Revelation 13 confronts people with a point of decision, will you follow Satan or will you follow Jesus? Many people speak of taking the mark of the beast by accident or someone forcing you to put a chip in your arm. This chapter of Revelation paints the picture that people will make a willing decision to join in worship to Satan and hatred of God or to choose to worship Jesus even in the face of death.

Host: Steve, we want to continue our discussions in the wonderful book of Revelation and we're in chapter 13 for today's segment. This is one of those chapters that most people, if they've read Revelation, would think of as the chapter about the Antichrist. What will we find in this chapter?

Steve: Well, chapter 13 really is a continuation of what we saw in chapter 12, which was a vision that encompassed all of mankind's history and the great war over mankind. And when we get to the last verse of chapter 12, it says, “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children.” (Revelation 12:17a, NASB 1995) And then it starts off chapter 13, “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.” (Revelation 13:1a, NASB 1995)
      It's unfortunate that they put that chapter break there because there is definitely a flow there. This has been describing a war that has been going on in the spiritual realm for 6,000 years and now it's coming to the climax of that war. And what has happened is Satan is taking his stand. He hates God's people, so he finds a man who he can embody completely and utterly. He uses that man and the people under that man to attack and persecute God's people. And the most important part of the persecution is every single human being on this earth coming to the point of decision, completely, utterly, one way or the other, will you follow Jesus Christ or will you follow Satan?

{{blog-bcall="/blog-ads-storage"}}

Host: Okay, and we're going to get specifically to that point at the end of this chapter. But Steve, verse 4 of this chapter reads, “They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?’” (Revelation 13:4, NASB 1995) Talk about the significance of that verse.

Steve: That is Satan's dream come true. This is what he has desired for 6,000 years. Ever since rebellion took root in his heart when he was still in Heaven, this is what he's been after. That all of mankind would worship him. That he would be able to displace God as the center of everyone's adoration and worship. And of course, it's going to come through this man who he inhabits, but this is his opportunity that he's been waiting for, for a long time.

Host: Steve, if we look just a little bit further down in verse 8, it seems to add to what you're saying, where it says, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him.” (Revelation 13:8a, NASB 1995)

Steve: This is very interesting when you think about it, because the way life is as we're accustomed to it, people are just doing life. You don't think of Joe Blow down the street as being a Satan worshiper, but that is where things are going to be before it's all over with. You are either going to be completely sold out and surrendered to Jesus Christ, or you are going to be completely sold out to the devil. There will be no more gray areas on this earth. Billions of people will be outright worshiping Satan and in hatred of God. It really is the final and absolute rejection of Jesus Christ by mankind.

Host: Yeah. You know, something that stood out to me about this, in the NASB, it reads, “All who dwell on the earth.” Another version says it this way, “All who belong to this world.” (NLT)

Steve: Wow.

Host: That really says it right there. Look at your heart. Where is your heart really? It doesn't matter if you're a churchgoer or not. Is your heart in love with the things of this world? And if it is, then you're at great risk of becoming one of those who will make the decision to worship Satan.

Steve: Yeah, and when we get to the final chapter, we're going to see that this book is a warning to people who read the Bible to make sure they know where their heart is.

Host: Yeah. Verse 10 also offers an interesting statement. It says, “If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.” (Revelation 13:10b, NIV 1984) What do you think that means?

Steve: There are three things that stand out to me about this statement. One is that believers are going to face harsh persecution in the end. Also, they are going to be required and called upon to persevere in their faith, even in the face of death. But, most importantly, God is going to be reigning sovereignly over their lives and over everything that is going on around them. He is going to hold their hand right through that whole frightening experience and He's going to take them across the line into His kingdom. Really, if you can get your mind around it in the right way, it's a pretty glorious thought.

Host: It really is. We're told, Steve, that the false prophet will be working signs and wonders that will amaze the people of the earth. And if you look at the church today, Steve, it seems like there are two dominant camps.  There are those who completely believe in the miraculous to the point that that's all they're looking for and another camp that is scared to death of anything miraculous happening.

Steve: Yeah. I think that maybe the second group is fearful because of the abuse that has been seen in the first group. But there's a balance to be found there and you can always find the balance in the Word of God. That's why it's so imperative that believers are grounded in God's Word during these days, because we're going to come into a time when you're not going to know what to believe.

Host: Yeah. Alright, Steve, as we close our discussion on this chapter, we really want to end by focusing on the part that most people are probably familiar with and that is the mark of the beast. There's this period of time when every man, woman, and child that's on the earth will have the opportunity to go left or right. To accept the mark or to reject the mark. Comment on what's going on there and what really is going to be our choice at that moment.

Steve: Well, one thing that is very clear to me throughout Scripture is that man has a free will. To me, that's what the whole story of mankind is all about is people deciding if they want to accept God's invitation into a relationship with Him or not. So, what we see is that the final, complete end of all the history of mankind comes down to this choice. That's very profound to think that it's brought down to a decision. No one's going to be dragging Christians down to the ground and forcing them to take a chip in their arm or something like that.
      It's not going to be like that. It's going to be a calm decision. You are either going to take the mark or you're going to die. It's that simple. God is going to allow every human being to have the opportunity to make the choice for Him. But in reality, most people have so far sold themselves into following Satan by that point that they no longer have the capacity to say yes to the Lord.

Host: The choice has already been made in the heart.

Steve: Yeah, they've been making that choice for years and years and this is where it has brought them. They willingly take the mark. But there are those believers who have resisted that flow and have tried to stand for the Lord and when that time comes, God is going to give them the strength inside to do the right thing. I believe that.