The Books of Daniel and Revelation

In Romans , Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of faith, the model for all who would live from faith. God counted his faith as “ righteousness ” while he was still uncircumcised, and thus, justified him apart from the “ works of the Law .” Consequently, Abraham became the father of everyone who is “ from faith ,” both of Jew and of Gentile, circumcised or not, and the “ heir of the world ” - [ Photo by Jingda Chen on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW   -   The beast from the earth mimics the Lamb. It is the mouthpiece of the Dragon, and the propagandist for the first beast   –   Revelation 13:11-15 .  In chapter 12, the “ great voice in heaven ” pronounced “ woe ” on the “ inhabitants of the earth and of the sea, because the Devil descended to you, having great wrath, knowing he has but a short time .” He then launched his war against the “ seed of the woman ” by summoning his own “seed”; the “ beast from the sea ,” and now, the “ beast from the earth .” - [ Photo by  Krzysztof Hepner  on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW   –   In Revelation, the Dragon and his servants wage war against the saints of the Lamb, the Church, and not against nations or ethnic groups .  The visions of  Revelation  portray the cosmic war waged between Satan and Jesus, one that plays out in the daily struggles of the church. The earthly vassals of the “ Dragon ” execute his attacks on the Church, especially the “ beast from the sea ,” the “ false prophet ,” and “ Babylon, the Great Harlot .” The “ war ” is waged by deceivers working within, and persecutors working from without, the church - [ Photo by ᴊᴀᴄʜʏᴍ ᴍɪᴄʜᴀʟ on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW – In Revelation, the “inhabitants of the earth” represent the men and women who are excluded from the “book of life” by their own decisions .  In Revelation , the “ inhabitants of the earth ” constitute the group that is unrelenting in its hostility to Jesus and his servants, even rejoicing in the violent deaths of his witnesses. Unlike the “ nations ” and the “ kings of the earth ,” apparently, this group is beyond redemption, and their names are excluded from the “ Lamb’s book of life .” But its eventual destruction in the “ lake of fire ” is a fate of its own making - [ Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash ].

In the Book of Revelation , humanity is divided into two, and only two, camps. First, the men who “ tabernacle in heaven .” Second, the “ inhabitants of the earth .” The descriptions are  NOT geographical or spatial. They reflect the allegiance of either group. The first consists of men who “ follow the Lamb wherever he goes .” The latter includes all who render homage to the “ beast .” There is no third option - [ Crossroads - By Jens Lelie on Unsplash ].