That is a deep subject.
I created a thread on the Sea and Land wild Beasts but it didn't seem to garner much interest.
The wild Beasts from the Sea and from the Land
The wild Beast Out of the Land
11 And I saw another wild Beast ascending out of the land,
and it had two horns like a lambkin and it spoke as a Dragon.
12 And the authority of the first wild Beast all it is doing in view of it.
And is making the land and those dwelling in it that to be worshiping the first wild Beast, of which was cured the blow of the death of it.
13 And it is doing great signs that even fire it may be making out of the heaven descending into the land in view of the men.
14 And it is deceiving those dwelling on the land thru the signs which was given to it to do in view of the wild Beast,
saying to those dwelling upon the land to make an image to the wild Beast which hath the blow of the sword and lives.
15 And was given to it to give spirit/breath to the image of the wild Beast, that also the image of the wild Beast should be speaking.
And should be causing as many as shall no should be worshiping to the image of the wild Beast, that they may be being killed.
16 And it is causing all the small and the great and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the servants that may be giving to them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads.
17 And that no one may be able to buy, or to sell, except he who is having the mark of the wild Beast or the name of the wild Beast, or the number of it's name.
18 Here the wisdom is being!
The one having mind, let him calculate the number of the wild Beast, for number of man it is, and its number six hundred sixty six.
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Kindgdom Bible Studies Revelation Series
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Kindgdom Bible Studies Revelation Series
THE BEAST OUT OF THE LAND
In the thirteenth chapter of the Revelation the awesome prophecy is given of two beasts terrible in power and strength that dominate all the inhabitants of the earth and make war against the saints. As we approach this scene may I say that it’s not surprising that most Christians, at the mere mention of the events that are portrayed in this portion of the book, start conjuring up mental images of grotesque beasts, one world government tyranny, or a super-man antichrist brutally killing the saints or imposing the fearful “mark of the beast” in their right hand or in their forehead, thus forever sealing their doom in eternal hell-fire and damnation. Thousands of churches and teachers use such apocalyptic imagery to frighten people into confessing their sins and “getting right with God.” Very often, their hearers do not truly get converted to a loving and intimate relationship with the Lord; they merely cry their eyes out and beg God for mercy in order to escape His wrath. As soon as the fear factor is discredited or wears off, the so-called repentance often loses its effect.
I would point out here that there are no chapter divisions in the original text of the Revelation, and armed with this understanding it may be clearly seen that the events of chapter thirteen are the continuation of the great drama unfolded in chapter twelve. The chapter begins with the conjunction “and” denoting continuity of thought and action. To show the flow we will begin with the last verse of chapter twelve and continue through the first two verses of chapter thirteen..............................
The Greek text indicates that this is “another” of the same kind as the first beast, or a “beast” in
another form. In our last message we pointed out that the “antichrist” is not the same as the “beast” in the book of Revelation. There is indeed a relationship, but there is also an important difference. “Antichrist” refers to a
spirit and to the
people possessed by that spirit. Notice the language:
“Ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists…they went out from us, but they were not of us…every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not…is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist…for many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” On the other hand, throughout the scriptures, the word
beast refers to a
system, and not to a man. The beasts speak of
bestial systems, organizations, institutions, movements, and governments. The antichrist people may be found
in the bestial system, but the bestial system is something beyond the people themselves.
This second beast is an
earth-born beast. There is no possibility of confusing him with the first beast. They are utterly different. The first is a composite wild jungle beast, the second resembles a lamb, but inwardly bears the nature of a dragon. Outwardly he looks like a kinder, gentler, harmless beast, having only two horns, and those of a harmless kind — like the horns of a lamb. Also, he has no crowns on his horns, indicating that he has no political sovereignty. When he speaks, however, he speaks like a dragon; and for all his harmless appearance he is a true
therion, a savage, fierce, and cruel brute. When we look at his character and pretensions we find that, bad as the other beast was, there is something here yet more dreadful. The second beast does not accomplish his agenda by brute force; he works deception through signs, wonders, and miracles. The first gives his authority to the second, and the second persuades men everywhere to give respect and pay homage to an image of the first. They are in league and covenant, each aiding and abetting the other.
I would now draw your attention to the fact that the expression
“I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth” is literally in the Greek,
“I saw another wild beast ascending out of the earth.” John did not say, “I saw a beast
come up or
ascend as a limited, one-time event, but
coming up or
ascending — denoting a continuous action. It is on-going. It is constantly being fulfilled. It cannot be bound by, nor does it predict or specify, any actual historical or future event. Instead, the beast is ascending, he is
always ascending out of the earth-realm of the
soul of man.
It is impossible to understand this truth of the two beasts unless we can distinguish between the sea, the earth, and the two beasts themselves. The first beast is not the sea-realm itself, but comes up
out of the sea of humanity. The second beast is not the earth-realm itself, but comes up
out of the earth, out of the soulical nature of man. So we are dealing neither with the wicked, surging masses of humanity nor the moral and religious people who bring a sense of stability to civilization..................
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From a Preterist view:
Revelation 13:8 - Apocalypse Fulfilled! | Book of Revelation Study Archive
THEOLOGIANS IDENTIFYING NERO WITH 666
(under construction)
Beast's Real Mark Devalued to 616 "Dr. Aitken said, however, that scholars now believe the number in question has very little to do the devil. It was actually a complicated numerical riddle in Greek, meant to represent someone's name, she said. "It's a number puzzle -- the majority opinion seems to be that it refers to [the Roman emperor] Nero."
James Stuart Russell,
Parousia, p, 557.
Shirley Jackson Case,
The Revelation of John: A History of Interpretation (Chicago, 1919), p. 319.
George Edmundson,
The Church in Rome in the First Century (London, 1913), pp. 165-166.
B. W. Henderson,
Five Roman Emperors (Cambridge: University Press, 1927), p. 45.
Arthur S. Peake,
The Revelation of John (London: Joseph Johnson, 1919), p. 326.
Martin Kiddie,
The Revelation of St. John (New York: Harper, 1940), p. 261.
Charles C. Torrey,
The Apocalypse of John (New Haven: Yale, 1958), p. 60.
John Bright,
The Kingdom of God (Nashville Abingdon, 1963), p. 240.
Austin Farrar,
The Revelation of St. John the Divine (Oxford: Clarendon, 1964), pp. 158f
T. G. Driver,
The Judean Scrolls (Oxford: Blackwell, 1965), p. 374.
Hillers,
"Revelation 13:18," p. 65. See J. P. M. Sweet,
Revelation. (Philadelphia, 1979) p. 218, note u.
Bruce M. Metzger,
The Text of the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 1968), p. 752.
John A. T. Robinson,
Redating the New Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976), p. 235.
THE COLLECTIVE MAN THEORY
- Wycliffe "Here is wisdom; he that hath understanding, acount the number of the beast; for it is the number of man, and his number is six hundred sixty and six."
Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer (2004)
"Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the Beast, for it is the number of man. His number is 666.'" (The Last Disciple, p. 310)
Jasper Seaton Hughes (1898)
"The words, "for it is the number of man," must not be taken to refer to any one man in contrast to other individual men, but man as opposed to God, sinful, apostate man." (Mystery of the Golden Cloth, p. 255)
Philip Mauro (1910)
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast : for it is THE NUMBER OF MAN ; and his number is 666" (Rev. xiii. 18)" (
The Number of Man: Climax of Civilization)
John George Schmucker (1821)
"
For it is the number of a man. The original should be rendered for it is the number
of man, without the article, and not the number of
a man's name, as some expositors have understood this expression. The learned Faber terms this verse an enigma ; I would rather call it the solution of an enigma, as it most assuredly is. I prefer the interpretation adopted by Bengelius, Bp. Newton, and Young, who suppose that the number of man means no more than the method of numbering in common use among men, as opposed to prophetic numbers ; according to which the numerical letters signify 666." (The Prophetic History of the Christian Religion Explained, p. 176)
Benjamin Seth Youngs (1823)
"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: [and this is easily done] for it is the number of man ;"| not (as many suppose) some particular man, as an individual ; but MAN in his common gender, including male and female. Then as the number of the beast is the number of man, so the character of the beast is the character of man." (The Testimony of Christ's Second Appearing, p. 359)
