The Lamb and the ‘Beast’

A series of contrasts between the Lord Jesus and the ‘beast’ of the end times (see note 1).

THE LORD
1. One of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, Matt. 28. 19; 2 Cor. 13. 14
2. He came from above; John 3. 31; 8. 23
3. He was sent by the Father to be the Saviour of the world, 1 John 4. 14
4. He really is God, John 1. 1; 20. 28
5. He became poor, 2 Cor. 8. 9
6. He is given His authority from the Father, Matt. 28. 18; John 5. 27
7. He came in His Father’s name, John 5. 43
8. He came to do the Father’s will, John 6. 38
9. He refused to accept the kingdoms of the world, with their power and glory, which were offered in exchange for worshipping the dragon, Luke 4. 6-7
10. He hates lawlessness, Heb 1. 9 lit (‘iniquity’, AV)
11. He ministered to the people of Israel for three and a half years
12. He was accredited by miracles (acts of power), signs and wonders, which God did through him, Acts 2. 22
13. He humbled Himself, Phil. 2. 8
14. He did not lift up His voice in the streets by way of self-advertisement, Isa. 42. 2; Matt 12. 19
15. He spoke only the words which the Father gave and taught Him, John 8. 28; 12. 49-50
16. He possessed no outward form of glory to attract or impress people, Isa. 53. 2; Mark 6. 3; John 1. 46
17. He was despised and rejected, Isa. 52. 3; John 1. 10-11
18. When He is honoured, the Father is honoured, John 5. 23
19. He is God’s true King, Psa. 2. 6; Zech. 14. 9; Rev. 19. 16
20. He both spoke and is the truth, John 8. 40; 14. 6
21. He is the great peacemaker, Eph. 2. 14, 17, Isa. 9. 6; Zech. 9. 10
22. He was the ‘man of sorrows’, Isa 53. 3
23. He died and lived again – as result of the intervention of the Father’s mighty power, Rev. 1. 18; 2. 8; Eph. 1. 19-20
24. He has been exalted to the very highest place in heaven, Phil. 2. 9
25. He is pointed out by the Holy Spirit as ‘Lord’, the proper object of our worship, 1 Cor. 12. 3; Psa. 45. 11
26. He has the true church spoken of as His bride/wife, spoken of also as a city, Eph. 5. 25-27; Rev. 19. 7-8; Rev. 21. 2
27. He has inaugurated an everlasting covenant, Heb. 13. 20
28. One day, He will be ‘revealed’, 2 Thess. 1. 7
29. He wears many diadems (kingly crowns), for He is ‘King of kings, and Lord of lords. Rev. 19. 12, 16
30. He will ‘make war’ against the ‘beast’ and his forces, and will overcome, Rev. 19. 11, 20-21; 17. 14
31. Following the defeat of the ‘beast7, together with the kings of the earth and their armies, He will dwell in Zion, His ‘holy mountain’, Joel 3. 17, with vv. 9-16 and Rev. 19. 19-21
32. He will be given the kingdoms of the world by the Father, Ps. 2. 8; Dan. 7. 13-14
33. According to God’s unconditional promise, His Davidic throne will endure as long as sun or moon. Ps. 89. 36-37

THE ‘BEAST'
1. One of the three which comprise the unholy trinity (triad or triumvirate), Rev. chs. 12-13; 16. 13; 20. 10
2. He will ascend out of the bottomless pit (‘abyss’ lit), Rev. 11. 7; 17. 8 – see note 2
3. He will be sent by the dragon to be the destroyer of the world, Dan. 7. 23; Rev. 13. 2; 19. 20-21.
4. He makes himself out to be God, 2 Thess. 2. 4; cf ‘shall be as God’, Gen. 3. 5 RV
5. His name will provide access to the world-wide commercial system, Rev. 13. 16-17
6. He will receive his authority from the dragon, Rev. 13. 2
7. He will come in his own name, John 5. 43
8. He will come in his own will, Dan. 11. 36
9. He will gladly accept the kingdoms, the power and the glory from the dragon, with the result that the dragon will be worshipped, Rev. 13. 2, 4, 7. See note 3
10. He is the lawless one, 2 Thess. 2. 8 lit (‘wicked’, AV)
11. He will persecute the people of Israel for three and a half years, Dan. 7. 25; Rev. 13. 5-7
12. He will be accredited by miracles (acts of power), signs and lying wonders, performed in the energy of satan, 2 Thess. 2. 8
13. He will exalt himself, Dan. 11. 36; 2 Thess. 2. 4
14. His mouth will speak great things, Dan. 7. 8; Rev. 13. 5
15. He will open his mouth in blasphemy against God, Rev. 13. 6
16. His ‘look’ (appearance) will be ‘stout’ (great, imposing), Dan. 7. 20
17. He will be welcomed, worshipped and wondered at, John 5. 43; Rev. 13. 3, 4, 8; 17. 8
18. When he is worshipped, the dragon is worshipped, Rev. 13. 4
19. He will be the devil’s false ‘king’, Dan. 7. 24; 11. 36
20. He will be the great deceiver, 2 Thess. 2. 10-12
21. He will be the supreme warmonger, Rev. 16. 13-14; 19. 19
22. He will be the ‘man of sin’, 2 Thess. 2. 3
23. He will be wounded to death and live again – as a result, no doubt, of the dragon’s intervention, Rev. 13. 3, 12, 14. See note 4
24. He will be abased to the very lowest hell, Isa. 14. 14-15; Rev. 19. 20
25. He will be pointed out by the false prophet as the proper object of worship, Rev. 13. 12
26. He will have the counterfeit church as his harlot, spoken of also as a city, Rev. 17. 1-3, 18.
27. He will confirm a covenant for only seven years, and this he will violate halfway through, Dan. 9. 27
28. One clay, he will be ‘revealed’, 2 Thess. 2. 8
29. He wears only ten diadems, for he heads a ten-nation confederacy, Rev. 13. 1; 17. 12-13
30. He will ‘make war’ against the Lord and His army, and will be overcome, Rev 19. 19-20
31. Prior to his ‘end’, he will establish his base and royal residence in the glorious ‘holy mountain’, Dan. 11. 45
32. He will be given the kingdoms of the earth by the dragon, Rev. 13. 2, 7; cf Luke 4. 5-6
33. According to God’s sure word, his throne and dominion are to be taken away, Dan. 7. 26; Rev. 13. 2; 19, 20

NOTES:
1. This article assumes the the “beast” of Revelation 13. 1-10 is to be identified with the ‘little horn’ of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, the Roman ‘prince’ of Daniel 9. 26-27, the ‘king’ who does ‘according to his will’ of Daniel 11. 36-45, and the ‘man of sin'(or man of lawlessness) of 2 Thcssalonians. 2. 3-12
2. This is probably a figurative description of his satanic appointment and empowerment.
3. As the Father seeks worshippers, |ohn 4. 23, so loo does the dragon, Matt. 4. 8-10; Rev. 13. 4; cf 1 Cor. 10. 20.
4. The ‘deadly’, sword-inflicted wound probably refers to the sudden and violent loss of political power, restored in a dramatic fashion by the dragon following his expulsion from heaven. That is, as the Lord Jesus died and lived again physically, the ‘beast’ will die and live again politically.