What is the meaning of Revelation 13:7? Then the beast was permitted The verse opens by stressing that permission is given. Nothing in the end-times drama escapes God’s sovereign hand. • Revelation 13:5 echoes this: “The beast was given a mouth… and authority to act for forty-two months.” • Job 1:12 and Luke 22:31–32 show the same pattern—Satan can only move as far as God allows. • Daniel 4:17 reminds us, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men.” Because permission comes from God, believers can rest in His ultimate control even when evil seems unchecked. to wage war against the saints The beast’s hostility focuses on God’s people. • Daniel 7:21 foresaw a horn that “was waging war against the saints.” • Revelation 12:17 speaks of the dragon making war “with those who keep God’s commandments.” • Jesus warned in John 15:18-20 that the world would hate His followers. These “saints” are genuine believers living during the Tribulation period; they refuse the beast’s system and therefore become targets of persecution. and to conquer them The conquest is real and costly—many believers will face martyrdom. • Revelation 11:7 shows the beast killing the two witnesses. • Daniel 8:24-25 says the little horn will “destroy fearfully.” • Yet Romans 8:37 affirms that, in Christ, believers are “more than conquerors.” The beast may win temporary, physical victories, but he cannot overthrow the saints’ eternal standing. and it was given authority Again the text stresses delegated power. • John 19:11: Jesus told Pilate, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above.” • 2 Thessalonians 2:8 affirms that the Lord will ultimately “slay” the lawless one. • Revelation 13:5 limits the beast’s authority to forty-two months, underscoring that God sets both the scope and the stopwatch on evil. over every tribe and people and tongue and nation The beast’s rule will be global, a counterfeit of Christ’s rightful dominion. • Daniel 7:23 foretells a fourth kingdom that “shall devour the whole earth.” • Revelation 17:15 speaks of “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” under the harlot’s sway. • This worldwide reach sets the stage for Revelation 7:9, where redeemed people from the same global spectrum appear before the Lamb—showing that even in unfettered evil, God is gathering a vast, multi-ethnic church. summary Revelation 13:7 reveals a terrifying season when God allows the beast unprecedented but temporary power. He will persecute believers relentlessly and seem to triumph, exercising global authority. Yet every verb—“was permitted,” “was given”—underscores that the beast’s reign is neither autonomous nor permanent. God remains sovereign, limiting the duration, using even persecution to purify His people, and preparing the way for Christ’s ultimate, public victory over every rival power. |
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