Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 13-16.

As with many people I am fascinated by the two beasts described in today’s passage.  That fascination primarily comes from how they seem to resemble things I see in the world around me today. I remember previous generations connecting these beasts with different things in the world than what they now look like to me.  First I want to note the circular reasoning of those who worshiped the dragon (which John had previously told us was also know as the Devil or as Satan).  They worshiped the dragon because it had given power to the beast, which they worshiped because of the power it had been given by the dragon.  I also find it interesting that the beast was something which one does not ordinarily think of as speaking (although perhaps I am reading too much into John noting that it was given a mouth).  I also think we need to take note of the fact that this first beast had been given what appeared to be a fatal wound before it rose to the power it exercises in this passage.  What else do we know about this first beast?  It utters proud words and blasphemies.  As I look around, I see organizations like the World Economic Forum, various UN agencies, and other similar organizations which all exercise power, but it is unclear from where their power derives.  In addition, many of these organizations express blasphemous contempt for God and those who put their faith in Him.

Which brings me to the second beast.  The second beast, in particular its mark, reminds me of the tech giants of today.  They seem to be working hand in hand with the shadowy organizations which I mentioned in the first paragraph.  I keep seeing new information about how the various tech giants (Google, Facebook, etc.) had secret agreements to manage what information people would be able to see.  In addition, the tech giants all seem to be promoting a move towards a unified system of identification, which people will be required to be part of in order to do even the most basic of business.  I want to state that I do not think that all of these organizations are intentionally working hand-in-hand towards these ends.  Rather, different people and groups are acting according to their interests, often working together because their interests converge.  Which brings us to the number of the beast, 666.   My understanding of that number derives from my understanding of two numbers with biblical significance: three and seven.  Three and seven are two numbers associated with God.  Seven is the number of completeness, while three is the number of divine perfection.  So, it seems to me that 666 represents the imperfection of man.  The number of the beast tells us that while, to a degree, the two beasts seek the best interests of mankind, their imperfection and incompleteness leads them to do the exact opposite.  Instead of ushering in an empire of perfection and goodness, a utopia, they usher in an empire of failure and evil, a dystopia.  The two beasts represent what happens when humans attempt to create a more perfect world without making God the center of their lives.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.