Revelation
Chapter
13
{The
Two Dictators of the Tribulation}
{Verses
1-10: The Gentile Dictator}
1~~Then,
I {John} saw a beast {therion}
{refers to a Gentile dictator - Satan's dupe}
who
had ascended from the sea {sea of nations},
and
he had ten horns
{the 10 gentile nations in the first ½ of the Tribulation},
and
seven heads
{represents the 7 nations under the dictator's rule in the last
½ of
the Tribulation}.
'This
means' {idiomatic use of kai: usually kai means 'and'
but the interpretive use is here}
that
on his horns were ten crowns {diadema}
{in the first ½ the dictator will be part of a 10 nation
'confederation' - he turns on them all},
but
over/on his head
{the revived Roman empire}
the
name/person/designation 'blasphemy'
{From chapter 17, we will see that this means he is the head of
the ecumenical empire also - the combination of church and state,
which is contrary to the Word of God}.
{Note: KJV starts this verse with 'Then he {Satan} took his stand on the sand of the sea'. Per RBT, this is actually Chapter 12:18 as a transitional verse for the next two chapters.}
{Note: RBT says this 'beast dictator' is Satan's slave. He is the Gentile dictator of the revived Roman empire in the last half of the Tribulation. He ruthlessly conquers three gentile nations. Then the seven other nations accept his dictatorship without a fight. See Daniel 7:8 and 7:20. In the first half of the Tribulation, we have 10 gentile nations - in the last half, we have a 7 nation dictatorship.}
{Note: Diadema means the crown of a ruler. This is in contrast to stephanos, which is a reward 'wreath' really.}
{Note: Therion means 'animal' or beast. In Revelation it was also found in 11:7 where it was represented Abaddon, the demon ruler of Revelation 9:11 who ascends up from the abyss.}
2~~Furthermore
the beast {therion} I {John} saw
{the dictator of the revived Roman empire of the Tribulation}
was
like a leopard
{represents the dictator's rapid conquest in the first half of the
Tribulation - compared with the speed of Alexander the Great's
conquest - see Daniel 7},
also
his feet were like the feet of a bear
{represents the Persian empire being pro-Semitic, so this will be
the dictator's policy in the first half of the Tribulation},
and
his mouth . . . {was} like the mouth of a lion
{represents the Chaldean empire which was anti-Semitic, so this
will be the dictator's reversal to anti-Semitism policy in the last
half of the Tribulation}.
And
the dragon {Satan} gave to him
{the dictator of the revived Roman empire of the Tribulation}
his
power {dunamis},
and
his throne {Satan is the ruler of this world - passed the title},
and
great authority
{political authority as the ruler of the revived Roman empire
and religious authority as the ruler of ecumenical religion}.
{Note: There is a parallel passage in Daniel 7:3-6. See Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 for more on Satan.}
{Note: You have to be careful when someone gives you something that by accepting the gift you do not become his slave. When it is Satan giving you something, watch out! Side Note: In a church, a pastor should NEVER know who is giving how much! He is subject to becoming the 'monkey' on the shoulder of the monkey grinder and start dancing to HIS tune - instead of the tune of God!}
3~~Then
I saw one of his heads {the Historical Roman Empire at the
time John wrote Revelation circa 96 AD}
as
if it had been wounded to death
{the internal bleeding old Roman Empire - all falling empires start
falling by internal forces first}.
Nevertheless,
his mortal wound was healed
{the destruction of the Roman Empire in 476/ the revival of the
Roman empire in the Tribulation }.
4~~Furthermore,
they worshipped the dragon
{Satan as the ruler of the world}
because
he gave absolute power {and authority}
to
the beast {the beast dictator of the revived Roman empire}.
They
also worshipped the beast,
and
they said {what they thought}, "Who . . . {is} like the beast?"
"Who
is able to fight against him?"
{Note: This is a picture of the typical 'religious' person who is impressed by 'creature power'. The 'beast' will be a mental genius. He will be a person of great personal presence. Satan delegates his power and authority to him which also is attractive to 'people'. Finally, this beast dictator is able to perform miraculous deeds. The 'fancy stuff' always impresses religious types.}
5~~Furthermore
there was given/'bestowed on' {didomi} to him
{the beast dictator of the revived Roman empire of the Tribulation}
a
mouth {eloquence} . . . speaking categorically {laleo}
large/exaggerated
{megas} {doctrines}
{meaning exaggerated doctrines motivated by arrogance}
and
blasphemies {blasphemia}.
Also
there was given to him {by Satan}
'ruling
power'/authority {exousia} to function {poieo}
forty-two
months {the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation}.
{Note: Blasphemia should be transliterated when directed at God - blasphemies. When it is directed toward creatures, it should be translated 'slander'.}
{Verses
6-8: Power Policy of the Beast - the Anti-Christ}
6~~And
he opened {anoigo} his mouth {again in eloquent speech}
in
blasphemies against God . . .
blaspheming/slandering
His Person/Name/Reputation {onoma},
and
His 'tabernacle'/'skene'
{skene - the memorial in heaven to the person/work of Jesus},
and
them {mainly Jewish believers in heaven in view here}
who
'tabernacle'/'skenoo' in heaven.
{Note: This is humor at the expense of Satan. As with most arrogant people, Satan does not have a good sense of humor. Skene and skenoo is a play on words. It bothers Satan who is being kicked out of heaven and now the believers are going to be permitted to 'tabernacle' in heaven. The joke started in John 1:14.}
{Note: Per RBT, the tabernacle here is the 'tabernacle of the testimony' mentioned in Exodus 27:21 and 29:4, Numbers 1:1. It had to be perfectly constructed to scale in honor of Jesus Christ.}
7~~Furthermore
it {power}
was
given to him {the beast dictator of the revived Roman empire}
to
make war against the saints/'holy ones'/'ones set apart to God'
{hagios} . . . to conquer them.
And
authority {exousia} was given to him {the beast dictator}
over
every tribe {phule - referring to the Jews},
and
people {laos - citizens of the empire},
and
languages {glossa - peoples divided by language},
and
nations {ethnos -Gentile nations}."
{Note: In the Church Age, evil is disorganized and can not overcome believers. In the Tribulation, there is no pivot of believers, the Restrainer has been removed, and now evil is organized. Organized evil overcomes believers in this age.}
8~~In
fact, all {Jewish unbelievers of the last half of the
Tribulation} who live/dwell {katoikeo}
in
the land {eg} {the nation Israel in the last half of the
Tribulation} will worship {proskuneo} him
{the beast dictator of the revived Roman empire, the religious
leader of ecumenical religion in the Tribulation}.
{those}
whose names are absolutely not {ouk} written
in
the book/scroll {biblos} of life {zoe}
belonging
to the Lamb
having
received slaying 'the origin being from' {apo}
the
foundation {katabole} of the world {cosmos}.
{Note: The book of life is a scroll kept in heaven that contains the name of every human at the point of receiving the breath of life from God. If that person dies as an unbeliever, then his name is blotted out of the book of life. RBT says that is what is meant here. The 'book of life' becomes a roster of only saved people. See Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8 20:12, 20:15, 21:7; Philippians 4:3 and Luke 10"}
{Note: Eg is the word for land/world/earth when speaking of the physical earth. Cosmos is used for world when referring to the 'world of people' and more specifically, it is used for the plan of Satan. So, this means a savior was not needed until the point of the first sin, when the cosmic system became operational on earth.}
9~~If
anyone has and holds {echo} an ear,
let
him hear {concentrate on bible doctrine}.
{Note: This is an idiom meaning 'everyone'. Almost everyone has ears. Everyone who has the ability to hear the Word, is commanded to do so. SideNote: Earlier in Revelation (for example 2:7), this same phrase ends with 'what sort of thing {bible doctrine} the Spirit communicates to the churches'. This is additional indication that the Church has been raptured at the beginning of the Tribulation and is no longer on earth here.}
10~~If
anyone {those who use unlawful violence}
leads
others into captivity, he will go into captivity.
If
anyone {those who use unlawful violence}
shall
kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword.
In
these circumstances'
{hode - adverb of place - idiom: literally 'here'}
{a
personal sense of destiny} keeps on being
the
fortitude/steadfastness/'constant courage' {hupomone},
and
the doctrine/faith {pistis}
belonging
to the saints/'ones set aside to God' {hagios}.
{Verses
11-18: The Jewish Dictator of Israel in the Tribulation}
11~~Then
I saw 'another of the same kind' {allos}
of
beast {dictator}
{the Jewish dictator of the nation Israel - last 1/2 of Tribulation}
having
'come up'/ risen {to power} from the land {Israel}.
And
he had two horns
{horns represent power - civil and religious power}
like
a lamb {reference to Jesus Christ - this dictator is passing
himself off as Messiah},
but
he kept on speaking/'teaching categorically' {laleo}
like
the dragon {says he is the Messiah, but he preaches doctrines
of the devil/Satan/the dragon}.
{Foreign
and Religious Policies of the 2nd Beast Dictator}
12~~In
fact, he {the dictator of the Jewish state in the Tribulation}
exercises all of the authority of the first beast
{therion - the first beast dictator}
'on
his behalf' {idiom: literally 'before'}.
Then
he {the 2nd beast dictator}
forces
the land {Israel}
and
those who reside in it
to
worship the first beast {dictator}
whose
fatal wound
{fall of the historical Roman empire}
was
healed
{the revival of the Roman empire in the Tribulation}.
{Amplification
on Function of Miracles}
13~~Furthermore,
he {the 2nd beast dictator}
performs
great miracles.
For
example, he may even cause fire
to
come down from the sky/heaven {ouranos} to the earth
in
the presence/sight of the people {anthropos}.
{Note: Many people are more interested in 'fancy stuff' than the Word of God. When Jesus came, He used miracles as a 'calling card' of His Messiahship - as prophesized in the Old Testament. Now this false Messiah will be able to appear to create miracles to imitate Jesus under the power given by Satan as ruler of this world. For a student of the Word, there will not be a problem in discerning this false Messiah, but for unbelievers, this man will deceive many.}
{Purpose
of His Miracles - To Deceive}
14~~And
so that he {the 2nd beast dictator}
might
deceive the residents of the land
{those living in Israel in the Tribulation}
because
of the miracles which were given to him
in
the presence of the beast dictator
{means as Satan honors the 1st beast dictator}.
And
he {the 2nd beast dictator}
keeps
urging the residents of the land
to
manufacture an idol {the abomination of desolation}
to
the {1st} beast {dictator},who had the stroke of death
{represents the fall of the historical Roman empire},
and
has revived
{come to life, the revival of the Roman empire in the Tribulation}.
{Note: RBT says the first beast dictator represents a gentile dictator who will head the new 'revived Roman Empire'. So his 'fatal wound' to his head represents the fall of the original Roman Empire. Here his 'coming back to life' represents the rise of the new Roman Empire in the Tribulation.}
{A
Deceptive 'Miracle' as False Sign of Messiahship - Alleged Speaking
in Tongues}
15~~Then
it was given to him
{the 2nd Beast dictator - Jewish dictator} . . .
{the
power} to provide a {demon} spirit
{pneuma - a spirit - here a ventriloquist demon -
called 'ov' in the Old Testament in Isaiah
and engastrimuthos - is the what is called a person who is
possessed by the ventriloquist demon in the Greek}
for
the idol/image {eikon} of the beast {dictator}
{known as the abomination of desolation - see Daniel 11:31, 12:11,
Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:15 idol of the Emperor of the Revived
Roman Empire},
so
that the idol/image of the beast {dictator}
might
even speak,
and
cause that as many as do not {idiom: literally 'if not'}
worship
the idol/image of the beast {dictator}
should
be 'put to death'/executed.
{Verses
16-18: High Technological Control of the People - Computerized Tyranny}
16~~Furthermore
he makes/causes/forces everyone,
the
small and the great,
both
the rich and the poor,
both
the slave and the free . . .
that
they {the bureaucracy of ecumenical religion}
should
provide them {those who come into the religious system}
a
mark/engraving/brand {a form of identification on the skin}
on
their right hand {the lower classes are marked here}
or
on their forehead {the higher in authority are branded here}
{Note:
This indicates that a computerized system of some sort will be set
up with an identification necessary to use the system. From the next
verse, we see you cannot buy or sell without this identification. So,
unless you succumb to the loss of your privacy and therefore freedom,
you will be persecuted.}
{SideNote:
The interpretation of this verse was changed on later tapes. RBT
indicates the mark/brand on the forehead is the mark of the 'clergy'
and the mark on the hand for the lower classes. This seems correct
from the upcoming verses.}
{Policy
of Economic Tyranny Related to Ecumenical Religion - three methods
of identification}
17~~And
that no one should be able to buy or sell,
except
{idiom: literally 'if not'}
the
one who has the mark
{the general identification of the masses high or low in class},
or
the name of the beast {dictator}
{special leadership mark/identification for clergy/'religious
leaders'}, or the number of his name
{the code number related to the computer system like a PIN number
-666}.
{Human
Computer (Brain) Verses Computerized Tyranny}
18~~Here
keeps on being wisdom/
'application
of bible doctrine to experience' {sophia}
{the application of pertinent doctrine to the historical trend}.
He
who has 'the ability to think'/'a mind'
{nous - get the facts then make your decision -
the believer functioning under the first two stages of GAP,
reception and retention}
let
him compute {psephizo}
{the function of the third stage of GAP, recall and the application
of pertinent doctrine to the historical trend at that time}
the
code number of the beast dictator;
for
it is the number of man six - tripled
{idiom: literally is 'six hundred threescore and six' or 666}.
{Note: RBT says the number symbolic of man in the bible is 6. Here with six being tripled is a picture of man wanting to 'make himself' like the Godhead/Trinity. So this number represents the attempting to deify a man under Satan's cosmic system.}
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This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA and Mox4PainFreeLiv.
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