Who Leads You

What’s Going On Here?!

When I write a sermon, I really try my best to include a variety of different tools to communicate with y’all. In fact, I actively avoid just standing up here and explaining things like some lecture series. Images, stories, analogies, series of examples, characters, dialogue, and some other strategies help to bring the message of the text home in ways that sometimes a plain explanation can’t. That being said, sometimes we come across places in the Bible where the text is complicated or complex enough that a simple approach is probably for the best.

Revelation 13 is one example of that. So my intention here is to speak about each character that we see illustrated in the chapter, what it represents and what the symbolism means, in as plain explanation as I can. Then we’ll think about what it means for how we understand the world and what it means for us here and now.

To start off, we’re going to just make a quick reference back to Revelation 12. There is a great red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and the illusion of authority. This dragon represents Satan, the accuser, the great deceiver, the adversary. I want to remind us of that because the dragon, Satan, is the object of worship and the master of the beasts we read about in Revelation 13.

First we see a beast rising out of the sea. Now you gotta stick with me on this explanation. From the perspective of John on Patmos, looking in the general direction of Rome. Then John describes the beast as like a leopard, a bear, and a lion. Daniel uses very similar imagery in the Old Testament and his visions come with this explanation.

Daniel 7:17–23 (ESV)

‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth.

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’

“Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet,

and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions.

As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them,

until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.

“Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.

This beast also is given authority over tribes and people and language and nations. All of these pieces clue us in to what this beast represents, “the beast represents and symbolizes every human authority and everything of the human nature that the dragon (Satan) can corrupt and control and use in his warfare against the woman (the church) and her seed (individual Christians): political, governmental, social, economic, philosophical, and educational systems, as well as individuals.” And one of the heads of this beast receives a mortal wound that it recovers from - symbolizing the reality that there will be moments when this beast looks like it is done, but there will always be another leader or authority to take it’s place.

Second, we see a beast rising out of the earth. Its two horns suggest meekness and innocence, the horns of a lamb suggesting some connection to Christ, but that is a false image because it speaks like the dragon. If the beast from the sea represents external forces antagonistic to the faith, then the beast from the earth represents internal forces - false prophets, false religions and spiritual movements, extreme idolatry, and pseudo-Christianity. This beast promotes the first beast, using its influence to move people away from true faith and faithful religion.

Then we get to the mark of the beast, which to be blunt is something that is spiritual and invisible - just like Baptism is for a Christian. There is no indication that John expected the mark to be visible to the eye, any more than the seal of the living God is visible to the eye. This is one of those things that gets misused a lot - people like to call things they don’t like “the mark of the beast” and it’s really just unfounded. I have personally heard people claim the vaccines, cell phones, tattoos, and credit cards are the mark of the beast. Now you are free to like or dislike any of those things, but none of them are the mark of the beast.

Finally, there is the number of the beast - 666. And this is one of the hardest to find solid meaning for. There are some who recognize it as a cryptogram for the name of Emperor Nero, a Roman emperor who was notably hostile towards Christianity, but you have to translate his name into Hebrew and use some creativity to actually get there. There are some who recognize it as reference to man being created on the sixth day and 6 being a reference to humanity just as 7 is a reference to divinity. Finally it can be understood as the unholy trinity (dragon, beast, and beast) in contrast to the Holy Trinity - a inferior imitation.

Who Do You Follow?

So what is the lesson here? What is the takeaway? What are we supposed to learn?

The lesson of Revelation 13, at least in large part, is to be cautious about who leads you. One thing that the dragon and the two beasts share is that they look like they have authority, they look like they are something worth following. But a careful look shows them for what they are, pretenders leading to nothing but destruction.

Who do you follow? Political parties, politicians, social trends, financial trends, philosophies, ways of life - who and what do you follow? Even within Christianity, who do you follow? What radio hosts do you follow, what worship videos do you watch, what clips do you listen to - what do you follow?

Do they lead you to Christ?

Do they lead you closer to how He wants to think, speak, and act?

The vision of these monsters encourages us to be careful who we allow to lead us.

But the vision of these monsters also reminds us that God graciously leads us in a better way to a better end. We follow the Lamb who was slain, we follow Christ who was crucified for us, we follow a merciful God who forgives us all our sins and leads us to everlasting life in paradise.