The 2nd beast of Rev.13:11 forward is about a 'man', the coming Antichrist, because he is to do miracles, and speak as the "dragon".
True. He's another antichrist following the first. A protégé that takes it to the next level of being thoroughly given to Satan with no more pretence of ministing for Jesus Christ.
In time the mask always comes off, and that man of sin shows himself for what he really is: Another wanna be christ and head of the churches.
You must be going to one of those 'cult' churches that try to change God's Word to make it unrecognizable.
So, you cave, and move on to spitballs. It's rare to find a mature person to honestly dispute with.
Their normal manner is: declare their teachings. Ignore challenges. Declare their same teachings again. Ignore challenges again and begin throwing spitballs.
One sure sign of false teachers: they hate criticism. Paul didn't mind the Bereans checking the Scriptures, to see if the gospel he preached was of God.
So that "great whore" sits upon "many waters". Those "waters" are defined further down at verse 15 to be "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues". That establishes the idea that this "great whore" represents a ruler that is ruling over nations and peoples.
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
First a man a kingdom, and now a city a man.
If we don't let Scripture interpret prophecy of Scripture, then we make ourselves false prophets of our own minds.
And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.
Lord Jesus rebuked JERUSALEM and her leadership offspring as being behind the killing of God's prophets He sent (Matthew 23).
Which is that great city Babylon the great Whore and Mother of harlot ministries of heresy:
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
That's why she's spiritually Sodom and Egypt, while being known as the capitol city of heresies.
7 And 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.
This is where one needs to sharpen up and think what is being said...
As long as what's being said, is only about what's been written.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
That beast above is about Satan himself,
The problem is Satan has not yet been cast into the pit of hell, until after Christ's Millennium reign.
As I said, sticking to what is written is the only sure way not to teach false prophecy.
not his kingdom beast, the "dragon" of Rev.13. He will be the coming Antichrist, and a king. He "was", because in the old world he rebelled against God in trying to set himself up in place of GOD, and thus fell.
Lucifer was the first perfectly created being to rebel against God in his heart, and so was no more God's perfectly made creature, and yet is going about seducing angels and men to believe he is a perfect being himself.
So with men that sin and repent not, and go on seeking to establish themselves as righteous apostles of Christ.
He that was of God, and is not of God, and yet is ministering as an apostle of God.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
So he "is not", meaning he failed in that role in trying to be The KING. But he "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit"
At the end of a thousand years, where the first false apostolic beast and prophet already are.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Once again children. What's the first rule of interpretation of prophecy of Scripture? Let Scripture do the interpreting, which is how God makes it easy for us to teach.
Now it switches to the subject of the beast kingdom. The "seven heads" represent "seven mountains" of the beast kingdom, the 1st beast of Rev.13. That is an explanation... of the symbol, not another... symbol on top of the "seven heads". Thus the "seven mountains" MUST be understood literally!
Unless Scripture elsewhere provides a different interpretation for ministry:
Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
The whoring great city of false prophets and apostles and christs, is the mountain of false ministry of man.
Once again class: if we persist in turning a blind eye to NT teaching of apostles of Christ, then we disavow ourselves of the interpretations of NT prophecy, that they have already provided for us to teach.
Now it switches back to the idea of the beast king, the Antichrist that is to come at the end. There are 7 beast kings, 5 of them were past history, and the 6th beast king was in Apostle John's day (Roman emperor Domitian).
This is the same pseudo-history lessons, of those that insist the great city Jerusalem is called Babylon the Great, in order not to 'offend' Romans. As if they needed any excuse to persecute Christians. And as if God and His prophets are afraid of offending anyone feelings, and mentioning them by name. Such as Nineveh, Egypt, Babylon, Edon, etc...
I vote for Nero. No wait, on second thought Commodus. Was Genghis an Emperor?
As a matter of fact, Daniel 4, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon himself wrote,
A good example of a man of pride, almost literally becoming a beast with a man's hardened heart.
And it's interesting about Saddam Hussein who tried to rebuild the geographic city of Babylon in Iraq, that at his latter stage when captured, he was found living in a hole in the ground like a wild 'beast'.
True again. That was indeed a beast with man's stony heart. Just not an antichrist false apostle of Christ.
Again, HOW... do we know that beast there that ascends out the bottomless pit and goes into perdition, is about Satan? First off, who is the angel of the bottomless pit that ascends out of it?
In all of this stuff, this is the only real effort to let Scripture interpret prophecy of Scripture.
The problem is the king of the bottomless can't be Satan in Rev 9, since he is cast into that hell
for the first time, to join his chained angels, until the second coming of Christ, which is when He does cast the first and next beast alive into the LOF.
In Isaiah 14, Lucifer was cast down to the ground when He first sinned, but is only prophesied to be cast into the pit of hell, which is fulfilled in Rev 20 at Christ's return.
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Scripture plainly gives the proper names for Lucifer after his rebellion. Apollyon Abaddon is listed.
Shall I say it again? Let Scripture do what?
"Interpret prophecy of Scripture!" Yes, you got it now kids! Good job.
It's Satan, for Rev.9 reveals he is the 'king' over that bottomless pit.
Apollyon Abaddon is.
I believe his first name may have been Korah, before he was the first to fall alive into the pit of hell, and may be raised again by Christ to be the first prophet and last great false apostle ever known in Scripture. Not having learned a lesson to the only possible purgatory time ever shown in earth, he may then be the first man cast alive into the LOF.
He goes into perdition because it means Satan has already been judged and sentenced to perish in the future "lake of fire". NO flesh born man has been judged and sentenced to perish yet.
Not into the LOF yet.
Until the first beast and false prophet are, a thousand years before Satan is. They will be the first men cast into the LOF, before Lucifer, the Devil and dragon, Satan, that old Serpent is.