Revelation 4:4, 6b-8a; 19:4
4:4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”

The Book of Revelation is full of these sorts of visionary images, depicting the otherwise unimaginable splendor of heaven and the various personages who dwell there. Though this book of the Bible is largely symbolic, it’s important as a rallying cry for Christians, reminding us of the glory we await and the power of the God we serve. It’s also meant to remind us of what is most important–pulling together as one family of God in worship.

In these passages, we first see 24 elders, either representing human believers or acting as angelic servants to God; the number 24 is important, hearkening back to the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples. Then 4 other creatures are revealed, creatures with eyes all around so that nothing deceives or passes by unseen, and with six wings; these sound both like the cherubim and seraphs described by the Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.

Yet, as amazing and powerful as all these presences seem, they all worship God, as we see in 19:4. John, the writer of Revelation, strongly connects Old Testament to New Testament, asserting that the God of Israel is still in power and is still relevant, enough so that even the most fantastic beings we could ever imagine bow to Him. They are still gathered around His throne, still at His feet, just as we are; all are equal before Him, uniting in worship. What a message for the modern church, indeed!

Revelation 13:3
3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

At the start of Revelation 13, John tells of a grotesque beast rising out of the sea–a seven-headed, ten-horned leopard with bear feet and the mouth of a lion. Biblical scholars believe this monster represents the Roman empire, or in general, the worship and glorification of secular power and authority. This creature echoes Daniel’s vision of four great beasts (Daniel 7:2-7).

In this quoted verse, the creature has taken what appears to be a fatal wound, only to completely recover, which astounds the world. What kind of beast could do this? No wonder the world follows such a beast of power. Yet this beast stands with the great dragon of Revelation 12 and Satan, all allied against God.

What Does the Beast Mean for Us?

How are we to interpret this envisioned creature for our modern times? Rich in symbolism, it is hard to analyze, but my educated guess is that the creature represents not only the glorification of the secular, but the glorification of all man’s efforts–including man’s pride-soaked efforts for the Church.

Why would I say “pride?” Well, pride, after all, is an attribute that seems able to take “fatal wounds” and recover quite easily. We get our chops busted, lick our wounds for a little while, and then go off toward something else, even something remotely Christian, searching for a way to gain more acclaim, more recognition, as if we didn’t learn last time. Any time we boast of “all we’ve done for the church” or “all we’ve given to so-and-so,” we are no longer doing these works for God’s glory, but for our own.

Man’s pride has many forms, too, just like the beast has many heads–for instance, any time we say to someone, “You need to get right with the Lord, like I have,” or “God told me to tell you your sin is an abomination,” we are making statements of self-righteousness, worshipping our own holiness instead of pointing others to God. There are many ways this beast can invade our churches, our families, and our personalities, and the attack does not always come from outside us; it may well come from within us. Speaking as one who has often courted acclaim and praise, it is a sobering thing indeed to realize that one’s own actions have been unChristian.

As humans, we are still prone to sin, even if we’ve been saved. Pride is but one of the sins we have to be careful of, since it can hide itself in even the most holy-looking actions. That’s why I think the beast of Revelation 13 is not only a vision, but a warning–we can too easily forget to worship God and start worshipping ourselves instead.

Revelation 2:1b-5
1b These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

In the Book of Revelation, there are seven letters, one to each of the seven historical churches (“seven golden lampstands”) of the day; the above verses are from the first letter, to the Church of Ephesus. John, the writer of Revelation, dictates the words of Christ (“[he] who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands”) in each of these letters.

In this first letter, Christ says that the Ephesians have done well, doing their Christian work unrelentingly, and making sure that all the people who want to serve the church are truly worthy of their posts. Yet there is a problem; in doing all this hard work, and in checking people for their “fitness” in serving God, the Ephesians have actually forgotten Christian love–the first and most important commandment Jesus ever gave us. They have forgotten how to reach out to the world with compassion and love, rather than judging the outside world “righteously” (actually pridefully).

It seems silly, perhaps, to think that a group of people who is so obviously “doing work for God” could have forgotten how to love like God loves. But I think more Christians (and more churches) today suffer from the “Ephesians Syndrome” than we would like to admit. Too many times, I’ve heard Christians speak ill of others who have made mistakes, judging them harshly, saying they were “no longer fit to serve the church” because of their mistake. Or I’ve heard churchgoing people say that “so-and-so just doesn’t fit in our church. He/she’s not our kind of people.”

We are all guilty of judging each other too harshly like this in the secular world. What is sad is that we don’t realize how much that same judgmental nature can carry over into our church lives, tainting our relationships with nonbelievers and believers alike. God loved us despite our mistakes, despite our flaws and sins, and yet sometimes we deem others “unworthy” to serve Christ because of similar mistakes.

In this light, “Remember the height from which you have fallen!” is an admonition not only to the Ephesians, but to us. We should remember how much God loves us, and extend that unconditional love to others, as we did when we were first saved. If we don’t, Christ warns us that He will remove our lampstand (our beacon of Christian influence) from its esteemed place. If we aren’t shining the light of Christ’s compassionate love out into the world, but instead spewing pride and judgment everywhere, what good works are we doing for Jesus, anyway?