These posts, in order, are the preliminary posts to this one:

WHO is the Israel of God? ‘Seed of Abraham’

WHO is the Israel of God? Pt 2. ‘First Glimpse into the New Covenant Era’

WHERE is the Israel of God? ‘Know ye not, ye are His Temple?’

WHO is The Beast From the Sea?

Recommend newcomers to the series first read the preceding posts in order.

I may fill out the shape of my revelation here in full, so that there is a better picture of what I am saying.  I can return in following posts, and give greater detail by way of biblical proof, and clarification.  This post will reveal the shape of this revelation in a fuller, more tangible, and immediate way.

I had said that I believe the Sanhedrin to be the beast of revelation 13 and 17.  My first prompting to this was this prophecy:

Rev 17:8
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [the Greek word for ‘bottomless pit’ here is actually: Abyss], and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. [Or ‘yet shall be’]

The Sanhedrin was made in the days of Moses, existed during the life of Christ – ceased to exist in 70 A.D. when Jerusalem was destroyed.  When John wrote the book of Revelation in (approx) 95 A.D. the Sanhedrin no longer existed.  In recent days the Sanhedrin has risen from destruction in the natural Israel – the sand of the sea.

Rev 13:1
And I stood upon the sand of the sea [natural Israel (Gen 32:12; Is. 9:22; Rom 9:27)], and saw a beast rise up out of the sea [or ‘the abyss’ (Rev 17:8; also 11:7; 9:1,2 & 11 – all use the same Greek word: ‘abussos’: abyss) – typologically the place of destruction – clarification: Rev 9:11 declares that the angel of the Abyss is called ‘Appolyon’, or ‘Abbadon’ both meaning ‘angel of destruction’], having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Jesus declared that the Sanhedrin, and Jerusalem would be left desolate until such a time as they received their Messiah:

Matt 23:38-39
38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Unless the Sanhedrin arises with the message of the Gospel, and preaches Christ – then by the prophecy of Jesus Christ – a risen Sanhedrin is a mark of rebellion to the plainly declared counsel and will of God.  The Sanhedrin, claiming to be judges in the seat of Moses – working the counsel of God in the earth is, therefore, an empire of outright blasphemy.  Just as John the Apostle declared elsewhere:

1 John 2:22
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

How can the Sanhedrin, then rise to power in the earth – if Jesus declared it to be desolate until they receive Him – then God did not give it its power:

Rev 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.

Not God, but the devil gives the beast its power, its seat (or position), and authority.

The description of the beast gives us some definition of its character.  Tracing hermeneutically each mentioned animal can show us how the beast behaves.  Biblically, a leopard is used in description of people, or kingdoms who sit in wait for prey – watching closely, and waiting patiently to destroy.  Bears are used to describe violent, and powerful mauling.  A lion, of course, is fierce like the king of predators unmercifully tearing its prey.

Now, I will come back and fill in some of the details about the beast from the sea.  But to give an overall clarification of Revelation 13, I will continue to the next beast, the beast from the earth – natural (remember the Old Covenant is made in CARNAL ORDINANCES (Heb 9:10)).

The beast from the earth is the prophet of the first beast.  He does great wonders, and miracles, and erects an image to the first beast.  He comes from the earth – temporal – and forces all, small and great to receive the mark of man’s number in his right hand OR in his forehead.

Here is what I believe of the second beast.  I believe that this will arise, and appear to be a prophet of God, like Moses.  Indeed, Moses made this prophecy:

Deut 18:15-19
15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;

16 According to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.

17 And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken.

18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Now according to Jewish custom, this is believed not to be a foretelling of the general office of prophet – as God has always sent prophets to His people since the time of Moses – but a prophet like Moses: whom God spake with face to face, who performed miracles, and HAD AUTHORITY TO WRITE SCRIPTURE.

When the Sanhedrin sent their delegation to John the Baptist to find out who he was, one of the questions was about this prophecy of Moses.  The baptist declared plainly that himself was not the Messiah, the counselors asked him: ‘Are you Elijah.’  He answered ‘I am not.’ (Because he was not a physical return, or reincarnation of Elijah who was taken to heaven alive – which is what they believed of the prophecies of the coming Elijah.)  Then they asked him: ‘Art thou THAT prophet?’  (John 1:20 & 21)

This prophecy of Moses was the ‘that prophet’ they were referring to.  In not so many words they were saying, ‘are you the prophet Moses declared would come to whom God speaks face to face, who has authority to write scripture?’  He said, ‘no.’

In fact, Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy.  He not only had authority to write scripture, He was the Word of God, made flesh!  He was living scripture!

I believe that a prophet will rise up claiming to be the prophet Moses predicted would come.  He will perform miraculous signs, and wonders and he will command an image to be built to the beast.  What is the ‘image’?

A new temple in Jerusalem.  Rev 13:15 declares: ‘…he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Now the word here for ‘life’ in the King James is actually PNEUMA – the Greek word meaning SPIRIT (wind, or breathe).

When Moses led the people through the wilderness God appeared in the form of a pillar of cloud, and a pillar of fire above the tabernacle.  The false prophet has power to give – SPIRIT to the image.  Should the temple be built, and a pillar of cloud appear in the temple, would it not be a convincing proof that God was there?  Furthermore, he has power to make the image speak.  God spoke to the nation of Israel in an audible voice from Mount Sinia when He gave the ten commandments.  Should the audible ‘voice of God’ come out of the spirit in the temple – would it not be a convincing proof that God was there?

Also the image will cause that as many who worship it to be killed.  The two sons of Aaron offered strange fire in the tabernacle, and were consumed by fire from the tabernacle. (Lev. 10:1 & 2)  Should the spirit in the temple kill in ‘judgement’ those who follow not the Old Covenant, would it not be a convincing proof that God was in the temple?

1 John 4:1-3
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2 HEREBY KNOW YE THE SPIRIT OF GOD: EVERY SPIRIT THAT CONFESSETH THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH IS OF GOD:

3 And EVERY SPIRIT THAT CONFESSETH NOT THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH IS NOT OF GOD: and THIS IS THAT SPIRIT OF ANTICHRIST, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 Thess 2:7-12
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I have warned previously – and now warn again: do not be deceived by the construction of an earthly temple.  Call this back to recollection – because it is for today; it is for the end days:

The disciples were impressed with the temple built with hands.  Jesus declared plainly that in the offset of the end days there would be no earthly temple.  He was not impressed with the buildings.  Bear this in mind: these two verses are the beginning of Jesus’ prophecy of the end days:

Matt 24:1-2
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

Strong delusion?  It already exists in precedent in the world.  The whole of evangelical Christianity believes that the temple must first be built before the Antichrist appears.  But if the Antichrist has understanding with them that forsake the covenant [of Jesus Christ] by replacing it with the Old Covenant; if he corrupts Christians with flatteries: ‘we worship the same God…’ – the temple ITSELF would be the abomination that causes desolation.  The hearts of deceived Christians would forsake the Messiah, and travel to the image of the beast the temple would take Messiah’s place IN THEIR HEARTS – CHRISTIANS ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD!!!  The Holy place is in YOU, Christian.

Daniel, and Jesus refer to the ‘abomination that causes desolation.’  Again, I call to your remembrance Jesus’ final word on the Sanhedrin:

Matt 23:38
Behold, your house is left unto you DESOLATE.

If Jesus proclaimed that the Sanhedrin, and Jerusalem were desolate because they were unwilling to renew their covenant with God through Jesus Christ – and Christians turn to submit themselves to the Old Covenant by way of honoring a Jewish temple… guess what?  THAT IS the abomination that MAKES DESOLATE.  Antichrist does not have to enter the man-made temple to declare himself God.  And how deceived would the Christians be if he never did – because the image of the beast with all the apparent power of the God of the Old Covenant has already taken the place of Messiah in our hearts?

Link: Sanhedrin anticipates building temple.

Matt 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Mark 13:14-23
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 

15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house:

16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment.

17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:

22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.