Revelation

Lesson 10Revelation 13 (Cont'd)

This week we will examine Chapter 13, the two beasts and the mark of the beast – all symbols telling us something about the end times – here again we’ll get to apply the symbols we learned earlier in our prophecy study.

Bible

Put on your thinking caps for this one and may God bless you as you study this passage.

Questions For Week 10

  1. Chapter 13 describes two beasts (1-10 and 11-18). One rises out of the “sea” and one from out of the “earth”. If “sea” has always symbolized peoples in turmoil and earth symbolizes organized civilization, then read these verses and write down what you think this means, “rising out of the sea” and “coming up out of the earth”.
  2. Who are these two figures?
  3. Where will the Anti-Christ come from? (His birthplace?) (See Micah Chapter 5, especially 5:5 and Isaiah 14:24-27)
  4. If horns and crowns are symbols of power, then what does the fact that they have ten crowns but only seven heads mean? (Before you answer, read chapter 17, verses 6 thru 18 and Revelation 12:3 – let the Bible interpret the Bible.)
  5. Where does this “beast” in 13:1 get its power? From whom? (Chapter 13, verse 2)
  6. Who is “the dragon”? (See Chapter 12, verse 9)
  7. What is the dragon’s main purpose – that which he hopes to accomplish through “the first beast”? (12:13)
  8. From all of the above and the understanding you’ve gained from it, read 13:3 again and tell me who is “wounded to death”? Is it a person?
  9. What “blasphemies” are written on him and his empire or voiced by him (verse 1 for example)? Come prepared with some suggestions (Ezekiel 9:9 is one example; you should be able to think of plenty more).
  10. In verses 11 through 18 of Chapter 13 the Second Beast – the False Prophet - causes several things to happen – list each one with a verse for reference. (Note he is able to do this because verse 12 tells us he has “all the power of the first beast”.)
    1. Verse 12
    1. Verse 13
    1. Verse 14
    1. Verse 15
    1. Verse 16
  11. We will examine the number 666 in class this Sunday. But I want you to consider several things. 1) The number for man is 6 - imperfection, the number for God is 7-perfection or completeness. 2) A “mark” sets someone apart (see Ezekiel 9:4) so it is normally a symbol, not an actual “name”, 3) A “mark” indicates either ownership, or something that happens or results from some type of action or decision (see Galatians 6:17). Given this, do you suppose the number 666 is someone’s name (containing six letters in each name - Adolph Hitler, etc)? What could possibly be meant by this “symbol” and the “mark” of the beast?
  12. Can you tell what the basic difference is between Chapter 13 and Chapter 17? [BONUS QUESTION]

May God richly bless you this coming week.

Yours in Christ,

Wes