Revelation 11:3 And I will give strength unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.


Who is this beast?

We see several beasts in Revelation that have been identified.
1. There's the seven headed red dragon who is that old serpent the devil.
2. There's a seven headed beast in Rev. 13 which looks like a combination of Daniel 7's beasts. It's usually identified as the Roman Papacy.
3. There's the earth beast in Rev. 13 with lamb like horns and a tongue like the dragon. He comes on the scene later than the seven headed beast. It's usually identified as the United States.
4. There's another seven headed scarlet beast in Rev. 17, that was, is not, and ascends out of the bottomless pit, and carries the harlot Babylon. That beast is usually identified as the political power of the Roman papacy.

But who is this beast in Rev. 11:7 ?

Some will say it's THE beast of Rev. 13 -- Roman Papacy.
But how can that be right, since this beast ascends at the end of the 1260 years when the witnesses are finishing their testimony. The Papal beast is receiving it's fatal wound at that point in time.

According the Great Controversy 269

The context is the French Revolution. So would this beast be just an evil manifestation limited to the French Revolution?

Or are their other indications and connections to identify this beast?
He is rarely mentioned in commentaries which tend to gloss over his mention and just focus on the war against scripture.

One of the major characteristics of the French Revolution, as is the case with communism in general, is an atheistic system that places the ruling party in the place of God. If Jesus is our solid Rock, the foundation upon which we build our house, then a system with no foundation that ?ascends out of the bottomless pit?, would quite possibly be atheism or the worship of the Goddess of Reason. If this is the case, the beast of Revelation 11 is still very active.

I agree the beast in Revelation11 is an atheistic system. It was very involved in the French Revolution. The Bible pictures it as ascending out of the bottomless pit and killing the two witnesses (Old and New Testament)

. The other beasts we usually talk about in Revelation 13 are apostate Christian powers.
The Roman papal beast, and the second American (at first proclaiming liberty and freedom of religion) but turning into a controlling, persecuting beast imitating the Roman papal beast.

The first beast in Rev. 13 suppressed the Bible.

But the beast in Revelation 11 isn't interested in the Bible or God.
This beast killed (at least tried to kill) the Bible, but God's Word came to life again after 3 1/2 years.

Some, who have studied the various revolutions that shook the world around the close of the 1260 years have been looking for a common thread between them and found that thread to be secret societies.

History shows that Freemasonry is inseparable linked with the French revolution (as well as the American and European revolutions of the 1700s and 1800s).
The slogans were "liberty, equality, virtue, and morality.".

France exhibited what happens when a nation throws out God and His Word. Liberty, equality, virtue and morality, went out as well. A reign of terror took hold. What started out looking like a noble fight for liberty equality and virtue soon turned into a mad and blood thirsty scene.

The interesting thing is that freemasonry leaders were also very much involved in the American revolution which also fought for Liberty, equality and virtue. George Washington was a mason and there were masonic rituals connected with setting up the liberated government of the US. However, the Bible and God still held considerable influence in America. Thus America prospered, due to its strong Protestant leanings. But what happens when Protestantism is declared dead????

Again we see illustrated that claims of liberty and equality, though great concepts when linked with true Christian ideals, yet when divorced from these ideals they lead into disaster.

?When they shall have finished [are finishing] their testimony.? The period when the two witnesses were to prophesy clothed in sackcloth ended in 1798. As they were approaching the termination of their work in obscurity, war was to be made upon them by the power represented as ?the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit.? In many of the nations of Europe the powers that ruled in Church and State had for centuries been controlled by Satan, through the medium of the papacy. But here is brought to view a new manifestation of Satanic power. {GC88 268.3}

It had been Rome's policy, under a profession of reverence for the Bible, to keep it locked up in an unknown tongue, and hidden away from the people. Under her rule the witnesses prophesied, ?clothed in sackcloth.? But another power?the beast from the bottomless pit?was to arise to make open, avowed war upon the Word of God. {GC88 269.1}

According to the words of the prophet, then, a little before the year 1798 some power of Satanic origin and character would rise to make war upon the Bible. And in the land where the testimony of God's two witnesses should thus be silenced, there would be manifest the atheism of the Pharaoh, and the licentiousness of Sodom. {GC88 269.3}

?The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.? The atheistical power that ruled in France during the Revolution and the reign of terror, did wage such a war upon the Bible as the world had never witnessed (GC88 273)

In France arose an atheistical power that openly declared war against the authority of Heaven.

A power from beneath is working to bring about the last great scenes in the drama,--Satan coming as Christ, and working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who are binding themselves together in secret societies. Those who are yielding to the passion for confederation are working out the plans of the enemy. The cause will be followed by the effect. 8T 28 {Ev 622.2}

What can we learn from the above quotes concerning this particular beast.

1. New manifestation of Satanic power
2. Makes open avowed war on Bible
3. Atheistic and licentious
4, Basically destroys (Kills) the Bible
5. Comes up from the bottomless pit
6. Manifests itself in France during the French Revolution


There is only one other mention of a beast coming up from a bottomless pit.
That's in Revelation 17. The beast the woman Babylon rides.

Is there any connection -- or is it just that both receive their power "from beneath"?


Rev. 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.