We touched on how the “beast” in Revelation is an economic system that determines who can “buy, sell, or trade,” but it is more than that. The beast is also the personification of the worship of man. That is why his mark is 666. In biblical numerology, six is the number of man because man was born on the sixth day. Therefore, this system is an economy that worships man, esteeming man as the god of man, able to solve all of our own problems, and able to pick the winners and losers and distribute the resources.

         There are two world governments in Scripture. One is the coming kingdom of God, and the other is the ultimate evil system to rule over mankind at the end of the age. This “beast” seeks to dominate the earth and if it were possible, thwart God’s purpose to reconcile the earth to Himself. This is the primary reason why Christians tend to resist globalization, and globalization tends to see Christians as its greatest threat. A key question determining who we worship at the end of this age is who we consider to be our source—God or man.

         This is a superficial, broad stroked view of what is unfolding, but the rest of the Book of Revelation addresses this from different perspectives, giving us an increasingly comprehensive understanding of it. Being His bondservant is a key to understanding this, and even the rest of the Revelation.

         In I Peter 5:5-7 we read, “GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

         We live each day by God’s grace, and as the threats to our life increase, we will become increasingly dependent on His grace. Knowing that He gives His grace to the humble, we should seek to humble ourselves before Him. In the text above, we are told an important way to humble ourselves—by casting our anxiety upon Him because we know He cares for us. How is this a way to humble ourselves? Anxiety is an ultimate form of pride. It basically thinks an issue is too big for God and that we must handle it ourselves.

         One of the most important things we can do is to determine everything we are worried about, give it to Him daily, and resolve that we will trust Him by not worrying. For the times to come, this must be a core of the fabric of who we are—those who demonstrate faith by trusting the Lord. Resolve that this week, and every week, you will grow in this trust and count anxiety as a desperate enemy that must be completely removed from your life.