Official Opposition
Why this image?
I chose it because of a biblical word I’d like to introduce to you. That word is gnome, but it’s not about a little guy with a big beard! In the New Testament, gnome occurs nine times in eight verses, and is translated as decision, judgment, direction, opinion, consent, or purpose.
What I’d like to delve into is how the apostle John uses this term in the last book of the Bible.
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. ... 17For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. - Revelation 17:12, 13, 17
The setting here is that an angel has taken John into the wilderness where he sees two characters pertaining to the judgment and destruction of Babylon: a wealthy woman and a seven-headed beast.
The lady symbolizes Babylon, which Scripture casts as the enemy of Israel (see Jeremiah 50:17-18; Habakkuk 1:6-17). This is how John describes her:
The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, 5and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’ 6And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. - Revelation 17:4-6
Not a pleasant person! She’s the embodiment of the world’s hostility to the Lord His loyal followers.
Similarly, the beast is the personification of earthly power in opposition to God and His people. Most Christians call this figure the Antichrist, and while John uses that term elsewhere (see 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 7), it’s not in Revelation. Paul refers to him as “that lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. This beast is the same one John saw in Revelation 13:1-10 where he describes someone who will receive the adoration of the world and persecute the church.
Three times in Revelation 17:12 and 17, John uses the word gnome, twice pertaining to earthly kings and once pertaining to God. The angel explains to the apostle that the rulers of this world are going to support the beast. Apparently, there are no exceptions. Everyone–kings, presidents, prime ministers–will declare their allegiance to the antichrist. They’re of one mind about this.
Of course, this won’t catch God by surprise! He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He’s already taken this into account in His own plans. As the angel asserts, the word of the Lord is going to be fulfilled!
Up to this point, we’ve connected the passage in Revelation 17 to various Old Testament verses. One of the reasons why this is helpful is that Revelation has more allusions and references to the Old Testament than any other book in the New Testament (see here, and here). So if we want to understand Revelation, we need to discover how it builds on the Old Testament.
With that in mind, I learned that the word gnome occurs 23 times in 21 verses in the Greek Old Testament. Nothing significant about that fact, but I was amazed that 16 of those 21 verses are in Ezra. That’s odd because unlike the Psalms, Isaiah, or Jeremiah, Ezra isn’t an especially large book. So it’s remarkable to me that this book repeats the term over and over. In these verses (Ezra 4:19, 21; 5:3, 5, 9, 13, 17; 6:1, 3, 8, 11, 12, 14; 7:13, 21, 23), it’s almost always translated as a “decree” made by a king or some government official.
Let’s import that meaning back into Revelation. When the angel tells John that the kings endorse the beast, he’s not reporting on their personal feelings. He’s informing John that the authorities are officially allying themselves with this wicked and power-hungry being.
Their support isn’t a matter of sentiment.
It’s a matter of policy.
The implications are major.
First, this is global governance. It’s not a theory about how to bring the countries of the world together; it’s a reality. And because all the nations volunteer to come under the control of the antichrist, this means there’s no place to hide from his reach. It’s the law of the land everyone must obey. No exceptions.
Second, this policy is self-enforcing. After his vision of the beast, John sees another creature whose job it is to promote the world ruler (Revelation 13:11-15). One of the ways he advances the aims of the beast is by economic domination.
And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18Here 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 13:16-18
The choice is simple: get the mark of the beast or starve. What do you think most people will choose to do?
So the authorities don’t have to go after those who refuse the mark. Since such individuals remove themselves from the benefits of society, the government doesn’t have to chase them down. They’ll succumb to their own self-imposed exile.
Third, waiting out the rebels won’t satisfy the beast. He has totalitarian, egotistical ambitions and won’t tolerate any resistance.
“All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered.” - Revelation 13:8
So the beast will persecute God’s people.
“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and prevailing against them” - Daniel 7:21
“When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.” - Revelation 11:7
“It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation.” - Revelation 13:7
Is the situation hopeless? The power structures of totalitarian societies seem unbeatable.
But remember what the angel said in Revelation 17:17? God’s in control of history and the future! His will is going to be done; His plans will be achieved! We may lack the ability to correct unrighteous laws and rulers, but the Lord is not limited.
When faced with policies that threaten our faith, how should Christians react?
We endure with hope.
The book of Revelation encourages us to persevere in our faith.
“If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” - Revelation 13:10
“Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” - Revelation 14:12
Even at the cost of our lives, we must stay faithful to Jesus Christ. He is worth it!
But endurance is not the last word. We have hope that Jesus will return and set this world right. And that’s not an empty wish; He’s truly coming back!
“I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and prevailing against them, 22until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.” - Daniel 7:21-22
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty ... 20And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. - Revelation 19:11-15, 20
When Jesus returns, He will reward His loyal disciples and punish those who reject Him and persecute His people.
“And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” - Revelation 11:18
The most powerful governments in the world can’t prevail against the Lord.
Their policies will fail.
Their decrees will disappear.
Jesus alone is the rightful Ruler of heaven and earth. He will see to it that God’s plan comes to fruition. He will bless His people.
Glory to the name of Jesus!
(The verses in this post are from the NASB20 version of the Bible.)
(Image is from https://gogivo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Gogivo_5945_gnome-clipart_preview.jpg.)
