One of the weaknesses of the strictly futurist reading of Revelation is that it misses the significance of John’s words for the churches he was writing to in Asia Minor. The futurist reading also fails to catch the significance of Revelation for every generation of Christians. As we have said before, Revelation is not to be read as a key for decoding future events (though John’s vision does include the future return of Jesus and the end of the age). The Book of Revelation is meant for every generation of the church as a warning of judgment, a call to faithful endurance, and a word of hope.

In chapter 12, John’s vision offers a cosmic view of the war between God and Satan. Now, beginning in chapter 13, the vantage point shifts to something more “local.” That is, by drawing heavily on biblical imagery, especially from the Book of Daniel, John describes “the particular experience of those in Asia who have seen an imperial power come from across the sea and work hand in hand with a local power already in the land” (Ian Paul). At the same time, as we’ve seen so often in Revelation, that same imagery reflects the realities of judgment and salvation which impact every generation of Christians.

For the churches John was writing to in Asia Minor, the beast he sees in his vision would have been easily compared to Rome whose blasphemies and persecutions would increase in the decades and generations following John’s writing. This passage prompts us to ask where we see Satan’s influence in our own time. What does godly resistance to Satan look like? John concludes with a call to Christians to resist the evil one, endure his cruelty, and stand faithfully for the sake of Christ.