Chap. 13:11-18.
THE second beast, or false prophet, is no brought before us. So apostate is the earth that it gives forth this false Messiah. This mar end the first beast are both spoken of in the 19th chapter as persons, and receive specie judgment from Christ at His coming. (Daniel 7:1111I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. (Daniel 7:11); Rev. 19:2020And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20).) The first beast, as we saw seems identified with the Roman Empire, and is characterized by power and blasphemy. The second beast, though coming in his own name and pretending to be the Messiah, comes up out of the earth, instead of from heaven as Christ. He will have some outward semblance of the Lamb of God―the meek and lowly Jesus; but in his heart he is devilish, and “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” “He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” (verse 11.) How unlike that blessed One who spake as never man spake, and concerning whom the people “wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.” He was able to speak a word in season to him that was weary, bind up the broken heart, heal every sin-sick soul, comfort the mourner, invite all the weary and heavy-laden to His own bosom for rest, and cast out none that came to Him. He pleased not himself. His heart of matchless love was set upon doing good, no case was sunk too low for His arm of mercy to reach; no one was too vile for His love to minister unto. In short, the Cross of Calvary was the only way in which His sinner-loving heart could fully manifest itself, and then He fully accomplished the work of eternal redemption for the foulest, blackest sinner, that takes refuge in His precious blood. Surely He was full of grace and truth.
“On such love my soul shall ponder―
Love so vast, so full, so free.
Say, while lost in holy wonder,
Why, O Lord! such love to me?
Hallelujah!
Grace shall reign eternally.”
How different then was He who came in His Father’s name, to him who will come in his own name. (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43).) The false prophet, we are informed, exerciseth all the power of the first beast, and that, too, in his presence. The two are clearly one in heart, mind, and power. It is unity, but diabolical. The power is from beneath. He bows almost all hearts to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He works miracles, and they are mighty to deceive all those who walk by sight and sense. How solemn to think that those things are shortly about to come to pass. How busily the powers of darkness are engaged to bring about this crisis; and how needful that believers should believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, and test everything by the written word.
Christ wrought miracles, and so will the false Christ; for, as we have previously noticed, Satan deceives by imitating. The counterfeit of true Christianity is all around us now, and rapidly going into infidelity. In days of old, God’s power was manifested in fire coming down from heaven to consume the burnt-offering and the fat. (Leviticus 9:2424And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces. (Leviticus 9:24).) Again, there went out fire from the Lord in devouring judgment on those who sinned in His service. (Leviticus 10:22And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Leviticus 10:2).) When Solomon finished the building of the temple, the presence and power of God were manifested by fire coming down from heaven and consuming the burnt offering and sacrifices. (2 Chronicles 7:33And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (2 Chronicles 7:3).) We also find that when Elijah testified for the living and true God before the apostate Israelites, God answered his servant by sending down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice. (1 Kings 18) Afterward, the prophet brought fire down from heaven and consumed the captains and fifties which the king sent for him. (2 Kings 1.) And so Satan, in the Apocalyptic period, will energize the false Christ to deceive, by making fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. We read that “he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of these miracles, which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.” (verses 13,14.) This is the time of the “strong delusion,” which Paul referred to, when he said, “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.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11, 1211And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:11‑12).)
Our chapter still further unfolds the deluding power of the false prophet. He commands men “to make an image to the beast” ... ... “and he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should speak.” (verses 14, 15.) How terrible is this miraculous power of the wicked one―to give life and speech to a dead, corruptible image of man’s fashioning! How can these possibly escape the snare who pride themselves on their intellectual power, and boast of the light of reason and the potency of scientific research? What can philosophy say to this? Where can the reasoner hide himself? What will the freethinkers’ argument avail now? The unhesitating reply is, that all but those whose trust is in God, and whose eye is on His revealed word, will be willingly enveloped in this thick cloud of strong delusion, and worship the beast. They will be like the luxurious Babylonians and all the surrounding nations, languages, and tongues, who fell down to worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar set up, at the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music. This sure word of prophetic testimony shines like a bright light upon the believer’s path. It strews us where the present workings are tending, and what a fearful crisis is at hand. We dare not shut our eyes to the elements that are abounding on every side, so calculated to exalt man, set aside truth, dishonor God, and bring in the flood of infidelity, that makes ready for the strong delusion. Happy, happy indeed are those who are born again of the Spirit, and whose only standing now before the Lord is on the worth of the precious blood of Christ! Such have peace with God, are delivered from the power of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, and are commanded by the Holy Ghost to rejoice in the Lord always, and to give thanks to the Father for having made them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Jesus is precious to such, and their song is―
“Oh, I am my Beloved’s,
And my Beloved is mine!
He brings a poor, vile sinner
Into His house of wine:
I stand upon His merit,
I know no other stand,
Not e’en where glory dwelleth
In Immanuel’s land.”
There will be no room in the days of “the beast” for neutrality, or for men to content themselves, as many do now, by making no profession at all. Men must then be for God or for Satan. Then the words of Jesus, so slurred over now, will be fully proved― “He that is not with me is against me.” It really is so now, only it is not manifested. There will be the sentence of death then passed on all who will not worship the beast. Those who do so will receive a mark, in order that those who do not bow down to the beast may be distinguished, and known as men that none should either buy or sell with. There will be no exception—neither riches, age, influence, or rank will avail anything. Shall God or Satan, Christ or Antichrist, be obeyed and worshipped? is the only question. We are told that he had power to “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 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.” (verses 15-17.)
How injurious to souls, and destructive to the spread of the truth of God, is the mistaken thought which some have, that the millennium is to be brought in by the gradual spread of the Gospel. Alas! what awaits the poor doomed world! Who can say but that many around us may be taken in this snare which is coming on the face of the whole earth, and led on by Satan to this time of “strong delusion”? How earnest it should make us in seeking to win souls for Christ! and how responsible we are, not to help on the spirit of worldliness, which is infidelity, and thus aid Satan in deceiving, instead of our being lights in the world!
With regard to the number of the beast, many have been the conjectures. It is better, however, to confess our ignorance where we have not cleat light. Daniel tells us, that “the wise shall understand;” so, when it is necessary, we may be assured that there will be no difficulty. We are informed that it is the “number of a man, and his number is 666.” This shows us at least that there is no rest or perfection in connection with the beast; for the number 7 speaks to us both of perfection and rest. We have repeatedly called attention to the former point in our previous meditations. With regard to the latter, we are told that God rested on the seventh day. It is a Sabbatic number. But with all the popularity, unity, power, and miracles of the beast, his number is that of a man―fallen, apostate man, in league with Satan, and has no element of perfection or rest in its constitution. Perfection and rest, I need scarcely say, are the two special elements of the faith of the Gospel. The perfection of the person of Jesus the Son of God, of whom the Father could say, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;” and the finished work of redemption He accomplished on the Cross, which was a savor of rest to God, and gives the sinner that believes rest also.
“Jesus, I rest in thee;
Myself in thee I hide;
Laden with guilt and misery,
Where could I rest beside?
‘Tis on thy meek and lowly breast
My weary soul alone can rest.
“Thou holy One of God,
The Father rests in thee!
And in the savor of that blood,
Which speaks to Him for me,
The curse is gone; through thee I’m blest;
God rests in thee, in thee I rest.”
The acting’s of the beast are repeatedly referred to in the following chapters of the Revelation; for his course is contemplated until the Lon Himself returns with His saints, as seen in the nineteenth chapter; so that we shall have again to notice his wisps. May we be so able to brief the light of the future on our present path at to have practical power on our hearts and ways.