Revelation 13:1-10
Every good story has an antagonist, a villain, and this chapter reveals his identity to a greater degree. Of course it’s Satan but in these verses we find one of his strategies for destroying the church: delegating authority. That means he legally gives power to his lackeys to do his bidding. Smart.
John’s vision depicts a beast-like creature rising out of the sea with symbols of this delegated authority: ten crowned horns and seven heads etched with evil and slanderous names against God. Pretty bold. He’s also pictured as predatory animals who capture and devour their prey; that’s the beast’s assignment, destroy God’s Church.
As you continue reading, as I hope you will, you’ll find the whole earth has bought into his deceptions and began worshipping, bowing and kissing the ground of the dragon and the beast. Their cry is not an unfamiliar one, “Who is like the beast? Who can fight against it?” Moses asked the same question in his song of victory:
“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11
The beast cannot compare to God in power therefore utilizes another strategy: blasphemy. Using abusive, evil language he slanders God and His followers continuing his war against them. It seems (vs. 7) that he’s the conqueror but we know that life on this earth is not our destiny and true followers of Christ have their names written eternally in The Book of Life of the Lamb.
Let’s bring this home. Satan hates God’s Church, His fellowship of believers, and his desire to destroy us uses various methods. Some are easy to see, oppressive governments outlawing Christianity, arresting and imprisoning, even executing believers, but as Satan moves his plan along he must get inside the Church with pride, division, and even words of disappointment or frustration; not easily seen. Believers’ words also possess power: death or life in the tongue of the Church.
Karl Marx declared that religion seemed like an opiate drug weak and stupid people took to pacify them of the inequalities in the world masking the truth of injustice. His brand of socialism wants to remove religion from the world. Sound familiar? On the contrary, the God’s Church is the answer to the world’s injustices.
As this first beast (probably the Antichrist) operates in the political scene opposing the Church God spoke words of comfort in the midst of it. They confirm His sovereignty as the King of all kings so if believers reading these words are suffering, even to death, then God reassures them it must happen to move along His ultimate plan: the Return of the Bridegroom. A wedding is coming but the planning takes time and action, therefore, God calls His Church to endurance and faith; the two character traits we need for the end-times. Be strong under pressure, even from your government, and fight the good fight of faith empowered by His Spirit.
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