Revelation Day 38 - The Antichrist?

DAY 38
The Antichrist?
Revelation 13:11-18; 2 John 7

Should we be watching for Godzilla?

After his vision of the Sea Monster, Pastor John has a vision of another monster, the Beast of the Land. This monster is a kind of false prophet, a con man using propaganda and lies to make people play ball with the Sea Monster. This Beast squeezes people’s wallets to make them go along with its program, as it implies in v.16-17. Is this an actual, literal monster? Hold that thought!

What’s all this about “the mark of the beast” and 666 at the end of ch. 13?

Back in Rev.9, an angel marks Christ followers on the forehead with a protective seal. It’s not something we can see but a symbol of God’s protection. This mark is a symbolic counterfeit of God’s protective seal. It’s not a tattoo or a microchip or a vaccine (although many have sold a lot of books scaring people into thinking it is).

John’s churches were pressured to worship the Roman emperor. If they didn’t, they could lose networking connections, business opportunities, and sometimes even there lives.

What about 666?

John says, “It’s the number of a man.” Even though Revelation never uses the word “antichrist,” many have called this person the Antichrist. The little letter, 1 John, uses “antichrist” to describe anyone who denied core truths about Christ. John probably had Emperor Nero in mind as an antichrist for his churches. Using a word-number code called gemmatria, Nero’s name adds up to 666.

So, are we on the lookout for Godzilla or a big, bad End Times Enemy?

Pastor John is not predicting Hitler or a pope or a president as the End Times Enemy. He certainly is not worried about an actual monster crawling out of a cave to smash our cities. 2 John 7 (maybe another John?) warns about people denying Jesus in the flesh. He also says that anyone who does this “is the deceiver and the antichrist.” Are they literally the devil or Nero reincarnate? No more than Peter was when Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan!” At the very least, we should beware when people twist the truth about Jesus and lead us away from the Way of Jesus. That’s especially true when that deception is used by people, or institutions, with power and influence. More on that tomorrow!

REFLECT
What has been your usual thinking about the mark of the beast and the number 666?

PRAY
Lord, there are serious threats to life and faith that we should be aware of. But you don’t want us to live in fear. Help your Church to be vigilant, full of faith, and unafraid. Amen.