Contending With Two Feroious Wild Beasts

 By the end of the first century C.E., however, many in this early congregation had fallen away from the truth, and the true Christian wheat, "the sons of the kingdom," had been largely choked out by weeds, "the sons of the wicked one."  But when the conclusion of the system of thing arrived, anointed Christians  again appeared as an organized group.  During the Lord's day, the righteous ones were due to "shine as brightly as the sun."   Hence, the Christian congregation was organized for work.  (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) By then, the Roman Empire was no more.  The huge British Empire, along with the powerful United States of America held the center of the world stage.  This dual world power proved to be the seventh head of the wild beast.

Is it not shocking to identify the ruling political powers with a wild beast?  That  is what some opposers claimed during World War II, when the status of Jehovah's  Witnesses, as an organization and as individuals, was being challenged in law courts and around the earth.  But stop and think! Do not the nations themselves  adopt beasts or wild creatures as their  national symbols? For example, there are the British lion, the American eagle, and the Chinese dragon.  So why should anyone object if the divine Author of the holy Bible also uses beasts to symbolize world powers? 

Moreover, why should anyone object to the Bible's' saying that is is Satan who gives the wild beast  its great authority?  God is the Source of that statement. and before him 'the nations  are as a drop from a bucket and as film of dust.'  Those nations would better to court God's favor than to take offense at the way his prophetic Word describes them. (Isaiah 40:15, 17; Psalm 2:10-12)  Satan is no mythical  person assigned to tormenting departed souls  in a fiery hell.  No such place exists.  Rather, Satan is described in Scripture as "an angel of light"-master of deception who exercises powerful influencew in general political affairs. - 2 CORINTHIANS 11:3, 14, 15; EPHESIANS 6:11-18.

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Contending WIth Two Ferocious Beasts

 In another vision, Danie sees a two-horned ram that is struck by a goat with a great horn.  The angel Gabriel explains to him what it means:  "The ram . . . stands for the kings of Media and Persia.  And the hairy he-goat stands for the king of Greece." Gabriel goes on to prophecy that the great horn of the he-goat would be broken and be  succeeded by four horns.  This actually happened  more than 200 years later when Alexander the Great died and  his kingdom was split  into four kindoms ruled by the four of his generals. - DANIEL 8:3-8, 20-25. 

It is clear, therefore, that the Author of the inspired Bible regards the polical powers of the earth as beasts.  What kind of beasts?  One commentator   calls the wild beast of Revelation  13:1, 2 "a brute" and adds :  "We accept all the connotations  that onpiov (The ri'on , the Greek word for "beast"] conveys, such of that as that of a cruel, destructive, frightful, ravenous, etc., monster.  How well that describes the bloodstained polical  system by which Satan has dominated mankindE!  The sevenn heads of this wild beast stand for six major world powers featured in Bible history up to John's day-Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome-and a seventh world power prophesied to appear later. - Compare REVELATION 17:9, 10.

True, there have been other world powers in history besides the seven-just as the wild beast John saw was made of a body as well as the seven heads and ten horns.  But the seven heads represent the seven major powers that have, each in its turn, taken the lead  in oppressing God's people.  In 33 C.E., while Rome was acendant, Satan used that head  of  that wild beast to kill the Son of God. At that time, God abandoned the faithless Jewish system of things and later, in 70 C.E., allowed Rome to execute his judgment on the nation.  Happily, the true Israel of God. the congregation of anointed Christian, had been forewarned, and those in Jerusalm and Judea had fled to safety   beyong the Jordan River. - MATTHEW 24"15, 16; Galatians 6:16. 

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Contending With Two Ferocious Beasts

 Vision 8- REVELATION 13:1-1-18

Subject: The seven-headed wild beast, the two-horned will beast, and the image of the wild beast

Time of fulfillment:  From Nimrod's  day to the great tribulation

THE great dragon has  been cast down to the earth!  Our study of Revelation makes it clear that never again will Serpent and his demon followers  be allowed back in heaven.  But we are not yet finished with "the one called Devil and Satan, who misleading the entire inhabited earth."  The account next identifies   in greater detail the means used by Satan to fight against 'the woman and her seed.'  (Revelation 12:9, 17) John says that serpentine dragon:  "And it stood upon the sand of the sea." (Revelaton 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 modern times.  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 hors and seven heads, and upon its horns ten diadems, but upon its heads blasphemous naes. Now the wild beast  that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were those of a bear, and its mouth was as a lion's mouth.  And the dragon gave to the beast its power and its throne with great authority." - REVELATION 13:1b, 2.

What is this freakish beast?  The Bible itself gives the answer.  Before the fall of Babylon in 539 C.E., the Jewish prophet Daniel saw visions involving ferocious beasts.  At Daniel 7:2-8 he describs four beasts coming out of the sea, the first resembling a lion, the secons a bear, the third a leopard, and "see there!  A fourth beast, fearsome and terrible and unusally strong . . . and it had ten horns."  This is remarkably  similar to the wild beast seen by John about the year  96 C.E. That beast  also has the characteristics of a lion, a bear, a leopard, and it has ten horns. What is the idenity  of the huge beasts seen by Daniel?  He informs us:  "These huge beasts . . .  are four kings that will stand up from the earth." (Daniel 7:17)  Yes, those beasts represent "kings, " or political powers of the earth.

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - A New Nation

 The dragib did not give up!  "And the serpent disgorged water like a river from its mouth after the woman, to cause her to be drowned by the river." (Revelation 12:15)  What is meant by "water like a river," or a flood of water"?  (The New English Bible)  Ancient King David spoke of the wicked men who opposed him as "flash floods of good-for-nothing men"   ["streams of the worthless ," Young].  (Psalm 18:4, 5, 6, 17) What Satan now unleashes is likewise persecution by worthless  or "good-for-nothing men."  After 1922 Satan spewed out a flood of persecution against the Witnesses.  (Matthew 24:9-13)   This came to include physical violence, "framing trouble by decree," imprisonments, and even executions by hanging, shooting and beheading.  (Psalm 94:20)  The debased Satan, having been denied direct access to God's heavenly womanm, set out wrathfully to attack her remaining seed on earth and to destroy them, either directly or by causing them to lose God's favor through their integrity.  But their resolve proved to be like that of Job:  "Until I expire I shall not take away my integrity from myself!" - JOB 27:5.

This vicious flood of persecution reached a  high point during duing World War II.  In Europe some 12,000 Witnesses were incarcerate in Nazi concentration camps and prisons, and about 2,000 died.  Under the warlords that ruled Italy, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, faithful Witnesses suffered similar cruel treatment.  Even in so-called democratic lands, the Witnesses were asaulted by Catholic Action groups, tarred and feathered, and run out of town.  Christian assemblies were broken up and Witness children were expelled from school.  

Relieved arrived from and unexpected source: "But the earth cam to the woman's help, and the earth opened up  its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon disgorged from its mouth.  And the dragon grew wrathful at the woman, and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her seed, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus." (Revelation 12:16, 17)  "The earth" -elementrs within Satan's own system of things-began to swallow the "river," or "flood."   During the 1940's  the Witnesses gained a series of favorable decisions in the United States Supreme Court, and from ruling powers in some other lands, that upheld freedom of worship.  Finally, the Allied nations swallow up the Nazi  Fascist judgment, to the relief of the Witnesses who had suffered  under cruel dictatorships.  Persecutions did not stop altogether, for the wrath of the dragon has continued until today, and he keeps us the war against those who "have the work of bearing witness to Jesus."  In many lands, loyal Witnesses ae still in priso, and some still die because of their integrity. But in some of these lands, the authorities from time to time relax their pressure, and the Witnesses enjoy a greater measure of freedom.   Thus, in fulfillment of the prophecy, the earth continues to swallow up the river of persecution. 

In this way, the earth has provided  sufficient relief to allow God's work to spead to some 235 lands and produce over six million faithful preachers of the good news. Along with the remaining ones of the woman's seed, a great international  crowd of new believers is observing the commandments of God as to separatenes from the world, clean morals, and love of the brothers, and they are witnessing to the Messianic Kingdom.  Their integrity  answers Satan's reproachful challenge, so that the death  knell os sounded for Satan and his system of things. - PROVERBS  27:11. 

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - A New Nation

 While the first world war was being fought, Jesus' brothers  faithfully kept on with their witnessing to the extent possible.  This was done in the face of intensified opposition from Satan and his vicious henchman.  Finally, the Bible Students' public witnessing was virtually stopped.  (Revelation 11;7-10)  That was when they had an experience quie similar to that of the Israelites in Egypt who also endured under great oppression.  It was then that Jehovah  brought them swiftly, as if on wings of eagles,  to safety in the desert of Sinai.  (Exodus 19:1-4)  Likewise, after the bitter persecution of 1818-1919, John deliverd his witnesses, as representing his woman, into  a  spiritual situatio that was safe for them as the desert was for the Israelites.  This came as an answer to their prayers. - Compare PSALM 55:6-9. 

In the wilderness, Jehovah brought forth the Israelites as a nation, providing for them  spiritually and physically.  Similarly, starting in 1919,  Jehovah brouht forth the seed of the woman as the woman as a spiritual  naton. This is not to be confused  with the Messianic Kingdom that has  beein ruling from the heavens since 1 914.  Rather, this new nation is made up of the remnant of anointed witnesses on earth, who were brought into a glorious spiritual estate in 1919.  Being provided now with "their measure of food supplies at the propere  time,"  these were strenghtened for the work that lay ahead. - LUKE 12:42;ISAIAH 66:8.

How long did this respite for the seed of God's womn last?  Revelation 12:6 says   1,260 days.  Revelation 12:14 calls the period of time; in other words, three and a half times. In fact, both expressions stand for three and a half years, extending to the Northern Hemisphere from the spring of  1919 to  the autumn 0f 1922.  This was a period of refreshing recuperation and reorganization for the restored John class.

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - A Rival Woe!

 Chafing because of the third woe, Satan is now intent on afflicting mankind with his own particular  brand of woe.  It is: "Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time." ( Revelation  12:12b) Satan's ousted from heaven does not inded woe for the literal earth, which is to be ruined  by selfish humans under his control.  (Deuteronomy 32:5)  Even more so, Satan's policy of 'rule of rule' brings woe to the symbolic earth, the structure of human society, as well as to the symbolic sea, the turbulent mass of mankind itself.  During the two worls wars, Satan's wratj was reflected in the wrath of the nations subject to him, and the similar explosions  of demonic rage continue to this day-though not for much longer!   (Mark 13:7, 8)  But terrible as the Devil's devices may be, they will  never approach the woeful effect that the third woe-action  by God's Kingdom-will produce on Satan's visible organization!

Since Satan's catastrophic ouster, Christ's brothers still on earth have borne  the brunt of his wrath, John reports:  "Now when the dragon saw that it was hurled down to earth, it persecuted the woman that gave birth to the male child.  But the two wings of the great eagle were  given the woman, that she might fly away into the wilderness to her place, there is where she was fed for a time and times and a half a time away from the face of the serpent." -  REVELATION 12:13, 14. 

Here the vision  picks up the thought introduced in verse 6, which tells us that after the birth of her child, the woman flees into the wildernes, away from the dragon. We may wonder   how the dragon  can persecute a woman, since she is heaven and the dragon has now been cast down to the earth.  Well, remember that the woman has children here on earth, her seed. Later in his vision, we are informed that Satan expresses his rage toward the woman by perscuting her seed.  (Revelation 12:17) What happens  to the woman's seed here on earth may be regarded as happening to the woman hereself.(Compare Matthew 25:40.) And the growing number of companions of the seed here one earth would also experience these persecutions. 

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - "Be Glad, You Heavens"

 John reports a beautiful heavenly reaction to this stupendous fall of Satan:  "And I heard a loud voice in heaven say:  'Now have to passthe salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers  has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God!  And they conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their witnessing, and they did not love their souls even in the face of death.  On this account be glad,  you heaveens and yo who reside in them!'" -REVELATION 12:10-12a. 

Whose loud voice is it that John hears?  The Bible does not say.  But a similar cry reported at Revelation 11:17 came from the resurrected 24 elders in their heavenly positions, where they can represent  the 144,000 holy ones.  (Revelaton 11:18) And since the persecuted anointeed servants of God still on earth are here spoken of as "our brothers,"  this statement could well come from the same source.  No doubt these faithful ones can join their voice,  since their resurrection would follow soon after Satan and demon hordes had been thrown out of heaven. 

The finishing of the sacred secret of God calls for Jesus to take authority in Jehovah's Kingdom. The way is thus opened for God to carry out his great purpose to deliver faithful mankind.  Jesus bring salvation  not only to his God-fearing disciples now on earth but also to the countless millions of dead ones who are in God's memory.  (Luke 21:27, 28) Satan's being called  "the accusers of our brothers" also shows  that, even though his accusations against Job were proved false, he kept right on challenging the integrityof God's earthly servants.  Evidently, he repeated on many occasions the charge that a man  will give all he  has in exchange for his soul.  How dismally Satan has failed! - JOB 1:9-11; 2:4, 5. 

Anointed Christians, who are counted righteous "because of the blood of the Lambn," are continuing to bear witness to God and to Jesus Christ despite persecutions.  For more than 120 years,  this John class has been pointing to the great issues involved wiht the ending of the Gentile Times in 1914.  (Luke 21:24, King James Version)  And the great crowd are now serving loyally by their side.  None of these  are "fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul," as real-life experiences of Jehovah's Witnesses have demonstrated over and over again during our time.  By word of mouth and by proper Christian conduct, they have conquered Satan, consistently proving him to be a liar. ( Matthew 10:28; Proverbs 27:11; Revelation 7:9) On being resurrected to  heaven, how happily anointed Christians must be, since Satan is no longer up there to accuse their brothers!  It is time, indeed, for all the angelic host to respond joyously to the call:  "Be glad, you heavens and you who reside in them"

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - War in Heaveb!

 John tells us:  "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon and its agents battled but it not prevail,neither was  a place found for them any longer in heaven. So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Satan and Devil, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him.  (Revelation 12:7-9)  So as a dramatic development in bringing the sacred secret of God to a finish, Satan is ejected, pitched out of heaven, and his demons are cast down to the earth with him.  The one who misled the entire inhabited earth to the extent of becoming its god is finally restricted to the vicinity of this planet, where his rebellion first began. - 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3, 4. 

Who accomplish this great victory in Jehovah's name?  The Bible says it is Michael and his angels. But who is Michael?  The name "Michael" means  "Who Is Like God?" So Michael must be interested in vindicating Jehovah's sovereignty by providing tha tno one is to be compared to Him,  In Jude verse 9, he is called "Michael the archangel."  Interestingly, the title "archangel" is used elsewheree in the Bible with reference to only one person: Jesus Christ.  Paul says of him: "The Lord himself  will descend  from heaven with a aommanding call, with an archangel's voice and God's trumpet." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)  The title "archangel" means "chief of the angels."  So it is not surprising that Revelation speaks of "Michael and hs angels."  Other places where the Bible mentions angels subect to a righteous  servant of God have reference to Jesus.  Thus Paul speaks of "the Revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels." - 2 THESSALOIANS 1:7; see also MATTHEW 24:30, 31; 25:31.

These and other scriptures lead us to the inescapable conclusin that Michael is no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ in his heavenly position. Now, in the Lord's day, he no longer merely says to Satan:  "May Jehovah rebuke you."  Since this is time of judging, Jesus,  as Michael, hurls  the wicked Satan and his demonic angels down from heaven. (Jude 9; Revelation 1:10) It is most fitting that He should be the One to do this, as He is the newly installed Kig  Jesus is also the Seed, promised back in Eden, who will ultimely  crush the head of the Serpent, thus putting him out of existence for all time.  (Genesis 3:15)  By ejecting Satan from heaven, Jesus has moved toward that final crushing. 

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - A Son, a Male

 The  appointed time for the nations to rule without interruption by God came to an end in 1914.  (Luke 21:24)  Then, right on time , the woman bears her child:  "And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was caught away to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness,  where  she has a place prepared by God, that they should free her there a thousand tow hundred and sixty days," (Revelation 12:5, 6)  The child is "a sonm a male." Why does John use this double expression?  He does it to show the child's suitableness,  his competence for ruling the nations wiht adequate power.  It also emphasizes his momentous, how joyous an occasion this birth is!  It plays a key role in bringing the sacred secret of God to a finish.  Why, this male child will even "shepherd all the natons with an iron rod"! 

Now, does that expression sound familiar?  Yes, Jehovah promised prophetically regarding Jesus:  "You will break them with an iron scepter, as though a potter's vessel you will dash them to pieces."  (Psalm 2:9) It was also prophesied  regarding him:  "The rod of your strength Jehovah will send out of Zion, saying:  'Go subduing in the midst of your enemies." (Psalm 110:2)  Therefore, the birth seen by John closely involves Jesus Christ.  No, its not just Jesus' being born of a virgin back before the first century of our Common Era; nor could refer to JEsus' being raised again to spirit life in 33 C.E.  Furthermore, it is no transmigration.  Rather, it is the birth of God's Kingdom in 1914 as a reality, with Jesus-now in heaven for close to 20 centuries-enthrone as King. - REVELATION12:10,

Never would  Jehovah permit Satan to devour His wife or his newborn son! At birth, the male child is "caught away to God and to his throne."  He thus come completely under the protection of Jehovah, who will take the fullest care of this newborn Kingdom, His instrument for sanctifying his holy name. At the same time, the women flees to a place that God has prepared for her in the wilderness.  More details on that later!  As for Satan, the stage is now set for a momentous event that will make it utterly impossible for him ever againt to threaten the Kingdom in heaven.  What is that event? 

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God's Kingdom Is Born! - A Great Fiery-Colored Dragon

 What does John next observe? "And another sign was seen in heaven, and, look! a great fiery-colored dragon, with seven heads and ten horns and upon its heads seven diadems; and its tail drags  a third of the stars of heaven, and it hurled them down to the earth.  And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, that, when she did give birth, it might devour her child." - REVELATION 12:3, 4.

The dragon is Satan, "the original serpent." (Revelation 12:9; Genesis 3:15) He is a ferocious destroyer-a seven-headed dragon, or devourer, that can completely swallow his prey. how strange he looks!  Those seven heads and ten horns indicate that he is the architect of the political wild beast soon to be described in Revelation chapter 13.  This beast also has seven heads and ten horns.  Since Satan has a diadem on each head-seven  in all-we can be sure  that the world powers represented in the wild beast have under his rulership.  (John 16:11)  The ten horns are fitting symbol of the completeness of the power that he has exercised in this world.

The dragon has authority also in the spirit realm.  With his tail, he "drags a third of the stars of heaven."  Stars can represent angels.  (Job 38:7)   Mention of "a third" would emphasize that a considerable number of angels have been misled by Satan.  Once these cam uner his control, there was no escape for them.  They could not return to God's holy organization.  They became demons, dragged along, as it were, by Satan their king, or ruler.  (Matthew 12:24) Satan also cast them down to the earth.  This no doubt refers to Noah's day before the Flood, when Satan induced the disobedient sons of God to go down to earth and cohabi with the daughters of me.  As punishment, these "angels that sinned, have been thrown by God into the prisonlike condition called Tartarus. - GENESIS 6:4; 2 PETER 2:4l JUDE 6.

Thus, two opposing organizations have come clearly into view-Jehovah's heavenly  organization as pictured by the woman and Satan's demonic organiztion that challenges God's sovereignty.  The great issue of sovereignty must be settled.  But how?  Satan, still dragging the demons along with him, is llike a vicious beast of prey eyeing a potential victimm.  He is waiting for the woman to give birth.  He wants to devour  this expected infant because he knows that it poses an ominous threat to his continued existence and that of the worldover when he exercises his rulership.  - JOHN 14:30. 

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