If its not worth doing, then don't do it!
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If its not worth doing, then don't do it! |
     
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The Servants of the Dragon Revelation 13: 1-18
Today's chapter contains one of the more interesting passages in this entire book. That verse is its last, verse eighteen. It is there at the end of this chapter that we will begin. READ: Revelation 13: 18. "This 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." There it is, that terrible number which even President Reagan and his wife would not tolerate for their new address in California. Do you remember when they petitioned for a change in number for their mail? One of our student's at school last fall had a tizzy fit when he was asked to work on an automobile with 666 in the license number! A lot of people were upset with his superstitious reaction. Today, you hear all sorts of interesting theories about this number. With your willing patience I will offer some observations. Most of these observations are those worked out by diligent scholars more thorough than myself. These three numbers are what we call a Gematria or an ancient numeric riddle. One thing that we know is that the classical languages also used their letters as numbers. It was to be quite a few centuries before our numeric system come over from the Arab scholars along with their understanding of the concept of zero. The most important thing that we should note about this verse is that in some of the very early versions we would read 616 instead of 666. This translation problem appears to be the key that we need to unlock the meaning of this particular gematria! Pay attention please, I'll try to keep things simple. Looking carefully at the Greek text scholars point out that the Greek letters in question are different enough that this is not a copying error. The different renderings must be intentional. Now why would any biblical scribe intentionally make a change. Obviously, we will never know the mind of the copyist for certain. However, a copyist closer to the actual times may have known to whom the reference applied. He may have made a change to 616 to clarify the actual reference. Now, this is what the reference in question may indicate. 666, written in Hebrew characters is equivalent to the Greek form of Neron Caesar. 616, written in Hebrew characters is equivalent to the Latin form of Nero Caesar. Despite some objections, this specific reference to Nero seems very likely. A little later we will see that Nero may also be used here as the biblical type of demonic instigated leadership which from age to age serves the Dragon by assaulting the Church by every means available. The major objection to the application to Nero is another view of this number. This view involves symbolism. According to this view seven is the perfect number. Six is one number short the perfect number seven. It thus indicates incompleteness. 666 then becomes the sum total of man's imperfection. However, several further points may strengthen the assertion that Nero is the specific beast in question. If we are dealing with numeric symbol, which is different from Gematria, then the number 6 would be just as usable as 66, 666 or 6666. After all, throughout Revelation the single number 7 has a very wide significance and application. In a contemporary secular writing at the time of Revelation: "Jesus' name is signified by 888." This definitely specifies an individual, while at the same time serving a symbolic function. One commentator points out that: "If we take the sum of the values represented by the letters of the name Iesous, ... it comes to 888. Each digit is one more than seven, the perfect number. But 666 yields the opposite phenomenon, for each digit falls short." Could it be within God's providence that 666 is both symbolic and cryptogrammic? A second illustration to support the Neronic appellation is that the character of the beast in this passage fits the actual historic character of Nero! It is reported that Nero would dress in the skins of wild animals and attack helpless victims. Another writer of the time specifically called Nero a beast. This writer was not alone! Believe me, what is found in the context of the Latin writers of the period is by no means flattery of beast Nero! The things that I read about him was cleaned up for printing in theological works. Even that cleansing was gross to the extreme! A third illustration supports the implication that Nero acts beastly like his master, the great serpent of Eden. The sound of the number 666 even in English sounds like a serpent's chilling hiss. In the Greek the situation is the same! Phonetically their eerie sound is that of a serpent's hiss. In addition there are stories of Nero's fascination with the skin of a serpent which he may have worn as a charm. Fourth, there is the matter of Nero's death which corresponds with the prophecy of Revelation 13: 10 & 14. John's encouragement there that the beast who slays by the sword would also be slain by the sword. It is said that Paul was killed in the time of Nero by a sword. It is known that Nero drove a dagger into his own throat aided by his private secretary. At the very least we can say this. Just as Russian communism is associated with the name of Joseph Stalin and German nazism is associated with the name of Adolf Hitler, so too is Roman persecution likewise associated with Nero Caesar! Let us consider the rest of chapter thirteen. If we do not have the man himself behind 666, most certainly, we have the type of man indicated by God's revelation. He is a vile beast and a snake of man whose sole joy in life is the destruction of God's people. Now, we see in verse one of this chapter the real power behind the man, behind the throne and behind the secular powers used by the man of Satan. John sees revealed in this chapter two other beasts. One out of the sea and one out of the earth. Let us consider the sea creature first. This creature had ten horns and seven heads with ten crowns on his horns. The animal descriptions are very similar to those given by Daniel in the seventh chapter of his vision. Associated with Daniel's vision is the understanding that what is meant are governing bodies. However, in Daniel the images of beasts are in sequence. Here in Revelation the images are combined in one gigantic nightmare. The sea creature is none other than Satan's persecuting power constantly at work in history through governments, rulers, regimes and dictators of one kind or another. One of these heads is wounded. And we know that governments rise and fall with regular rapidity! Especially in the last year. And while we may celebrate the fall of the Kaisers, the fall of the Czar, the fall of Hitler and Mussolini and more recently the fall of the smaller communist states; we know that Satan merely regroups and comes on strong again and again. Every time it seems we have cut off one of the hydra heads of persecuting government they are merely replaced by more and worse of the same. Just this week I was explaining to my students the fall of Eagles in the late teens of this century. These included: the House of Hohenzollern in Germany, the House of Romanov in Russia and the House of Hapsburg in Austria. Now we would hardly think that any of these houses would ever return to their thrones. Yet this week in Time magazine I saw a picture of demonstrators in Red Square carrying the Imperial Eagle of the Czars. Life magazine recently carried pictures and stories of the current heirs of those thrones. More than one was willing to be invited back. The only exception was Otto Hapsburg whose family motto once was: "Austria will one day rule the world!" Otto has another goal in mind. He is the primary candidate to be elected president of a United Europe in 1992! Talk about an ancient head wounded and possibly being restored! Now, I don't know about Otto personally, but the ancient House of Hapsburg in conjunction with the Papal powers prior to the Reformation did announce the destruction of all opposition to Papal authority. But, God does have a sense of humor. Three and a half years later, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the Church door in Germany! When you have time, look back to Chapter 11 verse 11 to appreciate that the true Church too does have its triumphs by the grace of our Everlasting Lord! Now, let us move on the beast out of the earth. This beast is a kinder gentler beastie with but two horns and they are like those of a lamb! This beastie is any false religion which serves the Dragon rather than Christ. It can be cultic, liberal, charismatic, fundamental, or even calvinist. These lamb like devils serve the first beast of the sea. And behind both is the Dragon himself. We have already mention how the imperial and papal houses co-operated in the late middle ages. We should also note that Constantine the Emperor of Rome adopted the Church to his purposes in his time. This was at a time when the Church had drifted from its first love of Jesus Christ her Lord. This is an age old problem. The Church has worked very well with the State in many times and places. We have only to look around today to see Churches that are still captive to Satan and all of his works. The world is very much with so many religious organizations that we can well appreciate the skepticism of the common crowd with any organization that calls itself a "Church". This could indeed be a very discouraging chapter. It is well that we realize that the images in this chapter have been playing for centuries. You have heard of Broadway shows playing for sixteen or twenty years? Well, this scenario has been playing even longer. And this scenario will continue to play until our Lord returns at the end of our millennic age. This chapter does contain a verse of hope for us. Please turn to verse ten. Earlier I mentioned that John may have predicted the death of Nero here. And such will be the death of all tyrants who oppose Christ and His Church. Our job is summarized in the end of that verse. See it there? The fact that these twin manifestations of the Dragon are at loose warring against us calls for a specific reaction on our part. Please hear this Word from the Living God who created heaven and Earth. Attune yourself to this exhortation from the words of Holy Writ: "This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints." The word endurance there is also translated steadfast. The implication of this word is that Christ's people are enabled to accept suffering and hardship and loss and thereby turn these troubles into evidence of God's grace and glory. I hope you know that this can only be done if the second word is also present in our lives. That word is Faithfulness! This means that no matter what happens in the course of human events that we must keep our eyes upon Jesus the Savior of our souls and the King of our lives. If we are enabled to do that then we shall one day gather at the River and see the utter destruction of the beasts and other servants of the Dragon. And by God's grace we will be called into glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America) Box 13926 -- Columbus, OH 43213 Rev 13a 11 March 90
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