Day 230

“He exercises all the authority of the first beast [a]in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people.”  Revelation 13:12-13. (NASB)

Life is filled with sharp contrasts. In the last days, God’s people will be caught between two very contrasting worlds. The beasts of Revelation 13 counterfeit the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Like the Holy Spirit who exalts Jesus and not himself, the Land Beast exalts the counterfeit Jesus, rather than itself. These two characters, along with the dragon of chapter 12, do a work of deception in the final crisis of earth’s history.
The land beast has two horns “like a lamb”. In the Book of Revelation, the true Lamb was willing to be sacrificed in order to redeem the human race (Rev 5:6, 9, 12). The Lamb does not force His way into the affections of human beings. This self-sacrifice was not for personal advantage, but for the benefit of others.

By way of contrast, the beasts of Revelation 13 force their will upon the people of the earth. Through economic control (13:16-17) and the threat of death (13:15), the Land Beast compels human beings to submit to its authority and to worship the Sea Beast. Although there are attempts to deceive, the character of the beasts will be in sharp contrast to that of Jesus.

When reading v13 remember the all-important principle! When encountering a symbol, image, or story in Revelation, ask yourself, “where else in the Bible have we seen miraculous fire falling from heaven, that somehow could be connected to this passage and give us understanding.” The story of Elijah, so often referred to in Revelation, is here alluded to again. John the Baptist, who Jesus said was the promised Elijah before the coming of the Lord (Matt 3:11), made a prophecy that the one coming after him would baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Bringing fire from heaven to earth reminds the reader of Acts 2:2-4. There “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven. . .They saw. . . tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. . .”
The text in Revelation 13 warns us not to totally trust what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears. One day the fire of Pentecost will seem to be falling all around us, but it will not be the real deal. A great, end-time deception of satan will counterfeit the working of the Spirit and call people to give their allegiance to a counterfeit Trinity. There are repeated warnings about the miraculous in the last days (e.g., Matt24:24, 2THess 2:9&10, Matt 7:21-33 etc)

The best way to detect a counterfeit is to know the genuine. Those who are filled with God’s Spirit will know when the counterfeit appears. And the true Spirit of God is given to those who seek God with all their hearts (Jer.29:13) and are willing to do whatever He asks (NB Acts.5:31). The Spirit of God ministers to us through His word (John.6:63). As we treasure God’s word through faith in Jesus, we will be filled with the genuine Spirit. But this will not occur by means of occasional or casual attention to the Word.