End Time Insights

The “Dragon” and his earthly vassals wage war against the saints, the followers of the Lamb, and not against other nation-states .  The book of Revelation  portrays the cosmic conflict between Satan and Jesus, one that plays out in the daily struggles of the church. On the earth, the agents of the “ Dragon ” execute his attacks on the Church, especially the “ beast from the sea ,” the “ false prophet ,” and “ Babylon .” This “ war ” is waged by the Devil with deception, compromise, and persecution.

The epistle to the  Galatians  opens with a stern warning. What some believers contemplated doing would replace the true Gospel with something quite alien to the Apostolic message. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to the “ works of the law ” for justification meant abandoning the grace of God and rejecting the message preached by Paul, which is why he summoned God to “ curse ” any man, even “ an angel from Heaven ,” who preached “ another gospel .”

The False Prophet uses every means necessary to coax or coerce men to give their allegiance to the Beast from the sea .  The “ false prophet ” uses “ signs and wonders ” and its control of commerce to cause the “ inhabitants of the earth ” to render homage to the “ Beast .” Whether he employs force or persuasion, the goal is the same. Anyone who refuses to submit is excluded from the economic life of the  Empire.

The Beast of Revelation embodies the ancient imperial power that has stalked the saints since the Tower of Babel incident . History is littered with the remains of past attempts by tyrants and empires to dominate peoples and territories. Each new imperial power may experience initial success. However, all past empires have floundered, declined, and collapsed in the end. The Babylonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and Caesar’s imperial realm, for example, ceased to exist thousands of years ago .

The Bible claims that God gives political power to whomever He pleases, “ even to the basest of men .” He “ removes kings and installs kings ” to accomplish His purposes, including rulers of whom many church leaders and members may disapprove. Disciples of Jesus who assume that certain politicians should hold governmental power presume on God’s patience and prerogative, and this is especially problematic in Western-style democratic societies.