Tag Archives: Beast

The Three – What’s In A Name?

22 Tuesday Apr 2014

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In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.

In my last post, I wanted to show that the mark of the beast is the beast’s name and it’s in contrast to the seal of God, which is God’s name. In both cases, we end up with one or the other name written on our foreheads. This runs to the very core of who we are and what direction our life is taking.

Okay so what does it mean to have the Father’s name?

In one sense, it’s about belonging.  As the song goes, I am my beloveds and he is mine.  When I was little, my dad was out of the picture but when I was 7, my mom was married to a man I now call dad.  After they were married, he adopted me as his son and I have his name.

Have you been adopted by your dad in heaven?

The Three – Who is the Beast?

13 Thursday Mar 2014

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In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.  I apologize in advance for this being a longer than normal post.

Revelation 14:9-10a proclaims: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God… The last part of this warning message reveals the terrible consequences that come from worshipping the beast so it makes sense to consider who or what this beast is.

The clearest picture we have of the beast is in Revelation 13:1-10. I encourage you to read it but for now, here’s a summary. Remember this is saturated with symbolic imagery.

The beast is called up by the dragon who gives the beast power, a throne, and great authority. (The dragon is symbolic for Satan – see Revelation 12:9.)
Comes up from the sea.
Has seven heads and ten horns.
On his horns are ten crowns and on his heads a blasphemous name.
Looks like a leopard with bear feet and a lion mouth.
It receives a mortal wound but that wound is healed.
When someone worships the beast they are actually worshipping the dragon.
Speaks great things and blasphemies – against God, God’s name (character), his tabernacle, those who dwell in heaven.
Dominates the world as they understood it for forty-two months (3.5 years or 1260 days – a symbolic time period).
Makes war with the saints (saints is the Bible’s way of talking about those who love God).
Those who are not in an intimate relationship with Jesus the lamb will worship the beast – it’s an unavoidable consequence.
Even though the beast seems unstoppable, the proverb at the end in verse 10 tells us to have hope – this power will come to an end.

A few key things you need to know. Revelation 12-13 reveal a anti*-trinity – dragon, sea beast aka the beast, land beast aka false prophet.  Each symbolic creature seeks to counterfeit the work of one of the Godhead family. The dragon takes on the role of the Father, the false prophet takes the role of the Holy Spirit and the beast… the Son.  When you put all the pieces together, the shocking surprise, is that the beast a power that looks, talks, and acts  Christ-like or Christian but is really a creation of and leads people back to the dragon.

*anti means “instead of.”

The Three – Poisonous Wine

11 Tuesday Feb 2014

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I’ve been sharing some thoughts concerning the last message of warning given to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is for “those who dwell on the earth,” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a message based in God’s great love because he desires to woo all people to his heart; the source of love and life.

This is one message but it’s given in three parts by three angels. Symbolically speaking, angels or messengers can be human beings who are obeying God’s calling to take this message around the world. However, there is still a supernatural element. Even if people sat on their hands and said nothing, God would ensure this message gets out.

In the second part of the message, God wants people to know that Babylon’s wine is a deadly poison. Why? To see this, you have to understand that God’s covenant is about an intimate, marriage-like, relationship with people. The basis of the covenant is not our behaviour or works but God’s love and grace.

Wine is often used to illustrate God’s covenant. A powerful example can be seen in the second chapter of John’s Good News letter. The event is Jesus turning water into wine. There is all sorts of powerful images in his actions: it takes place at a wedding; the water is in ceremonial washing pots, symbolic of salvation by works; the water of works can only be changed into the best wine ever – covenantal wine – by a divine act of grace. You can tell that this is about way more than a beverage because of John’s statement that this event is a “sign” aka a revelation of God. These images are powerful but there’s another piece of the puzzle you can’t miss.

Before Jesus turns the water into wine he says his hour or time has not yet come. Then John says this event revealed Jesus’ glory. These are references to the cross! Now we see the wine is pointing us to the greatest revelation and confirmation of God’s covenant – the death of Jesus. In Matthew 26:27-28, the record states, “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.””

The wine of Babylon is so deadly because it’s a counterfeit of God’s covenantal wine and relationship. It’s based on works (fornication) and an abusive, life destroying relationship – Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

The Three – Beyond Our Imagination

03 Thursday Oct 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

In my last post, I wanted to let you know that the message of the three angels isn’t for people who have put their life into God’s hands; those who are in an intimate, trusting, obedient relationship with our Creator. The message is for those who dwell on the earth, a phrase that the apostle John uses to describe those who have turned away from God. These are the people with blood on their hands; these are the people who love themselves and the world more than they love others and the kingdom of God.

Think of it this way. Recently, the news was filled with wildfires raging in California. Imagine there are people in the path of that fire and they are not moving. God comes racing ahead of the blaze with a loud voice – he has to use a loud voice because the roar of the fire is deafening – and he cries out – the fire is upon you, the time has come to take my hand, trust me and I will be able to save you.

A man-made God would say something like – I died to save you, you rejected me and my salvation, get lost! Isn’t that how we usually are in our relationships when things go bad? Haven’t you written off some friends and family because they got on your bad side?

But the true God, the living God, is beyond our imaginations; he loves with everything he’s got to the very end.

The Three – Earthlings

30 Monday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find an urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

Who is this message for?

In a sense, this is a message for all people because we all need to meditate on where our hearts are resting; we need to ask ourselves – Where does my heart lie; who has my allegiance and all my best efforts? However, when John uses the phrase “those who dwell on the earth” it’s code and it’s not talking about the church – he’s not speaking about those who put their trust in Jesus Christ. “Those who dwell on the earth” is John’s way of talking about those who are being deceived by or have even decided to worship the beast.

Check out: Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 11:10, 13:14, and 17:8.

Do you get the picture? These are the people who have turned away from God; these are the people with blood on their hands; these are the people who love themselves and the world more than they love others and the kingdom of God. These are the kind of people we write off – they have betrayed, lied, or simply made your life miserable.

To the people who hate God and you for loving him, Jesus is making a final appeal: came back to me, come back to safety, let me save you from what’s coming.

Now that’s a God I want to know more about!

The Three – Context Part 2

19 Thursday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

The message of the three angels in Revelation 14, is a response to what has been revealed in Revelation 12 and 13. In these chapters we are told about a dragon, a sea beast and a land beast. These aren’t real creatures but symbolic images that represent powerful agencies active in the world today. We do this today – the USA is an eagle, Russia is the bear.

Because of the evidence in the text, we can see that these creatures make up a satanic anti-trinity: the dragon counterfeits God the Father, the sea beast counterfeits God the Son, and the land beast counterfeits God the Holy Spirit. The sole purpose of the anti-trinity is to steal away the hearts and minds of all people from God’s love. This is their last ditch appeal to the human race to embrace self – either for gain or out of fear.

Most of Revelation 14 reveals God’s equally intense appeal to the human race to find their hope and life in his grace. It’s urgent; choose NOW – today – before it’s too late! It’s God’s invitation to be among the faithful remnant described in the first five verse of chapter 14.

The intensity of the appeal is due to it being the last message to a dying world. How do we know? The very next scene is Christ’s second coming. The message of the three angels is the writing on the wall; God’s heartfelt cry to deliver people from the clutches of Satan.

So the question today is, which appeal is for you?

The Three – Context Part 1

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it? I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

Let’s begin by considering the larger context. This message is in what letter of the Bible? Revelation, of course! I was just making sure you are awake.

The letter is a Revelation of what or who? Let’s go back to the first chapter (verses 1-3) of the letter.

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”

Considering the intent of the letter, as we study it, we need to be always asking:

What does this teach us about Jesus?
What difference does it make to us right here, right now? What is it asking you, me – all of us – to do?

The Three – Introduction

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

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If you just had a few moments to call out a warning to people you love, what would you say and how would you say it? What would you be willing to risk? If you knew that the warning would be scoffed at and ignored, would you still give it?

I ask you to consider these questions and more in a series called, “The Three.”

In the last letter of the Bible, there’s a lot of symbolism; a story being told with vivid imagery. In that letter we find this urgent message in Revelation 14:6-11.

This passage has it all: angels, the entire world, fear and glory, judgment, worship, Babylon, adultery, beasts, wrath, and more. It ends with the dire message:

“There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

We already have some questions: What’s going on here? Why is this message in the Bible? Why do some parts sound horrific? Who is this message for and why is it being given?

Would you be willing to come along with me over the next few weeks as we seek the answers to these questions?