Friday, December 23, 2016

Year 6, Day 357: Revelation 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here


Once more I find the perspective of humanity delivered in this chapter to be absolutely profound – far more profound than anything that can be learned by hypothesizing about the two beasts and their identity.  Do you see what human beings do in this chapter?  They worship and accept slander.

Let’s look at the fact that the human race worships.  Take a look at what they worship.  They worship the dragon, who gives authority to the beast.  They worship the beast because it received a mortal wound yet lived.  Why is this so important?  It is important because human beings are willing to worship a false beast for the same reasons that they reject Jesus!  Jesus receives a mortal wound and actually dies.  Through God’s power, Jesus is brought back to life.  Yet, humanity scorns the story in general.  But yet here in Revelation we see that when the beast that follows the dragon comes, they will follow and worship for even less!  It is sad, but true, that humanity will follow false truth far more readily than humbly acknowledge genuine truth.

Immediately after we hear that the beast blasphemes.  The beast exercises authority, and the human beings accept it.  They accept it because he has power.  That’s the funny thing about human beings.  If you act like you are in charge and have power, most human beings will get in line and follow simply because you present an image of authority.  But if you step back and give people the ability to choose for themselves, they will choose what benefits themselves.  The beast comes, acts in his own authority, and human beings follow him.  God comes, dies for our sake, gives us free will, and much of humanity rejects Him.

I think that’s incredibly profound and worth pondering – especially a few days before Christmas.

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