Introduction – CHRIS
I’m grateful this morning for the opportunity to preach with Brent Hall. Brent is Highland’s preaching and adult ministry apprentice. Many of you have already connected with him in a Wednesday night class or Sunday School class that he’s taught. Brent is helping lead worship at our Night of Praise this evening. He was also a counselor this summer at Camp Highland and has served in a number of other capacities. It’s a joy to have him on staff as part of our commitment to learn from emerging leaders and to be a place where emerging leaders can learn from us. Brent and I are preaching from Revelation 13-14.
The Beasts in John’s Day – BRENT
Have you ever had a recurring dream? Something you dream over and over again? Or worse: have you ever had a recurring nightmare? Do you repeatedly “go to work” only to realize that you are, shall we say, in your birthday suit? Recurring dreams often reveal a source of fear, or even of weakness. Some experts propose that dreams could represent a question or message that needs to be addressed, and the dream will only resolve and stop occurring when the dreamer understands the message.
God’s people had a recurring nightmare, a vision that was continually put before them, a reality that was constantly made aware to them, that they often failed to understand: they were surrounded by beasts. There were forces at play that manipulated and exploited their world and their worship.
The book of Job introduced the idea of such great beasts–Leviathan and Behemoth, rising out of the land and out of the sea, crushing everything in their path, breathing fire, smoke pouring from their nostrils. Isaiah and the psalmists described these great monsters who ruled the land and sea with destruction and could only be defeated by the Lord. The biblical author, Daniel, had a vision of four beasts, each more powerful and frightening than the last. The fourth beast was especially disturbing.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7 ESV
And finally, our text this morning gives a glimpse of John’s vision. It looks and sounds eerily similar to the descriptions from other biblical authors, especially Daniel’s, though perhaps even more gruesome, as John describes two horrid beasts:
1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea… 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority…the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast…4 and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”…6 It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it… (Selections from Revelation 13:1-8 ESV)
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth…12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth… (Selections from Revelation 13:11-14 ESV)
Welcome to God’s people’s recurring nightmare. This is just a glimpse of his vision, but essentially John wants the people to know what all biblical authors wanted the people to know: that there are forces at play that manipulate and exploit our world–there are beasts bearing down on believers. These “beasts” pointed to something beyond actual animals–as if there were behemoth creatures you could go and see at the Jerusalem Zoo; the beasts often pointed to the powers that were pulling at the people of God. The same is true in Revelation: In the book of Revelation, the forces that manipulate and exploit our world and our worship are personified by the image of beasts.
For John and his audience, that meant Rome. The enormous Roman Empire, making up 20% of the world’s population in its day, led by the emperor who brought peace and prosperity to all under his dominion. Some in John’s audience would have had few personal reasons to be concerned about Rome–they were well-served. Others would have faced significant suffering, if not right out persecution. But either way, whether you were assisted by the Empire or abused by the Empire, the Empire simply was. What could ever be done about a huge empire like Rome? It would seem that it was better to just adjust to the reality of the government’s presence, right?
According to John, however,–Rome, the emperor, it all stood in direct opposition to the Kingdom of God, because it demanded not only obedience, but worship. The emperor, whom John personified with the first beast, claimed to be divine as a way to ensure obedience (and who wouldn’t like being a god?)–if you believe the emperor is divine, you really have to let him do anything he wants. And the way in which the emperor kept this act up was through cultic worship. The leader? That’s our second beast: the “chief priest” of the emperor’s cult, responsible for securing the compliance of the empire. His main task is to get people to worship the first beast–the emperor. To refuse worship was unquestionable, right? The very fabric of society was dependent on the empire.
But John once again employs God’s people’s recurring dream to warn them that, whether Rome might seem harmless or whether Rome might seem imperative to their existence, there are forces at play that are manipulating and exploiting their world by demanding their worship. The beasts are attempting to deflect their worship from the God whom they cannot see to the authorities that they can see; the beasts are trying to deceive the people of God into buying into a belief-system that demands their devotion.
The Beasts in Our Day – CHRIS
It might be tempting to dismiss this chapter. After all, we don’t have a massive government asking us to bow down in literal worship of its leaders. We don’t seem to have these kinds beasts among us.
But what we do still have today are things we can see detracting from our devotion to the God whom we cannot see. What we do still have today are objects to which we give our adoration rather than giving God our adoration. And those objects can become so dangerous that they become monsters and beasts.
Timothy Keller preaches in New York City. In his book Counterfeit Gods he writes about the beasts and monsters that deceive us and demand our devotion today. He identifies more than twenty different kinds of modern day idol or counterfeit gods. Let’s survey just a few of them. I’ll read through part of his list. As I do, consider which of these may be present in your life. And consider how destructive they are.
You are living with a beast if you are able to complete this sentence in this way:
“Life only has meaning/ I only have worth if…
- I have power and influence over others.” (Power Idolatry)
- I am loved and respected by _____.” (Approval Idolatry)
- People are dependent on me and need me.” (Helping Idolatry)
- I am completely free from obligations or responsibilities to take care of someone.” (Independence idolatry)
- I am being recognized for my accomplishments, and I am excelling in my work.” (Achievement idolatry)
- I have a certain level of wealth, financial freedom, and very nice possessions.” (Materialism idolatry)
- I am adhering to my religion’s moral codes and accomplished in its activities.” (Religion idolatry)
- My children and/or my parents are happy and happy with me.” (Family idolatry)
- My political or social cause is making progress and ascending in influence or power.” (Ideology idolatry)
- I have a particular kind of look or body image.” (Image idolatry)
If we find that our life only has meaning or we only have a sense of worth when one or more of those statements are true, that that particular issue has become an idol, a counterfeit god, a monster and beast. These things may not look like it. But give them enough time, enough of yourself, and they’ll eat you up. Revelation 13 reminds us that the nightmare plaguing God’s people continues even today. And John asks, “Will you wake up, or will you remain in the shadow of these monsters?”
Transition Comment – BRENT
I know what some of you must be thinking: “Are we done already? Did we really get away with a 10 minute sermon?” It would seem so, right? We now know what these beasts look like and how they compete for our worship, so we must be good to go and avoid them! But here lies the danger in the objects that vie for our worship and adoration: it’s not enough to not make a choice. If you hope to not choose one thing to worship, then you must choose another thing. Which means we’re not done–neither is John.
When it comes to our worship–whether we want to or not, whether we think we are or not–we are faced with a choice. In John’s vision, there are those who have chosen to worship the beasts. But there are also those who have chosen to NOT worship the beasts, and who do so not only by avoiding the beasts, not only by steering clear of their mark, but by actively worshipping something else. Rather, worshipping someONE else. John will describe them as those “who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” They not only avoid the beasts; they worship the Lamb.
Federal agents of the national treasury are trusted with the responsibility to spot counterfeit bills. We expect them to be able to detect a fake $100 bill when they see it and pull it out of circulation. But the way in which agents develop this skill is not by studying fake bills. John MacArthur puts it this way:
“Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.” John MacArthur Reckless Faith
It’s not enough to study fake objects of worship and avoid them. John knew that in order to recognize counterfeit gods people needed to see the real thing. And so immediately following his vision of fake worship, he puts real bills in our hands–here’s what it is to reject the beasts by following the Lamb.
Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. (Rev. 14:1-5 ESV).
Following the Lamb Then – Chris
John shifts from the dangerous creatures to the devoted Christians; from the counterfeit gods to the genuine followers of Jesus. John points to people who have managed to live victoriously even in the shadow of the monsters. And he reveals several key details showing how they’ve managed to do this. Following Jesus in the shadow of monsters was possible for these people by means of three things (A, B, C):
- 1. Abandon (“follow the lamb”; “blameless”)
- 2. Broad View (“firstfruits”)
- 3. Courtship (“no lie”; “defiled”; “virgins”)
First, abandon. John notes that these were the ones who were willing to “follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” (14:4 ESV). This is an image of reckless abandon–followers of Jesus who remove every limit to where they will follow Jesus. They go from saying, “I will follow Jesus here or there and only here or only there” to saying “I will follow Jesus anywhere.” Following Jesus goes from being a predictable routine to being an unpredictable adventure. They follow Jesus wherever he goes–even if it requires sacrifice.
This is meaning behind the description in vs. 5 of them being “blameless.” This is the same word used of the sacrificial offering – it was to be blameless (Ex. 29:1; Lev. 4:3; 5:15; Heb. 9:14; 1 Pet. 1:19). It’s not just a word referring to something moral. It’s a word referring to sacrifice. Here, it reminds us that these were people willing to follow Jesus wherever he went, even if it meant sacrifice.
In order to avoid the beasts, we are called to live with abandon–to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, even if calls for sacrifice.
Second, those in John’s vision were ones who kept the broad view. John notes that they “had been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb” (14:4 ESV). In the Bible, firstfruits referred to the first and best part of the harvest. This was offered to God to signify that the entire crop was his. Jesus is called the firstfruit of those who have died (1 Cor. 15:20), meaning that he is the first who is raised, and many will be raised behind him. In calling these Christians firstfruits, John means they recognized themselves as the first of many who would be standing with the lamb in heaven. That is, they realized they were the first of many. They were just a part of a much larger community of saints.
And certainly this must have given them courage as they followed the Lamb wherever he went–knowing that there were others around the world; knowing that there would be others in generations yet to be born who would be doing the same. They would not be alone in living with abandon. They would be the first of many generations–the first fruits. And in keeping this broad view in mind, they found the courage and conviction to beat the beasts and to remain with the Lamb.
In order to beat the beasts in our own day, something similar is called for. We must remember the broad view–that we are part of something much larger than just ourselves, much larger than just this church, much larger than just Churches of Christ, much larger than just American evangelicalism, much larger than just Christianity in the 21st Century. We link arms with centuries of generations of Christians around the world who have lived before us, with millions of Christians who are alive around the world today, and with the generations of Christians who will come after us around the world when we are gone. This broad view encourages us to follow the lamb and beat the beasts.
Third, those in John’s vision practiced courtship. This is what lies behind his description of them in v. 5 of having no lie in their mouth and in v. 4 as “these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins” (ESV). This sounds like John is describing them as celibate priests and nuns. But the language is symbolic. John is drawing our attention to the bride of Christ imagery at the end of the book. The book ends with a wedding–the wedding of Christ and his bride–us. And John’s language here simply refers to the fact that these people were the ones who took their courtship with Christ seriously. They nurtured a romance about Jesus. They engaged in courtship with Christ. Spiritually speaking, they kept themselves for him.
And the line about no lying is most likely referring to the fact that they would not utter any word of devotion to those beasts. Their vows, their songs, their oaths, were reserved for Jesus.
In order to defeat the beasts in our own day, John’s vision points us in the direction of courtship. It’s not enough to be good students of the Bible or good attenders of the church. Ultimately, this is about romance. It’s about nurturing a heart to heart relationship with Jesus. It’s that courtship that keeps us from the power of the beasts.
Following the Lamb Today – BRENT
If we are under the same shadow as John’s audience–the shadow of monsters who vie for our worship and adoration–how do we, like the faithful examples in Revelation 14, follow Jesus? In what ways can we avoid the beasts and follow the Lamb?
Eugene Peterson in his book Reversed Thunder notes three events in chapter 14 of Revelation–the Lamb leading worship, the three angels proclaiming the eternal gospel, and the angels harvesting the earth–and offers them to us as means of survival and flourishing even as we are surrounded by beasts. This is how we follow Jesus in the shadow of monsters:
The first act is living holy lives – what we can call being in the world. Because we believe that everything we do, no matter what we do, however common and little noticed we might be, is connected with the action of God.
But remember:
- Holy living will often seem irresponsible. Holy living calls for abandon, for denying the standards used by the world in order to take up the standards of the One we worship.
There’s also the act of listening to the proclaimed Word, or what we’ll call being in the Word. As we live in the world it might be easy to lose hope; to lose faith; to lose sight of God’s presence, of his faithfulness, of his glory. As we are bombarded with messages of war, famine, injustice, division, inequality… As we are attacked by idols that claim to be central and essential to our life… As we begin to think that we are alone, the Word reminds us that God always has and always will be in control. The Word reminds us of God’s faithfulness in the past, it highlights God’s presence in the present, and it gives us a glimpse into God’s inevitable victory in the future. Maintain a broad view, be in the Word.
And finally, perhaps the most surprising act of discipleship, being in worship. Somehow, what we do in this place means something in the world. You might even think to yourself, “How can we, surrounded by such dark circumstances, surrounded by the shadows of monsters, even think of gathering simply to sing songs, to pray, and to be in community. Shouldn’t we only be out in the world advocating for justice and equality and good? What good is worship? Shouldn’t we be doing something?” But notice what happens immediately following the revelation of the beasts; John is shown these beasts that are raking in followers, claiming worshipper after worshipper–and what is heaven’s response? Worship. The Lamb stands before the crowd in front of him and leads them in song; they join creation’s praise of the creator. What we do in this place is an unbelievably effective tool against the beasts that compete for our worship because in this place we worship the only one who is truly worthy of our worship. What seems like a waste of time is the very act that the Lamb leads, and so we follow the Lamb.
There are monsters vying for our worship and adoration, idols that would distract us from the One True God. When you feel the oppression of the beasts, remember that it’s not enough to choose against them–you have to actively choose to follow the Lamb. Like my friend John. John was a big-time lawyer in the largest firm in his city, on the fast-track to making partner, when he began to recognize the idols of approval and success creeping in and vying for his time, his energy, his focus, his worship. And John knew that he couldn’t risk merely avoiding the idols–he had to find a way to deny the beasts and follow the Lamb. For him, that meant leaving his firm and helping launch an urban ministry, where the idols of approval and success couldn’t thrive, where he could abandon the idols while living in the world, and could glimpse the larger picture of God’s story, and where Jesus could remain the sole focus of his worship.
It is possible to follow the Lamb in the shadows of monsters. Today, you join the ranks of a long line of people who have lived with abandon in the world, who have maintained a broad view in the Word, and who have devoted themselves to the only one worthy of worship. Let’s join in with that chor
