The Persecuting Beast

The Book of Revelation portrays the cosmic conflict between Satan and Jesus. It plays out in the daily struggles of believers as the earthly servants of the “Dragon” execute his attacks on them, including the “Little Beast from the Sea,” the “False Prophet,” and “Babylon, the Great Whore.” Satan wages his war through deception and temptations to compromise as well as persecution.

The Devil’s attacks will culminate in his final effort to destroy the followers of the “Lamb” at the end of the age. After the “Sixth Bowl of Wrath” was emptied, for example, the persecuting efforts of the “Dragon” resulted in the final confrontation at the place called “Armageddon.”

[Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash]

Likewise, at the end of the “Thousand Years,” all the “nations of the Earth” were gathered by Satan for his global attack on the “Camp of the Saints” - (Revelation 13:7-10, 16:12-16, 19:17-21, 20:8-10).

The Book is addressed to congregations in seven cities of the Roman province of Asia. Its contents concern the “things that must come to pass shortly” and how they will affect the churches. Persecution, false teachers, deception, and pressure to compromise all played their part in the cosmic drama. The source behind each attack was the “Devil,” the “Great Red Dragon, the Ancient Serpent” - (Revelation 1:4, 1:11, 2:8-13, 3:9).

There were growing conflicts between the Asian congregations and local authorities. The reference to “Satan’s Throne” in the city of Pergamos alludes either to the Roman provincial government centered there or its temple dedicated to the veneration of Caesar and “Roma,” the patron deity of Rome - (Revelation 2:13).

The seven letters to the churches in Chapters 2 and 3 provide a microcosmic view of the cosmic war between the “Dragon” and the “Lamb.” The visions recorded in Chapters 4 through 20 give us the macrocosmic perspective.

Humanity is divided into two groups in Revelation. The men who follow the “Lamb,” and the “Inhabitants of the Earth” who give homage to the “Little Beast from the Sea.” Each man either has the “seal of God” or the “Mark of the Beast” - (Revelation 3:10, 6:10, 7:1-4, 8:13, 14:1-5, 20:4).

Individuals can change sides. An “Inhabitant of the Earth” could repent and follow the “Lamb.” Likewise, a follower of the “Lamb” could apostatize and swear allegiance to the “Beast.” Hence, the admonishments to believers to “overcome” and reject the lies of “Jezebel,” the “Nicolaitans,” the false “apostles,” and the “doctrines of Balaam.”

This “war” is described with language from Daniel’s vision of the “Little Horn” that persecuted the “saints” of the Jewish nation. References to the “war” occur first in the vision of the “Two Witnesses” that were slain by the “Little Beast from the Abyss”:

• (Revelation 11:7) - “And as soon as they completed their testimony the Beast that is to ascend from the Abyss will make war with them, and overcome them, and slay them.”

• (Daniel 7:21) – “I continued looking when this horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them.”

The “Witnesses” were the “two olive trees and Two Lampstands.” Elsewhere in Revelation, “lampstands” represent churches, therefore, they symbolize churches engaged in prophetic testimony to the world - (Revelation 1:20).

The “two olive trees” link the passage to the vision of Zechariah when he saw “two anointed ones who stand near the Lord of all the earth,” Zerubbabel, the ruler of the house of David, and Joshua, the high priest. This explains why there were “Two Lampstands” and “Two Witnesses” rather than seven. The image of the “two olive trees” points to the Church in its role as the “Kingdom of Priests” redeemed by the “blood of the Lamb” - (Zechariah 4:1-14, Revelation 1:6, 5:9-10, 20:6).

The “Little Beast ascended from the Abyss to wage war on them and slay them.”  This “Beast” could not overcome the “Two Witnesses” until they completed their prophetic mission. Only then did this creature “ascend” and carry out its satanic mandate. Hence, the “Little Beast from the Abyss” made war on churches and not nation-states.

The “Dragon” was expelled from Heaven in Chapter 12 after he failed to devour the Messianic “Son.” Enraged, he launched his “war” against the “Seed of the Woman… those who have the Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:5-17).

Likewise, the “Little Horn” in Daniel’s vision made war against the “saints” and “prevailed over them.” The same reality or “war” is in view in the vision of the war by the “Beast from the Abyss” to slay the “Two Witnesses,” and in the assault by the “Dragon” on the “those who have the Testimony of Jesus.”

THE FINAL ATTACK

To carry out his “war,” Satan stood on the “seashore” and summoned his “seed” to execute his plan, the “Beast from the Sea” and the “Beast from the Earth,” the “False Prophet.” Moreover, the “Little Beast from the Sea” was identical to the “Little Beast from the Abyss” - (Revelation 11:7, 13:1-10).

This “Beast” was authorized “to war with the saints and to overcome them,” once again, the same language from Daniel is applied by the Book. The “saints” were identical to those “who had the Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 12:17, 13:7, 14:12).

Satan as the “Great Red Dragon” waged “war” against the followers of Jesus, not nation-states. The language of warfare is metaphorical. It portrays the activities of the “Little Beast” intended to destroy them. This “war” reveals itself in the activities of deceivers in the Church and attempts to destroy it by outside persecutors.

The Devil’s final onslaught is launched at the end of the “Thousand Years” after the “Ancient Serpent” is released from the “Abyss.” This last attempt to conquer the “saints” is described in language from the Book of Ezekiel:

• “And as soon as the thousand years are ended, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and will go forth to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they ascended over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them; and the Devil who was deceiving them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where were both the Beast and the False Prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of ages” - (Revelation 20:7-10).

Ezekiel’s vision is universalized in Revelation. The regional powers attacking Israel in Palestine become the nations from the four corners of the Earth that attack the “camp of the saints.”

The word “camp” echoes the story of Israel as the pilgrim people in the wilderness.  “City” speaks of the permanent residence of the people in the Promised Land. The language is metaphorical. This is the “camp of the saints,” the followers of the “Lamb” who have the “Testimony of Jesus” - (Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4, 11:18, 13:7-10, 14:12, 16:6, 17:6, 18:24, 19:8).

Satan “deceives the nations” and “gathers them to the war.” This repeats the phrase seen previously. In each case, it refers not to one “war” among many, but to “THE war, singular - (Revelation 16:14, 19:19).

The Book of Revelation does not describe bloody battles between conventional armies and nation-states. The victims of Satan’s war are the “saints,” beginning with the “Seven Churches of Asia.”

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RELATED POSTS:

• The Dragon's War - (Satan as the “Great Red Dragon” attacks the Lamb by persecuting his followers, the men who have the “Testimony of Jesus”)

• The Beast's Reign - (The Inhabitants of the Earth refuse to follow the Lamb. Instead, they give their allegiance and homage to the Beast)

• Deceivers and Disasters - (Jesus warned of coming deceivers who mislead many believers and disseminate false information about his coming)