The beasts of Revelation Chapter 13 continued.
The readers of the Book of Revelation should remember that John observed the vision; he did not participate in it. John did not have to stand on the seashore. He observed an event in progress on the seashore, but he was in heaven. The readers must also notice that the dragon is not going into the sea but is standing on the shore, waiting for something to appear from the sea. He is not immersed in but influences from the periphery. The implied question is, why is the dragon standing on the seashore but not going into the sea? What does the sea represent? “Then the angel said to me, The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.” Revelation 17:15, NET. Therefore, the dragon stands on the periphery of the peoples and nations but does not go among them. That indicates his power is now limited. He is no longer the prince of this world. That is why he is limited. Jesus overthrew Satan, so he is no longer the ruler of this world. John 12:31. In John 16:33, Jesus assures the believers that he has overcome the world.
In the Garden of Eden, Satan did not have the right nor power to take possession of this world by force. The inhabitants of the planet Earth had to give it to him. Satan lost his home in heaven, and he needed to gain another home. He did not approach the first man – Adam directly; why not? We do not know. However, Adam had to make a willful and deliberate decision to give the planet Earth to Satan as his principality. Adam, and the whole future humankind, was not the owner of this planet, only its administrator. However, planet Earth is the only home humankind has. Satan proceeded to entice the administrator of the property indirectly. He approached Adam’s helper for procreation, the Woman. Genesis 3:1 – 2.
We can also see that Satan is not going to humankind directly but influencing it from the periphery. Satan has human individuals who are willfully working on his behalf. Satan now does not have a home because Jesus took it away from him. Therefore, he is on the periphery, waiting for humanity to devise a system that WILL INSTALL Satan as the prince of this world again. Humans who are an integral part of the system must make a willful and deliberate decision favoring Satan. Will Satan succeed in regaining this world as his principality? Read the ensuing blogs.
Continued in the next blog.
