|
|
|
And to the Sea Beast was permitted to make war with the Saints1 [Daniel 7:25] and to conquer them.2 And the Sea Beast was given authority3 over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.4 [Daniel 7:14]
| 1 | To make war with the Saints: A strong allusion to Daniel 7:21 where it is the Little Horn [the Small Power] that wars with the Saints. Here the Sea Beast is given authority or permission but uses another agency to actually carry this out. This is the same “trampling” of Revelation 11:2, 3. |
| 2 | To conquer them: A strong allusion to Daniel 7:21. The Beast is not victorious as Revelation 15:2 shows. (Revelation 12:11) |
| 3 | Was given authority: As in the KAI EDOTHE AUTO EXOUSIA of Daniel 7:6. (LXX) |
| 4 | Over every tribe and people and tongue and nation: Global authority. |
Dear Friends of the Nazarene,
We choose Revelation 13:7 as the theme verse of chapter thirteen – Global Politics and Saintly Endurance. The angel of Christ returns against to chapter eleven with more details on the end-time Saints and the Great Oppression. John sees the Dragon with his beastly instrument – a wild beast out of the sea. [1, 2] The first three of the seven world powers are described in reverse order to Daniel – leopard, bear and lion. Though one of these seven heads is “slaughtered” it revives as the latest manifestation of the wild beast. [3-8] The Sea Beast cannot be compared to any other power and is identified with the “little horn” of Daniel. It will war with the end-time Saints for the three and a half-years. The end-time Saints are warned that this will demand endurance on their part. [9, 10] Some will go to prison while others are executed for their faith.
The wild Sea Beast has a toll in the form of an Earth Beast. [11-13] This beast forces the earth to worship that beast which was slaughtered but revived. The Earth Beast can perform great signs, even calling down fire out of heaven. The Earth Beast forces the earth to make an idol-image of the revived beast. [14, 15] Those who will not worship the image will be executed. The Earth-Beast forces everyone who wishes to buy or sell to accept an “engraving” with the number-name of the wild Sea Beast – 666.
Abba our Father bless those Saints who endure.
[27 September 2002]
