What the Image Does

There is a counterfeit resurrection, a counterfeit prophet—and now a counterfeit creation? The Bible describes God’s creation of humanity in this way: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).

Notice the similarity in today’s verse, when the devil’s second agent, the United States, brings to life “the image of the beast,” the religiopolitical offspring of the papacy. The Bible, in so many ways, is telling us that Satan is the master counterfeiter. He desperately wants to “be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14). And in the last days, he’s pulling out all the stops.

Recall that the United States will “[speak] like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11). Here, we see what that speech produces: persecution. This is, as we’ve seen, indicative of the dragon (12:4, 13, 16, 17). A nation speaks through its laws. A religiopolitical nation speaks through religious laws. A United States that has formed “the image of the beast” would have its laws dictated by its apostate Protestant ruling class.

And according to today’s verse, just as the papacy massacred millions of Protestants in the Dark Ages for not obeying its decrees, ironically, apostate Protestantism will follow in its footsteps. Note that these two beasts are able to accomplish this because of their governmental structure, the church-state union: Civil power is used to enforce their religious will.

Make no mistake: Coerced worship is the devil’s way, not God’s. The devil wants to be God, yes, but not in character—only in power and position. He wants to appropriate worship meant for God to himself. Time and again, history shows that he does so at all costs—even precious human lives. Do not be fooled by his charms and deceptions. It is the devil who wants to abrogate our freedom of choice, the devil who desires to plunder our liberty of conscience. It is the devil who is the thief, the tyrant, the terror.

While the devil aims to take what isn’t rightfully his, we thank You, Lord Jesus, for freely giving us what we least deserved—life.

For Further Study: Joshua 24:15; Psalm 115:4–8; Daniel 3:1–30

Key Bible Texts

And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:15 KJV)