The Beast of Revelation 15
Judah - Two Vials, Two Faces, Two Destinies
And one of the four beasts gave unto the
seven angels
seven golden vials full of the wrath of God.
Rev 15:7
The beast of Revelation 15 is one of the four quadrant
tribes or beasts
each of whom has a vial of incense. And yet
this beast
also has a vial full of the wrath of God.
The solution to this paradox lies in the
dual character of Judah.
Before Christ's birth, this tribe
absorbed nation which had been
Israel's
worst enemy, Edom.
Two Nations in One Womb
Two Manner of People in one Tribe
The children struggled together within her;
and the LORD said
unto her, two nations are in thy womb, and
two
manner of people. Gen 25: 22,23
The name Edom was given to Esau, the first-born son
of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob. Esau's bitter
hatred
of his brother for fraudulently obtaining his
blessing
was inherited by his descendants
known as the
Edomites.
Initially this venomous seed settled in a mountainous
region around
Mr. Seir. Later they moved to southern Palestine
where they
prospered for four centuries.
But in 126 BC, John Hyrcanus forcibly
converted the Edomites to Judaism and
the Edomites ceased to be
a separate people. The Jewish Encyclopedia (1925
edition) states succinctly "Edom is in modern
Jewry."
Herod - Half Jew and Half Edomite
A Type of the Divided Nation
Alarmed by the tidings of one "born King of the Jews,"
Herod sent forth and "slew all the children that were in
Bethlehem, from two
years old and under."
(Mt 2:16)
Herod the Great was a type of Judah at the
birth of Christ. He was half Jew and half Edomite like
the
nation which was half Judean and half Idumean. Like
Esau he had a cruel and brutish disposition.
In his barbarous act of genocide we see Satan
working through Israel's traditional
enemy Edom to destroy the chosen seed. They
persecuted and killed the Messiah and have been a
thorn in the side for Christians to this day.
It is interesting that Peter uses the lion as a symbol of
the adversaries of the early church persecuting true
believers. Could he have implied Judah?
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom
he may devour. I Peter 5:8
Edom Disappeared from History
But they are Alive and Well in Bible Prophecy
Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I
loved Jacob, and I hated Esau. Edom, the people
against whom the LORD hath
indignation forever. Mal 1: 2-4
Even though Edom disappeared from history as a
separate nation, they are the subject of bible prophecy
to the end.
Obadiah is the shortest book in the Bible. It is devoted
to prophecies regarding Edom. Although some of
these prophecies were fulfilled in judgments after the
Babylonish captivity, they are only the earnest of the
great fulfillment which will occur at the Lord's return.
Israel's worst enemy is alive today struggling
to regain the lost birthright and
dominion. In the next newsletter, we shall see that they
are God's chosen vessel of wrath.
