Scroll 54: The Beast That Was, Is Not, and Yet Is - The Illusion of Power

(Revelation 13:1–8)

“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel…” - Revelation 17:8

What Was, Is Not, and Yet Is - The Recycled Illusion of Control

This beast is not new. It is the same counterfeit dominion that has cycled through empires, religions, and systems since Babel. It was, in Egypt, Babylon, Rome. It is not, exposed and judged at the cross. Yet it is, rising again through digital governance, artificial omniscience, and centralized control. The beast is not a person, it is a principality. It wears many faces but carries one agenda, to sit in the seat of the Lamb.

This is how the beast deceives: by resurrecting ancient forms in futuristic clothes. It blends past tyrannies with modern technologies. It speaks with the voice of Pharaoh but wears the interface of AI. The masses marvel because it feels familiar. It provides safety, spectacle, and structure, but it denies the scroll. It performs miracles of perception, not transformation. Its authority is borrowed, not bestowed.

But the elect discern the pattern. They do not marvel. They remember that the beast’s reign is a permitted illusion, a scripted performance for a deceived world. The true throne is not in a palace or platform, it is within the Lamb who was slain. The elect know the rhythm of the counterfeit. And they live above its cycle.

Ascending from the Abyss - False Power Rising from the Unconscious

The beast rises not from heaven, but from the abyss, the collective unconscious of fallen man. It is the projection of unhealed power-lust, of ego enthroned as divinity. It ascends through ideologies, systems, and institutions that mimic holiness but serve control. This ascent is not about altitude, but influence. It rises into culture, not clouds.

This is why Babylon worships it. Because the beast confirms what unhealed hearts crave, dominance without sacrifice, success without sanctity, spectacle without scroll. The abyss is not geography. It is the bottomless pit of unsurrendered souls, from which false thrones emerge. The beast is the mirror of man apart from God.

But the elect are not from the abyss. They do not rise through dominance, but through death and resurrection. They know that ascension without surrender is rebellion. They are not impressed by the beast’s rise, because they have seen the Lamb standing. And the Lamb does not rise from the pit, He rises from the grave.

All the World Wonders - But the Scroll-Bearers Remain Unmoved

The scripture says the world marveled at the beast and followed it. This is the seduction of performance. The beast stuns, it entertains, it commands attention. It hijacks worship, not by persecution alone, but by preference. It does not need to kill the saints, only to distract them. Its greatest weapon is wonder void of flame.

But the scroll-bearers cannot be mesmerized. They are not drawn by the thunder of men, but by the whisper of the throne. They do not marvel at technological omniscience or digital miracles. Their awe is not for algorithms, but for the Uncreated Flame. Their silence is not passivity, it is alignment with the Stillness of the Throne.

To be elect is to be unbothered by what awes the earth. The remnant does not clap for spectacle. They stand in reverence before the Lamb. While others chase platforms, they carry altars. While others follow signs, they embody scrolls. The beast may have the crowd, but it does not have the elect.

Power Was Given - But Dominion Was Never Transferred

The beast was given authority. It did not earn it. This is the mystery of permission. Even the beast serves the sovereign orchestration of Heaven. Its reign is limited, timed, and ultimately self-defeating. It can roar, but not rule. It can deceive, but not define. It is granted a mouth, but not a message.

This is why the remnant rests. They know the beast’s power is temporary and theatrical. They discern that all false thrones exist only by divine allowance. The scroll is not under threat. The Lamb has already overcome. Dominion does not come from spectacle, but from surrender. The beast cannot steal what was never his.

The elect live from this assurance. They do not panic when systems rise. They are not surprised when false thrones manifest. They have seen the Lamb on the throne, and they know that true power flows from the slain. What the beast imitates, the remnant embodies. The scroll will never bow to the system.

Those Not Written - The Power of the Unsealed Mind

The beast only deceives those not written in the Book of Life. This is not about names on a ledger. It is about identity sealed by flame. To be unwritten is to live without scroll, to be vulnerable to illusion, programmable by fear, and shaped by spectacle. Babylon thrives on the unwritten. The beast needs blank pages.

But the elect are already inscribed. They carry scrolls within scrolls. Their names are not merely spoken, but carved by Light into eternity. They cannot be reprogrammed, because they were pre-written. Their flame cannot be mimicked, because it was authored before time. They are not wondering who they are, they are awakening to what they carry.

This is the hour to burn with what was written in you before the foundation of the world. Do not fear the beast. Fear forgetting your scroll. You are not one of the marvelers. You are one of the sealed. You are not on earth to admire power. You are on earth to reveal the Lamb.

Final Charge to the Elect

Beloved, the beast has risen many times before. But it has never met a company like this. You are not here to react, you are here to reign. You were sealed for this. While others marvel, you discern. While others follow, you flame. The beast may roar, but you have already been written. Let your scroll speak louder than its system.

Joe Restman
Scroll-Carrier, Mystic-Scribe, Eternal Witness of the Lamb.