“Imitation” can be positive. When we see good qualities, habits, or characteristics in others, we do our best to follow their example. Those people whose positive qualities we wish to replicate are called “Role Models”.
There are negative forms of “imitation” as well. It is one thing to try to replicate the positive qualities of a role model; it is quite different to step in and pretend to be another, either for the purpose of deception or to take what doesn’t belong to you. An “Impostor” is someone who dresses in disguise, pretending to be someone else, usually with bad intentions. We are called to mimic Jesus in the way he lived and related to others. Revelation 13 shows a more devious side of mimicking: a divine impostor.
Revelation 12 began another sequence of seven, the “Visions” which introduced a red Dragon pursuing a pregnant woman and her child. When the Dragon realized he could not overthrow God nor devour the woman’s child, he turned his attention to God’s people: “Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12.17).
Chapter 13 shows the reader how the Dragon uses deception to make war with the woman’s offspring. The Dragon himself is depicted as an impostor, an anti-God figure and he copies God to the best of his ability, establishing a counterfeit “trinity” and even “sealing” his followers in the way God had in Revelation 7. If the Dragon cannot personally defeat God, he can at least trick some believers into worshipping him instead of God.
Like chapter 12, the images in chapter 13 are not meant to be understood literally, but more like a political cartoon where the images equal something else. The second and third “Visions” (13.1, 11) show beasts emerging out of the sea and the land. The “Sea Beast” equals a political leader who is really nothing more than a puppet of the Dragon. The “Land Beast” will be specifically identified in chapter 16.13 as the “False Prophet”. Both of these Beasts are tools the Dragon uses to deceive God’s people.
The Dragon establishes an Anti-Christ and attempts to trick the world into worshipping him instead of Jesus. Indeed, the “Beast rising out of the sea” is nothing more than a counterfeit Messiah. What is deceptive is that in some ways, this Sea Beast looks exactly like the Dragon, yet in other ways, he looks very similar to Jesus. Like the Dragon, the Sea Beast:
- has ten horns, seven heads, ten diadems (see 12.3)
- has blasphemous names written on his head (see 2.9 where those who blasphemy are a “synagogue of Satan”)
- wages war against the saints (see 12.17)
Yet, like Jesus, the Sea Beast
- receives power, throne and great authority from the Dragon (see Matthew 28.18)
- has a mortal wound from which he recovered (Jesus himself suffered a mortal wound and yet was raised from the dead three days later)
- shares worship with the Dragon (see John 14.7-11: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father...”)
- has a mouth like a lion’s mouth (see Rev. 5.5, where Jesus is called the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah”)
I have gotten to know the ladies at the bank fairly well, and vice versa. We know enough about one another that we have things to talk about besides money. Now, suppose someone looks like me, dresses like me, sounds like me, and acts like me. That person stole my bank account number, enters the bank and tries to empty my accounts. The impostor might trick the teller into believing that he is actually me, but trouble would arise once the teller, who knows a little about my family, starts asking basic questions that the impostor cannot answer, like, “What was the name of that genetic thing your kid has?” While in some ways the impostor seems like me, failure to answer easy questions about my kids would cause reasonable concern for the teller.
This is an example of what the Sea Beast attempts to do. There is enough about this impostor that looks like a Messiah that it might be easy to trick people into thinking he actually is the Messiah. For those of us who “know His voice” (see John 10.4), questions might arise when the Beast begins talking: a True Messiah wouldn’t blasphemy God and slander his people.
This is also true of the “Land Beast.” Like the Sea Beast, he looks a lot like the Dragon. The demonic nature of this “Anti-Prophet” is apparent when you consider it “spoke like a dragon” (13.11) and “deceives those who dwell on earth” (13.14). However, he is enough like a true prophet of God that he makes lies seem believable. Like a true prophet, the Land Beast:
- exercises authority of the first beast (see Acts 1.8)
- encourages worship of another (a true prophet encourages worship of God alone; this prophet encourages worship of the Beast/Dragon)
- performs great signs, even making fire come down from Heaven (Like Elijah, a true prophet, did)
- marks people with “666” (like the 144,000 were “sealed” by God in chapter 7)
Many throughout the ages have taken the fruitless task of “calculating” the number 666. It has been identified as Nero, other Roman Emperors, popes, dictators, presidents, cult leaders, bar codes, “Digital Angel”, or some future world ruler who will be THE Anti-Christ.
Perhaps it is simpler than that. In keeping with the symbolic nature of the whole book, we shouldn’t unnecessarily make “666” a literal figure referring to a real-life person. Instead, it is a figurative depiction of an “Unholy Trinity”, a counterfeit-deity which tries to lead the world away from God. If God had a number, it would be 7, because that is the number of complete perfection. Since God is Trinity, “777” might be a better number. Therefore, “666”, the number of man, could symbolically mean, “Close, but no cigar!” Then, the “call for wisdom” in “calculating” the number (13.18) is a warning: When you see the deception, don’t be deceived!
Like the three-headed Beast in the World War II political cartoon, the Dragon and two Beasts of Revelation 12-13 do not literally exist. The Dragon equals a demonic anti-God figure who tries to usurp God’s rightful throne. The Sea Beast equals ANY world/cult/religious ruler who claims to be God, whether that person is Pharaoh, Nero, a dictator, or a president. The Land Beast equals ANY individual, group, state, or world-system which tries to make the claims of the Sea Beast seem legitimate, encourage worship of the Sea Beast, and punish those who refuse.
We should resist the urge to try to pinpoint exactly which world leader and system most closely exemplifies the characteristics of the Sea and Land Beasts. Rather, this “political cartoon” reflects that such leaders and world systems can exist in ANY generation and NO culture is immune from the possibility of deception via divine impostors. Any world system can prove to be a counterfeit, impostor look-alike: It looks benevolent enough so as to deceive the masses, but is nevertheless demonic and deadly.
What is particularly troubling is why Revelation 13 stands as a warning to believers. Lest Christians think we are immune from the trickery of demonic deception, perhaps we should consider this: In the New Testament, “False Prophet” is used exclusively to refer to people inside the church (Matt. 7:15; 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; Acts 13:6; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1). Peter, for instance warns his readers that “false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you...” (2 Peter 2.1). Christians might expect to run into hostility from non-Christians. What may take us by surprise is when those we do not expect, in fact, even those we trust, speak and act in deceptive ways.
From the beginning of Revelation, one of the problems the author addresses is “Compromise”. That is, some of the Churches in chapters 2 and 3 were not explicitly denying Jesus, but were allowing—even encouraging—behaviors and beliefs which are strictly incompatible with orthodox Christianity. For instance, Jesus is Lord, not Caesar (or any other world leader). Problems arise when people begin saying, “Yes, Jesus is Lord, but so is Caesar.” What is particularly deceptive for the Christian is when those compromising words are spoken by church leaders. The author does not mince words. Any church leader who institutes and encourages beliefs and practices which are strictly incompatible with Christianity is a “False Prophet,” and such a leader is actually participating with very demonic things.
Jesus himself warned, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves,” and “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven...” (Mat. 7.15, 21). In fact, when those who are “ravenous wolves” list off their supposed qualifications for entering the Kingdom (prophesying, casting out demons, and doing mighty works “in your name”), Jesus addresses them as “workers of lawlessness.”
Deception is certainly possible within the Church and the potential for demonic impostors is a reality. This should not cause us to start a witch hunt and begin accusing those who we think might be “ravenous wolves.” Instead, the warning of 1 John 4.1 could stand as an appropriate conclusion to the Revelation 12-13 Political Cartoon: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."
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