20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The beast is a man who will be cast into the lake of fire. The image is that of the beast - a man. In Revelation 17:17, the ten kings give their kingdom over to the beast - a man.
Wrong again. The beast is NOT "a man."
The beasts are often used in Scripture to signify the animalistic flesh driven nature of man! For example, without Christ, man is a creature of beast without conscience or wisdom, and like a beast his driving force is to get whatever it desire, to tear, to devour, without consideration for law. It is often used to represent kingdoms or individuals as a token of those who
live by the flesh (carnal nature)
rather than the Spirit of God's law. I also believe that Revelation chapter 13 uses this imagery to paint a
portrait of the carnal kingdom of Satan, as well as the false prophets whom he empowers to devour.
The carnal, rebellious, disobedient man ruled by Satan is the likness (image)
of the beast. Selah!
People, let's examine the verses in context:
Revelation 13:6-7
- "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
- And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Same as Revelation 20 when Satan is loosed from the Pit to make war with the saints, or in Revelation 11 when beast comes out of bottomless pit to wage spiritual war, and to overcome and kill Two Witnesses (saints and their testimony).
Revelation 13:8-9
- "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
- If any man have an ear, let him hear."
All of those who aren't sealed of God in Israel worship the carnal, Pseudo or Antichrist instead of God. He has deceived them so that they serve him, thinking they do God's service.
Revelation 13:10-11
- "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
- And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."
John sees another vision of a beast coming up from the earth. The earth signifies they come up from the world, and this beast has two horns like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon. This beast represents the body of false prophets and christs! They come LOOKING LIKE they have the power of the messenger of light (horns signify power, the number two signifies the truthful witness of the church), but what gives them away is that
they speak as the Dragon, which is Satan. In other words, they appear as a messenger of light, but their gospel is false and of the adversary Satan. THat is why they are false prophets and christs!
So the FIRST beast, whom the false prophets cause men to worship, represents the antichrist, or more to the point Satan's substitute kingdom. It is the
body of false worshipers. Not one man. Revelation is written this way because just as the true church is represented by the
body of Christ, and the Old Testament congregation by the
body of Moses, the false congregation is seen as the
body of the anti (substitute) or false Christ. The false prophets are those who cause the unfaithful to depart from Scripture and worship Him. All Israel who are not sealed unto the day of redemption.
Revelation 13:12-14
- "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
- And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
- 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."
The deadly wound was given the beast who is to be worshiped at the cross. Christ dealt the adversary a death wound so that he could not deceive the nations (and the church could be built), but at this time Satan is loosed from his prison. This is spoken of as the deadly wound being healed, and the reason is so that the unfaithful people of the world might again serve him (as judgment). The false prophets, the second beast, deceive the unfaithful people of the church and seduce them into serving this antichrist kingdom
by means of false miracles,
signs and wonders. Remember, Christ was bound for the specific purpose of the nations not being deceived. Now that He is loosed, his false prophets AGAIN deceive the nations, in order to usher in the Lord's second coming.
Revelation 13:15-16
- " And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
- And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:"
The false prophets give life to the
likeness of the Antichrist by
propagating their false teachings, which leads to them overcoming the true church and causing all the faithful therein (the two witnesses) to be killed (silenced). Those remaining as a judgment of God are said to be marked on their hand (not literally as some suppose, but spiritually) signifying their will belongs to them (right hand), and in their forehead, signifying their mind is sold out to Satan. Just as a cow is branded or marked to signify ownership, so this signifies these unsealed are slaves to Satan.
Revelation 13:17-18
- "And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
- 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 Six hundred threescore and six."
Not the number of "a" man as may be written in your modern "translation," but the
original says it is the number "of Man," signifying the lawless man (man of sin) or man of lawlessness. The buying and selling signify the
work of the church, meaning the selling and buying of the false doctrines (lying signs and wonders), and
no one can do this work except those who have been spiritually marked slaves of Satan.
So the image of the beast is NOT about one man. The image is a likeness of Satan, When it speaks, it speaks the lying signs and wonders in the church that deceive many. Nothing to do with physical mark that one need to buy for physical food in order to survive or to worship a statue that can talk...which is a silly speculations on dispensationalism's part.