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THE DEADLY WOUND
Rev. 13:3-4,
and {I saw} one of his heads as if it had been slain,
and his fatal wound was healed.
And the whole earth was amazed about the beast;
and they worshiped the dragon,
because he gave his authority to the beast;
and they worshiped the beast, saying,
'Who is like the beast,
and who is able to wage war with him?'
There are several views on this wound as well as the healing, and all I can do
is line up with one of them and give my reasons and then let the reader pursue
it from there. But it should be clear that the wound and its healing take
place in connection with the mid-point of the 70th week. And as a result of
the healing, the people will be influenced to follow the beast. Therefore, it
is probable that the wound takes place shortly before the mid-point and the
healing takes place at or shortly after the midpoint in order to correlate
with the Satanic empowering and the fantastic impact on the people. With this
in view, the popular idea that the wound is the fall of the Roman Empire and
the healing is the restoration of that type of government in the form of the
10 nation confederacy is not adequate.
For discussion as to the identification of
this beast kingdom and whether it is a man or a nation, see
THE POLITICAL POWER BASE OF THE BEAST.
Since the beast is the 8th king and kingdom, the head that is wounded is the
7th and the healing produces the 8th. If the ruler of the 7th kingdom, the 10
nation confederacy, simply becomes more aggressive in his dictatorship, this
would not "impress" the peoples of the world. But if this benevolent dictator
who went forth "conquering and to conquer (1st seal)," is struck down and then
brought back to life, then would the world be impressed enough to swear
allegiance to him.
It is also said of the 8th that, "he was and is not and is about to come up
out of the abyss" (Rev. 17:8). It should be clear that "about to come" refers
to the beginning of the 8th king's reign at the mid-point of the 70th week.
However it is not quite as clear how to view "was and is not." I suggest that
it be viewed from the perspective of the "end times" generation, for it is
that generation which will see the wound and the healing and be awed into
worship. Notice that the people of the world will OBSERVE that this person
"was and is not and will come." Accordingly, it does not seem likely that this
has reference to the "7 kings" of verse 10.
Rev. 13:3 will continue to be in dispute until
the guy
actually comes back to life - but some
reasons . . .
1. One of his heads,“AS having been slain.”
We have two words: (“as” and the participle) and then the prepositional
phrase: eis thanatos = unto death
A. The “as” indicates that this is the way it “appeared” to John.
It does not address the genuineness of the wound.
B. slain: sphadzō - perfect passive participle
1. The perfect tense looks at action that occurred in the past with the
result of that action existing as a present reality. Thus - slain in the
past with the result that right now it is in a condition of death.
2. The passive voice indicates that the subject has received this action -
ie, someone brought it upon them. Thus the idea of “being killed.”
3. participle: used as an adjective to describe the condition of this
“head.”
4. The translation should not read: “as if”, but better - as “slain” ie, in
a condition of having been slain.
C. This is exactly the same perception that John sees of the Lamb at
Revelation 5:6, where we find the exact same construction in the Greek,
except for the gender. John sees the Lamb of God “in the condition of”
having been slain and sacrificed – but still animate as He stands before the
throne of God.
D. This is further supported by the next sentence: “And his fatal wound was
healed.”
1. fatal wound: NOT “apparrent” wound, but fatal wound.
The Greek says, and his wound of death:
a. wound: plāgā = a wound, blow or bruise.
b. Of death = genitive of thanatos (death)
c. This indicates that the wound is not a minor wound but a wound that did
indeed, result in thanatos (death).
2. healed: the fatal wound, the wound OF DEATH was healed. Seems clear
enough to me.
3. I think the difficulty has come in trying to find the answer to this
PRIOR to its fulfillment.
That is why there have been so many ideas about it.
4. To me, the only one that makes sense and correlates with the literal
Greek, is that someone or something DIES and is brought back to life.
5. My point has been: that if an ancient kingdom were to have died out
(Rome) and then be regathered
into a “Roman confederacy” - it would NOT make any significant impact on the
people of the world.
WHAT would die and come back to life to make
such an impact?
I suggest that ONLY a person - and a
contemporary person at that - is what would make such an impact that the
people of the world would now be motivated to worship him.
It's kind of like a “fake” resurrection
of a messiah (and after all, this is centered in
Jerusalem
with the Jewish people).
It is further supported by v. 14, which
indicates that a “weapon” was employed in killing the ruler, “the beast who
had the wound of the sword and has come to life.”
It is further supported by the fact that
#8 comes from the abyss. Ie, #7 dies and his soul goes to the abyss where
hades is located and
when Satan brings him back to life, he
comes from the abyss back into his body on the earth and becomes #8. Rev.
17:8; Luke 16:23
Rev. 17:8
The beast that you saw was and is not,
and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction.
And those who dwell on the earth will wonder,
whose name has not been written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world,
when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
Some have viewed this from the perspective of John and have made, "he was," an
historical personage who lived before John. Much has been made of the
possibility that this historical personage would be Judas as there are similar
terms used with him. This view is a bit less realistic, since those who are
present on the earth during the time of the 7th king/kingdom will hardly be
impacted by a "raised" Judas, as no one will have any frame of reference for
the man. That is why I prefer a time-frame contemporary with the end times
generation.
It has also been suggested that this personage is Hitler, who from the
perspective of that end times generation, "was" and "is not" and "will come up
out of the abyss." This requires a different definition for the 7th king and
kingdom (ie, 3rd Reich) and actually looses the close connection between the
7th and the 8th that Rev. 17 requires.
The reader should pursue that line on his own and the best source for the view
is, The Sign, by Robert Van Kampen.
Thus, AT THE TIME that the 8th king (the beast out of the sea) comes on the
scene,
he will be seen by the people of the world as - -
"was" (the benevolent
dictator);
"is not" (physically dead and perhaps "lying in state"
for the whole world to observe);
and "is about to come"
(brought back to life before the watching eyes of the whole world).
The benevolent dictator then, will be assassinated just prior to the mid-point
of the week. When Satan is kicked out of heaven down to the earth, he will
restore the dictator to life and empower him to carry out his evil intents on
God's chosen people Israel (still in unbelief) and on God's spiritual family,
the church. (Rev. 12:16-17)
Also related to this is the fact that the 8th king (the beast) will come out
of the abyss. We must be certain to distinguish between the abyss itself and
the pit of the abyss (the bottomless pit [KJV] which is found at Rev. 9:1-2,
and probably best corresponds with the place called tartarus [pits of
darkness] at 2 Pet. 2:4; and the great chasm that exists in hades, Luke
16:26).
See topic: THE ABYSS
The abyss is sheol itself and includes the place of torment that is located
there (Luke 16:26) and of course "looks into" the pit of the abyss (the
chasm). When the benevolent dictator is killed, his soul goes into the abyss (sheol)
where all the unbelieving dead go. When Satan is given permission by God to
raise this man, the soul returns from the abyss. I therefore see that the
reason for telling us that the beast comes from the abyss is to clarify that
he is indeed first "physically" slain and then raised by Satan.
This is not a RESURRECTION, but the same thing that was done with Lazarus
(John 11) and Dorcas (Acts 9:36-41), and others (2Kings 4:32-35; Heb. 11:35;
Mat. 10:8). However, in this case, the “healing” is accomplished by the power
of Satan.
There are some who do not favor this interpretation, thinking that Satan is
incapable of “raising the dead.” However, this is NOT a resurrection, which
has been the “hope” proclaimed throughout the Old Testament times (Acts 23:6;
24:14-15; 26:6-7; Job 19:25-27; Dan. 12:2; Isaiah 26:19).
Since Biblical history is rife with examples of people being brought back to
life (raised), the promise of a future RESURRECTION must be considered
something different. When Paul was defending himself before King Agrippa, he
mentioned the hope of resurrection and then asked, “Why is it considered
incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?” But he was talking
about the FUTURE resurrection and not a restoration to physical life after
having died.
Raising the dead, that is, restoring a dead person to life is indeed a
MIRACLE, but it is simply a HEALING type of miracle, and as FANTASTIC as that
is, it would be just like other miracles, which God allows unbelievers and
fallen angels to perform. Thus, in the same way that Satan can perform healing
type miracles, likewise he would be capable of “raising” the dead.
Healing type miracles also includes casting out of demons (Acts 10:38).
The disciples were able to perform many miracles including raising the dead
(Mat. 10:8; Mark 6:13).
Even the unbelieving Pharisees were capable of casting out demons (Mat.
12:27).
In
fact, throughout history, there are many unbelievers who have been able to
perform miracles, cast out demons and even prophesy in the name of Christ
(Mat. 7:22; Ex. 7:11-12, 22; 8:7).
What then, should be considered the difference between all these FALSE
miracles, and the miracles of Jesus? The miracles that Jesus and the disciples
performed were designed to GET PEOPLE’S ATTENTION, which of course, is exactly
what the false miracles do as well. However, in the case of Jesus, the purpose
was to draw attention to HIS MESSAGE. Once Jesus “caught the ear” of the
people, it was the power of HIS WORDS that made the impact, convicted,
convinced, and motivated people to choose. (Mat. 7:28-29; 13:54; 22:33; Mark
1:22-28; Mark 6:1-6; 11:18; Luke 4:31-37; John 4:42; 7:46).
Specifically, during the tribulation false teachers will be able to “show
great signs and wonders” (Mat. 24:24), and the man of lawlessness will be able
to perform the works of Satan, “with all power and signs and false wonders”
(2Thes. 2:9).
According to Revelation 13:3, it is just such a miracle of healing that causes
the world to “sit up and take notice” that something very miraculous has
occurred.
There is nothing in the Bible that indicates it is ONLY God who can bring
people back to life.
And since bringing back to life is viewed in every context as “just” another
miracle (not to minimize it) that makes an impact on the witnesses, there is
nothing that speaks against Satan being able to do the same thing, just as is
he able to perform all the other kinds of miracles.
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