Reading for May 5th

Read Revelation 13.11-18 The second beast has the external appearance of the Lamb but the internal character of the dragon; this land beast is modeled on the ancient figure of behemoth (Job 40.15) and represents the civic side of Roman power. In verse 13: The great signs of this beast seems to be connected to the rites honoring the emperor. In verse 15: The image of the best appeared both on countless statues and on all Roman coins. In verse 16: The right hand represents human work and activity; the forehead represents human spirit and worship (see 14.9). In verse 17: The mark here is spiritual, not visible. No one can buy or sell without using the images on the coins, thus defiling their hands. In verses 18: The number six hundred sixty-six is calculated by adding up the numeric values of each letter of the person's name-in this case probably that of Nero-but its real significance is that of six. Six is incomplete and imperfect; it is the day humans were created but refuses to move on to day seven, God's day. It is the human (six) claiming to be perfect (seven) that represents the act of the beast. Comments or Questions..