Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28; 18-20 NIV
I enjoy reading aloud. Many years ago I read school lessons and Bible study lessons onto cassette tape for people who had dyslexia. I also read the Psalms and the Gospels onto cassette tapes for myself, because I wanted to hear the words and there weren’t many audio books available at the time. The highlighted verse below inspired me to do that, although I have never read Revelation onto tape.
The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Revelation 1:1-3 NIV
Revelation 12 and13, selected verses about the dragon and the two beasts:
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Revelation 12:7-9
The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name….The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” Revelation 13:1-4
Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast. And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth…. Revelation 13:11-14
January 29, 2024, I was deceived by a scam that showed up on my iPad. The people who sent it pretended to be from Apple and told me that my internet, phone line and devices were all compromised and that there was proof that I had said ‘yes’ to a costly download of stuff on my system. I was alone at home and could not get hold of anyone to tell me the truth. They had provided a number purporting to be a direct line to Apple assistance for me to call. I did, because I was afraid.
Long story short, it was a lie and cost me money, though not as much as it could have, but I felt so ashamed and condemned for being stupid, that I was angry at myself for a long time. It took several months before I was able to hear Jesus remind me that he does not condemn me and he loves me.
It seems that there are more plausible deceptions going on via scams, false advertising, and media overload than in the past. Looking at the descriptions of the dragon and the two beasts and the evil way they mimic the Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, it isn’t surprising.
I am daily learning to be grateful for how the true Holy Trinity reminds me through Revelation and the whole of scripture to trust, abide, obey and love and be loved by God. How about you? Read John 13-17 out loud to yourself as a great way to be encouraged in your walk with Jesus.
by Carolyn Schmitt
