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],
(5) and she gave birth to a son-- a male child--
who is going to shepherd/rule all the nations with an iron rod (Psalm 2),
and her child was snatched away to God,
and to his throne,
(6) and the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she had there a place having been prepared by God [like Hagar and Israel],
in order that, there, they could feed her 1,260 days [the time of the church-- the witnesses, and the
trampling of the temple],
The dragon, is satan. The woman, you could identify as God's people, or Israel, or the church. But it's the same woman on both sides of Jesus' life, death, and ascension. And the son, is Jesus.
So the dragon, satan, wanted to kill the woman's son, Jesus. And he failed. Jesus was snatched up to his Father in heaven, and to his throne. And the woman, the church, fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where God would provide for her. And that's a picture of us. We are like Hagar, fleeing into the wilderness from Sarah, provided for by God. We are like Israel, fleeing from Egypt, not yet having entered the promised land, but sustained every day by God our provider.
All of this is a highly symbolic way of describing our current reality on earth. It's an earthly perspective, describing earthly events.
With this, we come to Revelation 12:7. Here, we find ourselves reading about heavenly events, but we ultimately end up back on earth:
(7) and a war happened in heaven-- Michael and his angels, to make war with the dragon,
and the dragon made war-- [with] also his angels--
(8) and they weren't strong [enough],
nor was a place found for them still in heaven,
(9) and he was thrown down--
the dragon-- the great one--,
the serpent-- the ancient one--
the one called "devil"
and "the satan/adversary"
the one deceiving the whole world--
he was thrown down to the earth,
and his angels with him were thrown down [Runge thinks "with him" is focused; not sure],
(10) and I heard a great voice in heaven saying,
"Now has come the salvation and the power (different word from verse 8) and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority/power of his Christ/Messiah,
because the accuser of our brothers was thrown down-- the one accusing them before our God day and
night--
(11) and they conquered him
through the blood of the Lamb
and through the word of their testimony,
and they didn't love their lives (literally, "souls," but "souls" means "lives") up to death.
(12) For this reason rejoice, heavens and the ones in them dwelling!
The next few lines are the key, that unlock the chapter 13:
Woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has descended to you,
having great anger,
knowing that little time he has ["little time" is focused],
(13) and when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to earth, he pursued/persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child,
(14) and it was given to the woman, the two wings of the great eagle, [the one of 4:7?],
in order that she could fly to/into the wilderness,
to/into her place where she feeds there for a time, times, and half a time from the face/presence of the
serpent [again, the time of the church],
(15) and the serpent threw from its mouth after the woman water like a river (Psalm 18:4),
in order that, her, swept away by a river he would make ["her" is the topic, Position 1; "swept away by a river" is
focused, position 2],
(16) and the earth helped the woman,
and the earth opened its mouth,
and it swallowed the river
which the dragon threw from its mouth,
(17) and the dragon was angry with the woman,
and it left to make war with the rest of her children-- the ones keeping the commands of God and holding/having the testimony about Jesus-- [=us],
This is where we left off last week. The dragon is angry, and frustrated. Despite all its power, it's unable to seemingly do very much at all. And so it turns from attacking the church as a whole, to attacking individual Christians. It does so, Revelation 12:12 tells us, from two separate places: the sea, and the land. And what we are going to see, in Revelation 13, is that satan summons two minions. Beast #1 comes up from the sea, and Beast #2 comes up from the land. In a perfect world, I'd probably try to talk about both beasts this morning, but this is a complicated chapter, and my explanation is probably going to be really different than what you'll hear anywhere else. So we will just split it, and talk about Beast #1 today.
So, Revelation 12:18 (whoever divided chapters in English Bibles really did a terrible job here; maybe tell encourage people to "X" out the "13" in their Bibles?):
(18) and he stood upon the sand of the sea (=the seashore, but it's important to see the word "sea"),
(1) and I saw, from the sea, a beast rising up,
having ten horns, (like the dragon, Revelation 12:3; Daniel 7:7)
and seven heads, (like the dragon, Revelation 12:3)
and upon its horns, ten crowns, (like the dragon, Revelation 12:3)
and upon its heads a blasphemous name (Daniel 7:8),
The dragon here is summoning a beast from the sea. Let's call it Beast #1.
Now, my guess is that we understand that what John sees is symbolic. We aren't supposed to militarize the beaches, and prepare for a sea beast's invasion. We can't take this "literally."
But what does this symbolism mean?
The most remarkable, obvious thing about this beast, is how much it looks like the dragon. It's got ten horns, and seven heads, and ten crowns. Why does it resemble the dragon?
We've seen something like this once already in Revelation. In Revelation 10, we saw a huge, powerful angel, that looks so much like Jesus that a few scholars actually think it is Jesus. But almost certainly, it's not Jesus. The angel looks like Jesus, because he is Jesus' representative. In the thought world of Revelation, you look like the one who sends you.
So this dragon summons a beast, who looks like the dragon. And what this tells us, is that it serves the dragon. It's the dragon's representative.
Now, the one new thing about the beast, is what's on its heads: a blasphemous name (and there's a text-critical issue here that everyone talks about, but it doesn't change the meaning). This beast is given names that are blasphemous-- that speak against God. If we read this as the book's first audience, this makes perfect sense. Roman emperors were given titles of honor that belong to God alone. They were called "divine," "exalted," "Lord," and "God." So this beast, rising up out of the sea, is presented to the world as an alternative to God. It's a rival.
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Jürgen Roloff, A Continental Commentary: The Revelation of John (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1993), 156:
"Undoubtedly, the blasphemous names that stand on the horns refer to the titles of honor that were conferred on Roman emperors in order to declare their claim to divine veneration in the cult of the Caesar: divus (divine), augustus (exalted one), dominus ac deus (Lord and God)."
Jürgen Roloff, A Continental Commentary: The Revelation of John (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1993), 157–158:
"The blasphemous aspect of these speeches lies not in the direct slander of God but in the actual pretension of putting itself in God’s place. While the beast allows itself to be celebrated as divine, it blasphemes God’s “name,” the epitome of his lordly power, God’s “dwelling,” heaven, and God’s subservient forces, the angels (cf. Matt. 5:34*)."
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Verse 2:
(2) and the beast that I saw was similar to a leopard, (Daniel 7:1-8)
and its feet were like a bear,
and its mouth like the mouth of a lion,
and the dragon gave to it, its power, and its throne, and great authority/power,
This verse is the key, that unlocks the entire passage. Let's turn to Daniel 7:1-8 (NRSV updated no reason):
7 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream:[a] 2 I,[b] Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, 3 and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. 4 The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then, as I watched, its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind was given to it. 5 Another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, had three tusks[c] in its mouth among its teeth, and was told, “Arise, devour many bodies!” 6 After this, as I watched, another appeared, like a leopard. The beast had four wings of a bird on its back and four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the visions by night a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth and was devouring, breaking in pieces, and stamping what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that preceded it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns when another horn appeared, a little one that came up among them. Three of the original horns were plucked up from before it. There were eyes like human eyes in this horn and a mouth speaking arrogantly.
Daniel sees four great beasts coming out of the sea-- the first like a lion, the second like a bear, the third, like a leopard, and then a fourth beast with ten horns. Each of these beasts, in Daniel, represents a distinct (Daniel 7:3), earthly superpower. I'm not going to pretend to understand Daniel at all, but these four beasts are usually identified with (1) Assyria, (2) Babylon, (3) the Medes and Persians, and (4) the Greeks. The beasts appear one at a time, in succession.
What John sees very obviously builds on Daniel 7, but at the same time, it's different. John sees a single beast, which has characteristics of all four beasts. The beast is a mixture of lion, and bear, and leopard, and the fourth beast. So John isn't seeing the fulfillment of Daniel. He's seeing an adaptation of it.
What does this adaption teach us? I think it shows us that the Beast #1 of Revelation 13 is a symbol for human empires. Today, we'd call them superpowers. And specifically, this Beast seems to be a symbol for the Roman empire.
Let's reread Revelation 13:2:
(2) and the beast that I saw was similar to a leopard, (Daniel 7:1-8)
and its feet were like a bear,
and its mouth like the mouth of a lion,
and the dragon gave to it, its power, and its throne, and great authority/power,
In the last line, we see that the dragon-- satan-- gives his power, and throne, and authority, to the Roman empire. Out of all of the nations in the world, satan picks out Rome, to bless it, and lift it up. And Rome becomes satan's servant.
This leads us to verse 3:
(3) and one of its heads [was] like being slaughtered to death (Revelation 5:6, 9, 12),
and the wound of its death was healed,
and the whole earth was amazed [and followed] after the beast,
Verse 3 is one of the more complicated verses in Revelation, but scholars generally seem to agree that it should be explained along two lines. The first line centers around the Roman emperor Nero. Nero famously persecuted the church in the first century (60s). Eventually, he was dethroned, and he killed himself with a dagger (Revelation 13:14 Suetonius, Nero 49:3–4; h/t Craig Koester). Even though his funeral was public, there was a widespread belief that Nero hadn't actually died, and that he would someday come back with a Parthian army, and reclaim his throne. His story is a bit like Elvis's, or, more darkly, Hitler's. Did he really die? Is he going to make a comeback, eventually?
And from the perspective of the first century church, Nero did sort of come back. Revelation was probably written during the time of Domitian, who also persecuted the church. Domitian was like Nero (a "type" of Nero). Any Christian in his 60s or older, couldn't help but link the two. You survive one evil emperor, one period of tribulation, and you think that was horrible, but you tell yourself, "We made it through." You got through that, like people today got through the Great Depression, or WW II. And then 30 years later, another wicked emperor takes his place. We talk the same way today, comparing people to Hitler or to Nazis. We could also talk about how half of the U.S. is terrified that Trump will be reelected, and his reign will come back to life. I mean, the same thing could be said about Biden. You think he's dead, and then he gets reelected in 2024, and the world marvels.
So that's the first half, of the most common explanation for these verses. The people marvel at the emperor Domitian, and the Roman empire. There was a time when it looked like the Roman superpower was in decline, and on its way out-- when you looked at a world map, and wondered if someone else would take Rome's place. But Rome surprises you, amazes you, at its resilience and strength. It may have been knocked down, but it's never out really out for the count. And so you might conclude that human empires, and superpowers, are like God. You can safely follow after them. You can trust in them. You can take comfort in their strength. There is good reason to call emperors "divine," and "Lord," and "God."
The second half of the (scholarly) explanation of this verse, is to recognize how much the beast here sounds and looks like the Lamb. Like the Lamb, one of its heads was slaughtered (and we find this same word in 13:8, just to make sure we don't miss the link). Like the Lamb, it came back to life.
So Revelation gives us a picture of two remarkable lives, side by side. In Revelation 5, we saw the Lamb, who was slaughtered, and came back to life, and is praised in heaven by all. The Lamb is praised for who he is, and what he's accomplished. And this praise, ultimately, goes back to The One Seated Upon the Throne-- to God the Father.
In a similar way, we now we see this beast, praised by all, for who he is, and what he's accomplished. And this praise, ultimately, goes back to the one who sent him, the dragon.
What the dragon is doing, is presenting himself, and the beast, as an alternative to God, and to the Lamb. Rather than committing yourself to the Lamb, who was slaughtered, you can choose the beast. Is the beast a worthy candidate for this? We find ourselves thinking, "Of course not." But from a human, earthly, perspective, this looks like a tough choice. The dragon manages to create a beast-- human empires-- that deceives people into thinking that the beast should be followed.
Let's reread verse 3, and add verse 4:
(3) and one of its heads [was] like being slaughtered to death (Revelation 5:6, 9, 12),
and the wound of its death was healed,
and the whole earth was amazed [and followed] after the beast,
(4) and they worshipped/bowed down to the dragon,
because it gave its authority to the beast,
and they worshipped/bowed down to the beast, saying,
"Who is similar to the beast,
and who is able to make war with it?," (a twisting of Exodus 15:11; Psalm 35:10)
So we read in verse 4, of the people's two rhetorical questions. Who is like the beast?, and who is able to wage war with it?
Who is like the beast?
In some ways, Jesus is. Right? Jesus and the beast both have power, and authority (Revelation 3:21; 7:17). Jesus and the beast were both slaughtered, and came back to life (Revelation 5:5-6). What Jesus and the beast accomplish both result in praise to the one who sent them (Revelation 5:13).
We are supposed to see the similarities. But we also understand, even if the people do not, that the similarities are superficial. And we should feel something rises up in our spirit, that screams "no" at all of this.
The Lamb's accomplishments, changed the direction of the entire cosmos. It created a people purchased from every tongue, and tribe, and nation. It freed those people from sin, and made them into a kingdom of priests serving God. It resulted in satan loses his place in heaven. And it did all this non-violently, sacrificially. People worship the Lamb, out of gratitude, because the Lamb died in our place, turning us unto a kingdom of priests who serve God. People worship the Beast, because the Beast is aggressive, and violent, and unstoppable.
At the end of the day, the way the Lamb and Beast are worshipped sounds the same. But at every single point, the Beast is a poor, cheap, imitation. And so what do we know, when we hear the world ask, "Who is similar to the Beast?" We know that this is a stupid, misguided, blasphemous question. That's the question WE get to ask, and sing, as WE praise God and the Lamb.
This brings us to the second question the people ask. Who is able to wage war with the beast?
We've seen at this point, that lots of beings can wage war with the dragon, and defeat the dragon. In chapter 12, we saw how Michael and his angels waged war the dragon, and defeated it. And Revelation 12 told us that we defeat the dragon as well, through the blood of the Lamb, and through our faithful witness to Jesus regardless of what it costs us. And really, ultimately, what Revelation 12 shows us is that Jesus, the true Lamb, is the source of our victory. Jesus has defeated the dragon.
So if we were to ask, who can defeat the dragon, the answer is obvious: Jesus can. Michael can. We can.
But what about the beast?
Can the dragon conjure up something greater than itself, like a Dr. Frankenstein? Can the dragon create something, that can protect people from the wrath of God, and the wrath of the Lion-Lamb?
And what is the beast, again? The beast, so far, looks like a symbol for the evil Roman empire. Even if a head is slaughtered, it can come back to life. Even if a head is toppled, six others can take its place.
Verse 5:
(5) and it was given to him a mouth speaking great and slanderous/blasphemous things,
and it was given to him authority to act for 42 months, (=time of the church; the fifth 3 1/2 year period; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14)
So the beast is given authority for 42 months. This is the fifth mention in Revelation of a 3 1/2 year period (there aren't two 3 1/2 year periods, there are five, which is actually one).
And all five mentions are a symbolic way of describing the time of the church/God's people, from the time of Jesus' ascension to heaven, until the day he returns (again, following the broad scholarly consensus here).
Now, when we look at the world today, there is no Roman empire. Rome exists; Italy exists. But they are certainly not superpowers.
So verse 5 makes us kind of stop, and think about who exactly the Beast is. If the Beast is active throughout the entire life of the church, then the Beast can't be only the Roman empire. Satan must be giving his power, and authority, and throne to other nations. Satan must be lifting up other nations, blessing them, to attack the church, and deceive the world.
There might be times when the Beast disappears, or seems to disappear (anticipating Revelation 17:8, 11). But we should expect, at some point, that satan will partner with human power structures, or governments, or leaders, to attack the church. Any break that the church gets will be temporary, because God has allowed satan to do this, throughout the life of the church.
So everything that we do, as a church (Revelation 11 in particular), is done under the shadow of the beast (thought for sure this would be my sermon title).
Verses 6-8:
(6) and he opened his mouth for slanderous/blasphemous things toward God--
to slander/blaspheme his name and his tabernacle/dwelling-- the ones in heaven living/tabernacling--
(7) and it was given to him to make war with the holy ones
and to conquer/overcome them,
and it was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation/Gentile nation,
(8) and all the ones dwelling upon the earth will worship/bow down,
[the ones] whose name isn't written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered from the foundation of the world.
The main thing we see in verses 6-8, is that the beast will be successful. During the time of the church, all 3 1/2 years, the beast will wage war with the holy ones, and conquer them.
Now, we should hear this against the background of Revelation 12, and qualify this. This victory, is not over the church as a whole. The church, as a whole, is the woman kept safe in the wilderness (Revelation 12:1-6). But the beast wages war on a lower level, against individual Christians, and churches, to attack them. And the beast will win, throughout the time period of the church.
The world responds to the beast's victory, by bowing down to the dragon. They think that the church's powerlessness and suffering are proof that the dragon is superior. They don't realize that the beast's power was given to it (verse 5) by God. And if we put together Revelation 11-13, they don't realize that it's through our defeat, and suffering, and death, that the dragon loses. God set it up, so that we'd be killed. And God set it up that way, because it's through our sacrifice that vast numbers of people from every tongue, and tribe, and nation, will join God's people (Revelation 7; Revelation 11:13).
So how you see the beasts's accomplishments, is a matter of perspective. If you don't follow the Lamb, you will worship the beast. You praise the beast, because the beast is able to conquer us (similar to Revelation 11:7, or different?).
In verses 9-10, John leaves the symbolic, to give his readers (including us) a clear command. Everything we've just read has a simple, straightforward application:
(9) If anyone has ears, he should/must hear:
(10) If anyone [is going] into captivity, into captivity he goes. [I think "into captivity" is focused]
If anyone by the sword was killed, he, by the sword was killed. [I think "by the sword" is focused]
Here is the steadfastness and the faith(fulness) of the holy ones.
On this earth, during the time of the church, we will be defeated. We will lose. Now, again, we need to qualify this in two ways. (1) This is not true for the church as a whole. And (2) this defeat is something that only happens to individual Christians, and local churches, after we've completed our testimony (Revelation 11:7). But we will be defeated. John here calls us to accept this. And he invites us to embrace this. If a human empire [power structure?] wants to throw you in jail, then into jail you go. If a human empire wants to kill you by the sword, then by the sword you get killed.
Understand, that this is a call to pacifism. If the superpower wants to harm you, you accept that harm. You don't use your second amendment rights to defend yourself from the beast. You follow Jesus' example instead in the Garden. You put away your swords, and you go with the soldiers.
This is what steadfastness looks like. And this is what faith looks like. Faithfulness to Jesus, means following his path, and getting slaughtered (Revelation 2:10).
All of this is a really symbolic way of saying the same thing, that Jesus said to the church in Smyrna. Let's turn to Revelation 2:8-11 (NRSV updated no reason, lightly modified-- "LOOK! Is translated "Beware"):
8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:
9 “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. LOOK!, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.
The way that we conquer, is not through the sword. It's not through violent opposition. We conquer, by telling people about Jesus regardless of the cost (Revelation 2:13). We conquer, by nonviolently accepting a violent end. And it's those of us who live this way, who won't be harmed by the second death (Revelation 21:8).
So this is how I would apply this passage:
One of the main ways that satan attacks the church is through human superpowers. Satan picks out certain nations to bless, I guess you could say perversely. Satan gives some nations his authority, and power, and throne. And those nations then rise to the top, dominating all other nations. And today, when we look at how human power structures work, we know it's even more complicated than that. Think what you will of Trump, or Biden. But when we look at how those two men have run their presidency, it's obvious, I think, that there is a shadow state working behind the scenes, spanning national borders, that seeks total control over humanity. There is a swamp.
How can you tell if satan has picked out a nation, or power structure, to bless? How can you tell who he is giving his authority, and power, and throne to, if anyone?
Verses 7-8 show that satan has two main goals, in creating beasts. The first, is to attack individual Christians and churches. And the second, is to get people to bow down to the beast, rather than the Lamb. Satan's goal is to create patriots, who will wave the flag, and give their allegiance to human empires.
With that in mind, over the past few years, I think we've seen the Beast reveal himself through multiple leaders:
(1) In Canada, and California, when politicians weren't letting Christians meet together on Sunday mornings to worship because of "covid," you were seeing the beast.
(2) Right now, when you are seeing Christians in Ukraine persecuted, and jailed, you are seeing the Beast. We all have different opinions about the war between Ukraine and Russia, but Ukraine is certainly a wicked, evil, Satan-sponsored nation.
(3) In general, when Christians are jailed or killed in other countries for telling people about Jesus, and speaking the truth about God, you're seeing the beast.
(4) When Christians are forced to bake cakes for gay weddings, or face harsh penalty, you're seeing the beast.
(5) When public school teachers push a Godless version of science, or woke transgender theology, you're seeing the beast.
(6) When you see people praising human empires, and power structures, and marveling at their strength and invincibility, you are seeing the beast.
(7) When you see a nation exporting idolatry, and violence, and persecution, you are seeing the beast.
(8) When you see people placing their trust in superpowers, and following after them, and glossing over all the terrible things the superpower does, you are seeing the beast.
(9) In general, if you want to know where the beast is, focus on the superpower. Whatever country is running the world, bullying all the other nations, is probably in bed with Satan (there's a reason Rome is called the great prostitute in chapter 17).
All of this sounds uncomfortably like I'm talking about the U.S., right?
This is a hard chapter for some of us, because we want to say that we are one nation under God, like a new Israel, God's servant to the nations. We want to say that we have a high and holy calling from God, and that what we do is right.
There are probably good nations, who do the right thing, who keep their treaties with other nations, who don't export violence and immorality, who live peaceably with others, and keep peace within their borders. Not every nation, at all times, is a Beast, partnering with satan.
But there is nothing in Revelation 13 to suggest that any nation, tongue, tribe, or people is under God, rather than under the Beast. No nation is protected, or insulated, or shielded from the beast. Satan is free to target specific nations, There are no exceptions to the rule. When we look at the way that American non-Christians place their trust in the U.S. empire, and worship it, and pledge their allegiance to it rather than the Lamb, are we not seeing the Beast? And when we see Christians trying to serve both, we are seeing the same thing Jesus addresses in the first century Roman churches. Superpowers are a cheap, imitation substitute for Jesus. But you can only have one Lord. And if Jesus is your Lord, you will end up on the wrong side of the sword.
So Satan picks out certain nations to give his authority, and power, and throne to. And he does this, to accomplish two main things: The first, is to attack God's people. Satan gives his throne, and power, and authority to humans, and to human empires, to wage war with Christians. He wants us in prison. He wants us dead. And he will be successful. We will be defeated. We will lose.
The second thing satan wants to accomplish through the Beast, is to deceive people into following the Beast, rather than the Lamb. There's something about military might that sucks people in, and leads them to all kinds of stupid, blasphemous ideas. They see chariots, and soldiers, and tanks, and aircraft carriers, and they say, "Who is like the Beast, and who is able to conquer it?" They treat human empires like gods. They pledge their allegiance to the wrong flag. They bow down, and swear loyalty to the Beast.
And this is true across the world. The Beast has many heads (or, perhaps, once we include Revelation 17, we'd say instead that there are many beasts). And across the world, people may marvel at different heads, worshipping them. But the heads are all connected to one beast, sent by satan.
And so Revelation 13 challenges us to rethink how we view human empires, and human leaders. We, like the first century Roman Christians, have a tendency to compromise ourselves. We put a Christian flag in one corner of church, and a U.S. flag in the other. We act like the Lamb and the Beast can both be worshipped, and followed. But there can be only one Lord, and you have to make a choice. From John's perspective, this is not a tough choice. In the end, the Lamb is incomparable. The Lamb willing suffered, and died, non-violently, to purchase us, and make us into a kingdom of priests. To the One Seated on the Throne and to the Lamb, belong all glory, and honor, and praise.
So we understand, looking at this passage, what satan hopes to accomplish through the beast. He wants to harm God's people. And he wants to deceive people into following the Beast, rather than the Lamb. And we see, that satan will be partially successful. God's people get conquered. We lose.
But there's something else, underneath all of this, that I'd like you to see. God's master plan in all of this, is just below the surface. Let's reread verses 5 and 7:
(5) and "it was given to him" a mouth speaking great and slanderous/blasphemous things,
and "it was given to him" authority to act for 42 months,
(7) and "it was given to him" to make war with the holy ones
and to conquer/overcome them,
and "it was given to him" authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation/Gentile nation,
(8) and all the ones dwelling upon the earth will worship/bow down,
[the one] whose name isn't written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.
Four times, we are told that "it was given to him." This is a divine passive-- it's a way of talking about God.
Everything that the beast has, ultimately, he has because God has given it to him. In the end, it's not about satan sharing his power, and authority, and throne, with the beast. It's about what God gives. And God gives the beast five things:
(1) God gives the beast an opportunity to say terrible things about God, and to make outrageous claims about himself ("blasphemy").
(2) God gives the beast authority for the entire period of the church, all 3 1/2 years.
(3) God gives the beast the ability to attack individual Christians.
(4) God gives the beast the ability to conquer individual Christians.
(5) God gives the beast authority over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. There are no exceptions, or exclusions.
We like to say that everything that happens in this world, happens in accordance with God's will. We like to encourage ourselves, by saying that God is control. But this is what God's control looks like-- giving the beast all these things, and letting him do terrible things, for the entire period of the church.
Why?
Revelation 13 doesn't answer this question. It's focus is elsewhere. But what we are seeing here, is a relooping back onto the ideas of Revelation 11 (unpack this better?). We are the two witnesses, and our ministry is one that combines power, with suffering. The beast can't kill us until our testimony is completed. And it's only through our faithfulness, up to death, that vast numbers of people come to Jesus. In the end, that's how God wins, and how we win. We conquer, by being conquered.
God knows that this is not something we want to hear. He knows that when the Beast turns on some of us (and it's important to remember that some Christians living under the beast were doing just fine; the beast doesn't always look like a beast), that we will want to pick up guns, and fight back. Or, alternatively, we will want to close our mouths, and compromise, and choose the Beast instead of the Lamb. We will find ourselves saying, "Who can wage war with the Beast? It's hopeless, so we might as well follow him." And so God tells us, for a second time in Revelation 13, that this is what faithfulness, and steadfastness, look like. Faithfulness, and steadfastness, means opening your mouth, confessing Jesus as Lord, and testifying about him to others. It means non-violently accepting a violent end.
Now, let me just add one kind of qualification to this about non-violence, and you can take it or leave it:
If someone comes walking into this church with a gun, and aims it any one of us, I'm completely okay with someone shooting him. This is not a church that has a sticker on the front door announcing it's a gun-free zone. Aim carefully; pull the trigger.
Likewise, if someone brings a gun to a Christian school, and points it at anyone, feel free to shoot him.
If someone invades your home, it's completely okay to shoot them. Stand your ground.
The pacifism that Revelation is calling us toward, is different than this. Whenever we find ourselves face to face with the Beast, in a war with the Beast, any resistance we make needs to be non-violent. We will meet together for church, whether or not it's legal. We will tell people about Jesus (=prophesy), whether or not it's legal (Obama's "freedom to worship", rather than "freedom of religion"). And we will accept what comes next. If that means jail, then into jail we go. If that means death by sword, then we accept that as well.
From one perspective, this is how we are defeated. But from another, this is how we win. It's through our willingness to suffer and die, that vast numbers of people will come to Jesus (Revelation 11:13; Revelation 7:9). And it's through our defeat, that we ourselves conquer.
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Tiny scrap:
God has set up the world, so that all people are under the power, and authority, and throne of the beast, throughout the entire period of the church. He's done this because the most effective way to reach the world, is through our faithful witness in the face of suffering.
