Revelation exposes our greatest enemy

When I took my master’s degree in theology the seminary provided professors who were all ‘big picture’ people. Rather than getting caught up in details, which I always do, they could stand back and see a larger view of what is going on. When it comes to interpreting Revelation 13 easily bogs me down with details.

For instance, who is the beast out of the sea? A world dictator? And who is the beast out of the earth? A false prophet? A supporter of the dictator? This sounds like a time of one world government and one world religion, with one world economic system. It also describes how all who resist and refuse to worship this ruler will be executed with the martyrs outnumbering any believers who survive. It appears to be Satan’s final attempt to turn the world from worshiping the true God and Jesus Christ as their Savior.

And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. (Revelation 13:4–8)

Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. (Revelation 13:11–15)

Notice that these beasts are allowed to do what they do. God remains in control.

As for who they are, some view both beasts as representatives of historical recurrences of evil that comes in two ways. One is outright opposition against the people of God. This beast receives a fatal wound, but the wound is healed. How can that be? If the wound is healed, it is not fatal. If it is fatal it could not be healed. Is this symbolism describing the repeated historical manifestations of evil against God’s people? Think of Nero, the Roman Emperor, of Innocent III, of Hitler. In each case, the monster is cut down, but then the genocide starts again — in places such as China, Cambodia and Rwanda. This beast receives a fatal wound, but always comes back to life.

The other beast represents religious deception. It is out of the earth and described in 19:20 as “the false prophet” whose mission is to seduce and deceive God’s people if possible. He looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon (13:11), appearing innocent but is Satan’s mouthpiece, performing miraculous signs and deceiving humanity. He uses the authority given him by the first beast to seduce his followers and exclude all others. History bears out how false religious leaders do this in their seductive plan to destroy faith in Jesus Christ.

It could be that these beasts both symbolize evil and are actual people. Either way, they represent our battle, my battle, against direct assaults against my faith and the more subtle attacks, both designed to destroy it and to bring me to my knees before Satan and his cohorts. To this, Jesus says,

"Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’"  (Matthew 4:10)

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Jesus, I may not be around if literal evil beasts try to overturn faith in You and grab worship for their leader, but right now, the battle against evil is real and constant. It can be an outright, visible assault such as the many laws and norms now imposed on Christians by governments and our culture, or subtle like the distractions that Satan poses to keep me from engaging in this war through prayer. Give me wisdom in how I respond and deal with beast number one and keep me alert against the schemes of beast number two. As written, defeating my enemy requires Your total protection. Help me be victorious.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Today’s thankful list . . .

- realizing this ‘future’ is already part of Christian life.

- knowing I can win the battles by faith in Jesus.

- total fatigue from the gym yet joyful because Jesus wins!

Simple answer to a major problem

A few years ago, our daughter said, “I finally figured out what is the matter with this crazy world; everyone is totally selfish!” We agreed with her sage observation, as does the Word of God.

Tozer does too. He begins today’s devotional with describing true Christianity as dealing with “the problem of the self-life, with the basic matter of ‘me, myself and I.’” The reason for these statements is found in God’s description of sin:

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6)

Without intervention, everyone goes their own way. For some, this does not seem too bad. For others it becomes serious to the point of destructive behavior. In either extreme, God’s solution was to lay that sin and selfishness in His Son Jesus Christ and set us free from the tyranny of self.

Now, as a Christian, I must live that out. Instead of being bound in my own way, God has set me free to serve Him. Yet living righteously has its challenges, most of them being old habits and the pride of thinking I know what to do and how to think — without asking God or relying on the Spirit of God. Self is still a problem, but as Tozer writes, “This selfish I cannot live if God is to be glorified in this human life.”

“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:17–23)

God gave me Jesus as the solution. He also restored my ability to choose. Before Christ, I was a slave to sin and self. With Christ, I can choose how I will live, knowing that God has no interest or support for that old way of life. In it is the “essence of rebellion and disobedience and unbelief.” My pride of me, myself and I is anti-God and very sinful.

Jesus told us to take up our cross daily. Many interpret this cross as something nasty in our lives that we need to tolerate, forgetting that a cross is a place of death. His words are better understood as dying daily to that old life and living in the power of my new life. I need to, yet I cannot do this without Him.

Yesterday, I was filled with joy and singing in my heart through the day. At one point, I thought that I didn’t want this to stop, but was acutely aware that if I started enjoying the joy instead of enjoying my Savior, that joy would elude me. Joy is a by-product, not a goal.

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Jesus, You are the goal. When my heart and mind are taken up with You, then the slavery of sin is not even casting a shadow. Yet I know that I cannot make this happen; it is a result of Your grace and the work of the Holy Spirit. My part is to take up that cross and remember that self and sin died there, with You and forever. Alleluia what a Savior!

   

Not enough talk? Or not enough walk?

A few years ago, I was in a situation where I didn’t know whether to speak up or shut up. I felt like yelling but had a sense of being bound and unable to. I told my sister about it and she quoted, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” Today’s Scripture reading reminds me of that instance:

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. (Proverbs 2:6–7)

The Bible agrees that our walk and talk should match. However, some think Christians should talk less and do more, while today’s devotional reading suggests we should talk more. Tozer says that perhaps there is so much sin in the world because the church is silent, not speaking out against it. Is this true? Have we lost our influence because we have lost our voice?

I look at the evils in society and the lack of respect for righteousness and wonder if I should blame myself and God’s people for not speaking. Blame is easy. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent, so it seems refusing to take responsibility is part of what sinners do. Most women blame themselves for family and marriage problems, even stuff that is not our fault. It seems to me that if accused, I ought to carefully consider it. Is it warranted? Or not?

I agree that the church is not as respected as it once was. However, is that lack of respect something earned? Or is it the result of increased sinfulness in people who reject God? When Jesus came, He lived a perfect life and should have had a positive effect on people in His day. While some believed, the majority cried to crucify Him. Would a perfect church guarantee a perfect society? Likely not.

I wish I could do something about the evils in the world. Does fear of any whiplash keep me silent about bad movies, twisted morals, suspicious media, and other garbage? Am I too timid to jump in with both feet and a loud mouth? I’m thinking not. While not a rabble-rouser, I’ve had times of standing up against sinful behavior and thinking nothing of my own hide. I can remember times of having the ‘liberty’ of the Spirit’s presence and was bold as a lion. However, most of the time I am not feisty about my faith. I’m motivated to pray, but not to march in protest, mostly because I know that the Lord God is far more powerful and able to make change happen than I am.

Tozer says God’s people may be sinning against God by guilty silence and that we need to become vocal and active — before God will fight for truth. Perhaps the greater problem is being silent in the sense of not praying, and not listening for His direction when we do? Another issue concerns more than our mouths: 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Mind renewal involves letting the Word of God change me. I’m to read, study, digest, meditate, and obey it. Is the church of God lax in that department? We go to a strong, Bible-believing local church, but many will attest to the challenge of being transformed rather than conformed.

That relates to another part of the problem. Are the people of God able to speak to the challenges raised concerning the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, the reality of redemption, even the issue of creation vs. evolution? Can we make a solid case of how God can be sovereign — yet we have the ability to make choices? Can we tell them how three Persons can be One God? Can we explain prayer?

Yet Christianity is not a position won by debate. It is the work of God in human hearts using the power of His Word and the gifts of grace and faith. We need to speak, but we also need to be on our knees — relying on Him to convict and convince. I know that my oratory powers are zero without the power of the Holy Spirit in them. I also know that without dealing with my own sin, that Spirit is not going to use me.

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Jesus, the world is a mess. At times, it seems that the church is also falling and failing. Yet I believe that history is happening under Your sovereign power and grace. We don’t want this slide into darkness. We want our light to shine, yet I know You are able to give us what we need to both speak up or shut up. What I really hope for is the faith to always do whatever it is You ask, interpreting You correctly and being totally willing to always obey You.