The whole world population will worship the beast—every tribe and nation and language and people, worldwide, for this is what the expression in the Book of Revelation means.1 There is no escape, nowhere to turn: you belong either to God and the Lamb, or you belong to the ‘beast’. The ‘beast’ is not a politician who is prepared to compromise, not a tolerant spiritual leader who is ready to come to some convenient religious agreement. He is the ‘beast-man’ who knows no mercy. His hatred of God and the true believers is absolute. There is therefore probably no point in praying to God for delay or for a solution in that final period, although we also know about the special protection for the ‘hundred and forty-four thousand’, the ‘multitude that no one can count’ and the ‘two witnesses’.
The choice is absolutely unrelenting. The decision has to be made, you either follow God or ‘beast-man’. John will shortly speak of an economic boycott,2 so that the true believers will not be able to hide themselves from the beast’s power, influence and control—just like in the time of the worship of the ‘divine’ Roman emperors. The Imperial cult of ancient Rome identified Emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority (‘auctoritas’) of the Roman State .It was ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for the Christians. ‘Yes’ and you were relatively safe. ‘No’ and you were eventually thrown to the lions. This situation has repeated itself many times in history such as the Roman Catholic Inquisition, in Fascism and National-Socialism, under Nazism, in the times of Communism, under fundamentalist Islam. It was, and is, ‘yes’ or ‘no’ at the end of the day. Everyone then has to make the fundamental choice: for or against God and Christ. “You cannot serve God and Mammon. You cannot serve two masters.”3 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me”, the Lord Jesus says.4 Just as with everything at the end of the end-times, everything comes to a climax. Everything intensifies and comes to a climax. There is no middle-of-the- road escape any more. The pressure from outside will be incredible, for all the inhabitants of the earth will worship the ‘beast’. Everyone? No, not everyone. But all those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And – Glory to God – those whose names are indeed written in it are called ‘overcomers’.5 They are the ones who ultimately will be the true ‘victors’!
This ‘Book of Life’ involves not so much a registration of the elect from the foundation of the world, but the administration of the ‘overcomers’, the ‘victors’ who will receive rewards according to their works;6 the reward of the ‘saints’, the great and the small.7 That Book of Life will then be opened, and the dead will be judged according to their works!8
The qualification “since the foundation of the world” appears to refer to “everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life” rather than to the Lamb. That Lamb has not been slain since the foundation of the world, but when the ‘fullness of time’ had come.9 It is a book that is kept ‘up to date’. Moses tells Israel they can be erased from the book God has written.10 May they (these enemies of God and of His righteous ones) be blotted out of the Book of Life, David says.11 False prophets will not be listed in the records of the house of Israel, says Ezekiel.12 However, true believers can take comfort in this: “See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands!”13 They are also protected from worshipping the beast for that is worse than losing their life as a martyr. Worshipping the beast dire eternal consequences.
• The Lord Jesus also knew of an inescapable hour. Just before His suffering and death, He says: “This is your hour”—the hour of Satan and of godless men who will lay violent hands on Him—”when darkness reigns.”14
• It is of great comfort to the saints that no one can snatch believers from His hand,15 and that God has already extended His love to us before the foundation of the world.16 Our salvation rests assured in the loving Father- heart of God in Christ.
• The ‘plagues’ that came upon the land of Egypt were not in the land of Goshen where God’s chosen people Israel were: God will deliver and protect His people.
Bible References:
1.Revelation 5:9, 7:9, 11:9 2.Revelation 13:7 3.Matthew 6:24 4.Matthew 10:34–39 5.Revelation 3:5 6.Revelation 11:18, 14:13, 22:12 7.1 Corinthians 3:8 8.Revelation 20:12 9.Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 9:26 10.Exodus 32:30–34 11.Psalm 69:28 12.Ezekiel 13:9 13.Isaiah 49:16 14.Luke 22:53 15.John 10:28–29 16.Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Matthew 25:34
