Christ or Caesar

Humanity is divided into two, and only two groups, the followers of the Lamb and the devotees of the Imperial Beast.

In the Book of Revelation, every man either “Tabernacles in Heaven” or is numbered among the “Inhabitants of the Earth.” The terms are not geographical but reflect the leader each group chooses to follow. Men either belong to “Heaven” or the “Earth.” Those who elect to follow the Lamb “wherever he goes,” tabernacle in heaven. The “Inhabitants of the Earth,” in contrast, have chosen to venerate the “Dragon” and therefore await a grim fate.

The “Inhabitants of the Earth” swear allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea,” thereby, taking its “Mark” or “Number.” There is no third alternative, no neutral ground. This group includes men and women from “every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.” No one is excluded based on ethnicity, nationality, or gender. What qualifies someone for inclusion in the group is submission and devotion to the “Beast.”

[Crossroads - Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash]

Everyone who elects to follow the “Lamb” has his name written in the “Book of Life,” men and women who are redeemed by the “blood of the Lamb” regardless of their “tribe, people, tongue or nation.” Neither ethnicity, nationality, nor gender makes any difference whether one is included or not.

In the Book of Daniel, the citizens of the World Empire heeded the King’s “herald” by giving homage to the golden image “erected” by Nebuchadnezzar. By swearing loyalty to him, they avoided death in the “burning fiery furnace.” Only the rare citizen who refused to submit risked suffering that fate– (Daniel 3:1-6).

In Revelation, the “Inhabitants of the Earth” seal their terrible fate by swearing allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea.” Therefore, they are doomed to the “Lake of Fire.” The penalty intended by the Babylonian Empire for disloyalty becomes the destination of men who refuse to follow the “Lamb wherever he goes,” the one true Sovereign of the Earth.

The men who “Tabernacle in Heaven” are identified as “saints,” “lampstands,” those who have the “Testimony of Jesus” and “keep the faith of Jesus.” They refuse to give their allegiance to the Imperial “Beast” and suffer economic deprivation, persecution, and martyrdom. Nevertheless, in the end, they are found standing with the “Lamb” on “Mount Zion.” Rather than the Beast’s “Mark,” they have the “Seal of God” inscribed on their foreheads.

CHOOSE WHOM YOU WILL SERVE!

What distinguishes the followers of Jesus from the “Inhabitants of the Earth” is not their location, nationality, or ethnicity, but their absolute loyalty to the “Lamb.” They “follow him wherever he goes” even if it means death. In this way, they “overcome” as he did and avoid the “Lake burning with fire” - “They overcame the Dragon by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives until death” – (Revelation 3:21, 12:11).

Their names are “written in the Book of Life.” They will not taste the “Second Death.” Instead, they will experience the “First Resurrection” and reside in the city of “New Jerusalem” - “And he that sits on the Throne shall spread his Tabernacle over them.”

There is no “safe zone” anywhere on the Earth, no holdout nation to which we may flee to escape from the Empire’s reach, neither is there any safety found by compromising with Caesar. The “Beast” is granted authority over “every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” Total commitment to the “Lamb” is our only refuge from the wrath of the “Dragon.”

Either we “follow the Lamb” no matter the cost and thereby inherit life, or we render homage to the “Beast” and its image, and consequently undergo the “Second Death.” Our choice is Jesus or Caesar. Christ’s Kingdom or the Beast’s Empire.

We must decide to whom and what we give our loyalties. There is no “dual citizenship” or room for split loyalties in the Kingdom of God. At the critical moment, will we follow the “Lamb wherever he leads” no matter what or submit to the “Dragon” and his loathsome creature, the “Beast from the Sea”?

The Devil and the political powers of this age that serve him demand absolute loyalty and obedience. There is no room for compromise. Nevertheless, despite their demands and pretensions, Jesus is the only rightful monarch reigning over the Cosmos.

How we respond to Jesus of Nazareth will determine whether our names are “written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” or erased from it forever. If we refuse to give total allegiance to Christ and his Kingdom rather than to the World Empire, the day will come when we may find ourselves condemned to the “Lake of Fire.” The would-be disciple of Jesus who refuses to deny himself and take up Christ’s Cross is not worthy of the Lamb of God, and his or her name may very well be expunged from the “Book of Life.”

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SEE ALSO:

• True Greatness - (As his disciples, we are called to engage in self-sacrificial service for others just as Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many)

• Ruler of the Kings of the Earth - (Jesus, the Faithful Witness, now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations to the Holy City of New Jerusalem)

• Jesus Refused Satan's Offer - (Jesus rejected Satan’s offer of unlimited political power and instead chose the way of the Suffering Servant)

• Allégeance à qui? - (Seul le Royaume de Dieu prévaudra et durera éternellement. Tous les autres pouvoirs politiques sont transitoires. Déjà ils décèdent)