The scene in chapter 12 emphasizes that Satan himself, the great dragon, is the driving force behind all the wars against God’s chosen people throughout history and in the future. This scene in chapter 13 drills down to show that the kings and kingdoms of this world that war against God’s people are also puppets of the dragon.
In Old Testament times we remember many of these beasts, most notably Nebuchadnezzar and the Persian empire. Many Israelites were exiled to the capital city of Babylon. We will see later on that Babylon is the icon of all kingdoms that war against God’s people. See the great statue that Nebuchadnezzar made of himself and demanded worship from all his subjects.
So too, John’s readers were also being required to worship the Roman emperor. And in order to survive, people had to worship this beast. But John’s readers refused to do so. Some were imprisoned and some were killed.
There are beasts all down through history and they demand worship and allegiance. None of them tolerate the worship of God and first allegiance to Jesus, the King of kings. See the bloody slaughter by the communists in Russia, China, North Korea, and Cambodia. See Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Pol Pot. All of these are reincarnations, if you will, of the beast described in this chapter. They demand allegiance and tolerate no other religion except in some hollow form they approve.
At the end of all things, a beast will arise that, again, demands allegiance and worship, if you will. Those whose life is hidden in Christ, those through whom Christ lives, will be persecuted and hounded. The beast may not be a specific person, but an ideology, a culture, a cabal that desires to be hidden. But they/she/he/it will demand absolute compliance to the “party line.” We see this rearing its ugly head in our day, but it is not forever. Jesus is biding his time to walk onto the stage at the end of the play.
In Old Testament times we remember many of these beasts, most notably Nebuchadnezzar and the Persian empire. Many Israelites were exiled to the capital city of Babylon. We will see later on that Babylon is the icon of all kingdoms that war against God’s people. See the great statue that Nebuchadnezzar made of himself and demanded worship from all his subjects.
So too, John’s readers were also being required to worship the Roman emperor. And in order to survive, people had to worship this beast. But John’s readers refused to do so. Some were imprisoned and some were killed.
There are beasts all down through history and they demand worship and allegiance. None of them tolerate the worship of God and first allegiance to Jesus, the King of kings. See the bloody slaughter by the communists in Russia, China, North Korea, and Cambodia. See Lenin, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh, and Pol Pot. All of these are reincarnations, if you will, of the beast described in this chapter. They demand allegiance and tolerate no other religion except in some hollow form they approve.
At the end of all things, a beast will arise that, again, demands allegiance and worship, if you will. Those whose life is hidden in Christ, those through whom Christ lives, will be persecuted and hounded. The beast may not be a specific person, but an ideology, a culture, a cabal that desires to be hidden. But they/she/he/it will demand absolute compliance to the “party line.” We see this rearing its ugly head in our day, but it is not forever. Jesus is biding his time to walk onto the stage at the end of the play.
RSS Feed
