I used to believe that the beast of Revelation was Rome/Nero. During the last half of 2016, however, I came to believe that Zealot-led Israel was “the beast” in the book of Revelation that partnered with the false prophets of first century Israel. The following is an outline for a series I’m creating on this subject, which covers various passages in Daniel 2, 7; Revelation 11, 13-17, 19-20.
A. INTRODUCTION
1. A Comparison of Matthew 21:43-45 and Daniel 2:34-35, 44; 7:23, 27
2. A Summary of Evidence in Revelation that the Beast Was Israel, Not Rome
a. Peter, Jude, and Josephus Referred to the Jewish Leaders as “Beasts”
b. 35 Verses Which Speak of a “Beast” in Revelation
B. DANIEL 2
(Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece/Macedonia)
1. Daniel 2:31-45 (Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream)
2. Kingdom #1 (Gold / Head) to Kingdom #2 (Silver / Chest and Arms)
3. Kingdom #2 (Silver / Chest and Arms) to Kingdom #3 (Bronze / Belly and Thighs)
a. Greece’s Rule Over Israel from 323 BC to 164 BC
b. The Jewish Hammer
(Rome Congratulated Israel on Becoming the Fourth Kingdom)
4. Kingdom #3 (Bronze/Belly & Thighs) to Kingdom #4 (Iron & Iron-Clay/Legs & Feet)
a. The Jews Regain Their Independence
b. The Judean Kingdom Divided
c. They Will Not Adhere to One Another
5. Kingdom #4 (Iron & Iron-Clay/Legs & Feet) to the Everlasting Kingdom (God’s Mountain)
C. DANIEL 7
(Daniel 7: The Fourth Beast, 10 Horns, Three Horns, and a Little Horn)
1. Daniel 7:2-8, 11-12, 16-27 (Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts)
2. Overview of the Four Beasts
3. The Fourth Beast
a. Devouring, Breaking, and Trampling (Daniel 7:7)
b. Different from All Other Kingdoms (Daniel 7:7, 23)
c. Ten Horns of the Beast (Daniel 7:7, 20, 24)
4. An 11th Horn, “A Little Horn”
a. A Little Horn Coming Up Among the 10 Horns (Daniel 7:8, 20-21, 24-26)
b. Three Horns Plucked Out by the Roots (Daniel 7:8, 20, 24)
c. A Mouth Speaking Pompous Words (Daniel 7:8, 11, 20)
(The Little Horn Changed Times and Law)
d. The Body of the Fourth Beast Destroyed and Burned (Daniel 7:11)
e. The Lives of the Other Beasts Were Prolonged (Daniel 7:12)
f. The Kingdom Given to the Saints (Daniel 7:17-18, 21-22, 26-27)
g. The Little Horn Would Change Times and Law (Daniel 7:25)
h. The Saints Given Into the Hand of the Little Horn (Daniel 7:21, 25)
5. Were Christians in Jerusalem During the Jewish-Roman War?
a. Nero’s Government Helped Protect the Christians in Pella
D. REVELATION 11
a. The Gentiles Trampled Jerusalem for 42 Months (Revelation 11:1-2)
b. The Two Witnesses Killed by the Beast (Revelation 11:3-13)
E. REVELATION 13
1. Revelation 13:1-2
a. The Beast’s 10 Horns
b. The Dragon
2. Revelation 13:3
a. Leaders of the Zealot Movement
b. The Beast’s Seven Heads
c. The Mortally Wounded Head Was Healed
3. Revelation 13:4 (Who Is Able to Make War with the Beast?)
4. Revelation 13:5-10
a. Given Authority to Continue for 42 Months
b. Making War with the Saints
5. Revelation 13:11-15
a. The Second Beast from the Land
b. False Prophets Working Closely with the Beast
6. Revelation 13:16-18 (The Mark and the Number ‘666’)
F. REVELATION 14-16
1. Revelation 14:9-11 (Consequences for Worshiping the Beast)
2. Revelation 15:2 (Those Who Have the Victory Over the Beast)
3. Revelation 16:2 (The First Bowl and Sores for Those Who Worshiped the Beast)
4. Revelation 16:10 (The Fifth Bowl Poured on the Throne and Kingdom of the Beast)
5. Revelation 16:13 (Unclean Spirits from the Mouths of the Dragon, Beast, False Prophet)
G. REVELATION 17
1. Revelation 17:3 (A Woman on a Scarlet Beast)
2. Revelation 17:7-11 (Seven Kings and an Eighth)
3. Revelation 17:12-17 (The Ten Horns)
a. Making War with the Lamb
b. Making the Harlot Desolate, Eating Her Flesh, and Burning Her with Fire
H. REVELATION 19
1. The Beast and His Armies Gathered To Make War
2. The Beast and the False Prophet Captured and Cast into the Lake of Fire
I. REVELATION 20
1. Satan Bound; Those Who Overcame the Beast Reigned with Christ
2. Satan Released; Gathers the Nations to another Battle
a. Satan Joins the Beast and False Prophet in the Lake of Fire
J. CONCLUSION
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In March 2017 I presented a message on this topic at the Blue Point Bible Conference in Long Island, New York. I covered five clues from the book of Revelation concerning the identity of the beast (see this post).
Pursuing Truth 