Gates of the City

The Eighth Beast- Part I

When seeking an understanding of any prophetic imagery mentioned somewhere in scripture, it is impossible to find a greater source or higher authority than the whole of scripture; given incrementally by God over a period of about 1,500 years through forty different writers; men of various personalities and from all walks of life. The one thing they had in common is that they were all holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Therefore, while there may have been many writers, there was only one author as all scripture was birthed by the Holy Ghost’s inspiration. 

Consequently, scripture must be allowed to serve as its own interpreter. Therefore – what is clearly meant by the term “beast” in one prophetic vision or book is most likely the same implication when the term is used elsewhere in other prophetic passages of scripture. Furthermore – we must recognize that indisputable certainty of some prophetic imagery meaning has been provided for us where God sent His holy angels for the express purpose to deliver the interpretation of some of the visions which were given to the prophets or apostles. That said, concerning the Angel Gabriel’s interpretation of Daniel’s four beasts, there can be no room left for any speculation as to what the “beasts” of Daniel’s vision represented.

Daniel, being desirous to “know the truth of the fourth beast which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful,” was able to approach the angel in his vision and asked him the meaning thereof. The angel interpreted the vision for Daniel saying, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms.” As a consequence, there can be no doubt to the reader what these beasts were, for the angel plainly reveals these four beasts as four civil or municipal kingdoms. Hence the term “beast” must be recognized as a prophetic symbol the Holy Spirit has used to represent actual historical empires or kingdoms.

Daniel 7:15 – I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. ¹⁶ so I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. ¹⁷ These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth… ²³ Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. ²⁴ And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

 In light of this, when in the beginning of the vision in Revelation chapter 13 the Apostle John states, “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,” we would do well to allow scripture to interpret scripture once again. For John’s vision, just like Daniel’s, was apocalyptic and therefore every part of it has significance. Fortunately, as with Daniel, God once again sent His holy messengers to provide a clear interpretation to the various aspects of John’s vision, like the “sea” and its prophetic implication.

Revelation 17:7 – The angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns… ¹⁵ And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

This passage in Revelation 17:15 is not the only place in scripture where the imagery of water has been so used. Below are several other passages where the Holy Spirit utilized the word “waters” to represent nations or people. 

Isaiah 8:7 – Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:

Isaiah 17:12 – Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! ¹³ The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind. 

Jeremiah 47:2 – Thus saith the LORD; Behold, waters rise up out of the north, and shall be an overflowing flood, and shall overflow the land, and all that is therein; the city, and them that dwell therein: then the men shall cry, and all the inhabitants of the land shall howl.

Therefore, when the Apostle John states, “I saw a beast coming up out of the sea,” we can conclude with reasonable certainty that this Eight Beast possesses historical heritages from many “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

The Red Dragon and Beast

In Revelation chapter 12 we are shown part of the hostility which the great red dragon, “the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” constantly maintains against God’s people. There we see Israel, the “church in the wilderness,” (Acts 7:38,) being represented in Revelation as “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” 

Acts 7:38 – This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:  ³⁹ To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt.

Revelation 12:17 – And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

In the verse above, we see the great red dragon’s relentless determination to wage war against the seed of the woman “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This hostility has been directed at God’s people throughout history through numerous different “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues,” which are here represented by the seven heads of the dragon.

So once again, when considering both “the dragon” in Revelation 12 and “the beast” in Revelation 13, we must keep in mind Daniel’s four historic beasts through which “the dragon” has historically carried out his warfare against Israel: the redeemed people of representing God. Only by acknowledging the historic rise and fall of those empires which have had direct correlation with Israel will we be able to follow the presence of this prophetic seven-headed beast through history so as to accurately discern the final Eighth Beast which bears the red dragon’s mark, (Revelation 12:3). For “the beast” in Revelation 13 continues to serve as a prophetic representation of those fallen angels and demonic powers here on earth that are manipulating the wicked in power to wage war against Israel and true Christians in these last days.

Revelation 12:3 – And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. ⁴ And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Revelation 12:12 – …Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. ¹³ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

Remember, the prophetic symbol of the seven-headed beasts with ten horns imagery is multifaceted representing several aspects within the vision’s entirety, and yet in two separate places are each used specifically to represent separate entities. For there is imagery of a seven headed creature which is a red dragon, and the other beast has the various attributes of several different animals. The similarity of the imagery is to show the influence of Satan upon these specific nations, up to the last of a succession of nations whose leaders are all under the influence of Satan. The first beast represents “Satan” in chapter 12, and the other in chapter 13 – represents the eighth empire which rises out of the sea,  which is the final kingdom which goes into perdition. This empire, like the rest, is spiritually connected to Israel and prophetically referred to as “the eighth [which] is of the seven.” Therefore, all the aspects of these prophetic imagery surrounding these seven-headed beasts are symbols intended to represent those key biblical players, each of which need to be identified if one is to gain an understanding of John’s vision.

One main distinction between the two seven-headed beasts, is that the dragon has seven crowns, and the beast has ten, which I believe may show how the dragon corrupts seven kings, but  God controlling the latter ten kings, will have them fulfill His will and destroy the woman riding the beast.

Revelation 12:3 – And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

Revelation 13:1 – And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. ² And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority… ^17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked – and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put in their hearts to fulfil His will and to agree – and give their kingdom unto the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

Another important example that reveals the necessity of paying attention to every detail as essential for gaining a proper understanding is demonstrated by the obvious distinction seen where the beast rises out of the sea alone in chapter 13, compared to that of later when in chapter 17 the beast is seen again, by John but this time with a woman sitting upon it. There the woman is lavishly “arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

As touched on in Chapter 1, this woman represents all the numerous devilish religious systems existing in the world throughout the ages, including pseudo-Christianity. By the time history unfolds to Revelation chapter 17, calculated events conceived long, long ago by Lucifer and fallen angels will have worked to unite this murderous whore with the beast in a covenant with death and hell in an effort to establish a unified religion for the Age of Enlightenment. In a little while, the diverse faiths of the world with their “archaic traditions” will be required to bow or perish to make way for the Scientific Revolution of Transhumanism and Eugenics; the means through which the “enlightened elite” have been persuaded they will finally get to become gods for their worshipping and doing the bidding of the fallen cherub who they foolishly believe actually liberated humanity from the restraints of ignorance which God was oppressively forcing upon man in The Garden.

The rising up of The Eighth

• And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion… (Revelation 13:2a)

That phrase, “and the beast . . . was like unto,” reveals that this eighth beast possesses certain identifying attributes from each of the four beasts which were seen by Daniel, as well as other attributes not mentioned there, (Daniel 7:1-7). Alone they are each cruel and terrible beasts of prey, but here in the last days they have all been combined together into this last eighth beast that will prove to be an endtime bewilderment and terror to the whole world; not only because of its power and wealth, but also because of its deceptions. 

Revelation 13:14 – And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast . . . 

• …and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2b)

This part of the verse is so clear that everyone understands it, but the popular contention and disagreement occur when people begin to express their conclusions of who they believe the Eighth Beast is, that is if they have even considered the seven-headed beast as being the eighth. Regardless, through this part of the verse we are expressly told that both the position and global influence of the Eighth Beast is the product of Satan, a useful empire which was raised up only as an instrument to further the dragon’s work. Remember, though man was created to have dominion, he could only have it while he remained under God’s authority. Thus, when Adam sinned, he sold himself under sin and forfeited his dominion to Satan; losing all God had desired to give unto him. No one can have any real authority unless they are yielded to a higher authority, and by this part of the verse we see that whatever this Eight Beast does, it does so under Satan’s authority. Consider this principle of authority as it is revealed in the following verses.

Mark 11:27 – And they come again to Jerusalem: and as He was walking in the temple, there come to Him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, ²⁸ And say unto Him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority to do these things? ²⁹ And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. ³⁰ The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? Answer Me. ³¹ And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; He will say, Why then did ye not believe him? ³² But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. ³³ And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Luke 7:8 – For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

Luke 9:1 – Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. ² And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.

John 8:41 – Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to Him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. ⁴² Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. ⁴³ Why do ye not understand My speech? even because ye cannot hear My word. ⁴⁴ Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Remember, during Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness Satan had claimed to have power over all the civil kingdoms of the world throughout time, and that it was his to give to whomsoever he pleases; a claim Jesus did not dispute. Nevertheless, this claim is only true to the extent of God’s permissive sovereignty, as He works all things for His own purpose and glory as He did with Pharaoh in Egypt. For when God determines the end of a matter, no other power can enable it to continue.

Luke 4:5 – And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, showed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶ And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, will I give it.

• And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. (Revelation 13:3)

This wound delivered to one of the beast’s heads represents an anticipated deadly wound delivered to “the eighth beast” itself. Given by the sword, this wound was an intentional assault delivered through an act of war, for the following verse speaks of the resulting fear other nations of the world had regarding making war with the beast. For we see in Revelation 13:14 that the beast fully recovers from the wound by the guiding efforts of “another beast” mentioned in Revelation 13:11.

Through this symbolism, we see that the assault “by a sword” which was intended to inflict a mortal wound to the first beast, actually marks the beginning of a transformation of this empire that causes it to rise above all others on the world scene. For even though initially it appeared this mortal wound was going to be effective, the beast incredibly recovers with its power and influence now greatly magnified through the leadership of the second beast. For the “dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” For as previously stated though this individual, or perhaps position or office of leadership, represented by the “second beast… with two horns like a lamb,” may look like he is for peace, yet his motives are nevertheless to the contrary because “he spoke as a dragon.”

Revelation 13:11 – And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. _¹² And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, ¹⁴ And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

• And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13:4)

Verse 3 had stated how “All the world wondered after the beast,” but verse 4 immediately follows with a question being presented to the whole world of, “who is able to make war with him?” Yet, this is not really a question as much as it is a statement, for it is rhetorical in nature; for by the words “they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast,” that it is evident that winning a war against the beast wasn’t considered possible due to that “power” which the dragon had given unto the beast.  

A very quick side note, do not think for a second that this “worship” was an adoration of the masses, rather a forced homage resulting from the horror of the never-before-seen demonstrations of seemingly invincible might. This worship is one of fear coupled with a forced confession of the truth, that having been confronted by a greater power and authority, you are thereby subjugated and must openly acknowledge both their greatness and your weakness, and are required to humble yourself before them. This worship of the beast is the same which God, our Lord Jesus Christ will receive from every man, woman, and child which has ever been born. For those who are saved, it will be a worship of adoration, but for the wicked, their worship is a humiliation of them with their forced acknowledgment of the righteousness of His judgments.

  Isaiah 45:23 – I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow and every tongue shall swear.

 Romans 14:10 – … for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Likewise, so is this worshipping of the beast, they are overwhelmed and humble by “those miracles which he had power to do.”

Revelation 13:13 – And he does great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, ¹⁴ And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

 This is because of the second beast’s authority and power to do “great wonders” so that “he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” We know that this fire is not a one-time event, for its coming down to earth from heaven is referred to as both “wonders” and “miracles” in the plural.  Therefore, this display of power had to occur at least twice before the nations of world to convince them that winning a war against the beast was at that time impossible. Hence, this great fire that falls to the earth from the heavens is that manner of sorcery whereby the second beast “deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles, [that is, something which was never before accomplished by men,] which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”

So, what do you think John could have been witnessing when he said fire came down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men? For here was a man who had never seen a car, train, tank, plane, or bomb, or even an atomic bomb. So how does such a man describe such an event? Plus, we cannot ignore the setting of war whereby such an event is being presented as “wonders” and “miracles.” For unless we keep it in the context which the Holy Spirit is giving it to us, we might misinterpret it as being the same kind of fire that Elijah called down to consume the sacrifice in I Kings 18, or when he called it down upon those soldiers sent by the king of Samaria who demanded he go with them to see the king in 2^nd Kings 1.

No, this fire wasn’t the kind sent as a manifestation and godly witness to the righteousness of God and His servants; it was the product of fallen angel technology given unto wicked men. It was given to be used as a never-before-seen method of retaliation exacted upon those who had attempted to inflict the mortal blow to the beast “which had the wound by a sword, and [yet] did live,” given to deceive men into worshiping the dragon and the beast, that the dragon’s determinations might eventually be carried out against the people of God. For because of this power which the dragon gave unto the Eighth Beast, not only does the beast survive and recover, but it thereby is also catapulted into an end-time position of global supremacy, (Revelation 13:14).”

         •        The entire world wondered… who is this Beast?

In studying the Beast of Revelation, it is important to keep track of the order of events the Apostle John is witnessing. First, John sees the Eighth Beast rise up out of the sea and it is suddenly stricken with a mortal wound. However, the beast does not only recover, but it also then rises triumphantly over its enemies; achieving global fear and admiration because of its wondrous power and miraculous victory in war. Next, we are told that the leader of the Eighth Beast, (being the second beast,) will in due course be responsible for instituting a joint identification and economic system whereby “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” 

Most will agree that it is unlikely a new economic system can come into play unless there is a crash of the existing system. But we are told this new joint identification and economic system will somehow be enumerated with the leader’s name, perhaps not too different from “ObamaCare,” which was literally forced upon the American citizenry. For this system will require all, “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,” to receive a distinct mark “in their right hand, or in their foreheads” verifying they are part of the Beast’s system.

Revelation 13:16 – And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.

Note that when the scripture states that he “causes all… to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads” that the “all” is being defined as “both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond.” This is important because many interpret this “all” to mean that everyone in the entire world will be marked. However, it is clear that the “all” is in fact being defined for us right there in the verse as really indicating that all manner or classes of people regardless of position, economic status, or in prison or free, it is all these that are to be required to receive the mark if they wish to function and survive in the beast’s new unfolding identification and economic system. I mention this distinction because I believe God prevents the mark from going completely global. 

This implementation of the beast’s system and the taking of its mark will nevertheless cause the majority of mankind to exceed God’s forbearance and take them beyond the limitations of His GRACE whereby they could have been saved. For though, yes, absolutely by grace and grace alone are men saved, yet there are some things about God’s grace that need to be addressed that too many people either do not know or are failing to understand or perhaps are simply refusing to acknowledge… things far more important than our knowing who the Eighth Beast is. So please bear with me while I address these things before we continue with Part 2 of The Eighth Beast, that we all might give heed to God’s admonition.

 Hosea 4:6 – My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.