Revelation 13:12; He Exerciseth All the Power of the First Beast Before Him

Posted on Posted in Devotions Tagged with , ,

Revelation 13:12 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. 

The power that the false prophet wields will be as great as that of the Antichrist and they work together to sway the world away from their Creator God through his promotion of the Antichrist. Morris observed well, “He has all the authority of his predecessor. But he is in no sense a rival for he makes people worship the first beast.”

Why “out of the earth”? Walvoord suggests that this beast ascends out of the earth rather than the sea and plays a secondary role in support of the beast from the sea. It is observed interesting, “In the minds of the ancients, none of the terrestrial animals could compare om magnitude with monsters from the deep, so coming out of the earth in itself indicated a degree of inferiority in power of the second beast to the first.[1]

Herman A. Hoyt observed interestingly concerning the meaning of the word “earth”, “Some think “earth” refers to a more settled condition of things (religious) than the term sea” (13:1). On the other hand, this term may be taken literally and mean out of the abyss. Hence this may be an evil spirit taking up its residence in a man… This person is described as a wild beast, as in the previous case. The two horns like a lamb suggest religious power. But he speaks like a dragon. Since this does not have to do with appearance, it must refer to his message. With all the religious subtlety of the serpent through the centuries, this beast propagates a message of religious delusion (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 4:4).”[2]

Hendriksen observed well, “The second beast comes not from the sea of people as a symbol of brute force but arises from the earth in contrast to heaven. This beast stands in direct opposition to everything that comes from heaven and is devoid of anything that is heavenly. He is therefore the aggregate of sin that reaches from earth to heaven, and, as the false prophet, he stands completely in the service of the Antichrist.[3]

He further researched, “Everything on the face of the earth is to serve the interest of the Antichrist, the first beast. All the institutions of communication, all the resources of governments and administrations, all the educational resources, and all the commerce and industry must stand at the beck and call of the Antichrist. For that reason, the false prophet as the mouthpiece of the Antichrist must control and govern the human mind. This feat can be accomplished only when human beings turn away from their former allegiances and worship the Antichrist.

The act of worship in the province of Asia meant to acknowledge the Roman emperor as Lord and God (chapters 2 and 3). When Christians entered a pagan temple and participated in meals offered to an idol, they were in fact participating in the worship of demons (1 Cor. 10:20–21). The number of people who through the centuries have turned away from Christ to follow idols is definitive proof of the nefarious work of the second beast. The Antichrist wants all people to worship him and thus supplant the worship of Christ.”[4]

[1] Robert, L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22, Moody, 1995, 172.

[2] Herman A. Hoyt, Studies in Revelation, BMH Books, 1985, 94.

[3] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Book of Revelation(Vol. 20, p. 388). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

[4] Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953–2001).Exposition of the Book of Revelation(Vol. 20, p. 389). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.