Tag Archives: Revelation 13

Daily Devotional

Read the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day, five days a week

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Day 251/260: Read Revelation 13

Context is so important when studying the final book of the New Testament. The symbolic language has been abused by religious leaders throughout the years, and has led to great confusion. This chapter especially, with the “mark of the beast” and the “number of the beast,” has spawned many fanciful theories.

The mark of the beast was not a physical, literal mark. It was an act of submission to the evil authorities by those in the first century, the original audience of this inspired book. Those who submitted were permitted to take part in marketplace activities; those who refused were not allowed to buy and sell.

The number of the beast is also taken out of context, being applied to individuals throughout history such as the Pope, Hitler, and Ronald Reagan. None of those individuals fall under the scope of the message of Revelation.

There is a strong case for the number 666 to be applied to Nero Caesar. He was an early enemy of the church and fits into the historical context of Revelation. Some commentators make the case that the number simply signifies any evil when raised to its highest power.
Be careful when studying, and keep Biblical texts in the proper context.

Memory (Read aloud 5-10 times)

Revelation 14:13. Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Pray

Pray for strength when faced with evil authority.

Class Studies

A Study of Revelation: Revelation 12-14 (The Great Conflict)

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Revelation 12-14 (The Great Conflict)

12:1-6 – The woman = the church
Twelve stars = symbol of whole church typified in OT, fulfilled in NT
Pains = persecutions of the church; despite persecution, more children of God were being born
Great, fiery red dragon = Satan (red represents bloodshed he brought)
Seven heads = complete power of the ruling Roman emperor
Ten horns = ten kingdoms over which the emperor rules

12:7-12 – Michael represents the church’s protectors
Satan’s deception started in Eden (Genesis 3); Jesus called him “a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44)

12:13-17 – Rebellions, uprisings, local wars distracted Roman authorities from the persecutions for a brief time

13:1-10 – Sea beast = Rome
Seven hills of Rome = universal symbol of the imperial city
Ten horns = tributary kings that served the Roman Empire

13:11-18 – Land beast = Jewish persecutors
Two horns = indicates power, but less than the sea beast possessed
Mark of the beast was not a physical mark
The right hand or forehead signified a binding oath of loyalty
Just as the mark of Christians is following God, the mark of the beast is following the devil-guided emperor
666 = Nero (Nron Ksr in Hebrew) – Observe: N=50, R=200, O=6, K=100, S=60, R=200, adding up to 666

14:1-5 – New song is not worship by earthly beings, but the victorious in Lord’s presence

14:6-11 – The importance of evangelism
Fear God and give Him glory (cf. Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Argument against the identification of Babylon as Rome (Blake):
1) The beast hates and seeks to destroy the harlot (Rev. 17:16)
2) Rome was never faithful to God, but the harlot was (cf. Isaiah 1:1-21; Ezekiel 16)
3) Peter says he was in Babylon in 1 Peter, but there is no historical evidence he was ever in Rome
4) Revelation is not directly concerned with Rome; it enters the picture as the instrument of God’s wrath

14:12-13 – Immediate context is those who died in martyrdom
1st century Christians needed this encouragement, facing great tribulation; today we have the advantage of the complete, written Word, with all its promises at our fingertips

14:14-20 – Justice for the faithful and unfaithful
Harvest of grain = rich reward for faithful
Vintage of grapes = retribution against church’s enemies
Josephus: “The whole city run down with blood, to such a degree indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men’s blood.”

Review
1. Who is the woman of Revelation 12?

2. What is represented by the sea beast? What is represented by the land beast?

3. Who is most likely identified by the number of the beast?

4. What does Babylon represent?