Science fiction and fantasy stories are filled with concepts of an alternate universe where familiar characters are cast in an opposite light. Following the dragon’s intent to “wage war against the rest of her offspring” at the end of Revelation 12, two new characters emerge - the beasts of the sea and land - forming the unholy trinity. Although their power and reach are limited, which has been emphasized repeatedly, the effect of their reign is real and catastrophic for everyone, but especially for those marked by its number. Unlike science fiction and fantasy stories, the unholy trinity is not about an alternate universe but an alternate lordship to the one seated on the throne. What Jesus is revealing to John in chapter 13 (and 14), is that we are all marked in some way, and the mark we bear points to the trinity we serve.
