225 The HiddenEnemy inThe Book of Revelation

There he is hidden in plain sight. The destructive power attempting to destroy the Seven Churches, demonstrated in the Seven Seals, presented in the Seven Trumpets. His advocacy for violence and evil is presented in the Seven Battle scenes. He also engineers the Seven Last Plagues to destroy the planet. Join us to discover the hidden enemy in the book of Revelation.

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SHOW NOTES

4. Who does the Book of Revelation indict as the agent of evil?

The book of Revelation replicates the teaching of Jesus about the devil being the

agency of evil as the dragon, the destroyer or the devil. This apocalyptic insight

repeatedly demonstrates that Jesus has continually done his best to counteract the

evil perpetrated by the devil. Jesus method for overcoming evil is by goodness as

presented in the interludes.

The devil attempts to destroy the Seven Churches.

1. Ephesus: Patiently suffered and hated the evil of the Nicolaitans (2:3, 6)

2. Smyrna: I know the Devil caused suffering & oppression (2:9-10)

3. Pergamum: Loyal even though you live in Satan’s city (2:13)

4. Thyatira: Some have not followed the depths of Satan (2:24).

5. Sardis: Some have not soiled their clothes with evil (3:4).

6. Philadelphia: Those of the synagogue of Satan will bow at your feet (3:9).

7. Laodicea: No reference to Satan.

Today none of these churches exist. It seems the devil succeeded in destroying them.

However, there are 2 billion people who call themselves Christian today.

The devil’s destructive power is demonstrated in the Seven Seals.

The seven seals report the consequences of evil on the planet: Anti-Christs, war, famine,

disease, martyrdom, and mass suicide.

Only the slaughtered lamb (the tortured and crucified Christ) can open the seals or save

those battered by the devil’s violence in the seven seals (Revelation 5:6-8)

The devil’s evil work is presented in the Seven Trumpets.

This sequence displays the devil’s violent evil in detail. The “thrown down” and “one third”

are the clues that this the devil being referred to since he was “thrown down” to earth with one third of the angels,

Jesus responds in the interlude where the mystery of God is revealed in his desire to save

all people (Revelation 10:1-7).

The devil’s advocacy for violence or evil is presented in the Seven Battle scenes.

This is war between the unholy trinity of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet and the holy trinity of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. The end of the unholy trinity is sure and described as follows.Revelation 20:10 NLT Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The devil engineers the Last Seven Plagues to destroy the planet.

He succeeds but Jesus Christ makes a new heaven and a new earth where gentleness

reigns supreme (Revelation 21-22).

Often well-meaning Christians use arguments such as "a surgeon must cut to heal" to

defend the position that God must sometimes destroy and punish for the greater good.

What these analogies do not address, however, are the moral issues at stake. If "cutting" is

the answer, why does God not "cut" out all evil?

There are also other questions that need to be addressed such as:

Is it fair for God to demand that we avoid evil if he authors at least some of the evil in this

world? Answer NO!

Was the devil right in telling Eve that God did not want them to eat of the tree of good and evil because then they would be like God, knowing both good and evil? Answer NO! Here is the first suggestion that God has agency in evil.

Is the evil that God originates not evil because God causes it? Answer NO! Do we have a

double standard? Do we have one standard for God and another for creatures? Is the

standard for God lower than that for the creatures? Answer NO NO NO!

The ultimate evil is not the holocaust but the attempt to destroy all that God has made new.

Revelation 20:9 NLT And I saw them (Satan and his followers) as they went up on

the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But

fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

Thus the war is concluded with the demise of Satan and his followers.

We now consider the cross’ witness to God’s involvement with evil.