Thursday, July 8, 2021

No Middle Ground

Humanity is divided into two and only two groups – The followers of the Lamb or subjects of the Beast. In the Book of Revelation, every human being is either “Tabernacling in Heaven” or included among the “Inhabitants of the Earth.” These descriptions are not geographical or spatial. They reflect the allegiance of either group. A man or woman either belongs to “Heaven” or to the “Earth.” Those who “Tabernacle in Heaven” elect to “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” no matter the cost, but the “Inhabitants of the Earth” are enslaved by the “Dragon” and await a grim fate.

In contrast, the “Inhabitants of the Earth” choose to swear allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea,” and consequently, they take its “Mark” or “Number,” 666. There is no third alternative, no neutral ground.

Crossroads - Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash
[Crossroads - Photo by Jens Lelie on Unsplash]

The group known as the “Inhabitants of the Earth” is composed of men from “every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” No one is excluded because of his or her nationality, ethnicity, or gender. What qualifies anyone for membership in this company is submission to the “Beast.”

Likewise, anyone who elects to follow the “Lamb” has his name written in his “Book of Life,” and he is included among those who “Tabernacle in Heaven.” This includes all men who have been redeemed by the “blood of the Lamb” regardless of whatever “tribe, people, tongue or nation” to which they belong. Ethnicity has no bearing on inclusion in or exclusion from this company.

INHABITANTS OF THE EMPIRE


In the Book of Daniel, most citizens of the Babylonian Empire heed the king’s “herald” by rendering homage to the golden image “erected” by Nebuchadnezzar. It measures 60 cubits by 6 cubits – (Daniel 3:1-6).

By swearing fealty to the king and his image, they avoid death in the “burning fiery furnace.” No citizen must suffer that horrific fate except the one who refuses to give the Emperor the ABSOLUTE LOYALTY that he demands.

However, in Revelation, the “Inhabitants of the Earth” who do render homage to the “Beast from the Sea” rather than embrace the lordship of the “Lamb” seal their own fate in the “Lake of Fire that is burning with brimstone.”

The “Inhabitants” of the beastly World Empire bear the “brand” of the “Beast,” and because they take its “Number,” 600 and 60 and 6, their names are excluded from the “Book of Life,” and they will endure the “Second Death”, the “Lake of Fire.”

The redeemed men who do “Tabernacle in Heaven” are identified variously as “saints,” “lampstands,” those who have the “Testimony of Jesus” and “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

Rather than bow to the image of the “Beast,” 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.

What distinguishes members of this group from the “Inhabitants of the Earth” is not their geographical location, ethnicity, or nationality, but their allegiance to the “Lamb.” They “follow him wherever he goes” even when doing so means certain death. It is in this way that they “overcome” in the very same manner as did the “Lamb”:

  • He that overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne… And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and BECAUSE they loved not their lives unto death” – (Revelation 3:21, 12:11).

Therefore, their names are “written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” and they will not taste the “Second Death.” Instead, they will participate in the “First Resurrection” and reside in the city of “New Jerusalem” where they will stand in worship before the Throne and the “Lamb” - “And he that sits on the Throne shall spread HIS TABERNACLE over them.”

There is no middle ground, no third option, and no “safety zone” in any supposed holdout nation. The “Beast” is granted authority over “over EVERY tribe and people and tongue and nation.”

Either you “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” and inherit life, or you render homage to the “Beast from the Sea” and endure the “Second Death.” Jesus or Caesar. It is one or the other.

Believers must decide today, at this very moment, to whom they will give their allegiance. In the Kingdom of God, there is no concept of “dual citizenship” or room for split loyalties. At the critical moment, will they follow the “Lamb” no matter what he requires or where he leads, or will they bow in submission to the “Dragon, the Ancient Serpent called the Devil and Satan”?

The Devil and the political powers that serve him on the Earth demand absolute loyalty and obedience, leaving no room for compromise since Jesus is the only rightful and absolute monarch over the Cosmos, and the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth.” How we respond to him determines whether our names are “written in the Lamb’s Book of Life,” or erased and expunged from it forevermore.



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