In Revelation 13 we have the following description of what Bible scholars for centuries have recognized as being a vivid revelation of the dreaded "Antichrist" , the leopard like beast, with feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion.
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.
God describes this beast as a leopard. We are brought back to Daniel in this depiction, to chapter 7 where the Grecian empire is also described as a leopard. God is not haphazard with his prophetic pictures. There are depths to understand, and nuances to be seen that reveal the identity, and true nature of the powers thus depicted. This is why God gave so much information regarding Antichrist. He did not want us to be deceived, nor to misunderstand what He was warning us about. He gave such detail that there would be no mistake, no error on our part for our lives depend on our part to clearly understand the issues.
Thus the beast of Revelation 13 is likened to the ancient Grecian empire. Remember, beasts are not individuals. They are political powers, nations, or empires. Beasts throughout the scripture are depicted in every prophecy without exception as being a political power or nation. Thus the Antichrist is not an individual, but a political power or civil or secular power, but having a religious face, for it enforces worship according to its own character and beliefs. The hallmark or character of Greece is eloquently described by Paul in his address to the Athenians on Mars Hill.
Acts 17:16 ¶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22 ¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
Idolatry, superstition, philosophy were the hallmarks of Grecian religious devotion. Thus these things according to the prophetic picture, would characterize the religion of the Antichrist. But the prophetic picture goes deeper than that. The leopard also has certain characteristics and natural qualities that would characterize and be seen in the Antichrist power. The leopards hunting instincts are subtly different from many cats. Firstly though, like all predators, the leopard preys on other beasts. Thus the Antichrist power would prey on other powers. It would seek to devour other political entities...other nations. Revelation clearly reveals this. It has global ambitions. And all the world would wonder after the beast. Wonder in his sense is in admiration. The people of the world will love this power. They will say who can make war with her? The beast has so much apparent attractiveness that it is thought ridiculous to oppose it. Greece was just like this. Alexander the Great was renowned for his astute military prowess. And everywhere Greece went, their culture, their belief systems, their philosophies, were assimilated into the local culture and religious practice. Palestine was no exception, to the point where the Greek language was the chief language that the NT was written in, even after many decades of Roman influence. Even Christianity itself was not immune to accepting Greek philosophy and beliefs and co-mingling them with the truth thus distorting the gospel even to this day. The teachings of Plato and Aristotle are still accepted and taught by priests and pastors, both Catholic and Protestant, to this day.
There is more to the leopard however. His hunting style is almost unique. He is a beast that rather than chasing his prey all over the countryside like other predators such as the cheetah, prefers to lie in wait and in hiding until his prey is within easy reach, and then strikes suddenly, and with the least effort.
The leopard is a watcher. An observer. Camouflaged well, it lies in hiding until its prey is an easy target.
Jer 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Ho 13:7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
The Antichrist therefore is just like that. An observer. Patience is the hallmark of her nature. He would far prefer to lie patiently in wait until circumstances allow for an easy take-over, than expend lots of energy too early and be discovered and lose his opportunity. This is precisely why Revelation 13 is so focused on deception, and why Jesus so often warned of false Christ, false prophets, of those who would deceive and lead away if possible even the 'elect'. The Antichrist is therefore not an open enemy to Christianity. In fact, like Judas, the son of perdition, he would betray Christ with a kiss! He would not be an open enemy of Christ, but in accordance to the base meaning of the word 'anti' (see Strongs #473) would stand in the room of Christ, replacing Christ in the minds and hearts of the world. Therefore the Antichrist power is a counterfeit Christian power. A Christian power that has superstition, idolatry, philosophy, and patience as the hallmarks of her character. But also the ambition and desire for global dominion.
Which brings me to the thrust of this post. For the leopard beast of Revelation 13 has been around for a long long time. While having inherited several characteristics of the Babylonian (Lion----Daniel 7:4), Persian (bear----Daniel 7:5), and Roman (terrible beast----Danel 7:7,8) powers and being a composite of them, the beast coming out of the sea is in appearance most like Greece (leopard---Danel 7:6). And the leopard, after centuries of patiently waiting her opportunity for global dominion, is now astir. She, through deception, the vain philosophy of man, idolatry and superstition, has already captivated the minds and hearts of billions of people worldwide. She now sees her opportunity to deceive the rest of the world, for her prey she recognizes is now weak, leaderless, has already succumbed to division and is asleep and thus blind to her presence and true nature. The second beast of Revelation, the beast or power that leads the world to surrender to the leopard, is now ripe for the plucking. She does not recognize the danger as she once did. She no longer sees the leopard as an enemy, but as a friend. She believes the leopard has changed. That she no longer seeks political dominion, but rather, in her own words, seeks social justice and social equity. She has deceived the nations into believing that there is a fundamental change in her very nature. And all the world today wonders after her!!!
The kings of the world send diplomats to her steps in order to receive council and advice. Even kings, presidents, and world rulers meet with her in friendliness and fawning admiration. But....
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
No longer does the Protestant church teach nor even believe as the reformers at the cost of their lives, warned about. Today's professed followers of Christ trample upon centuries of shed blood of martyrs who died at the hands of this evil. With their own blood they wrote across the pages of history that the Roman Catholic edifice, that counterfeit Christian church/state union that is awash with superstition, philosophy, man-made doctrines and dogmas, idolatry and blasphemy, is indeed the Antichrist of the Bible. The power that would make war with the saints, and to overcome them: the power that would have eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. The power that shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: the power that would reveal itself after a falling away as the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, (the church) shewing himself that he is God.
The Protestant church of today is no longer Protestant. God's watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (Isa 56:10).
And this very month the leader of the Antichrist power has arisen from his hiding place...he sees his prey, the Protestant church of America, as being easy meat. For they are asleep and ignorant of his devices. He will stand before the nations leaders and rulers and lawmakers and they will remain silent. They will welcome this son of perdition, and believe his lies and refuse to warn their people of the danger. More so, they will go so far as to encourage their people to follow this beast, to surrender their landmarks of truth, and once again accept the superstitious idolatries of this pagan counterfeiter of the true faith. And the leopard will win his prey. For the United States of America will lead the world into submission to the papal power.
Revelation 13:11 ¶ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; (the USA) and he had two horns like a lamb, (Protestantism and republicanism...a religion with a pope, and a nation without a king) and he spake as a dragon. (Who could deny the change in character recently in US presidential undemocratic law-making?)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, (the RCC) and causeth 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,(a false Pentecost)
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, (church/state union) which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak (through legislative power), and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed..
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.
God describes this beast as a leopard. We are brought back to Daniel in this depiction, to chapter 7 where the Grecian empire is also described as a leopard. God is not haphazard with his prophetic pictures. There are depths to understand, and nuances to be seen that reveal the identity, and true nature of the powers thus depicted. This is why God gave so much information regarding Antichrist. He did not want us to be deceived, nor to misunderstand what He was warning us about. He gave such detail that there would be no mistake, no error on our part for our lives depend on our part to clearly understand the issues.
Thus the beast of Revelation 13 is likened to the ancient Grecian empire. Remember, beasts are not individuals. They are political powers, nations, or empires. Beasts throughout the scripture are depicted in every prophecy without exception as being a political power or nation. Thus the Antichrist is not an individual, but a political power or civil or secular power, but having a religious face, for it enforces worship according to its own character and beliefs. The hallmark or character of Greece is eloquently described by Paul in his address to the Athenians on Mars Hill.
Acts 17:16 ¶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22 ¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
Idolatry, superstition, philosophy were the hallmarks of Grecian religious devotion. Thus these things according to the prophetic picture, would characterize the religion of the Antichrist. But the prophetic picture goes deeper than that. The leopard also has certain characteristics and natural qualities that would characterize and be seen in the Antichrist power. The leopards hunting instincts are subtly different from many cats. Firstly though, like all predators, the leopard preys on other beasts. Thus the Antichrist power would prey on other powers. It would seek to devour other political entities...other nations. Revelation clearly reveals this. It has global ambitions. And all the world would wonder after the beast. Wonder in his sense is in admiration. The people of the world will love this power. They will say who can make war with her? The beast has so much apparent attractiveness that it is thought ridiculous to oppose it. Greece was just like this. Alexander the Great was renowned for his astute military prowess. And everywhere Greece went, their culture, their belief systems, their philosophies, were assimilated into the local culture and religious practice. Palestine was no exception, to the point where the Greek language was the chief language that the NT was written in, even after many decades of Roman influence. Even Christianity itself was not immune to accepting Greek philosophy and beliefs and co-mingling them with the truth thus distorting the gospel even to this day. The teachings of Plato and Aristotle are still accepted and taught by priests and pastors, both Catholic and Protestant, to this day.
There is more to the leopard however. His hunting style is almost unique. He is a beast that rather than chasing his prey all over the countryside like other predators such as the cheetah, prefers to lie in wait and in hiding until his prey is within easy reach, and then strikes suddenly, and with the least effort.
The leopard is a watcher. An observer. Camouflaged well, it lies in hiding until its prey is an easy target.
Jer 5:6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Ho 13:7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:
The Antichrist therefore is just like that. An observer. Patience is the hallmark of her nature. He would far prefer to lie patiently in wait until circumstances allow for an easy take-over, than expend lots of energy too early and be discovered and lose his opportunity. This is precisely why Revelation 13 is so focused on deception, and why Jesus so often warned of false Christ, false prophets, of those who would deceive and lead away if possible even the 'elect'. The Antichrist is therefore not an open enemy to Christianity. In fact, like Judas, the son of perdition, he would betray Christ with a kiss! He would not be an open enemy of Christ, but in accordance to the base meaning of the word 'anti' (see Strongs #473) would stand in the room of Christ, replacing Christ in the minds and hearts of the world. Therefore the Antichrist power is a counterfeit Christian power. A Christian power that has superstition, idolatry, philosophy, and patience as the hallmarks of her character. But also the ambition and desire for global dominion.
Which brings me to the thrust of this post. For the leopard beast of Revelation 13 has been around for a long long time. While having inherited several characteristics of the Babylonian (Lion----Daniel 7:4), Persian (bear----Daniel 7:5), and Roman (terrible beast----Danel 7:7,8) powers and being a composite of them, the beast coming out of the sea is in appearance most like Greece (leopard---Danel 7:6). And the leopard, after centuries of patiently waiting her opportunity for global dominion, is now astir. She, through deception, the vain philosophy of man, idolatry and superstition, has already captivated the minds and hearts of billions of people worldwide. She now sees her opportunity to deceive the rest of the world, for her prey she recognizes is now weak, leaderless, has already succumbed to division and is asleep and thus blind to her presence and true nature. The second beast of Revelation, the beast or power that leads the world to surrender to the leopard, is now ripe for the plucking. She does not recognize the danger as she once did. She no longer sees the leopard as an enemy, but as a friend. She believes the leopard has changed. That she no longer seeks political dominion, but rather, in her own words, seeks social justice and social equity. She has deceived the nations into believing that there is a fundamental change in her very nature. And all the world today wonders after her!!!
The kings of the world send diplomats to her steps in order to receive council and advice. Even kings, presidents, and world rulers meet with her in friendliness and fawning admiration. But....
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
No longer does the Protestant church teach nor even believe as the reformers at the cost of their lives, warned about. Today's professed followers of Christ trample upon centuries of shed blood of martyrs who died at the hands of this evil. With their own blood they wrote across the pages of history that the Roman Catholic edifice, that counterfeit Christian church/state union that is awash with superstition, philosophy, man-made doctrines and dogmas, idolatry and blasphemy, is indeed the Antichrist of the Bible. The power that would make war with the saints, and to overcome them: the power that would have eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. The power that shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: the power that would reveal itself after a falling away as the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, (the church) shewing himself that he is God.
The Protestant church of today is no longer Protestant. God's watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (Isa 56:10).
And this very month the leader of the Antichrist power has arisen from his hiding place...he sees his prey, the Protestant church of America, as being easy meat. For they are asleep and ignorant of his devices. He will stand before the nations leaders and rulers and lawmakers and they will remain silent. They will welcome this son of perdition, and believe his lies and refuse to warn their people of the danger. More so, they will go so far as to encourage their people to follow this beast, to surrender their landmarks of truth, and once again accept the superstitious idolatries of this pagan counterfeiter of the true faith. And the leopard will win his prey. For the United States of America will lead the world into submission to the papal power.
Revelation 13:11 ¶ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; (the USA) and he had two horns like a lamb, (Protestantism and republicanism...a religion with a pope, and a nation without a king) and he spake as a dragon. (Who could deny the change in character recently in US presidential undemocratic law-making?)
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, (the RCC) and causeth 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,(a false Pentecost)
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, (church/state union) which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak (through legislative power), and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed..
