Ch.13: The perfect “gospel”
This chapter looks like two monsters doing destruction, but this is one of the deepest chapters in the book. Let’s get ready.
Our text
We are moving quickly forward and reached chapter 13.
Satan’s strategy
The double attack
Since Satan cannot defeat Jesus or Israel, he attacks the Church. He does this in two ways
- by brute force: persecution, economic and financial pressure
- by perception
He imitates the Trinity, which not only discredits the Church, but also attracts people who want to follow Jesus. The dragon imitates God the Father who has all power, the first beast imitates the resurrected Christ, and the second beast imitates the Holy Spirit who has the power to give life.
This is the Antichrist (“anti” can also mean “instead”). He replaces Christ and sets up his own church. The world cannot distinguish between the true and the false Trinity. And he seems really convincing:
- The dragon seems to have all the power in the world.
- The first beast was killed and resurrected.
- The second beast can give life to a statue (in the Old Testament, idols were mocked for not being able to do this)
- The second beast can also make fire come down from heaven, the ultimate sign that this is God (see the story of Elijah).
And this is tempting.
The dream
Can you imagine a world where Christianity is praised by the whole world and all people agree that nothing can defeat it?
Can you imagine a world where the whole world worships God and all the enemies of God are defeated?
Can you imagine a world where there is no doubt about the existence of God and where great miracles and signs are commonplace?
Can you imagine the whole world under Christian rule, controlling politics, economics and finances?
This is a gospel for good to be true. Or rather, too good to be true.
If this is your dream, wake up because this is a nightmare!
The reality
This is the reality that the devil is setting up in this chapter. He has not been able to stop Christianity, so he is promoting it-the evil version. But what is so evil about it? Simply the means by which he has accomplished it.
He represents the risen Christ, but the answer is not “how much he loved us” but “who can fight him”. The reason is fear.
Everyone worships the beast because they see how he “defeated” the Church. The reason is oppression.
Even the beast can perform miracles, but the result is not comfort, but manipulation: Everyone takes the sign, or else they will be killed. It is a show to impress people and the thread for people who do not comply.
There is no shortcut to God’s kingdom. It is tempting and the church failed in crusades, forced conversions and inquisitions to build the kingdom of God and became the beast.
This is what the world sees and we should make every effort to show that the church looks different. We should not avoid conflicts, but work through them with the means of Jesus.
We should not preach the gospel by means of fear (of hell), manipulation, or thinking that our faith justifies the means.
The sign on hand and forehead
This is a sign of a covenant, as God did in Egypt with His people: “You see what I did to the Egyptians, trust me, I have the power to protect you and provide for you.”
Satan, on the other hand, says, “Look around you, you can suffer and die, or you can give me your allegiance. The sign on the hand and forehead is the submission of doing and thinking.
It does not have to be a chip. It can be your work ethic, your credit card, your smart phone, your TV shows. 2000 years ago it was public behavior.
Satan uses deception, he is not honest.
The historic reality
What did it mean in practical terms at that time?
The first beast was the emperor in Rome with his political and military power and his emperor cult (the emperor is the mediator of the blessings of the gods). It seems impossible to defeat, because when one emperor dies, the next one comes in line.
The second beast was the local authorities who enforced the emperor cult, the economy, and the whole surrounding society.
The sign on the head and forehead was the adherence to the cult, watched over by your neighbors and co-workers, so that you don’t fall out of line.
In all of this, the point is that they are the puppets of the Dragon behind the scenes, so the attack was never against the Romans, and should not be against the authorities today, but against the spiritual forces behind them.
Satan failure
Even though this copy of the Trinity sounds so convincing, it is rated with 666. This can be seen in three different ways:
- Satan imitates the Trinity, but he fails in all aspects, which will be explained below, and for each he gets a six (number of man, not of God).
- 666 is the warning in the story of Daniel’s friends to persevere even when God does not intervene.
- 666 is the warning not to be tempted by the offers of Satan.
So why does he fail? In each of the persons of the Trinity, the crucial element was missing.
- God is the ruler, but He does not dictate, otherwise no one would ask, “How can a loving God allow all this evil? Satan destroys everything that does not agree with him.
- Jesus died out of love for us, the first beast only frightens people. Jesus died completely, the first beast was only wounded.
- The Holy Spirit does not force people and uses shows, the second beast uses this to manipulate.
So the difference between the alleged Satan and Jesus is not power or success, but the love with which we treat people. This may not be new, but in this story it is presented in a very impressive way.
Reflection
- Did you fall for this dream above? In what aspect?
- Have you ever used the weapons of the beast (violence, fear, manipulation, …) and what was the result?
- Do you clearly see the difference between the deception and the reality of the Church? Can you see it in our society?
- What are the first and second beasts in your environment? How can you remain faithful?
- In what ways (even subtle ones) do people today show their allegiance to the beast?
- What are the consequences of today’s beasts if you don’t submit?
- Where are you being challenged to give in (out of desperation, conviction, temptation)?