Beast kingdoms of Daniel and Revelation 13 (in the days of THESE KINGS)

If you search the internet you’ll find lot’s of theories regarding the first beast of Revelation 13, the vast majority of which are from a “futurist” perspective. 

In this article we’ll consider the way in which the beast is described, comparing it to the book of Daniel and first century historical records.

Revelation 13

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns…

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion…

In Daniel chapter two Nebuchadnezzar dreamt of an “image” made of various substances. The head was gold, the breast and arms silver, the belly and thighs brass, the legs iron, the feet iron mixed with clay.

Daniel went on to explain how each part of the image represented an ancient kingdom beginning with the Babylonian empire led by Nebuchadnezzar. 

The Babylonians were over taken by the Medo-Persians led by king Cyrus, the Medo-Persians were over taken by the Greeks led by Alexander the Great, finally the Roman Empire dominated the known world.

In Daniel chapter 7 he had a vision in which four beasts rose from the sea. 

The first was like a lion, the second a bear, the third a leopard, the fourth had teeth of iron and ten horns.

It makes sense to me that the four beasts of Daniel 7 tie in with the four ancient kingdoms of Daniel 2.

Just as the leopard, bear and lion are all powerful, ferocious beasts, God used powerful world empires such as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome to deal with his people.

Hosea 13

2 And now they sin more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idols…

7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them:

8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them.

9 O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself…

The first beast of Revelation 13 is a combination of all four beast kingdoms found in Daniel.

It has the body of a leopard, feet of a bear and mouth of a lion.

What does this tell us? God’s judgement upon his people had reached a climax.

In around 586BC the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and took the Judahites captive. However, after 70 years of captivity, King Cyrus released them back to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

In contrast, when Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD, it was a complete, final destruction. No more chances. 

It was in the days of the Roman empire that all these beastly kingdoms were superseded by an everlasting, spiritual kingdom.

Daniel 2

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

This verse provides us with an important time statement we should not over-look. 

This verse tells us that the first beast in revelation 13 pertains NOT to events happening today or in our future, rather events happening in the first century. 

More specifically, during Daniel’s 3 and an half years. 

The three and a half years of “great tribulation” that was the Roman-Jewish war.

A war that reached it’s climax in 70AD when Jerusalem was destroyed and God’s New Covenant kingdom was fully established.

Daniel 9

26…the people…shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

One week שָׁבוּעַ šāḇûa can mean seven years thus “the midst of the week” denotes a three and a half year period of “war” concluding with “the city and the sanctuary” being destroyed.

Now I want to take a quick look at Revelation chapters 11 for context.

In Revelation 11 we see the temple been measured. 

1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

The location of this temple is 

8…the great city… where also our Lord was crucified. 

This is a good indication we’re looking at the temple in Jerusalem.

It was not measuring up therefore it would be destroyed.

Next in Revelation 11 the two witnesses are mentioned. 

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy…

The two witness are killed by a beast that rises from the bottomless pit, their bodies cast into the street.

7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall…kill them.

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city…

I’ve mentioned in other posts how this pertains to events happening around the “zealot temple siege” of 68AD as described in detail by first century historian Josephus.

The zealots, an extreme political faction, seized upon the temple in Jerusalem. 

High priest Ananus ben Ananus set guards upon the cloisters so they could not escape. 

Zealot leader/priest Eleazar ben Simon then resolved to call upon the Idumeans for help. 

Another high-priest Jesus ben Gamalas made a powerful speech to try and dissuade the Idumeans from getting involved. 

However, during the night zealots sawed open the city gates and the Idumeans came flooding in. 

The Idumeans promptly murdered the two high priests Ananus ben Ananus and Jesus ben Gamalas, casting their bodies into the streets.

….the Idumeans…sought for the High-priests; and the generality went with the greatest zeal against them. And as soon as they caught them, they slew them: and then standing upon their dead bodies, in way of jest, upbraided Ananus with his kindness to the people; and Jesus with his speech made to them from the wall. Nay they proceeded to that degree of impiety, as to cast away their dead bodies without burial: although the Jews used to take so much care of the burial of men…

(Wars 4.5.2)

I propose these high priests were the two witnesses prophesied in Revelation 11.

After their murder the seventh trumpet sounded and a voice said…

Revelation 11

15 The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever…

Does this not sound similar to Daniel 2?

44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed…it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

This suggests that the first beast of Revelation 13 pertains to events happening somewhere between the “zealot temple siege” in 68AD and the temple’s destruction in 70AD.

Most Christians struggle to accept such a narrow time-frame. 

One reason is they think the everlasting kingdom Daniel and John prophesied is a future, physical kingdom. 

They look around and say where is the new heaven and earth? I can’t see it. 

They don’t understand that the new heavens and earth, the New Covenant Kingdom is US in relationship with God. 

We are the temple in which he dwells. He in us, we in him…wether we’re physically alive or physically dead, wether we’re on this earth or in the heavenly realm.

I plan to make videos/blog posts explaining the "mystery of the kingdom" in the future.

Until then, God bless as you study to show yourself approved.

Revelation 13: Identity of the First Beast

Today we’re going to look at the first beast in Revelation 13

1 And 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 heads the name of blasphemy.

Let's compare this beast to:

• The beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit in Rev 11

• The dragon in Rev 12

• The beast that carried the whore in Revelation 17 

• the dragon that was bound and loosed from the bottomless pit in Revelation 20

Hopefully by comparing and contrasting these scriptures we can work out what the Revelation 13 beast represents.

Let’s first talk about the similarities between them:

• The dragon, serpent, devil, satan in Rev 12 is red with seven heads and ten horns.

• The first beast in Rev 13 has seven heads and ten horns.

• The beast in Rev 17 is scarlet with seven heads and ten horns.

• The beast in Rev 17 “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit”.

• The dragon, serpent, satan, devil in Rev 20 is shut up in the “bottomless pit” for 1000 years then “loosed a little season”.

• The beast in Rev 11 ascends out of the bottomless pit.

In previous posts I’ve compared the “beast” of Revelation 11 to events described by first century historian Flavius Josephus. 

Revelation 11 says that this beast killed to the “two witnesses”. 

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses…

7 And 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.

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

I believe the “two witnesses” were the last two legitimate high priests, Ananus ben Ananus and Jesus ben Gamalas that were killed by Idumeans in 68AD, as detailed in `The Wars of the Jews’ book 4. 

WOJ 4.5.2

…the Idumeans…sought for the High-priests; and the generality went with the greatest zeal against them. And as soon as they caught them, they slew them: and then standing upon their dead bodies, in way of jest, upbraided Ananus with his kindness to the people; and Jesus…Nay they proceeded to that degree of impiety, as to cast away their dead bodies without burial: although the Jews used to take so much care of the burial of men…

I’ve also talked previously about the pregnant woman and the dragon who tried to devour her “man child” as soon as he was born in Rev 12.

I believe the dragon represents Herod the Great who tried to kill Jesus as soon as he was born (Matt. 2:16). 

More accurately, the seven heads on the dragon represent the entire Herodian dynasty from Herod the Great to Herod Agrippa II.

Herod the Great was born in Idumea.

Do you see the common denominator here? 

Both the beast in Rev 11 and the dragon in Rev 12 represent Idumeans.

In Genesis 25:25 Jacob’s twin brother Esau is described as being red.

An alternative name for Esau is אֱדוֹם ’eḏôm which literally means red.

Esau’s descendants eventually became known as Idumeans and lived just below Judea.

The dragon in Rev 12 and the beast in Rev 17 are both RED in colour…just like Esau.

One thing I haven’t yet addressed is the dragon in Rev 20 who was shut up in the bottomless pit for 1000 years then loosed a “little season”.

I will address that now in order to explain the first beast in Rev 13.

Jacob, who’s name was changed to Israel had 12 sons, one of whom was Judah.

Genesis 49

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

The Sceptre was a symbol of authority.

David, who was descended from the tribe of Judah, took up the Judahic sceptre and subdued all the enemies of Israel.

From the beginning of King David’s rule through to when Shiloh came (Jesus Christ) was roughly 1000 years.

When we see the Dragon, serpent, devil, satan being bound with a chain and shut up in the bottomless pit for a thousand years we’re seeing the enemies of Israel (including but not limited to the descendants of Esau) being subdued by King David.

2 Sam. 8

14…all they of Edom became David’s servants…

15 And David reigned over all Israel; and -- David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.

In 68AD the red, seven headed, ten horned dragon/beast was loosed from the bottomless pit for a “little season”.

Once it had killed the “two witnesses” and many others, it abruptly left the city, only to return with it’s “king” Simon bar Giora (Rev. 9:2,3&11)

According to `The Wars of the Jews’ book 4, Simon bar Giora amassed an army of at least 40,000 men from “all quarters” of the land and brought them to Jerusalem in 69AD. 

WOJ 4.9

3. And now there arose another war at Jerusalem. There was a son of Giora, one Simon, by birth of Gerasa, a young man; not so cunning indeed as John [of Gischala]… but superior in strength of body, and courage…he affecting to tyrannize, and being fond of greatness, when he had heard of the death of Ananus he left them, and went into the mountainous part of the country. So he proclaimed liberty to those in slavery, and a reward to those already free, and got together a set of wicked men from all quarters.

4. And as he had now a strong body of men about him, he over-ran the villages that lay in the mountainous country…the lower parts of the country…many of the men of power were corrupted by him: so that his army was no longer composed of slaves and robbers, but a great many of the populace were obedient to him as to their King.

WOJ 4.9

7 Thence did Simon make his progress over all Idumea… he had forty thousand men that followed him…one may see all the woods behind despoiled of their leaves by locusts, after they have been there, so was there nothing left behind Simon’s army, but a desert…

A high priest named Matthias allowed Simon and his army into Jerusalem to get rid of tyrannical zealot leader John Gischala. 

Simon bar Giora became king of Jerusalem soon before it was destroyed by Roman soldiers in 70AD.

WOJ 4.9

11…in order to overthrow John, they determined to admit Simon…and sent Matthias, the High-priest, to beseech this Simon to come in to them…Accordingly he, in an arrogant manner, granted them his lordly protection; and came into the city, in order to deliver it from the zealots. The people also made joyful acclamations to him, as their saviour, and their preserver…

12. And thus did Simon get possession of Jerusalem, in the third year of the war, in the month Xanthicus [Nisan] [A.D. 69].

In conclusion:

Revelation 17 connects the seven headed, ten horned beast of Revelation 13 to the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit in Revelation 11.

The writings of first century historian Josephus reveal that the beast of Revelation 11 represents the Idumean horde that killed the two witnesses in 68AD, then re entered the city in 69AD with Simon bar Giora.

In a previous video I said that the beast represents zealot-led Israel. The zealots did play a huge role in the Jewish revolt. 

However, I now believe the first beast of Revelation 13 represents Simon bar Giora’s Idumean army that rose up between 68AD and 69AD.

God used Simon bar Giora, the Idumeans and Romans to bring about the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.

THE GOOD NEWS

In 70AD the old, physical Jerusalem was replaced with the new, spiritual Jerusalem we see described in the last two chapters of Revelation.

The New Jerusalem represents the New Covenant kingdom which has God at it’s centre, not man.

Beastly, man-centred kingdoms will always result in disorder, disunity, darkness, death and destruction.

In contrast, God’s New Covenant kingdom is full of light, life and Godly order. It is a SPIRITUAL kingdom that can NEVER be destroyed. 

Thus the invitation to be part of it is on-going and for “whosoever will”.

Revelation 22

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

“Whosoever” includes you.

God bless as you study to show yourself approved.