Beauty and the Beast . . . The Real Story

No, this is not an article about the controversy surrounding the new Disney live-action film Beauty and the Beast.

That’s just a movie. This is about the real story.
Not the story of Christians vs. Hollywood.
Nor the story of conservatives vs. liberals.
This is the story of good vs. evil—God vs. Satan.
It’s the story of the real Beauty and the Beast.

First, let me address the Beast.

The Bible tells us that a charismatic, cunning, persuasive figure will arrive on the scene one day. He will be a world leader who will do what no other has ever done: bring global peace. He will be celebrated and loved. He will be on the cover of both Time and GQ. Think, The Devil Wears Prada.

But beneath that attractive exterior is “the Beast.” That is a term the Bible uses for this man (see Revelation 19:20) because of his evil nature. “The Beast’s” temporary “peace” is a short-lived ruse to deceive people and bring forth his real agenda: the spread of pure evil.

The Bible also calls this man the Antichrist. The prefix anti- does not just mean “against.” It also means “in the place of.” If the devil ever had a son, this would be him. Coming in the place of Christ, Antichrist, or “the Beast,” will attack both Jewish people and Christians. He will masquerade as the very Messiah Himself, but his days are numbered.

That brings us to “the Beauty.” That’s the church. When I say “the church,” I don’t mean an actual brick and mortar building, but rather all true followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible also calls the church “the Bride of Christ.” Some men might say, “I don’t want to be a bride!” Deal with it; if you are a part of the church, you are His bride.

The Bible tells us this conflict between Satan and God goes back to the Garden of Eden and it rages to this day and will come to a final conflict in the last days. In the end, the Antichrist—the Beast—will seek to exterminate all followers of Christ. It’s already happening around the world.

But the Beast will lose and the Beauty will prevail.

You want to get on my bad side? Say or do something unkind about my wife. The same is true of the Lord. He loves His bride, the church, and He will look out for her.

One day Christ will rule this world when He returns again. And His bride, “the Beauty,” will rule with Him.

So what side are you on in this conflict? The Beauty or the Beast?