Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
12 And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
The Bible has given us great prophetic waymarks so that we might know where we are in the stream of time. We are living at a time when the unthinkable is becoming the new abnormal, and things that we thought of as set in stone are now being shattered to pieces in a very short period of time.
The prophecies pointing to the last days of earth’s history, must therefore be studied very carefully, for a correct understanding of them will shape choices and decisions that the Christian makes. For instance, if indeed prime time is at our doorsteps, we would need to be found in the latter rain mode of thought and action.
The latter rain mode is a completely different way of doing things where normal living and your everyday duties would have to switch gears, and give way to those activities you find in the book of Acts.
Thus, if as it seems, that indeed the stars are lining up, and the prophecies are becoming a reality, those who know what’s coming would need to have a very serious talk with God, as per regrouping, meaning that we will need God to direct our every move.
When ever any hurricane is churning in the Atlantic, with a predicted landfall in the United States, most insurance companies find it necessary to do things differently. Hence the reason why they stop writing new homeowner policies for the potentially affected areas, in anticipation of storm damage.
Similarly, if indeed the hand writing is on the wall as it seems to be, we will need to do things differently, in harmony with the urgency of the moment, which means that current modes of thought, and action together with our priorities will need to be revisited.
In our first passage the Bible tells us that the lamb-like beast will begin to speak like a dragon, and The Lord will have us understand that all roads are now leading to the fulfillment of that prophecy.
It is not happening in a vacuum, because the seeds were being sown for a number of years, and thus, what is taking place is just a culmination of actions and laws that have been paving the way all along, so that the necessary mechanisms for implementation of Revelation 13 could be put in place.
Therefore, before we outline in graphic terms what “All Roads” means, we must first understand what it means to speak like a dragon. The conscience of any nation is its legislature, and the laws that are made and enforced are the determinations and decisions that flow from the judiciary.
Thus, according to the scripture, whereas previously there was a situation where peaceful policies, justice, mercy and kindness manifested by the lamblike beast were the hall marks that made her a beacon of hope to many, the Scriptures are telling us that a radical change in her modus operandi is coming for sure.
To speak like a dragon means that the judiciary, and the legislative branches of government collaborate to bring about those changes that would make the founding fathers turn in their graves, because in Revelation 13, God reveals that religious liberty will one day come to an end.
In other words, the freedom to worship The God of heaven according to the dictates of one’s conscience will become a thing of the past and a false system of worship will be enforced upon the people, with the threat, and implementation of economic sanctions, following in its wake.
Hence the reason why Revelation 13 begins with the composite beast, meaning that we’ll need to study the characteristics of the kingdoms thus mentioned, to observe whether or not the very same modes of thought and actions are taking place in the here and now.
So, let’s start with the composite beast. From what is written, the composite beast characteristics found in those three kingdoms, are also to be found in the book of Daniel. That is why John saw a leopard-like beast, with characteristics of the bear, and the lion Let’s read:
Revelation 12:1 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.
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: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
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.
The leopard-like composite beast is without doubt a reference to the papacy, for it says that one of his heads was wounded unto death, which refers to the time in 1798 when the pope was taken prisoner by the French general Berthier, and later died in prison.
Daniel also makes mention of the Leopard when he saw in vision four beasts coming up out of the sea. The lion is the first beast which he saw, then came the Bear, then the Leopard, and after that a terrible nondescript beast with ten horns. Let’s read:
Daniel 7: 2 Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Then the unerring interpretation of the beasts in the vision is given, for the Bible specifies that they are kingdoms that would rule over the earth, beginning with ancient Babylon and ending with the last of the kingdoms mentioned in Revelation 13. Let’s read:
Daniel 7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So, he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.
17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
23 Thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Thus, the Lion, the bear, and the Leopard all point to the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece respectively, the first three of four kingdoms revealed by God to Nebuchadnezzar, and then came the fourth beast or kingdom, which refers to Rome. Let’s read:
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep broke from him.
36 This is the dream and we’ll tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Thus, the composite beast of Revelation 13 will have characteristics of the other three kingdoms that are mentioned by Daniel and John. However, because of the constraints of time, we are now going to zero in on the first Kingdom of Babylon, because there are some chilling similarities that should be observed.
John says specifically that the composite beast of Revelation 13 had a mouth like a Lion, and since it is a fact that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, we must pin down the reason why he saw this feature in his vision.
The reason why this is so important is because John says that the lamb-like beast exercises all the power of the composite beast. In other words, the lion in the composite beast speaks, and the lamb-like beast also speaks, mirroring very closely what lion did and said.
The Lion in the vision is a reference to the kingdom of ancient Babylon, being the very first of the beasts Daniel saw, and then the interpretation was given to Nebuchadnezzar: “Thou art this head of gold.” Thus, we are going to focus specifically on Babylon, the Lion.
Question: What was Babylon famous for?
Answer: It was famous for its buildings, its hanging gardens and its false system of worship, instituted by Nebuchadnezzar, and enforced by the king and the judiciary.
Nebuchadnezzar himself was a great builder, and he took great pride in adorning his palaces with gold. That’s one of reasons why the Scripture says: “Thou art this head of gold.” So, we will make that our first point. Nebuchadnezzar was a great builder, and he also loved to adorn his palaces with gold.
It is stated by Herodotus that an abundance of gold embellished the kingdom of Babylon, from the very throne Nebuchadnezzar sat upon, to the table, and altar. And the robes of the Babylonian priests were interlaced with gold. So yes, Nebuchadnezzar was a great builder and he loved a whole lot of gold.
But the Bible also reveals that Nebuchadnezzar also loved praise and adoration by his subjects, and thus, in harmony with his craving for praise, he instituted a false system of worship that he forced upon all the people of his realm, on pain of death to dissenters.
Nebuchadnezzar, all by himself, could never enforce the religious dogmas he instituted, and therefore he would need the help of the judiciary and those who enforce the laws of Babylon to do the ground work.
Therefore, those whom he invites to the dedication of the image would be of critical importance to the carrying out of his mandate. Pay very close attention to the list of invitees, because they are strategically selected, and they would play a major role in how the Lion, as well as the lamb-like beast speaks. Let’s read:
Daniel 3: 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Therefore, in order for Nebuchadnezzar to exercise unlimited control in carrying forward his agenda, he must first have the personnel governing the various agencies under his direct control.
The Bible leaves no room for error on this point, for as was stated, the king must of necessity include the Governors, the Judges, the Sheriffs and the captains of the military to help with enforcement, and last, but not least, he would also need the treasurers to be onboard.
Here again are the most important governmental agencies the king sought to exercise direct control over, for if he could get them to cooperate with his agenda, the rest of the population would be forced to follow, and the false system of worship would be the law of the land.
The Governors, the Sheriffs, the Military, the Judges, and the treasurers. You are probably scratching your heads now, as you ponder Revelation 13, because the prophet John was shown in the vision, that the lamblike beast will be manifesting some of the same characteristics and actions as the three kingdoms.
And, from what is being clearly manifested on the world stage, it seems as if there are a whole lot of lions, bears, and leopards running around nowadays which means, that inevitably, all roads will lead to Revelation 13, sooner rather than later.
Several questions now need to be answered from the Bible, so as to give a broad and comprehensive picture of what is looming on the horizon. You will notice that all the invitees to the dedication have one thing in common, they all have enforcement authority.
Question [1] Why would Nebuchadnezzar need to have the treasurers under his direct control?
Answer: The treasurers could obviously play a vital role in the enforcement of economic sanctions on any dissenters to the false system of worship. Let’s read:
Revelation 13: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Question [2] Why would Nebuchadnezzar need the Sheriffs and the military?
Answer: For the enforcement of his agenda on any who may disagree. The tendency to punish, attack or censure all those who did not agree with the king was a prominent characteristic of ancient Babylon. Let’s read:
Daniel 3:11 And whosoever falls not down and worships, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Revelation 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Again, nebuchadnezzar will need all the governors across Babylon to be onboard, for they were a vital link in the chain of command and in doing the king’s bidding, they would exercise jurisdiction over their specific provinces.
But the most troubling of all the invitees are those judges who showed up in support of their king. The reason why the presence of the judges should alarm us is because the judiciary represents the last line of defense in any government.
In other words, if something wrong is to be made the law of the land, the judges could present the most formidable roadblocks, and they can stall out, and derail the king’s desires, or they can acquiesce and be complicit in legalizing evils.
Thus, if Nebuchadnezzar the king wants to enforce his agenda, he would need the judges of the land to be onboard, and according to what is written, if they resist, they too would be made objects of his ire. It’s a no brainer.
What is even more worrisome is that the judges of the land apparently bowed down, for the immense pressure brought to bear against them caused them to cave in, lest they too become “friends” with the 3 Hebrew worthies, and thereby be on the menu.
One by one, the Governors, the Treasurers, sheriffs, the military, and Judges buckled under tremendous pressure, for their lives were hanging in the balance, and therefore, rather than stand up for right, they went the route of self-preservation. Let’s read:
Daniel 3: 3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald cried aloud, to you it is commanded O people, nations, and languages,
5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
6 And whosoever falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
7 Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Again, it cannot be stressed enough that the judges are your last line of defense, for this was made manifest when persons in authority were then seeking to condemn Jesus Christ, to put Him to death.
They could not do so without a legal framework and thus, they turned to their last line of defense, found in the judiciary. What those officials were doing was dead wrong, but they needed the law on their side.
In other words, the trial must have the appearance of legitimacy and Jesus must be found in violation of some law of the land, in order for His condemnation to appear to have a legal foundation. Let’s read:
John 18: 12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,
28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.
29 Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?
31 Then said Pilate unto them, take you him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, it is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
John 19: 10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
Matthew 27: 24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see you to it.
Tremendous pressure was brought to bear against the judge, in this case, Pilate, hence the reason why when we read in Daniel chapter 3, that the judges also buckled under pressure we must be concerned.
In fact, it is because history is often repeated, why the Bible says that all roads will inevitably lead to Revelation 13. Persons must therefore observe if and when the same characteristics, or actions taken by the king of Babylon, may resurface at any time. Let’s read:
[G.C pp 442] The lamb-like horns and dragon voice of the symbol, point to a striking contradiction between the professions and the practice of the nation thus represented. The “speaking” of the nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities.
The prediction that it will speak as a dragon and exercise all the power of the first beast plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the leopard-like beast.
Revelation 13 is therefore a precursor to the close of human probation, for whenever man worship takes center stage across the world, whenever the Judges, the Sheriffs, the Treasurers, and the captains of the Military are in lockstep with man worship, it will be time for decision making, as to who you will or will not bow down to.
The issue in revelation 13 and 14 is without doubt an issue of worship, and because worship is much more about obedience than praise, who we worship will make all the difference between life and death.
God is now sounding an alarm in His holy mountain, calling on all the inhabitants of earth to awake, as it were out of slumber, for there’s a particular urgency to the moment, and the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our eternal destiny. Let’s read:
Joel 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord comes, for it is nigh at hand.
It is now of critical importance that Christians the world over, and persons of different persuasions to know that the Sabbath, the sign of God’s creative power, is still valid, and all who are in the valley of decision are encouraged and strongly advised to do as Jesus did.
Jesus manifested perfect faith in God The Father by obeying all of His commandments, and since the term Christian means “Little Christ” all who name the name of Jesus Christ are invited to follow in His footsteps, by believing and obeying God’s laws.
Revelation 13 could be just around the corner, and persons should not wait until it is too late to make your move. The issues at stake are not so much the economic and the political as they are spiritual, for whomsoever persons decide to worship will affect their economic status downstream.
The only fortification against the last day events that are predicted in Revelation 13 and 14 is obedience to God in everything, especially the keeping of the Sabbath, which is the memorial of His creative work, and the exercise of an intelligent faith in Him.
Again, all roads are leading to Revelation chapter 13 as is manifested in the wars, rumors of wars and the utter dismantling of the norms, and systems persons have become accustomed to over the years.
The writing is already on the wall, together with the interpretation, so that all who so desire might make their calling and election sure. Do not wait for it to happen, before you make your move, so if you are a Sunday keeping Christian, a Buddhist an evangelical, an agnostic, or a secularist, God is calling you.
As the scripture says today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. The lamblike beast has now begun to speak like a dragon, the treasurers and the judges, the Governors and the military will be under tremendous pressure to bow down, and if persons are not shielded by Christ alone, there is no hope for you.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture that will help us to navigate the new abnormal, for the things that are written in the Bible would certainly come to pass, even if persons may not believe it. Let’s read:
1st Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
God Bless!