The Lamb or the Beast

Humanity is divided into two and only two groups – the followers of the Lamb and the subjects of the Beast.

In the Book of Revelation, every man either “Tabernacles in Heaven” or is an “Inhabitant of the Earth.” The terms are not geographical or spatial. They identify which Master we serve. Men either belong to “Heaven” or the “Earth.” Those who follow the Lamb, “Tabernacle in Heaven.” The “Inhabitants of the Earth” submit to the “Dragon” and his “Beast,” and therefore await a grim fate.

The purpose is not to organize resistance to persecuting powers or to provoke revolution, but to call believers to emulate the Lamb. Jesus overcame the Devil, sin, and death through his self-sacrificial death and not through force of arms or by behaving like the rulers of this age.

[Patmos - Photo by Danai Tsoutreli (London) on Unsplash]

Jesus is the slain Lamb, not the predatory Lion. Writing from the Isle of Patmos, John described himself as “a fellow participant in the tribulation and the kingdom and the endurance in Jesus.” The followers of the Lamb overcome the Dragon in the same manner as he did. He is called “the Faithful Witness” because he gave faithful testimony in his death. Likewise, the saints overcome by testifying to Jesus and his message before the world, even during times of persecution – (Revelation 1:5-9, 3:21, 12:11).

The “Inhabitants of the Earth” swear allegiance to “the Beast from the Sea” and take its mark or number. There is no third alternative, no neutral ground or sanctuary beyond the reach of the Beast. This group includes men and women from “every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.” No one is excluded from it based on ethnicity or gender. What qualifies you for membership is submission to the Dragon and his Beast.

Everyone who elects to follow “the Slain Lamb” has his or her name written in the “Lamb’s book of life.” Ethnicity has no bearing on inclusion in or exclusion from the company of the Redeemed. What matters is how we respond to Jesus and his call to follow him wherever he leads.

In the Book of Daniel, the citizens of the Babylonian Empire heeded the king’s “herald” by bowing to the golden image erected by Nebuchadnezzar. By venerating his image, they avoided death in “the burning fiery furnace.” Only the rare citizen who refused to submit suffered that fate – (Daniel 3:1-6).

The “Inhabitants of the Earth” seal their terrible fate by swearing allegiance to the Beast and its image. They are doomed to “the Lake of Fire that is burning with brimstone.” In Revelation, the fate intended by the Babylonian Empire for disloyalty becomes the destination of men who refuse to follow the Lamb.

• “And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, If any man worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” – (Revelation 14:9-11).

• “And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire” – (Revelation 20:15).

The men who tabernacle in Heaven are identified as “saints,” those who have “the testimony of Jesus” and “keep the faith of Jesus.” They refuse to swear allegiance to the Imperial Beast, remain faithful in their witness, and suffer the consequences.

For this very reason, they are seen standing with Jesus on “Mount Zion.” Rather than the Beast’s mark, they have “the seal of God” and the name of the Lamb inscribed on their foreheads, and they alone know and sing “the new song” of the Lamb – (Revelation 7:1-3, 7:14-17, 12:17, 13:7, 14:1-4, 14:12).

CHOOSE WHO YOU WILL SERVE

What distinguishes the followers of Jesus from the Inhabitants of the Earth is not their geographic location or ethnicity, but their absolute loyalty to the Lamb. They “follow him wherever he leads,” even when doing so means death. In this way, they “overcome” as he did and avoid the Lake of Fire.

• “He that overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne” – (Revelation 3:21).

• “They overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death” – (Revelation 12:11).

The names of Christ’s followers who remain faithful in their testimony are written in his Book of Life. They will not experience “the Second Death.” They will experience “the first resurrection” and reside in the city of “New Jerusalem”:

• “Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and they serve him day and night in his sanctuary. And he that sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them” – (Revelation 7:15).

• “And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any longer” – (Revelation 21:3-4).

There is no “safe zone” anywhere on the Earth to which we may flee and escape the reach of the Beast. There is no room for compromise in our allegiance or our faithfulness in testifying, whether to our neighbors or in the courts of this world. The Beast is granted authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. The Empire’s reach touches every corner of the planet.

Either we follow the Lamb no matter the cost and thereby inherit life, or we render homage to “the Beast” and its image and thereby condemn ourselves to “the Second Death.” Jesus or Caesar. His Kingdom or the Beastly Empire. But we do not overcome the Beast through political action, but by bearing faithful witness to the Gospel and Jesus Christ.

There is no “dual citizenship” or room for split loyalties in the Kingdom of God. At the critical moment, will we follow the Lamb no matter what or submit to the Dragon and his loathsome creature, the Beast from the Sea?

The Devil and the political powers of this age that serve him demand absolute loyalty and obedience. Nevertheless, despite their demands and pretensions, Jesus is the only rightful and absolute monarch of the Cosmos, and only his Kingdom will endure.

How we respond to Jesus of Nazareth will determine whether our names are “written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” or expunged from it forever. If we refuse to give total allegiance to him today rather than to the World Empire, the day will come when we experience the wrath of God.

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SEE ALSO:

• Worthy is the Lamb! - (The reign of Jesus on the Divine Throne is based on his sacrificial death and resurrection, the unshakable basis of his universal authority)

• The King of Kings - (The Faithful Witness, Jesus Christ, reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and even over his enemies, Death, and Hades)

• The Slain Lamb - (The Sovereignty of Jesus is based on his Death and Resurrection, the immovable foundation of his present reign)

• El Cordero o la Bestia - (La humanidad está dividida en dos y solo dos grupos: los seguidores del Cordero y los súbditos de la Bestia)