Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea...Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. Rev. 13:1 and 11 (New King James Version)

Revelations is an interesting book in the Bible. It’s the last book and somehow it manages to stand alone. It isn’t a letter to anyone telling people how to live their lives. It isn’t a history reminding us of the rise and fall of empires and how God arranges the lives of the world. Although it has poetic imagery in it, very few people would call it poetry. It’s prophecy on steroids and is considered an apocalyptic book along with Isaiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah in that it talks about the end of this age.

We tend to think about time as a horizontal line. We are born at one end of this line and the line marches forward until we leave at the other end. There are many mysteries along the way and each of us tries to deal with those mysteries as best as we can. Mysteries such as, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or, “I did everything I was supposed to do; why am I still broke and miserable?” or, “Why did this have to happen to my child?”

We are used to cycles in life. Winter softens into spring when the earth starts to green up and life starts to speed up with new birth. Spring flows into summer when the sun becomes stronger, and life looks for cool shade. The summer bursts into color again when the leaves start to turn in the fall and vibrancy fills the air. Fall slips back into a winter slumber to rest up before the cycle starts up again. We’re used to things being born and, after a time, they die. Eternity doesn’t sit easily on our minds.

The apostle John was sent into exile after the resurrection of Jesus and received this revelation which was written down and included in the Bible. A lot happens in Revelation and there have been many interpretations of the imagery involved in this book.

Chapter 13 talks about two beasts—one coming from the sea and one coming from the earth. The beast coming from the sea has ten heads, one of which has been mortally wounded but has been healed. There is a dragon who gives authority to the beast, and everyone worships this beast. The beast from the earth acts like a campaign manager for the beast from the sea and the two of them decide to take over the world.

The thing that scares me about this scenario is that people are going along with what they hear instead of thinking about what they hear. They are accepting lies as truth without question. People who question everything can be very irritating but if we don’t question at least some things, we could get into a world of hurt! Maybe I’d better think about this a bit—there may be a happy medium somewhere!

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She has recently published her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, which is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.