9/03/06 - “Prophecy – The Future Told In Advance – Revelation Chapter 13 – Part 1” - 36L - FM
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

This Week: “Prophecy – The future told in advance – Revelation 13 - Part 1”

In the last two weeks that we studied Daniel chapter 7, God has revealed a religious system, the little horn power, through 9 identifying marks. That religious system could be none other than Papal Rome. It meets all 9 marks of identification and no other power on earth comes close. In fact the odds of any power, religious or political, meeting 3 of the 9 is astronomical. But the Papacy meets all 9. 

Now it must be repeated at this point that no attempt is being made to attack any Christian believers of any denomination. God has exposed a religious/political governmental power for very specific reasons that clearly  affect you. You need to understand what we are studying.

How important is this? My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus, it is of supreme importance, as we are talking about eternal life. The time is coming very soon where God’s people will receive either the mark of the beast, suffer the seven last plagues and be lost for eternity, or they will receive the seal of God, be spared the plagues and be saved when Jesus comes.

Listen again to the warning in Revelation 14:9,10, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;” 

Without mixture means no mercy and no grace. God’s grace and mercy, so long slighted by superficial Christians, will no longer exist. Friends, you need to know who the beast of Revelation 13 is. Then you need to know what the mark of the beast is. 

Now we are now ready to study the13th chapter of Revelation. God’s word  will clearly identify the beast. It behooves every Christian to learn who the beast is and then, what his mark is.
Revelation 13 clearly identifies the beast with 9 identifying marks or points.

We now read verse 1 where we find point #1. “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.” 

What did John see rising up out of the sea? A beast. We learned that in prophecy, a beast represents a kingdom or ruling power. Daniel 7:17,23 
“These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.” “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” 
So friends, the Bible defines a prophetic beast as a literal kingdom.

The sea represents populated areas as we learned that waters in prophecy represent peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. See Rev 17:15
“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”  
Waters in prophecy, defined in the Bible are existing populated areas.

We studied in Daniel chapter 7 when the Pagan Roman Empire fell, it became ten nations (horns) each with political leaders (crowns)
So, what John saw in verse 1 was a ruling power rising up out of a populated area. It was coming up in an area and at a time, when it would have been after the last of the four kingdoms, after the Pagan Roman Empire.

Verse 2. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 

This dreadful beast was a composite beast that parallels the little horn of Daniel 7
Point #1- The beast power arose from the ruins of the Roman Empire.

Alright now point #2. From whom did this beast power get it's authority? Verse 2. "And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."
Who is this dragon that gives this political/religious system his throne, power and authority? Revelation 12:3,4,9 "And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
Note- The dragon does primarily represent Satan, but it also represents Pagan Rome whom Satan used to try to destroy Jesus when Herod, a Roman ruler, killed the babies of Bethlehem. History is very clear that the Papacy received its power, authority and capital city from old Pagan Rome.
Point #2- It received it's power and ruling authority from the dragon (Satan and Pagan Rome)

Point #3. What would this beast power become? Last part of verses 3 & 7 
“…and all the world wondered after the beast.” “and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”  
Point #3- During the middle ages the Papacy was a worldwide power.

What was prophesied to come in Daniel and John’s time is now a matter of historical record and fact. 

Point #4. What was the period of time that this worldwide power would continue to rule? Verse 5. “…and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”  

In order to clearly understand any time prophecy, it is necessary to know, that a day in prophecy is a literal year. Numbers14:34; “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years”  
And in Ezekiel 4:6. “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.”

Since all the prophecies of this power related to the time it would rule are given in prophetic time periods, conversion to literal time is necessary. We need to understand that a prophetic month of 30 days is 30 literal years. A prophetic year of 360 days is 360 literal years. When specified as a time, a time is a prophetic year or 360 literal years, times would be 2 prophetic years or 720 literal years, half a time or the dividing of a time is ½ a prophetic year or 180 literal years. The prophetic time periods of 42 months or 3-1/2 prophetic years or 1,260 prophetic days all are a literal 1,260 literal years. The period of Papal Rome's rule in seven different scriptural references all add up to 1,260 years.  We will look at those seven references now. The first is Daniel 7:25 “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.;” 
Daniel 12:7 “And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished.” 
Revelation 11:2 “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”; 
Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.”;  
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.”; 
Revelation 12:14 “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 Revelation 13:5. “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.”  
As we learned in the Daniel 7 study, the power of the Papacy became supreme in 538 AD when the decree of Emperor Justinian became in full effect. It acknowledged the Bishop of Rome as "Head of all the Churches." This letter became part of the Justinian code, the fundamental law of the empire. Also as we learned the power ended in 1798 AD. 
Point #4- No power on earth, other than the Papacy ever ruled exactly 1,260 years.

Next week we will conclude this study on the beast of Revelation chapter 13, with the remaining five points, identifying the beast power.

Next Week: “Prophecy – The future told in advance – Revelation 13 - Part 2”

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. 
Even so, Come Lord Jesus.