It is spookily appropriate that on the eve of an election we read about the beasts in Rev 13:1-18. As a minister is a little scary today the degree of correlation between political affiliation and religious worship. I wish I had the data that Dr. Robert Putnum used in a lecture at Concordia Seminary. The distillation of his data on religious institutions is essentially that political leanings predict religious beliefs. And that is not a right only statement, but also a statement of the left. The english joke that the Anglican Church was the Tory party at prayer was mirrored in his data. Churches used to be places where something else – the Gospel of Christ – was the animating force.
And that is where these two beasts from Revelation intersect the story. The World, at least pre-judgement, is Satan’s realm. The Dragon, Satan calls for two beasts and gives his power to them. The first Beast from the Sea has the power to wage war and held authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And great blasphemies issued from this beast. Again, don’t go looking for specific people or nations that are the beast. This beast just represent the political realm. All political orders in the sinful world ultimately fail – all of them. From Constantine’s Christendom to Calvin’s Geneva to Stalin’s General Secretariat. Psalm 146:3 – Don’t put your faith in princes, they all fail. The Beast from the Earth makes the world worship the first beast, works signs and makes images. This beast is false religion. Its number is 666. Don’t get caught up in the sybolism or go pulling out your Social Security card (as much as social security is a false religion, sorry I’m in my 30s and paying the self employment tax). You now have Satan (the dragon), the first beast and the second beast forming an un-holy trinity pulling worship and honor from the true God. Seven is the number of completeness (hences all the visions come in sevens). 666 is just the incompleteness, the perversity, of this unholy trinity.
I think you can see where I might be a little melancholy on an election day if Dr. Putnam’s data is correct. The constant temptation and question is if your ministry is of Christ or is part of the Beast of the land. If Dr. Putnam’s data is correct (he’s a very good researcher), then many of the houses of worship in America are more about leading people to worship the political order than Jesus.
Revelation has within these two visions of the beasts a call to the saints – for endurance and wisdom – for a testing of the spirits. In Jesus and John’s day, the rulers were not elected. They had no input, like most people for most of recorded history. We live in a special time. The American founders understood that. But even then, our hope does not reside in political saviors, or constitutions or even the wisdom of the people. Out hope resides in Jesus Christ and the revelation of his full reign. So – test the spirits – make your choices at the ballot – but realize that we make imperfect choices whoever we vote for this side of perfection.
May the Lord grant you peace with the outcome of the election, whichever way it goes. Amen
