The revived Roman Empire, led by the Antichrist, is the political power behind the end-times world church and uses it to make the world worship the beast.
Les Feldick teaches that the beast in Revelation 13 is the revival of the ancient Roman Empire, and its human ruler—the Antichrist—has a great religious organization at his disposal. That religious system, called Mystery Babylon, will reach its peak during the last seven years and cause the world to worship the Antichrist rather than God. The empire and its religious system are so intertwined that Les uses the term 'beast' for both the empire and its leader.
Revelation 13:12 — This verse shows a religious power causing the world to worship the first beast, the revived Roman Empire.
Revelation 17:5 — This verse names the end-times religious system as Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots.
Revelation 13:4 — This verse reveals the worldwide worship of the dragon and the beast.
In Revelation 13, John sees a beast coming up out of the sea. The dragon gives the beast his power, his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:2). The world responds by worshipping the dragon and the beast: '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?' (Revelation 13:4). A second beast then causes everyone on earth to worship the first beast—the one whose deadly wound was healed (Revelation 13:12). In Revelation 17, the same end-time system includes a woman called Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth (Revelation 17:5). This woman is described as drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (Revelation 17:6).
Les Feldick identifies the beast in Revelation 13 as first and foremost the revival of the old ancient Roman Empire. It is called a beast because the government will be so bestial in its operation that it will have no concern for human rights. The seven heads and ten horns point to Satan's power and authority behind the empire. In this revived Roman Empire—which Les equates with the ten nations of the European community—a human leader, the Antichrist, arises, and Satan gives him his power, throne, and authority. Les teaches that the Antichrist will have a great religious organization at his disposal. Through this religious umbrella, he will convince people to worship the first beast—the revived empire—and the Antichrist, the counterfeit, rather than the God of creation. This religious system is identified in Revelation 17 as Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots, which goes back to the Tower of Babel and has been the adversary of God's truth ever since. It will crescendo during the last seven years. Les interprets the deadly wound that was healed as the death and revival of the Roman Empire itself, not an individual being shot and brought back to life. The revived empire combines the attributes of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. At Christ's coming, this final empire is what He will strike like a stone cut out without hand, crushing all the vestiges of the earlier world empires.
Les says the beast in Revelation 13 is first and foremost the revival of the old ancient Roman Empire. It is a government that will be so bestial in its operation that it will have no concern for human rights. The human leader of that empire is the Antichrist, to whom Satan gives power, a throne, and authority. Les interprets the deadly wound healed as the death and revival of the Roman Empire itself, not a man being shot and brought back to life.
Les teaches that the Antichrist will have a great religious organization at his disposal. This religious umbrella will be used to convince the people of the world to worship not the God of creation, but the Antichrist, the counterfeit. In Revelation 17, this religious system is called Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots. Les sees its roots at the Tower of Babel and says it will come to a peak during the last seven years.
The revived Roman Empire and the world church are bound together in the end times. The empire is the political beast, and the Antichrist, its ruler, has this religious organization at his disposal to make the earth worship the first beast—the empire whose deadly wound was healed. The religious system, Mystery Babylon, is the instrument by which the Antichrist directs worldwide false worship.
Mystery Babylon Revealed
Les shows that the world religious system of the end times is Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots, which has opposed God's truth from the Tower of Babel and will reach its peak in the last seven years.
The Antichrist's Religious Umbrella
Les explains that the Antichrist will control a great religious organization and use it to make the world worship him instead of the God of creation.
The Antichrist and the European Community
Les describes the revived Roman Empire as the end-times coalition (the European community) and its human leader the Antichrist, to whom Satan gives power and authority.
The Deadly Wound Healed
Les proves that the deadly wound that was healed is the death and revival of the Roman Empire, not an individual being resurrected.
Daniel's Four Beasts and the Revived Roman Empire Explained
And the dragon, Satan, gave him, the Antichrist, the head of this final Roman Empire, the dragon, Satan, gives him his power, his throne, and his authority. And I saw one of his heads that were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed. Now, here again, I wish I had more time.
The Beast as Revived Roman Empire
Les clarifies that the beast in Revelation 13 is primarily the revived Roman Empire, a government that operates with no concern for human rights.
The Stone That Crushes the Empire
Les teaches that Christ's coming will destroy the revived Roman Empire like a stone cut out without hands, along with all remnants of previous empires.
All Empires Combined
Les shows that the final beast contains all the attributes of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, making it the culmination of world empires.
Revelation 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.
Shows the beast is a political power that receives Satan's authority and combines characteristics of earlier empires.
Revelation 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?
Shows the result of the false religious system: worldwide worship of the dragon and the beast.
Revelation 13:12: And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
The second beast uses religious power to make the world worship the first beast—the revived empire.
Revelation 17:5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
This is the scriptural name for the end-times religious system.
Revelation 17:6: And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Shows the religious system's persecution of true believers.
Les says the beast is first and foremost the revival of the ancient Roman Empire—a government. But the man Antichrist is the leader of that empire, and the terms are used almost synonymously because the two are so closely connected.
Les identifies it as the great religious system of the end times, called the mother of harlots. It goes back to ancient Babylon and the Tower of Babel, and it has been the adversary of God's truth, but it will reach its peak during the last seven years.
Les teaches that the Antichrist will have a great religious organization at his disposal. He will use it to make the world worship the first beast—the revived Roman Empire—and himself, the counterfeit, rather than the God of creation.
Les teaches that at Christ's coming He will strike the revived Roman Empire like a stone cut out without hands. It is the final empire that will be crushed, along with all the remnants of the earlier empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
Watch the Teaching: Revelation 17 Explained: The Rise of the Antichrist's World Religion