The continued description of the devil's rage manifested in the war by
the wildbeast against Christian believers. When John records that it was given
to the wildbeast to overcome the saints and that he had authority over every
tribe and tongue and people and nation, it is in the context of killing
everyone who holds faith in Christ. All who survive will worship the wildbeast
and Satan. How are we to interpret that everyone whose name was not written in
the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world will worship
the wildbeast? This sounds like predestination in its most extreme form. The
original text can be parsed in more than way.
Alternative readings might be
All who dwell on the earth will worship him,
everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in
the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Or
All who dwell on the earth will worship him,
everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who
has been slain from the foundation of the world.
The
Lamb was slain from the foundation (literally downcasting possibly meaning the fall of the world - see
Romans 8:19-21) of the world (cosmos). His death was made necessary by
Adam's fall. But there is a hint in
verse 10 that those who live by the sword are bound to be killed by the sword.
(Matthew 26:52) It is not that individuals are fore-ordained to either belong
to Christ or to the wildbeast. It is that those who choose the wildbeast's way
of violence are thereby bound to reap its fruit. The enduring faith of the saints will be
shown in this bloodbath, as they choose certain death in this world by
remaining true to Christ.
Through
the centuries of the church age, multitudes have been martyred for Christ. What
is true of the consummation of the age is that all who stand for Christ will
share this status. In eternity they worship before the throne of God, shown
previously. (Revelation 7:9-17)
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