The Beast and the Lamb

[Read Revelation 13-14]

When my children were pretty little, a fight broke out between them and one decided to run away (I won’t tell you which one). She didn’t get far and we sat her down to have a talk with her. We asked her where she was planning to go and where she would stay. She told us that she was planning to find someone else to live with. We asked her how she would know whether that person was good or not. She said, “I would ask if they are good or bad.” So, I asked her, “Do you think a bad person would tell you the truth? Don’t you think they would lie to you?” She responded by saying, “I would still ask them, but if they said they were good, I’d know they were lying, so then I wouldn’t stay with them.” 

I had a similar conversation with an older person who was playing around with witchcraft. They were trying to cast spells and messing around with a ouija board. I told them they needed to stop messing around with that foolishness. The only spirits they were going to connect with were demons. They said, “No, there are good spirits and bad spirits. I only interact with the good spirits.” So, I asked, “How do you know they’re a good spirit?” They said, “I ask them.” So, I said, “Don’t you think a bad spirit is going to lie to you? Besides, the only good spirits are angels and God never told us to interact with angels in that way. The only spirits you’re interacting with are demonic.” 

There’s an underlying issue in both these stories. It’s a misunderstanding that we all have. We assume that bad guys will look bad. We assume that bad guy will come riding in on a black horse with a black cowboy hat. We assume the witch will have a wart on her nose and a crooked hat. We assume the bad guys will look like a Disney villain. Yet, most often, the worst enemies come wearing nice clothes, a shiny white smile, and a twinkle in their eye. Most often, the worst enemies are viewed as the answer to everyone’s problems—a savior. 

That’s what we see in Revelation 13. We’re given images of two beasts, but the world doesn’t see them as beasts. The world sees them as saviors. Regarding the first beast, our passage says, “the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 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?”” (Revelation 13:3–4, ESV). The whole world is following the beast. The whole world is in awe of the beast. The whole world is worshiping the beast. In the final judgment people were crying out, “Who can stand before God?” but now, as they see the beast, they’re crying out, “Who can stand against the beast? Who is stronger than the beast?” The assumption is: no one. The beast is seen as a savior of the world and no one recognizes his beastliness.

So, who is the beast? Our passage says, “And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.” (Revelation 13:2, ESV). These three animals are mentioned in one  of Daniel’s visions (actually, there are multitudes of allusions to the book of Daniel throughout these chapters). In Daniel’s vision it says: “And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles’ wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.” (Daniel 7:3–6, ESV). When this vision is interpreted, we’re told that each beast represents a kingdom. Yet, the beast we see in Revelation 13 has parts of each. He’s the composite of the other beasts. One beast to represent all other beasts. 

The beast in Revelation 13 represents the kingdoms of men—the kingdoms of earth—set against the Kingdom of God. It represents the kingdoms of men throughout history that trust in themselves as saviors of the world. Throughout history we see these kingdoms. Babylon was one of those kingdoms. Rome was one of those kingdoms. And, to be completely honest, the United States is becoming (has become?) one of those kingdoms. The whole earth marvels and follows these kingdoms. They're impressed with their power and might. They worship these kingdoms. They put their complete trust in these kingdoms. They say, “Who is like this kingdom? Can anyone fight against this kingdom?” 

Yet, they don’t recognize the underlying forces at work. Our passage says, “And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2, ESV). Why is this beast so majestic and powerful? Because Satan has given it power and authority. Any kingdom that continually sets itself up against God—spitting in His face—and continues to look powerful and mighty and majestic, is in cahoots with Satan. The dragon has given it power and authority in order to wage war on God and his people. 

That’s why the beast blasphemes God and spits in his face. Our passage says, “It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” (Revelation 13:6, ESV). These nations HATE God. They blaspheme his name. They mock Him. And, not only that, they hate His people—those who dwell in heaven with Him. They blaspheme God’s people. They mock them and belittle them and push them to the edge of society. 

More than that, our passage says, “Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” (Revelation 13:7, ESV). Not only do these kingdoms MOCK God and his people, but they begin to intentionally wage war on God and his people, seeking to eradicate them—to conquer them. 

Then comes another beast. This beast looks like a lamb. It looks like Jesus—the true Lamb—but when it speaks it sounds like a dragon. Our passage says, “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,” (Revelation 13:12–13, ESV). This beast looks like a prophet. It speaks to the people. It does great signs like the prophets. It talks about worship, but directs people to worship the beast. It creates idols to assist the world in worshiping the beast. 

This beast represents false prophets inside the church. We know it represents false prophets inside the church because they look like a lamb. They look like they belong in the church. They speak like they belong in the church. They do great signs that look like they belong in the church. But, underneath it all is the dragon. When these false prophets speak, they sound like the dragon. When these false prophets act, their actions smell like the dragon. They deceive people, leading them away from God into idolatry. They even persecute those who refuse to embrace their false teachings or worship their false idols.

Ultimately, these false teachers lead people astray so that they put their hope and trust in the kingdoms of men—the kingdoms that reject God. This is what it means to have the mark of the beast. Just like the seal that God has placed on his people, marking them as his own, is figurative, the mark of the beast is also figurative—marking his people as his own. Just as those who are not sealed by God can not benefit from His kingdom, those who are not marked by the beast cannot benefit from his kingdom. Those who refuse to worship this false kingdom—those refusing to put their hope and trust and ultimate allegiance in this godless kingdom—will be pushed to the edges of the kingdom, unable to benefit from its economy. 

I want to move on, but I cannot without addressing the number of the beast. There’s a lot of talk and interest in this number—many different theories. Yet, when you begin to interpret this number according to scripture, it becomes fairly plain. When you think of the number six in scripture, what do you think of? A couple things. First, humanity was created on the sixth day. So, six is the number of humanity. Yet, six is also not quite seven. Seven is completion and perfection. Six, is almost there but not quite yet. It's imperfect. Then, you give that number three times. If it was 777, you would hear the angels saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” But it's 666, which is saying “imperfect, imperfect, imperfect.” Or, to say it another way, it's the epitome of humanity on its own apart from God. It’s the number that represents all of humanity’s attempts to become great apart from God—all of humanity’s kingdoms set against God. They seem great, they seem like they are perfect, they seem like they are going to solve all their problems, but they’re not quite there. They are the epitome of imperfection. 

But, don’t forget where we began. The epitome of imperfection is seen by the world as perfection. These kingdoms of men are worshiped as kingdoms of god. These false prophets are viewed as powerful authorities providing great guidance for the church. These kingdoms and false teachers are viewed as the solution to everyone’s problems. That’s why so many are being led astray. That’s why so many are tempted to listen to the false prophet and follow the beast. 

Now, if you have a knot in your stomach right now—you know how I’ve been feeling all week preparing this sermon. That’s how we’re supposed to feel when we read this chapter. We’re supposed to feel the weight of this temptation. We’re supposed to wonder whether we’ve placed our trust in the beast. We’re supposed to wonder whether some of the prophets we’ve listened to are leading us astray. We’re supposed to recognize that Satan is at work in all of these things, deceiving and attacking God’s people. There needs to be a weight and heaviness to understanding this passage. 

But there’s hope in multiple places throughout this passage. First, there’s a word we need to notice: allowed. The first beast “was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” (Revelation 13:7, ESV). The second beast “was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast…” (Revelation 13:15, ESV). Who’s allowing this to happen? God is. God’s allowing the beast to wage war on his people. God’s allowing the false prophet to lead some people astray. I realize that may not seem comforting to everyone, but it really is. Would it be more comforting if God was NOT in control of these things and the Dragon has ultimate authority? Of course not. We can find comfort in knowing that God is in control over both beasts AND the dragon. We can also find comfort knowing that God is using these things for our good and his glory. We may not always understand, but we can find comfort there. 

We also find comfort when we read, “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 13:8, ESV). That means that everyone whose name HAS been written in the book of life—everyone who has been SEALED/MARKED by God—will NOT worship the beast or be deceived by the false prophet. We get this reminder in the next chapter: “Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” (Revelation 14:1, ESV). This is happening at the same time. As the beast is devouring God’s people, and the false prophet is leading people astray, John sees a reminder. He sees all of God’s people throughout history—past and present—in the presence of God with his name written on them. The false prophet will never lead them astray and they will never give allegiance to the beast. They will endure to the end. 

This is actually the theme of both these chapters. It’s mentioned once in each chapter. In chapter 13 we read, “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10, ESV) and in chapter 14 we read again, “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” (Revelation 14:12, ESV). Yes, the world will get crazy. Yes, we will be tempted to put our hope and trust in humanly kingdoms. Yes, there will be false prophets leading people astray, tempting us to follow them BUT God’s people must endure to the end. They must continue obeying God and trusting in Jesus. They WILL do that—they will ENDURE—because God has marked them as his own. So, in the midst of the chaos, keep your eyes on Jesus, remain faithful to him, and endure to the end. 

But it’s more than just enduring to the end. We’re not just hiding in a bunker until Jesus comes, trying to stay away from the craziness. We’re also not whining and complaining and moping as we endure. We actually SING a new song as we fight—we sing a song of victory. John writes, “And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” (Revelation 14:2–3, ESV). God’s people are singing this song AT THE SAME TIME as the beast wages war on them, trying to conquer them. God’s people are singing this song of victory AT THE SAME TIME as the false prophet is trying to have them killed because they refuse to worship idols. This is an image of joyful warriors in the world, remaining faithful to God and singing his praises. 

That’s the image we have of Jesus too. In this season of Lent, we continue to meditate on Jesus’ life and death and resurrection. In Jesus’ life the kingdoms of men waged against him. In Jesus’ life false prophets tried to lead him and others astray (Satan himself tried to lead Jesus astray). In Jesus’ life he faced trial and difficulty and struggle—eventually leading to his death on the cross. Yet, in the midst of all that adversity, Jesus endured right up to the end. Not only did Jesus endure but he endured it all with JOY. 

So, people of God, “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:1–4, ESV).