Idols Will Be Defeated

¹²And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

 ¹³These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

 ¹⁴These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

-Revelation 17:12-14 (KJV)

In this part of the book of Revelation, we are reading about the ultimate war between good and evil. Let's dig in.

Verse 12 reveals kings and kingdoms who, at the time of John, have not yet came to power. Verse 13 reveals something important about these kings and kingdoms. "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast." Now, when I read about the beast, I really wasn't sure what it meant. I was reading in Matthew Henry's Commentary that the beast was a seat for persecution and idolatry. Whoever didn't worship the beast would be persecuted. The beast is an idol that many will worship, and worship out of fear of persecution. The kings and kingdoms, written about in verse 12, will give power and strength to this beast, the seat of persecution and idolatry. People will come together and fight for this worthless idol. That is the danger of idol worship. The idol has a way of clouding your vision and make you think that the idol is the most important thing in life. Sadly, many fall down that road. These kingdoms will give their power and strength to this idol, because they have one mind. They are unified in their pursuit of this idol. 

Look at verse 14, "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen and faithful." These kings and kingdoms who aligned themselves with the idol will make war with Jesus. But, look at the next sentence. "and the Lamb shall overcome them." They will not be able to deliver the "knock out" blow to the Lamb, the Lamb will remain undefeated! Why, "for he is Lord of lords and King of kings." There is no one other than Jesus who is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He is the greatest  Lord (renowned authority and power) and the greatest King (ruler or chief) that has ever lived or will ever live. But look closer. Just as this beast, this idol, has a army with him consisting of those kings and kingdoms, so does the Lamb. "and they that are with him are called, and chosen and faithful." We are the ones who are called to battle, chosen to fight and faithful to the Lord of lords and King of kings. Are you taking your place in the army of the Lamb? Are you battling the forces of the beast that try and knock you down? Are you choosing to fight for your faith? Are you being faithful to the Lamb?

To make this a more personal level, what idol do you cling to. We live in a society and a world where more importance is given on your possessions than on your faith. What do you worship today? Have you defeated the idol in your life? We read in verse 14 that the Lamb shall overcome the idol. Has Jesus took the number 1 spot in your life, or do you still cling to the worthless, defeated idol in your life? Think About It.