1 John 4 (question)

[Peairtach]

Can you find any scriptural support in Revelation that clearly notes that the “number” of the beast applies to … the first beast of Rev 13:1?

Revelation 15:4 seems to indicate it belongs to that first beast? Because who the image is of, is the one the number belongs to, and we know from Revelation 13 that the image is of the first beast.

"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God."

Revelation 16:2 and 20:4 are similar.


Revelation 19:20 is also similar but provides another reason to believe the mark is of the first beast?

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

Because we see here that the mark is "of the beast" not of the false prophet. I'm not aware of any who deny that the false prophet is the second beast of Revelation 13 (though I can't pretend to be an expert on the matter), but such could be seen to be the case because the false prophet described here is the one who wrought miracles before the beast and deceived those that had the mark of the beast and worshipped the beast's image, which is precisely what the second beast of Revelation 13 does in relation to the first beast.


Further confirmation that the mark belongs to the first beast might come from a theological reflection? That the second beast of Revelation 13 is always pointing to the first beast, not to himself. I call this a theological reflection because this role is what some have referred to as being part of an "unholy trinity" that we are presented with in Revelation 13.

Thanks for this, although I suspected I'd picked up on this without looking at it more closely.

As I said I believe the First Beast is still with us, although not in his Neronic or Pagan Roman form. As a postmil I would see the First Beast being destroyed by Christ through the Gospel at some point in history (Rev 19).

The Second Beast (False Prophet) refers primarily to the Papacy, although he is not he only false prophet within Christendom by any means.

Interestingly James Madison MacDonald in his "Key to the Book of Revelation", from which Charles Hodge got help, as did I, makes the mistake of referring the number to the False Prophet, rather than the Beast.

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2