Beast Rising
The popular subject of the “Antichrist” raises
understandable questions. Who is he? When will he appear? How do we recognize
him? And so on… But if the Dragon truly is a clever and cunning fellow, will he
not do what we least expect?
When I was sixteen years old, a serious young Christian warned several
of us:
- If you are looking for an Antichrist that is a Hitler-like figure foaming at the mouth and brandishing a ‘666’ branding iron, guess again! You are looking in all the wrong places.
Contrary to many popular interpretations, the “beast” wages
war “against the saints,” not against nation-states, and
certainly not against modern Israel. In the book of Revelation, the
focus remains on the determined efforts by the “Dragon” to destroy those
“who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.”
And especially in the popular understanding, this imminent and
insidious person, who is always just “about” to be revealed, will be a global political
leader that uses overwhelming military and economic might to impose his will on
the world’s population.
I am not convinced. Still, the popular view could still prove to
be the correct interpretation. Regardless, already there is just such a
creature on the world scene, a creature that employs its
vast military and economic power to impose its agenda on other nations, groups,
and even individuals, leveling sanctions, embargoes, property seizures, and
blockades against its enemies, real or imagined, and with no regard to any
laws, national or international, threatening and waging actual war at the
slightest provocation.
Whether the popular view is “correct,” biblically speaking, there
is a very plausible candidate striding across the earth to impose its
self-serving agenda, one that fits the popular expectation ‘to a T.’
And it is the ONLY such organization on the near
horizon that does fit.
I am not going to name this “entity.” I remain unsure about how
all this will fit together, and it would be premature for me to make any firm
conclusions on the matter. But it does not take a rocket scientist or math genius
to add ‘2 + 2’ and calculate the answer, let alone a prophet.
Unfortunately, many Christians already have compromised
themselves, having allied with this “beast” in the political arena.
Already, many are “rendering homage” to it and its image. The 800
trillion-pound gorilla for which they have been searching is, even now, sitting
comfortably in our churches and home fellowships, yet we cannot see the forest
for the trees.
Whether the popular interpretation is correct, we live in
dangerous times. Our only safety is in knowing “in whom we have believed”
— We need to decide exactly where and in whom we place our allegiance.
In Revelation, Jesus is the ABSOLUTE Lord
of the Cosmos. His kingdom is not a “democracy.” He does not run for election
or rule by consensus. In his realm, there is no concept of “dual citizenship,” and
no room for split loyalties.
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| Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash |
Governments do not persecute Christians over doctrinal disputes, but because they give their allegiance to Jesus Christ and his kingdom. “Caesar is Lord!” “No,” the Christian responds, “Jesus alone is Lord!”, at least in the biblical model.
Humanity is divided into two, and only two, groups — Those who
render homage to the “beast,” and those who “follow the Lamb wherever
he goes.” There is no third alternative — no neutral ground. If you do not
follow the Lamb “wherever he goes,” you will take the “mark of the
beast” and find your name erased from his “book of life.”
Instead of trying to decode the number ‘666’ or worrying about
barcodes and microchips, we must prioritize “following the Lamb wherever
he goes” — Stress on the “wherever he goes,” which is often to
places we would prefer to avoid.
Even now, this “beast is ascending from the sea.” One day,
probably sooner rather than later, it may very well turn and bite a great many
of us on our collective backside. We need to remember just how clever and
cunning the Devil is.
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