Endurance and Faith: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (Revelation 13:1-10)

A young Christian couple in northeast India was beaten the first of April, 2019, by an Adivasi couple. The Adivasis are the indigenous people of India, many of whom are Hindus with a streak of animism. The Adivasi couple did this because they believed the Christian couple had forcibly converted their daughter and son-in-law to Christianity. The Adivasi couple was arrested, but their arrest stirred up anger among the other Adivasi people who formed a mob and sought to stop a Christian worship meeting on April 7. Did this Indian couple that was beaten feel it was worth it, or that it led to anything positive? Did they suffer for nothing?

Satan’s hatred for believers leads him to raise up a false Messiah, the antichrist, to lead his war against Christians and engender worship of himself and his antichrist during this last three and a half years before Jesus returns.

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear: If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.  (Revelation 13:1-10, ESV)

Satan, knowing his time is short (three and a half years, that is, 42 months or 1260 days) gets to work empowering a human individual who will seek to dominate the world in an earthly kingdom designed to rival God’s kingdom.  The many heads and horns indicate the nations he will conquer, and he will have the most godless attitude possible.

The people of earth will worship Satan and his minion, with whom he shares his authority, because they will think there is none who can withstand him.  Those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, however, will not worship him, and he will be permitted by God to make war against them and kill many of them.

Believers are called upon to trust God no matter how it appears they have been abandoned to the beast’s authority.  God’s plan is larger and better than we can see.  We must trust He loves us and that He knows what He is doing.