Revelation 13:5-10 (NKJV) And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
V5 “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” “He” is the antiChrist. This ability to speak like this and exert powerful authority was not natural to the antiChrist. Someone gave him this. I believe it was the devil who gifted him. Christ followers are given the Holy Spirit who in turn gives gifts to serve God. There might or might not be a natural gift. If it is inherent in the person, the one giving the gift gives the success to do it better. God does this; see Exodus 28:3, Deuteronomy 34:9, Isaiah 11:2, and Ephesians 1:17. The giver in this passage is satan (Revelation 13:2).
V6 “Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.” He willingly does this. He says these blasphemes against God, His name, His tabernacle (Temple), and all believers. These blasphemes are lies, smearing one’s character, mockery, twisting facts, etc. satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). The Bible shows the heart (will, desire) of the antiChrist: Matthew 12:34 (WPNT) “Brood of vipers! How can you, being malignant, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
V7 “It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” His words show his hate for God and those who believe, trust, and live in God’s faith. His deeds show this to be a true commitment. He is allowed, briefly, to overcome the believers. This is to strengthen the faith of the faithful, separate fake believers from true, and to heighten the punishment of evil beings.
V8 “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This is an amazing statement that “all” will worship him (the antiChrist and satan). I’m glad the Scriptures clarify that all refers to a specific group—those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Only those who have faith and trust in the one and only God have their names written in this register. Slain from the foundation of the world refers to the blueprint that God had for this world, that the Messiah would be Jesus, that faith would be the condition for salvation, and a blameless life would be the standard of life.
V9 “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” We must hear, heed, pay attention to, live, etc.
V10 “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Some believers go into prison camps, etc. Some will be murdered by weapons of war or violence. The saints are believers. No believer could ever withstand such treatment but for the grace of God (2 Corinthians 4:7-12, Psalm 37:24, and 1 Peter 4:12-16).
We learn:
- Evil will predominate for 7 years.
- Judgment by God is justified.
- Believers do suffer.