THE BEAST POWER

Since the terrorist attacks in the United States there seems to have arisen within religious organizations including sacred name groups a great desire to discover just who the beast power is in Revelation 13. Some are spending untold hours searching through books, literature, and dissertations on the subject. They are searching for a nation or group of nations that can effectively be named as the beast power. Some are almost in a state of panic in trying to identify this beast power.

Lets face it, our lives have suddenly changed and the safety we once felt within the borders of North America has now been taken away. We are now faced with the same fear and uncertainty that much of the world has lived with for most of their history. This is a new thing for us but it is a situation that we must face with calm. It is not wrong for people to be looking for answers. It is also not wrong for religious people to be looking for answers. But let us be sure we are asking the right questions and looking in the right place for the answers.

Since the scriptures have been made readily available to the general public thanks to the invention of the printing press and the brave men who took their lives in their hands ( actually Yahweh's hands) to bring it to us, the knowledge of Yahweh's word has gone into almost every nation on earth. Is this not very much parallel to what the angel Gabriel told Daniel would happen in the end time? Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." This increase in knowledge would also involve the scriptures and a better understanding of what was to take place. This is the book we should be looking into for the answers to the questions we all have.

As I said before, we must be sure we are asking the right questions. Since we already know from the prophesies of scripture that there is a power that will attempt to deceive and conquer Yahweh's people, there are two questions that we must ask. 1) Who or what is this power?

2) How can we avoid being defeated by it? Let us look to the source of all knowledge, Yahweh.

He has given us a book in which He has inspired the following advice. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Since He has told us this, the proof must be in his word. It is.

To answer the first question we must identify this beast power. Let us at this point separate two things, the beast and the beast power. Be fully aware that the beast can cause us no problem without this power given to it. At this time the beast does not concern us. If it is on the world scene, it has not made itself known as yet. It is not dangerous to Yahweh's people at this time.

We live this way of life with no hindrance from any nation or people.

The beast power is. It holds the greatest danger to us that we will ever face and it is with us today and very prevalent. It is the same mystery of lawlessness that Paul said was at work in his time. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 We will come back to this chapter later in this study.

To begin to understand more about this beast power let us go back to the very beginning of humanity. The garden of Eden. Yahweh created man and instructed him in the correct way of life

and taught him the form of true worship. He set before him two ways. He told Adam he could eat or partake freely of the tree of life. This tree symbolized the way of righteousness that leads to eternal life. The true form of worship to Yahweh.

He was forbidden to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Partaking of this tree would be equivalent to Adam deciding for himself what was right and wrong and not believing Yahweh. Enter for the very first time in human history, the beast power. Gen.3:1-6

The first thing he did was discredit the word of Yahweh and effectively convince Eve that He had lied. Satan had to misrepresent what Yahweh had meant but he didn't care. Use whatever works. Because of this Adam and Eve became unrighteous and no longer qualified for eternal life

without death. Romans 5:12 Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned—

They were the first in a long line to believe satan's lies and practice false worship.

Cain is the next one mentioned in scripture who was overcome by the beast power. One tends to read this and pass on quickly without absorbing the great spiritual meaning that it holds. The lesson as in all of scripture has deep meaning for us today. This offering by Cain was no small error.

Gen.4:2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to Yahweh an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it."

Notice that scripture merely says that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground. Also notice that Abel brought of the first of his flock and the fat portion. The word used for first is; Bakowrah, it means the first born. The word used for fat portion is; Cheleb, it means the choicest or richest part. Abel brought an offering to Yahweh of the choicest one of the firstborn of the flock.

Yahweh was pleased with Abel's offering but of Cains He was not. Yahweh doesn't care about the meat or the grain. He is not going to eat either. So what is He concerned with? He is concerned with what both offering represented and their state of mind. Lets examine the offering first. Notice what Yahweh says are to be His. Exodus 13:12 you shall set apart to Yahweh all that first opens the womb. All the firstlings of your cattle that are males shall be Yahweh’s.

Exodus 34:19 All that opens the womb is mine, all your male cattle, the firstlings of cow and sheep. Being the first born is not the only qualification for an offering to be accepted by Yahweh.

Leviticus 1:10 "If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; Leviticus 22:19 to be accepted you shall offer a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. 20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you.

This animal was to be perfect and without a blemish of any kind. There is a very good reason for this. It was because of what the offering represented or previewed. 1 Peter 1:18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Hebrews 9:13 For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Messiah who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to Elohim, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living Elohim.

Besides being perfect and without a blemish Yahshua was also the first born from the dead into Yahweh's kingdom. Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first_born among many brethren.

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he brings the first_born into the world, he says, "Let all Elohim’s angels worship him." Yahshua was the perfect sacrificial offering to Yahweh and He was also the consecrated firstborn. This is what Abel's offering represented.

Abel presented to Yahweh, the first and the best of his flock. It was accepted by Yahweh. Cains was not. What is the difference between the two offerings. Scripture does not tell us specifically but we can be assured that Cains offering was less that perfect. Yahweh has specified the kind of cereal and grain offerings that are acceptable to Him. Proverbs 3:9 Honour Yahweh with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; Exodus 34:26 The first of the first fruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Yahweh your Elohim. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk." Deut.26:1-2, Deut. 26:10 And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O Yahweh, hast given me.’ And you shall set it down before Yahweh your Elohim, and worship before Yahweh your Elohim;

These fruit of the ground offerings also represent Yahshua. 1 Corinthians 15:20 But in fact Our Master has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:23 But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Messiah. Yahshua was perfect and without sin. Yahweh requires anything that is used to represent Him be of the same quality.

As stated before Yahweh is concerned with the state of mind of the one who makes the offering whether it be animal or vegetable. Abel had a righteous state of mind. He brought Yahweh an offering according to Yahweh's specifications. He was worshipping Yahweh with his substance. His worship was accepted because it was true worship in obedience to Yahweh.

Cain did not bring a perfect offering and it was thus refused. Cain's state of mind was also not one of righteousness. He did not offer Yahweh the first and the best. He deviated from what Yahweh said and thus offered false worship. From Gen.4:7 we know that what Cain did was sinful. Yahweh will not accept worship that does not give Him and His Son honour. Isaiah 42:8 I am Yahweh, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to graven images. John 5:23 that all may honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.

All worship comes to the Father through the Son. Prior to the time of Yahshua's sojourn on this earth, sacrifices and offerings represented the Son. No one approached Yahweh without the emblems that signified the Son. Can you see why the perfection of these things had to be ensured? Anything less is false worship and dishonours the Father and the Son..

The beast power fosters false worship. False worship is anything that deviates from what Yahweh has commanded. Abel offered what was pleasing and acceptable to Yahweh and thus overcame the beast power. Cain did the opposite and was conquered by the beast power and accepted his authority over that of Yahweh.

If we go forward in time to a couple more examples the concept of this study will begin to become clear. At time of the Israelites exodus from Egypt and their arrival at Mt. Sinai, the beast power was still at work. Everyone knows the story of the golden calf. What may escape some is that the Israelites thought that they had made an image of Yahweh. Ex.32: 4 And he received the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made a molten calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to Yahweh." Note that this golden calf was to be dedicated in a feast to Yahweh.

The Israelites were punished for doing this. They had deviated from what Yahweh had commanded. One might say that the ten commandments had not been given yet so the Israelites did not know it was wrong. Notice Verse 8 “ they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’" Yahweh says they already knew this was breaking the commandments which they had been given. This was false worship. They deviated from Yahweh's word and accepted the authority of the beast power. Note that there was no outside nation involved here and at the time of Eve and Cain, forcing them to do these things. But there was a power at work. The beast power.

When one reads about the history of the Israelite nations one discovers that they continually

deviated from the true worship command by Yahweh. No nation forced them to do this. It was entirely voluntary. They willingly accepted the authority of the beast power.

Lets begin to see the point of all of the above and come to the crux of the matter. Those in the end of the age scenario in the book of Revelation are not the first to have to battle the power of the beast. It is no nation or group of nations that cause Yahweh's people damage. It is something altogether different. It is nothing physical. It is a system of spiritual worship that has been foisted on mankind by the beast power, satan, the dragon. Every one who has ever lived on this earth has been attacked by this beast power. We are not waiting for sometime in the future for this power to raise its ugly head. It showed itself in the garden of Eden and has been attacking Yahweh's people ever since. Even Yahshua had to face and overcome this beast power. Matt.4:1-11 Keep this encounter with satan, the beast power in mind. It is very relevant in the conclusion of this study.

The patriarchs, prophets, apostles and all the faithful down through the ages to this present day have had to battle this same foe. There isn't space in one short article to mention them all. They are the ones spoken of in; Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our Elohim and the authority of his Messiah have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our Elohim.11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” These people are very few in number but they are the conquerors.

Under attack every day of our lives and especially upon our conversion we will acknowledge that this power is no longer overcoming us. Each day we become spiritually more powerful. Yahweh has given us this strength to overcome by His Spirit within us. It is a Spirit of power.

2 Timothy 1:7 “ for Elohim did not give us a Spirit of timidity but a Spirit of power and love and self_control.” As we see Yahweh working in our lives we gain confidence in our battle.

Will this beast power at some time in the future use a nation or group of nations to enforce his unholy doctrines with the threat of torture and death? According to the scriptures he will.

Do we have to be concerned that this satanic union will defeat us. This is the crux of the whole matter. Some have faced this combined force already and were victorious. The major one I will focus on is Yahshua because He is the source of our future victory.

Remember I mentioned that we should keep in mind the encounter that Yahshua had with satan. This was a personal encounter but no more personal than our encounter with satan.

This was not a physical attack. This was a spiritual attack. Yahshua defeated satan in this attack through the power of Yahweh and his word, the scriptures. Yahshua needed no secular books or information to defeat satan. Yahshua needed only the scriptures. We will do the same through Him because that is all we need as well.

Satan was not through with Yahshua. He was yet to face a physical attack. You can read about this in the evangels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Satan could not spiritually defeat Yahshua. Satan the beast power, used Yahshua's own people, the Jews to orchestrate this attack.

Yahshua could have avoided all of the anguish and torture He was about to endure by simply stating that He was wrong and accept the authority of the beast power. He would have saved his physical life with perhaps mild punishment. However He would have been spiritually conquered and defeated. All that He would have accomplished was to prolong His physical life for a time, but would at some later time face the inevitable, death for all eternity.

Yahshua had overcome this beast power's spiritual attacks throughout His life and he also overcame the physical attack in the same way. Through the word of His Father Yahweh. He saw beyond the immediate danger to the future promised to the faithful through Yahweh's word. He not only defeated the beast power, he triumphed over satan's greatest weapon, eternal death.

1 Cor. 15:53 For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to Elohim, who gives us the victory through our Messiah Yahshua Our Master. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of Yahweh, knowing that in Yahweh your labor is not in vain.

The point that I'm striving for in this study is that we need not fear any physical nation, nations or people that will arise in the last days and are given the power of satan to do their unholy deeds. We are daily overcoming the power that will be given to them. If we continue to do this through everything that satan throws at us everyday, when his attacks turn from spiritual to physical we will overcome and defeat this attack through the power of Yahweh's Spirit within us just as Yahshua did. Yahshua did this through Yahweh's word, the scriptures, and this is how we will do it.

Delve deeply into Yahweh's word and you will find within it all the protection you will need

in your battle with the beast power. Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Let us allow Yahweh to prepare us for the trouble to come.

Ps.33:16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.

18 Behold, the eye of Yahweh is on those who revere him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death, and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for Yahweh; he is our help and shield. 21 Yea, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let thy steadfast love, O Yahweh, be upon us, even as we hope in thee.

I will let our loving Savior complete this study with the comforting words that He gave to the faithful in Thyatira; Rev.2:24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden; 25 only hold fast what you have, until I come. 26 He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations,

HalleluYah May Yahweh bless your studies. Elder Dave Ganton