Revelation 12-13 – The Great Actors of the Tribulation

by Dr. Gary Linton | Updated November 26th, 2024

Revelation 12 and 13 are parenthetical chapters depicting a scene in heaven and giving more details of the tribulation period on earth. They introduce the great actors or characters of the tribulation period: Woman (Israel), Dragon (Satan), Man Child (Christ), Michael (Angels), Israel (Remnant Seed of the Woman), Beast of the Sea (Antichrist or World Dictator), Beast of the Earth (False Prophet or World Religious Leader). The primary focus of chapter 13 is on the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Israel.

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In chapter twelve we see two signs in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. There’s another sign of a great red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail drew a third part of the stars casting them to the earth. The dragon stands before the woman that was ready to bare a child, which was to rule the nations, to devour it. The child is caught up to heaven and the woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared by God.

Then we see a war take place in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The dragon, who is the devil and Satan, is defeated and he and his angels are cast to the earth. As the result of being cast to the earth, knowing his time is short, he unleashes his fury upon the earth and the inhabitants thereof. He’s particularly wroth with the woman and sets forth on a campaign of persecution against her. However, in spite of his fury against her, she escapes into the wilderness where she’s nourished and cared for three and a half years.

In chapter thirteen we are introduced to the second and third beast. In chapter eleven verse seven we were introduced to the first beast which descended up out of the bottomless pit. This was none other than Satan himself, a counterfeit of God the Father. This is the same that’s cast out of heaven in chapter twelve. In chapter thirteen verse one John sees a beast rise up out of the sea (the first beast of this chapter). This is the Antichrist or World Dictator. He impersonates Christ. One of his heads are wounded and his deadly wound is healed with all the world marveling.

In verse eleven he sees a beast rise out of the earth. This is the false prophet or world religious leader. This one mimics the Holy Spirit, in that, he magnifies the Antichrist and causes all the world to worship him. He speaks like a dragon portraying his lies and deception. He imitates the Holy Spirit by performing many false signs and lying wonders. He makes an image of the first beast or Antichrist and had the power to give life to the image so that it speaks and he causes all who would not worship the image to be killed. He causes everyone to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their forehead without which they could not buy or sell.

Two Wonders in Heaven

Wonder is Semeion in the Greek and is better translated sign. Wonder or teras in the Greek doesn’t appear in Revelation. Semeion is used in Revelation 12:1, 12:3, 13:13-14, 15:1, 16:14, and 19:20. Though it’s a sign in heaven it portrays a reality on earth. Things always transpire in heaven before becoming a reality on earth.

A woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars.
Revelation 12:1-2 – “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”
The woman here is not Jesus or the church, but Israel as the matrix from which Christ came. We know this from the dream of Joseph. The sun represented Jacob, the moon his mother, the eleven stars his brethren, and of course Joseph is the twelfth star representing the twelve tribes of Israel. This is the godly remnant standing true to God during the tribulation period. This is the glory of Israel and her ultimate triumph over her enemies.
Genesis 37:9-10 – “And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?”
Travailing in birth has to do with the suffering of Israel in the book of Genesis particularly in being birthed as a nation. It also has to do with the suffering they have endured throughout history. They have suffered more than any other people group ever has. More particularly it has to do with the travail of Israel at the time of Jesus’ first coming.
God’s primary plan and purpose for Israel was the birth of the Messiah. From the very beginning, after the fall in the garden, God promised the Christ would come and crush the head of the serpent. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
God promised Abraham, the father of Israel and our faith, that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). From the very beginning the devil has attempted to thwart God’s plan of redemption. His hatred for God’s chosen people has existed primarily because it was through them that the Messiah would and did come. He still loathes them because it was through them that Jesus came and dealt a death blow to the head of the serpent through the cross.
Colossians 2:15 – “Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
A great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Revelation 12:3 – “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.”
The dragon here is inevitably Satan. He’s described as a red dragon signifying his murderous nature and characteristics. He is vicious and his desire is “not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (John 10:10a). The devil desires nothing but our destruction. There is nothing good in him at all. He steals, kills, and destroys. This is why it’s essential we turn to Jesus and what He did for us on Calvary’s Cross and trust Him solely. Whereas Satan’s goal is mankind’s destruction, Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b).
Seven heads and ten horns are symbols of power and authority. Rome sat on seven hills, therefore, the revised Roman Empire is in view. This alludes to Daniel’s vision and the world ruler who arises to reign over the revised Roman Empire empowered by the dragon. There are originally ten kingdoms of which three are subdued by the little horn. How this will be manifest and played out in the end times only God knows. We do know the reign of the Antichrist will be like that of Rome in its desire for world domination, its persecution of both Jews and Christians alike and like Caesar, he will seek to be worshiped as god (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
Daniel 7:7-8, 24 – “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse 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 little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.”

What the Dragon Does

Revelation 12:4-5 – “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.”

The third part of the stars.
“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” This very probably alludes to the original fall of Lucifer. When he fell through his desire to exalt himself and be like the Most High one-third of the angels fell with him. Satan is now the prince and the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). In that, a third of the angels rebelled or were cast out with him means two-thirds didn’t rebel. That means they’re outnumbered two to one.
Isaiah 14:12-15 – “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
We’re on the winning side. We also see him falling like lighting from heaven when we go forth preaching the gospel in the authority of our Lord. This also refers to the devil and his angels, the accuser of the brethren, being cast out of heaven to earth as it’s further explained in Revelation 12:9-12. At which point his activity is restricted to earth.
Luke 10:18-19 – “And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
The dragon stood against the woman to devour the child.
Satan has come against Israel throughout the corridors of time to stop the birth of Jesus. He then set forth to slay Him through Herod after His birth. In accord to the time the wise men told him they saw the star announcing Jesus’ birth, he set forth to slay all male children from two years old and younger. Joseph, however, being warned of God in a dream fled to Egypt with the child escaping Herod’s grasp (Matthew 2:11-18). He tried to kill Him because He was destined to rule the nations (Millennial Reign of Christ) which is forthcoming.
“And her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne.” Here it goes right to Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of the Majesty on High. “After the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19). Where He’s “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Ephesians 1:21). He will be coming back for His people in power and great glory.
Revelation 1:7 – “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Hebrews 9:28 – “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Titus 2:13 – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
1 John 3:2 – “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”

The Woman Flees to a Place Prepared by God

Revelation 12:6 – “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

We’ll cover this thoroughly at the end of the chapter with Revelation 12:13-17. Suffice it to say God will always protect His own. Psalm 91 is a good example of this as well as many other scriptures. This is dealing with the second half of the tribulation period – The last three and a half years. God also has a place of protection for you in your times of trouble. There’s a hiding place in Him.

John 17:15 – “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep (protect) them from the evil one.”

1 Peter 1:5 – “Who are kept (protected) by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

There is War in Heaven

Revelation 12:7-9 – “There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

This is referring to the final battle in the heavens where Satan and his fallen angels are cast out of the heavens and there was no more place found for them. The devil and all his demons are the prince and the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2). His activity from this point on appears to be restricted to the earthly realm. Up to this time he had access to the heavens and even the presence of God. From now on his fury will be focused and restricted to the earth.

There is a cosmic battle in the heavens that is going on perpetually between the powers of darkness and the angels of God. We saw this take place with Daniel when he had set himself to prayer. When an angel finally came to him in response to his prayer it was explained to him that from when he first began praying the angel was sent to him but he was hindered by a demonic prince. The angel prevailed because of Daniel’s persistent and prevailing prayer.

We too are in a constant battle with the powers of darkness. If we persist in prayer we will see a breakthrough. Never, never, never give up. Throughout scripture we see men and women of God found overcoming victory through persisting in prayer. This gives us the indication that angels are actually strengthened and prevail because of and due to our doing spiritual warfare and seeking the face of God. Let’s constantly set ourselves to doing spiritual battle.

Daniel 10:12-14 – “Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days.”

Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

The Accuser of the Brethren is Cast Down

Revelation 12:10-11 – “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”

There’s a sound and proclamation of victory in heaven as a result of the devil and his angels being cast out of heaven to the earth. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, is cast out and not allowed to bring accusation against the people of God ever again. This has been one of his primary activities since his original fall. We see this clearly portrayed in Job one and two. This also shows us how we can have victory NOW.

Three-fold prescription for victory:

The blood of lamb. We overcome him and all his accusations “by the blood of the lamb.” It’s not that his accusations are not accurate at times because we all fall short. Even when we fail we overcome because of Jesus’ blood that was shed for us on Calvary’s hill. It’s because of His finished work on the cross and that alone that we have victory. The devil is the prosecutor making his case against us but Jesus is our advocate with the Father. He doesn’t plead our innocence but merely points to His blood and says, “I paid for that, therefore they are NOT GUILTY!”
1 John 2:1-2 – “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Romans 8:33-34 – “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
The word of our testimony. “By the word of their testimony.” Each time you declare your faith in Jesus and make a public confession of Christ as your Lord and Savior, you deal a death blow to Satan. There’s power in your testimony. When we fail to assert our faith in Jesus and testify of Him we make ourselves vulnerable to his attacks.
Matthew 10:32-33 – “Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.”
Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Love not our lives unto death. What can the devil do to a person when they don’t care if they live or die? The worst he can do is take your life. What happens then? We go to be with the Lord in glory. While we live here we do our best to make an impact for Christ. If I die I’m in the presence of the Lord. We win no matter what. Glory be to God!
Matthew 16:25 – “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”
Philippians 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The Heavens Rejoice and the Earth Laments

Revelation 12:12 – “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”

Again, from this point forward the devil’s activity is restricted to the earth. Prior to this his activities were in heaven and the earth. Now his focus is on the inhabitants of the earth and world. Therefore, the heavens rejoice and the earth laments. He comes down to the earth with great wrath like never before because he knows he has but a short time.

The Dragon Persecutes the Woman

Revelation 12:13-17 – “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

With his last final thrust he persecutes the woman (Israel) who brought forth the Savior and all who hold the testimony of Jesus Christ. He comes after them with a vengeance. “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). This is when many of Israel flee to the wilderness where God has provided a place for them. Many believe this to be Petra. This is the second half of the tribulation period after the Antichrist sits in the temple and demands worship. The woman (Israel) will be nourished there by God Himself for three and a half years.

Revelation 12:6 – “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Matthew 24:15-16 – “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.”

Isaiah 16:4 – “Let My outcasts dwell with you, Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler.”

The Beast of the Sea

Revelation 13:1 – “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”

There are three beast mentioned in Revelation:

Beast of the Bottomless Pit – The Dragon and Satan (Revelation 11:7).
Beast of the Sea – Antichrist or World Dictator (Revelation 13:1).
Beast of Earth – False Prophet or World Religious Leader (Revelation 13:11).

In this verse we’re dealing with the beast of the sea. This may be referring to the Mediterranean Sea. Symbolically this speaks of a sea of people out of which the Antichrist or World Dictator arises. This is similar to Revelation 12:3 – “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” However, here it is a reference to the Antichrist whereas there it was referring to Satan.

Seven heads and ten horns are symbols of power and authority. Rome sat on seven hills, therefore, the revised Roman Empire is in view. This alludes to Daniel’s vision and the world ruler who arises to reign over the revised Roman Empire empowered by the dragon. There are originally ten kingdoms of which three are subdued by the little horn. How this will be manifest and played out in the end times only God knows.

Daniel 7:7-8, 24 – “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse 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 little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.”

It very well may be an existing nation that arises liken unto the Roman Empire. It’s possible and even probable that it will be a confederation of nations over which the Antichrist or world dictator will reign. We do know his reign will be like that of Rome in its desire for world domination, its persecution of Jews and Christians, and like Caesar he will seek to be worshiped as god (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

The Description of This Beast

Revelation 13:2 – “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”

The beast, Antichrist, or world dictator will be like a leopard which was characterized historically by Greece for its swiftness. The bear was characterized historically by Medo-Persia for its brutality. Lion here is characterized historically by Babylon for its strength. All three of these dominating powers will be manifest in the Antichrist’s reign. As Jesus received His power and authority from God the Father this beast receives it’s authority and power from the dragon or Satan.

It has been speculated by some that he may be gay or possibly asexual. They take this from Daniel where it’s said, “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (Daniel 11:37). Nonetheless he will not regard the Lord God nor any god and will magnify himself above the Lord or any “so called god.” He’s basically going to love himself above all else.

The Beast’s Deadly Wound is Healed

Revelation 13:3 – “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”

There’s a few scenarios that this may be referring too:

An Assassination. There’s a literal assassination of the Antichrist either attempted where it’s a deadly wound or he’s actually killed and comes back to life mimicking the resurrection of Jesus.
An attack on his kingdom. There’s an attack on his kingdom where a portion of it is overthrown and is restored.
A political wounding. It could very well be a political wounding or assassination where he loses his position of authority like that of losing an election and is miraculously restored to power. Much like that of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 5:21).

The deadly wound he receives appears to leave him marred. Jesus’ wounds remained even after His resurrection and most probably will remain throughout eternity to remind us of what He went through and endured for us. They will ever be before us showing us the payment He paid for our redemption. Even so the Antichrist’s wounds will likely remain as a reminder of the deception of his deadly wound being healed.

Zechariah 11:17 – “Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.”

The World Worships the Beast and the Dragon

Revelation 13:4 – “And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

All the world will see this miracle take place and will be amazed. They will stand in awe of his power and authority and will begin to worship the beast along with the devil who gave him his power. The whole world will be deceived and worship him as a result of his miraculous healing.

The Beast Speaks Blasphemies Against God

Revelation 13:5-6 – “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”

This takes place near the three and a half year point (the middle of the seven-year tribulation period) after the Antichrist sits in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem claiming to be God and demanding worship. This will be his demeanor throughout the second half of the tribulation or the last three and a half years prior to the second coming of Christ.

Daniel 9:27 – “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

2 Thessalonians 2:4 – “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

The Beast Makes War With the Saints

Revelation 13:7-10 – “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

Daniel 7:21-22 – “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

During the last part of the tribulation period the Antichrist will make war with the saints and seem to overcome them. However, as Daniel states, his war against the saints of the most high will be short lived. It lasts only until judgment is given to them and they possess the kingdom which takes us to the millennial reign of Christ. Most believe this is a reference to Israel and those who are saved during the tribulation period, that is if you take a pre-tribulation rapture stance. However, there are many scriptures to indicate that the church could be here during much of the tribulation period.

“Here is the patience (endurance) and the faith of the saints.” This indicates we will endure much in life and possibly during the tribulation period. Many passages speak of believers enduring conflict in life. We are encouraged throughout scripture to remain steadfast and keep the faith amid all that life and the devil throws at us. The prophets of old, the apostles, and men and women of God throughout history experienced intense times of tribulation. What makes us think we’re the only ones that will be exempt from tribulation?

Hebrews 11:33-39 – “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 – “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience (endurance) the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

2 Timothy 4:6-8 – “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”

Romans 5:3-5 – “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

James 1:2-4 – “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting (lacking) nothing.”

Matthew 24:13 – “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Another Beast Coming Up Out of the Earth

Revelation 13:11-12 – “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.”

This beast coming up out of the earth is none other than the false prophet or world religious leader who mimics the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit of God came to draw attention to and lift up Christ, the false prophet will exalt the Antichrist and cause all the earth to worship him. He’s like a lamb in that he appears gentle. The two horns speaks of his authority. He speaks as a dragon with great lies and deceptiveness, the opposite of the Holy Spirit Who speaks truth. As the Holy Spirit came in the authority of Jesus, even so he exercises all the authority of the antichrist.

This Beast Deceives the World Through False Signs and Wonders

Revelation 13:13-14a – “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”

The beast, false prophet, and world religious leader will perform great wonders, even calling fire down from heaven in the sight of all to see. As signs, wonders, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit was given to confirm the Word preached (Mark 16:15-20), so the false prophet will mimic the same to confirm his word and deceive the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 – “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit – breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

He Makes an Image of the First Beast and Gives it Life

Revelation 13:14b-15 – “Saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

In John’s day this seemed utterly impossible. They were familiar with images being made and people worshiping them but they never imagined them being able to come to life and speaking. In our day it’s entirely different. With artificial intelligence on the rise we’re only touching the surface of what is possible. It’s becoming such a reality today that it’s scary.

Many are beginning to warn of the dangers of artificial intelligence. Elon Musk did an interview with Tucker Carlson where he warned of the dangers of AI to our very civilization. Geoffrey Hinton, also known as the “Godfather of AI,” quit his position at Google after deciding he had to “blow the whistle” on the technology he helped develop. Hinton worries how smart AI is becoming.

Interestingly, on June 11, 2022, I read of a Google engineer put on leave for breaking Google’s privacy policy. He thought the company’s AI Chat Bot had come to life and had become sentient (having sense perception; consciousness, experiencing sensation or feeling). Again, in John’s day and the writing of Revelation this seemed utterly impossible. As John was penning this he probably thought “this sounds crazy, I’m going become a laughing stock for saying this.” In our day it’s nothing to laugh at. This could easily become a reality before our very eyes.

The Mark of the Beast Without Which No One Can Buy or Sell

Revelation 13:16-18 – “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

The Antichrist will introduce a mandatory cashless system without which no one will be able to buy or sell. We are almost there now with most people using some form of digital currency, primarily for convenience. What if a sort of mark was introduced to allow you to make transactions with simple swipe of your hand?

Technology has already made this possible. As early as 2019 microchip implants that let you pay with your hand were introduced. Patrick Paumen, a security guard from the Netherlands, had a contactless payment microchip injected under his skin. “The procedure hurts as much as when someone pinches your skin,” says Mr Paumen. He simply places his hand near the contactless card reader, and the payment goes through. A microchip was first implanted into a human back in 1998, but it is only during the past decade that the technology has been available commercially.

An article on The Hill dated January 23, 2023 where human microchip implants take center stage. A person can have an integrated circuit the size of a grain of rice implanted in their hand. This will allow a person to make transactions with the swipe of their hand to a card reader. Today, more than 50,000 people have elected to have a subdermal chip surgically inserted serving as their new swipe key, or credit card. In Germany, for example, more than 2,000 Germans have opted to receive these implants. The technology is here for a world dictator to come on the scene making something like this mandatory.

The Number of the Beast

Numbers in scripture are interesting. For instance, seven is the number of completion, eight is the number of new beginnings, and six is the number of man, in that, he always falls short of perfection. In English, we have alpha and numeric characters: a,b,c,d,e, etc. and 0,1,2,3,4, etc. The Greek and Hebrew alphabets have numeric equivalents. They both have only one set of characters used for both words and numbers. When a word in Greek, for example, is written out, it has a mathematical value. This value is called gematria. The Greek word for Jesus (Ἰησοῦς) has a mathematical equivalent of 888. So the Antichrist’s name will have a numeric equivalent of 666. Six in itself is the number of man. Three sixes represents the unholy trinity.