Satan's Minion: Beast #2 (Revelation 13:11-18) Series

It's quite possible this morning that I may offend some of you this morning. I'm a little nervous, to be honest. So I just want to say, up front, that I don't take any particular delight in anything I'm saying today. All I'm trying to do, is be faithful to the message of Revelation 13. I'll leave it up to you, to decide if I'm accurately applying this chapter or not. But this is the kind of passage you teach because you have to, and not because you want to (and this is why topical preaching is safer than expository). And if you reject most of what I teach this morning, my skin is thick enough, that I can handle it just fine. Consider this a "take it or leave it" sermon.

Today, we will work through Revelation 13:11-18. But before we dive in, we need to backtrack just a bit, back into chapter 12. We saw in Revelation 12 that the dragon, satan, lost a war against Michael and his angels in heaven. As a result of that defeat, the dragon lost his place in heaven, so that he no longer accuses us before God. This moment is celebrated in heaven, and rightfully so. We should be pretty pleased about that as well.

At the same time though, that doesn't mean that satan is no longer a threat. In fact, in Revelation 12:12, a warning is announced to two places-- the sea, and the land-- because satan has now been cast down to them, and now is focusing all his energy on two places, instead of three. So the place of satan's operation-- the place of warfare-- is now (1) the sea, and (2) the land.

What happens next, in Revelation 12:18, is that satan stands upon the sand of the sea, and summons a beast.

Beast #1 rises up, claiming divine names for himself, and exercising authority over every nation, and tongue, and tribe, and people, across the earth. This beast has two main goals: (1) to deceive the ones dwelling on the earth into bowing down, and worshipping, it, and (2) to wage war on individual Christians and churches. And what we saw, is that Beast #1 is successful, throughout the time period of the church. All of "the ones dwelling on the earth"-- everyone whose name isn't written in the book of life-- will bow down to Beast #1 (Revelation 13:8). And individual Christians and churches will lose, over and over, until Jesus returns. Sometimes, that defeat ends with prison. Sometimes, it ends with a sword. And John encourages us, to accept this defeat. Let's read from Revelation 13:9-10:

(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.

What it means to be steadfast, and faithful, is to willingly accept our fate. John calls us to understand that we conquer, by being conquered.

And who is Beast #1? What does the Beast represent? The critical clue comes in understanding the connection between Daniel 7, and Revelation 12:2. In Daniel 7, there are four separate beasts that arise, one after the other. One is like a leopard, one like a bear, one like a lion, and one with iron teeth and ten horns. Each of these beasts represents a human kingdom: Babylon, the Medes, the Persians, and (probably) the Greeks. In Revelation, all of these beasts are combined, into a single monster. The beast has characteristics of each of these superpowers-- it looks like each of them, in some way-- but it's bigger than any of them. And so Beast #1 stands for human empires, and human power structures.

Satan gives his power, and authority, and throne, to human empires, and specific leaders within those empires, for two main reasons: (1) to create an alternative for worship, and (2) to harm Christians. Every time we see people expressing patriotism, and waving flags, and bowing down to human authorities, we are seeing Beast #1 successfully deceiving the world into worshipping it, rather than the Lamb. And every time we see government forces harming Christians in some way, attacking them, we are seeing Beast #1.

Everything about this is hard. No one wants to hear this. And no one wants to experience the Beast. But, again, the Beast is active throughout the time of the church. No nation, or people, is spared. No nation is set apart, under God. Every nation is under the Beast. All of us have to be willing to suffer, and have a bad end (like John himself). And all of this, was last week's passage.