The ten-horned Beast of the Apostle John’s vision, directed by the woman on its back, has ruled much of the world off and on through a series of 9 “deaths” and “restorations” from the time of its first resurrection in 554 A.D. until 1945.  The 9th “death” occurred when it was defeated, ending World War II.  We are now in a lull between World War II and the Great Tribulation which will signal the 10th resurrection (horn) of the Beast of Revelation 13 and 17.  Until that time God’s ministers will continue to warn the world about that 10th horn/government that will be resurrected just before Jesus Christ returns to earth.  Because of God’s Word we know that it is coming.  What we do not know is when.  Until it makes its appearance we will continue to alert mankind to the signs that tell us generally where we are on God’s timetable.  We will now skip ahead to that future time of terror known as the Great Tribulation which will follow the 10th resurrection of the Beast.

The major theme of this 2 1/2-year period centers around the “mark of the Beast” that the Beast and the false prophet will require everyone on earth to receive in order to survive life, and the “image of the Beast” that everyone will be forced to worship.  In Revelation 19:19,20 we find that the Beast of John’s vision has a companion and fellow terror producer.  He is called the false prophet “who wrought miracles before him (the Breast) with which he had deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and who worshipped his image.”  In the next posting we will answer two questions: what is the “mark of the Beast?” and what is the “image of the Beast?”  The mark of the Beast will have to be worn in order to make a living, buy and sell during the Great Tribulation.  Also, the earth’s people will be forced to worship the Beast’s image during that time under threat of death.  The absence of either one will prove deadly.  For 2000 years people have tried to determine to identify the Beast, its mark and its image.   Let us allow God to tell us.

In Revelation 14:13-17 we find these words concerning the Beast’s mark and image: “And he–second beast/false prophet–deceives them that dwell on the earth, saying to them that … they must make an IMAGE to the beast which had the deadly wound and lived (was revived by the Catholic Church).  And he gave power to the image of the Beast so that the image could both speak and CAUSE TO BE PUT TO DEATH those who did not worship it (the image).  And he (second beast) causes all …. to receive a MARK on their right hand or in their forehead, and ruled that no man could buy or sell who did not have the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name.”  Note that the second beast will CAUSE people who do not have the mark and who do not worship the image to be put to death.  The church, as was the case during her deadly Inquisition, will not do the killing, but will have the Beast government to do that job for her.  The saints martyred by the Beast during the Inquisition and those who will be martyred during the coming Tribulation will provide the blood with which the woman riding the Beast in Revelation 17 will become drunk (Rev. 17).  People were killed then and will be killed in the future for not bearing the MARK of the Beast and for not worshipping the Beast’s IMAGE.  Do the mark and the image of the Beast continue to exist today?  Indeed they do.  Let us first study what God says about the image of the Beast.

Jesus came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Mat. 4:23; 9:35).  The kingdom (government) He preached would be ruled in accordance with His Law, not some paganized government of man.  His kingdom, He declared, “… is not of this world” (time era).  He will rule His Father’s soon-coming kingdom and They will be worshipped by everyone in the kingdom.  All nations will be subject to Them.  Also, the kingdom will come into existence only after He returns.

However, in John’s end-time, pre-advent vision we see a church which claims to be God’s kingdom operating during that era and organized around a set of man-generated rules and regulations.  During the Great Tribulation this church will control both the social and religious affairs of men.  It will hold sway over kings and kingdoms.  It will have power to force the world’s people to worship both the Beast and its image.  We know the identity of the Beast–the Roman Empire.  We know the identity of the woman who controls it–the Catholic Church.  So what is the image of the Beast she will force all people to worship?

Let us not forget that during the Great Tribulation God’s true church will be ensconced in “her place,” a place of safety where He will protect and provide for her while the rest of the world will be at the mercy of the world-ruling Beast government and the world-wide church run by the false prophet.  So in order to recognize these powerful forces when they come to fore on the world scene we need to answer two basic questions: what is the image of the Beast that people will be forced to worship and serve? and what is the mark of the Beast which they will be forced to bear in order to survive in its kingdom?  Both questions will be answered in the following posting.  L.J.