Revelation 13 in 2021

  

And the Dragon stood on the shore of the sea. 

I saw a Beast rising from the sea. It had great political and military strength — it controlled governments and media and shouted words that perverted justice and generated inequity. The Beast was swift, cunning, and brute, and devoured any who would stand against it. The Dragon turned over its power to it, its throne and great authority.

At one point in time it appeared as though this Beast had been defeated, but it deceived its way back into power and appeared to have overcome the truth. The whole world was agog, amazed at what the Beast could do, as the Dragon unleashed a terrible plague upon the earth. Struck by fear, the people of the earth gave authority to the Beast, and in doing so worshipped the Dragon. They exclaimed to one another, “There’s never been anything like the Beast! No one would dare go to war with the Beast!”

The Beast had a loud mouth, boastful and blasphemous, with contempt for humanity. It spend the lives of innocent women and men for its own profit, and while using words such as ‘peace’ and ‘unity’ and ‘truth’ was responsible for more bloodshed and violence, both in the world and in the hearts of humanity. The Beast was given power to remove freedom from the earth, in the name of keeping people safe from its plague — upon the church it was permitted to constrain and censor and coerce. It held absolute sway over all people, and everyone who was not secure in the Lamb was drawn into worship of this Beast, who mimicked the promise of life.

Do we have the ability to see and hear what is happening all around us? Many have made their choice and will not turn back; many of the followers of the Lamb have been tempted by the message and method of the Beast and will no longer listen to their brothers and sisters. The people of God must stand firm in the truth and refuse to capitulate.

I saw another Beast rising out of the ground. It had the appearance of salvation but moved throughout the world with rage and anger and fear. It was a puppet of the first Beast, and it summoned everyone to worship the first Beast, which appeared as almighty.

This second Beast presented magical signs, dazzling all sorts of people with its healing dose, the answer to the plague brought on by the first Beast. At first many in power opposed this dose, but the second Beast aligned their thoughts to the power of the first Beast, and they dazzled at the dose as though it were fire from heaven — the very salvation of humanity. The second Beast used the authority it received, the devotion of those dazzled by the dose, to promote the first Beast so that anybody not adhering to the first Beast would be cast away. It forced all people, small and great, rich and poor, healthy and sick, to take within themselves the dose. Those who did not receive the dose and who did not conform to its policies lost jobs, could not enter public places, were arrested, attacked with dogs, separated from their children, maligned, ridiculed, and mocked as those who did not deserve to live.

See what is happening: Remain in the Spirit and think hard about what is happening around you. The Dragon and these two Beasts have risen up to destroy the earth, accomplishing their treachery in the hearts of humanity.