Devotion 6: A Real and Present Danger
John Stone
”Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”
Revelation 13:18 (NASB)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7 (NASB)
Revelation chapter 13 describes a time of great fear for Christians; a time of deception, persecution, and death when the people of the world declare their allegiance with a mark proudly displayed on their bodies. Generations of believers have been on the alert for the one described as “the Beast” or “the Antichrist.” We tell ourselves that we would never be fooled and worship a false god. As vigilant as we may be in watching for a guy with 666 on his forehead who is persecuting Christians, we can easily overlook the more real threat to our souls.
We were created to worship. As human beings we have the desire built into us; we are hardwired for it. However, because of our inherited sinful nature, we have a big problem. Our propensity to worship can easily be derailed into idolatry. This problem is explained in Romans 1:22-23 (NASB), “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” We who were made in His image fall in love with worthless counterfeits and forget the One who made us. Our Father designed us to love, serve, and glorify Him only. We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). The object of our worship is made apparent by what we spend our time thinking about, and by who we use our strength serving.
How simple it would be if all we had to do was choose a mark on our forehead and then go on about our lives. Everyone would know where we stood and vice versa. It is not that simple. We are known by how we live (2 Corinthians 3:2); our allegiance is proven every day (Luke 9:23) as we choose to follow Christ, or not. There is a real and present danger, but do not be deceived by thinking it is far off. It is here. It is now. It is today. The danger is that we do not take the command of our Lord seriously and neglect our responsibility to represent Him the way we should here and now (Matthew 10:33). Jesus did not shoulder the wrath of God so that we could live a life of idolatry and spit on His sacrifice. He died and rose again to free us from such empty, meaningless pursuits. He has freed us from the fear of the unknown and has given us everything we need (2 Peter 1:2-4) to live lives that are glorifying to Him.
We need to stop worrying about what or who may come. Today, focus on Jesus. Proudly pick up your cross, whatever He has given you to bear, and joyfully take one step after Him, and then another, and another. Follow Him. He will not lead you astray.
Luke 12:4-5 (NASB) says, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”