Our Fight With Satan's Minion, Beast #1 (Revelation 13:1-10) Series

Today, we begin working our way through Revelation 13. We will cover roughly half today, and the other half next week.

Many Christians today find chapter 13 to be one of the most interesting, and thought-provoking, parts of the entire book of Revelation. We will hear about two beasts, summoned by satan, to mostly do two things: (1) deceive non-Christians, and (2) attack Christians.

Some Christians view these beasts as future enemies. They spend much of their life trying to identify these two beasts, and they usually assume that these beasts are going to end up being foreigners, of one type or another. Russia, North Korea, Iraq, Iran. Perhaps the E.U. Or perhaps it will be some type of shadowy, half-public organization like the WHO, or the WEF, or the Masons, or the Illuminati. These Christians may argue about who the beasts are, but they tend to agree on three things: (1) the beasts have not yet fully arrived, (2) they'll be here any second, and (3) Revelation doesn't make sense to its original readers.

When you read NT scholars, you'll usually find a very different approach to the book. This chapter is where the difference between popular level Christianity, and academic biblical scholarship, is huge.

I would argue that in order to hear this chapter correctly, we have to do two things. The first, is to try our very best to hear the chapter, and read the chapter, as though we are the book's first audience. We have to act like we are first century Christians, living under the long shadow of the Roman empire. The second thing we have to do, is make sure we are reading Revelation 13 as a smooth continuation of chapter 12. So there's a historical context that today, we really need to keep in mind, and there's a literary context as well.

So let me start by trying to find a pair of first century shoes for us to put on.

Imagine that you are one of the book's first readers. You're a Christian, living under the Roman empire. This empire is the superpower of its day. It has soldiers, and military bases, across the empire. It projects unlimited power, and dominion, and authority across most of the known world. Its hold on the world seems permanent, and inescapable.

Within this empire, many different peoples, and tribes, and tongues, and nations, can be found. Some of these people are happier about this arrangement than others. Some benefit more from being under Rome than others.

But there's a sense in which everyone living within the Roman empire is just a pawn.

Now, this empire, is an evil empire in at least four key ways, from a Christian perspective.

The first, is that it tacitly supports sexual immorality for Roman men. Wives are expected to be faithful; men are not (Revelation 2:14, perhaps Revelation 2:6).

The second, is that it promotes idolatry.

Third, it promotes emperor worship. All citizens were expected to worship the emperor, as a sign of respect and loyalty.

And fourth, the Roman empire persecuted some Christians (Revelation 2:9-10). In Revelation 2, we read about how Antipas was killed for testifying about Jesus (Revelation 2:13). And John himself is exiled in Patmos, for the same reason. Now, we see in Revelation that not every Christian is harmed. Christians in some parts of the empire, working under different, more lenient officials, are doing just fine (Revelation 3:17). But the empire is absolutely harming some Christians, in some places.

So that's the historical context we need to hear this chapter against: picture yourselves living under the long shadow of a seemingly all-powerful superpower, that can't be trusted, that expects you to worship idols, and that harms some of God's people.

Now, let's try to tackle the literary context, by backtracking into Revelation 12. I'll read through verse 6, say a few things, and then push through the end of the chapter:

(1) and a great sign appeared in heaven:

a woman clothed with the sun (like God; Psalm 104:2; h/t Koester),

and the moon under her feet,

and upon her head a crown of 12 stars (sort of an adaptation of Genesis 37:7-11?),

(2) and in her womb having [=pregnant, "in her womb is focused in Greek],

and she is crying out,

having birth pains,

and being tortured/tormented to give birth,

(3) and another sign appeared in heaven [this one a lesser sign, not "great"],

and LOOK! A great fiery red dragon,

having seven heads,

and ten horns,

and upon its head seven crowns,

(4) and its tail dragged away (used of fish in John 21:8) a third of the stars of heaven,

and it threw them toward the earth,

and the dragon stood before the woman-- the one about to give birth--

in order that, whenever she gave birth to her child, he would eat/consume [it],