The Ascent
Repeatedly, Satan and his forces ascend from the deep pit to attack the men and women who belong to the Lamb.
The
“Abyss” first appears when the “fifth trumpet” is sounded, releasing
a horde of hideous beings that ascend from the pit and swarm over the
earth tormenting men. This force is ruled by the “angel of the Abyss named Abaddon and Apollyon.” Both names mean “destruction.” Thus, the “Abyss”
is the source of satanic forces that deceive men and attack the
church.
In
the vision of the “Two Witnesses,” the reader meets the “Beast” for
the first time when it “ascends from the Abyss” and “slays” both witnesses.
But
the “Beast” is only authorized to make its “ascent” after the
Two Witnesses “complete their testimony,” and it is allowed to persecute
and kill them:
- (Revelation 11:4-7) – “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the Lord of the earth. And if any man desires to hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and if any man desires to hurt them, in this manner he must be killed... And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and kill them.”
ASCENT FROM THE DEPTHS
The “Two Witnesses” are identified as the
“two lampstands,” and elsewhere in the book, “lampstands”
represent churches. That means they symbolize churches in some
capacity. And to attack them, the “Beast” must first “ascend” from
the “Abyss.”
From this point in the book, the theme of evil forces “ascending” from a dark and deep place to attack the “saints” is repeated several times, and each time, the same Greek verb anabainô for “ascend” is employed.
For example, in chapter 13, John sees the same creature “ascending
from the sea,” and the “sea” represents the same reality as the “Abyss.”
As before, the “beast ascends” from the depths to prosecute the
Devil’s war against the “saints.”
And just as the “Beast from the Abyss” cannot kill the
“Two Witnesses” until they complete their “testimony,” so, also, the
“Beast
from the sea” cannot attack the “saints”
until it is authorized to do so (“it was given to it…”) - (Revelation
13:1-10).
Thus, the “Beast from the Abyss” and the “Beast
from the sea” are identical, and the “war” against the "Two Witnesses" represents the same
reality as the “war” against the “saints.”
FROM THE EARTH
Next, John sees another “Beast ascending from the earth,” identified later as the “False
Prophet.” It uses the authority of the first beast to coerce men to render
homage to it.
When the fifth trumpet is sounded, the “Abyss” is located
on the earth. Elsewhere, this second beast, the “false prophet,” uses
his power to deceive the “inhabitants of the earth” so they render
homage to the first “Beast from the sea” – (Revelation 13:11-15, 19:20).
In chapter 17, John sees
“Babylon” in the “wilderness” where she sits on “many waters.”
The latter represents “peoples and
multitudes and nations and tongues.” Based on her integral involvement in
commerce, she holds sway over fallen humanity.
The description of “Babylon” sitting on “many
waters” points to the same reality as the “sea” from which the “Beast”
ascends to wage war against the “saints.” Like the “Abyss,” the “sea”
is a source of great evil in Revelation.
“Babylon” also rides the “Beast that was and is not and is about to ascend from the Abyss.” Thus, this “Beast” is identical to the earlier creature that ascended
from the “Abyss” to attack the “two witnesses,” and to the “Beast”
that rose from the “sea” to wage war on the “saints” -
(Revelation 17:8-15).
The description - it
“was and is not and is about to ascend from the Abyss” – describes the
same reality as the earlier death and restoration of one of the Beast’s “seven
heads,” and this explains why the “inhabitants of the earth” wonder after
it (“And its death-stroke was healed, and the whole
earth wondered after the beast” – 13:3-4).
In the description in
chapter 17, the “Beast” represents a trans-historical reality. It has
existed before and will rise again. Its seven “heads” represent “seven
kingdoms,” five of which are already in John’s past, one existed in his
time, and a final incarnation will appear in the future and endure for a “short
time.”
Finally, at the end of the “thousand years,” Satan is
loosed from the “Abyss” to gather the nations from the four “corners
of the earth.” This horde “ascends over
the earth” and attacks the “camp of the saints” – (Revelation 20:3-10).
Thus, the verbal links between these several visions demonstrate
that the “Beast from the Abyss” and the “Beast
from the sea” are one and the same. Moreover, the
“war” against the "Two Witnesses" represents the same
reality as the “war” of the “Beast
from the sea” with the “saints.”
Likewise, Satan’s release from the “Abyss” and attack
against the “camp of the saints” corresponds to the same reality when
the nations “ASCEND” over the earth. His attack after his release from
the “Abyss” will not be his first attempt to destroy God’s people, but
it will certainly be his last.
