Revelation 13:1-18 - Homiletics

The foes of God and of his Church: the two beasts.

The evil one is responsible for much of the mischief in the world, but his responsibility for it is not an unshared one. Two other enemies are here portrayed as the emissaries and agents of the first ( Revelation 13:2 ). The thought underlying the chapter is that of the predominance of brute force over moral power; or, in other words, of might over right. Here are two beasts. The first, described in Revelation 13:1-10 , is seen "coming up from the sea," as if it were the product of the surging restlessness of the troubled sea of godless strife; "having seven heads"—these are so many phases of a corrupt, ungodly world power. The expression cannot refer to any one distinctive power as such, for none has ever yet been seen, nor can be, having power over "all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." As the dragon has seven heads and ten horns, so likewise has this first beast; whatever power the devil wields, he wields through it. And as wide as is the devil's sway, so wide is the sway of this hostile force. Thus, in this symbolic form we get precisely the same truth which meets us elsewhere—that Satan is "the prince of the power of the air," "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." Again, this beast has "upon his heads the names of blasphemy" ( Revelation 13:1 ). A supremacy is assumed which belongs to God alone. "The beast was like unto a leopard," etc. ( Revelation 13:2 ). All three figures denote the terribly savage and devouring energy put forth by the powers of evil. "The dragon gave him," etc. ( Revelation 13:2 ). The ungodly power of earth is backed up by the evil one. "One of his heads … wounded," etc. ( Revelation 13:3 ). This worldly power was smitten, and yet rose again in all its dominance and pride, so that "all the world wondered after the beast" ( Revelation 13:4 ). "Authority was given to him to continue forty-two months" £ ( Revelation 13:5 ).1 This is the fourth time this mysterious period is named, it is the time during which the witnesses are to prophesy, the time during which the woman is to be hidden in the wilderness, the time for the serpent to rage and wound, and the time for the beast to continue. His sway is to be so great that all, save the very elect, shall go after him. "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints" ( Revelation 13:10 ). The second beast is also from the earth ( Revelation 13:11 ). It is a low, carnal, worldly power. "It has horns like a lamb," etc. ( Revelation 13:11 ). It puts on a pretence of meekness, and seems lamb like in its gentleness, albeit it speaks like a dragon, and is fiendish in its ferocity, he panders, too, to the first beast ( Revelation 13:12-15 ). He doeth great signs, deceiving men by prodigies of various kinds ( Revelation 13:13 ; cf. Matthew 24:24 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:9 ). On all he causes a mark to be affixed ( Revelation 13:16 ), and no one who had not that mark might buy or sell or have any social standing. Evidently, here is described some power or other, meek and sleek in appearance, yet fierce in spirit, prompted by the dragon, and doing his work, yet pretending to have a commission from Heaven, doing such wonders as to carry multitudes away, and withal so intolerant that none except its followers should be allowed to take their proper place in the social ranks, while it appeals to the love of thaumaturgy, yet cares not about the true or the right so long as men pay homage to the first beast to whom he yields obedience. Can we mistake the meaning of all this? It is certainly some mighty antichristian force, putting on the pretence of being in communion with Heaven, while it is a sycophant and abject minion of earthly power. Lamb like in its mien, it is intolerant in its speech. This power is not dead yet, any more than the former. On the perplexing verse which concludes the chapter, we have no opinion to offer. The various attempts at explanations may be seen in the 'Speaker's Commentary,' in loc. £ We only quote from thence the opinion of Bellarmine, "Verissima igitur sententia est eorum qui ignorantiam suam confitentur." £ If, however, we set in order the points of similarity and of difference between the two beasts, and their relation to one another, the meaning of the description may be more clearly seen. Seven points of difference: The first beast has his power from the dragon; the second beast has his power from the first. The first daringly blasphemes; the second deceives. The first makes war; the second practises thaumaturgy. The first succeeds by force; the second, by persuasion. The first rules through fear; the second, by craft. The first teaches his followers to worship the dragon; the second persuades his to worship the first. The first openly slays; the second puts men under a social ban. Six points of similarity: They are both opposed, in spirit, to God, to his Church, and to heaven. They are both arrogant, haughty, and imperious. They both involve in much suffering those who will not yield to them. They both try the patience and faith of the saints. They both have a power equally wide. They are both deplorably successful. Six points of relation between them and their workings: The second causes all the earth to worship the first; causes an image of the first to be made; commands men to worship the image of the beast; pretends to make the image speak; causes that as many as would not worship the image should be killed; will allow no one any social status, nor even a stand in the market unless they acknowledge and worship the first. Now, when we thus carefully set in order the two descriptions, who can help seeing symbolic sketches of precisely the two great adverse forces which have been the plague of the world and of the Church—even an ungodly world power, and a false religious teaching in alliance with it, supporting it and supported by it? And who that knows the general history of the world but must be aware that these two forces, leagued together, have been the foes of the Church of God? Not any one power only, nor any one form of false religion only, is indicated here; the description is broad enough to embrace them all, and indeed demands that all be embraced, for their sway is alike over all nations and tongues. Well do we know how exactly the state of things corresponded, at the time of the founding of the Christian faith, to the descriptions in this chapter. Religion had long been regarded as a piece of statecraft. "The rulers took counsel together," etc. ( Psalms 2:1-12 .; Acts 4:25 , et seq. ) . During the early struggles of the Christians the force of a false religion in alliance with a heathen state strove to compel men to act in subservience to a heathen emperor, in spite of conscience and of God. Then, disorders, droughts, famines, pestilences, were ascribed to the Christians; men were debarred the ordinary rights of citizens except they acknowledged the supremacy of the state in religious affairs. Far later, in our own land, when the temporal sovereignty of this realm was in alliance with popery, what pains and penalties were endured for conscience' sake! And in many countries, what harrowing tales of worry, persecution, and suffering are left on record; and even at this day there is often furnished a new contingent of those who wilt not worship the beast nor his image, and who will risk their all for the truth and for God! For even now these two beasts are living; the first beast gets wounded now and then, but still survives, having wondrous tenacity of life. At divers times and places, with oft recurring onsets, do these two foes of the Church seek to ravage, to spoil, and to devour. And although at this moment, in our peaceful land, the wild savagery of their coalition is toned down, yet every one knows that the stigma of a social inferiority is still set on many who will not acknowledge state authority in religion. By the social ban referred to in Revelation 13:17 Dean Alford understands "the commercial and spiritual interdicts which have, both by pagan and by papal persecutors, been laid on Nonconformity … down to the last remaining civil disabilities imposed on Nonconformity in modern papal or Protestant countries." £ "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints." This chapter may serve two purposes.

I. IT SHOULD YIELD US UNSPEAKABLE COMFORT . In four respects:

1 . Here we find sketched for us beforehand the checkered course of truth and right in the world; sketched, too, in precise accordance with the facts of history. The great Lord has foreseen the struggle.

2 . He who foresees, and has thus sketched for us the forms of evil, has also assigned a limit to their duration.

3 . In the worst of times, a faithful few shall be preserved.

4 . The people of God will overcome at last by the two weapons of faith and patience.

II. IT SUGGESTS MANY A LESSON FOR THE PRACTICAL RULING OF LIFE . It says to us: 1, Do not be caught by appearances. There may be more show in might than in right. God approves only the latter.

2 . Do not expect the immediate triumph of God's work. The end is not yet. The twelve hundred and sixty days are not yet closed; perchance they are not even near to their end.

3 . Do not let us be in a state of agitation and of perpetual fear, as if something might happen to undo God's work. Never!

4 . Do not let us mistake our own proper work. Never let us swerve a hair's breadth from right to gain a momentary end. All the right is essentially—success. All the wrong is essentially—failure.

5 . Let us rest in the knowledge that one eye discerns all, and one hand infallibly overrules all, to bring about the right end at the right time.

6 . However long the time may be ere the salvation is brought in, it cannot be very long that any of us will have to maintain an attitude of vigilance and of war. A few short years at most, and the struggle between us and this coalition of evil will be over. We are nearing the river. We shall soon cease to hear the clang of arms and the rush of the troops; and shall exchange the noise of a militant for the harmonies of the triumphant Church. Then, brothers, on—even unto death!