Revelation Chapter 13 Essay

The Beast Marketh His Territory

Revelation chapter thirteen is the most well-known of all the biblical references to the Antichrist. It is the chapter that pop culture pulls its imagery from, including the Mark of the Beast and his number, 666. Ironically, because of its position in God’s end-time program, it will not have as much of an immediate direct connection to Donald Trump. Most of its details regard events that happen well into the tribulation period. Until we arrive at such a time, the particulars more or less still await fulfilment. That said, because of its central focus on the subject at hand, it would be worthwhile taking a closer look at the chapter. Except for the final verse, I will keep my comments brief. I strongly recommend getting a commentary on the Book of Revelation. Just make sure that it is from a futurist (Premillennial) perspective. Any Historist perspective that interprets the book as already fulfilled (called Preterism) is frankly in error and although may offer some biblical insights, is pretty much a waste of time.

Revelation 13:1-18

1And the dragon stood on the sand

Is it the Antichrist? Is it the last-days empire? Is it a system of control? Is it an idol that people worship? The answer is — YES. In some sense, the word applies to all of the above. God sees every evil component of that last-days program as a beast. In most cases, the word points to a person. In some instances, it’s multifarious. Think of the word, president. It can be used to refer to a person. It can also represent an office or position of power or simply a title. The difference is that in America, we have a governmental balance of power put in place to keep checks and balances. This last-days system of government will all center around one man, the Antichrist (Trump). The battle of the last-days rule will be a battle of names. Will the earth glory in the name of Trump or will it glory in the name of Christ? Spoiler alert! Christ