The Beast Rising
from the Sea
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Let's pray:
Father,
Today, the subject of our lesson is the «beast rising from the
sea», a prophetic character we need to understand better.
Please open our minds to the teaching You wish to give us through Your holy inspired Word,
the Bible.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 12:3,9
Another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery
red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. (...)
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.
In our lesson «The Pure Woman», we
have seen a great dragon with seven heads and ten horns.
This great dragon is none other than Satan.
The book of Revelation chapter 12 showed us some of his
actions on the earth.
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Revelation 12:4
The dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give
birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
Matthew 2:13
Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to
Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to
destroy Him.
Knowing that the success of Jesus' ministry on earth would bring about his
ruin, Satan used a nation, the Roman Empire, to destroy the Savior of men.
But all his attempts failed.
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Revelation 12:17
And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to
make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the
testimony of Jesus Christ.
After his failure in trying to destroy the pure woman's Child, that is, Jesus
Christ, Satan then attacked the woman herself, God's Church, and the rest of the woman's
offspring.
In his effort to destroy the woman and the rest of her offspring, Satan will use two
powers, and the very next verses of Revelation give us a clue
as to their identity...
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Revelation 12:17; 13:1 (NIV)
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to
make war against the rest of her offspring - those who obey God's commandments and hold
the testimony of Jesus.
And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
By standing «on the shore of the sea», Satan
shows that he will use the powers of both the sea and the earth to achieve his aim.
In fact, immediately after that, two powerful beasts appear:
- the first beast rising from the sea, which is the subject of this lesson;
- and the second beast coming up out of the earth, which will be the subject
of our next lesson.
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Revelation 13:1
And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns.
Revelation 12:3
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great,
fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns.
Let's try to discover the identity of the beast rising from the sea.
Right from the beginning, its description indicates that this power is controlled by
Satan, the great dragon, since it has seven heads and ten horns, just like the dragon.
But there is even more...
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Revelation 13:2
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.
Surprisingly, the same beasts which were presented in Daniel
7 (the lion, the bear, and the leopard) make up the body of this beast.
Also, we can see that they had previously been listed in reverse order: whereas Daniel saw
the fall of Babylon (the lion), Medo-Persia (the bear), and Greece (the leopard) in the
future, the apostle John saw them in the past.
This explains the inversion of listing order.
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Daniel 7:3
Four great beasts came up from the sea.
Revelation 13:1
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:15
The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
Like the four kingdoms of Daniel chapter 7, the
beast rises up out of the sea.
Since the waters symbolize «peoples, multitudes, nations, and
tongues», this beast therefore represents a power which came out of a
densely-populated place.
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Daniel 7:7,8
Behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,
exceedingly strong. (...) It had ten horns.
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among
them.
Revelation 13:2
The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great
authority.
Furthermore, the beast is strikingly similar to the little horn.
First, both take their power from Rome, which is symbolized by the fourth beast in Daniel chapter 7, and by the dragon in Revelation
chapter 13.
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Revelation 12:4
The dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give
birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
Revelation 13:2
And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great
authority.
We have seen that Satan, the great dragon, used the Roman Empire to attempt to
kill Jesus at His birth.
And Satan also used the Roman Empire in order to give power and authority to the beast
rising from the sea.
But how did this take place?
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Revelation 13:2
And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great
authority.
Daniel 8:24
The power [of the little horn] shall be mighty, but not
by his own power.
Both the little horn and the beast rising from the sea symbolize the same
power: the papacy.
When Roman emperor Constantine left the city of Rome in A.D. 330, he also left his place, «his throne», to the Bishop of Rome.
From that time on, the papacy made every effort to establish its authority over Europe.
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John 10:16
[Jesus said:] «Other sheep I have which are not of this
fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.»
Now, let's remember a very important point we have already seen in our previous
lessons: God really loves the individuals who are in the papacy's system.
This is why He gave us His Word, so that, by studying it, we may become aware of the
warning God gives us, and responding to Jesus' call, we may leave this system and join the
Savior's flock.
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Revelation 13:5
And he was given a mouth speaking great things.
Daniel 7:20
The other horn (...) had eyes and a mouth which spoke
pompous words.
The rest of the description of the beast rising from the sea indicates without
a doubt that it really symbolizes the same power as the little horn, that is, the papacy.
(For more details, please review the lesson «The
Little Horn».)
First, both the beast and the little horn speak great things, or pompous words, and this
is indeed what the papacy did...
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«And he was given a mouth speaking great
things.» (Revelation 13:5)
«The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds,
therefore, requires (...) complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to
the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.»
(Leo VIII, «On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens», Encyclical letter, 1890)
«God separates those whom the Roman Pontiff, who exercises the functions, not of mere
man, but of the true God (...) dissolves, not by human but rather by divine authority.»
(«Decretals of Gregory IX», Book 1, Chapter 7.3)
«Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of
the lower regions (infernorum).»
(Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, "Papa II", p.26).
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Revelation 13:5,6
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies (...).
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle.
Daniel 7:25
[This king] shall speak pompous words against the Most
High.
Both the beast and the little horn blaspheme against God.
Did the papacy really blaspheme against God?
To answer this question, let's look at the meaning of blasphemy in the Word of God.
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John 10:33
The Jews answered Him, saying, «For a good work we do
not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.»
Mark 2:7
Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this?
Who can forgive sins but God alone?
So, as we have seen in the lesson «The
Little Horn», blasphemy is not only taking God's name in vain.
According to the Word of God, when a man makes himself God, or claims to have power to
forgive sins, he speaks blasphemies.
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The pope claims to be God and to have power to forgive sins:
«The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man
(...) he is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of
kings, having plenitude of power.»
(Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», Volume VI, "Papa II", pp.25-29).
«And God himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of his priest and either not to
pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse to give absolution, provided the penitent is
capable of it.»
(Liguori, «Duties and Dignities of the Priest», p.27).
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Revelation 13:6
Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Daniel 8:10,11
And it grew up to the host of heaven. (...)
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices
were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
By teaching salvation by works, and by claiming to be the mediator between God
and men, the pope elevated himself to Jesus' place, robbing Him of His ministry of
intercession in the heavenly sanctuary.
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Revelation 13:7
And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and
to overcome them.
Daniel 7:21
I was watching; and the same horn was making war against
the saints, and prevailing against them.
Both the beast and the little horn persecute God's people.
History reports that more people were killed by the papacy, during its reign in the Middle
Ages, than by Hitler during World War II.
About 50 million people, who refused to recognize its authority, were killed by the
papacy.
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Revelation 13:5
He was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
Daniel 7:25
The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and
times and half a time.
Finally, both the beast and the little horn reigned 1260 years:
- «3½ times» = 3½ x 360 days = 1260 days;
- «42 months» = 42 x 30 days = 1260 days.
The papacy reigned precisely 1260 years: from 538, when it became a political power, to
1798, when it lost its power to France.
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Revelation 13:10
He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity.
The way in which the reign of the papacy ended, after the 42 prophetic months,
is also specified in Revelation chapter 13: having led many people into captivity, the
pope, in turn, was taken captive.
In fact, on February 10, 1798, French General Alexander Berthier entered the city of Rome,
took Pope Pius VI prisoner, and exiled him.
The pope died in a prison the next year, in the city of Valence.
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Revelation 13:3
I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally
wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
The apostle John then adds an interesting detail: the beast would be mortally
wounded, but its deadly wound would be healed. Then, the whole world «marveled and
followed the beast».
Now, history reports that this is exactly what happened: the papacy, having lost its
political power in 1798, recovered it in 1929, when Mussolini, by the Lateran Treaty,
restored temporal power to the pope who has, since then, ruled over Vatican.
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Revelation 13:3,8
His deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled
and followed the beast. (...)
And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the
Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Due to the numerous travels of Pope John Paul II, the papacy has gained much
prestige throughout the world, particularly in recent years.
But the Word of God foretells that very soon, all those who dwell on the earth will have
to choose who they will worship: either God or the beast.
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Revelation 13:16,17
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor,
free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no
one may buy or sell except one who has the mark.
In fact, very soon, the beast will impose its mark on all the inhabitants of
earth, without exception.
Those who reject the mark of the beast will go through severe difficulties, threatening
even their lives.
On the other hand, those who accept this mark will be regarded by God as worshippers of
the beast, and will lose eternal life.
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Revelation 13:3,4
All the world marveled and followed the beast.
So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the
beast, saying,
«Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?»
Psalm 113:5
Who is like the Lord our God?
Worshiping the beast, and therefore worshiping Satan, the inhabitants of the
earth will, without realizing it, defy God by proclaiming:
«Who is like the beast?»
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Revelation 14:9,10
If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives
his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone.
God warns us not to receive the mark of the beast, or our punishment will be
eternal destruction.
But what is the mark of the beast?
This crucial question must obtain a very precise answer from the Word of God. This will be
the subject of a future lesson.
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Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a
man: His number is 666.
Before ending this lesson, let's take a moment to solve an enigma which has
mystified many students of Bible prophecy: the meaning of «666».
This number is a last clue allowing us to identify the papacy as the power symbolized by
the beast rising from the sea.
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Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a
man: his number is 666.
The Bible doesn't tell us to seek the inscription «666»,
but rather to «calculate» in order to get to 666.
In the apostle John's time, there was a well-known game named «Gematria», in which one
calculated the number of a name by adding up the numerical value of the letters of this
name, according to the Roman numeral system: V=5, X=10, C=100, etc.
Now, the Pope's official name is «VICARIUS FILII DEI», meaning «Vicar of the Son of
God».
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Revelation 13:18
Here is wisdom.
Let's remember that the number 666 alone would not be enough to identify the
papacy as the beast rising from the sea.
This is simply an additional clue, completing all the other identifying marks which we
have already studied.
Now, we are ready to start our next lesson, in which we will study the beast coming up out
of the earth.
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Let's thank God for His prophetic Word:
Our Father,
You have shown us that the little horn and the beast rising from the sea both symbolize
the papacy, a power which made war against the saints for 1260 years.
But we know that You love sincere people who are still in the papal system, and that You
call them to come out of this system, and join Your Church.
Please give us the courage we need to leave this system, to join Your people, take a stand
for You, and worship only You. In Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: Picture collection «ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund,
CD #4, NATSN056.JPG. Screen 2: BISHOP, Tom. «Woman and dragon of
Revelation 12». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank), Australian
Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #40. Screen 3: MANISCALCO,
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JM213.BMP. Screen 4: ANDERSON, Harry. In: «Bible Readings for the
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Screen 6: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York,
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.189. Screen 7: BLANEY,
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Gallery, New York. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville
Press Publishers, 1997, p.59. Screen 8: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: «The Bible
Story, volume 7» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1956, p.26.
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1970, chart #41. Screen 9: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (February 1,
1986), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.1. Screen 10: In: MAXWELL,
Arthur S. «The Bible Story, volume 6», Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1955, p.61.
Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 11: In: «The Bible Story
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American Handbook and Textbook Co., 1963, p.560. Screen 12: In:
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Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.680. Screen 13: VERLEYE, J. In: «The
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Adventists, 1970, chart #22. Screen 15: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The (New,
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(1484-85), Cappella Sassetti, Santa Trinita, Florence. In: «La Peinture de la Renaissance
Italienne» (BECK, James H.), Editions Könemann, 1999, p.302. Screen 19: MARTINI,
Simone. Naples, Palazzo Reale di Capodimonte. In: «Illustrated Lives of the Saints»
(McNEILL, John), Bison Books Ltd., 1995, p.105. Screen 20: In: «Vous
pouvez vivre éternellement sur une terre qui deviendra un paradis», New York, Watch
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Tract Society, p.10. Table of Screen 22: First picture: BISHOP, Tom.
«Identification of the little horn». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN,
Frank), Australian Division of Seventh-Day Adventists, 1970, chart #22. Second picture:
In: «Prophecy Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #24 («The Mark of the
Beast»), p.1. Screen 23: CONVERSE, James. In: «God Cares, volume 2»
(MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.329. Screen 24:
In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.190. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry.
Screen 25: Photo from Reuters/Bettmann, New York. In: «John Paul II» (EDWARDS,
Patrick), Bison Books, London, 1995, p.54. Screen 26: «Men adoring beast
with two horns» (15th century), from «Commentary on the Apocalypse» (Bruges, Belgium),
The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. In: «Revelations - Art of the Apocalypse» (GRUBB,
Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.62. Screen 27: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (May 15, 1990), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.9.
Screen 28: Digital Stock Photograph. In: «Signs of the Times» magazine (August
1999), Pacific Press Publishing Association, p.8. Screen 29: IPicture
from: Generation of graphics on CoolText.com (http://www.cooltext.com/). Screen
30: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #21 («La
Babylone Mystique - la Courtisane»), p.4. Screen 31: In: WHITE, Ellen
G., «The (New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990,
p.288-42. Table of Screen 31: First picture: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The
(New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990, p.288-66.
Second picture: In: WHITE, Ellen G., «The (New, Illustrated) Great Controversy», Laymen
for Religious Liberty Inc., 1990. p.288-57. Screen 32: In: «The
Watchtower» magazine (October 15, 1991), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.8.
Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 33: Picture collection
«ClickArt 65,000» by Broderbund, CD #4, NATOT224.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 66 is waiting for you!