And if you remember back in Daniel 7, he talked about this little horn on the beast that had 10 horns.
It specifically homes in on one of the horns, and it says that this horn spoke great things,
spoke blasphemy, and it says, I beheld and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them.
Okay, with that in mind, let's go back to Revelation 13, understanding what this beast represents.
The beast represents two things. When we see the beast mentioned in Revelation,
number one, it represents the worldwide kingdom, having seven heads and ten horns.
But number two, it represents the man who is at the head of that kingdom,
who is the antichrist, or the man of sin, or the son of perdition.
It represents both. That's why it's foolish to say, well, no, no, it only represents the man.
Or, oh, no, no, it only represents the kingdom. No, it's both, and that's clear in Daniel 7.
Revelation 13, 1, it says, 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 head the name of blasphemy.
And the beast which I saw was like into 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.
So he's put in power by the devil himself. Verse 3, and I saw one of his heads, as it were, wounded to death,
and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast,
and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying,
who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given him a mouth speaking great things,
it's exactly what we saw in Daniel 7, and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty in two months.
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, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, and on and on.
So what we have here is a worldwide kingdom, a kingdom that rules over, look at the end of verse 7,
all kindreds and tongues and nations. I mean he's ruling the entire world.
Like the Roman Empire took over that part of the world back then, this end times worldwide kingdom
will take over the entire world, all nations, all tongues will be under control of this one world government.
The man at the head of it, the Bible teaches, is going to receive a deadly wound, and his deadly wound is going to be healed,
and that's going to cause all the world to marvel and everyone to worship him, and say that there's no one like him.
Now, when it says that he received a deadly wound, you know some people will say, well, you know, he received just a wound that would normally kill you,
but he was healed of it. Well, I look at that and I think, you know what, I don't think people would really be that amazed if that happened.
And then other people will say, well, no, he actually died. Now, I'll tell you right now, he actually did die,
and the proof for that, flip over if you went to Revelation 11, there's a couple places to prove that.
You think about it, there have been a lot of people who've gone through things that should have killed them and survived, right?
Did the whole world wonder? Was the whole world amazed? No.
I mean, I think, for example, the Congresswoman in Tucson that was shot point blank in the head, and everybody thought she would die, but of course she survived.
Because sometimes people can amazingly survive these type of deadly wounds, or wounds that would normally be deadly.
But the reason that the whole world is going to marvel at this deadly wound that he receives and has healed of, is because it's going to be just that, a deadly wound.
He's going to die and come back. Look, if you would, at Revelation 11, verse 7.
It says, when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them and shall overcome them and kill them.
So, the antichrist, or the beast here, is seen as ascending out of the bottomless pit, basically coming back from the dead.
Go, if you would, to Revelation 17, where something similar is stated in Revelation 17, verse 8.
The Bible reads, the beast that thou sawest was and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit.
Now, if you study your Bible, when it uses the term is not, it means that they're dead.
For example, when they thought that Joseph was dead back in Genesis, they said Joseph is not.
Okay, and that's a term that the Bible often uses.
So, when it says the beast which thou sawest was and is not, it's saying he used to be alive.
Now, he's not alive anymore and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition.
And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder.
See, that's what amazes them.
What amazes them is that he was, he is not, and then he's going to ascend out of the bottomless pit.
And they will wonder whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world.
And again, we'll go into that more once we get to Revelation 17.
But it says, when they behold the beast that was and is not and yet is.
I mean, he's back from the dead.
Now, look, Jesus Christ died and was buried and rose again.
The Antichrist will seek to replicate that or duplicate that and basically show people
that he really is Jesus Christ by coming back from the dead after receiving this deadly wound to the head.
Now, go back if you would to chapter 13.
But let's keep going.
It says in verse 9, here is the mind which hath wisdom,
meaning that he's going to give us a clue if we're smart enough to understand it,
that the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth.
And there are seven kings, five are fallen and one is, and the other is not yet come.
And when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
And the beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition.
Now, what I believe this is referring to that the seventh king that continues for a short space.
Well, if you think about it, if the eighth king is going to be the beast or the Antichrist,
wouldn't it make sense that the seventh king would only continue for a short space
if perhaps he's somebody who fills in during the three days or however long the Antichrist is dead?
Think about that, because remember the Antichrist was and is not
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition.
The Bible talks about in Revelation 13, him receiving a deadly wound to his head.
His deadly wound is healed and all the world wonders after the beast.
They're all amazed by the fact that this deadly wound is healed.
And it talks about in chapter 13 and in chapter 17.
And also, I think you can derive it from second Thessalonians two,
that he's going to die and come back.
So while he's dead, somebody's got to be running the show as far as, you know,
whatever the Antichrist was ruling over at that time.
He's not necessarily the Antichrist until he comes back.
But you know, that man of sin obviously was in power.
He was an authority.
He was one of those seven heads.
And then when he basically dies, somebody else is going to, you know,
fill in for a short space, I think is what that's referring to.
And it says in verse 11, the beast that was and is not,
even he is the eighth and is of the seven and goeth into perdition.
So he was one of the seven.
And then he comes back.
Again, more evidence that he's basically dying and coming back from the bottomless pit.