Revelation 13:1-18

666

Today we look at one of the most famous chapters in the Bible. Only the creation account in Genesis one and the 23^rd Psalm would likely be more widely recognized. Astonishing that so many people would recognize a chapter from a book they have likely never read, but the imagery is so compelling.

In the previous chapter we saw the birth of the Christ and the dragon’s failed attempts to prevent His coming. Since the dragon was unable to prevent the coming of Christ his attention now turns to raising up the antichrist. This character goes by several different names in scripture. Daniel calls him the “little horn”. Paul calls him the “man of lawlessness”. Here John calls him the “beast”. In John’s first epistle he informs us that the spirit of antichrist is already in the world. 

There is no doubt that the spirit of antichrist holds sway over the world system, not only because we can see it in the way the world operates, but also because John tells us that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” If in fact the spirit of antichrist is to be personified in one man toward the end of days he will be worshipped because he will be the personification of all that the world already worships. 

There is a lot of mystery in this chapter and some unforgettable images: the head with the fatal wound that was healed, the institution of one world trading system, and the infamous mark administered to the hand or forehead. I don’t know what all of these mean; however, once again the sight given to John almost two thousand years ago is astounding.

At that time John saw a day when the world’s economy could essentially be regulated by one political entity. We aren’t quite there yet but we can see it coming from where we stand. I’m sure that in his day it would seem that this “mark” would only serve as sort of a stamp of approval allowing people to engage in legal trade. We see it quite differently. Not only can it serve as a stamp of approval but it can also serve as the very means by which funds are transferred and transactions completed. People can pretend to not be amazed by this prophecy but it is worth noting that no one else from antiquity came anywhere close to predicting such a thing. John did and today it seems almost inevitable. 

So the devil’s plan is to raise up a political leader who will deceive the whole world and win the vote, so to speak. Those who won’t come along will be threatened with financial ruin. Money is to be the motivator. Since he is a deceiver and money is one of his greatest deceptions this makes perfect sense. Only one problem with this plan (well at least one), there will be no vote, and who needs to trade when everything is free?

The Christ has come. This is the devil’s plan to counteract the work of Christ. And God’s response is...