A Backward Look Before the Forward Journey Part 2.
A quick reflection on Revelation 12 – 14 Part 2
The first four commandments (Exod.20:2– 11) come under special counterfeit attack in Revelation 13 because they deal with worship. The first commandment forbids worship of any other God. The beast demands worship (Rev.13:7, 8), The second commandment forbids idolatry. The land beast tells inhabitants of the earth to set up an image to be worshipped (Rev.13:14, 15), The third commandment forbids taking the Lord’s name in vain. The beast excels in blasphemy; blasphemy of God, His name and His sanctuary (Rev.13:5, 6), The fourth commandment is said to be the seal of the covenant, containing the name, the territory, and the basis for God’s rule counterfeited by receiving the mark of the beast (Rev.13:16, 17). This all points to Satan’s attacks on the first four commandments of the Decalogue in the final crisis? Beyond this, it is not hard to notice that the remaining 6 commandments come under satan’s attack also in society at large.
Revelation indicates that these first 4 commandments will become the standard of loyalty to God in the final crisis. The final conflict between Christ and Satan, plainly, will revolve around worship and the first four commandments. Who to worship, how to worship, the approach of worship and the time of worship,
The key issue in the final crisis is emphasized in the second exhortation of the first angel’s message. The call to “worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water” (Rev.14:7, NKJV) as we have noted almost an exact quotation of the fourth commandment of the Decalogue (Exod.20:11). This fact shows that the call to worship God the Creator is a call to Sabbath observance. How fitting that in our current evolutionary climate that God, in His foreknowledge, included a call to return to a knowledge of creation and its creator in this end time message.
Consider this Chiastic summary of Chapters12 – 14 – of course, it is impossible here to list every verse in the chiasms that toggle their way through the major chiasm of the whole book. The peak of each chiasm is the verses to the right.
11:19 The ark of the covenant is seen
12:10-11 God’s people overcome by their testimony
12:17 The group that represents what’s in the ark
13:10 the call for endurance of God’s people.
14:1 The 144,000 sealed who stand against the beast/Babylon
14:12 the call for endurance of God’s people
15:1&2 Judgement begins against the rebellious
Here is a more detailed summary of the Chiastic structure of Revelation 12 -15.
A 11:19 Ark of the Covenant: Sanctuary Scene plus the Commandments
B 12:1–2 The First Great Portent: The Pure Woman
C 12:3–4a The Second Great Portent : The Great Dragon
D 12:4b–5 The Male Child: The First Coming of Christ
E 12:10–12 The Voice from Heaven: Blessing in Heaven but Curse on the Earth
F 12:17 Keep the Commandments and the Testimony of Jesus
G 13:1–18 The Sea Beast and the Land Beast
H 14:1–5 The Lamb and 144,000 on Mount Zion
G´ 14:6–11 The Three Angels’ Messages
F´ 14:12 Keep the Commandments and the Faith of Jesus
E´ 14:13 The Voice from Heaven: Double Blessing on Earth
D´ 14:14–20 The Son of Man: The Second Coming of Christ
C´ 15:1 The Third Great Portent: The 7 Plagues
B´ 15:2–4 The Remnant of the Woman’s Seed in Heaven
A´ 15:5–8 The Temple of the Tent of the Testimony: The Sanctuary Scene plus the Commandments