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Revelation 14:6-7: Last chance.

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in mid-air, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.’ NIV

One commentary I read said these words represent one last call to the world to repent. God is extremely patient; He is ‘long-suffering’ with sinful people. But a day will come when there is one final opportunity to ‘get into the ark’ before the ‘door’ closes.

Thinking about this, I am reminded of the apostle Peter writing:

‘’The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’’ (2 Peter 3:9).

To the very end, this will be the case. It seems to me the voice is ‘’loud’’ because God wants this to be heard by everyone in the world.

We live in a time when many people are happy to honour, and even worship, the natural world. But the call is to worship its Creator (7b).

Be careful how you respond to ‘’the eternal gospel’’ because it has eternal consequences.

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for your infinite mercy, and your longing for the people you made to be right with you.

Revelation 14:4: Following the Lamb.

^“4 These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.” NIV

‘’…following the Lamb wherever he goes.’’

 ‘In my country the sheep are brought from one field to another by people with sticks and dogs. In the Middle East, to this day, the shepherd goes on ahead and the sheep follow him or her. They know the shepherd’s voice, but they also know that they can trust him or her to lead them to pasture, to water, to safety. No sticks, or dogs, are required.  Jesus himself, of course, used this image of the shepherd in the tenth chapter of John’s gospel. And his call to people to ‘follow him’ is one of the most persistent commands he ever issued. One might almost say that, in the gospels, ‘following Jesus’ is the basic phrase which describes someone who belongs to Jesus, who believes in him…’ Tom Wright: ‘Revelation for Everyone’, p.123.

It is a human trait to want to make plans for our journey and ask Jesus to accompany us. The fundamental question for a Christ-follower to always keep in view is: ‘Lord, where are you going? I want to come with you. I want to join you in your activities.’

Following the Lord Jesus ‘’wherever he goes’’ will take you to some dangerous and difficult places. You can almost guarantee it. But your life will certainly not be dull!

Revelation 14:1-4: The Redeemed.

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. ² And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. ³ And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.”NIV

Here are a number of things we can assert about the ‘’redeemed’’ (3b), i.e. those who ‘’were purchased’’ by Jesus at the cost of His own blood (4b, see 1:5b). (It seems the number ‘’144,000’’, representing ‘completeness’, speaks of the whole people of God throughout the ages).

We can say of them:

• They are marked people – sealed by God (1). He will protect them spiritually.
• They have been given ‘’a new song’’ only they can sing (3).
• They are prepared for battle (4a) In ancient Israel, if a war was justified, it was regarded as holy. So those who fought in it had to obey special rules of purity, including abstention, for a time, from normal sexual relations (e.g. Deuteronomy 23:9,10; 1 Samuel 21:5). The image used here may refer to a people always ready for battle. But when we consider what the Bible teaches about the possibility of spiritual adultery, this may mean that they had not defiled themselves with idols, or by worshipping any other king or emperor. (None of this, of course, is to deny the importance of a commitment to sexual purity for people who profess to follow Jesus.)
• They follow Jesus everywhere! (4b) I will say more about this tomorrow.
• They are committed to the truth (5) Tom Wright points out that one of the main features of the dragon’s system is the lie. He ‘creates a world of untruth, a fake world, a sham system from top to bottom…Following the lamb means rejecting the lie. Always and for ever.’ ‘Revelation for Everyone’, p.126

Revelation 13:16-18: Hard times.

“It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. NIV

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ So wrote Charles Dickens in ‘A tale of two cities’.  When the antichrist comes, it will be the worst of times. But it will usher in the best of times. His reign will be short, but brutal, and Christians will presumably suffer economic privation because they will not accept the ‘’mark’’ of the beast (17). This happened to believers during the time of the Roman Empire, and it is set to happen again.Increasingly, back then, what, or whom, you worshipped, became the yardstick to determine who was socially acceptable and who wasn’t.

Just as God’s faithful people were sealed with God’s Name (7:2,3), so there will be this counterfeit sealing of the antichrist’s worshippers. Just exactly how this will be worked out remains to be seen, although it has been the source of much speculation. This is not always healthy.

It is helpful, though, to note that in the Ancient Greek and Hebrew languages there were no symbols for numbers. Thus every man’s name also had its own ‘number,’ made from the letters of the name. Some think ‘666’ was the number of the emperor Nero. Even if it was, it looks like it will be the number of one yet to come. I am quite drawn to the thought that the number 7, in Scripture, represents perfection. 6, then, falls short of perfection. We have here a trinity of imperfection you might say.

‘The number of perfection, not least for John, would be, we assume, 777…Nero, and the system he represented and embodied, was but a parody of the real thing, one short of the right number three times over. Jesus was the reality; Nero, just a dangerous, blasphemous copy.’ Tom Wright: ‘Revelation for Everyone’, p.122

It seems a fair conclusion to draw that what happened in Nero’s day, will occur again at the end of days, only more so. But when we are unclear about how prophecy is to be fulfilled, we can patiently wait, knowing that God will show us what we need to know when we need to know it. We just need to make sure that we stay awake.

Revelation 13: 11-18: ‘All that glitters…’

^“11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honour of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” NIV

There are two beasts described in Revelation 13. It is one of the best known chapters in the book (possibly the best known). Even non-Christians have regularly dipped into it – notably writers of horror material for novels and films.

More generally, this second beast represents, I believe, religious power in the service of the secular state. This is always a formidable, deceptive and dangerous reality. Notice he attempts to appear gentle and harmless, but remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:15. There are nice, kind, loving false teachers around. We must not be duped by their niceness. That may be just a short step away from being devoured by their doctrine.

But specifically, many believe this has ultimate reference to a ‘false prophet’ who will endorse and apparently authenticate the antichrist by the false miracles he performs. As you look at verse 13, you may find it helpful to also have a look at Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Matthew 24:24 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9. Not everyone who works miracles is a genuine believer. ‘All that glitters is not gold.’ Christians can be so gullible, so easily taken in, with their desire for the spectacular. There are counterfeit miracles. (This looks like a counterfeit of 1 Kings 18:24-39).

So, in the dragon and the two beasts in Revelation 13, we see a false trinity of Satan, secular power and religious compromise (and, ultimately, Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet) joining together against the cause of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

But the dragon can’t win! Never forget it. On Good Friday, we remember how he did his worst, when he had Jesus crucified. But death could not hold our Lord, and three days later He was back.

Whenever it’s ‘Friday’, remember ‘Sunday’s comin’!

Revelation 13:9-10: Keep going.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear. ¹⁰ ‘If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword,with the sword they will be killed.’” NIV

I can’t begin to imagine what it must be like to have to live out your faith under an anti-Christian regime. Nor can I imagine the terror of living under antiChrist’s regime during the last of the last days. But it strikes me that genuine Christianity, even where there is ‘freedom’, ‘’calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints’’ (10). There are many little deaths we must die, mini martyrdoms we must face in order to follow Christ – even on easier days. Being willing to undergo them may well prepare us for the greater sacrifices, should we have to make them.

PRAYER: Lord, I fear my own cowardly nature, but I believe you will supernaturally empower me to go through anything I have to face for your sake. Thank you Lord.

Revelation 13:5-8: ‘Given’.

“The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling-place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.” NIV

You may have noticed the repeated use of the word ‘’given’’ in these verses. I make it three references. When something is hammered in this way we have to take note.

These are terrible verses, and I can’t imagine that anyone wants to live through the reign of the final antichrist. But what we have to understand and hold on to is the great and wonderful mystery of God’s sovereignty. He is in control. He permits certain things, but He is reigning.

Although the ‘’beast’’ exercises authority, it is only for a limited time, and he is always under authority.

God is on the throne.

Revelation 13:1-10: A diabolical trinity.

The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?’⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling-place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. ⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.¹⁰ ‘If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity they will go.If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword they will be killed.’This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.” NIV

It’s been pointed out that in Revelation 13 we meet a sort of counterfeit ‘trinity’. You have the ‘’dragon’’ who is a kind of counterfeit God the Father, sending the ‘’beast’’, who is a form of counterfeit Son. Then we are going to meet one who, we meet say, is a counterfeit Holy Spirit (11-18), bringing glory and honour to the ‘’beast’’.

 This is an interesting, and, I believe true observation. Satan seeks to counterfeit the work of God. But remember, you can only counterfeit what is genuine. So, in a way, the presence of counterfeit Christianity in the world can encourage us. But it means we will always need discernment to the very end of time, because the spurious will always be with us, this side of the second coming.

I understand that an expert on forgeries said that the way to train yourself to spot a fake is to make sure you are as familiar as possible with the genuine.

PRAYER: Lord, I recognise there is such a thing as truth, and there is such a thing as error. I know you do not want me to be deceived. Please give me eyes to see through everything which is false.

Revelation 13: 1-5: Counterfeit.

“The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?’⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.”NIV

‘As often in the world of realpolitik, or underworld dealings, so in the world of spiritual warfare: the ultimate powers prefer not to show themselves, but to act through others.’ Tom Wright: ‘Revelation for Everyone’, p.115.

There will come a day when there is a final world government, focussed in one last diabolical dictator. He will cause every other tyrant to pale into insignificance. Revelation 13 has been interpreted in this way by many Christian commentators for many years. That doesn’t make it a correct interpretation, but I see no good reason to reject it. Antichrist will come. He is not simply against Christ but, as the word suggests in its original meaning, one who sets himself up in the place of Christ. This is the ultimate blasphemy. The antiChrist will fall for the temptation Jesus had resisted (Matthew 4:8-10). (Consider the counterfeit seeming death and resurrection in verse 3) We know from the previous chapter that Satan has been hurled out of heaven to earth where, for a time, he will be permitted to do his worst, and this includes opposing the church. His last big move will be to have himself worshipped in the person of this seemingly all-powerful figure (4). The third verse shows the great power of the beast. It will be extremely difficult to kill him. But he will be dealt with, as we shall see. Like the dragon – Satan himself – this agent of his will be on borrowed time (5).

The background to this passage is found in Daniel 7, but here the four beasts are telescoped into one figure.  It is important to remember, though, that for John, the ‘’beast’’ would have represented the Roman Empire. For example, in John’s day, Roman emperors gave themselves the names of gods; in fact they considered themselves to be gods. Says Tom Wright: ‘…John sees behind the pomp and the purple to the dark spiritual reality of satanic rule which has enabled the empire to impose itself across so much of the world. Rome is the obvious and only ‘monster’ candidate in the first century. But the phenomenon of heartless, dehumanised pagan empire, sadly, did not end with the decline and demise of Rome. This is why the sharp relevance of all this for John’s own readers remains, in a different guise, for other readers to this day’, p.116.

‘For John, this beast was like the Roman Empire. But we must remember that the real meaning of the beast is broader than that. The beast is a sign of every evil worldly power in every age that opposes Christ and His church.’ Tom Hale: ‘Applied New Testament Commentary’, p.981.

But, I believe there will be one final empire representing the devil’s last throw of the dice, before he is totally overthrown. At the end, all the evil of previous empires will be rolled into one nasty human ball. He will strut his petty hour on the stage, but the curtain will fall, and there will be no applause – only cheers that he has gone for good.