The second beast looks like the Lamb, but it speaks like the ‘dragon’, against the Father, and against the Son.2 It is later plainly called ‘the false prophet’.3 The coming of the ‘beast’ and the ‘false prophet’ form part of a worldwide ‘messianic’ expectation and hope for a world saviour. The problems on planet earth are indeed worldwide. This false prophet imitates the ‘two witnesses’, one of whom reminded us very much of Elijah, calling fire down from Heaven.4 He looks like a perfect imitation of a ‘man of God’ like Elijah.5 Moses demonstrated God’s almighty power and, at the same time, his mandate to Pharaoh by means of supernatural signs.6 The Lord Jesus demonstrated His Messianic dignity and the first stage of the Kingdom that had come with Him and in Him by means of signs.7 The Apostles demonstrated that they were the ambassadors and witnesses of Christ by means of signs, in the power of the Holy Spirit.8 ‘Signs and wonders’ in themselves are not absolute proofs of divinity and truth, however. The wise men and magicians/sorcerers of Egypt performed great signs.9 The Lord warns His people through Moses about prophets in Israel whose ‘signs and wonders’ came to pass but who were still in the service of idolatry.10 The Lord Jesus warns that even performing signs in His Name can be wrong, and are called ‘lawlessness’.11 Yes, they were true miracles by the Lord Who granted miraculous healing to those who had faith for healing. He granted him or her the miracle of healing or delivery. But apparently ‘signs and wonders and miracles and deliveries of evil spirits’ are no proof of miracles performed by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. It does not excuse the practices of the ‘healers’. It can even be ‘lawlessness’, Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Paul states clearly that the coming of the ‘lawless one’, the man doomed to destruction, “the son of perdition”, will be ‘in accordance with how Satan works’, “… with all power and signs and false wonders…”12 The false prophet’s signs are meant as temptation, as seduction. He points to the recovery from the fatal wound that the first beast demonstrated. Look: A miracle! The people will say it is wonderful. They will consider this the presence of supernatural power in that person—is of God! The first beast exercises his ‘divine’, ‘God-given’ political power, and the second beast organises and shapes the accompanying state cult including ‘divine’ worship of fallen man at the top of the pyramid. He is able to do so because of the authority he derives from this supernatural, demonic power that he has received from ‘below’. Oh look, people will say! He can call fire from Heaven. They will say: ‘Isn’t that somewhere in the Bible as well?’ Oh, look, he can heal people! Isn’t that somewhere in the Bible as well? They will conclude: This comes from God! He is the real One, the Coming Saviour of the world! The ‘signs and wonders and miracles’ convince them. The ‘second beast’ perhaps does this near or close to the Temple. Daniel writes that the Covenant will be broken and that then the sacrifice and the grain offering will cease.13 Paul says that the man ‘doomed to destruction’, the ‘man of perdition’ will set himself up in God’s Temple.14 If the second beast carries out its ‘fire stunt’ near the Temple (where the ‘two witnesses’ also ministered) it can thus claim the Temple worship for the ‘first beast’, so that the ‘man of perdition’ can enter into God’s Temple to demonstrate that he is ‘god’. There is no better ‘proof’ for the ‘divinity’ of the beast. ‘Temple’ as we discovered can mean either a literally rebuilt (small) Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, or apostate Christianity at large together with all the end-times religions worldwide – or both. It must be from God – people will say – if fire comes down from Heaven!15 So from now on there can be no other religion than that of the ‘worship of the beast’! How the false prophet called fire down from Heaven at the inauguration of the beast ‘in the Temple of God’ was perhaps witnessed all over the world. The scene of the false prophet calling down fire from Heaven at the inauguration of the beast ‘in the Temple of God’ is perhaps broadcast all over the world via satellite, TV and other means of mass- communication.
The modern media have made the world one big global village, and are maybe indeed involved with the ‘image’ that will now be set up, that will speak and be ‘worshipped’ by everyone. That role of the mass media for all to see and to hear can apply to both possibilities. Showing the events at that literally rebuild Temple in the heart of Jerusalem and the worldwide preaching of the apostate end-times religion, and showing these incredible miracles and healing of the ‘beast’ all over the world.
• By identifying the beast’s fatal wound to one of the beast’s heads with regard to the beast in its entirety,16 it becomes clear that the ‘beast’ is identical to its heads. The beast was fatally wounded, not only one of its heads. The ‘beast’ can be a plural entity!
Bible References:
1.NIV 2.1 John 2:22 3.Revelation 16:13, 19:20, 20:10 4.Revelation 11:5, compare Job 1:16 5.1 Kings 18:20–40 6.Exodus 7:1–6 7.Matthew 12:28; Acts 2:22 8.Acts 5:12, 6:8, 14:3; Romans 15:19 9.Exodus 7:11 10.Deuteronomy 13:1–5 11.Matthew 7:22–23 12.2 Thessalonians 2:9 13.Daniel 9:27 14.2 Thessalonians 2:4 15.Leviticus 9:23–24; 2 Chronicles 7:1–3; 1 Kings 18:20–40; 2 Kings 1:9–14 16.Revelation 13:3
