Beast from the Abyss
The Beast first appears when he ascends from the Abyss to wage war on the Two Witnesses after they complete their testimony – Revelation 11:7.
The
“Abyss” was introduced when the “fifth trumpet” sounded and demonic
hordes “ascended” from that dark place. It is referred to next
after the “two witnesses” complete their “testimony.” On cue, the
“beast ascends from the Abyss” to attack and slay both “witnesses,”
but it cannot do so until they have finished their prophetic mission - [Abyss - Photo by Juan Davila on Unsplash].
The
pattern of satanic forces “ascending” from the “Abyss” to wage
war against the “saints” repeats in Revelation.
And
the “saints” are identified as those who have the “testimony” and “faith”
of Jesus. What distinguishes them from the “inhabitants of the earth” is
their faithfulness in following the “Lamb wherever he does,” even if
doing so results in their martyrdom. Members of the latter group are branded
with the “mark of the Beast,” but members of the former have the name of
the “Lamb” and of his Father “inscribed on their foreheads.”
TWO LAMPSTANDS
- (Revelation 11:4-7) – “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Lord of the earth. And if any man desires to hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if any man desires to hurt them, in this manner he must be killed... And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the abyss will make war with them and overcome them and kill them.”
After they complete their “testimony,”
John sees the “Beast ascending from the Abyss” to wage “war on them, and to slay them.”
The last clause echoes Daniel’s vision of the
“four beasts ascending from the sea” when the malevolent “little
horn” of the “fourth beast” persecuted the “saints of the
Most-High”:
- (Daniel 7:21) – “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”
In Revelation, each time something evil is said to “ascend” from a dark place, the English term translates the Greek verb anabainô. This is NOT coincidental.
For example, in chapter 13, John describes the same “Beast ascending from
the sea.” And at the end of the “thousand years,” Satan is released
from the “Abyss” to lead the nations to “ascend over the earth”
and attack the “camp of the saints.” The verbal links are deliberate –
(Revelation 9:1, 11:7, 13:1, 17:8, 20:8-9).
NOT UNTIL THE APPOINTED TIME
But the “Beast” cannot “ascend from the Abyss” to
kill them until they complete
their “testimony.” Thus, the “Beast” is unable to overcome them before
it is authorized to do so by an external power.
This does not mean the “two witnesses” do not suffer
persecution, only that they cannot be killed before the appointed time. As the passage
states, previous attempts were made by the “inhabitants of the earth” to
kill them, but they all failed (“If anyone desires to hurt them, fire
proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies”).
The “two witnesses” represent churches. This understanding
will be confirmed in the next vision when the same “beast” ascends from
the “sea” to “wage war and overcome the saints”:
- “And it was given to it to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to it authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” - (Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7).
After the “Beast” kills the “two witnesses,” the “peoples
and tribes and tongues and nations” refuse to bury their corpses, and the “inhabitants
of the earth” rejoice over their deaths.
Likewise, after the “Beast from the sea” kills the “saints,”
it is granted authority over “every tribe and people and tongue and nation,” and all
the “inhabitants of the earth” render homage to it - (Revelation 13:8).
Thus, the “Beast from the Abyss” and the “Beast from the sea” are one and the same, and the “war” against the "two witnesses" represents the same
reality as the “war” by the “Beast” against the “saints.” In either case,
the “Beast” is unable to prosecute its war until authorized to do so (“it
was given to it…”).
And
this means that both the “Abyss” and the “sea” represent the same
dark reality. It is the place where the “Dragon” is imprisoned until the
appointed season when it is released to ascend and wreak havoc on the earth
against the people of the “Lamb.”
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