The Seeing Generation:
Preparation for The Second Coming Made Plain, Part 6
A Series of Messages Suggesting that the Bible Charts
Coincidental Convergences of Prophecy and History:
The Beasts, A Sermon, Part 1
Jackson Snyder, January 14, 2005

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The Friendly Beasts, 12^th Century Hymn I Vow to Thee, My Country – English hymn
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Thou Bleeding Wreath

Yah, upon my head, a wreath; I shall ever dwell beneath.

Plaited orb of verity branch’d and blossoming in me.

Not a dry crown nor a dead, but a thriving on my head,

Sprouting grapes, so ripe and rife; bleeding fruit that saves my life.

O, my Father, let it be ever growing as a tree.

Shooting forth from this dear flesh many fruits, diverse and fresh.

--A new setting of Odes of Solomon #1

Luke 2:1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

Daniel 7:2-8. Daniel said, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. … And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. … After this I looked, and lo, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back; and the beast had four heads; and dominion was given to it. … And behold, a fourth beast, terrible and dreadful and exceedingly strong; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. {These beasts are Babylon, Medea, Persia and Greece. The following beast is Rome:)

Revelation 13:1-4, 7,8,16-18. AND I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. 4. Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" … 7. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, 8. and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. … 16. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17. so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Review Previous installments: 1 2 3 4 5

This is the sixth in the series of messages I call “The Seeing Generation”; that is, the generation that would “not pass away till all has taken place” (Luke 21:32). In the last installment, I described to you the significance of Iraq in modern-day salvation history by discussing a few of the biblical prophecies that seem to have been fulfilled in our day – or may be merely coincidences – I left it up to you to judge.

In the third and fourth installments, I outlined the Bible plan for how members of the seeing generation are to conduct their lives.

In the second installment, I showed you, if there were a false prophet or antichrist preaching in our generation, just exactly who that might be.

In the first installment, I outlined two of the greatest Biblical prophecies that’ve come to pass in our lifetimes, showing you just how we are to Yahshua’s Millennial rule. In between these messages, I gave you a plan for praying through which even an individual may be instrumental in changing world events. (Techtonic Prayer) (If you’d like a review of these messages, you may have a tape or transcript.)

But the most important point of all, you may remember, is that the salvation history of the Bible consists only of seven thousand years, and we know that six thousand of these years have passed already, for we’ve counted them – and now the “seventh prophetic day” is now upon us. The seventh day is the Millennium of peace that is to emerge after generations of world war. We should keep in mind that we’re living in the seeing generation, and therefore stay awake and in the light.

In this and future installments, I’ll call your attention to Bible prophecies that may have been fulfilled in our lifetime – or may be just coincidences. My hope is to convince you to walk the walk of the Millennium now, whether you perceive the new thing or not (Isaiah 42:8).

Contemporary “Beasts”

Today I want to share with you some words about “the Beasts of the Bible.” When we say “beast,” we immediately think of demonic, multi-headed monsters, and many of them are. But the Bible also has friendly beasts!

The Friendly Beasts. 12^th Century

Jesus, our Brother, strong and good, Was humbly born in a stable rude,

And the friendly beasts around Him stood, Jesus, our Brother, strong and good.

“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown, “I carried His mother uphill and down,

I carried His mother to Bethlehem town; I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

“I,” said the cow, all white and red, “I gave Him my manger for His bed,

I gave Him hay to pillow His head; I,” said the cow, all white and red.

“I,” said the sheep with curly horn, “I gave Him my wool for His blanket warm,

He wore my coat on Christmas morn; I,” said the sheep with curly horn.

“I,” said the dove, from the rafters high, “I cooed Him to sleep that He should not cry,

We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I; I,” said the dove, from the rafters high.

Thus all the beasts, by some good spell, In the stable dark were glad to tell

Of the gifts they gave Emmanuel, The gifts they gave Emmanuel.

What friendly beasts!

Someone asked me who I thought “the Beast” might be. That person had been reading Tim Lahaye’s eighth volume from the Left Behind series titled, The Mark: The Beast Rules the World. Answering a question like “Who’s the beast?” isn’t easy for me because my answer’s complicated; however, most would find an easy answer. Beasts have been named over and over: Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and even Chairman Mao. These men were certifiable beasts, all right. But some “friendly beasts” have been named because they relate with the number 666 found in

Revelation 13:18: Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

These “beasts” have been named:

Henry Kissinger, because the letters in his name somehow add up to 666;
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, because the birthmark on his forehead resembles a Hebrew 6;
Both Princes Charles and William of England, because they’re the rightful heirs to all the thrones of Europe, and many believe another fascist Beast will arise in Europe (the youngest prince, Harry, recently showed up at a party in a Nazi uniform);
William Jefferson and Hillary Clinton have also been chosen as beasts. They’re both definitely friendly beasts.
Finally, Ronald Wilson Reagan has been called the Beast because each of his names have six letters. When Reagan rises from the dead, as the Beast is supposed to do, then we’ll know whether he’s the one.

So it’s not hard to find a beast today when beasts are a dime a dozen. We could probably pick out fifty-two beasts and put their “heads” on a deck of cards then go fish. But the question of “Who is the beast?” that is, the Beast of Revelation, is hard to answer because the mystery is history. We can reveal the exact identities of the Beast, beasts, their heads and their horns with only a Bible and a history book. But who wants an ancient Beast when there’re so many modern candidates? And do many modern Bible teachers know so little history!

How Do I Answer Such a Question?

So if I answer, “Well, my friend, I have ascertained through the study of Bible and history that the Beast to whom John is referring is a metaphor for the Roman Empire of the first century with a primary face of Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus who died from a head wound and was resurrected as Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus, the latter ruling the world from 69 – 79 AD, when John was penciling the Revelation.” And that’s the short answer! The likely response might be, “I thought you were a bible scholar. Everyone knows the Beast is Nicolae Carpathia! Didn’t you read Left Behind?”

Oh, well. I’m sure a fictional character is a better choice for the Beast than a decent fellow like Ronald Wilson Reagan. Because I can tell you for a fact, there’s never such a more bloodthirsty, baseless, lewd, godless antichrist that ever walked the earth, Hitler included, as the historical, seven- (actually eight-) headed Beast I’m about to show you.

Roman Empire

As you probably already know, the historic Beast was the Roman Empire of John’s time. If we turn ahead four chapters in Revelation, the writer makes this perfectly clear. He writes in

Revelation 17:6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. (KJV)

If we discover who the lewd woman is, then we find the identity of the Beast she rides. Revelation 17:18 gives us her identity:

“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”

A little earlier, in Revelation 17:9, the angel’s said that

“This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated as well as seven kings” (Revelation 17:9,10).

So we know the woman is Rome, for Rome ruled the world, and is still called “the city on seven hills.”

And here’s another riddle solved – Roma spelled backward is the lewd woman’s name – Amor – the goddess of Rome, drunk with the blood of the saints.

Now and Later

Jesus told John in the first chapter of

Revelation 1:19, “Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be.”

Revelation 13 and 17 about the Beast are things which are, not which shall be in the future; for the angel plainly tells him, “The seven heads … are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet.” (Revelation 17:9b,10). If the seven heads represent kings, and the sixth king is reigning in John’s day, then the Beast of Revelation is long gone – fulfilled centuries ago.

Composite Beast

Also, we know the Beast is the Roman empire rather than a person because of how it’s described in

Revelation 13:2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Just as the beasts of Daniel’s vision represented empires of his time[1], John’s Beast has the exact characteristics of Daniels beasts, for John’s beast swallowed up the others. The Roman Empire possessed the four ancient empires of Daniel’s dream; they were Babylon, Media, Persia and Greece.

Republicans are Assassins!

Now that we see from Scripture alone that the Beast is the Roman Empire of old, we can search the history books to find the identities of the Beast’s heads. In ancient days, long before John lived, Rome was a republic – a president was elected, as was a senate, and the place was ruled by a representative form of government. The last elected president of the Roman Republic was Gaius Julius Caesar, the great general. The people loved him so much, and he loved himself so much, that with his approval the people gave him dictatorial powers. Of course, the Republicans in the Senate didn’t like that, so they fell upon Caesar and stabbed him a hundred times. “Et tu, Brute?” At least that’s Shakespeare’s version of events.

After the death of Julius Caesar, his adopted son and heir came to power, and over the course of the son’s forty-year rule, he took complete dictatorial control (27 BC – 14 AD). Rome abandoned the republic and became an empire. An emperor isn’t elected, nor does he depend on a senate to make decisions. An emperor has full power on account of the allegiance of his army. He’s above the law. The first emperor of Rome, who is also the first head of the Beast, is mentioned in a Bible passage read every Christmas:

Luke 2:1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

Caesar Augustus was the first emperor of Rome and the first head of the Beast.

The Titles of Octavian

Now, “Augustus” isn’t a name, but a title. It means “Sacred[2] One.” The Beast’s first head’s full name was Gaius (Julius) Caesar Octavianus, but he was known as Augustus. A generation before Jesus’ birth (42 BC), Augustus decreed that his father, Julius Caesar, was god, and that the world would thereafter worship him. Augustus then took a new title – divi filius – “Son of God.”

Later he received other titles, “Pontifex Maximus,” which means “High Priest,” and “Pater Patriae,” which means “Father of the Nation.” Do you now remember what the Revelator saw? “I saw a woman sitting upon a … beast full of names of blasphemy.” And the names of blasphemy? “Son of God,” “High Priest,” “Father.” To whom do these titles rightfully belong? To the first head of the Beast? Augustus’ blasphemously grasped away the titles that belonged to the True Son only. These blasphemous names and many more were heaped upon the other heads in their time. They were all gods.

Let’s do a rundown of some other “heads.”

Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius

The second head is Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar Augustus, better known as “Tiberius,” who’s mentioned in Luke 3:1, and who was in power when Jesus was executed. Tiberius was the adopted son of Augustus, a cruel and perverted general, a pedophile and a homicidal maniac, who, after a brutal reign, was smothered by this own guards.

The third head was Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, aka “Caligula,” one of the former emperor’s sexual victims. Three of Caligula’s notable acts were to make his horse a member of the Senate, to persecute Christians, and to set up his image in the Jerusalem Temple, desecrating it and forcing Israel to worship the Beast. But as that was about to happen, Caligula’s colleagues assassinated him.

The fourth head was Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus Caesar Augustus, or “Claudius,” a murderer who took special pleasure in closely examining the faces of men as they were killed in the arena. He died when his wife, a famous prostitute, fed him a poisoned mushroom. A future emperor would say of him, “[Claudius] declared mushrooms to be the food of the gods, since Claudius, by means of a mushroom, had become a god” (Nero).

Claudius’ greatest claim to fame was in 1976, when his life was portrayed in a thirteen-part television series produced by the BBC (I, Claudius). Ironically, the series was based on a book titled, Claudius, the God.

Nero Germanicus – Fifth Head

The fifth head was Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, or Nero for short. Although several of these kings had the name Nero, this fifth head was the notorious Nero: the Nero who entertained his friends by killing his mother; the Nero who married himself to men, women and boys; the Nero who fiddled while Rome burned[3], then blamed the Christians. Having duped the populace with his scapegoat, Nero had believers in Jesus murdered in the most hideous and cruel ways, even though Christians served his household faithfully.

(Christians in Nero’s service: Paul speaks of Nero’s secretary Epaphroditus[4]. Nero’s wife Poppaea was rumored to have also converted. Perhaps this is why Nero kicked her and her unborn child to death. Nero’s advisor, the philosopher Seneca, corresponded with Paul — Letters from Paul to Seneca.)

Revelation was written down in Greek. In Greek letters, the name “Nero Caesar” adds up to 666. So, this, along with his grave crimes against humanity, morality and “the race of Christians” and because Nero acclaimed himself god of gods, we have no trouble identifying Nero as the fifth head of the Roman Beast.

Revelation 13:5-8 excerpts. He opened his mouth in blasphemy against Yahweh, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them[5][1]: and power was given him over all … nations, that all upon the earth shall worship him.

The Account of Tacitus

Publius Cornelius Tacitus (55? – 120?), a contemporary of the Beast, was a historian, a civil servant and a pagan. He left us a first-hand account of the aftermath of Nero’s fire that destroyed Rome (in his journal, Annals). Tacitus writes:

To put an end to the rumor (that he had started the fire), Nero created a diversion and subjected to the most extra-ordinary tortures those hated for their abominations by the common people – those called Christians. The originator of this name, Christus, had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontinus (Pontius) Pilate during the reign of Tiberius. Repressed for the time being, the deadly superstition broke out again not only in Judea, the original source of the evil, but also in the city (of Rome), where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and become popular. So an arrest was made of all who confessed; then on the basis of their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of arson as for hatred of the human race. (Tacitus, Annales, 15, 44)

Did you notice how Tacitus speaks of Christians – as despised for their deadly superstition? And for what crime were Christians arrested? Not arson, but “hatred of the human race.” Tacitus goes on to describe the punishment of the Christians. He writes:

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames. These served to illuminate the night when daylight failed. Nero had thrown open the gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or drove about in a chariot. Hence, even for criminals who deserved extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being punished.

Such horrors might not have happened to the Christians had they worshiped the Beast’s heads. But they wouldn’t bow down. John reveals that Nero

Revelation 13:5-8 paraphrase. opened his mouth in blasphemy against the name of Yahweh, his tabernacle and the heavenly host. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them[6]: and power was given him over all nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him.

The Mortal Wound

After the destruction of Christians, Nero went crazily off to Greece to perform in acting contests. When he returned, the capitol was in revolt: a full-fledge military coup was underway. With the help of Epaphroditus of Bible fame[7], Nero escaped the palace, was cornered, then fatally stabbed himself in the head, putting an end to a family dynasty in 68 AD that traced back to Julius Caesar. The Revelator speaks of Nero’s death in

Revelation 13:3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder.

Nero did die, but not before he’d martyred Christians all over the world, setting a policy of persecution for emperors to come. And not before he’d seen to the deaths of Peter, Andrew and Paul, and the exile of John to the copper mines of Patmos, where he penciled the book we now study. And Nero didn’t die before he sent Roman Armies to Israel to destroy Jerusalem, in the wake of an uprising there.

In the next installment we go to Jerusalem and learn that the rebellion in Israel was set off by the assassination of none other than James the Just, our Savior’s brother, by the Jerusalem High Priest. We’ll also learn how “the Nero head” came back to life. But we leave these mysteries, along with identities of the remaining heads and the second Beast until then.

Beast-filled

The world is full of dragons, beasts, monsters, lions, tigers and bears. But the Beast of Revelation 13 is gone. And at the present time, the only country with enough power to be a Beast such as Rome is this country. The military might is here. The imperial will is here. The money is here. And though this country claims us, we claim citizenship in a much higher land – a land where there are no beasts – beasts have been consigned to perdition forever. No matter where our nation – and the beasts of the world take us – we must, as Christians of old, remember that this land isn’t our permanent home, and its beasts aren’t our forever beasts. As for our higher Kingdom,

We may not count her armies, we may not see her king;

[But] her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering.

And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.

I VOW to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love:
The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.

And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.

                                    --Cecil Spring-Rice (1859-1918) / Gustav Holst (1874-1934)
                                                                  The Planets suite (the hymn from Jupiter)
                                                                      in its hymn form it is known as Thaxted.

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Pastoral Prayer

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