Chapter Twenty-Eight/Contending With Two Ferocious Beasts

 The great dragon has been cast down to the earth! Our study of Revelation makes it clear that never again will the original serpent or his demon followers be allowed back into heaven. But we are not yet finished with "the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth. The account next identifies in greater detail the means used by Satan, to fight against 'woman and her seed.' (Revelation 12:9, 17) John says of that serpentine dragon: "And it stood still upon the sand of the sea." (Revelation 13:1a) So let us pause to examine the dragon's means of operation. 

No longer are the holy heavens afflicted by the presence of Satan and his demons. Those wicked spirits have been ousted from heaven and confined to the vicinity of the earth. This no doubt accounts for the tremendous growth of spiritistic practices in this 20th century. The wily Serpent still maintains a corrupt spirit organization. But does he also use a visible organization in order to mislead mankind? John tells us: "And I saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemous names. Now the wild beast that I saw was like  a leopard, but its feet were as those of a bear, and its mouth was a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave the beast its power and its throne and great authority." - REVELATION 13:1b, 2. 

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