1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:05,000 Well, I can tell you this, after being reminded about who William 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,760 Tyndale was and what he accomplished made me more 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,320 excited to open God's Word with you this afternoon. 4 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:14,560 Let's turn in our Bibles now to Revelation chapter 13. 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,640 When the Lord Jesus taught about some of the marks of the last 6 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:27,120 days, he explained that of the most prevalent signs would be 7 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,720 the emergence of false Christs and false prophets who would 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,360 even perform signs and wonders so as to deceive many. 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:42,960 And though there will be multiple of deceivers who will 10 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,960 arise, especially when the world is in its most chaotic phase, 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,680 searching for answers, longing for somebody to bring a solution 12 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:56,000 to all the mayhem around them, the Word of God also teaches 13 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,840 that there will be a single false prophet who'll be the most 14 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,160 influential and impactful of them all. 15 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:11,000 That's right, the Scriptures teach that there is coming an 16 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:17,160 ultimate final false prophet who'll be the most fraudulent 17 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:23,280 and conniving of them all. Now, students of the End Times 18 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,640 rarely give attention to this individual because the 19 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,800 Antichrist seems to get most of the press. 20 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:33,360 But we have to remember that as we've been studying Revelation 21 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:39,240 13, John's vision of this beast who represents the Antichrist is 22 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,840 not yet complete. We haven't gotten the whole 23 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,040 picture yet. As we're about to read John, the 24 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,800 same John who saw this terrifying creature is going to 25 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:54,440 describe another one. There will be another beast who 26 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,720 will arise, and he will play a very significant role in the 27 00:01:58,720 --> 00:02:03,120 final years of human history. And so he will be the focus of 28 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,160 our study today as we now turn to Revelation 13, beginning in 29 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,039 verse 11. And we're going to consider some 30 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,960 of the characteristics of this second beast as he's introduced 31 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:17,400 us in this prophecy. Revelation 13, verse 11 reads. 32 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,320 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. 33 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,560 It had two horns like a lamb, and it spoke like a dragon. 34 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,720 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its 35 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:34,960 presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the 36 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,400 first beast whose mortal wound was healed. 37 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,680 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from 38 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:47,240 heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it 39 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,680 is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it 40 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:54,640 deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an 41 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:59,520 image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet 42 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:02,400 lived. Let's pray one more time, 43 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:06,880 Father. We believe that what we just 44 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:13,400 read is your voice, and we believe that it is a treasure 45 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:18,560 for our souls. But we also know that our flesh, 46 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:24,040 our carnality, can meddle with what you intend to say. 47 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,920 So we ask for your help. We ask for clarity, We ask for 48 00:03:28,920 --> 00:03:31,840 conviction. We even ask for comfort as we 49 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:33,960 open up these words more carefully. 50 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,920 And we pray that our hearts would be drawn to the person of 51 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,440 Jesus Christ in a more intimate and loving manner. 52 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:43,480 We give you glory and thanks, Lord, Take authority over every 53 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,120 thought, every emotion. Lord, may we receive the pure 54 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:50,120 milk of the Word as your church. In Jesus name we pray. 55 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,280 Amen. Well, the verses that we just 56 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:57,280 read can seem quite daunting, like many portions of the Book 57 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,200 of Revelation, but I think we can simplify what we just read 58 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,840 by breaking these thoughts up into three main sections, if you 59 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:08,080 will. So we're looking at the second 60 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:09,520 beast. We studied the past couple of 61 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:12,520 weeks about the first beast, but now we have this new figure 62 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,440 before us, and I want us to look at three things concerning him. 63 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:18,079 Number one, I want us to consider the identity of the 64 00:04:18,079 --> 00:04:20,120 second beast. Who is he or what is he? 65 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:23,200 Can we know that? Well, we'll find out in a few 66 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,200 moments. So the identity of the beast. 67 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,320 But from there we have to look at the mission of the second 68 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,360 beast. What's his purpose and how does 69 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:33,480 it correlate with the operations of the first beast? 70 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:35,680 Is there a partnership going on here? 71 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,720 Evidently, as we just read, there is. 72 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:40,880 And finally, I don't want us to consider the authority of the 73 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,240 second beast because the miracles that he will be able to 74 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:46,680 perform you cannot ignore. And they mean something. 75 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:51,320 And so let's begin by looking at the identity of the second 76 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,640 beast. It's plainly laid out here in 77 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:55,840 verse 11, is it not? But look again in your Bibles. 78 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:00,920 John begins by saying, then I saw another beast rising out of 79 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,920 the earth. So like the first beast, there 80 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,080 are a lot of opinions about who or what this new beast 81 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:09,680 represents. But the fact that John says he 82 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:16,800 saw another beast helps us know that this character is distinct 83 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:20,880 from the first one, but he is also sharing something in 84 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:22,400 common. That's what the original word 85 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,480 for another actually means. Separate, yet of the same kind. 86 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,720 Why is that important to know What we determine when studying 87 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:32,400 the first beast? That this is primarily speaking 88 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,800 about a person who will be a ruler of an empire. 89 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:37,160 He's a political, military figure. 90 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,600 He's an individual once again. So for now, John, to say that he 91 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:45,840 saw another beast teaches us that we're also looking at 92 00:05:45,840 --> 00:05:49,600 another person. And this will become more clear 93 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,760 as we go on. But what we want to spend more 94 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,760 time here is where this beast comes from. 95 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,560 Did you notice that it's different from the first? 96 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,600 This beast, we're told, comes out of the earth. 97 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:03,840 Where did the first beast come out of the sea? 98 00:06:03,840 --> 00:06:05,640 Very good. Now here's where it gets a 99 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,600 little bit tricky. We also determined that when the 100 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:12,680 first beast came out of the sea, the sea, according to Revelation 101 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,880 and a lot of parts of the Bible, represents the nations. 102 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:19,480 So if the sea represents the nations, then what does it mean 103 00:06:19,480 --> 00:06:21,160 for the second beast to come out of the earth? 104 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,840 Well, we'll see in a moment. Here's 1 popular interpretation. 105 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:30,040 Since the sea, again in Revelation strongly symbolizes 106 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:34,640 peoples and nations and multitudes and languages, this 107 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,400 strongly means that the first beast must be a Gentile. 108 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,880 And when you factor in all these other prophecies about the 109 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,320 Antichrist, you make a very strong case that he is indeed 110 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:49,920 someone who is a Gentile. By way of contrast however, 111 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,880 because the second beast comes from the earth, some claim that 112 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,360 he originates from a more specific location, namely 113 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:00,840 Israel. And the reason for that is 114 00:07:00,840 --> 00:07:03,600 because they'll make a case that the land often in the Bible 115 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:06,480 speaks about Israel, the land, even if it's not specifically 116 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,080 telling you what land it is. That generic term the land can 117 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:14,400 mean Israel, making this individual the second beast of 118 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,560 Jewish descent. Now I'm aware of those who are 119 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:22,360 proponents of this. You will also show and provide 120 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,680 additional sub points that this interpretation is most likely 121 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:28,840 because of things like for example, do you remember when we 122 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,960 studied about the 144,000, we have all these tribes and 12,000 123 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:35,720 coming from each of them. Well one main tribe that's not 124 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,520 mentioned was which tribe Dan, the tribe of Dan. 125 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:42,560 And then when you consider the prophecy about Dan early in 126 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,680 Genesis, that's very ominous. And so some make this 127 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:48,520 connection. Well, Dan is omitted from the 128 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,720 144 who will be redeemed and will represent Christ. 129 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,920 Dan also doesn't get the best kind of descriptions even in the 130 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,520 Old Testament. So could it be that the second 131 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:01,040 beast who comes from the earth actually comes out of this 132 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,960 particular tribe and is therefore of Jewish descent? 133 00:08:04,960 --> 00:08:07,960 Which would make sense to some degree, because how else are you 134 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,400 going to pursue Jews to put their trust in somebody like the 135 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:16,080 Antichrist? It's a very compelling case, 136 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:22,040 however, it's difficult to state it dogmatically due to the lack 137 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,560 of clear scriptural evidence. Therefore, this is a good place 138 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,640 to remind ourselves of something that when a text lacks 139 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,400 scriptural support, we must refrain from making absolute 140 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:35,080 claims. Now we can talk about it, and we 141 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,159 can have different opinions. I mean, for you to identify who 142 00:08:38,159 --> 00:08:40,559 the second beast is, it's very difficult to become a heretic 143 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:42,559 with your opinion, though it's possible. 144 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:47,040 Anything is possible, I guess. We have to be charitable, we 145 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,160 have to be humble, and we have to develop the discipline of 146 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:54,640 seeking to get the answers with the data that is before us. 147 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,680 So if we are simply working with this text, if we're looking at 148 00:08:57,680 --> 00:09:01,480 just what's revealed in the immediate context, what is more 149 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,000 likely being communicated here is that this beast who is going 150 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:12,800 to function as a spiritual and religious figure is not heaven 151 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,720 sent. In other words, the imagery 152 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,520 demonstrates that this powerful persuasive voice that's going to 153 00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:26,680 inspire the world to worship is worldly. 154 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:32,160 He's from below. It reminds me actually what 155 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,960 Jesus said when he distinguished himself from the religious 156 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,640 leaders of his time when he confronted them in John chapter 157 00:09:37,640 --> 00:09:39,080 8. Do you remember what he said in 158 00:09:39,080 --> 00:09:43,440 John 8 verse 23? He said to them, you are from 159 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:51,080 below, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this 160 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,840 world. So for John to receive this 161 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:59,200 description of the second beast from the outset could very well 162 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:01,800 mean that he represents a person who comes from the earth 163 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:05,080 anchoring us, especially as we go on to see what he's going to 164 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,320 perform. He's going to do miracles. 165 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,720 I mean, impressive miracles, not cheap ones. 166 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,200 And it's as though we are being told right away, yes, this man 167 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:19,360 whom you are witnessing is very powerful. 168 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:23,800 He is very persuasive, but remember, he is from the earth. 169 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,800 That's not all there is to the identity of the beast. 170 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:31,720 The second part of verse 11, look at it again with me in your 171 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,480 Bibles. It had two horns like a lamb and 172 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:38,920 it spoke like a dragon. A very different description 173 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:42,040 from the first piece, right? The first beast that John saw, 174 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,400 Terrifying. It was one single creature 175 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,120 made-up of all these different animal details. 176 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,120 It had multiple heads, multiple horns. 177 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:56,520 It just grotesque. And then you come to the second 178 00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,000 beast and we're reading something like a lamb, with very 179 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:06,360 little additional details, much less intimidating, perhaps by 180 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:09,360 way of comparison. Or is it? 181 00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:16,240 Why is the second beast described as lamb like? 182 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Well, because whoever this individual is, he is going to 183 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,720 appear to be innocent, gentle, harmless. 184 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,080 He does possess authority, as symbolized by the horns. 185 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:33,240 Horns of the Bible speak of authority, but not in the same 186 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:37,960 way as the first beast, who had a lot of horns, and he came as a 187 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:41,520 crushing, conquering political dictator. 188 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:46,680 No, the second beast instead has horns, but doesn't have crowns 189 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:48,680 on them. The first piece had crowns, 190 00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:52,840 remember, and that speaks of, again, kingdoms and governments. 191 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:58,160 So whatever authority this lamb has, it's not of political 192 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:02,840 nature. And said he presents himself as 193 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:09,160 meek, as winsome. I mean, he you feel safe around 194 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,840 this lamb in a sense, you're you're secure. 195 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,720 There's a soothing voice to some degree that will bring comfort 196 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:18,160 and assurance to much of the world, especially as it is 197 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:23,080 falling apart. However, all of this will be a 198 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,120 sham. This is all a facade. 199 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:33,040 On the surface the second beast may seem lamb like, but when it 200 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,840 opens its mouth you hear the voice of a dragon. 201 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:41,360 Isn't what we read Now what could that possibly mean? 202 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,360 Can you imagine the sound and the sight looks like a lamb, but 203 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:49,600 when it opens its mouth of the roar of a dragon, it's very 204 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:52,360 simple. We know the Dragons represent 205 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:55,320 Satan, and so here what Here's what this means. 206 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,720 Although this beast comes with a demeanor that seems reliable and 207 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:05,040 trusting and wholesome, his words are from the devil. 208 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:12,280 His message is satanic. He is ultimately energized and 209 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:17,160 possessed by the Evil 1 and I argue he's more terrifying this 210 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:23,920 second beast than the first because of just the Absolute lie 211 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:25,680 that this man will be to the world. 212 00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,640 And he fulfills exactly what the Lord Jesus warned about in 213 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:30,440 Matthew 715. What did he say? 214 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:32,840 He warned. Beware of false prophets. 215 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,680 Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, 216 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,680 but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 217 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,080 And this man will be more than a wolf. 218 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:46,520 He will be a dragon. Again. 219 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:50,000 He's going to be the ultimate false prophet, the last false 220 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,160 prophet, the false prophet of the false prophets, and to the 221 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:58,400 world he will seem like a lamb. And this is a good place to 222 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:00,840 pause and reflect on how Satan works in our world. 223 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:03,760 So far in this vision, we've seen two beasts. 224 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,120 They are different in their characteristics and their 225 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:12,240 functions, yet they are both empowered by Satan. 226 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:18,040 And that tells me how Satan operates even today, like the 227 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:21,640 first beasts who openly blasphemes God, who with a 228 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,080 lethal hatred hunts down Christians to kill them, even 229 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:27,840 who even declares himself to be God. 230 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,080 Satan today, and we're seeing this more and more in our day, 231 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,640 are we not, is becoming less and less subtle. 232 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:37,240 There are times where he manifests himself clearly, 233 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,440 directly. I mean, you're watching award 234 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:46,120 shows now where Satan is being demonstrated and praised. 235 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:54,280 It's open mockery, but like the second beast, Satan also works 236 00:14:55,160 --> 00:15:01,400 in not so obvious ways, and one of the most deceiving ways that 237 00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,960 he masks himself as gentle and inviting and harmless and even 238 00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:08,480 righteous is in the realm of religion and faith. 239 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,760 Have you ever considered in the New Testament how much 240 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,120 Christians, Christians, not the world Christians, are warned 241 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,160 about false teachers? There is a warning in virtually 242 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,720 every New Testament book. Did you know that? 243 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:26,600 You know what that tells me? That tells me that leaders in 244 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,200 the local church should regularly warn the people of God 245 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,800 of people like that, of false teachers. 246 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,920 And that's what I want to do in this brief time, just in the 247 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,360 section here, I want to be able to offer some warning. 248 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,720 I want to be able to offer us some level of discernment to be 249 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:47,240 able to distinguish somebody who is true and somebody who is a 250 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,080 fraud. There are a lot of voices these 251 00:15:51,080 --> 00:15:54,920 days, and the difficulty of false prophets now is that in 252 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:58,200 the in the New Testament, false prophets would have to lurk into 253 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,360 an actual meeting like this and build relationships and then 254 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,440 invite people to their homes or be invited to their homes and 255 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,520 sit with them and spew their lives. 256 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:13,640 Nowadays, they're in your pocket and they have podcasts and they 257 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:18,280 fill arenas and they seem like they perform miracles. 258 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:21,880 And when you hear them, man, they touch your heart. 259 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:24,960 They're the way they are with words, and they even quote 260 00:16:24,960 --> 00:16:28,960 Scripture. It's terrifying to some degree, 261 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,360 but we shouldn't be paranoid. The Bible has been granted us to 262 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:34,360 be deceived. Proof. 263 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:38,080 And here's one of the things that you and I have to develop 264 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:41,280 as a discipline. When anybody teaches in the name 265 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,000 of God, whether on a platform or in a living room or on a screen, 266 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,280 do not make your judgement based on how they look. 267 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,760 You know, false teachers also wear suits and ties. 268 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:58,960 Do not make your judgement on how they sound or how persuasive 269 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:03,360 their words are or how powerful their deeds may be. 270 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:12,599 Instead, listen to what they are saying and evaluate it with 271 00:17:12,599 --> 00:17:17,839 God's Word. Remember, the second beast had 272 00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:22,800 the appearance of a lamb, but when it opens its mouth, it has 273 00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:26,480 the words of Satan. What was the giveaway when the 274 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:32,920 lamb opened its mouth? From the external, from distant 275 00:17:32,920 --> 00:17:40,200 observation, harmless, innocent, cute moment, it began to speak. 276 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,640 It revealed where it actually came from, which tells you and I 277 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,760 that what we have to do in order to be able to identify those who 278 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:53,240 are true from those who are false is listen to the content, 279 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:58,120 listen to the substance of the message, and by God's grace, we 280 00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:03,560 have something to compare it to. You know, there are people who 281 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:08,640 are willing to believe anyone, even their twisted teaching 282 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,880 about the Lord Jesus and the Christian faith, even though it 283 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,360 clearly contradicts God's word, because they seem sincere. 284 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:16,880 All it takes is somebody to seem sincere for people to let their 285 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:21,120 guard down. I mean, when that person talks, 286 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,720 they have tears streaming down their face as they talk about 287 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:28,160 their version of Christ. Certainly there's some 288 00:18:28,160 --> 00:18:30,840 legitimacy here. Certainly they seem genuine. 289 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:39,960 Tears are not the mark of truth. Passion and intensity are not 290 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:42,000 the evidences of somebody being sincere. 291 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,600 It's what they're saying, not how they're saying it. 292 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,840 Actually, I want to invite you to a book of the Bible that 293 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:51,280 shows us this even more in Romans. 294 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:56,600 Look at Romans 16 for a second. Romans 16, verse 18. 295 00:19:07,020 --> 00:19:09,460 Paul warns. This is just one example of how 296 00:19:09,460 --> 00:19:13,940 the apostles, almost in all of their writings admonish 297 00:19:13,940 --> 00:19:19,040 Christians to not be duped. In Romans 16, verse 18, he says, 298 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,920 for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own 299 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:25,440 appetites. Pause for a moment. 300 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,760 There are people who present themselves as teachers, as 301 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,400 missionaries, as miracle workers, and they claim to come 302 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:34,560 in the name of the truth, but they are really serving their 303 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,880 own appetites. You have to understand that just 304 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:39,960 because somebody takes the time to travel somewhere, get up on a 305 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,240 platform, speak through a microphone, doesn't mean that 306 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,600 they come from a humble and truthful place. 307 00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:48,160 There's some people who are manipulating and taking 308 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:54,080 advantage of Christians for their own selfish gain, but 309 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:58,680 their own appetites. And by look at this smooth talk 310 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:03,920 and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. 311 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:06,440 Who are the victims of such false teachers? 312 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:07,960 The naive. What is a naive person? 313 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:09,640 Somebody who lacks wisdom and judgement? 314 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,640 Somebody who's gullible. Somebody who just listens and 315 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:16,160 they, there's no discernment, there's no pushback, there's no 316 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:19,320 questions being asked, there's no evaluation being made. 317 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,080 You know, it's amazing. In Acts chapter 17, when Paul 318 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:27,280 and Silas went to Berea, we're told that the believers in Berea 319 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:30,120 were more noble than the Thessalonians for two reasons. 320 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,600 Because they eagerly received the scriptures. 321 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,320 So there was a hunger. And more than that, they daily 322 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,680 examined the Scriptures to see if what this missionary team was 323 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:41,400 saying was according to the Word of God. 324 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:44,800 So we have a choice as Christians. 325 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,200 We're either going to be noble according to the Holy Spirit 326 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,800 standards or naive. And a naive, they don't go to 327 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:52,520 the Word of God. This is not the ultimate 328 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,600 authority to determine what's true and what's false. 329 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:56,560 Experience is the ultimate authority. 330 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:02,760 Somebody's personality, their charisma, they're supposed 331 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,920 stories of how they have backing to their ministry because look 332 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:08,960 what God did supposedly through me. 333 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:12,840 No, no, no, that's all great, but I got to find out what the 334 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:18,160 Scriptures say and the Holy Spirit crowns the brains with 335 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,240 nobility. Because now here's the thing. 336 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:24,240 I knew some people when I first got saved, that if you went to 337 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:26,840 the Bible to examine what somebody was saying or what a 338 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,480 ministry was all about, you're being religious, you're being 339 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:33,840 legalistic, you're not being open minded. 340 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:36,360 You can say what you want. I want to be noble according to 341 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:39,840 God's standards. What does God's word have to 342 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:43,640 say? And so we can either be naive or 343 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:46,840 we can be noble. Now this is what's so 344 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,280 interesting. They, they speak with smooth 345 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:51,160 words. There's flattery going on here, 346 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:54,280 but what makes them false? Go back to verse 17, the verse 347 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,200 right before this, Paul writes, I appeal to you, brothers, to 348 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,280 watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles 349 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:05,280 contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. 350 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,000 Avoid them over and over in different ways. 351 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,120 It's it's the same mark of difference. 352 00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:13,760 What makes somebody false ultimately is that what they're 353 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,760 saying is contrary to the doctrine that you've known 354 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:22,280 that's been provided to us. So move through all the smooth 355 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:28,280 talk, all the powerful oratory skills, and listen to what is 356 00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:31,320 being communicated. Doesn't honor doesn't line up 357 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:36,640 with the Bible. And if it doesn't, especially 358 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,040 with the black and white of doctrine, they're dangerous. 359 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,840 They're either willfully ignorant or they're untrained, 360 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:47,480 and they shouldn't be teaching in the first place. 361 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,840 And I know there is more to learn about how to identify 362 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,280 false teachers, but for now, we have to ask the Lord for the 363 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:01,480 discipline to investigate the material of what's being said, 364 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:07,000 not the method to look for the substance of what's being said, 365 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,000 Not for sight, and not for even signs. 366 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:13,440 God help us. There are some people who are so 367 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:17,040 caught up in signs and wonders. I believe that God can do 368 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:21,280 miracles, but miracles alone do not determine if something is 369 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:24,480 true. This second beast is going to 370 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,200 perform miracles. And I'm afraid for professing 371 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,680 Christians who make their whole Christianity about 372 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:33,040 manifestations are setting themselves up for great danger 373 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:40,000 today and tomorrow. This lamb, like man, appears 374 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,200 true, and he will even perform miracles, and it will dam people 375 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:47,680 to hell for eternity. Which brings us to our second 376 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:49,320 thought. We looked at the identity of the 377 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:50,640 beast. But let's look at the mission of 378 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:52,400 the beast. Come back to Revelation 13 for a 379 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:56,640 moment and look again at verse 12. 380 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:02,080 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its 381 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:07,520 presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the 382 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,600 first beast whose mortal wound was healed. 383 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:14,280 So you've been hearing me say from the beginning of this 384 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:16,640 message that whoever the second beast is, he's going to be a 385 00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:18,160 false prophet. But is there anything in 386 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:19,920 Scripture that explicitly states that? 387 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:21,640 And I'm here to tell you, yes, there is. 388 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,160 But before we look at these Scriptures, be mindful of us. 389 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,120 Remember this. That's so far in this amazing, 390 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:29,720 captivating vision. We've been learning about 391 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,200 different figures. Number one, the dragon who is 392 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,600 Satan. Then we've seen the first beast 393 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,840 who is the Antichrist, and now we come to the second beast, 394 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:41,760 who's the final figure in this vision. 395 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:46,320 And I want to show you how he is not only labeled as a false 396 00:24:46,320 --> 00:24:51,000 prophet, but the false prophet. So are you there in Revelation? 397 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:59,760 Travel with me to chapter 16 and look at verse 13, Revelation 16, 398 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:03,000 verse 13. And I saw coming out of the 399 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,200 mouth of the dragon. We looked at him before, right? 400 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:07,920 And out of the mouth of the beast. 401 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,680 We saw him already, didn't we? Who do you expect to be 402 00:25:10,680 --> 00:25:12,840 announced next? The second beast, right? 403 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,400 But notice what it says. And out of the mouth of the 404 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:21,040 false prophet 3 unclean spirits like frogs. 405 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:27,920 Go to chapter 19, verse 20. This is in a text that describes 406 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:30,920 what will take place when Christ actually returns, physically 407 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,920 returns to the world. And it says here in Revelation 408 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,600 1920. And the beast was captured, and 409 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,640 with it the false prophet, who in its presence had done the 410 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:44,240 signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the 411 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:46,360 beast and those who worshipped its image. 412 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:51,880 These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with 413 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,360 sulfur. So again, now we are 414 00:25:53,360 --> 00:25:57,080 reintroduced to the beast, and not just the second beast, but 415 00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:00,480 the false prophet, the function of the second beast. 416 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,680 And notice that they were thrown alive in the lake of fire. 417 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:06,760 So these two figures are more than institutions. 418 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:10,840 They are not just movements, they are individuals. 419 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,160 I hope that's clear. Let's look at one more thing. 420 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:21,560 Go to chapter 20, verse 10. And the devil who had deceived 421 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:25,560 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfa where the beast 422 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:30,720 and the false prophet were. And they will be tormented day 423 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:37,240 and night, forever and ever. These are texts, in my opinion, 424 00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:40,080 that make it very difficult to see how these truths have been 425 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:43,520 fulfilled in the past, among many things that we've already 426 00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,080 seen in Revelation. It's only going to get more 427 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,360 complicated for those who hold to a different view other than 428 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:50,880 the futurist interpretation. But here's what we want to 429 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,080 establish. This beast is the false prophet. 430 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:58,120 Right now, what makes a false prophet false is that they 431 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:02,760 propagate a false message. So we have to now examine and 432 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:06,320 try to understand what is the agenda that he's going to be 433 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,440 pushing? What is the campaign that he's 434 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,640 going to be promoting? And it's very simple. 435 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,520 Verse 12 tells us back in chapter 13 that he makes the 436 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:17,040 earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast. 437 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:24,440 So he's going to step on the scene in order to convince the 438 00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:28,880 world to not just serve the first beast, not just honor the 439 00:27:28,880 --> 00:27:31,320 first beast, but to actually worship him. 440 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:36,080 You think that's crazy? Worship a man. 441 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:39,840 We'll do a little bit of research in history and and 442 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,640 you'll discover that there are empires and there are forms of 443 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:48,320 government, especially those that are authoritarian and 444 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,880 dictator like where it doesn't take very long for the ruler of 445 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:57,160 that movement to be deified. So this is nothing new. 446 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,400 This isn't so far fetched, but here's what's so amazing to me. 447 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:04,560 This second beast who is known as the false prophet now as he 448 00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:10,520 comes into this vision, completes a picture reminding us 449 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:16,840 of how Satan seeks to imitate the true God to the extent that 450 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:20,120 he even wants to mimic the triune nature of our God. 451 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:24,520 We serve a God who is 1 but is also Father, Son and Holy 452 00:28:24,520 --> 00:28:27,480 Spirit. And now with this second beast 453 00:28:27,480 --> 00:28:32,720 before us, we can determine that Satan is so desperate, so vile, 454 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:38,600 so creepy that he even wants to imitate the Tri unity of the 455 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,640 true God. Think about it. 456 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:45,560 You have the dragon who empowers the Antichrist. 457 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:49,440 Now that dragon is like an anti father, the Antichrist, I'm sure 458 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:53,040 it's clear he is going to be essentially the devil Incarnate. 459 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:57,960 He is obviously an anti Christ anti son of God. 460 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,680 And now we read about this second beast who were told is 461 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:07,720 the false prophet and his job is to do what point people and 462 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:12,280 promote the worship of the Antichrist, A counterfeit Holy 463 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,880 Spirit. So what we have here in this 464 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:22,280 vision is the satanic Trinity, a false father, a false son, a 465 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,720 false Holy Spirit. Do you remember what Jesus said 466 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:29,000 when He described the main role of the Holy Spirit in John 16 467 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:32,840 verse 14? He said He will glorify me, for 468 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,160 He will take what is mine and declare it to you. 469 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:37,600 That's what He said about the Holy Spirit. 470 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:39,840 By the way, pause. Do you want to know if the Holy 471 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:44,400 Spirit is in a church? See how much that church 472 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:46,680 elevates and exalts Jesus Christ? 473 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,600 That's what he does. He he wants to glorify Christ. 474 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,160 He wants to help people love him and adore Him and serve him. 475 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,600 That's his duty. That's his job, and he gladly 476 00:29:57,600 --> 00:29:59,240 does it. Do you want to know the Holy 477 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:03,760 Spirit is working in your life? You will love Christ more and 478 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:08,600 more and more. That's the way I know when the 479 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,120 Holy Spirit is really in a person or through a ministry or 480 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,320 through the preacher. How much do you make of Christ? 481 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,120 Because Jesus himself said he will glorify me. 482 00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:22,720 And in a sick, evil way, this false prophet will attempt to 483 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,760 copy the work of the Holy Spirit by trying trying to draw the 484 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:29,720 allegiance and the affections of the inhabitants of the world 485 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:36,920 toward the Antichrist. And his ambition to do so will 486 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:42,080 will receive great momentum because of the miracle that we 487 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:43,760 looked at. Remember last week where this 488 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,760 Antichrist will apparently be assassinated, but he will also 489 00:30:47,920 --> 00:30:51,360 seem to have raised from the dead a resurrection esque type 490 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:54,960 of miracle. And that miracle, remember when 491 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,160 we opened this message and read the verses that we're focusing 492 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:03,120 on brings up, it comes to our attention more than once in 493 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:06,920 order to show us that this false prophet is going to utilize that 494 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:10,920 event to convince the masses, hey, this Antichrist is more 495 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,200 than he's more than human. He's divine. 496 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,160 He was able to conquer death. Have you seen our world in 497 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:19,840 recent history, all the people that are succumbed to disease 498 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,960 and devastation and the sword? Well, here you have a man here 499 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,640 who was able to evade death, conquer death. 500 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:29,840 Is he not worthy of our worship? This is how he's going to talk. 501 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,760 He's going to be so compelling. He's going to be so, so, so 502 00:31:33,760 --> 00:31:35,400 convincing. He's going to be such a joy to 503 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:38,720 listen to, and more and more people are going to believe his 504 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:40,560 message, not just enjoy what he has to say. 505 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:47,360 So what we have here is in fact a remarkable demonstration of 506 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:50,360 the devil seeking to be like God in every way possible. 507 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:53,160 And before long, all of this will culminate in A1 world 508 00:31:53,160 --> 00:31:57,400 religion. So alongside the one world 509 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:01,600 government that the Antichrist will establish, there will also 510 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:05,400 be this effort in the final years of human history to gather 511 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,320 people for a global unity of spirituality. 512 00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,640 And the Antichrist will be the focal point of man's worship. 513 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:17,800 And these detailed predictions are fascinating, are they not? 514 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:20,480 We're going to learn more about this One world religion. 515 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:24,800 And by the way, we're seeing it entertained now. 516 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:27,920 There are leaders of sex and different religion who are 517 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,640 trying to convince and promote this idea of just let's just 518 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,920 all, we all serve the same God, you know, are you of the 519 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:35,960 Abrahamic faith? Yes. 520 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:37,560 It just all goes back to the same root. 521 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,120 And there's going to be this push, this ecumenical idea of 522 00:32:40,120 --> 00:32:42,640 let's all gather, let's, this is going to be the source of our 523 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:46,000 unity and peace in the world. And it's been unsuccessful so 524 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,040 far. But at this point, it's actually 525 00:32:48,040 --> 00:32:50,360 going to reach a point where it's going to happen. 526 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:52,840 The world's going to agree to this. 527 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:57,240 So you have a one world government and without a one 528 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:03,520 world religion. As we go to Chapter 17 in the 529 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:04,960 coming weeks, we'll look more into that. 530 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,000 But for now, you know what gripped me as I was studying 531 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,440 this the other night? That even with everything 532 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,840 happening in the tribulation period, disasters and all these 533 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,960 different things, man will still be preoccupied with worship. 534 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:23,200 That moved me, That moved me. You know why? 535 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:26,240 Because it says something about human nature that there is 536 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:29,040 something innate in each of us that desires to worship someone 537 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,840 or something. There's this yearning for to, 538 00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:33,720 to, to, to touch the transcendent. 539 00:33:34,320 --> 00:33:37,080 I'll never forget this when I was in college, they gave the 540 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:42,480 Christian group in that campus such a difficult time to start a 541 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:44,920 campus ministry and to be very public about it. 542 00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,000 I remember it so clearly because I wanted to be a part of it. 543 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,840 And as Christians on that campus, we're getting together 544 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,960 to try to talk and discuss and, you know, sit with a program 545 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:56,040 coordinators and whoever was in charge behind the scenes. 546 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,640 I remember this in the cafeteria speaking to one of the young 547 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:02,360 adults at the time, my young adult pastor actually. 548 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:05,840 And when we had left talking about the plans for the campus, 549 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:12,040 I looked behind me in the cafeteria were these lineups of 550 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:14,520 students. And it caught my attention. 551 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,159 So I went to go look into it. My young adult's pastor at the 552 00:34:17,159 --> 00:34:20,320 time left at that point. And what I realized is that the, 553 00:34:20,639 --> 00:34:25,280 the, the school had invited fortune tellers and they had 554 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,199 four or five tables of fortune tellers with tarot cards and 555 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:32,880 they had kids lined up to have their future interpreted and 556 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:35,800 read. I was curious, so I went up to 557 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:37,760 the the table there. I says, how do I sign up? 558 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:39,679 I didn't do it. I just said, I want to know. 559 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:44,760 They said, sorry, Sir, we have a wait list and we have people 560 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,639 giving their number so we can text them once they're ready to 561 00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:48,440 come up. What is that? 562 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,040 I'll tell you what it is. People are hungry for the 563 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,840 supernatural people. People have this instinct, 564 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:59,480 knowledge that there's something beyond the material world, and 565 00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:01,640 there's this longing for people to even worship. 566 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,360 And here's the fundamental problem that worship is often 567 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:09,160 misdirected, and the Bible calls that idolatry. 568 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:15,560 Only the true God deserves our ultimate, our devotion, our 569 00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:17,440 obedience. And if we don't offer it to him, 570 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:21,080 we will inevitably give it to someone or something else, even 571 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:26,320 ourselves. So my question for us this 572 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:29,720 afternoon is, do you worship? But what do you worship? 573 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:34,800 And who do you worship? Where is your greatest affection 574 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:38,280 set? Where do you find your ultimate 575 00:35:38,280 --> 00:35:41,800 meaning? What determines your purpose? 576 00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:45,160 And ask yourself even this, what is the supreme authority that 577 00:35:45,160 --> 00:35:49,080 determines my decisions? The answers to those questions 578 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:52,800 will identify for you the object of your worship. 579 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:57,320 And it's either the true God as revealed in the Bible or an 580 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:02,440 idol. And in this time you will have 581 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:04,960 people, the future we're looking at right in this book, who will 582 00:36:04,960 --> 00:36:09,240 be preoccupied with worship because we are all created to 583 00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:13,240 worship and we have the choice to either worship the truth or 584 00:36:13,240 --> 00:36:15,440 something that is false to our own spiritual peril. 585 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:21,240 So the mission of the second beast is to inspire worship for 586 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:26,040 a false Christ who offer false promises, false salvation, false 587 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:28,160 miracles, and many will believe him. 588 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:31,880 Let's consider now the authority of the second beast. 589 00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:35,520 In the last two verses of the text that we read, it says here 590 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:39,560 in verse 13 of Revelation 13, it performs great signs, even 591 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,920 making fire come down from heaven to the earth in front of 592 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,680 people. And by the signs that it is 593 00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:48,360 allowed, you got to highlight that part that it is allowed to 594 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:49,680 work in the presence of the beast. 595 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,320 It deceives those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make 596 00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:55,160 an image of the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet 597 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:56,880 lived. So this false prophet will not 598 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,720 only manipulate the masses with his his language and his words, 599 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:05,280 not only will he continually point to and make a case from 600 00:37:05,280 --> 00:37:08,440 this incredible event, this resurrection type miracle that 601 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:14,040 the Antichrist will experience and showcase on top of it, he's 602 00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:19,040 going to perform miracles. Astounding ones, impressive 603 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:22,400 ones. And I understand that some 604 00:37:22,400 --> 00:37:25,040 people who come to a text like this have these dominant 605 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,320 questions. Is this, is this genuine? 606 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,680 Are these fake? Are these just a show? 607 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:35,120 This is just a sleight of hand kind of thing. 608 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:41,600 And if it is real, then how how do we explain God allowing these 609 00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:45,400 type of demonic individuals perform levels of miracles on on 610 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:46,960 par with his supernatural ability? 611 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:48,480 And those are legitimate questions. 612 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,720 And the answer is deeper than, well, Satan is a supernatural 613 00:37:52,720 --> 00:37:54,560 being. He's the really the the puppet 614 00:37:54,560 --> 00:37:57,480 master behind all this. So he's energizing them to 615 00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,160 perform these kind of things. I think it's much more profound. 616 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:04,520 And here's the answer. God, God is allowing as we just 617 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:09,760 read it, is allowing them to perform such mighty things as an 618 00:38:09,760 --> 00:38:12,040 act of judgement on the world. That's the answer. 619 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,200 And that's exactly how the apostle Paul explains it. 620 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,840 So here's our final text today in Second Thessalonians in 621 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:24,280 chapter 2. I want you to see how he gives 622 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:28,600 commentary on what we're reading here in Revelation 13 in chapter 623 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:30,600 2 of Second Thessalonians verse 9. 624 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:39,960 Paul writes the coming of a lawless 1 is by the activity of 625 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:45,280 Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all 626 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,640 wicked deception for those who are perishing because they 627 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,800 refuse to love the truth and so be saved. 628 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:54,480 Verse 11 is the main one that we want to look at. 629 00:38:55,280 --> 00:39:00,560 Therefore God, not Satan, not the false prophet, not the 630 00:39:00,560 --> 00:39:03,880 Antichrist. Therefore God sends them a 631 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:09,240 strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order 632 00:39:09,240 --> 00:39:12,200 that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but 633 00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:15,760 had pleasure in unrighteousness. You have to be very careful with 634 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:17,680 a text like this. I've seen people use it to 635 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:21,920 accuse the character of God. It does not say that God sends a 636 00:39:21,920 --> 00:39:26,640 strong delusion on just anybody. It isn't just arbitrarily 637 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:32,120 deceive or allow deception, rather to claim people, it says 638 00:39:32,120 --> 00:39:35,200 that he sends a strong delusion. Delusion on those who refuse to 639 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:41,280 love the truth and so be saved. On those who do not believe the 640 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:43,760 truth but had taken pleasure in unrighteousness. 641 00:39:44,240 --> 00:39:48,080 And the context of this passage is of the last days speaking 642 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:52,920 about what's to come. Which means that after all that 643 00:39:52,920 --> 00:39:56,400 the Lord will do leading up to the culmination of the age we've 644 00:39:56,400 --> 00:39:58,280 been looking at in Revelation, the miracles, the 645 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:02,200 manifestations, the obvious display of God's existence 646 00:40:02,360 --> 00:40:05,680 unlike any other period, unlike any other era. 647 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:09,720 Despite all of that, God will be met with persistent rejection, 648 00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:17,080 and it will reach a point where he will finally determine if you 649 00:40:17,080 --> 00:40:18,640 want to be in darkness that badly. 650 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:22,240 If you want to deny me, I won't convict you anymore. 651 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:24,960 I won't manifest myself to you anymore. 652 00:40:25,520 --> 00:40:27,040 Do you? You want to be in your sin. 653 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,080 You want to obey falsehood? Here you go. 654 00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:35,640 I will let you believe a false Messiah and a false prophet to 655 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:40,120 your own destruction. He's not the author of this 656 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:43,160 section, but he is a sovereign one who allows it to come like a 657 00:40:43,160 --> 00:40:47,960 flood upon a generation. More specifically, who have spat 658 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:53,080 in his face despite his incredible efforts to save them. 659 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:59,600 Now, I can imagine how some might use a passage like this to 660 00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,400 accuse God of being cruel. And if you're somebody here 661 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,680 sitting and listening and thinking something like that, I 662 00:41:06,680 --> 00:41:07,920 want to challenge your accusation. 663 00:41:08,920 --> 00:41:10,920 I want to challenge your accusation by asking how can you 664 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:16,480 charge God of being wrong for simply giving people what they 665 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:21,040 want? You know, it's amazing you have 666 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:24,160 some that no matter what God does with humanity, he's to 667 00:41:24,160 --> 00:41:27,440 blame for something, right? So if he convicts you of 668 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:32,160 unrighteousness, if he shines the light in your life while you 669 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:36,680 are in the dark, people who don't want to be convicted say, 670 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:40,920 well, you're unloving. Who are you to say that this is 671 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:43,440 true and this is false, this is right and this is wrong, this is 672 00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:47,680 good and this is evil. And if he lets you live in the 673 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:53,160 deception that you want to die for, well, he's unjust and he's 674 00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:57,320 unfair and he's mean. So no matter what way you look 675 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:58,600 at it, God always gets the blame. 676 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:04,600 This is how evil we are. There's a time coming, as I 677 00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:10,640 said, that God will allow these people to have a freedom to 678 00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,760 unveil evil unlike any other point. 679 00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,440 And it will be, to some degree, a manifestation of God's 680 00:42:17,440 --> 00:42:21,160 judgement upon a generation who have already determined we don't 681 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:25,520 want to be saved. We want our sin, We want our 682 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:28,640 falsehood. We hate you and we deny you 683 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:31,560 completely. OK, if that's what you 684 00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:36,360 determined, here's another Messiah and here's another false 685 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,520 prophet, and here's another message of salvation that will 686 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:45,640 not save you, but condemn you. God will send a strong delusion, 687 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:47,360 and that's what we're reading about in Revelation 13. 688 00:42:47,360 --> 00:42:51,200 It will be so strong that this false prophet will even convince 689 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,240 the world. All right, let's now make an 690 00:42:54,240 --> 00:42:59,440 image of this beast like Nebuchadnezzar when he created 691 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:02,480 that statue of himself and demanded all his subjects to 692 00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:05,120 worship it. History repeats itself. 693 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:10,200 This Antichrist will gladly welcome the creative idea from 694 00:43:10,200 --> 00:43:12,280 the false prophet to have an image raised. 695 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:14,680 We're going to see what's going to happen with this image next 696 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:15,640 week. But for now, I want us to 697 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:17,320 meditate on something. As we come to this table. 698 00:43:17,720 --> 00:43:22,360 We read how God will send a strong delusion, but that's not 699 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:26,400 his heart. Before God will send a strong 700 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,680 delusion, He has already sent something much more wonderful, 701 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:34,680 and it's his Son Jesus. That's his heart. 2000 years 702 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:36,840 ago. He sent mercy, He sent grace, He 703 00:43:36,840 --> 00:43:40,960 sent love, He sent the payment for all of our deeds, all of our 704 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:42,680 wrongdoings, all of our rebellion. 705 00:43:42,960 --> 00:43:49,000 God sent a rescue mission on our behalf in the person of Jesus 706 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:50,840 Christ. He took on flesh and He allowed 707 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,600 evil men to do what they wanted with him. 708 00:43:53,920 --> 00:43:57,840 Not that he lost control. He laid down his life willingly 709 00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:02,880 knowing that He would be able to absorb all the wrath that rests 710 00:44:02,880 --> 00:44:07,160 on your head and mine as He was elevated to that tree. 711 00:44:07,960 --> 00:44:11,840 He was not just a mere martyr. He was not a victim of the 712 00:44:11,840 --> 00:44:14,560 religious corrupt system or the Roman Empire. 713 00:44:14,800 --> 00:44:18,440 This was all preordained. This was all established from 714 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:22,440 from eternity past within the Tri unity of our God. 715 00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:26,240 Coming up with the ultimate plan of salvation that would deem 716 00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:28,960 would redeem any man who would simply humble themselves and 717 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:34,120 realize Jesus on that tree took my place and he paid the price 718 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:38,600 and He lived out my obedience and he, he laid down his life to 719 00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:45,320 receive God's judgement. Why did he do all that as an 720 00:44:45,320 --> 00:44:49,720 invitation for you and I to see his love and also to receive him 721 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:51,800 personally. Here's my final question. 722 00:44:51,800 --> 00:44:55,120 I've asked a lot today. Do you know Jesus? 723 00:44:57,240 --> 00:45:00,400 You know, although that passage in Second Thessalonians is a 724 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:04,200 prediction of what's to come, it also carries principle for 725 00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:06,040 today. It is a very dangerous thing to 726 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:09,200 constantly be exposed to the truth and swatted away. 727 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:13,360 You're not doing your heart any good. 728 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,520 In fact, you were setting yourself up to become even more 729 00:45:17,520 --> 00:45:21,520 and more and more hardened. And I don't want anybody to 730 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:23,000 think here that I'm manipulating anybody. 731 00:45:23,720 --> 00:45:26,120 I want you to understand this is what the Scripture warns. 732 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:30,320 If you hear His voice today, today is a day of salvation. 733 00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:33,120 If you sense throughout this message, especially this last 734 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:35,640 part, your heart being cut, there's something coming alive 735 00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:37,920 in you where you realize there's something true about this. 736 00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:40,240 I don't know all the details, but I know that there is a God. 737 00:45:40,240 --> 00:45:42,720 I know that I'm sinful, and you're telling me that this God 738 00:45:42,720 --> 00:45:44,280 loved me so much that he died for me. 739 00:45:46,800 --> 00:45:51,560 If you sense that prompting, don't silence it, don't ignore 740 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:52,680 it. Respond to it. 741 00:45:53,240 --> 00:45:58,200 Respond to it, investigate it, question it in a good way, look 742 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:03,400 into it, don't dismiss it. Because when people constantly 743 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:06,360 suppress that conviction, they make themselves more right for 744 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:10,760 deception. Believer, you and I are here 745 00:46:10,760 --> 00:46:14,680 today to understand and remind ourselves with this table before 746 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:20,200 us that God so loved us. He took on flesh and He shed His 747 00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:22,880 blood. And you were sitting here today, 748 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:26,560 if you put your faith in this message as totally forgiven 749 00:46:27,240 --> 00:46:30,560 forever and ever, and all these warnings about deception and 750 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:33,560 false messiahs and people being tricked, that doesn't apply to 751 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:35,840 you. You've been delivered from that. 752 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:39,960 And you and I stand as the children of God for all of 753 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:43,000 eternity because of His grace. Let's celebrate that together. 754 00:46:43,160 --> 00:46:46,000 Amen. Lord, we thank you for this 755 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,040 word. We thank you for these elements 756 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,280 as we now turn our attention upon this wonderful ordinance. 757 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:54,960 Awaken love in our hearts for the person of Christ, for the 758 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:57,600 person who doesn't know you. May they be introduced to you by 759 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:00,840 the power of your Holy Spirit, and may they bend the knee to 760 00:47:00,840 --> 00:47:03,920 the true Messiah. This afternoon we ask these 761 00:47:03,920 --> 00:47:06,120 things in Jesus name, Amen.