“The Beast from the Sea”
Revelation 13:1-10
“And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.” [Rev 13:1 - NASB]
A daunting image indeed! This intimidating beast is none other than the antichrist [and his kingdom]. In the Gospels we read of the true King [Jesus Christ] and His Kingdom; here we see the false king [anti-christ] and his kingdom. Notice it is “The dragon” who gives the antichrist his power [ref. v.2b]. In the latter half of Rev 13 is described “another beast coming up out of the earth” [v.11]. This is the false prophet.
Revelation 13 spells out a counterfeit trinity [Satan, antichrist, and the false prophet] who are opposed to the real Trinity [God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit]. Through deception the False tries to look like the Real. Scripture warns us that Satan comes “as an angel of light.” His kingdom is the world, and his desire is to deceive mankind with the pleasures of this world. “The dragon” is “the prince of the power of the air” and “the god of this world,” and sadly, in the end, he will lead many into eternal darkness.
“And all the world marveled and followed the beast” [v.3a]. “All who dwell on the earth will worship him” [v.8a]. They worship the beast because the king and his kingdom go hand-in-hand. They follow “the god of this world” because they lust for worldly things. Money, sex, and power rule their lives and so they are ruled by the god of this world. Sound familiar? It is the tune of our world today. One need only turn on the TV to know this to be true. “The prince of the power of the air” is vibrantly active, and unfortunately even so in the church. How much time are we in God’s word versus being on social media?
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” [Matt 5:13] These are the red-lettered words of Jesus.
We are to be “set apart.” There is vast difference in being in the world [to fulfill God’s purposes] and dwelling with the world [and becoming like them]. It was Lot’s demise. It was a subtle malady as he went from the outside looking in to the inside looking out. His great mistake was dwelling within the gates of worldliness.
While we are in this world, we must never become worldly dwellers. It is the powerful deceptive work of Satan that lures a child of God into hanging out with the world. Remain set apart; set your mind on things above; turn off the TV and turn on Scripture; digest it; meditate on it; and you will bare much spiritual fruit in this spiritually barren world.
