A Revelation Invitation

(The “Daniel 7” series begins here.)

It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:7b-8 ESV)

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 was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13:1,5-6 ESV)

When I was about twelve years old, my friend and I were walking from the playground to our classes before school. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I remember my friend expressing his annoyance with me by pointedly stating that I was always talking about myself. Wow. I was not expecting that. We have all experienced the distastefulness of a boastful acquaintance. They are not people we want to be around. My boasting was my way of compensating for my insecurities, and who isn’t insecure at age twelve. This is a trivial, but apt, illustration of the dynamics of the beasts in both Daniel and John.

These passages from Daniel and Revelation continue to shape our understanding of the nature and character of these beasts and the nation that they represented, Rome. Daniel described his fourth beast as having ten horns and a mouth speaking great things, or as other translations describe him, boasting of great things, speaking arrogantly, with a mouth that bragged and bragged. John also described his beast from the sea as having ten horns with a mouth that uttered blasphemies, an insidious form of boasting, which appropriately characterized the claims of divinity that Rome’s Caesars made. Those ten horns symbolized great power and authority. And this beast was indeed a powerful force to be reckoned with. Yet, its boasting showed that the beast realized the fragility of his power. The beast was insecure because he boasted to inflate his stature and prestige in the eyes of the people he ruled over. We see it in nations today through various forms of propaganda, patriotic slogans and songs, and pompous threats.

All through history beast after beast has arisen from the sea each to replace the previous one. What does this mean then for the people of God today? We must be aware of the dangers from these beasts. We must not be deceived by their boasting. Daniel and John both described what their contemporary readers already knew: Because God’s people either are or will become victims of these beasts, they need someone to rescue them. They need a champion. Who will that be?

Lord God, you are a God of wrath. Your are just. It must anger you to hear the blasphemous boasting of rulers and nations. They carry on as if you are not watching or involved in the world. They act as if there will be no consequences to their violence and injustice. You are also wise in your dealings with peoples and nations. Help me to patiently trust your timing when all will have to answer to you. Amen.

(Part 6 of “Daniel 7” is here.)