| The empires of Old
Testament times were political/military entities. A strong
military leader rose to power and crushed all opposition. His
power and authority extended as far as his military power could
stretch. Babylon was the archetype empire. Various emperors like
Nebuchadnezzar created vast empires using military power. The
Assyrian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires were similar. Each of
these empires was described in the Bible as a beast. Rome was the
ultimate empire, controlling a large part of the ancient world.
Revelation 12 describes the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Roman empire. Having been unable to destroy
Jesus, Satan then tries to destroy his followers. Having used the
Roman empire to successfully destroy Jerusalem, he tries to use it
to destroy the church. Revelation 13:1-10 gives a description of
this persecution. It describes the Roman Empire as a beast that
rose out of the sea (Rom 13:1,2).
And the dragon stood on the shore of
the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten
horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on
each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a
leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like
that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his
throne and great authority.
Roman combined the ferociousness and
vastness of the previous three empires, but the real source of its
power was the devil. It also foreshadows the ten-horned beast that
will dominate the Times of Distress.
The whole world was astonished and
followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had
given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the
beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war
against him?" (Rev 13:3,4).
Rome held sway throughout the world and
all men acknowledged its power and authority. No nation dared to
make war against it.
Rome was a centre of idol worship. This
idol worship culminated in the worship of the emperors themselves.
All this religious activity was blasphemous and an insult to the
Lord. Christians refused to acknowledge Caesar as their Lord. They
could not give the allegiance that the empire demanded, so they
faced persecution.
He was given power to make war against
the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority
over every tribe, people, language and nation (Rev 13:7).
Rome had a number of very cruel emperors.
Under their leadership the early Christians experienced savage
persecution. John called the Christians to follow their Lord with
perseverance.
If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the
sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for
patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints
(Rev 13:10).
The beast was given authority for a
limited time.
The beast was given a mouth to utter
proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for
forty-two months (Rev 13:5).
John was warning that a great military and
political empire would dominate the Times of the Gentiles, which
last for forty-two months (3½ years = time, times and a half).
Looking back this seems strange, but it is explained in verse 3.
One of the heads of the beast seemed
to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been
healed.
John was warning that the beast would
appear to die but would come to life again later. This is what
happened to the Roman empire. During the fourth and fifth
centuries it collapsed, through internal decay and external
pressure. It came back to life in the Holy Roman Empire, which
Charlemagne established in 8000. The same title was given to the
German Empire (912-1806). Hitler’s Third Reich was also an
attempt to continue the Roman empire.
The spirit of Rome still has a powerful
influence in western civilisation. Modern legal systems are based
on Roman law. The humanism that dominates our culture at the
present time has its roots in Greece and Rome. Modern humanism is
just as hostile to Christianity, as was the Roman empire. It
tolerates Christianity at times, but when it shows its true
colours, it is very antagonistic.
The first great empire to dominate the
world in the New Testament age was the Roman empire. John said
that it was fatally wounded, but it would only appear to die. He
knew that the beast would have a greater manifestation towards the
end of the Times of the Gentiles. Much of the second half of the
book of Revelation is a description of the re-emergence of this
world wide political and military empire. |