Today’s Devotional – March 23rd (1st Beast of Revelation 13)
By admin On January 14th, 2021.
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Today’s Devotional – March 23rd
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1st Beast of Revelation 13
Today’s devotional is an excerpt from the Signs of Heaven article… “Fleeing to the Mountains: The Abomination in the Church, Part 1”
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“And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
and saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having seven heads and ten horns,
and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”
Revelation 13:1
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On a 24/7/365 basis, Christians are being indoctrinated into the notion that the Antichrist Beast is a single individual human who will appear in the final few years of history.
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This idea is accredited to the Jesuit theologian, Francisco Ribera in the 1500’s, concocted to contradict the prevailing view that the romish-papal-system was the true antichrist Beast of that day.
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And little-by-little, this idea was adopted over the last few centuries by the sleepy-eyed Protestant Churches (who were now enjoying freedom from suffering physical persecution so long perpetrated by the Church of Rome).
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However, the Bible makes plain that the Beasts in Bible prophecy symbolize kingdoms, not individuals. And of course, Revelation 13 & 17 reveal that this antichrist beast is a composite of kings and kingdoms: Satan’s antichrist world-system.
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Satan – Lucifer – Wikimedia – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Futurist Theologian – Francisco de Ribera – 1886_ Wikimedia – Creative Commons Atribución 2.0
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THE HARLOT WOMAN RIDES THE 7-HEADED ANTICHRIST BEAST
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This picture briefly explains what this antichrist beast is actually a picture of: Satan’s antichrist world-system throughout history.
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As this picture explains, each of the Beast’s 7 heads represent kingdoms which ruled throughout history. The first 4 heads existed prior to Christ, the Old Testament times.
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The fourth head, Rome also existed in New Testament times, until it internally decayed so badly, giving rise the 5th head, Spiritual Rome.
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Spiritual Rome (Popery) existed a few centuries after Christ has continued even to the present day (although it received its deadly wound by a sword: the mass production of the Bible).
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Today we are living in the age of the 6th & 7th heads: (6th = atheism/socialism) & (7th = apostate Protestantism.)
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The Harlot Woman who rides Satan’s antichrist world-system is the adulteress Church throughout history. The wine cup in her hand symbolizes her false doctrines.
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“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
1st John 2:18
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Now in order to rightly understand just what the 1st Beast of Revelation 13 is, it is necessary to understand a little about history.
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This is because Satan wasted no time after Christ’s ascension, in waging war against God’s Church.
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Jan Hus at the Stake – Wikipedia – US public domain
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SATAN WASTED NO TIME!
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Listen… “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only He who now lets will let, until He be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:”
2nd Thessalonians 2:7, 8.
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This passage reveals that Satan (the “mystery of iniquity”) wasted no time infiltrating the Church, right after Christ’s ascension.
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So let’s take a very short look at the history of the Church, and see just how this “mystery of iniquity” has been working through history.
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And maybe this will reveal that “Wicked” which is spoken of in the above passage, whom the Lord “shall destroy by the brightness of His Coming”…
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Diverse torture instruments – Wikipedia – GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
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THE 1st BEAST RISES
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“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” Revelation 13:1
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Now after Christ’s ascension, persecution against Christians began.
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The Roman government as well as the unbelieving Jews both began to make life difficult and sometimes even bloody for Christians.
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But around 320 A.D., the emperor of Rome, Constantine (see painting), had “a change of heart”, and began to embrace Christianity.
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Constantine’s conversion by Rubens – Wikipedia – US public domain
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PEACE BROUGHT MANY COMPROMISES
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And while peace is nice, this embracing of Christianity by the Romans had its deleterious effects, 
in the form of worldly compromises.
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False doctrines and pagan holy-days were gradually introduced into the Church, causing the Church to eventually grow corrupt, ultimately becoming desolate of God’s Spirit.
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Rules and ceremonies replaced a faith-filled communion with God.
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Hence, the apostate European churches, using the civil governments as their “enforcers”, became the Mystery Babylon Harlot riding the Beast, as spoken of in Revelation Chapters 17 and 18.
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Whore – Babylon – Burgkmair – 1523 AD – Wikimedia – US Public Domain
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“FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS”
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And as those early centuries progressed, the apostate European churches eventually became the persecutors of Christians.
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And so began a long tribulation in which the apostate churches of Europe made life difficult, and sometimes even bloody for God’s people.
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At first, many Christians simply kept quiet about their love for the Bible.
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But as the centuries passed, many Christians had to flee to the European Alps, and begin life anew in the safety of those mountain strongholds.
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ABOVE PICTURE: WALDENSES HUNTED BY THE ARMIES OF ROME courtesy gutenberg.org public domain
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REFORMATION FINALLY BEGINS
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And then, in the 1300’s, began the great Christian Reformation.
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God raised up men like Wycliffe, Huss, Jerome, Tyndale, Luther, and many more, who would fearlessly stand up to the priests and prelates of the apostate Church.
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Of course, Satan, the ruler of those apostate churches, likewise began his retaliatory attacks against the Reformation; and this went on for centuries.
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Oh yes, at various times there was peace for the Christians. God mercifully allowed them such intervals of rest.
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But after some time, the blood of martyrs once again was spilled.
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And also, the Bible was a much-hated book by the apostate churches, and copies were burned, and that Book of books was outlawed.
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Satan was relentless in his attempt to obliterate the Bible out of existence!
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Luther – 95 Theses – Wikipedia – US Public Domain
book burning Santo_Domingo_y_los_albigenses-detalle – Wikipedia – public domain
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BIBLE WAS THAT SWORD
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This Protestant reformation continued on, combating these religious and civil authorities, who were torturing, imprisoning, banishing and even killing God’s people, off-and-on, through the Dark Ages.
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But when the prophetic timeclock ran out, this first Beast finally received the deadly wound by God’s glittering sword, the Bible…
“In that day the LORD with His sore and great and strong sword
shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent,
even leviathan that crooked serpent;
and He shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”
Isaiah 27:1.
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Yes, God’s glittering sword, the Bible, finally delivered a deadly wound to the Dragon, i.e., Satan, in the “sea of nations”.
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Avvakum burned 1682 by artist Myasoyedov 1897 – Wikimedia – Public-Domain
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THE PRINTING PRESS
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You see, when the printing press was invented, an underground movement began to publish and distribute as many Bibles as possible.
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Soon, many printing presses were producing Bibles in mass numbers.
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At this point, the apostate European churches could no longer suppress God’s Word: the Word they attempted to obliterate from existence was at last going out into all of Europe, delivering this 1st Beast his deadly wound by a sword (the two-edged sword of God’s Word – see Hebrews, Ch. 4).
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For those who have a thirst for reading, the following book is recommended… The History of Protestantism by James Wylie.
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Another much shorter history might be found in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.
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PART 2 CONTINUED TOMORROW…
“March 24th (2nd Beast of Revelation 13)”
ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who now in these last days destroys the churches via a world-loving prosperity-driven false gospel – www.signsofheaven.org
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TODAY’S PRAYER…
“Dear Lord, Help me to study my Bible, not relying on others to tell me what the Bible says. But help me to know from my own personal study, just what the Bible says and doesn’t say…
USMC – Prayer before Bible study – Wikimedia – Public Domain
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read...September 18 (Noble Bereans? Part 56: “Ellen White’s Views On The Two Beasts of Revelation 13” CONTINUED), or you may also read…November 14 (Mark Now Given, Part 14: “The Golden Image of Daniel-2 the Antichrist Beast?”)
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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THE END
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TODAY’S FEATURED HEAVENLY SIGN
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REVELATION 12 DRAGON
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REVELATION 12 DRAGON IS NOT DRACO!
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First, let it be stated, that this Dragon Constellation is not the same constellation commonly referred to as “Draco” (photo to right is Draco, AKA Ursa Minor).
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This Revelation 12 Dragon from Signs Of Heaven, has not been previously recognized. But you will discover that it is a very intricate and complex constellation, once you are comfortable locating it.
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Draco, Ursa Minor Wikipedia share-alike license
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THE DRAGON OF REVELATION 12 CONSTELLATION. The star-charts below are from Wikipedia and are combined into one chart to show these three constellations, which the editor has sketched over with these three constellations, as they appear when in the west. Hopefully, this will be an assist in locating these constellations in the night-sky.
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LOCATION…
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The Revelation 12 Dragon Constellation can be located by finding Orion in winter months. The Dragon is to Orion’s left, and the Dragon’s mouth is right next to Orion’s shield. This Dragon’s mouth is the V-like constellation The Hyades Cluster, which is also known as the head of Taurus the Bull. The Dragon’s tail-tip is Pleiades and the lower shaft of his tail is partly of Aries and Pisces. Then with aid of a dark and starry night, you may begin to connect the mouth and the tail with a very long body in an oval shape. The front and back legs are made of a few stars: the front legs partially of stars from Taurus . The back legs and rear fin are made of 6 stars from the Cetus Constellation.
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BODY HARD TO SEE
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The long oval-shaped body has relatively few stars, but can been seen, howbeit with a dark, starry night. The four stars of the front fins are made partially of Taurus.
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READ MORE…
To explore deeper into this subject, please read… “The Dragon of Revelation 12 Constellation”
Question book magnify svg – Wikimedia – GNU license
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TOMORROW:
” March 24th (2nd Beast of Revelation 13)”
ABOVE PICTURE: Satan, The False Prophet who now in these last days destroys the churches via a world-loving prosperity-driven false gospel – www.signsofheaven.org
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20+ MINUTE AUDIO STUDY IN JEREMIAH 
ALL‘NOBLE BEREANS’ (open-minded seekers of Bible truth) ARE ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN FOLLOWING THIS 650+ AUDIO BIBLE STUDY THROUGH THE BOOK OF JEREMIAH EACH DAY ON THIS DAILY DEVOTIONAL.
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THIS STUDY #82 IS PRESENTED BY THE LATE HAROLD CAMPING, FORMER CEO OF FAMILY RADIO…
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above picture: Prophet Jeremiah – www.christianimagesource.org – Public Domain