What’s in a Name? (Part 1)
Revelation 13
Sermon Objective: This sermon is designed to provide a bit of sanity in the whirlwind of stupidity that surrounds the beasts and the number 666.
Supporting Scripture: Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; Rev. 21:1
Rev. 13:1And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
5The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
9He who has an ear, let him hear.10If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
11Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
I think I need to spend a “sermon” giving you an overview of the role that chapters 12 and 13 play in this book. I also think this “sermon time” would be well spent if I helped you to see the historical dynamics that are being depicted here. Yes, there is more going on here in John’s writing than a mere critique of the political dynamics of his day but the interpretation and applications of the text can never be divorced from this historical reality. To do so is not only dangerous but almost guarantees one will develop strange doctrines that cannot be supported by a reasonable and ethical reading of the text. If one is to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) … in other words approach the Scriptures with integrity and let the inherent authority therein come into play as opposed to our own human assumptions and biases … then this historical understanding must not only be understood but respected and utilized in determining the text’s purpose and underlying truths. The Scriptures, after all, are designed to make sense to the reader/hearer. One does not have to do a lot of “cognitive gymnastics” to grasp its meaning.
My job, today, is as much “pastor-teacher” (Ephesians 4:11) as it is “preacher-prophet.”
Chapters 12 and 13 (actually 14 too) work much like a cipher for this book. Or, maybe a more picturesque image is they work much like a frame does for a picture. Just as various frames on a picture will enhance, or even change the mood the picture offers, so these chapters explain the purpose of the book and even set the mood/tone of the text.
That is why I will spend the better part of four months (going back to Advent) looking at them.
The point being made in chapter 13 is intentionally “guarded” and, shall we say, “coded.” It is never safe to critique those who bear the sword (and like to use it) and John was not looking to lose his head … I mean he was already in exile for his allegiance to Jesus Christ (the Lord of Lords) and his refusal to confess Caesar as “lord.”
So what’s going on in chapters 12-13? Maybe I should start my quoting another apostle --Apostle Paul. Interesting enough, when John was writing this book Paul had already been killed by Caesar (Nero). He was beheaded because of His faith. Paul said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).
Paul, in his usual matter-of-fact, cerebral way spells out the matter at hand. John, in his usual relational, picturesque way gives us a drama telling us the same thing.
We “get” chapter 12. We understand the narrative John gives here of the red dragon kicked to the curb … bounced from heaven. We can certainly grasp the seething hatred he now has for God and his determination to hurt God by hurting his creation (humankind). But somehow we make a mental break at chapter 13 and we divorce it chapter from 12. That cannot happen … it must not happen if we are to approach John’s story with integrity. There was no chapter division when he wrote it and even the way chapter 13 begins tells you it’s part of the same story.
Chapter 13 explained
THE DRAGON
The dragon of chapter 12 is standing on the sea shore. That is significant. The sea, in Hebrew thought and literature (including the Old Testament) often stood for chaos and evil.
• Jonah was thrown into the sea.
• The sea had to be parted for Moses and the Hebrew nomads.
• Jesus calming the Sea of Galilee
• Earlier in Revelation we saw a “tamed sea” ...the crystal sea that is before the throne of God (chapters 4-5) and it shows his reflection.
• Later in the book, when the New Heaven and Earth are described, we will discover there no longer is any sea whatsoever – sin and chaos are no more. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Rev. 21:1)
The very foundation the dragon (Satan) operates from is the shifting sand of evil and chaos. It is more than just a sea shore … it is descriptive of where he chooses to reside … it is descriptive of his character.
THE SEA BEAST
From the sea the dragon orchestrates the emergence of a beast. The sea beast’s description would immediately direct the Hebrew listener’s mind to the Old Testament.
They would think of Daniel chapter 7 and they would recognize that this vision does not match that vision perfectly but “borrows” from the images found therein.
They would, instinctively recognize the beast’s description as referring to Rome. And that is exactly what it is meant to refer to. Some might ask, “Is it Rome or it is a leader of Rome?” For me, the answer is “Yes.” Because it is both. Which did Asia Minor serve? Rome or Caesar? There was no differentiation. When the Caesar claims to be “Lord and God” … (literally the divine master) it makes no difference whether it is an emperor or an empire.
This sea beast is better understood as a wild animal than it is a human. One of the early church fathers, Oecumenius (who wrote the first commentary on the Greek Text of the Revelation in the 6th century) describes the sea beast like this “The leopard can turn quickly for strategic plans. The bear is sturdy and can walk to and fro upon the earth plotting against humankind. Its mouth was like a lion’s prowling around seeking whom he may devour. And this power is given by the apostate dragon.”
Why is the beast coming out of the sea?
• Well, one reason lies in what I mentioned earlier … it has the character of its creator. It is chaotic and evil.
• And another is that it is LITERALLY where the beast came from. If you have ever stood on the sea shore and watched a ship come in you can understand how it appears to emerge from the sea. As it gets closer and closer it gets bigger and taller. Remember, John is writing to the churches in Asia Minor and Rome conquerored Asia Minor by coming westward – out of the Mediterranean Sea.
Its worth noting that the sea beast itself is the servant of the dragon. In fact, it brings glory to the dragon and its power and authority and acumen are given to it by the dragon (v.2). John is declaring Rome to be evil even though it masquerades as light and offers peace.
THE LAND BEAST
But the dragon is not finished. There is yet another member of this “unholy trinity” to emerge. The land beast (verses 11-17).
This is an interesting character isn’t it?
• It seems almost religious.
• It seems to possess the authority of another and to direct attention towards another but yet it just cannot help but make sure it gets some attention itself.
• Its speech shows the beast’s real character; it looks peaceful like a lamb … but its speech exposes it as the dragon.
Time and time again in this chapter it all comes back to the dragon.
The seven churches that “The Revelation” was written to had enormous devotion to Rome and its Caesars. This is well documented and we discussed this long ago.
There is ample evidence that some of them even competed to see which city could be the most patriotic … which would be preferred by the Caesar. As the cities succeeded in pleasing Rome they were awarded the privilege of building another statue or temple dedicated to Rome. All of these cities had at least one temple dedicated to the goddess Roma or to a Caesar. It was in these temples – that emperor worship was enforced – REQUIRED of all their citizens. The city’s citizens made an annual trip into the temple on “The Day of the Lord” (Caesar’s birthday), offered a sacrifice, and publicly proclaimed “Caesar is Lord.” It was only after this public display that they could participate in the civic life of the community or join a craftsman’s guild and get work.
• Their livelihood depended on their willingness to make a confession.
• They could not buy or sell otherwise.
• Religion and government were intimately intertwined.
• Religion was used to enforce devotion to Rome.
• Religion pointed to Rome. That is why later in the book the land beast is called “the false prophet.” To be clear, the land beast is not a person … it is an institution … emperor worship.
This is important to understand. It’s not mysterious. Emperor Worship was a key tool, especially in Asia Minor but not exclusively in Asia Minor, for enforcing allegiance and patriotism to Rome. When John writes “He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.” (v. 14-15) he probably refers to statues built in these cities outside the temples. But no image of the emperor was more notorious than the colossus of Nero (as the Sun God) built at the Golden House in A.D. 64. It was 120 feet tall. Nothing could (or dared to) rival it!
Yes, the land beast pointed to Rome but spoke with the authority of an even greater power … the dragon itself.
I wonder; do you think that when John wrote he thought he might have just penned his own death warrant? In any case John knew the Church needed to know the real nature and character of this empire that demanded their faith. In fact, Rome considered Christians atheists because they did not believe in Caesar’s divinity … that was a common charge brought against them that brought them to their death.
Gematria
John wanted to be very clear about whom he was speaking. So he told them the name of the person to whom he was referring. Well, to be fair, he told them “The number of his name.”
Do you know the number of your name? We all understand the concept of “gematria.” An example is our use of Roman numerals. Gematria is simply using an alphabet like numbers; the first set letters are 1-9, the next set are 10-100 and the final are larger digits. By using this concept you can figure out the “number” (or equation) of any word.
In the 1st century this was a pretty big deal. What we know about Roman numerals was true of all alphabets. They used it a lot! On the walls of Pompeii’s ruins , you can still find an inscription a lover wrote: “I love her whose number is 545.” The writer’s lover would know each time she passed by that it was for her.
Did you know that in both Hebrew and Aramaic 666 is the number of … “Caesar Nero?”
There’s no mystery here folks. John was writing to the church of His day and John is telling them that this evil evil man who was killing them was nothing more than a tool of Satan. He was helping them to understand that their “struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
Wrap-Up
Before we went any further with this chapter I just felt it was important that we all be on the same page.
Are there applications for this text to our generation? Absolutely! But Pastor John was not writing about something that was to happen in the future (and giving us a secret code to figure it out) – John was talking to His people. He was telling them:
• Who their struggle was against
• What the stakes were
• And why is was to be faithful Jesus Christ to the end
I want you to take heart from this. I want you to understand that this all makes sense. That God’s Word to you in this book is meant to encourage you, inform you, and give you strength to be faithful. There is nothing mysterious here about what John meant. His people got it when they read it! He was using a genre of literature we are not familiar with but they were very very familiar with. They got it.
For me, the best way to understand this genre of literature is to think of poetry. There are some genres of poetry that we Americans really don't “get”. We know about them (as the Romans knew about Apocalyptic literature) but we do not normally write in their format and it takes effort when we do.
For example: Haiku
Haiku Poetry is a Japanese poem composed of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Haiku poetry originated in the sixteenth century and reflects on some aspect of nature and creates images.
Example of Haiku Poetry Type "None is Travelling" by Basho (1644-1694) For example: Haiku
None is travelling
Here along this way but I,
This autumn evening.
The first day of the year:
Thoughts come - and there is loneliness;
The autumn dusk is here.
If we choose to neglect good solid Biblical hermeneutics (principles of interpretation) we will come up with some really really bizarre interpretations from this chapter. BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE CORRECT INTERPRETATION … MANY APPLICATIONS … BUT ONLY ONE INTERPRETATION.
If my credit card had a 666 on it I would not be afraid. If I had to claim the U.S.A. was divine my source of hope – if I was had to love the U.S.A. with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and confess in order to have a credit card THEN I’d be afraid.
That was what was happening in Rome. Rome was telling the people to look no where else for hope, safety, resources, or anything else because God was incarnate in the Caesar and god would take care of them. They were to so love their god (Caesar) that they would die for him, swear allegiance to him, and confess Him as Lord (master).
I know this interpretation demystifies this text and threatens to pop some of your bubbles about who the anti-Christ is and such; but maybe, just maybe we need to hear a bit of sanity in the midst of the whirlwind of stupidity that surrounds the beasts and the number 666.
I am tired of seeing Christian’s emotions toyed with. I am tired of seeing them spiritually abused, made to be afraid and suspicious. There is plenty of evil to beware and be aware of in our day without making something up. Hosea says we perish because of a lack of knowledge … we listen to falsehood waaaaaay too much.
Seek the truth not the sensational.
Be alert but not paranoid.
Be sober but not suspicious.
But most of all … BE AT PEACE!!
Next week we will talk more specifically about “What’s in a Name?”
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene, Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
