Who is the Beast?. Does anybody know? Many claims were made endowed with this knowledge and are passionate to a fault.
The description is in Revelations 13:18,“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
This is gematria, a Hebrew alphanumeric code of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase based on its letters, that has been used by many cultures, including Egyptian and Greek. This “number of a man” is traditionally assigned to Nero Caesar.
Some claim it to mean Sunday worship. While others see this as “Bismillah” the Arabic language for swearing one’s allegiance to Allah and purportedly on the forehead, hands and flag of Islam.
As to whether the Hebrew translation adds up to 666 or 616 is numberphile and can refer to many others. “As the boys from Numberphile explain, 666 doesn’t really have any remarkable mathematical properties, but if you look back into its history, it reveals something pretty incredible about the way the Bible was originally written.”
Points to identify the Beast
All the claims to date as to who the Beast is, strain credulity and are over the top. No one now truly knows his identity because the revelation of this “man-of-sin” (son of perdition) will “still be in the future”.
Consider the following identifying points:
1. This “man-of-sin” will come at “end times” when ten horns/kings appear. The realization of “ten horns/kings” was not yet in John’s time. And , they will have future power only for “one hour”?
Revelations 17:12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.”
2. Three of the ten horns will be replaced by a “little horn” to assume the leadership of the Beast and he will end up in “Gehenna fire”.
Notice the following verses:
Daniel 7:7-11 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts… Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,” (NKJV)
2 Thessalonians 2:3“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
3. This little horn king will torment the “holy people of God” for 3 1/2 years.
Daniel 7:25 “He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time”
Observe that this “time, times and a half” coincide with the Beast, woman/church and 2 witnesses:
Revelations 12:6 “The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.”
Revelations 12:14 “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”
Revelations 11:3 “And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
Note: The “time, times and a half “ have also been interpreted as “2,500 years”, which most likely do not apply to this “little horn’s” rule.
King of the North vs King of the South
The “little horn” and the “King of the North” maybe one and the same to be revealed at the end time. Both will enter Jerusalem.
Daniel 8:9 “Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.”
In Daniel 11:40-41’we read: “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land [the area of Jerusalem], and many countries shall be overthrown”.
Summary
There are claims and there will be more as to the identity of the Beast and counting of 666 into the name. But, let us not jump into it so readily and instead hearken to the advice of Paul in:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,” (NKJV)
Watch the future for the revealing of the identity of the Beast, little horn, king of the north to coincide with the 2 witnesses and the safety, protection of the Church.
God bless 👍🙏😇
Original post: March 31, 2021
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