Today’s reading is Revelation 13.
My Flawed Approach
As we pointed out thirteen weeks ago, Revelation was not intended to be read a chapter at a time a week at a time. If we are not careful, we lose sight of the book’s big picture and start seeing things under the leaves of each verse and among the trees of each chapter that do not fit the full forest of the whole vision.
Without even realizing it, I have for years read Revelation as if reading two separate books. The first book is Revelation 1-3, getting through what I’ve always called “The Seven Letters to the Churches of Asia.” This is the book that has produced so many sermon series, Bible classes, and bulletin articles. But then I’ve read Revelation 4-22 as if it was a second book only loosely related to the first.
Revelation is One Book (One Letter, Actually)
This time through, Revelation 1:4 hit me between the eyes:
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth (ESV).
John didn’t write seven letters, each to a different congregation in Asia. He wrote one letter. The entire book of Revelation is one letter addressed to the seven churches. Within that book, he does take time to address each congregation with a particular message, but the rest of the book is not some separate piece of literature. It is all a letter to those churches.
Everything from chapter 4 to chapter 22 is part of John’s argumentation to persuade the seven churches to heed the charges given in those seven messages or oracles (David deSilva in Unholy Allegiances and Seeing Things John’s Way has convinced me “oracles” is a much better description than “letters” for those seven particular messages in Revelation 2-3).
Seeing Our World from Heaven’s Perspective
The overarching goal of John was to help those seven congregations see clearly what was really going on in their world and in their work. Things look different from our front door than they do from heaven’s. John wanted those congregations to seem from heaven’s perspective.
We see hints of this in the oracles themselves when he tells Smyrna and Philadelphia that one of the groups slandering them and causing them trouble and suffering may say they are Jews, but actually they are the synagogue of Satan. He tells Pergamum they dwell where Satan’s throne is and Satan dwells among their city. That will make you look differently at your home town, won’t it? Thyatira needs to know the woman who looks like a prophetess among them looks like Jezebel to God. All the congregations need to know the Nicolaitans are really nothing more than Balaamites trying to bring plagues down upon God’s people. Sardis saw themselves through their reputation of life. God saw them as they were: dead.
And if all of that is not clear enough for us, in the oracle to Laodicea he plainly says their perspective is so wrong it is as if they are blind. They need to get salve from God to anoint their eyes so they may actually see clearly. The rest of this book provides that log-removing, eye-healing, sight-restoring salve.
In Revelation 13, when John introduces his readers to two horrific, terrifying beasts, he wants to help those seven churches clearly see from heaven’s perspective what they are actually facing as they walk through the streets of their cities and why then need to respond as he has called them to.
The Call to the Churches
John essentially gives two distinct calls in the oracles to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. To two of the churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, he gives the call to hold fast. He repeats that call to individual members in the other churches who, through faithfulness to Jesus, stood out against the background of the compromise with the Imperial Cult and cultural paganism. Don’t let anyone take away your victor’s wreath, John says.
However, to the other five, the call is clear: REPENT!
Four of the five–Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Laodicea–are compromisers. Pergamum and Thyatira are being led by the nose to syncretize pagan worship and practice with their Christian lives. No need to stand out as distinctly against pagan worship and practices according to Jezebel and Balaam. Peace, prosperity, protection will come by mixing and mingling with the pagan practice. While pagan worship may or may not be part of their compromise, Sardis and Laodicea are simply becoming too much like the cities around them. Satisfied with the reputation it has, either with the other churches or perhaps with its own city, Sardis believes it is alive when actually it is dead. Sardis has a body, but the Spirit is absent from that congregation. Laodicea is blinded by its own wealth and prosperity. Surely God wouldn’t bless them so well if they weren’t faithful, right? God wants them to know they aren’t actually experiencing His blessing. They need to repent.
Among the five, Ephesus appears to be a bit of an outlier. They are praised precisely for their lack of compromise in multiple ways. However, they had, perhaps, taken the first step toward compromise. After all, their uncompromising stand was not actually anchored in their first love, their first devotion. How long will a congregation maintain an uncompromising stand if it has lost its first love? They may see themselves as head and shoulders above the other four churches. In actuality, they are only two steps behind them.
Know Your Partners
Sorry for the long review, but this sets the stage for what we need to see in the Revelation 13 beasts. The seven churches are struggling with compromise. John wants them to see clearly who is offering the compromise. These are not angels of light, no matter how they are disguised in the perspective of the seven churches. They are beasts, vicious, cruel, war-mongering beasts who blaspheme God and wage war against His people.
John is saying, “Don’t be deceived. There is no peace, prosperity, and protection with these beasts.” Namely, because the beasts are themselves corrupt and destructive. And also, of course, because even if the Christians enjoy some peace for a time by kowtowing to beasts, the traitor disciples will then have to face Jesus. That won’t be pretty.
Keep in mind. Those who are faithful, need to hold fast because Jesus always wins. Those who are compromising need to repent because Jesus will judge the beasts and those who follow them (even if those followers also go to church on Sunday).
Tomorrow’s reading is Revelation 13.
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PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
How does Revelation 13 prompt or improve your praise of God?
Read the Bible 