The Amish Voice 7
them that dwell in heaven. And it was given
to him to make war against the saints and to
overcome them. . . .”
The deception is to get the world to believe
that the “beast” is on God’s side or is God’s
representative on this earth. Previously, in
verse 4, we see that this entire conflict is
about worship, or religious matters and laws.
It is not about oil; it is not about who rules
the Middle East; it is not about anything po-
litical as we know it, but it is about WOR-
SHIP. The beast and his “image” want us to
worship according to their ways, but this is a
deception or deviation from God’s law! We
also see in verse 4, that the dragon (Satan) is
behind this power and its desire for worship.
This should remind us of two Old Testament
texts. The first is Isaiah 14:12-14 which
says:
“
How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou
cut down to the ground, who did weaken the
nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will sit also
upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north: I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds: I will be like the Most
High!”
The second text is from Ezek. 28:2-18 (too
long to quote here), where Satan is described
as the beautiful angel that God created, but
who fell because of his pride. He wanted the
same worship as God. So we see in Revela-
tion that Satan has not changed, and wants
the world to worship him. Thus, this battle is
not a battle of nations, but a battle between
Satan and his followers against God and His
followers. The deception will be so great
that MOST of the world will follow the beast
(
see v.3), and very few will stand up for God
(
in Rev. 12:17, it calls this group a
“
remnant” or a small part that is left). Reve-
lation 12:17 also gives us a hint of what will
separate this group from the large majority
who follow the beast, when it says that they
“
keep the commandments of God, and have
the testimony of Jesus Christ”
(
or faith in
Jesus). So this battle will be something
about keeping ALL the commandments of
God, instead of following the rules of man
against
the commandments of God. Keep
this fact in mind; it is very important, and we
will talk of this later.
A final thought is that verse 8 states that
NO ONE who follows the beast will have his
name in the Book of Life when Christ comes
the second time. This really will be a battle
of life or death! It will be a battle over
whom to worship in the end: God or Satan.
This is a battle that started in heaven, and
will not fully end until Satan and all evil is
destroyed in the lake of fire after the 1,000
years.
Revelation 14:9-10
“
And the third angel followed them, say-
ing with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receive his mark in
his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall
drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which
is poured out without mixture into the cup of
His indignation. . . .
”
*
You receive the “mark” by worshipping the
beast and what he has set up.
*
Those who receive the “mark” will drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which in Rev.
16:1
refers to the seven last plagues.
This text and the next one we will study
(
Rev. 14:11) are part of what are called “the
three angels’ messages,” where God gives
the world a final choice.
The first angel says in Rev. 14:7:
“
Fear God
and give glory to Him, for the hour of His
judgment is come: and worship Him that
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of waters”
(
quoting the 4
th
commandment of Exodus 20: 8-11).
The second angel says in Rev. 14:8
(
paraphrase), that the alternative is to wor-
ship “Babylon,” but she is fallen (which in
religious terms means she has fallen away
from God’s truth).
The term “Babylon” is also used in Rev. 17:5
to picture the scarlet woman. In Bible proph-
ecy, a pure woman signifies God’s true
church, while a scarlet woman or whore is a
church that has gone astray and no longer
follows God, but has gone after the world
and its gods. The “Babylon” of Rev. 14:8 is
shown in verse 9 to include both of the two
beasts of Rev. 13 that we have been talking
about. Rev. 16:19 actually states that when
“
Babylon” is taken down by God, it has three
parts. They are named in verse 13 as the
beast (first animal), the false prophet (the
second animal), and the dragon (which in
Rev. 12 is identified with Satan himself).
The third angel says in Rev. 14:9
(
paraphrase), that if you choose to follow
Babylon, this is what will happen to you (just
a warning!).
Revelation 14:11
“
And the smoke of their torment as-
cendeth up for ever and ever; and they have
no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the
mark of his name.
”
This is part of the third angel’s message.
Not only do those who worship the beast and
his image receive of the seven last plagues of
God’s wrath, but they also receive NO REST
day or night until their lives are ended. What
could that mean?
A study of the word “rest’” in the New Tes-
tament gives us a clue.
1)
Matt. 11:28-29: It is accepting and fol-
lowing Jesus (taking His yoke) that
gives us rest and assurance of heaven.
2)
Acts 2:26: “. . .my flesh shall rest in
hope” (of Christ’s salvation).
3)
Heb. 3:11 Rest = the Promised Land
(
for us—heaven).
4)
Heb. 3:17-18 Belief and obedience
were prerequisites for entering into Ca-
naan for the Israelites (It is the same for
us).
5)
The promise still remains for us of enter-
ing into God’s rest, but some fall short.
6)
Rev. 14:13 Being “in the Lord” is what
brings rest to us (the rest of death, and
the rest of the Promised Land).
Conclusion: Those who get the “mark of the
beast” will neither have the rest of assurance
of salvation while here on earth, nor get the
rest of eternal life in heaven.
Continued On Page 8
Mark of the Beast
Continued From Page 6
