Revelation 13:1-10 – So You Think You’re a Big Shot?
We Presbyterians recognize that idolatry is the root of sinfulness. At times, we make idols out of ourselves and believe that anything is permissible, so long as we benefit from it. Other times, we sin by serving other causes or institutions; they may be good things in themselves, but when we over-emphasize them our lives get out of whack. These days, it seems as though we’ve become polytheists when it comes to idolatry. There are so many different gods that we’re trying to serve that we never get a moment’s rest. And that, of course, leads to a violation of the Fourth Commandment for rest.
This passage deals with idolatry at the next level. Not only are tempted to give our primary allegiance and devotion to things and people other than God, but there are forces in the world that believe that they deserve it. This isn’t always the case. I think of an otherwise-devout grandmother who didn’t bring her grandson to Vacation Bible School because he had baseball practice, and “of course baseball is more important.” This is a case in which baseball had become an idol, but I don’t think anyone associated with baseball would say that it’s the most powerful or important thing in the world (although maybe I’m wrong!). I’m thinking instead of institutions that are so important that we’re tempted to place Christianity in their service. Take family, for example. The famous saying goes “The family that prays together, stays together.” While that may be true, do you notice where the emphasis is placed in that proverb? The most important thing is to keep the family together. So let’s worship God in order to keep our family strong. Priority should be given to God, not the family. A better slogan would be something that tells us that it’s good to have strong families because this enables everyone to serve and praise God better. Our nation is another example. Some people argue that it’s in our nation’s best interest to have faith play a larger role in social discourse. The USA will be better and stronger if we as a nation acknowledge God’s lordship. That may be, but it misses the point entirely. Our focus should be upon how to live faithfully for God, and not upon the nation.
Here, we find a demonic force at work in the world that believes it’s the most powerful and important thing around. And the people of the world (except for those redeemed by Christ) buy into the lie. This beast is like Goliath, the champion of the Philistines who taunted the Israelite army. He was big and strong and boastful. He taunted the Israelites for being to weak to stand up against him. Goliath’s impudence was one thing; what was even worse was the fact that the Israelite soldiers believed him. When he told that he’d wup them, they believed him and ran and hid. The only person on the Israelite side of the battle lines who saw the truth was David, who couldn’t believe that everyone was letting Goliath talk like that. And when he protested, his big brother told him to shut up.
Chapters 12 and 13 of Revelation present what I call the Unholy Trinity: three demonic beings or forces who are at work to oppose God and deceive the people of the earth. We met the first in Chapter 12: the dragon who tried to keep Jesus out of the world and who was thwarted in his attempts to destroy the people of God. In the first half of Chapter 13, we meet the second being: the beast who came out of the sea. This sea-beast wasn’t in opposition with the dragon, but actually worked together with him. Verse 2 says that the dragon gave the sea-beast the power and authority that it wielded. We’ve already identified the dragon as Satan; the sea-beast is the social-political-military-economic powers of the world, the human forces that drive history. The way the sea-beast appears in John’s vision gives us some hints about it. First, the fact that it emerges from the sea brings up two points. First, the sea was understood by the Israelites (who were not a sea-faring people) as an uncertain, evil, forboding presence. Second, the Roman Empire came from “overseas.” This is the first of several hints in the description that help us recognize that for John and his churches, the Roman Empire was the form that demonic social evil took in their day. The beast was a crazy combination of a leopard, bear, and lion: three animals that appear in Daniel’s visions to represent different human empires. This is a political-military beast. Of course the fact that these are three pretty scary animals also lets us know how dangerous and terrible it is; this is the first-century version of “Lions, and Tigers, and Bears… oh my!” It represents tyrannical power on the earth, and the Romans for John’s people were tyranny incarnate. It’s up to us to watch for such tyrannical powers in our own day and age. There are all sorts of candidates for it, and we could have a rousing debate about what the sea-beast looks like today. In fact, there are some Christians around the world who would argue that the United States’ military and economic might make us the sea-beast of today. However, the sea-beast is not just any powerful force or nation that happens to be around; it is a powerful human institution which opposes God and seeks to destroy His blessings. As citizens of a powerful nation, it’s up to us to ensure that our country never becomes a sea-beast, and to do everything we can to get things turned around if we get off track.
OK, back to the Romans. (But remember: the sea-beast isn’t just Rome It’s also Egypt, and Babylon, and any other human power or institution which attacks God’s people. Whether intentionally or not, it’s the dangerous human forces that are in league with the devil.) The sea-beast’s seven blasphemous heads represent the seven Roman emperors (the “heads of state”) who claimed to be divine. The head that appeared to be mortally wounded by recovered is a demonic parody of Christ’s resurrection. This is one more example of how Satan’s best ideas are ones that he steals from God and corrupts to his own purposes. It is also a reference to Nero, because there was a belief in John’s day that Nero would come back to life. Whether by ruse or by Satanic power, the beast gains awe and respect by appearing to recover from a fatal injury. God isn’t the only one who can perform miracles (or at least, what appear to be miracles. It would be a whole other discussion to define what makes something a miracle). Satanic wonder-working is another form of deceit. Even if it doesn’t trick you into thinking that it’s God, it at least gets you to believe that it’s powerful and irresistible.
In verse 2, we hear that the dragon (Satan) gives power and authority to the sea-beast. The sea-beast does what Satan tempted Jesus to do: worship me, and I’ll give you power and authority over the world. Of course, I’ve always wondered what kind of power and authority it really is if you can only do what Satan commands, and you’re just a pawn to advance his purposes. The other thing that I have to wonder about here is who exactly gave power to the sea-beast (we see another reference to this in verse 5). It seems as though Satan is giving the beast the power to do whatever it does. And Satan probably thought the power was his to give. But it’s not. We’ve already seen in Chapter 12 that Satan can’t do anything without God say-so. The fact that the sea-beast had authority for 42 months (half of seven years, which is God’s perfect number), is a hint that its time of glory is all part of God’s plan. So when you’re caught in the midst of the beast’s power, don’t get freaked out. It’s all part of how God is working things out.
But the beast’s supposed power deceives many people. They see its show of force and its wonder-working abilities, and can’t imagine how anything could be more powerful or awesome than the beast. And by extension, the dragon who gives it power. I’m thinking at this point of the massive military parades that the old Soviet Union used to put on, and which North Korea still has. The purpose is to inspire the nation’s citizens into thinking that foreign invaders don’t stand a chance against them. And so everyone (except God’s people, of course) exclaim “Who is like the beast?! Who could ever stand up against him, and against the dragon who gives it power?” This, by the way, is blasphemy. The question “Who is like…” appears repeatedly in the Old Testament as an exclamation of praise for God, whose power and authority truly is beyond all comprehension (Exodus 15:11, Psalm 35:10, 89:6-8, 113:5). The beast’s activity is nothing but prideful boasting and defiance of God. It is establishing itself as an idol for people to worship instead of the Lord.
So, what does this sea-beast look like today? My first thought is money and the economic system. Plenty of people, even church people, think that you can’t accomplish anything without money. We’ve seen how the world has come crashing down when our byzantine economic system fell apart. “People’s lives have been ruined!” the pundits exclaim. Actually, what they mean to say is that people have lost their money, and the stuff money can buy. What a shame to think that one’s entire life is nothing but finances. That’s not at all what God says.
The passage ends with an admonition for “patient endurance and faithfulness.” These are our marching orders. Don’t fall for the deceit of Satan and his human minions. When they appear to be invincible, don’t take the bait and fall in step behind them. Hang on to the Lord whom you know truly is invincible. Be patient for when the 42 months come to an end and God continues his plan. Endure what you may have to put up with in the meantime. And never lose your faith in the One who truly is Lord; don’t give in to the temptation of worshiping an idol.
This passage deals with idolatry at the next level. Not only are tempted to give our primary allegiance and devotion to things and people other than God, but there are forces in the world that believe that they deserve it. This isn’t always the case. I think of an otherwise-devout grandmother who didn’t bring her grandson to Vacation Bible School because he had baseball practice, and “of course baseball is more important.” This is a case in which baseball had become an idol, but I don’t think anyone associated with baseball would say that it’s the most powerful or important thing in the world (although maybe I’m wrong!). I’m thinking instead of institutions that are so important that we’re tempted to place Christianity in their service. Take family, for example. The famous saying goes “The family that prays together, stays together.” While that may be true, do you notice where the emphasis is placed in that proverb? The most important thing is to keep the family together. So let’s worship God in order to keep our family strong. Priority should be given to God, not the family. A better slogan would be something that tells us that it’s good to have strong families because this enables everyone to serve and praise God better. Our nation is another example. Some people argue that it’s in our nation’s best interest to have faith play a larger role in social discourse. The USA will be better and stronger if we as a nation acknowledge God’s lordship. That may be, but it misses the point entirely. Our focus should be upon how to live faithfully for God, and not upon the nation.
Here, we find a demonic force at work in the world that believes it’s the most powerful and important thing around. And the people of the world (except for those redeemed by Christ) buy into the lie. This beast is like Goliath, the champion of the Philistines who taunted the Israelite army. He was big and strong and boastful. He taunted the Israelites for being to weak to stand up against him. Goliath’s impudence was one thing; what was even worse was the fact that the Israelite soldiers believed him. When he told that he’d wup them, they believed him and ran and hid. The only person on the Israelite side of the battle lines who saw the truth was David, who couldn’t believe that everyone was letting Goliath talk like that. And when he protested, his big brother told him to shut up.
Chapters 12 and 13 of Revelation present what I call the Unholy Trinity: three demonic beings or forces who are at work to oppose God and deceive the people of the earth. We met the first in Chapter 12: the dragon who tried to keep Jesus out of the world and who was thwarted in his attempts to destroy the people of God. In the first half of Chapter 13, we meet the second being: the beast who came out of the sea. This sea-beast wasn’t in opposition with the dragon, but actually worked together with him. Verse 2 says that the dragon gave the sea-beast the power and authority that it wielded. We’ve already identified the dragon as Satan; the sea-beast is the social-political-military-economic powers of the world, the human forces that drive history. The way the sea-beast appears in John’s vision gives us some hints about it. First, the fact that it emerges from the sea brings up two points. First, the sea was understood by the Israelites (who were not a sea-faring people) as an uncertain, evil, forboding presence. Second, the Roman Empire came from “overseas.” This is the first of several hints in the description that help us recognize that for John and his churches, the Roman Empire was the form that demonic social evil took in their day. The beast was a crazy combination of a leopard, bear, and lion: three animals that appear in Daniel’s visions to represent different human empires. This is a political-military beast. Of course the fact that these are three pretty scary animals also lets us know how dangerous and terrible it is; this is the first-century version of “Lions, and Tigers, and Bears… oh my!” It represents tyrannical power on the earth, and the Romans for John’s people were tyranny incarnate. It’s up to us to watch for such tyrannical powers in our own day and age. There are all sorts of candidates for it, and we could have a rousing debate about what the sea-beast looks like today. In fact, there are some Christians around the world who would argue that the United States’ military and economic might make us the sea-beast of today. However, the sea-beast is not just any powerful force or nation that happens to be around; it is a powerful human institution which opposes God and seeks to destroy His blessings. As citizens of a powerful nation, it’s up to us to ensure that our country never becomes a sea-beast, and to do everything we can to get things turned around if we get off track.
OK, back to the Romans. (But remember: the sea-beast isn’t just Rome It’s also Egypt, and Babylon, and any other human power or institution which attacks God’s people. Whether intentionally or not, it’s the dangerous human forces that are in league with the devil.) The sea-beast’s seven blasphemous heads represent the seven Roman emperors (the “heads of state”) who claimed to be divine. The head that appeared to be mortally wounded by recovered is a demonic parody of Christ’s resurrection. This is one more example of how Satan’s best ideas are ones that he steals from God and corrupts to his own purposes. It is also a reference to Nero, because there was a belief in John’s day that Nero would come back to life. Whether by ruse or by Satanic power, the beast gains awe and respect by appearing to recover from a fatal injury. God isn’t the only one who can perform miracles (or at least, what appear to be miracles. It would be a whole other discussion to define what makes something a miracle). Satanic wonder-working is another form of deceit. Even if it doesn’t trick you into thinking that it’s God, it at least gets you to believe that it’s powerful and irresistible.
In verse 2, we hear that the dragon (Satan) gives power and authority to the sea-beast. The sea-beast does what Satan tempted Jesus to do: worship me, and I’ll give you power and authority over the world. Of course, I’ve always wondered what kind of power and authority it really is if you can only do what Satan commands, and you’re just a pawn to advance his purposes. The other thing that I have to wonder about here is who exactly gave power to the sea-beast (we see another reference to this in verse 5). It seems as though Satan is giving the beast the power to do whatever it does. And Satan probably thought the power was his to give. But it’s not. We’ve already seen in Chapter 12 that Satan can’t do anything without God say-so. The fact that the sea-beast had authority for 42 months (half of seven years, which is God’s perfect number), is a hint that its time of glory is all part of God’s plan. So when you’re caught in the midst of the beast’s power, don’t get freaked out. It’s all part of how God is working things out.
But the beast’s supposed power deceives many people. They see its show of force and its wonder-working abilities, and can’t imagine how anything could be more powerful or awesome than the beast. And by extension, the dragon who gives it power. I’m thinking at this point of the massive military parades that the old Soviet Union used to put on, and which North Korea still has. The purpose is to inspire the nation’s citizens into thinking that foreign invaders don’t stand a chance against them. And so everyone (except God’s people, of course) exclaim “Who is like the beast?! Who could ever stand up against him, and against the dragon who gives it power?” This, by the way, is blasphemy. The question “Who is like…” appears repeatedly in the Old Testament as an exclamation of praise for God, whose power and authority truly is beyond all comprehension (Exodus 15:11, Psalm 35:10, 89:6-8, 113:5). The beast’s activity is nothing but prideful boasting and defiance of God. It is establishing itself as an idol for people to worship instead of the Lord.
So, what does this sea-beast look like today? My first thought is money and the economic system. Plenty of people, even church people, think that you can’t accomplish anything without money. We’ve seen how the world has come crashing down when our byzantine economic system fell apart. “People’s lives have been ruined!” the pundits exclaim. Actually, what they mean to say is that people have lost their money, and the stuff money can buy. What a shame to think that one’s entire life is nothing but finances. That’s not at all what God says.
The passage ends with an admonition for “patient endurance and faithfulness.” These are our marching orders. Don’t fall for the deceit of Satan and his human minions. When they appear to be invincible, don’t take the bait and fall in step behind them. Hang on to the Lord whom you know truly is invincible. Be patient for when the 42 months come to an end and God continues his plan. Endure what you may have to put up with in the meantime. And never lose your faith in the One who truly is Lord; don’t give in to the temptation of worshiping an idol.
posted by Rev. Peter de Vries, Old Union Presbyterian Church @ 4:29 PM
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