The Peresecuting Beast
The Book of Revelation graphically portrays the ongoing cosmic conflict between Satan and Jesus that manifests itself in the daily struggles of the “Seven Assemblies of Asia.” On Earth, the agents of the “Dragon” execute his attacks on the people of God, especially the “Beast from the Sea,” the “False Prophet,” and “Babylon, the Great Whore.” This “war” is waged by the Devil with deception and compromise even more so than outright persecution and violence.
Satan’s assaults on the Church will culminate
in a final effort to annihilate the followers of the “Lamb” near or at
the end of the age. After the “Sixth Bowl of Wrath” was emptied, the persecuting
efforts of the “Dragon” produced the final confrontation at the place
called “Armageddon.”
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| [Photo by Amy-Leigh Barnard on Unsplash] |
Likewise, at the end of the “Thousand Years,” all the “nations of the Earth” are gathered by Satan for his final worldwide attack on the “saints” - (Revelation 13:7-10, 16:12-16, 19:17-21, 20:8-10 – “The nations were gathered from the four corners of the Earth…. And they ascended over the breadth of the Earth and surrounded the camp of the Saints”).
The Book is addressed to congregations in seven key cities of the Roman province of Asia. Its contents concern
the “things that must come to pass shortly” that will affect them. They were
under assault from within and without.
Persecution, false teachers, deception, and
pressure to compromise with the surrounding society all play their part in this
cosmic drama. The source behind each attack on the Asian assemblies is the “Devil”
- (Revelation 1:4, 1:11, 2:8-13, 3:9).
There were growing conflicts between the Asian
congregations and local governing authorities. The reference to “Satan’s Throne”
in the city of Pergamos alludes either to the Roman provincial government centered
there or its temple dedicated to the veneration of Caesar and “Roma,” the
patron deity of Rome - (Revelation 2:13).
The letters to the Seven Assemblies provide a microcosmic perspective on the larger and centuries-long war that is being waged between the “Dragon” and the “Lamb.” The visions recorded in Chapters 4 through 20 provide the macrocosmic view of the daily struggles of the marginalized believers who live in a largely pagan society.
In Revelation, Humanity is divided
into two groups. Those men who follow the “Lamb wherever he goes,” and the
“Inhabitants of the Earth” who their allegiance to the “Beast from
the Sea.” An individual either bears the “Seal of God” or is branded
with the “Mark of the Beast” - (Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 7:1-4, 8:13,
14:1-5, 20:4).
WAR AGAINST THE SAINTS
Consistently in Revelation, this
“war” is described borrowing language from Daniel’s vision of the “Little
Horn” that persecuted the “saints.” References to the “war”
occur first in the vision of the “Two Witnesses” who were slain by the “Beast
from the Abyss” - (Revelation 11:7, Daniel 7:21).
The “Two
Witnesses” represent the “Two Olive Trees and the Two Lampstands.” Elsewhere
in the Book, “lampstands” symbolize churches, therefore, the “Two
Witnesses” portray congregations of believers engaged in prophetic testimony
before the world, saints who are attacked for “having the Testimony of Jesus”
- (Zechariah 4:1-14, Revelation
1:20, 11:7, 12:17).
At the end of their ministry, the “Beast
will ascend from the Abyss to wage war on them and slay them.” The “Beast” cannot overcome the “Two
Witnesses” until they have completed their prophetic mission. Hence, the “Beast”
wages war against churches rather than nation-states - On the followers of the “Lamb.”
In Chapter 12, after being expelled from Heaven,
the enraged “Dragon” launches his “war” against the “seed of
the woman” - (Revelation 12:7-8, 17).
The “Dragon” failed to destroy the Messianic
“Son,” and accordingly, he was expelled from heaven. No longer able to
accuse the “brethren,” he began to wage “war against the seed
of the woman,” and this “seed” is identified as those who keep the “commandments
of God and who have the Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:17).
To carry out his “war against the seed of
the woman,” Satan is seen standing on the “seashore” as he summons his
own “seed” to launch his attack, namely, the “Beast from the Sea” and
the “Beast from the Earth.” Moreover, the “Beast from the Sea” is
identical to the “Beast from the Abyss” that attacked the “Two
Witnesses” - (Revelation 11:7, 13:1-10).
The “Beast”
is authorized “to MAKE war
with the saints and to overcome them,”
and here, the “saints” are identical to those “who have the testimony
of Jesus” in Chapter 12 - (Revelation 12:17, 13:7, 14:12).
Thus, the
Devil wages “war” against the Assembly of Jesus, not nation-states or
conventional military forces. The language of warfare is metaphorical and used
to portray the persecuting activities of the “Beast” intended to destroy
the Church. This “war” unfolds especially in the activities of deceivers
in the Church, as well as attempts to persecute believers by outsiders and
governing authorities.
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| [Photo by Justin Leniger on Unsplash] |
Satan’s final onslaught is launched in Chapter 20 at the end of the “Thousand Years” after the “Ancient Serpent” is released from the “Abyss.” This last attempt to annihilate the “saints” is described in language from the Book of Ezekiel:
- “And as soon as the thousand years are ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and will go forth to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they ascended over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them; and the Devil who was deceiving them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where were both the Beast and the False Prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of ages” - (Revelation 20:7-10).
However, in
the Book of Revelation, Ezekiel’s vision is universalized. The Hebrew prophet
saw regional powers attacking Israel in Palestine, whereas John saw the nations
from the four corners of the Earth attacking the “camp of the saints.”
In
Chapter 20, the Book mixes its metaphors. “Camp” echoes the story
of Israel as the pilgrim people wandering in the wilderness. “City” speaks of the permanent
residence of the nation in the Promised Land. Once again, the language is
metaphorical.
The passage
does not refer to old Jerusalem or depict Jews camping in the Judean wilderness.
This image represents the followers of the “Lamb,” those who have the “Testimony
of Jesus” - (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4, 11:18, 13:7-10, 14:12, 16:6, 17:6,
18:24, 19:8).
In the end,
Satan will “deceive the nations” and “gather them to the war” from the furthest regions
of the planet. This repeats a phrase seen previously, “the war,”
singular. In each case, it refers not to one “war” among many, but to “THE
war” waged by the “Dragon” against the saints of God, beginning with
the “Seven Assemblies of Asia.”
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