John sees the ‘beast’ rising up out of the water of the ‘sea of nations’: first the ten horns with the crowns, then the seven heads with the names of blasphemy, just like the Roman emperors were themselves honoured as ‘gods’ in their time2—human pride at its worst. Romans 13 shows that ‘governing authorities’ should be ‘God’s servants’.3 They are called by God into their positions. They have to fulfil a God-given role of authority. They are God’s servants.
Romans 13:1-32 NIV “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
Revelation 13 portrays a government that is the devil’s servant. The dragon, Satan, gives his power—the last end-time dominion—to the ‘beast’. In that last world-wide empire John recognises everything that also motivated the world empires, just as the prophet Daniel saw them. The climax, a devilish climax, is reached. Luther already called the devil ‘God’s ape’, who tries to imitate everything He does. It looks as if there, in the figure of the ‘beast’ is an imitation of the death of Christ and His resurrection. A better translation could be ‘is slain’, referring to the Lamb that was ‘slain’, and nevertheless rose to life again. In this way one of the beast’s ‘heads’ is ‘slain’—fatally wounded but healed nevertheless.
Just as Christ received full authority from the Father, so the ’beast’ receives his authority from the dragon, Satan. Even the ‘songs of praise’ and ‘liturgy’—as Christ received with the Father in Heaven4—are not omitted. Michael’s name means ‘Who is like God’? The people say blasphemously: ‘Who is like the beast? ‘
When John wants to worship the Angel who brought him much of the celestial message, that Heavenly messenger says: ‘Worship God!’5 The people here worship the fallen Heavenly being, the dragon. They recognise and acknowledge the beast’s source of inspiration, and say: ‘Who can compare? Who can fight against that? Who can wage war against the beast? You will always lose.’ It seems invincible as the ‘beast’ has supernatural power. Not everything that is supernatural is divine, however. This is why people have followed all kinds of occult practitioners and superstitious practices with amazement and awe throughout all the ages such as people who practise the laying on of hands, magnetism and stroking, healers, magicians, fortune teller and spiritualists. Jomanda, so-called ‘Lady of the light’, charmed thousands, including Christians in the Netherlands, 1992-1999. Shakespeare said: ‘There are more things between Heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’ There is the realm of the ‘powers of darkness’, the fallen angels and the demons. There are spirits and ghosts. There is the devil himself, who is also capable of healing.6 However, as Goethe points out in his book/play Faust, following such practises and claiming such healings and enjoying the result will cost you your eternal soul. It is unintentionally selling your soul to the devil. The whole world follows after the beast voluntarily because of the supernatural phenomenon of the healing of the fatally wounded ‘head’. They worship the dragon and the ‘beast’—glorification of the power of the state and its leader, as in Hitler’s Germany. That was a type of the end-time government, just like Napoleon, Mao Zedong, the divine Roman emperors, and every dictator who is and was worshipped by the masses.
• This is always the decisive choice for each person: who will I serve?7 Who do I follow during my life? From whom do I expect the guidance and leadership and blessings in my life: God or from other people and other supernatural sources? Do not put your trust in princes who are human beings that cannot really save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.8 This applies to the ‘beast’ and the ‘anti-Christ’ too.
• The expression ‘a fatal wound’ is the same Greek word that is translated as ‘slain’ in Revelation 5:6.
Bible References:
1.NIV 2.Revelation 13:1 3.Romans 13:4 4.Revelation 4 and 5 5.Revelation 22:9 6.Acts 8:9–11 7.Deuteronomy 30:10; Joshua 24:15 8.Psalm 146:2
