Another beast

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.
(Revelation 13:11 ESV)


We have already seen the first beast in scripture, the anti-Christ.
- AN'TI, n. [Gr. See Ante.] A preposition signifying against, opposite, contrary, or in place of;
The method could overt or covert.

So then, this beast in sheep's clothing has the same goals as the anti-Christ - to deceive, contradict, and turn the heart and mind against God.

"Another beast" implies something horrific and dangerous, yet it has a gentle connotation because it appears as a lamb.

Sheep have horns, something we city folk do not get to see. Sheepherders lop them off to protect their assets. Aside from horns, what would make a sheep so frightening? Seeing as Jesus was described as a lamb, quietly led to the slaughter, any potential dangers in this sheep like character have to be hidden from obvious view when initially seen. A clue is in this. It speaks like a dragon.

If you have read Revelation 12:9 then you know the answer to this, Satan, the father of lies. So we can safely assume a person that pervades a powerful deception; a lie.

Islam has its own version of Jesus. Mohammed allegedly rescued him from the death of the cross. Their Jesus vanished from the earth, but will reappear once again. The Jesus of theirs is merely a man, and a prophet. He will be subservient to the Mahdi; the anti-Christ, and according to scripture:
13:12 exercises all the authority of the first beast.
- Makes everyone worship the first beast.
- Performs great signs, including fire from heaven.
- deceives the earth.
- Sets up an image in the temple.
- Causes the image to speak.
- Kills those that will not worship the image.
- Forces everyone to receive a mark (denoting allegiance).

The Koran also teaches that our Messiah, Jesus, God's son, is the anti-Christ, and that they (Islam) will do battle with him, and win. Good luck with that.

What I see is Satan attempting to parallel virtually every aspect of God's plan for salvation.

Though this beast person comes in the gentle appearance of a lamb, his deception only serves one purpose, to steal the souls of men from God. We should know that Jesus said that Satan only comes but for to kill, steal, and destroy. Satan is the father of lies, therefore this scenario is based purely in selfish desire - the basis of all sin.

Apparently to be a "beast" your qualifications must include:
Deception - The same thing magicians do. They cause you to believe one thing, while distracting you from what is really going on.
Blasphemy - Many have asked the question, has my anger toward God disqualified me from God's mercy? The short answer is no. Look at the intent of the anti-Christ. Although he speaks against God, his express intent is to turn hearts away from God.
Violence - Against the people of the book (the Bible). This is what Islam considers Jews and Christian followers of the risen Lord. There will also be violence against anyone who refuses to worship the image or receive the mark of allegiance to Allah and his prophet Mohammed.
This aspect, violence, is an ongoing issue in Islamic ruled nations even today.

Another aspect of this verse that requires some thought is "another beast rising out of the earth". The original beast comes out of the sea, but that is definable as the masses of people on the earth. Islam is the fastest growing religion on earth, and is Muslims are quickly becoming the dominant population.

Feel free to consider this conjecture, but having done some more research I have found that commentators said similar things to this.
What if the earth represents some commonality? 
John wrote this book to be understood. If we did not understand it, where does our inability lean.

Islam was not the force it is today thirty years ago. We now have a clearer picture of what Islam believes, and yet we cling so heavily to traditional explanations that were so wrong, regardless of how little sense they might have made then.

What gives this Islamic definition more validity is Al Queada, an Islamic organization, noted for its terrorists acts, directed against the great satan, USA, and the little satan, Israel. These acts of terror are also directed at anyone else that does not hold to sharia law. The fact that they flew our own passenger planes, on suicide missions, into the World Trade center towers, changing the way we operate in our daily lives, demonstrates what these people are capable of.

So as I ponder what could be common in the biblical sense, it occurs to me. The Koran declares this Jesus of theirs (the second beast) to be a Jew of Aaron's lineage. That would make him qualified to command the role as the high priest, enter the temple, and eventually set up the abomination, the image that eventually speaks. His heritage would make him a believable person to the Jewish community, and a fatal influence pertaining to worshiping the beast, and extraordinarily blasphemous in God's eyes. For how could one of his own do such a thing.

An understanding of Islam causes the book of Revelation to begin to make all the sense in the world. For Islam's tenants and prophecies match the scenarios of the book almost to the letter.

Note: this is not a message of hate, but one trying to demonstrate that it is possible to understand the book of Revelation, and that the time to pray is now. God has left us loop holes, you will see them if you read the book. And you do not know but what God may repent of the anger he intends to pour out upon the earth.