“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six” (Revelation 13:18).

What is the mark of rebellion?  Why does a tyrant want worship?  Why do the wicked lie and then want you to accept the lie as truth?  Do not focus upon these questions.  They are a distraction.  Turn to the Lord and seek Him while He may be found.  He is truth.  The many beasts who have come into the world want to be worshiped.  The Lord has made clear that He alone is God and He alone is to be worshiped.

Lord, I do fall into the trap of seeking answers to questions that really do not matter.  So, I know some things.  So what?  The difference in my life that matters is Your Spirit in me.  Being conformed to the image of Christ, becoming like Him, is the hope sanctification gives.  Turn my eyes from the distractions and marks of this world to live in the hope the mark of my baptism gives me.

Lord Jesus, You died to free us to walk with You in faith.  Guide me, dear Lord, to live according to Your goodness and mercy.  Keep me from taking the mark of any of the fakers in this world so that I may live in the faithfulness You give me.  No matter the cost, keep my faith in the forefront and lead me according to the Father’s will.  Help me always to abide in You alone, maturing in this faith You have given me.  Amen.

“And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, and he decrees that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).

In your baptism, you were marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit as Christ’s own forever.  The devil always mocks the Lord.  Of course, he wants his own mark.  When the devil has your hand and mind, he’s got you.  The Lord wants all of you, heart, soul, mind, and all that you do, knowing that whatever you do, is done as though serving the Lord.  But the day will come when the tyrant is allowed to rule.

Lord, it has happened before and it seems that each new batch of tyrants gets worse.  Tyrants, dictators, and those who deem themselves superior tell others how to live and what to do.  Guide me away from this nonsense so that I live according to the goodness of Your grace and mercy.  Lead me, Lord, amidst all the tyrannies of this world to be faithful.

Lord Jesus, You had Rome, Herod, and the corrupt leaders of Judea to contend with.  You understand the sinful leadership that lives in lavish ways while the petty people work hard just to stay alive.  No matter my complaints, turn my eyes to You and Your example, Lord, so that I may humbly walk in the way of faith.  I have been marked by You as a sign of the truth of the salvation I have in You.  Keep me in You always.  Amen.

“And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause all who do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15).

It was given to him.  He did not have it, but it was given.  Do you think the Lord is given anything when you give Him what was already His?  Of course not.  The tricks of the devil are to take your eyes off the Lord and live the lie that you do not need the Lord.  Kill you?  No, only hasten your journey to be with the Lord forever.  The devil can kill the body, but if you are Christ’s own forever the Lord has promised you salvation if you endure to the end.

Lord, the emotional tugs of this world cause me to be afraid.  Help me, dear Lord, to live in the true hope You give so that even if I am killed, I will not try to save my own skin.  I will die and You have promised that even though I die, yet shall I live.  Keep Your promises close to my heart so that I am led by You and not by the insanity of this crazy world.  Rulers will rise who demand that we worship them, but there are no other gods besides You, the Lord of all.

Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, even You were crucified when You would not do as the earthly rulers wanted.  Help me to understand this clearly.  We face persecution because this world is in rebellion, but You have come to save those who look to You.  Guide me in the way of everlasting life and lead me according to Your promises to live into the eternal life You give by  grace through faith.  Amen.

“And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life” (Revelation 13:14).

They have not believed that Christ has risen from the dead; but they will believe that the devil can raise the dead.  That is why it is called deception.  It is not new but has been around since the Garden of Eden.  If you read the Old Testament, you see this happening over and over again.  Tantalize, get them off-track, and lead them astray.  Worship an image!  We have celebrities and social media influencers, but we do not worship them.  Or do we?

This has been happening since Eve partook of the forbidden fruit.  We fall for the immediate while ignoring the eternal.  We worship the creature rather than the Creator.  We fall for parlor tricks and emotional false hopes rather than come to You, the Author of creation.  You have come to free the captives, open the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf, and lead those who follow You to eternal life.

Lord Jesus, You are the One we are to imitate.  Whether it is the wicked one perverting the truth of who You are, or the faithful seeking to be like You, You are the standard to which we are to be transformed.  Help me clearly see the nonsense of the wicked one and focus my attention upon the task of becoming like You.  Guide me in the way You have established that I may walk boldly with clarity and purpose so that each day I can become more like You.  Amen.

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the presence of people” (Revelation 13:13).

The wicked one cannot create anything.  He can only pervert what the Lord creates.  He uses tricks and deception, and people fall for it.  No great signs will be done, just tricks.  Only the Lord raises the dead.  Do not fall for the lies of those who deceive.  This is a warning.  In our desire to find what only the Lord can give, we love to be titillated and wooed by our emotions.  Be on guard and look to the Lord.

Lord, when I am tossed about by the waves of this world, it is my own fault.  I want love, so I settle for feelings.  I want solace, so I settle for worldly words wrapped in a pleasant tune.  I ignore what is obvious and settle for a lie.  Lift me out of my selfish desires to be serious about the faith You have given me.  Guide me in Your goodness to know that I am completed only in You and in nothing else.

Savior of my soul, clear my eyes so that I do not fall for the claptrap of this age.  Keep me on the path where my hope is in You alone.  Help me to not give in to the temptation to settle for anything less than the truth.  Help my walk to be firm, my conviction to stand firm, and my ability to understand the nonsense to be keen.  You have saved me by Your shed blood.  Keep me in the salvation You died for.  Amen.

“He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed” (Revelation 13:12).

Humans have always loved parlor tricks.  They shouted, “Give us a sign, Jesus.”  The sign He gave was the cross and resurrection from death.  Those who believe have been marked with the cross and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever.  But there are those who come along and they seek to lead astray as many as will follow false prophesying.  The way of the cross is the way of salvation.  Always follow Jesus, no matter what.

Lord, it really is no different in good times or bad.  There are those who would have me follow some other direction.  Guide me according to Your Word so that I may see through those who seek to lead any astray.  Help me to worship You alone, fulfilling the first commandment.  Let me see that no matter what tricks people play, there is still only One Lord and Savior in all of creation.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for being with each one of us always.  It is hard to navigate through this world of wickedness.  Guide me in Your goodness to know that life is in Your hands and that You will preserve us according to the Father’s will.  Lead me through all temptations teaching me not to stray so that I may be faithfully guided by You always.  Lead me, Lord Jesus, in the way of everlasting life and help to stay on the narrow path.  Amen.

“Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon” (Revelation 13:11).

Beware of the false prophets.  Beware of those with smooth speech who deceive and lead astray.  They too are constant in this world.  The devil seeks to kill, steal, and destroy.  Coming in the guise of peacemaker, they make war.  This is why one should study to show themselves approved.  The fangs of a wolf hiding in sheep’s clothing are dangerous, even more so if you are unaware that it is a wicked one with whom you are dealing.

Lord, in this mixed-up world, help me to keep my eyes clear so that I can see things as they are.  Guide me in Your goodness to see through the false prophets and those who lead astray.  Help me to understand the truth and know the way of freedom You give.  Help me always, dear Lord, so that I may walk humbly with You all the days of my life and not wander after false teachers.

Lord Jesus, You died that those who look to You would be set free from sin, death and the devil.  But there are those who come along and want to recapture and imprison the ones set free.  Help me to live in the freedom You give, looking to You who alone have the words of eternal life.  Be my guide now and always so that I may see clearly and know when truth is being spoken, or something else.  Keep me close to You, dear Savior.  Amen.

“If anyone has an ear, let him hear.  If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:9-10).

Some say, “Times are bad.”  There are bad times of increased violence and other times where there is less violence, but there has always been bloodshed and wickedness.  This age is not peaceful.  The peace of the Lord that surpasses understanding allows the faithful to persevere through all that happens in this age of rebellion.  Open your ears and listen to the word of the Lord.  Be guided by His goodness and mercy.

Lord, I have become used to this world and think that its masked wickedness is normal.  I cannot comprehend a place where all truly love one another and where peace is normal.  Help me to persevere through all the difficulties of this age.  Guide me according to Your will so that I may not be overcome by the times of difficulty, knowing that Your promises are always before me.

Lord Jesus, You know what it is to struggle in this age.  You too were under threat, hated, and constantly harassed.  Help me to live through these things and remain faithful.  As I struggle today, guide me in Your goodness to know that I can lean on You and that You are there to hold me up as I move through all the difficulties this life will bring this day.  Thank You for providing for my every need.  Amen.

“All who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slaughtered” (Revelation 13:8).

How foolish humans are.  We worship celebrities.  We worship what we consider to be good things.  We crawl on top of one another to be on top of the heap.  What foolishness.  Do not be fooled; the Lord is still Lord of all.  Be humble and turn to Him and He will lift you up and out of the mire of this world.  Seek the Lord while He may be found, and have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

In what do you hope?  Are you seeking to gain the whole world?  Is it worth losing your soul?  Are you seeking fame and a good reputation?  Is it worth losing your soul?  Many will disagree – and this will change nothing – but you were created for a purpose and your Creator has called you by name to abide in Him.  Do not become caught up in the world’s game but live in the truth for all ages.

Lord, You have given me the gift of grace.  In You I have hope for all my tomorrows.  But the world has gone mad and I am often not even sure what is worth living for.  Guide me in the way You have established so that I may now and always be led by the grace You gained for us on  the cross.  Lead me according to Your purposes in the truth You have revealed and grant that my hope will always be in You.  Amen.

“It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority was given to him over every tribe, people, language, and nation” (Revelation 13:7).

Look at the world and you see the ebbs and flows of civilization.  Of late, the church has been shrinking in the west while growing in the south and east.  There is constant warfare against the faithful.  We are told all kinds of things, but the simple truth of Jesus dying for our sins and the hope that because He was raised from the dead, we too shall be raised gets lost amidst the lying antics of the devil.

Lord, help me to understand the simple truth of the Gospel so that I do not fall prey to all the lies that are out there.  Keep my eyes open so that I begin to understand what has happened.  It is not that society is smarter now and does not need you, but that they have been deceived and do not understand the truth that every child understands.  We need more than ourselves.  We were created by You, need community and desire love.

Love Incarnate, You have come to establish an eternal relationship with all who will turn to You.  No matter the cost, nor the difficulty, help me to abide in You.  Help me not listen to the world around me, which tells me to disconnect from You.  Guide me in the truth.  Your Word is truth.  Lead me as You know I need to be led and keep me from the lies of the wicked one.  Keep me in You, Lord.  Amen.