The Infamous Beasts (Revelation 13)
In the cosmic conflict of chapter 12 we saw that the devil is waging war against God’s people throughout history. However, as is promised in Genesis 3:15, and again in Romans 16:19,20, he will be defeated and “crushed” beneath their feet. In Revelation 12:11 we see that God’s people overcome the evil of God’s enemies through:
-The blood of the Lamb.
-The word of their testimony.
-And, not “loving life to death.” That is to say, they did not fear death and persecution.
This is a strong theme in the Bible, particularly in John’s writings. God’s people are witnesses above all else. Their most powerful possession is their testimony to what God has done. Ironically, this is also why the devil is said to wage war against God’s people. And we end chapter 12 with the devil setting out to wage this war against those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
In 13, we are introduced to the demonic agents through whom the devil will wage this war; the infamous beasts. And here it is again important to remember that Revelation is not merely a horror story about the end of the world that only applies to those who will live through it. It is the message from Jesus to the church throughout the ages. It has relevance to every follower of Jesus.
As a child in the seventies, I remember the obsession with the End Times that seemed to permeate the church in America. The effects of that obsession were two. Horror, as people became convinced that we might be on the verge of living through those times. But also, relief every day that that time was held off, that we were not forced to choose between faithfulness and persecution.
But that way of looking at the text was misleading. There will likely come a day when Revelation 13 takes on its literal fulfillment. It will also likely be unlike anything anyone has imagined, but make perfect sense in retrospect. That is the way prophecy works. However, in the meantime it is just as real now in its symbolic warning.
Remember, the devil and the beasts have been waging war against God’s people throughout history. They are doing so now. In a very real sense, the spirit of the beasts is the spirit of the ages. We see it in era after era. More about this will be seen when we get to chapter 17, but for now a quote from Robert Mounce may suffice:
Jesus spoke of the power of this Zeitgeist as “leading astray, if possible, even the elect.” One has to wonder why the church in the west has managed to go so long without facing the persecution that the rest of believers around the world continue to face? A persecution that in the past several decades has surpassed all the persecution against believers in all the centuries leading up to now.
Often, we seem to have embraced a safety and security offered to us through a secular, political authority over our own testimony. We embrace all kinds of evil, amoral men because they promise to go along with our wishes for a strong economy and national borders safe from threats of “the other.”
We probably need to read this text in the context of today more often than we do.
-The blood of the Lamb.
-The word of their testimony.
-And, not “loving life to death.” That is to say, they did not fear death and persecution.
This is a strong theme in the Bible, particularly in John’s writings. God’s people are witnesses above all else. Their most powerful possession is their testimony to what God has done. Ironically, this is also why the devil is said to wage war against God’s people. And we end chapter 12 with the devil setting out to wage this war against those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
In 13, we are introduced to the demonic agents through whom the devil will wage this war; the infamous beasts. And here it is again important to remember that Revelation is not merely a horror story about the end of the world that only applies to those who will live through it. It is the message from Jesus to the church throughout the ages. It has relevance to every follower of Jesus.
As a child in the seventies, I remember the obsession with the End Times that seemed to permeate the church in America. The effects of that obsession were two. Horror, as people became convinced that we might be on the verge of living through those times. But also, relief every day that that time was held off, that we were not forced to choose between faithfulness and persecution.
But that way of looking at the text was misleading. There will likely come a day when Revelation 13 takes on its literal fulfillment. It will also likely be unlike anything anyone has imagined, but make perfect sense in retrospect. That is the way prophecy works. However, in the meantime it is just as real now in its symbolic warning.
Remember, the devil and the beasts have been waging war against God’s people throughout history. They are doing so now. In a very real sense, the spirit of the beasts is the spirit of the ages. We see it in era after era. More about this will be seen when we get to chapter 17, but for now a quote from Robert Mounce may suffice:
“The worship of a satanically inspired perversion of secular authority is the ultimate offense against the one true God.”
Jesus spoke of the power of this Zeitgeist as “leading astray, if possible, even the elect.” One has to wonder why the church in the west has managed to go so long without facing the persecution that the rest of believers around the world continue to face? A persecution that in the past several decades has surpassed all the persecution against believers in all the centuries leading up to now.
Often, we seem to have embraced a safety and security offered to us through a secular, political authority over our own testimony. We embrace all kinds of evil, amoral men because they promise to go along with our wishes for a strong economy and national borders safe from threats of “the other.”
We probably need to read this text in the context of today more often than we do.
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