THE ISSUE - II

CONT., page 18

 

THE BEAST, CONTINUED

We have seen that even as the Israelite's forty years in the wilderness are a prophetic picture of the period of Christianity, so the forty days in the wilderness experienced by Yahshua are equally an intercessoral and prophetic period for the body of Christ, Christianity. As went the Israelites in the wilderness, as went Yahshua in the wilderness, so goes the body of Christ in the wilderness. Let us look at this further by comparing these parallel experiences of Yahshua and the body of Christ, as we did in THE ISSUE concerning Yahshua's crucifixion and Christianity.

 

Yahshua in the Wilderness

Church in the Wilderness

Yahshua in the wilderness for forty days Church in the wilderness for forty Jubilees
Period preceded by Yahshua's baptism by John in the Jordan River Church preceded by the first Remnant's baptism in the Pentecost waters of the Jordan
Yahshua was led into the wilderness by the Spirit The church received the Spirit who equally led it into the wilderness
Yahshua fasted from food The church has fasted from the bread of life truth
Yahshua was tempted by the devil The church has been tempted by the devil
Yahshua was with the beasts The church has been with "the beast"
After the temptation, the angels ministered to Yahshua At the end of Christianity, the angels will minister to the second Remnant
Yahshua returned "in the power of the Spirit" The Remnant will return with Yahshua "in the power of the Spirit"

 

Regarding this point concerning "the beasts," it is very significant to note that the "beast" in Revelation is the same Greek word used here for "beasts" in Mark 1:13 regarding Yahshua's temptation in the wilderness - "And He was in the wilderness for forty days tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts ...." Why? Because the "beasts" Yahshua was with in the wilderness are a picture of the Revelation beast that the body of Christ, Christianity, has been with in their wilderness. The "beast" is not a man that will suddenly appear on the scene 2,000 years after the church began. As we have seen, the "beast" has been with the church since the very beginning of its wilderness journeys.

It is equally highly significant that this association of "the beasts" with Yahshua in the wilderness is only found in Mark. It has been demonstrated that Mark is the gospel written relative to Christianity, and it is Mark Christianity that is most significantly in the wilderness with "the beast."

What will happen to the beast? As was cited earlier in this writing, and worthy of being noted here again, Revelation 19:20 tells us that the beast will be "thrown alive into the lake of fire." And once again, this is exactly what happened to the "beast," or viper, that attached itself to Paul's hand on the island of Malta. In Acts 28:3-5 we read that "a viper" came out of "a bundle of sticks" Paul had gathered, and fastened onto his hand. "And when the natives saw the beast hanging from his hand, they began saying .... However he shook the beast off into the fire and suffered no harm." We have noted that the Greek word for "beast" as used here, is the identical Greek word used in Revelation to identify "the beast."

While the church has died from the venomous bite for 2,000 years (men go to the grave), it is the second Remnant that will prepare the way for Yahshua's return, resulting in the beast being cast off into the fire. The second Remnant will be the first to conquer the affects of that viper's sting, as it will be translated alive into heaven to join the first Remnant. At Yahshua's return, the beast will be "thrown alive into the lake of fire" (even as the "beast" on Paul's hand was so cast); and equally, the third part of the church will be purified by fire, once again showing an interchangeable similarity between Satan and Christianity.

In closing this section on the beast, let us consider two final revealing testimonies. We have previously noted that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon is unmistakably prophetic of Christianity. Recall these obvious similarities - he was king of kings; to him was given "the kingdom, the power, the strength, and the glory;" the great city of Babylon (which he took pride in building, leading to his downfall) was the prelude to Mystery Babylon (which equally will fall because of its self pride); his dream compared him with a great tree that "grew large and became strong, and its height reached to the sky, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth," and was cut down and a stump was left; for Christianity-representing 7 years he grazed with "the beast of the field;" and the list could go on. But it is this last specific point we want to expand upon at this time.

In Daniel 4:16 we read that in this dream Nebuchadnezzar had regarding the great tree, Yahweh also declared to him concerning what was to take place in this prophetic 7 year humbling period - "Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and let a beast's mind be given to him ...." And thus it happened - as a result of Nebuchadnezzar's pride (verse 30), he was made to dwell "with the beast of the field." What does all of this mean? Nebuchadnezzar was prophetically given the "mark of the beast" in his forehead, in his mind. And equally, Christianity, like Nebuchadnezzar, has had its mind changed "from that of a man," and "a beast's mind" (the beast, Satan) has been given to it. As with Nebuchadnezzar, the mark of the beast has already been placed within the Christian's mind/his forehead - what men think and do. And thus the beast, Satan, has already dramatically "marked" Christians. And like King Nebuchadnezzar in his prophetic 7 years of humbling, the church has equally been grazing in the wilderness with the beasts.

And finally, let us see that Satan is the beast found in Genesis 3:1. Here we read the earliest account of his identity as the beast - "Now the serpent (that tempted Eve) was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made." The serpent, Satan, as in the case of Paul's viper, was identified here in this extremely important foretelling creation pattern with the beasts. It was this serpent, more crafty than any beast, that was not only in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to deceive the woman and bring the curse and death, but was the same serpent/beast that has been in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Christianity to likewise deceive and bring death.

We have seen numerous affirming testimonies that Satan is indeed the beast of Revelation and Daniel. He is the beast prophetically represented by the viper attached to Paul's hand (even as the mark of the beast is also on the hand, or works) and is thrown alive into the fire. He is the beast Yahshua was with for forty days in the wilderness. He is the beast pictured in Nebuchadnezzar's humbling for seven years in which he was given the mind of a beast. And in the most important creation pattern, he is the more crafty beast who was in Christianity's tree of the knowledge of good and evil to deceive and bring death. Clearly, Satan is the beast!

 

Continue to page 19 of THE ISSUE - II for THE HARSH MESSAGE OF A PROPHET

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