Revelation 13:14

And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. DECEIVETH THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH - the earthly-minded. Even a miracle is not enough to warrant belief in a professed revelation, unless in harmony with God's already-revealed will (Deuteronomy 13:1; Matthew 24:24). BY THE MEANS OF THOSE MIRACLES - rather [ dia (G1223) ta (G3588)...

11-18 Those who understand the first beast to denote a worldly power, take the second to be also a persecuting and assumed power, which acts under the disguise of religion, and of charity to the souls of men. It is a spiritual dominion, professing to be derived from Christ, and exercised at first in a gentle manner, but soon spake like the dragon. Its speech betrayed it; for it gives forth those false doctrines and cruel decrees, which show it to belong to the dragon, and not to the Lamb. It exercised all the power of the former beast. It pursues the same design, to draw men from worshipping the true God, and to subject the souls of men to the will and control of men. The second beast has carried on its designs, by methods whereby men should be deceived to worship the former beast, in the new shape, or likeness made for it. By lying wonders, pretended miracles. And by severe censures. A...

Verse Revelation 13:14. _SAYING TO THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH, THAT THEY_ _SHOULD MAKE AN IMAGE TO THE BEAST, WHICH HAD THE WOUND BY A SWORD,_ _AND DID LIVE._] The _image of the beast_ must designate a person who represents in himself the whole power of the Latin empire, therefore it cannot be the emperor; for though he was, according to his own account, _supremum caput Christianitatis_, the supreme head of Christendom, yet he was only the chief of the Germanic confederation, and consequently was only sovereign of the principal power of the Latin empire. The image of the beast must be the supreme ruler of the Latin empire, and as it is through the influence of the false prophet that this image is made for the first beast, this great chief must be an ecclesiastic. Who this is has been ably shown by Bishop Newton in his comment on...

AND DECEIVETH THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH BY THE MEANS OF THOSE MIRACLES - Nothing could possibly be more descriptive of the papacy than this. It has been kept up by deception and delusion, and its pretended miracles have been, and are to this day, the means by which this is done. Anyone in the slightest degree acquainted with the pretended miracles practiced at Rome, will see the propriety of this description as applied to the papacy. The main fact here stated, that the papacy would endeavor to sustain itself by pretended miracles, is confirmed by an incidental remark of Mr. Gibbon, when speaking of the pontificate of Gregory the Great; he says: “The credulity or the prudence of Gregory was always disposed to confirm the truths of religion by the evidence of ghosts, miracles, and resurrections” (Decline and Fall, 3:210). Even within a month of the time that I am writing (October 5, 185...

EXPOSITION REVELATION 13:1 AND I STOOD UPON THE SAND OF THE SEA. The Revised Version, agreeing with א, A, C, Vulgate, Syriac, AEthiopic, Armenian, Victorinus, reads ἐστάθη, "he stood." The Authorized Version follows the reading ἐστάθην_, _"I stood," which is found in B, P, Coptic, Andreas, Arethas. Fortunately, the point is not important. Whether St. John or the dragon stood on the edge of the sea is not material, since we are distinctly told that the ten-horned beast rose from the sea. Wordsworth aptly contrasts this station on the unstable sand in proximity to the sea, the clement of commotion, with the vision of the Lamb on Mount Zion (Revelation 14:1). The imagery which follows is founded upon the vision of

AND DECEIVETH THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH,.... The Complutensian edition, and two of Stephens's copies, read "mine", instead of "them"; creatures of God, and professors of Christ, carnal and unregenerate men; not the elect of God, and true believers in Christ, these cannot be deceived by the signs and wonders of false Christs and false prophets; antichrist's deceivableness of unrighteousness only operates in them that perish: BY [THE MEANS OF] THOSE MIRACLES WHICH HE HAD POWER TO DO IN THE SIGHT OF THE BEAST; the secular power of the Papacy encouraging, confirming, and giving a sanction to those lying miracles, and obliging all to believe them, and come into the things, doctrines, or practices, they are designed to promote: SAYING TO THEM THAT DWELL ON THE EARTH: the apostate church, or the carnal inhabitants of the empire: ordering and commanding them that they should make an image...

THE SECOND BEAST. This represents the spirit of paganism, and more particularly the priestly system which was organised to enforce Cæ sar-worship. Revelation 13:11 f. The second beast is regarded as inferior to, and deriving its authority from, the first. Revelation 13:12. to worship: an allusion to Emperor-worship. DEATHSTROKE: _ cf._ Revelation 13:3; an allusion to _Nero redivivus_ (Revelation 17:8 *). Revelation 13:13. great signs: an allusion to the displays of

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which be had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by. sword, and did live."--13:13-14. The means by which this dominion over the souls of men was obtained and maintained is next pointed out. The second beast did great wonders, pretended to perform miracles, and thus "deceived them that dwell upon the earth." Rome has claimed the possession of miraculous power in all ages, and no fact of history is better established than that she has continually resorted to lying miracles. The Romish traditions are full of wonders; the lives of the saints placed in the hands of the Romish laity for their religious readin...

THE POWER OF THE BEAST (Revelation 13:1-18) I saw a beast coming up from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; and it had ten royal crowns on its horns; and on its heads I saw blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's feet; its mouth was like a lion's mouth; and to it the dragon delegated its power and its throne and its great authority. I saw that one of its heads looked as if it had been wounded to death; and its deadly wound had been healed. The whole earth was drawn in wonder after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon, because it had delegated its authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast. "Who," they said, "is like the beast? Who is able to make war with it?" To it there was given a mouth which made arrogant and blasphemous claims; and it was given authority to go on doing so for forty-t

DECEIVETH. he deceiveth. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:1. For miracles of themselves are no proof of. Divine mission. The Lord's miracles were "signs" for His People to ponder. The miracles here are to impress credulous unbelievers. BY THE MEANS OF. App-104.Revelation 13:2. MIRACLES. Same as "wonders", Revelation 13:13. WHICH... POWER. which it was given him. IMAGE. Greek. _eikon._ First of ten occurences in Rev. See Matthew 22:20. See App-197. by