SCRIPTURE: Revelation 13
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. [Revelation 13:5-7]
In ch.12 we see the dragon (Satan) kicked out of heaven, defeated but still dangerous.
On earth he raises up an ‘anti-christ’, someone to stand up against the Christ.
Please note, there are a lot of symbols in this chapter (times and numbers, etc.) and throughout the ages people have tried to identify or calculate them.
Forty months, 666, the wounded beast – who is it, when is it, what is it?
I do not spend a lot of time trying to figure it out, since I think there are many applications for these symbols, many antichrists [1 John 2:18].
The thing I want to highlight here is that though they have great power and authority, it has been given to them – they are not self-made, they are God-appointed!

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. [John 19:10-11]
Like Pilate, these antichrist’s act as if they are in charge, and they demand obedience and submission – no one can eat without their ‘number’ marked on them.
As in Daniel’s day, those that do not bow down to the image will be punished.
But Pilate was not in control, neither was Belshazzar or Nebuchadnezzar, and neither was Hitler or… (fill in the blank).
Their power and authority is given to them from above; in other words it’s all according to the plan.
The whole world is under the control of the evil one, but only because He Who is on the highest throne has given it to him.

The purpose is to separate those who love God and good, from those who only love themselves, and the selfish spirit that the beast represents.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. [Revelation 13:8]
Think of Nazi Germany, where the holocaust revealed who among the Germans would stand up to injustice, and who would cave in for self-preservation.
The brutal policies of the Nazi government drew a line in the sand for all the people, and they had to decide whether to accept the beast’ number, or defy the beast.
Those whose hearts were loyal to the Lamb, whose name’s were written in the book of life, refused to submit to the injustice of the Nazi – many suffered and died.

The holocaust was terrible, and the war against God’s holy people is bloody.
But those who die in the conflict with the beast do not perish; this life may end, but new life is given to them in the end, a life greater than this one!
The Lord Jesus allows evil to run it’s course in this world to reveal our hearts, to see whether we will remain true to God and good, or whether we will ‘worship the beast’.
Under pressure, Jesus resisted the beast’s invitation to worship him; will we?

PRAYER:
Lord, this is academic for me; am I strong enough to resist the beast?