June 30th, 2011
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Out of the Deep

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Opening Prayer

Dear Father, I open my heart afresh to You and pray You will fill me with poise and power today.

Read REVELATION 13:1-18

[1] And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. [2] The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. [3] One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. [4] Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” [5] The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. [6] He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. [7] He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. [8] All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. [9] He who has an ear, let him hear. [10] If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. [11] Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. [12] He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. [13] And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. [14] Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. [15] He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. [16] He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, [17] so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. [18] This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“History is not a series of random, meaningless events. It is rather a succession of periods and happenings which are under the sovereign rule of God, who is the God of history” (John Stott).

Think Further

Here we meet the first of the dragon’s allies, the beast from the sea. It is clear from his first description that the beast bears the dragon’s image from ch. 12 and has powers delegated from him. The sea was always an alien place to the Jews—restless and fearful. To John the monster represents persecuting Roman imperialism. It is totalitarian, apparently invincible and increasingly the object of worship. The seven heads could be both the seven hills of Rome and seven Roman emperors. The fierce features resembling a leopard, bear and lion combine the three images in Daniel into one person, to show how powerful he is. The deeper truth is that this beast from the sea represents what godless politics does in every age in the hands of the devil.

The parody of death and resurrection in v. 3 would, to those first readers, have called to mind the myth that Nero, who committed suicide in 68 A.D., was believed to have survived and come to life again. In a sense, this is what he did when his successor, Domitian, resumed his politics. The beast has demonic recuperative powers. Here we sense a description of the use and abuse of state power, especially against the Church. We have seen this scenario time and again through history, not least in the last century as some states have sought universal worship and obedience from their people. Domitian demanded that people should speak of him as Lord and God, but the Church is called to be faithful to Christ, to endure and to refuse to compromise. The 42 months, like the three and half years, or the 1,260 days all cover the same period, namely the whole Church age.

Apply

Have you felt the tension of recognizing the legitimate authority of the state and yet refusing to violate the law of Christ? How well are you prepared for that?

Closing prayer

Lord, I thank You for the freedom of worship in this land. Help me to contribute to my society, correcting wrongs, affirming the positive and being a light for You.

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