Unfortunately, the sermon on Revelation 12 was lost in the archives. A brief recap is covered at the start of this sermon on Revelation 13:1-18.
“The Christians of this particular time and place were headed directly into at least one period of intense persecution where they might be imprisoned and killed for their allegiance to Christ. There was a very current pressure to assimilate to the ways of the empire. To do business in the pagan system was already just about impossible for the Christians. The trade guilds each had their own deities and their gatherings normally entailed the eating of meat offered to idols with the company of temple prostitutes. To offend or withdraw from the trade guilds constituted economic suicide. Later, a mid-third century emperor would demand certificates of sacrifice to the emperor in order to participate in commerce and avoid outright execution! We are talking current pressure, not some far off thing thousands of years later. Imagine you are a Christian in the ancient world and are offered freedom and financial comfort if you would simply engage in a ritual act of sprinkling incense on a fire to Caesar; but the act constitutes an even greater rebellion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine you are a Christian in the ancient world and are offered freedom and financial comfort if you would simply engage in a ritual act of sprinkling incense on a fire to Caesar. The act constitutes a greater rebellion to Christ….”
(Originally preached on May 27, 2018.)