Everyday Life in Revelation: Part 7 Cosmic WarsSampel

Satan loves to create a counterfeit image of everything God has created. He does this to confuse and deceive people. Think of human sexuality. God created human sexuality to be beautiful and strengthen the bonds between a husband and a wife. What does Satan do? He distorts sexuality and creates a counterfeit image for people to subscribe to deceive and destroy.

We see this played out in this passage. Satan uses the beast from the sea to be a counterfeit to Jesus. The beast of the earth acts as a cheerleader to rally people to worship this false Christ, this antichrist. He even places a seal on those who chose to follow this false Christ, again another counterfeit. Remember, God seals His people in chapter 7. So now we see Satan providing a counter-marking to those who would follow his ways.

Today’s passage describes the beast of the earth, who uses false signs and wonders to entice people to worship the beast of the sea. In the first century, many pagan “prophets” also used sleight of hand to fool people into thinking their gods did miracles. Couple this with the fact that local leaders across the empire led emperor worship, and we get a picture of the government’s broad use of false religion to serve its purposes and the willingness of false teachers to collaborate with the enemies of God’s people. Historically, human governments have used false religion to reinforce their power and get support against Christianity. Even sadder, many professing Christians have collaborated with governments against the true church of Christ. Let us stand firm in our understanding of the truth as shown in the word of God. Let us remain resolute in our stand for Christ as our culture tries to shake our resolve and water down our faith in the living God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.