The First Beast in chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation is the Antichrist. His name is Donald J. Trump.
The Book of Revelation
Chapter 13
The First Beast.
1 Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name[s].
2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear’s, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. To it the dragon gave its own power and throne, along with great authority.
3 I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast.
4 They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast and said, “Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it?”
5* The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.
6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling and those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was also allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them, and it was granted authority over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.
8 All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who was slain.
9 Whoever has ears ought to hear these words.
10 Anyone destined for captivity goes into captivity.
Anyone destined to be slain by the sword shall be slain by the sword.
Such is the faithful endurance of the holy ones.
Revised New American Bible
Rev. 13: 1-10 The First Beast, The Antichrist
“Then I saw a beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads blasphemous name[s]” (Rev. 13:1).
Days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, which perhaps opened a portal to Hell and released the Spirit of The Antichrist into our world, Donald J. Trump was conceived (b. June 14, 1946). “‘He will be a child of fornication,’ says St. John Damascene, ‘and his birth will be saturated with the breath and spirit of Satan’.” End of the Present World (EPW) by Fr. Charles Arminjon, p. 43. De fide orthodoxa.
The First Beast, the Antichrist, rises from the Sea
The sea represents people of the world, and the beast, which reveals itself over seven different time periods (or hills, as in City Upon A Hill), each led by its own head, is of the people, who becomes a powerful ruler (see Rev. 17 and Dn. 7). The last head reigns twice. “The beast that existed once but exists no longer is an eighth king, but really belongs to the seven and is headed for destruction. The ten horns that you saw represent ten kings (diadems) who have not yet been crowned” (Rev. 17:11-12). Each head is blasphemous, as he presents himself above God.
Description of the First Beast, the Antichrist
“The beast I saw was like a leopard, but it had feet like a bear’s, and its mouth was like the mouth of a lion. To it the dragon gave its own power and throne, along with great authority” (Rev. 13:2).
Each of these seven heads has its own characteristics, which altogether describe the one beast. The Book of Daniel 7:1-6 describes the beastly characteristics of the lion, bear and leopard, which the apostle John refers to in his vision. The Prophet Daniel received a vision of four beasts arising from the same sea of evil, while St. John received a similar vision, but as one beast with seven heads. The dragon is Satan, aka Lucifer, the fallen angel. He gives his power and throne to the First Beast, the Antichrist, Donald J. Trump.
The throne of Satan and the First Beast, the Antichrist
“Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it” (Rev. 12:7-9).
Satan cannot become incarnate, the way the Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ became human. However, he can give his “power and throne, along with great authority” to anyone he wishes. He attempted to do so in the third temptation he proposed to Christ:
“Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, ‘All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.’ At this, Jesus said to him, ‘Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve’’” (Mt. 4:8-10).
The Devil gives his throne to the First Beast, the Antichrist
Jesus rejected all of Satan’s efforts to corrupt him, but the First Beast, the Antichrist (all seven heads), embody this last temptation. Together, these seven heads, as one beast, reign over the world to dominate and destroy its inhabitants. The 7th & 8th heads belong to one person, Donald J. Trump.
“I saw that one of its heads seemed to have been mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast” (Rev. 13:3).
Whether former President Donald J. Trump lost the 2020 election, or it was stolen, in either case he lost his power. It appears to be a mortal wound to the Head of State. However, in spite of the 4 indictments, encompassing 91 charges, which he must face in court, there is a real possibility he will be reelected. This explains the 8th king, who is really one of the seven, and it is where we find ourselves at the present time (August 2023).
These two pictures show us how the same head, at two different time periods, reveal the same beast on the 7th most powerful hill of all.
The Prophet Daniel describes the First Beast, the Antichrist
“After this, in the visions of the night I saw a fourth beast, terrifying, horrible, and of extraordinary strength; it had great iron teeth with which it devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet what was left. It differed from the beasts that preceded it. It had ten horns. I was considering the ten horns it had, when suddenly another, a little horn, sprang out of their midst, and three of the previous horns were torn away to make room for it. This horn had eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly” (Dn. 7:7-8)
As of the end of September, 2023, there have been two Republican primary debates. It has become clear to some that Donald J. Trump is not mortally wounded, but well on his way to returning to power. Newt: The race is over | Watch (msn.com)
He is Arrogant and Condescending
Vote, then die. This beast is all about himself. In spite of such arrogant indifference to the well-being of others, he won the Iowa caucus with 51% of the vote January 15th, 2024. His condescending statement to the voters of Iowa is in reality a warning to all, vote for him and then die. The day after the March 5th “Super Tuesday” Trump became the only candidate for the republican nomination.
The First Beast, the Antichrist, is the Lawless One
May 30, 2024, Trump was convicted of all 34 counts in just one of his four inditements charged against him. He is now a convicted felon. Add this to the list of crimes attributed to Trump, and we can see why St. Paul calls him “the Lawless One” (2 Thes. 2). This conviction and his life of lawlessness should open our eyes to who this person is.
Specific outstanding characteristics are given in Sacred Scripture to help us recognize the First Beast, the Antichrist, when we see him. Yet, many people continue to support him, and most likely Trump will be reelected President of the United States on Nov. 5, 2024. There is nothing normal about this! There is only one explanation for this as we read in Sacred Scripture:
“They worshiped the dragon because it gave its authority to the beast; they also worshiped the beast and said, ‘Who can compare with the beast or who can fight against it?’” (Rev. 13:4)
Reject Donald J. Trump
Do not follow him. Do not worship the dragon, Satan, and do not worship the beast, Donald J. Trump, even if we cannot fight against this evil one! Once he is sworn in on inauguration day, January 20, 2025, his time will be short to accomplish all this beast must do for our ruin.
“The beast was given a mouth uttering proud boasts and blasphemies, and it was given authority to act for forty-two months.” (Rev. 13:5)
Listen to the prophetic voice and read the warning of others
Ken Burns, H’24 Keynote Address to Brandeis University’s 2024 Graduates (youtube.com)
The above link to the commencement address given by Ken Burns in May of 2024 gives a prophetic voice to current events. He risks his career and suffers fierce criticism. The role of a prophet is not easy, but necessary!
Many others have also done so in a variety of ways. Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI recommend that we read Lord of the World by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson. This is a work of fiction, but based on what one might expect the First Beast, the Antichrist to resemble. There is nothing in Sacred Scripture to suggest that the Antichrist will be charismatic and talented. So the “Hollywood” version is not likely. Rather, we know he will be evil, a liar, arrogant, boastful, and the lawless one.
Intellectual Conferences regarding the First Beast, the Antichrist
The End of the Present World and the Mysteries of the Future Life (EPW) by Fr. Charles Arminjon is a compilation of nine conferences that are said to have greatly influenced St. Therese of Lisieux. His second conference is entitled: “The Persecution by the Antichrist and the Conversion of the Jews.”
Arminjon Argues
A great apostasy will set the stage for the Tribulation. Based on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, the First Beast, the Antichrist, will be revealed at the time of the Tribulation. “What is clear and undeniable from the passage we have just quoted is that, before the end of the world, there will appear on earth a profoundly evil man…” (EPW, p. 40).
He is a human being
The spirit of the antichrist has been at work for centuries. It has formed organizations such as Freemasonry and Illuminati to work towards the elimination of Christianity. However, Arminjon clearly states that The First Beast, The Antichrist, is a human person:
“Almost all the Doctors and Fathers, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Thomas, clearly maintain that this terrifying malefactor, this monster of impiety and depravity, will be a human person. The learned Bellarmine shows that it is impossible to give any other meaning to the words of St. Paul and those of Daniel 11:36-37. St. Paul designates this great adversary by a noun, calling him a man: ‘the man of sin, the son of perdition’.” (EPW, p. 41)
Satan has chosen him
“What may be safely asserted of this man of iniquity is that, right from his most tender years, he will be completely possessed by the spirit and genius of the Devil. The lion of the abyss, which, in the last ages of mankind, God will unleash in His inscrutable justice in order to punish the infidelity of men, will unite himself with him in a certain way, infusing him with the fullness of his evil.” (EPW, p. 43)
The First Beast, the Antichrist, has free will
Satan cannot force human beings to do evil. Donald J. Trump, like all human beings, has always had the freedom to do good or evil. Fr. Arminjon quotes Suarez in Disputationes: “It is plausible, however, that the Antichrist will have such tremendous malice, will be so habituated to thinking and doing evil, and will have so great a bond of familiarity with the Demon that he will scarcely ever have regard for a good inspiration, the spiritual action of the guardian angels, or God’s grace.” (EPW, p. 69-70)
Donald J. Trump has yet to be fully revealed as the First Beast, the Antichrist
“Daniel tells us, ‘From the time when the perpetual sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination of desolation shall reign in the holy place, a thousand two hundred ninety days will have elapsed.’ (Dn 12:11) Hence, it follows that the point when Christ will no longer be present on our altars, offering Himself as a victim to His Father’s justice in order to offset men’s crimes, is to be reckoned from the day when the Antichrist has obtained universal dominion: only then will the unbloody Sacrifice of the Altar cease to be celebrated; but, until that day, and during the time taken by the Antichrist to achieve his kingship, the Sacrifice of the Mass (the Holy Eucharist) will continue to subsist.” (EPW, p. 51)
The Eucharist is the Perpetual Sacrifice
Blessed Carlo Acutis, the first millennial about to be canonized, spent the later part of his short life documenting Eucharistic miracles. He shows us that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Consecrated Host. The “perpetual sacrifice” the Prophet Daniel refers to, is the Eucharist, the Holy Mass, celebrated and adored in catholic churches around the world.