Read with Me
Revelation 13:1-10 (NET)
Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, and on its heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. One of the beast’s heads appeared to have been killed, but the lethal wound had been healed. And the whole world followed the beast in amazement; they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” The beast was given a mouth speaking proud words and blasphemies, and he was permitted to exercise ruling authority for forty–two months. So the beast opened his mouth to blaspheme against God–to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, that is, those who dwell in heaven. The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation, and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
If anyone is meant for captivity,
Into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword,
Then by the sword he must be killed.
This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.
Listen with Me
The dragon, satan, is depicted at the end of chapter 12 (or the first part of 13:1 in some translations) as standing on the shore of a stormy sea, the depiction of a time of intense chaos. Now, out of the sea emerges a beast. This beast was as chaotic looking as the sea from which it emerges, being composed of all the most dangerous parts of three different predatory animals: the swiftness and agility of a jaguar, the deadly claws of a bear, and the powerful jaws of a lion. The beast is depicted as having seven heads and ten horns.
The beast is not a person, but an empire, the horns, a metaphor for power, depicting a succession of kings. That this beast is Rome is made clear in the vision John was shown just a bit later in chapter 17. In 17:9, the angel told John that the seven heads are seven mountains or hills on which the woman, the great prostitute sits. Everyone who read this in John’s day would immediately be reminded of the seven hills on which Rome was built. He was also told that the ten horns represented ten foreign kings who would align themselves with the kings of Rome against God’s people. Rome as an empire was so powerful, and so vast, that it was believed to be invincible. This image was fostered and encouraged by the emperors who, by John’s day, claimed to be divine, the blasphemous titles shown here to John.
In this vision, John was shown that the beast, Rome, was given authority to go to war against the saints and to conquer them. This authority, however, was only given to the beast in order to seal the emperor’s doom. And by using that authority, the emperor had sealed his own doom as well as the doom of the empire as a whole. He would also be an agent of doom for all the people, small and great, who willingly followed him, thus proving that their names were not in the Lamb’s Book of Life, because no one whose name is written there would willingly support the persecution of God’s people.
Pray with Me
Father, even though this passage clearly applied to Rome, the scenario has been repeated over and over again in nations and empires all over the globe. The Roman Emperor died, and the Roman Empire quickly began to fall apart, but the dragon, satan, lived on. And after a time, he raised up and inspired a series of empires to persecute Your people, which then experienced the same doom. Even today, he is at work inspiring leaders and whole nations to defy You and persecute and kill Your people. But we can stand firm and secure in the knowledge that whether we live or die ourselves, the enemy will ultimately be defeated, and Your kingdom will not only survive, but will continue to grow. Thank You, Lord, for this great assurance. Amen.