As if one wasn't enough (its not) Rev 13: 11-18

I like to think I'm a kid at heart. After all my favorite movies are kid movies, my favorite foods aren't very "mature", I am easily excited and let down, and I would stop doing just about anything to play with my friends haha. So maybe thats why, at least this morning, I read this passage and totally felt like bagging on satan for being weak sauce. Like, come on, a dragon, two beasts, angels and you still lose to one man. I feel like I would pick on satan if he went to my school. His reign is "allowed" by God and lasts only 7 years. With respect to eternity, he's out like a fatkid in dodgeball. (horrible, James Hong used that the other day and I very guiltily laughed)

Rev 13: 11-18 The second beast

Now the second beast came from the earth and only had two horns. Specifially, its two horns made it look like a lamb. However, it is very obviously not the lamb because it also spoke like a dragon. Now if the beast happens to come in the form of a human then I would suppose speaking like the dragon would be blaspheming against God.

This beast seems to be the backup, as it exercises the same authority as the first and makes the people give the first beast worship. This second beast is "allowed" (by God) to rain fire in front of the people. So being able to do this, many are deceived. Therefore this second beast tells the people to make an image of the first. Seriously, I was a little worried up to this point that I might be deceived but the situation is just like humans. Someone can appear christian but what they do contradicts their title. I know putting on the new, putting on Christ, is not something I can do perfectly, so sometimes my actions are contrary to my identity as a Christian. But I won't fall into this trap by satan. Looking like the lamb won't mean anything if everything the beast does contradicts the character of Christ, showing off by raining down fire, building idols, and blaspheming God.

This second beast was (again) allowed to give breath to the idol so that it could speak and apparently slay those who didn't worship. And even those who did follow the beast would be marked on the hand or forehead in order to buy and sell (essentially survive). Interestingly, in deuteronomy, God had instructed the Israelites to bind the Word to their wrists and foreheads. I think in both cases, the mark identifies ownership, whether a person is God's or satans. Having the Word written on our heart is God's mark of ownership on us. Lastly, the number of the beast is three sixes and wise people are told to calculate it. Now adding up the letter (in hebrew) of either beast or nero ceaser adds up to three sixes but its believed that there will be a greater fulfillment of this number in the future.

Things I realize: I see how people who don't know the Word will be fooled. To be honest, I worry about my parents. I don't know if they can discern the times. They know that Jesus is coming back, and I worry that they may falsely believe that satan is Him because they don't know Him well enough. This is conviction to know Christ, to know God better, so that I know Him when He comes. At the same time I am to study the Word so that I know satan and his beasts will come presenting themselves as the lamb.

So I will continue studying then

Tomorrow Rev 14:1-5 The lamb and the 144,000