In the Book of Revelation metaphoric entities called Beasts are
described. In Revelation eleven, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen,
seventeen, nineteen and twenty the same Greek word is used. This
Greek word is therion. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance says that
therion, number 2342, means "a dangerous animal,venomous, wild beast." But the Greek word zoon is also translated as beast in the New Testament, for example, in II Peter 2: 12, where Peter talks about "natural brute beasts" made to be taken and destroyed, perhaps eaten, if they are literal brute beasts like a cow. A zoon is defined by Strong's, number 2226, as "a live thing, an animal." So, a therion, in contrast to a zoon, is something especially venemous, like a snake. In fact, therion is used in Acts 28: 4 where a "viper" fastened on Paul's hand, but Paul shook off the "venomous beast" and felt no harm. Paul had the protection of the Lord, the full armor of God as described in Ephesians 6: 11-18.
Part of the First Beast is seen in Revelation 13: 1-2, which it is like a leopard, bear and lion, harking back to the beast empires in Daniel seven - the leopard as Nazi Germany, the bear as the Soviet Union and the Lion as the British empire. The present U.S. government has some of the traits of all three of these empires. This government beast can be the U.S., but is not limited to America, and can include other advanced nations of the north, such as Europe. This government beast does not include nations of the south, and not Islamic countries. Because the Islamic nations are not now totally under the control of the northern nations - and their ruling elite - there will be a serious war between the two. The early stages of the martyrdom of Christians may be beginning in the Islamic countries of Africa and the Middle East (Revelation 6: 9-11).
Daniel Chapter Eleven defines the conflict between what has been called the King of the North against the King of the South. World conflict is now along a north-south division rather than the East-West division before the Soviet Union fell in 1991. The U.S. as the present leader of the North has been waging war upon the South, especially the Islamic nations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and perhaps soon other Islamic nations.
In Revelation 13: 3 another beast is described as being one of the heads of the beast, that is, this other part of the First Beast is not exactly the same as the U.S. government beast. Its deadly wound - received in 70 A.D. - was healed in 1948, and its the Little Horn of Daniel 7: 8. The Little Horn in large part depends upon the economic, political and especially the military power of the U.S. government beast for its survival in the midst of the Islamic countries of the Middle East.
Then, in Revelation 13: 11-18 the Second Beast appears, who looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon - usually called the False Prophet, but which is not limited to one man. It is also the church after the Falling Away of II Thessalonians 2: 3. The Falling Away is not something that is to occur in the tribulation; it has been going on for over a century.The Second Beast is related to Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth of Revelation 17: 1-11, which is false religion. In Revelation 18 Babylon as metaphor is used to describe a world economic system. And in reality, the financial elite is part of the U.S. government beast, which runs on Fiat money and usury banking, which is charging interest on loans, and with credit card banks the current interest rates can go as high as 29.9 percent.
Half back, I did until quite recently believe these were metaphoric beasts. Granted they are metaphoric where it says "like", however I have been studing fallen angels, mythical gods, ancient stories and ledends and believe these beasts are fallen angels that God has been holding back until the time of the Gentiles is complete at which time they will be allowed deceive Nations and individuals to do their bidding on a scale unparalleled since the time of Noah.
You are right, but only in part. Look at Daniel 10: 12-13, 20:
God sent an angel to give Daniel a prophecy. "Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia....Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come."
The "prince of the kingdom of Persia" is a fallen angel. And the "prince of Grecia," or Greece, is another fallen angel. Michael in verse 13 is one of God's arch-angels and more powerful than the angels of Satan who are assigned over governments.
Since there are fallen angels who are assigned by Satan to influence governments, it is quite likely there are similar fallen angels assigned to the United States, England, Germany, Russia, etc. And it could be that some of the same fallen angels who were assigned to ancient nations are now assigned to modern nations.
But to say that the various beasts of the Book of Revelation are nothing but fallen angels and do not refer to governments and false religions and the church after the falling away is to deny a large part of Bible prophecy. A dispensationalist might want to
replace the head of the First Beast whose deadly wound of 70 AD was healed in 1948 with a fallen angel. In fact, I don't know what the standard dispensationalist interpretation is of the head of the beast whose deadly wound was healed. Maybe they claim its some kind of wound to the United States, but I have not heard that.
Yes, I agree to a certain extent. I think it is not really as simple though. It is more like a war, it is a war, where some fallen angels are captured and imprisoned, others wounded, some actively engaged in battle, some in espionage, some just pursuing their own pleasures and others just waiting for the 'right time'.
In Chapter Eleven of Revelation it says "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them. "They" are the Two Witnesses of Revelation Eleven, which is a chapter difficult to interpret.
But the beast who ascends out of the bottomless pit might well be a fallen angel, or a number of fallen angels. The bottomless pit is found in Revelation 9:2. The Fifth angel is given the key that opens the bottomless pit, and in verse 9: 3 locusts who have power like scorpions come out of the pit. The locusts might be fallen angels, but there is more to the locust-scorpions, because in Luke 10: 19 Christ says "I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Serpents and scorpions might be fallen angels - and people under their influence. For Ezekiel 2: 5-6 talks about scorpions who talk, that is, these scorpions are people, and are identified in verse 3 as the children of Israel.
There were cults of snake handlers who were too much influenced by the dispensationalist claim that scripture must always be interpreted literally and thought this text says they could handle rattlesnakes without getting bit.
Watch out for the dispensationalist literal Bible interpretation. Many Bible texts are metaphoric and you can usually tell which ones they are, and the Book of Revelation has many metaphors.
To say that some of all of the beasts of Revelation are fallen angels is also metaphor. To call a fallen angel a "prince"
is much less metaphoric and identifies more clearly it as a possible fallen angel than calling fallen angels beasts.
The words indicated in Bold are censored from the CDFF Forum:
Hey guys. Awesome studies of the metaphors. You both seem to have the natural and literal translations covered. Did you guys ever ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to you? Every book of the bible has a central subject. Actually, there are 2 subjects in each of the books: Jesus the Christ of God and Jesus, the Hope of Glory in men. Why does everyone flock to the same results in Daniel and Revelation? Sure there is a devil and his demons, but why exhalt them when that kingdom has been defeated? Instead, why don't we give the glory to God?! The beast is no more a devil, or demon, or even a fallen angel. The beast is carnal man that, frankly speaking, God wishes to behead! In Revelation, it is Jesus that is Abbadon. He is ascending from the pit with the 5-fold ministry. Jesus is the worm of chapter 10 (?). He became sin (wormwood) that we would be made righteous thru Him. The woman on the beast is that carnal religion of man that pursues the true church of God.
"In Revelation, it is Jesus that is Abbadon. He is ascending from the pit with the 5-fold ministry."
Say what????
And they had a king over them, [which is] the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue [is] Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath [his] name Apollyon. -Revelation 9:11
Take a look at the definitions of Abaddon and Apollyon-
Abaddon = "destruction" 1) ruin 2) destruction 3) the place of destruction 4) the name of the angel-prince of the infernal regions, the minister of death and the author of havoc on the earth
Apollyon = "Destroyer" 1) the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer
That is NOT Christ that is ascending from the bottomless pit.
Doesn't anyone find it interesting that his name is "Apollyon"???
I have been exploring the theroy the Greek mythical gods were no myths at all, but rather fallen angels.....does the greek god 'Apollo' ring a bell...eh?
The reason why you answer with this amount of unbelief is that you have no idea why Jesus was on this earth.
Did Jesus come to bring peace on earth? No. He came to bring division. He came to divide your inner-man from your flesh. He came to seek and save that which was lost! It is the spirits of men that concerns the Lord. These He formed from within Himself. The flesh was a house in which the spirit dwells. It has little value to God.
The book of Revelation is the revealing of God in men, not a revealing of a defeated enemy. You should read the rest of the bible before making blanket remarks.
God is an all consuming fire! When the truth is preached by someone sent by God, it will burn till the hearer is consumed.This is the eternal inferno.
How can one ascend from the pit unless He has first descended. How can the Bride even descend from the heavens unless she has first ascended.
You really need to ask the Holy Spirit to teach you rather than listening to John Hagee or others.
Let us first look at the context of revelation 9:1-12.
The first rule in understanding any type of writing,especially is CONSIDER the CONTEXT.
vs.1-2
Question#1
WHo or what is the subject here
Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel trumpeted. And I saw a star out of the heaven falling onto the earth. And the key to the pit of the abyss was given to it.
Rev 9:2 And he opened the pit of the abyss. And smoke went up out of the pit, like smoke of a great furnace. And the sun was darkened, and the air, by the smoke of the pit.
A star/angel,and a key has been given to him to open the Abyss.
vs.3
Question#2
Who or what is the subject here.
Rev 9:3 And out of the smoke locusts came forth to the earth. And authority was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have authority.
Locusts,and authority has been given to them.
vs.4-10
Question#3
Who or what is the subject here
Rev 9:4 And it was said to them that they should not harm the grass of the earth, nor every green thing, nor every tree, except only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Rev 9:5 And it was given to them that they should not kill them, but that they be tormented five months. And their torment is as the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.
Rev 9:6 And in those days men will seek death, and they will not find it. And they will long to die, yet death will flee from them.
Rev 9:7 And the likenesses of the locusts were like horses having been prepared for war; and on their heads as crowns, like gold; and their faces like the faces of men.
Rev 9:8 And they had hairs like the hairs of women; and their teeth were like those of lions.
Rev 9:9 And they had breastplates like iron breastplates; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running to war.
Rev 9:10 And they have tails like scorpions, and their stings were in their tails; and their authority is to harm men five months.
Locusts having authority (Them,they)
vs.11
Question#4
Who or what is the subject here
Rev 9:11 And they have a king over them, the angel of the abyss. In Hebrew his name was Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
The locusts having a king over them;Abaddon/Apollyon.
vs.12
Question#5
Rev 9:12 The first woe has departed; behold, after these things come two woes.
The first WOE passes.
How can this be describing Yeshua.
Yeshua is King over his own.
Oh and by the way,please do not pick on SavedinChrist.
You can throw all of your rocks at me,if you want to.
