Rev 13:3-5 Part 1, His Deadly Wound was Healed

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Rev 13:3-5 Part 1, His Deadly Wound was Healed

[Study Aired January 10, 2025]

In this study we will seek to understand, among other things, what is meant by telling us that one of the beast’s seven heads had received a deadly wound and the wound was healed.

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

Introduction

We need to be reminded of three things before we begin this study.

1) “Blessed is he that reads, hears, and keeps the things which are written” in these three verses as well as all the other “prophecies of this book” (Rev 1:3 and 22:7). This means that…

2) This chapter, the previous chapter, and the next two chapters, are all part of a long introduction to, and the culmination of, the revelation of what is the work of the seventh trumpet in our lives. That work is revealed in Revelation 15 and 16, as the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon all of our “ungodliness and unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18). We are told that ‘No man can enter the temple in heaven until the seven last plagues of God’s wrath begins to be poured out in each person’s life.’ Revelation 15:8 is in the aorist tense signifying that this ‘pouring out of these seven last plagues is a process that must first begin in us as “the house of God” (1Pe 4:17) before we can begin entering the temple in  heaven:

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filledG1072 [G5681-Aorist tense] with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enterG1525 [G5629-Aorist tense] into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilledG5055 [G5686-Aorist tense].

3) The last thing we need to remember before we begin this study is that the pouring out of these seven plagues is the working of the Lord Himself giving the beast within us a deadly wound to all seven of his heads after the deadly wound of one of our seven heads is healed. This revelation of Jesus Christ shows us the evil experience the Lord gives us to humble all of us. It does this with the emphasis upon how stubborn and rebellious we all are by nature, and how loath is the beast we are to relinquish to the Lord His throne.

Pro 16:4  The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Isa 63:17  O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17  For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh [typifying our old man], Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18  Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy [our new man], and whom he will he hardeneth [our old man… “of the same lump”]:

Rom 9:21  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour [our new man], and another unto dishonour? [Our old man]

We all “live by every word” (Mat 4:4) including our own “day of evil” (Pro 16:4). While in that ‘day of evil’ it is the Lord who sends evil spirits to “harden [our] hearts” and to “cause us to err from His ways”.

He calls this process “strong delusion”:

2Th 2:6  And now ye know what withholdeth that he [“the beast… the son of perdition”] might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  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:
2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God, the Father, Himself tempts no man, but God created a tempter to do His tempting for Him:

Jas 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God is without temptation of evils, and he himself tempts no man. (ASV)

Mat 4:3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

1Th 3:5  For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

When the Lord turns us over to the tempter, He refers to that trial as “strong delusion”. It is not a ‘weak delusion’. It is a self-righteous delusion of iniquity to which we attach ourselves with great resolve, and we believe a lie”.

Eze 33:13  When I say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, none of his righteous deeds shall be remembered; but in his iniquity [“His righteousness”] that he hath committed, therein shall he die.

Part of that “strong delusion” includes giving us a deadly wound which causes us to sincerely, “anon with joy” receive the truth and rejoice in it for a short time. However, in time “when triblation or persecution arises because of the word by and by we  are offended, or the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and we become unfruitful and in time we believes a lie and are condemned.

Mat 13:18  Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
Mat 13:19  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root [Christ (Rev 22:16)] in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

“The deceitfulness of riches” includes the deceitful false doctrines which have enriched so many of us in our own time. All of this is “strong delusion”, which is the meaning of “his deadly wound was healed”:

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

For the beast within us to be wounded, “as it were wounded to death”, requires the work of the Word of God. Only God’s Word can deliver a wound which would give our first head a deadly wound. The word translated ‘one’ in this verse is the Greek word ‘mia’ and carries with it the thought of ‘first’ as well as ‘one of…’ ‘Mia’ is most often translated with the English word ‘one’, and this is completely proper. It is also eight times translated ‘first’, as in “the first day of the week” and “after the first and second admonition reject”. It should be clear from scripture the “one of his heads” that was “as it were wounded unto death”, would only logically be the first, most immature head of our beast within.

Mat 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [G3391: mia] day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Tit 3:10 A man that is an heretick after the first [G3391: mia] and second admonition reject;

How is this wound inflicted?

It is when God first begins to bring us to the point that we see our need for a Savior that this first head receives a “deadly wound.” The Old Testament type of this deadly wound being healed is when Israel cried out to God for a Savior with an innocent and sincere heart, and God heard their cry and delivered them from their oppressors. This is the Old Testament type of the Word of the Lord giving our inward beast a deadly wound when we are first caused to cry out to God for our salvation.

Hos 11:1 When Israel was a child [H5288, ‘naar’, “a youth”, an immature child], then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
Hos 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that healed them.
Hos 11:4 I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.

When God heals us, He does so by causing the beast within us to receive a “deadly wound”.

Joh 3:30 He [“Christ in you”] must increase, but I [the beast that I am by nature] must decrease.

The only thing that can make war with this beast is Christ and His Word. We of ourselves are hopeless to overcome our own beastly flesh:

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

So what is it that delivers this “deadly wound”? We are not left to speculate. We are plainly told:

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles [real 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.

Since we are told that Christ can, and in the end He does, destroy this beast “with the sword of His mouth”, we therefore know that the only thing that could inflict this “deadly wound” on this beast is the sword of the Word of God.

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Rev 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp swordthat with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
Rev 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast [aorist tense] alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 19:21 And the remnant were slain [aorist tense] with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled [aorist tense] with their flesh.

“Who is able to make war with the beast?” It is the Christ with the “sword which proceeds out of His mouth” who can and does “make war with the beast” and who will with that “sword… smite the nations” within us, and cast the beast and the false prophet within us into “fiery trials which will burn up our old man with all of his ‘wood, hay and stubble’ in  us, as well as every evil thought in all the rest of mankind at a later fiery experience known as “the lake of fire”. The ‘lake of fire’ is just another symbol for the fiery work of the Word of God which takes place after the saints of this age rule with Christ for a thousand years. It is the great white throne/lake of fire/second death which will purify every man who has ever lived. This fiery work takes place only “when the thousand years are expired”:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, [Those who in this present time die to their old man first] and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [“the resurrection of life” (Joh 5:27-30)]: on such the second death [White throne judgment, “resurrection of judgment” (Joh 5:27-30)] hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever [At the great white throne judgment].
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The fiery trial of this present time and the fire of the lake of fire “when the thousand years are expired” are the same ‘fire’ in both instances. This is clear to all who have the mind of Christ, because we are clearly told that both ‘fire’ and the ‘sword’ are symbols of the law and Word of God.

Deu 33:2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

2Sa 22:9 There went up a smoke out of his [the Lord’s] nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

Jer 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them [God’s “two witnesses”], fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

What happened to the Lord’s son, Israel, after he was given a deadly wound and was called out of Egypt? Here is the Old Testament spiritual type of the healing of the deadly wound of “one of the heads” of the beast within us all. This is what we all do.

Hos 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.

Here is Hosea 11:2 in Christ’s words:

Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

“Making one proselyte” symbolizes “a deadly wound with a sword” and “twofold more the child of Gehenna than yourselves” is the “healing of the deadly wound” of the first head of our beast.

Now let’s examine verse four:

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

How do we “worship the dragon which gives power to the beast?” The first thing we need to realize is that we do not think we are worshiping the dragon while we are doing so. Those who “worship the dragon” actually believe they are worshiping Christ and His Father.

Joh 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then] are ye my disciples indeed;

Speaking to “those Jews which believed on Him”, Christ said this:

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, [even] God.
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye [andI] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

“You do the deeds of your father… you are of your father the devil…” That is us when we “believe on [Christ]”, claim the name “Christian” and refuse to “hear [and do] His word.” That is how we “worship the dragon who gives the beast his power and throne and great authority.” As Christ tells us here, when we first come to Him as the first head of the beast, we “cannot hear His word.”

Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

What orthodox Christian can hear and obey Christ’s speech which says:

Mat 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell [ Greek – Gehenna] fire.

What so-called ‘Christian’ can hear and obey Christ’s speech which says:

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Mat 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evilbut whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Finally, what Christian can hear these words of Christ’s speech?

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

There it is in plain English. “That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven”. We are God’s children only when we “do the things that He says.” Likewise, we are “of our father the devil” when we do not do the things he says, and worship and serve the beast who is the seed of the serpent, having seven heads and ten horns, just like his father.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

We will pause our study at this point and in our next study we will consider the spiritual significance of “forty and two months”:

Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

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