS A FINAL KINGDOM(vs. 9,10). The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits and they are seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes he must remain a little while. Seven kingdoms are destined to rule the world during this age of darkness since the time of Babel until the time of Jesus Christ’s return. They are kingdoms that have been dominated by the great harlot’s false religious system. 1. Egypt: The great pyramids of Egypt are a testimony to the occult and astrological foundations of that society. The pyramids were built according to specifications that were divine through astrology and through the occult black arts. Egypt was an empire of black magic.
The priests of Babylonian mysticism that took over Egypt were honored by the throne and even controlled the throne as the pharaohs were always consulting them for any decisions. When Moses faced Pharaoh in Exodus 7 and he did his first miracles, then Pharaoh also called for the wisemen, the sorcerers, and the magicians… 2. Assyria: Ninevah, its capitol, was mad with the occult. God chastises Ninevah in Nahum 3:4. 3. Babylon: Nebekenezzer’s time when it reached its zenith. Daniel testifies to the great elaborate rituals that were there and the system that was divination that they had created. 4. Persia: They conquered Babylon but they were enslaved by the harlot as well. 5. Greece: Greece was so filled with this idolatry, that when Paul visited Athens in Acts 17:16 that his heart burned within him because the city was filled with idols. 6. Rome: This is the one that “is” in John’s day. The five that had fallen were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. The one that is coming is the second chapter of Rome.
These seven all oppress Israel and they will oppress Israel. In Ezekiel 5: 5 God says that Israel is at the center of the earth. It is the place of God that He is focused on in the world. Whatever world empire that impinged upon Israel was the one that was of concern to God.
Not only has God ordained history, he has ordained your life as well. He has ordained what shall transpire in your life. He has a plan for your life. One of the most exciting things in life is to discover what that plan is. Sometimes it has to do with
just the dream you have about what you want to do and accomplish in life. If you are a Christian you have to live for Christ in this life. You are to be obedient to Him, enjoy Him, and be His ambassador in this world.
3. THE BEAST IS A FUTURE KING(vs. 11).
The beast, which was, and is not is himself also an eighth and he is one of the seven and he goes to destruction. An eighth head springs out of the seven. There are seven heads on this beast, seven kingdoms. But out of the seventh springs another head. This says that there are two phases to this final seventh kingdom. The first involves ten kingdoms and ten kings ruling with the antichrist as their president.
The World Constituent Assembly back in 1977 who had a meeting and drew up a constitution for what they called the “federation of the earth.” Under that constitution they divided the earth into 10 kingdoms. Later they changed that when they started getting flack from Christians. Now they say it is divided into 10 districts. Ten economic trading districts. Ten governmental districts.
The second part of this kingdom, the eighth head that grows out, is period of time when just the antichrist will rule supremely. In phase 1 this world federation of 10 kingdoms; an antichrist is either one of them or he is in the midst of them as a president or a moderator. But at the mid-point of this tribulation something happens; the empire of the antichrist begins.
THE TEN HORNS ARE THE TEN KINGS WHO HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED A KINGDOM. But they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose; they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb and the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
The purpose for the 10 kings is that they will rule with the beast. At first the beast is their president. Daniel 7:23 On the second half of this tribulation period is the world empire of the antichrist. These kings “receive” authority. Ultimately they
receive their authority from God. All authority is given ultimately from God to accomplish His purposes. All gifts in our life are given by God. All talents we have, all personality characteristics we have. We didn’t choose any of these things. When you consider your own life, are you making the most of what God has given you? It is fruitless to oppose God.
Those who are with the King of Kings are those who are the called, the chosen, and the faithful (vs. 14). That is the great doctrine of election. Also vs. 8 “whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.” If you are a Christian your name has been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world. The saints of God are those who are chosen, they are then called to Him and they are faithful because they are kept by Him. It is very simple, just
accept what God says. As He gives you understanding, some of the difficult issues about it will come to the front.
“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you
in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13-16
GOD CALLS HIS PEOPLE TO HIMSELF THROUGH THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL. It is God who strengthens us so that we can be faithful. Salvation is a work of God. It is from the grace of God. He finds us, He calls us to himself, He gives us the strength to persevere.
“Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:1
We see in the beloved, our election, in the called, the call of God, and in being kept for Jesus the faithfulness that will issue forth because of God’s work on our life. This is the certainty of your salvation.
“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4,5
Jeremiah became a prophet before he was born. God had already set His love upon Jeremiah before he was even conceived. That is the sovereignty of God. Jeremiah did not deserve this but God bestowed it upon him. The certainty of our salvation; it is God who is for us, who can be against us? The certainty of those who will respond; there will be people who will respond when you share the gospel because God is calling them in the love of God in our Savior for us. It began before the world was born. God knew you and He loved you.
THE WATERS WHICH YOU SAW, WHERE THE HARLOT SITS, ARE PEOPLES AND MULTITUDES AND NATIONS AND TONGUES. This indicates a universal, ecumenical apostate religious system. It will only unify the world as a religion system for 3 ½ years. At that mid-point the Babylonian mystery religion is destroyed. It is destroyed by her own lovers (vs. 16,17); they hate the woman because she dominates them and she rides them. God has put it into their hearts to detest that at this point and they chafe under her; she is also a roadblock to emperor worship and that is the ultimate goal of the devil. He wants to be like God, the possessor of heaven and earth. He destroys what has served him for so many thousands of years in this final blind attempt to gain the worship of the world immediately. She is destroyed; he eliminates this religious system and set himself up as god (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
In reality, the world is entering the darkest period of human history: the period of beast worship. No matter what happens we know that God is still in control. Sometimes He will use evil to accomplish His purposes. He wants us to trust Him
in all of our circumstances. We will never understand everything this side of glory. In this case he permits a tremendous reign of evil for 3 ½ years to accomplish His purposes of ultimate destruction of the whole thing, the whole kingdom of darkness.
We can see things developing in our society right now that are causing this whole thing to come together. It is also a very deceptive day. We need to be careful about the workings of the devil even among evangelical Christians. Many are just ignorant and don’t realize what is going on. There is a growing mindset that there is a religiously correct attitude and
it is ecumenism. When John said, in John 3:17, that we should all be one he was talking about spiritual unity. We are one. Every believer is in the body of Christ. He was not talking about organizational unity.
God’s counsel to the believers in this day is “come out of her (Rev. 18:4).” You cannot have unity without forsaking the truth. To forsake the truth for the sake of unity is to betray Jesus Christ.
WORKS CITED
- Revelation and Church History
- Church Age
- “THE MYSTERY OF THE WOMAN AND THE BEAST”; JM REV32; Rev. 17: 17, 18; The Faithful Word. Pastor Jim Mooberry