THE SIGNS OF THE FALSE CHRIST

The Signs of the False Christ vs. 3-4

"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." "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?"

The Wounding of One of the Heads vs. 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."

The Object of the Wound

Kingdom - the beast is a kingdom. Rev. 17:3, 9-10 RV not AV.
This kingdom has seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are seven mountains which are seven kings. Five of these kings are already fallen, and one is reigning as John writes. The seventh king has not yet arrived but will doubtless be the king of the revived Roman Empire. This is probably the head that is wounded.

King - the beast is also a king.
While it is one of the kings that is wounded, it must not be surmised that this is the wounding of a king merely. This is the wounding of a kingdom in the sense that it is the wounding of a king. It is the beast that is wounded (13:12). That is, it is a man, the king, who is wounded to death. This is the seventh king who dies, comes to life again, and becomes the eighth (Rev. 17:10-11).

The Nature of the Wound
"as it were wounded" AV

RV. "as though it had been smitten" (marg. - slain). Exactly the same words in the original appear in Rev. 5:6 with relation to the Lamb. "As it had been slain."
The word slain implies the exercise of violence. Without doubt we have here the permitted imitation of the crucifixion of Christ. This is not strange, for this man is the imitation of Christ, thus Antichrist.

The Extent of the Wound to the Beast

The nature of the wound resulted from being smitten.
1 John 3:12 And slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him?
Rev. 5:6 As it had been slain. (wV esjagmenon)
Rev. 5:9 For thou wast slain. (esjaghV)
Rev. 5:12 The lamb that was slain. (to esjagmenon)
Rev. 6:4 That they should kill one another. (sjaxousin)
Rev. 6:9 The souls of that were slain. (twn esjagmenwn)
Rev. 13:3 As it were wounded to death. (wV esjagmenhn)
Rev. 13:8 The Lamb slain from the foundation. (tou esjagmenou)
Rev. 18:24 Of all that were slain upon the earth. (twn esjagmenwn)

The Extent of the Wound

"To death" AV. "Unto death" RV.

The words do not imply that the man was brought down to the very brink of death and then rescued. They rather imply that the man went through the experience of death. Especially when these words are compared with those describing Christ in Rev. 5:6, one must hold that this was death, a death known throughout the world, and therefore a death attracting much attention.
The extent of the wound was unto death.

Matt. 10:21 Brother shall deliver up brother to death. (eiV qanaton)

Matt. 20:18 They shall condemn him to death. (eiV qanaton)

Mark 13:12 Brother shall betray the brother to death. (eiV qanaton)

Luke 22:33 Both into prison, and to death. (eiV qanaton)

Rom. 6:3 Were baptized into his death. (eiV ton qanaton)

Rom. 6:4 By baptism into death. 6L0 Toy edvaTov

Rom. 6:16 Whether of sin unto death. (eiV qanaton)

Rom. 7:10 I found to be unto death. (eiV qanaton)

2 Cor. 2:16 The savor of death unto death. (eiV qanaton)

2 Cor. 4:11 Are alway delivered unto death. (eiV qanaton)

Parallel passages but not the same con­struction.

Matt. 26:38 Exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. (ewV qanatou)

Mark 10:33 Shall condemn him to death. (qanatou)

Mark 14:34 Sorrowful-unto death. (ewV qanatou)

John 11:4 This sickness is not unto death. (proV qanaton)

Acts 22:4 I persecuted this way unto the death. (acri qanatou)

Romans 5:21 Sin hath reigned unto death. (en tw qanatw)

Romans 7:5 To bring forth fruit unto death. (tw qanatw)

Phil. 2:8 Obedient unto death. (mecri qanatou)

Phil. 2:27 He was sick nigh unto death. (paraplhsion qanatou)

Phil. 2:30 He was nigh unto death. (mecri qanatou hggisen)

Phil. 3:10 Conformable unto his death. (tw qanatw)

1 John 5:16 A sin not unto death. (mh proV qanaton)

1 John 5:16 A sin unto death. (proV qanaton)

Rev. 2:10 Be thou faithful unto death. (acri qanatou)

 

The description of the death wound in the Greek.

Rev. 13:3 His deadly wound. (h plhgh tou qanatou autou)
Rev. 13:12 Whose deadly wound. (h plhgh tou qanatou autou)

The Cure of the Wound

"And his deadly wound was healed" AV.

These words declare that the king of terrors has been conquered. This slain leader is raised to life again (Heb. 2:15). The method is not suggested right here. It is simply asserted that it happened. In this there is the permitted imitation of the resurrection of Christ. This resurrection is not like Christ's, namely, to walk in newness of life and die no more. But neither is it a mere resuscitation.

The Method may be be Suggested in Several Passages of the Book

11:7 "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit." The Abyss is the place where the souls of wicked go at death. (Rom. 10:7. Christ went there at the death and closed it.)

17:8 "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottom­less pit." This speaks of him living, dying, and rising again from dead.

17:11 "The beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven." This indicates that he is the seventh, he dies, and rises again and thus becomes the eighth.