READY? OR NOT!
“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” —Rev.13:11-17
The chapter from which our “nugget” for today is taken, considered by some to be one of the most difficult in all the Book of Revelation to interpret, predicts the emergence at the end of the age of universal world government under the joint control of two personalities called “the beast” and “the false prophet.” Behind that government is the invisible “power behind the throne,” the dragon (v.2) which is Satan (Rev.12:9).
These two nefarious personalities will combine their talents to exercise absolute control over the political and spiritual life of all mankind. The objective will be to obtain for Satan the authority and worship that belong to the Creator alone, which he coveted before the world began (see Isa. 14:12-14) and which he attempted to obtain by the seduction of Adam in the Garden of Eden.
The leverage in this last campaign will be twofold. First, a remarkable idol will be manufactured, “the image of the beast (v.14),” which will be invested with life and the power to speak (v.15). A decree will be issued, “worship this image, or pay with your life.” As improbable as this may seem, it happened once before on a smaller and less remarkable scale, when king Nebuchadnezzar made “an image of gold” and commanded that “all people, nations and languages” should “fall down and worship the image that Nebuchadnezzar…had set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace [Cf Dan. 3:1-7ff].” Worship or die!
The second demand will be in the political/economic realm. A requirement will be imposed upon all, at at every level and in every category of society that they receive a mark of identification with the satanic ruler either in hand or forehead, in order to buy or sell (v. 17). This mark will imply allegiance to the government and its self exalting head, and without it no commerce can be engaged. Without it one will be unable to buy groceries or other necessities of life, travel any significant distance nor obtain medical assistance, for example. To refuse it will be to sign one’s death warrant by starvation and disease.
If you read commentaries written more than fifty years ago, there will be no conjecture how this decree could be executed or enforced, but today with the UPC, credit cards, and computer chips implanted in our pets carrying their identification and medical history, the awesome possibility of some form of universal control is no longer science fiction. The first universal credit card was introduced in the 1950’s, and that technology alone has mushroomed since. What if you could not buy or sell without one?! And what if the only one you could use was issued by the government and subject to its conditions? And what if it was literally “under your skin?” Friend, that day is coming.
Now in the “what if” department, what if you were confronted with the dictum, “accept the mark and bow the knee to the image of the beast, or die.” Would you submit for survival’s sake, or suffer for Christ’s sake? Most Christians whose doctrinal views include the “pre-tribulational rapture” of the church will not think it important to face the question, because we are sure we will not be here in that awful day. For us, we think, it is a non-issue.
However, there is a contemporary parallel. What are we willing to suffer for Christ’s sake? The Lord Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels [Luke 9:23-26].” And there was a time earlier in the history of the church when those who declared for Christ did so literally at the risk of their lives. That is still true in some parts of the world today.
It would be well for us to ask ourselves from time to time, “What is the real nature of my worship of Christ? What is really more important to me: my self-gratification, or His glory?” And who knows whether, even before the rapture, the cost of being a real Christian may rise dramatically! Would we be willing to pay the price? How we are living for Him today will give a clue!
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
No comments:
Post a Comment