The Last Days
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Lesson 54 | 02/08/26
Revelation 13:8-18 | The System of the Beast (pt 1)
Last week we ended with verse 7 as the Antichrist rises to power at the middle of the week. He will cut off the daily sacrifices, set up the abomination of desolation, and exalted himself as god with complete and global domination. This will result in great tribulation for the world and specifically the persecution of the Saints. Let’s start by reading, Revelation 13:8-10. All the earth-dwellers are following after the Antichrist. They are marveling in awe about this man who was, and was not, and now is, Rev 17:8.
The Image and the Mark of the Beast
Revelation 13:14–18
2 Corinthians 4:4- whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image εἰκών of God, should shine on them.
So who could this be? Notice in this instance of verse 14, it does not say “image OF the beast” but instead, “image to the beast.” Yes this is an image of the beast. We see this written in verse 15, τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου. But in verse 14, this is written in the dative case, εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ. This may seem like a small point, but I believe the Holy Spirit is very purposeful in the words He uses. εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ in the dative case can be translated, “an image to the beast,” but it can also be translated, “an image FOR the beast.” I think this makes more sense. This image seems to be made FOR the Antichrist, for a purpose, but for what purpose? I think what follows explains why they are making the image... he who is having the wound of the sword and lives. Is it possible that the image was made FOR the beast because the Antichrist was killed, or at least his body was so mortally wounded that the image was made FOR him to now inhabit? Or simply an ICON for the world to worship
Weird, wild stuff! Things the world could only dream about in sci-fi movies 50 years ago are now becoming a reality. The technology is here for this to happen right now.
I am convinced this image is more than just a machine or a hologram. It is a living person who has merged with the AI system and Satan and his demons are manipulating the world through this system. Because remember, authority was given to mankind and the dark forces still need a man to work through, but praise God we have THE MAN, JESUS CHRIST, who has all authority in heaven, earth and under the earth and He is coming back to set up His Kingdom, Revelation 19:19-20.
Next week we will talk about the mark of the beast and the global economic structure, global religious structure, and a global monitoring system to track everyone in the world with this image of the beast controlling everything.
PREVIOUS LESSON 53 ← GO TO → NEXT LESSON 55
- There are two descriptions of the type of people who worship the beast:
- 1) Those who are of the world, οἱ κατοικοῦντες
- These are they who love this world and the Antichrist;
- 2) Those who do not have their name written in the Book of Life.
- 1) Those who are of the world, οἱ κατοικοῦντες
- V.8- The Lamb’s Book of Life
- The Book of Life is mentioned 8x in the NT, 7x in the book of Revelation, Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19; 1x in Philippians 4:3. Another reference to this book in Daniel 12:1.
- blotted out of this book, Exodus 17:14; 32:32-33; Deut 9:14; 29:20; Ps 9:5; 69:28; 109:14.
- When was our name written in the Book of Life? From before the foundation of the world.
- It seems there are two groups of people not written in the Book of Life
- Unbelievers- Those who never had their names written in it, Rev 13:8; 17:8
- Apostates- Those who at one time received Jesus, but then later rejected Him and as a result, had their names blotted or taken out, Rev 22:19; (see other references above)
- It seems there are two groups of people not written in the Book of Life
- Are only the predestined elect written in the Book of Life? Do we have a choice or was our fate sealed before we were even created?
- We were created with the free will choice to choose or reject Jesus, Rev 3:19-20; 2 Thess 2:10-12; John 1:12; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9-13; 2 Pet 3:9; 1 Tim 2:3-4; Matt 23:37.
- God is outside of time and so is this book, and God knows the end from the beginning. God is not in heaven writing and blotting out our names throughout our life.
- Rather, in God’s infinite foreknowledge, this record was written outside of time and He knows those who are His and who will choose Him, even from the foundation of the world.
- The Book of Life is mentioned 8x in the NT, 7x in the book of Revelation, Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19; 1x in Philippians 4:3. Another reference to this book in Daniel 12:1.
- V.9-10- Judgement to those leading others astray
- If one leads a person into the captivity of sin and death and ultimately the lake of fire, they themselves will be judged with captivity,
- Luke 11:52- greater judgement to those false teachers;
- James 3:1- teachers will be under greater judgement
- If one kills with the sword, possibly referring to the beheading of the saints, Rev 20:4, they themselves will be judged by the sword of the Almighty God.
- By the sword that comes out of the mouth of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, Rev 19:11-15; 1:16; 2:12; John 12:47-48.
- If one leads a person into the captivity of sin and death and ultimately the lake of fire, they themselves will be judged with captivity,
The Image and the Mark of the Beast
Revelation 13:14–18
- The Antichrist will force allegiance by two ways:
- 1) He will set up an image of himself in the holy of holies and mandate all the earth dwellers to worship him as god.
- 2) He will implement a global tracking system, we know this as the mark of the beast. In which no one can buy or sell without this mark. And those who do not have this will be hunted down and killed.
- How is this possible?
- Through technology and deception
- For what purpose?
- Control.
- Satan wants to gain ultimate control of the thoughts, emotions, and the will of everyone in the world
- Why? Because God has given mankind dominion over this creation
- Satan needs the authority of men to rule, he always has
- The hidden agenda- the deception is to reduce the importance of mankind by tricking people into thinking that Artificial Intelligence is the new evolution of mankind.
- Survival- People will think they have no other choice than to merge with this system
- Once they have merged with the system, they will unknowingly be giving their dominion over to the beast.
- And not only their dominion, but their own souls; their mind, will and emotions, never able to choose for themselves ever again.
- Survival- People will think they have no other choice than to merge with this system
- Control.
- Artificial Intelligence is not REAL intelligence
- Although the world wants you to think this. I don’t think AI will never become “sentient”
- This is an allusion, a lying wonder.
- Yes, AI is very powerful, but it will never rule the world.
- Why? Because God gave mankind dominion of this creation
- The deception is to get humans to merge with this technology to become superhuman or “transhuman”
- This is the biggest lying wonder that will ultimately get people’s focus off God and onto themselves as being god
- Pride is the basis for Satan’s deceptions, Genesis 3:4-7; 1 John 2:17; 2 Thess 2:9-11
- The mind being thoroughly opened διανοιχθήσονται (passive voice), by deceit
- Pride is the basis for Satan’s deceptions, Genesis 3:4-7; 1 John 2:17; 2 Thess 2:9-11
- This is the biggest lying wonder that will ultimately get people’s focus off God and onto themselves as being god
- The Antichrist will mandate that all earth dwellers worship him as god.
- Which they will gladly do because the whole world will be marveling at how great he is
- Nebuchadnezzar made an image similar of himself entirely of gold and demanded that everyone worship this image or be killed, Daniel 3:1-6.
- This was a response to Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue that fueled the king’s pride, Daniel 2:36-45
- Daniel 2:45LXX- the things that must come to pass after this (ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα·)
- This was a response to Daniel’s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue that fueled the king’s pride, Daniel 2:36-45
- All the world will marvel over the beast who has now “risen from the dead.”
- 4x the wound is referenced. This is significant
- Therefore, in honor of this miracle and “divine” power, the Antichrist will demand to be worshipped as god.
- He makes an image of himself and forces the world to worship his image as god, but this image seems to be a god that no one has known before, Daniel 11:36-39.
- εἰκών- icon, a material image or likeness in representation
- Paul also uses this word εἰκών describing Jesus Christ
2 Corinthians 4:4- whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image εἰκών of God, should shine on them.
- Satan is a counterfeit, the beast is being presented to the world as the christ, but he is Antichrist
- Copying the resurrection and now being portrayed as the image of god.
So who could this be? Notice in this instance of verse 14, it does not say “image OF the beast” but instead, “image to the beast.” Yes this is an image of the beast. We see this written in verse 15, τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ θηρίου. But in verse 14, this is written in the dative case, εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ. This may seem like a small point, but I believe the Holy Spirit is very purposeful in the words He uses. εἰκόνα τῷ θηρίῳ in the dative case can be translated, “an image to the beast,” but it can also be translated, “an image FOR the beast.” I think this makes more sense. This image seems to be made FOR the Antichrist, for a purpose, but for what purpose? I think what follows explains why they are making the image... he who is having the wound of the sword and lives. Is it possible that the image was made FOR the beast because the Antichrist was killed, or at least his body was so mortally wounded that the image was made FOR him to now inhabit? Or simply an ICON for the world to worship
Weird, wild stuff! Things the world could only dream about in sci-fi movies 50 years ago are now becoming a reality. The technology is here for this to happen right now.
I am convinced this image is more than just a machine or a hologram. It is a living person who has merged with the AI system and Satan and his demons are manipulating the world through this system. Because remember, authority was given to mankind and the dark forces still need a man to work through, but praise God we have THE MAN, JESUS CHRIST, who has all authority in heaven, earth and under the earth and He is coming back to set up His Kingdom, Revelation 19:19-20.
Next week we will talk about the mark of the beast and the global economic structure, global religious structure, and a global monitoring system to track everyone in the world with this image of the beast controlling everything.
PREVIOUS LESSON 53 ← GO TO → NEXT LESSON 55