‘Day 264

A quick reflection on Revelation 12 – 14  Part 2

The first four commandments (Exod.20:2– 11) come under special counterfeit attack in Revelation 13 because they deal with worship.  The first commandment forbids worship of any other God. The beast demands worship (Rev.13:7, 8), The second commandment forbids idolatry. The land beast tells inhabitants of the earth to set up an image to be worshipped (Rev.13:14, 15), The third commandment forbids taking the Lord’s name in vain. The beast excels in blasphemy; blasphemy of God, His name and His sanctuary (Rev.13:5, 6), The fourth commandment is said to be the seal of the covenant, containing the name, the territory, and the basis for God’s rule counterfeited by receiving the mark of the beast (Rev.13:16, 17). This all points to Satan’s attacks on the first four commandments of the Decalogue in the final crisis? 

Revelation indicates that these commandments will become the standard of loyalty to God in the final crisis. The final conflict between Christ and Satan plainly will revolve around worship and the first four commandments. Who to worship, how to worship, the approach of worship and the time of worship.

The key issue in the final crisis is emphasized in the second exhortation of the first angel’s message. The call to “worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water’ ” (Rev.14:7, NKJV) as we have noted almost an exact quotation of the fourth commandment of the Decalogue (Exod.20:11). This fact shows that the call to worship God the Creator is a call to Sabbath observance.  

Consider this Chiastic summary of Chapters12 – 14 – of course, it is impossible here to list every verse in the chiasms that toggle their way through the major chiasm of the whole book. The peak of each chiasm is the verses to the right.

11:19 The ark of the covenant is seen 
          12:10-11 God’s people overcome by their testimony  
12:17 The group that represents what’s in the ark 
          13:10 the call for endurance of God’s people. 
14:1 The 144,000 sealed who stand against the beast/Babylon 
          14:12 the call for endurance of God’s people 
15:1&2 Judgement begins against the rebellious