Sometimes It Is Easier To Lie
Sometimes it is easier to lie. Have you ever avoided the truth and told a lie … because you thought it would be easier? Telling the truth … is hard. In Revelation 12-13, we see this tension between followers of Jesus—the “heavenly dwellers”—and followers of Satan—“earthly dwellers.”Friends, living the truth, speaking the truth is hard! However, it is TRUE! Yet, sometimes it seems easier to lie. Sometimes we believe the lies. This plays out in three categories:
Personal Lies. These occur on an individual basis. What lies are you believing or have contributed to? Maybe there is dysfunction in your relationships because you are not willing to confront, and speak the truth to someone.
Societal Lies. Are there ideas in our culture that are based on lies? There is great societal pressure to give in to some lies. Resisting the pressure will cost us dearly. One clear issue is he Sanctity of Human Life. If you speak out against the horrors of the abortion industry … the government may come after you. It may seem easier to be silent.
Spiritual Lies. These are lies that have infiltrated the church. The Bible is not trustworthy. Jesus is not the only way to salvation. My faith does not need to be public. These lies are tempting. The message of Revelation is this: following Jesus will cost us and we must willing to stay true to the end. Live not by lies!
Friends we have an enemy. John calls him the “father of lies (John 8:44).” He wants to control us, conform us to his ways. We must say NO! We will meet him and his accomplices in Revelation 12-13. These chapters introduce us to “The Satanic Trinity.” They are a parody, a false trinity. They want us to buy the lies. John introduces us to a Red Dragon and his henchmen—two beasts.
This passage is about a war for our worship. Will you give your life to the lamb or the dragon?
The Source of Lies
The source of lies is personified as a great Red Dragon in Revelation 12. This chapter immediately follows the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11, but many scholars believe these events do not occur in chronological order. The beginning of chapter 12, at least, is a flashback to the first coming of Christ. In other words, Revelation gives us visions, but they are not neat and orderly. However, they are the basis for our ongoing Spiritual Warfare today. John writes,
And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. (Revelation 12:3-4, ESV)
Pause. This is a traumatic image. We have a woman crying in v. 2, screaming in birth pains. And then, just imagine, standing before her waiting, anticipating the arrival of her baby is not a doctor, not a midwife, not even her husband … but a GREAT RED DRAGON. How horrifying! That will give you nightmares.
This is Revelation folks. Happy Halloween! Do NOT put a red dragon out on your lawn for Halloween my friends. My youngest daughter, Zoe, is the spiritually discerning one. Every Halloween since she has been able to talk, if we walk in a neighborhood, or go to Costco and find some outlandish Halloween decoration, she will rightly point at them and say, “CREEPY!”
This scene is creepy! And it should be. The dragon is up to no good. Halloween points to the reality of the Dragon! The reference 1/3 of the stars is debated, but it seems to symbolize the dragon striking “a great blow” against the people of God. It refers to persecution of the church. He is attempting to thwart the redemptive plan of God and persecute the people of God. Friends, write this down in your notes: There are CREEPY things in this world! That dragon is a CREEPER!
Who is the DRAGON? The OT, specifically Isaiah 27:1, speaks about a great serpent named, Leviathan, who had many heads. The seven heads symbolize his complete authority, the ten horns point to his power, and the diadems show his desire to usurp the authority of God. In the ancient world, many people believed dragons literally existed. And, in pagan religion, including some cults in the cities that Revelation was written to, Serpent or Dragon worship was a thing. Have you met someone who worships a dragon? John’s original audience would have been familiar with this practice. Dr. Thomas Schreiner offers helpful background:
The dragon truly is a monster. In the ancient Near East are primeval accounts of battles with monstrous serpents. In the Old Testament, those stories are taken over and demythologized as these monstrous dragons or serpents are defeated by Yahweh.[1]
This is battle between the gods. God is fighting for worship and dominion over the other gods of this world. So the pertinent question really is: will you worship the dragon or the lamb? Schreiner adds, “Stories of deliverance from the dragon or serpent were widespread in the ancient world, where the powers of light and goodness triumph over monsters.”[2]
This is what John is doing in Revelation 12.
The Power of Lies
We read this in Revelation 12:17-13:2,
And he stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 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. (Revelation 12:17b-13:2, ESV)
I picture the dragon on a beach, and he is roaring, as he calls up a monster from the ocean. This is scene straight from a Godzilla movie!
There are a few things to observe here. First, that the beast rises from the sea is significant. In the ancient world, the sea was a place of evil and CHAOS. This beast is an “evil chaos inducing monster.” He is imbued with the power of the dragon in the real world. Notice he has the same number of horns, heads, and diadems as the dragon from 12:3. His mission is the dragon’s mission.
Second, Revelation 13:1-10 recalls the sea monsters found in Daniel 7:3-8. In that passage, four beasts rise from the sea. Those monsters mirror what we find in Revelation 13: a lion, a bear, and a leopard. Then, there is a final beast, fiercer than the others who mimics the Son of Man’s coming. However, this beast is a parody, a false, blasphemous parody. He is second member of the Satanic Trinity.
These images would have been especially relevant to John’s original readers. When Domitian was emperor, Roman coins announced him as the “Son of God.” Notice the dragon’s tactics. He gave this beast his power, his throne and his authority. Again, this is the visible outworking on the dragon here on earth. Most people think this refers to a political and military power … the spirit of the Anti-Christ.
So, the natural question is … who is the Anti-Christ? Who is this beast? A Preterist reading of Revelation usually connects this person with Rome and the Emperor Nero. A Futurist sees this government and rule as yet to be revealed. An Idealist sees this beginning with Rome but represents all evil governments and rulers through history.
Nero, however, was the first emperor to declare official state persecution against Christians. And he did truly horrific things. Be thankful you were not a Christian in the 60s A.D. He burned Christians alive to light his imperial gardens, fed them to the lions, and butchered them in grotesque ways. He burned down part of Rome for new building project, and then blamed the Christians so the citizens would kill them. Can you imagine? We have no idea. Nero would have been on the minds of John’s audience. Nero committed suicide in 68 A.D., and a legend arose that we would return to persecute again.
Here is my conviction: Nero was, at the least, the beginning of the dragon’s war against saints. Notice, throughout history, every time a totalitarian power rises, the Christians are attacked. Why? Because we worship the lamb and will not give allegiance to the emperor—to the beast! We resist—and they hate us.
What John is saying is this: if another anti-Christ is to come , he will be a “like” Nero. In many ways, this beast embodies all the wicked human rulers in history: Nero, Domitian, Hitler, Stalin, or Mao. There may be a greater Anti-Christ to come, but we have faced his spirit already.
The Consequence of Lies
What is the consequence of the lies? You may become a follower of the dragon’s beast—what Revelation calls, an “earth dweller.” The first beast came from the sea; the second comes from the land. Like the Holy Spirit, the third member of the true trinity, he magnifies the dragon and the first beast.
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 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. (Revelation 13:11-12, ESV)
This beast is sometimes called, the “false prophet” of the imperial priesthood. The dragon has raised his two beasts to make war on the people of God. Here he wants to go deeper. He wants to capture our hearts and make us fully devoted to the Satanic, false trinity. Moreover, this true even today. There have been assaults on the church throughout history. False teachers attempted to come in even during Biblical times. We must be on guard for false Christianity that comes from the second beast.
If we believe the lie of this beast, it will capture our worship. Let’s see how it plays out.
It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (Revelation 13:13-14, ESV)
The beast may performs a great sign! Here we find the “earth dwellers,” which is code for those who follow the dragon’s beast. They are deceived. This beast knows how to woo the masses. But true believers, the people of God, must not be deceived! If you refuse to bow down to this beast he will use powerful coercion. If you do not worship this beast he will threaten your life. The beast wants to mark out its followers.
How To Fight A Dragon
What do we do with Revelation 12-13? What do we do when we face the Dragon and his Beasts in our time? Let me suggest three words of encouragement:
Develop Endurance. To be a Christian is to be hated by the world. Jesus himself tells us that in John 15. He told us they would hate us! Friends you must know we are in a cosmic battle. So when the arrows fly, when the losses come … endure! Be faithful. Be Faithful to the end.
Cultivate Wisdom. We live in a complex world where it is increasingly difficult to discern good and evil. Friends, you must know the Word of God. The Scriptures are a gift from God. You must know them deeply. And you must know how to apply them to difficult issues. Join a Bible study. Take a class. Get in a group of godly friends!
Embrace Boldness. We live in an age where we must not be afraid to speak and live the truth in love. And that requires boldness. Boldness is not about being mean—but it does mean speaking when you would rather not. Sharing the truth of God’s word. Stand firm on the truth when it is easier to give in.
Because sometimes … it is easier to embrace the lie. It is easier to go with the flow. It seems easier to bow to Caesar. I would encourage you today with the words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn: live not by lies! Remain faithful to the end. Stand firm on this truth: Jesus is King! Amen.
One day the Dragon Slayer will come and put an end to the reign of the Satanic Trinity once and for all! One day … the Dragon will be dead! And we will sing:
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! (Revelation 12:11-12, ESV)
Church … REJOICE! We are the Dwellers of Heaven--REJOICE! We have and we will OVERCOME the dragon! By the blood of the lamb, and the word of our testimony.
[1] Schreiner, Thomas. Revelation (Baker). 430.
[2] Ibid, 430.
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