The Beast and his Number, Part 1

Revelation 12-14 is the central vision of the book. It begins with the birth of the Lord Jesus and ends with his return in glory.

Satan is the Dragon of Revelation 12:9, and it is he who manipulates the megalomaniacal Herod the Great to try to kill the Lord Jesus Christ at his birth.

The Lord ascends to heaven. Satan is thrown out, a defeated, raging foe who seeks to destroy the people of God.

This takes us to chapter 13 and the Beast from the book of Daniel. We are introduced to a diabolical trinity: the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet.

We are told that the Dragon gave the Beast his power and authority (Revelation 13:2), and this takes us to Satan's temptation of Christ and his claim that he has been given authority over the earth and that he gives political power to whom he chooses (Luke 4:6).

Do people have to sell their souls in order to obtain political office? Surveying history indicates that this is the rule rather than the exception, even if people are unaware they have done this.