1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:04,880 Amen. Well, let's turn on our Bibles 2 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,240 now to the Book of Revelation chapter 13. 3 00:00:07,800 --> 00:00:12,680 Revelation chapter 13. Today, by the grace of God, we 4 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,200 are going to continue to explore the five. 5 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:20,840 Insights concerning the career of the beast, This beast who 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:25,520 represents a coming world ruler who will seek to eradicate 7 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:29,880 what's left of Christian witness while deceiving the masses just 8 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,640 before the return of Christ. And last week we spent our time 9 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,520 together meditating on the 1st characteristic of the 10 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,680 Antichrist, the fact that he will be a global political 11 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:44,880 leader unlike anyone in all of history. 12 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:48,520 And the reason for this individual's unprecedented 13 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,880 authority is because, according to the Bible, he was empowered 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:59,440 by Satan unlike anybody else in the past, to the extent that he 15 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,480 is granted authority over all nations, all tribes, all 16 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:08,160 languages, all peoples. And this beast, as you heard, is 17 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:12,600 also known as the Antichrist. He's a powerful figure that the 18 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:16,640 Scripture not only predicts will emerge on the world stage to 19 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:20,520 oppose Christ, but more importantly, he will actually 20 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,800 seek to replace Christ. He will present himself as 21 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:29,160 humanity, savior, and deliver. And he will promise them hope. 22 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,400 He will grant them so many things that will persuade them 23 00:01:33,960 --> 00:01:38,160 to the point of worship. And for the rest of this 24 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,920 afternoon, I want us to consider the four remaining 25 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,800 characteristics of this fascinating character, the 26 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,680 career of this beast. And as we meditate on these 27 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:49,160 things, we will certainly be challenged. 28 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,720 We will be encouraged at the same time. 29 00:01:51,440 --> 00:01:53,720 So if you were with us last week, you remember that in 30 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:58,280 Revelation 13 one and two, we have a vivid description of this 31 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,400 man and how he will emerge as a global leader. 32 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:05,040 But the second characteristic is found in verse 3. 33 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:09,199 So let's read from verse one through verse 3 to recapture the 34 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:13,360 scene together. Revelation 13 verse one reads 35 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:19,960 and I saw a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven 36 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:24,680 heads, with 10 didem on its horns and blasphemous names on 37 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,360 its heads. And the beast that I saw was 38 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,760 like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's. 39 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:35,640 And its mouth was like a lion's mouth, and to it the dragon gave 40 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:39,720 his power and his throne and great authority. 41 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:43,720 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but it's mortal 42 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:49,120 wound was healed and the whole earth marvelled as they followed 43 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:55,280 the beast. Father, we pause to pray because 44 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:57,800 we humble ourselves in your presence, acknowledging that 45 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,160 with a text like this, we need Your help. 46 00:03:00,640 --> 00:03:03,200 We need your help with every part of Your word, but 47 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,880 especially in a chapter that is often misunderstood, 48 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:13,560 misinterpreted, misapplied. So Lord, keep us safe and help 49 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,760 us know You through these verses. 50 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,600 Move our hearts to the worship of the true God and may every 51 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:27,400 other rival in our lives lose their power and may you have 52 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:30,640 ultimate and total devotion from us. 53 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:34,280 We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen. 54 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:42,360 Let me remind you, the first insight concerning the career of 55 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:44,720 this beast is that he will be a global leader. 56 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:47,840 The second one is found here in verse 3. 57 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:53,320 And it can be summarized in this He will perform false miracles. 58 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,360 He will perform false miracles. Now, it's likely that the 59 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,160 acceptance of this beast will be because of his charm, his 60 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,160 charisma, his overall attractiveness. 61 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:07,240 He's going to again come to the world. 62 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:12,480 He's going to arrive on the global scene when the nations 63 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:16,120 are in great turmoil, when there seems to be a lack of competent 64 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:19,640 leadership, when there seems to be no answers, when governments 65 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:24,160 will fail and fail and fail with no hope insight. 66 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,240 And so he will come. When the world is in chaos, 67 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,080 especially during the tribulation period, he will seem 68 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,600 to have the answers. He will even perhaps bring some 69 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:39,200 solution to small scale issues. But there will be 1 event, a 70 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:43,680 significant occurrence that will lock in the allegiance of the 71 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,640 world and bring it to a dangerous extreme. 72 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,920 And verse 3, we're told what that event will be. 73 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:58,080 Sounds like a supposed miracle. And the miracle looks like it 74 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:05,520 will be a resurrection, that something will take place that 75 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:10,440 will lead to a mortal wound, but it will be healed, and it will 76 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,200 be healed to a degree that it will cause the world to be 77 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,720 absolutely stunned by what they see and they hear. 78 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,400 Now, there is some debate about what this mortal wound means, 79 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,080 the fact that one of the heads of the beast will be afflicted 80 00:05:25,280 --> 00:05:29,000 and that it will be restored. Some would say that this is not 81 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,960 speaking about an individual being assaulted or attacked, but 82 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,600 it looks like it's actually an empire or a government that will 83 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,960 fall and then rise again. And the reason for that 84 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,840 conclusion is because the beast with these characteristics like 85 00:05:43,840 --> 00:05:46,920 the horns and the heads refer to such things depending on the 86 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,920 context. So some are satisfied in saying 87 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,880 this is not actually talking about a person that will be 88 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:57,120 afflicted, but a system or an organization or a state or a 89 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:02,160 nation that will seem to have fallen but will again gain life 90 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:06,000 and rise to power once more. And some would say that is 91 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,080 speaking about the Roman Empire specifically. 92 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:12,840 And though that is true in some case, we have to remember that 93 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:16,560 the beast here, yes, represents a system, but it is also 94 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:21,360 embodied in a person, just like many empires in the past have 95 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,960 been inseparably linked to its rulers, especially if they are a 96 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:28,600 dictator. And the way that the stunning 97 00:06:28,600 --> 00:06:33,080 event is repeated in this chapter solidifies the 98 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,320 interpretation that what will happen in verse 3 will happen to 99 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:40,960 a singular person. So if you're still there, Scroll 100 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:42,920 down to verse 12 of Revelation 13. 101 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:48,400 At this point, we're going to see another beast arise, but 102 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,040 we'll see that next week. But notice a description in this 103 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,080 verse about the first beast, the one that we've been studying 104 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:55,160 about in verse 12. It reads. 105 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,680 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its 106 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:03,880 presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the 107 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:07,400 first beast whose mortal wound was healed. 108 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,600 Look at verse 14. And by the signs that it was 109 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,880 allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those 110 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,240 who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast 111 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,840 that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 112 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,480 So whatever this wound is, it's very important to the Holy 113 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:29,760 Spirit for us to know about. It's repeated several times in 114 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,920 this close section of Scripture, but in the verses that we just 115 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,880 read, we have helpful clarification. 116 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,520 The fact that this beast is worshipped strongly suggests 117 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,480 that we are being told about an individual, not about a 118 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:47,360 collective group of people or an ideology or government. 119 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:50,360 A person seems to be worshipped here. 120 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:54,520 Additionally, this other beast that's going to emerge is going 121 00:07:54,520 --> 00:08:00,200 to cause people to worship the image of the beast, the image of 122 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:02,680 a beast. And that seems to make more 123 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:07,880 sense if this image is about a singular person, a person who is 124 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:11,400 ruling this powerful empire. And if that's not convincing 125 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:14,080 enough, there is a striking parallel between the phrase that 126 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,080 we read in verse 3 and another portion of Scripture elsewhere 127 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:20,080 in Revelation. So go back to verse 3 again. 128 00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:26,760 Look at the opening words. One of its heads seemed to have 129 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,880 a mortal wound. Now the NASB version, especially 130 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,840 the 1 from 1995, renders the same phrase in the following 131 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:40,320 way. And I saw one of his heads as if 132 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:42,880 it had. Been slain? 133 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:48,800 Does that sound familiar to you? As if it had been slain it 134 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,840 should. Because it is a description that 135 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:57,560 John receives and gives about a vision that he had of Christ 136 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:01,160 back in Revelation 5. In case you forgot, go back to 137 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:03,720 that chapter. Look at verse 6 of Revelation 5 138 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,360 and notice what is said about the Lamb who clearly represents 139 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:12,640 the Son of God. And Revelation 5-6 it reads. 140 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,200 And between the throne and the four living creatures, and among 141 00:09:15,200 --> 00:09:21,560 the elders I saw a lamb standing as though it had been what, 142 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:27,200 slain with 7 horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven 143 00:09:27,200 --> 00:09:29,240 spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 144 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:35,160 So the fact that this expression is used for a singular person in 145 00:09:35,160 --> 00:09:39,520 this context, which represents Christ, strongly suggests that 146 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:42,080 it's also referring to a person, a single individual in 147 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:46,920 Revelation 13, especially if that person in Revelation 13 is 148 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:53,400 wanting to imitate Christ. And that is precisely what this 149 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:58,640 snapshot is about. The Antichrist, who will be 150 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,000 possessed by the devil, whose ambition at this point in 151 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,360 history will do everything that he can to extinguish the light 152 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,480 of the gospel in the world and deceive the world into eternal 153 00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:16,520 destruction, will achieve this in great part by posing as 154 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:19,960 Christ to the extent that he will pull off a stunt, A 155 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:24,800 resurrection like performance. Now we don't know exactly how 156 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:28,120 that's going to play out, but we do know this, that it will be 157 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:31,520 some type of assassination. How do we know that? 158 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,840 Because we read it in verse 14 of Revelation 13, that he was 159 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,040 wounded by what? By a sword? 160 00:10:37,800 --> 00:10:42,080 So he was attacked by a weapon. He was targeted. 161 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:45,640 And this will be something recognized by all. 162 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,440 So let's just use our imagination here for a moment. 163 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,200 I want you to envision a popular political figure. 164 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:57,760 He seems promising. He's winsome, he's attractive, 165 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:03,720 He's gaining more traction, he's winning the trust of most 166 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,120 people. And all of a sudden he is 167 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,840 attacked and he's attacked to such a point where it looked 168 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:15,120 like it was fatal. And so again, this is not 169 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:17,360 spelled out. This is not the script that I'm 170 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:18,680 presenting found in the word of God. 171 00:11:18,680 --> 00:11:22,040 We're just trying to imagine what could lead to this. 172 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:26,520 So this individual seems to have died, seems to have been killed, 173 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:32,160 and the world is recording this, and the media is covering this. 174 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:34,440 And shortly after, there is his funeral. 175 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,720 And there's a great spectacle and there is ongoing footage. 176 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:41,680 And there is the news outlets. They're watching this and 177 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,400 reporting on it. And here you have an open casket 178 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,920 where this man that seemed to be the hope of the world is laying 179 00:11:48,920 --> 00:11:53,320 lifeless. And suddenly he sits up. 180 00:11:55,680 --> 00:11:59,080 And he waves to the global population as the nations are 181 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:02,600 watching, and slips out of his cask as though nothing had 182 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,600 happened. That will cause the world to 183 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,280 marvel, wouldn't you say? And that is? 184 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:14,240 Exactly what is going to happen, this is going to cause the world 185 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:19,360 to be absolutely spellbound. And if you think that this kind 186 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:22,640 of thing is imaginary or far fetched, I want you to think for 187 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:27,360 a moment about a political figure who didn't die too long 188 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:32,120 ago by the name of Hitler. If you actually study Hitler's 189 00:12:32,120 --> 00:12:36,680 career, he had survived multiple assassination attempts. 190 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,800 And some of those attempts were such close calls, some of them 191 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:48,640 were so, so powerfully orchestrated, so effective, that 192 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:51,240 it seemed nearly impossible for this man to escape. 193 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,720 And it happened so frequently that it led many people to 194 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,560 believe that this man was, what, immortal. 195 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,960 And he boasted about that. So this is no exaggeration. 196 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,320 We've seen this in recent history. 197 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:09,320 But in this case, it will be more successful than at any 198 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:12,720 point in history. Now, as we consider this 199 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:18,440 further, we have to understand that this man is going to 200 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,360 perform something that will be very realistic. 201 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,240 Now there's debate. Is this going to be a real 202 00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:24,840 resurrection? Like is God actually going to 203 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,000 permit this individual to rise from the dead in order to 204 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,760 achieve a greater purpose? Could be. 205 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,720 But it could also be that he will do something that will be 206 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:38,880 so slimy, so deceptive. It'll be the scheme that will 207 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:40,400 make it appear as though he rose from the dead. 208 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,520 And that is equally possible. It's not entirely clear, but one 209 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:49,400 thing is for certain. He will mimic Christ's greatest 210 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:52,920 miracle. He will try to imitate him to 211 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:57,680 this point in order to dupe the world into their own eternal 212 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,560 damnation. And although this is an 213 00:14:01,560 --> 00:14:04,840 incredible deception that will take place in the last days, 214 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,640 just a few years before Christ will return physically, we have 215 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:12,360 to be mindful believers, that first John chapter 4 informs us 216 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,960 that the spirit of this Antichrist is at work now. 217 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:23,240 He's at work now, and if you and I want to be guarded and 218 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,920 shielded from whatever other plans of deception he may come 219 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:32,520 up with, which he is continually doing, by the way, and we need 220 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,760 to be equipped and there is a way that we can be equipped. 221 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,400 There is one main thing that you and I have to adopt and adhere 222 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:43,560 to and pursue constantly. If you want to be deceived, 223 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,400 proof turn with me in your Bibles. 224 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,720 The Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9. 225 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,920 This also speaks about the Antichrist and it gives another 226 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,880 commentary of what's taking place here in Revelation 13, 227 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:04,440 Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9, Paul says the coming of 228 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:06,320 the lawless one. That's another title for the 229 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:08,880 Antichrist. That's another identity for the 230 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:11,560 beast. The coming of the lawless 1 is 231 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:16,040 by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and 232 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:20,840 wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are 233 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:25,760 perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. 234 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,840 So who are the victims of this great deceiver? 235 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,560 Those who refuse to love the truth. 236 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:36,840 Those who refused to love the truth. 237 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:42,200 Notice that those who will be caught by these lies who believe 238 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:45,320 what is false, are not those who are not exposed to the truth. 239 00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:46,320 That's not what it's saying here. 240 00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:52,400 It's those who knew about the truth and yet refused to love 241 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,240 it. To love it. 242 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:57,840 How do you know you love the truth? 243 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:01,680 Here's one way you know that no matter what it demands of you, 244 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:05,680 you will submit to it. No matter how, no matter how it 245 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:07,880 challenges you, you will yield to it. 246 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:11,640 No matter what it asks of you, you will surrender to it. 247 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:14,840 It's one thing to know the truth. 248 00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,240 It's one thing to be able to explain the truth. 249 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:19,880 It's another thing. To love the. 250 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:21,880 Truth. And the only way you know that 251 00:16:21,880 --> 00:16:25,200 you love the truth is that you obey the truth. 252 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,320 And here's how that challenges you on more of a personal level. 253 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,360 You and I may have grown up with a specific theological 254 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,240 background that interpreted certain things in different 255 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:37,760 ways. But when you come to the 256 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:40,480 Scripture and compare it with other Scripture and you come to 257 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,840 a clear conclusion that what you grew up hearing was actually 258 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:47,760 false, was misinterpreted, misapplied, what will you do in 259 00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:49,920 that moment? Will you submit to the truth? 260 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,960 Will you love the truth to that point? 261 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:57,200 Or will you hold on to your tradition, to your 262 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:02,880 denominational allegiance when culture is heading one way to 263 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,280 the point that it's influencing evangelical churches to adopt 264 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:10,880 their mentality and how we view things in the Word of God 265 00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:14,160 concerning us in the church, in the home, in marriage and 266 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:18,640 sexuality, do we do what the Bible says or do we give in to 267 00:17:18,640 --> 00:17:21,160 the culture? See, if you don't love the truth 268 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:23,440 to the point where you say no matter what anybody says, no 269 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,440 matter what I grew up with, I'm going to obey what God says. 270 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:31,600 If you don't have that whole hearted commitment, you are open 271 00:17:31,600 --> 00:17:36,480 to being deceived. And if you think that the 272 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:40,000 Antichrist is only doing his work here with a few years left 273 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,800 before Christ returns, let me remind you that His Spirit is 274 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,960 active this afternoon. He's active in some churches 275 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,520 this afternoon. So you want to guard your heart. 276 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,240 You want to be shielded. You want to have the confidence 277 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:59,240 that nothing can sway you or that there's not one part of 278 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,200 your life where you're in darkness. 279 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:06,520 Love the truth no matter what it costs you, no matter if 280 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,560 everybody around you abandons the truth. 281 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:11,360 And part of loving the truth, by the way, is loving all of the 282 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:16,240 truth, not just the things that you think you need to obey 283 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,640 wholeheartedly and other things you can just be flexible on. 284 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,160 Yes, there are matters that are not as black and white where we 285 00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:23,480 have to be charitable and we have to be humble. 286 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:25,480 But I'm talking about the clear things. 287 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,040 Were you denying it as willful disobedience? 288 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,640 You're bowing to the pressure of your flesh or those around you 289 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:35,320 who hold to a different interpretation. 290 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:41,720 Love the truth, and even the Antichrist himself cannot trick 291 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,160 you. You don't love the truth. 292 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:45,520 You don't hold the truth as your supreme authority. 293 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:51,800 I fear for you because the spirit of the Antichrist is at 294 00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:55,640 work even now. So the second characteristics of 295 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:59,160 the career of the beast is that he will be performing false 296 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:00,640 miracles. But let's come to the third one. 297 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:07,800 In verse four of our main text, Revelation 13, verse 4 reads and 298 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:12,080 they worship the dragon. For he had given his authority 299 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,840 to the beast, and they worship the beast, saying who is like 300 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,280 the beast and who can fight against it. 301 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,200 So the impact? Of this miracle will be so 302 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:31,400 significant that it will cause the world to go from amazement 303 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:36,040 to Worshipful adoration. That's the third characteristic. 304 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:37,960 The beast will not only be a global leader. 305 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,200 He will not only perform false miracles, but he will also be 306 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:44,880 worshipped. He will be deified in the eyes 307 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:49,200 of men. They worship the dragon. 308 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,520 Look at verse 4 again, and they worship the beast. 309 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:55,680 This is something that the Antichrist will gladly accept 310 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,840 because according to 2nd Thessalonians 2, verse four, he 311 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:03,440 will claim himself to be God and it will be this false miracle 312 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:07,640 that will strengthen his claim. I'm no ordinary human being. 313 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:12,840 I'm God sent. I'm who you've been waiting for. 314 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,720 And you got to remember, there's going to be this accumulation of 315 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:18,760 death, there's going to be disease, and there's going to be 316 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:20,680 war. There's going to be bloodshed. 317 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,560 At a feverish pitch during the tribulation period. 318 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,040 But this man seems to escape death. 319 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:32,680 Wow, who is this guy? And they will fall at his feet. 320 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,480 But the real reason that the beast will be worshipped is 321 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,320 because that is what Satan has been. 322 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:45,920 Longing for all along. Remember, it's by the activity 323 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:48,080 of Satan that this man is able to do what he's doing. 324 00:20:48,960 --> 00:20:52,560 Satan has always wanted to be honored and praised the way God 325 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:56,640 is. The audacity of the devil during 326 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:01,080 the wilderness temptation of our Savior, who approaches our 327 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:04,200 Christ and says. All these things I will give to 328 00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,440 you if you would just bow down and do what? 329 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:10,840 Worship me. I mean, the pride of the devil 330 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:14,680 is so extreme that he actually believes he is worthy to be 331 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:22,400 worshipped by the true God. And he will achieve receiving 332 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:28,480 this kind of worship through the beast to the point, listen, that 333 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,240 he will actually be worshipped directly. 334 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,000 Did you notice that doesn't just say in verse four that they 335 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,560 worship the beast, It says that they worship the dragon because 336 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:42,800 he gave authority to the beast and they will worship the beast, 337 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:46,040 meaning what? That there will be some in the 338 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,680 world at that time who will have the knowledge that this man is 339 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:56,040 operating by satanic power and they will glorify Satan for that 340 00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,200 Are the people who worship Satan directly today. 341 00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:02,120 OK, so this isn't, this isn't like fantasy, right? 342 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:06,640 This isn't, this is real. And there will be others who 343 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,640 unknowingly are worshipping the devil as they place their 344 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:13,360 affection and their devotion toward the beast. 345 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:16,440 And there are people today who don't realize that whatever they 346 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,480 are worshipping, if it's not Christ, if it's not the truth, 347 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,000 they are in fact worshipping the devil. 348 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:26,240 Now, that may sound shocking, but I want to give you another 349 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,640 shocking statement that in this one verse alone, we actually 350 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,600 learned something about worship. Yeah, we learned something about 351 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:37,040 worship in a verse that tells us about how people worship the 352 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:42,440 devil and worship the beast. Let me ask you something. 353 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,440 What came before? The worship of the world 354 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:48,760 according to verse three. Look at it again. 355 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:51,600 It says that they marveled at the beast. 356 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,920 They marveled at the beast. Some translation say wondered, 357 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:01,480 others say they were amazed. And it all means the same thing 358 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,120 and revealing very important truth. 359 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:09,640 True worship cannot come unless we first wonder. 360 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,840 Marvel proceeds. Worship amazement comes before 361 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:22,440 adoration. So they marveled at the beast, 362 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,040 and then they worship the beast. And that is a pattern for both 363 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:32,120 true and false worship. This means that if you are today 364 00:23:32,120 --> 00:23:38,080 here struggling to be devoted to Christ, struggling to love Him 365 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,000 with all your heart, it's likely because you have never 366 00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:48,200 experienced or have lost your sense of awe for Christ. 367 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:56,560 And the only true way back to sincere devotion, sincere 368 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:01,080 holiness, sincere ministry, sincere passion for the Lord is 369 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:07,560 to reserve your energy and your focus on renewing your absolute 370 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:13,440 awe of Christ, to behold His glory long enough until it moves 371 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:16,640 you to love Him and serve Him in the way that He deserves. 372 00:24:18,840 --> 00:24:21,400 Does this make sense today? They marveled at the beast. 373 00:24:21,880 --> 00:24:24,160 Look what he did. Look who he is. 374 00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:26,360 Hear his claims. And then they worshiped. 375 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,600 And the reason why so many professing Christians are stale 376 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,600 in their worship is because they haven't marveled or they've lost 377 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:37,760 their sense of wonder. And when they're trying to get 378 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,520 themselves all worked up to do what? 379 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,560 To serve at the church and to sing from their hearts, just 380 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,240 forget all of that. What you really need to do is 381 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,280 sit at the feet of the Lord with this book open before your face 382 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,960 and beg Him to open your eyes until your heart becomes warm 383 00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:59,600 again. Let the rays of Christ's beauty 384 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:03,000 so shine upon you until your heart becomes tender again. 385 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:11,440 People miss this. It seems so simple. 386 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,200 Yes, it is simple, but it's also supernatural. 387 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:18,400 That's why Paul does something like this in Ephesians 118. 388 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:21,000 He prays for the Ephesians. He tells them, I'm always 389 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,680 remembering you, my prayers, and I never cease to give thanks for 390 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:25,240 you. And he tells them the subject 391 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,560 matter of his intercession for them. 392 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:32,200 Here's one of them in Ephesians one, verse 18, having the eyes 393 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,320 of your hearts enlightened. Wow. 394 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,480 Did you know that your heart has eyes? 395 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:42,280 Not physiologically speaking, of course. 396 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:45,960 Spiritually speaking, I'm praying for your eyes. 397 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:50,600 Not your physical eyes, but the eyes of your heart, the seed of 398 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,440 your emotions, the citadel of your will. 399 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,040 I'm praying that those eyes would be enlightened, that they 400 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,080 would be open to see. See what He gives three things. 401 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,520 Having your the eyes of your hearts in line, that you may 402 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:08,520 know what is the hope to which He has called you. 403 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,200 I want you to know the hope that you have in Christ. 404 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:14,080 Do you really see it? Do you really understand it? 405 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:17,440 Notice he's not talking about your mind. 406 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:21,000 The mind is important. He's talking about your heart to 407 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,200 get it, to see it, to perceive it, to register it. 408 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:25,440 I'm praying that your eyes will see the hope to which He has 409 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,160 called you. What are the riches of His 410 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:29,880 glorious inheritance in the Saints? 411 00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,680 Just how wealthy you are spiritually, the inheritance 412 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:36,240 that you have because of the gospel. 413 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:38,120 I'm praying that you would see it. 414 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,080 There's a will right there and your name is in it and you don't 415 00:26:42,080 --> 00:26:43,680 understand. I want you to see it. 416 00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,720 I want you to look at the fine print of what you received, the 417 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:51,640 treasures that are yours in Christ, verse 19, and what is 418 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:55,880 the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe 419 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:59,720 according to the working of his great might, all the power that 420 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,320 you are connected to, Do you perceive it? 421 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:09,080 Do you discern it? It was the apostles that said in 422 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:12,200 Acts 420 when they were charged by the religious leaders, Don't 423 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:14,640 you dare talk about Jesus or teaching his name again. 424 00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:20,880 And they said, For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and 425 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:27,360 heard. True worship comes from wonder. 426 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:31,680 If you don't wonder, you're never going to worship. 427 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,160 And that's why from this pulpit, we emphasize knowing the Word of 428 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:41,680 God personally so much, because this book, this holy book, is a 429 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:45,000 means by which you catch glimpses of his glory. 430 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:48,240 If you're not going to see it here, you're not going to see it 431 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:49,480 anywhere. Oh well. 432 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:51,160 Doesn't creation testify to the glory of God? 433 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,800 Creation is just an introduction to who God is. 434 00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,000 Creation is meant to show you there is a God. 435 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,680 Inspiration is to show you who that God is. 436 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:11,040 Unfortunately, as the world approaches the end, the masses 437 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:18,120 are going to worship Satan through the beast instead of 438 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:20,400 worshiping the Father through the Lamb of God. 439 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:26,040 Who is Christ? He will be worshipped. 440 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:28,800 Who would have thought that we would have learned about worship 441 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:32,040 in Revelation 13? But we come now to the 4th 442 00:28:32,040 --> 00:28:35,280 characteristic and verses 5 and 6. 443 00:28:40,930 --> 00:28:44,650 And the beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty and blasphemous 444 00:28:44,650 --> 00:28:49,210 words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 445 00:28:49,210 --> 00:28:52,760 months. It opened its mouth to utter 446 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:56,160 blasphemies against God, blaspheming His name and His 447 00:28:56,160 --> 00:28:59,920 dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 448 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,160 The 4th characteristics of the career of this beast will be 449 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,200 that he will blasphemy God openly. 450 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,080 That seems to be of great importance to the Holy Spirit, 451 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,320 to show us that he will have not just the ability to perform 452 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:17,960 miracles, He's going to have a big mouth, a boastful mouth, A. 453 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:21,800 Blasphemous tongue. But that's not just showing the 454 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:23,520 viciousness and the vileness of his speech. 455 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:28,200 It's also speaking about his persuasiveness, his auditory 456 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:34,920 skills, words. So he will not only set up 457 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:39,640 listen to globalist government, he's actually going to establish 458 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:45,480 a worldwide religious system. Where he is the object, He is 459 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:51,080 the center of people's worship. And in order to draw others into 460 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:54,440 this new religion, in order to secure new followers, he will 461 00:29:54,440 --> 00:30:00,240 continually undermine all other forms of worship, especially the 462 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,480 worship of the one true God. And he will do this by primarily 463 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:05,960 speaking against three things. According to verse six. 464 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:10,160 The first thing is God's name. The second thing is God's 465 00:30:10,160 --> 00:30:12,800 dwelling. And the third thing is God's 466 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,040 people. Let's look at it again. 467 00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:17,360 First, he will blasphemy God's name. 468 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,720 Now that means more. Than him using the name of 469 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,160 Christ in a scornful or irreverent manner, in the way 470 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,520 that we see in our entertainment and interviews and and all these 471 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:34,240 different forms of. Media Biblically speaking, God's 472 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:39,000 name reveals His character. That's why, for example, Jesus 473 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:42,840 says when He prays to the Father in John 17 verse 6, I have 474 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:48,120 manifested your name, I have manifested your name to those 475 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,160 whom you have given me out of the world. 476 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:55,680 So Christ embodied the name, the character of God. 477 00:30:55,680 --> 00:30:59,360 So this is what this means, that the beast blaspheming the name 478 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:03,560 of God mainly implies that He will rail against God's 479 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:09,040 character, His attributes, His nature, His law, His promises, 480 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,040 His plan of salvation, among other things. 481 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:18,280 All that God is, He will mock, he will belittle, he will drag 482 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:22,400 in the mud as he exalts himself as the true God. 483 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:27,440 So he would defame God's name and the the blasphemy of 484 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:29,280 Christ's name today is just a precursor. 485 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:34,000 It's just a preview of the greatest form of disrespect and 486 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:36,560 dishonor that will come to the true God at this point in 487 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,600 history. But he will also malign God's 488 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:43,280 dwelling place. We see here, right? 489 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,280 That it will be God's dwelling, that he will blasphemy. 490 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:49,920 Other translations say Tabernacle, but the context 491 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:51,880 shows that it is speaking about heaven. 492 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:56,040 Now as I thought about this, I wondered, why is the Antichrist 493 00:31:56,040 --> 00:32:01,200 going to spend his time ridiculing heaven? 494 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,080 And then it hit me. You got to consider the 495 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:09,200 condition of the. World at this time, the disease. 496 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:15,320 The death toll, millions upon millions, the disasters that 497 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:19,320 will come from all spheres, from above, from below, from around. 498 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,600 I mean, what hope are people going to have living in a world 499 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,440 that is literally falling apart? Heaven sounds pretty good, 500 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:31,240 doesn't it? That this world as we've known 501 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:33,840 it is not permanent. That this is going to be 502 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,040 destroyed and replaced one day. Then even if I were to perish 503 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,320 with this world, there is another domain, another realm, 504 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:46,680 another life beyond this life. But the Christians believed to 505 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:52,040 be heaven. And yet the Antichrist is going 506 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,760 to scorn such an idea. In fact, he might even convince 507 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:59,040 the world that he is going to be the means to bring heaven to 508 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:01,200 earth. I know it's bad. 509 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:02,800 Now just watch what I'm going to do. 510 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,520 Just see how I'm going to bring the golden age. 511 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:09,040 You think that it hasn't been as bad as it is now? 512 00:33:09,040 --> 00:33:11,880 Watch how great it's going to become if you just follow me and 513 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:18,760 worship me. This longing for another realm 514 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:22,000 ruled by the Christian God is absolute foolishness. 515 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,920 You're not children, you're grown adults. 516 00:33:28,120 --> 00:33:32,600 Get real. There's no thing such thing. 517 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:35,840 As a hopeful heaven for you, I'm the one who's going to bring 518 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,680 heaven. And this is a good place to 519 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:43,800 remember as Satan today actively seeks to misinform unbelievers 520 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:45,200 about life after death, does he not? 521 00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:47,360 That's the spirit that's still at work. 522 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,680 But he's not just working against unbelievers. 523 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:55,240 He misinforms them, yes, but I I'm persuaded that he distracts 524 00:33:55,240 --> 00:34:03,320 believers from heaven or else how does Colossians 32 make 525 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:06,120 sense where Paul says set your mind on things above. 526 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,679 Why would he have to say that because we have the tendency to 527 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:13,400 be so earthbound and so caught up with the things of this life. 528 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:17,760 He goes no, no, no, keep your meditation upward heavenward 529 00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:20,320 where Christ is seated. That's your home. 530 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:24,280 That's where the most precious citizenship you owns relies and 531 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:32,159 is depended on. So that spirit is still mocking 532 00:34:32,159 --> 00:34:35,280 eternity, still distracting people from what's to come. 533 00:34:35,639 --> 00:34:38,639 What's more permanent, more valuable, more lasting? 534 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:43,040 But finally, the beast will target those who dwell in 535 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:44,040 heaven. Isn't that interesting? 536 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,360 This means that he will not only slander the very dwelling place 537 00:34:50,360 --> 00:34:55,080 of God, but he's actually going to mock those who have already 538 00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:58,920 arrived there. So how this all plays out, we're 539 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:03,600 not entirely sure, but this may refer to the Antichrist mocking 540 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:09,920 those who have died for their faith under his regime in order 541 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:14,040 to discourage others from doing the same or from joining them in 542 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:21,320 their belief in Christ. All in all, ridicule and social 543 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,920 pressure have always been Satan's tactics. 544 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:27,840 To discourage the Saints and others who are open to following 545 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:32,400 Christ from actually doing so. You got to. 546 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:37,000 Remember, according to Revelation 12, the devil was 547 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:40,360 evicted from heaven, barred from having access to the direct 548 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:44,080 presence of God, so that he can no longer slander and accuse the 549 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,320 children of God. So what does he do? 550 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:52,360 Here, well, through the beast on earth, he targets those who are 551 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:54,560 in heaven. This is how vile he is. 552 00:35:55,440 --> 00:36:00,560 This is how aggressive he is. He's merciless, but it's not He 553 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:03,640 will do. He will also turn his attention 554 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,080 to believers who are alive during the Tribulation period 555 00:36:06,360 --> 00:36:09,200 and unleash his fury upon them. Which leads us to the 5th and 556 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:10,920 final characteristic of his career. 557 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:17,200 He will target Christians. The Antichrist will primarily 558 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,880 hunt down followers of Jesus Christ. 559 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:22,840 Let's read from verse 7 down to verse 10 of our main text. 560 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:31,240 Also it was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer 561 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:35,840 them, and authority was given it over every tribe and people and 562 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:39,680 language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it. 563 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,240 Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of 564 00:36:43,240 --> 00:36:46,920 the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain, If 565 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:53,680 anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone has taken captive to 566 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:57,160 captivity, he goes. If anyone is to be slain with 567 00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:00,000 the sword, with a sword must he be slain? 568 00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:04,480 Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the Saints. 569 00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:10,480 Look again at verse 7. Also. 570 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,560 It was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them. 571 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:17,240 So he is primarily going to prey on Christians. 572 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:19,560 Why? Because they will be among those 573 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:24,040 who refuse to worship Him, and not just refuse to worship him, 574 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,880 but persuade others to worship the true God. 575 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:28,720 They're going to stand in His way. 576 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:33,920 They are going to be a nuisance to His desire to win the world 577 00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:38,360 to Himself. And so He will, because of their 578 00:37:38,360 --> 00:37:42,200 bold stance, lead a campaign that will harass Christians 579 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:44,880 worldwide. There will not be one safe place 580 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:49,160 on the globe. Because you have to remember, 581 00:37:49,160 --> 00:37:51,320 the globe surrendered to His leadership. 582 00:37:51,840 --> 00:37:56,680 Every democracy, every Republic, every regime, it doesn't matter 583 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:59,720 the form of government, it will all come under 1 banner. 584 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:04,040 So there'll be no place to hide, physically speaking. 585 00:38:04,720 --> 00:38:07,200 And this campaign, according to the verses that we just read, 586 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,520 will last for 3 1/2 years, for 42 months. 587 00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,760 He will see Christians as his ultimate threat. 588 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:18,920 They hold the true gospel. They represent the true God. 589 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:26,360 So I must silence them. And whether you believe that 590 00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:32,240 believers will be removed from the earth or raptured before the 591 00:38:32,240 --> 00:38:35,760 Tribulation or after, there is one thing that none of us can 592 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:37,840 deny. There will be Christians during 593 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:41,960 the Tribulation period. There will be Christians during 594 00:38:41,960 --> 00:38:46,000 this period. And that makes American 595 00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:48,120 Christians more uncomfortable than anybody else. 596 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,520 You you speak this kind of message to Chinese Christians. 597 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,280 In China or in Iran, they go, yeah, we get it, we understand. 598 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:01,800 But us here in the West, we perk up. 599 00:39:02,800 --> 00:39:04,720 What do you mean them? We're going to be slaughtered. 600 00:39:04,720 --> 00:39:06,160 What do you mean that we're going to be attacked by 601 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,160 governments? We haven't known anything like 602 00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:09,560 that. I mean, some of us have. 603 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:12,720 But it's true. The Bible predicts this. 604 00:39:13,440 --> 00:39:14,760 I'm not here to get into that debate. 605 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,440 If the Lord wills, there'll be an entire session at some point 606 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:19,440 in Revelation where we'll look at these different views 607 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:22,440 concerning the removal of the church. 608 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,640 But I want us to focus here on how the Lord gives instructions 609 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,680 to those who will come to saving faith in Christ during this 610 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:30,360 time. Look at verse 9 and 10 again. 611 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:31,840 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 612 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:34,920 If anyone is to be taken captive to captivity, he goes. 613 00:39:35,040 --> 00:39:38,000 If anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must 614 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,360 he be slain? Here is a call for the endurance 615 00:39:40,480 --> 00:39:45,880 and faith of the Saints. The manuscript variations 616 00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:49,040 between the King James and the new King James, they are 617 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:51,840 slightly different than what I just read from the ESV, but the 618 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:57,120 the message, the core message remains the charge. 619 00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:00,640 If anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear is always used in 620 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:05,600 the New Testament to grab the attention of the listener and to 621 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:09,880 understand that what's about to be said is of massive 622 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:12,680 importance. So essentially what we have here 623 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:14,760 in this vision of the beast is the crescendo. 624 00:40:15,920 --> 00:40:18,360 This is the pinnacle. This is the climax of the 625 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:23,000 message, and it's for believers who will be alive during that 626 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:26,320 time. And here's the essence of the 627 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:27,880 message. Whatever happens to you, 628 00:40:29,080 --> 00:40:35,800 surrender to it trustingly and faithfully, whether imprisonment 629 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:40,360 or execution. Do not resist your fate, do not 630 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:44,400 fight back, do not attempt to rally together and violently 631 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:48,760 plot against the beast regime. Reserve your energy for enduring 632 00:40:48,760 --> 00:40:50,920 until the end and glorifying God in the process. 633 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:57,240 Now, I'm aware that the Bible contains instructions that if 634 00:40:57,440 --> 00:41:00,200 persecution comes to one place, we are to flee, and that there 635 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:03,520 are instances where we need to utilize our rights. 636 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:07,440 But what we have here, what's in view here, is a world that is 637 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:10,800 faced with two inescapable options. 638 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,200 Worship a man who claims to be God when in fact he is charged 639 00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:18,560 by the devil. Or suffer. 640 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:24,640 And what the Holy Spirit is saying to believers is choose to 641 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:30,280 suffer. Your faith is worth suffering 642 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,400 for. Now that sounds easier said than 643 00:41:33,400 --> 00:41:35,440 done. So we have to ask this question. 644 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:38,960 Is there anything else in this text that can make that choice 645 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:41,760 easier for those who want to obey Christ? 646 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:43,880 And I'm here to say, yes, there are. 647 00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:48,400 There are fingerprints of God's sovereignty all over this 648 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:52,760 passage that encourages the believers then and believers now 649 00:41:52,760 --> 00:41:56,120 to endure absolutely anything. For the sake of Christ. 650 00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:01,000 Did you notice some of it? Look at verse 5 again. 651 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:08,880 And the beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty and blasphemous 652 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:14,680 words, And it was allowed. To exercise authority for 42 653 00:42:14,680 --> 00:42:18,200 months. Look at verse 7 now also, it was 654 00:42:18,360 --> 00:42:22,080 allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them, and 655 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:26,080 authority was given it over every tribe and people and 656 00:42:26,080 --> 00:42:28,560 language and nation. Who is the one who gives the 657 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,200 beast the influence to do what he can do? 658 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,160 Here? Some would say it's Satan. 659 00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:37,840 That's partly true. But beyond that, the Antichrist 660 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:41,560 activity is ultimately legitimized and authorized by 661 00:42:41,560 --> 00:42:45,200 God himself. He was allowed. 662 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:46,640 He was given. He was given. 663 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:51,520 He was allowed. So the reason why believers can 664 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:57,200 surrender to their terrifying destiny under this man's 665 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:02,160 authoritarian regime. Because God is ultimately under 666 00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:07,120 control. And this is what this means for 667 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:13,960 our suffering, that even if we have to face the most fearsome 668 00:43:14,240 --> 00:43:18,960 ruler. Or the most oppressive regime 669 00:43:19,320 --> 00:43:23,520 that man has ever experienced. Not one thing can be afflicted 670 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:25,560 upon his children unless he permitted it. 671 00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,480 That is true for the Antichrist or any other agitator in our 672 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:34,360 lives. Moreover, regardless of the 673 00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:38,200 nature of our pain, take hope in knowing that it's numbered. 674 00:43:38,200 --> 00:43:40,240 The days of our trials are numbered, right? 675 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:42,760 We've seen that throughout Revelation. 676 00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:45,840 Whether it's the church in Smyrna who would be imprisoned 677 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:51,240 for a certain amount of days, or as we we approach the final 678 00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:56,360 moments of human history, everything has been organized by 679 00:43:56,360 --> 00:43:58,840 our God to fulfill a glorious purpose. 680 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:06,320 Even down to the duration of it and for reasons beyond our 681 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:09,720 understanding, God allows it and all He asked us for our 682 00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:13,360 faithfulness through it. So he says this is for the 683 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:15,880 endurance of the Saints. This is for the faith of the 684 00:44:15,880 --> 00:44:18,280 Saints. And there are going to be times 685 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:20,760 even perhaps now you're listening to this and the pain 686 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:23,240 that you're feeling emotionally, mentally, physically seems 687 00:44:23,240 --> 00:44:29,200 permanent or that. There are people in your life, 688 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:33,200 directly or indirectly, who seem to be getting away with their 689 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:36,720 injustice. They are corrupt and they seem 690 00:44:36,720 --> 00:44:42,320 to evade any kind of punitive encounter. 691 00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:46,520 And sometimes it will feel like in the world. 692 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:49,480 Christianity and Christians are being conquered. 693 00:44:52,720 --> 00:44:54,560 Did you notice that phrase in the beginning of verse 7? 694 00:44:55,400 --> 00:44:58,400 Also, it was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer 695 00:44:58,400 --> 00:45:02,080 them, to overcome them and other translations. 696 00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:05,040 In what way is the Antichrist going to overcome Christians? 697 00:45:05,880 --> 00:45:09,080 It's very important to make the distinction purely in a physical 698 00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:11,120 way. It just means that he will be 699 00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,960 able to kill them. In no way does it suggest that 700 00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:19,000 He will be able to destroy our souls, rob us of our eternal 701 00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:21,680 inheritance, change our status before God. 702 00:45:23,120 --> 00:45:27,600 If anything, for those who are in Christ, we are invincible. 703 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:32,840 We are invincible. Let me bring you to one final 704 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,360 passage today. Let's go to Romans 8 together 705 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:37,880 and confirm this glorious reality. 706 00:45:39,600 --> 00:45:56,460 Romans 838 to 39. Romans 8 is a jewel among many 707 00:45:56,460 --> 00:46:00,500 jewels in the Bible. And notice how Paul concludes 708 00:46:00,500 --> 00:46:06,160 his thoughts in Romans 838. For I am sure that neither 709 00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:09,880 death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor 710 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:14,720 things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything 711 00:46:14,720 --> 00:46:17,080 else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the 712 00:46:17,080 --> 00:46:18,960 love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 713 00:46:20,760 --> 00:46:23,520 Don't you love how this begins? Look again at the first few 714 00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:27,840 words of verse 38. For I am sure, can you say that, 715 00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:38,200 can you say I am 100% absolutely convinced that I am more than a 716 00:46:38,200 --> 00:46:41,960 conqueror, that no matter what happens to me in this world or 717 00:46:41,960 --> 00:46:47,680 in this body, I am more than a conqueror because I am held and 718 00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:51,960 I am kept by the unchanging love of Jesus Christ. 719 00:46:53,440 --> 00:46:55,640 You know the context of this passage if you if you read just 720 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:59,520 earlier, Paul speaks about martyrdom, that we like sheep 721 00:46:59,520 --> 00:47:00,920 are being slaughtered all the day. 722 00:47:00,920 --> 00:47:03,160 And then he transitions to this stop. 723 00:47:04,440 --> 00:47:09,480 Even if I am met by loss, even if I am afflicted with disease, 724 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:12,080 persecution, even martyrdom, nothing can take away the most 725 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:14,880 valuable thing that I possess, and that is the eternal 726 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:17,960 affection of my God that he has set upon me because of Christ 727 00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:19,840 Jesus. Nothing can change that. 728 00:47:20,120 --> 00:47:26,080 So I never lose really. So back in Revelation 13, yes, 729 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:32,120 the Antichrist will be able to conquer believers, but Paul 730 00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:34,440 reminds us we are more than conquerors. 731 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:41,040 He will target Christians, and he is targeting Christians Now, 732 00:47:41,040 --> 00:47:44,840 that spirit, even in the West, we're seeing it more and more. 733 00:47:44,840 --> 00:47:46,320 Are we not? Are you watching the news? 734 00:47:47,560 --> 00:47:49,040 What's happening to Christians and what happened? 735 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:52,760 What's happening to churches? He's doing all that he can to 736 00:47:52,760 --> 00:47:54,800 encroach and to see what he can get away with. 737 00:47:56,160 --> 00:47:58,360 And I'm not a prophet, nor am I son of a prophet. 738 00:47:59,480 --> 00:48:04,680 But all I know is that no matter what is going on around us, we 739 00:48:04,680 --> 00:48:10,320 have to be willing to endure. And one of the ways that you can 740 00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:16,160 endure is if you behold who God is, what He has done for you 741 00:48:16,160 --> 00:48:20,720 enough, where you adore Him more than your life, will you love 742 00:48:20,720 --> 00:48:27,800 Him more than anything else? And not only will we be able to 743 00:48:27,800 --> 00:48:31,120 endure all things, we can endure all things and enjoy God in the 744 00:48:31,120 --> 00:48:34,760 midst of it. So this is what we learned here 745 00:48:34,760 --> 00:48:36,800 thus far with the career of the beast. 746 00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:39,960 There's instruction for today as well as prophecy for tomorrow. 747 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:42,280 But here's my question as I wrap this message up. 748 00:48:42,280 --> 00:48:47,360 Do you have ears to hear? Have you heard anything today 749 00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:52,040 that resonated with you? How will you respond to these 750 00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:55,040 things today? Well, I can give you one way we 751 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:59,760 can respond. We can ask God to open our eyes 752 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:03,840 so that we can marvel at Him again and worship Him the way He 753 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:06,440 deserves. And when we do that, so many 754 00:49:06,440 --> 00:49:10,280 other things can be solved. So many other things can be 755 00:49:10,280 --> 00:49:12,600 solved. Let's ask Him for that grace. 756 00:49:28,880 --> 00:49:33,920 Father, we thank You that in a vision about the future, you 757 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:36,120 give us so much instruction for today. 758 00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:46,880 And Lord, in this moment, we pray that you would revive our 759 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:53,640 awe of Christ, though we admit that with our physical eyes 760 00:49:53,640 --> 00:49:56,360 looking at words on a page or with our physical ears hearing a 761 00:49:56,360 --> 00:50:01,440 sermon, if you don't help us, if you don't intervene, then we 762 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:05,760 will not be changed. We need a work of God to be 763 00:50:05,760 --> 00:50:10,720 performed upon the eyes of our hearts to be able to see what 764 00:50:10,720 --> 00:50:14,200 you want us to see. So for those who have never, 765 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:18,440 ever beheld just how majestic and dazzling and splendid Christ 766 00:50:18,440 --> 00:50:22,040 is, may they catch a glimpse this afternoon. 767 00:50:22,320 --> 00:50:26,560 For those who once were enthralled by Christ, but 768 00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:29,720 they're now fascinated by other things more than Christ. 769 00:50:31,640 --> 00:50:36,000 Oh, would you bring us back again to being spellbound by who 770 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:40,640 He is? We've done our part, Lord. 771 00:50:40,680 --> 00:50:44,240 We have opened your word, we have expounded it, we have 772 00:50:44,240 --> 00:50:47,480 looked at it faithfully, but the power for it to actually 773 00:50:47,480 --> 00:50:52,000 minister to us comes from You. And we ask that you would do 774 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:53,800 that work. Lord, we want to glorify You. 775 00:50:53,800 --> 00:50:56,040 Finally, in your resurrection. We thank you that in your 776 00:50:56,040 --> 00:50:58,760 resurrection you redeem. We read about the Antichrist and 777 00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,360 his false resurrection. He condemns, He destroys, He 778 00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:03,960 deceives. Lord, your resurrection gives 779 00:51:03,960 --> 00:51:07,400 life. It offers hope, it transforms, 780 00:51:07,400 --> 00:51:11,360 it renews, it secures our inheritance forever, which makes 781 00:51:11,360 --> 00:51:13,880 us more than conquerors. We thank you that in your 782 00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:17,040 resurrection we will be resurrected and your transformed 783 00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:18,600 body. We will have a transformation 784 00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:20,960 for these bodies. Thank you, O God, that no matter 785 00:51:20,960 --> 00:51:25,240 what is taken from us in this life, even our own lives, we 786 00:51:25,240 --> 00:51:28,520 have what you have offered us forever, and we give you thanks 787 00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,600 for this as a church, as your church, in Jesus name, Amen. 788 00:51:31,840 --> 00:51:33,360 Amen. Let's stand together, church. 789 00:51:33,960 --> 00:51:46,360 Let's worship the living God in 2nd Corinthians 318. 790 00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:51,880 So we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, 791 00:51:52,360 --> 00:51:57,360 are being transformed into the same image from 1° of glory to 792 00:51:57,360 --> 00:52:01,240 another. For this comes from the Lord who 793 00:52:01,240 --> 00:52:07,000 is the Spirit. He says we all implying that 794 00:52:07,000 --> 00:52:08,560 this is available to every Christian. 795 00:52:08,760 --> 00:52:10,440 This is not just for the spiritual elite. 796 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:12,720 This is for. Anybody who wants it, we all 797 00:52:13,120 --> 00:52:15,400 with unveiled face. What does unveiled face mean in 798 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:16,960 the context? You see who? 799 00:52:16,960 --> 00:52:20,120 Christ is for who He truly is. The blinders have been removed. 800 00:52:20,120 --> 00:52:23,400 You can perceive Him as the Son of God, the Savior of the world. 801 00:52:24,720 --> 00:52:26,840 You are there, we all with unveiled face. 802 00:52:26,840 --> 00:52:28,760 But don't just stop there. That's just the initial 803 00:52:28,760 --> 00:52:31,360 exposure. You continue to behold the glory 804 00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:32,640 of the Lord. You know what that word behold 805 00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:36,440 means to stare at? It's not a quick look. 806 00:52:36,440 --> 00:52:42,280 It's not a peak to concentrate on, to focus on, to study, 807 00:52:42,880 --> 00:52:45,760 beholding, what's the subject matter, the glory of the Lord. 808 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:48,600 When you do that long enough, one of the benefits is that 809 00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:52,080 you're transformed into that very same image that you've been 810 00:52:52,080 --> 00:52:57,520 staring at all along from. 1° of glory to another. 811 00:52:57,520 --> 00:52:59,960 Implying what? That it is a process. 812 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:04,120 It is not instantaneous. You don't just go to 1 Bible 813 00:53:04,120 --> 00:53:07,120 study or you don't just read one week in the book of whatever 814 00:53:07,120 --> 00:53:09,000 book you're reading in the Bible and expect to become like 815 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,280 Christ. In that same amount of time, 816 00:53:11,280 --> 00:53:14,240 it's a lifelong journey, but oh, it's incremental. 817 00:53:14,240 --> 00:53:16,880 You graduate, you grow as long as you behold. 818 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:20,280 The moment you take your eyes off the majesty of Christ is the 819 00:53:20,280 --> 00:53:23,880 moment you shrink and you go in the other direction. 820 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:28,480 So my charge to you in light of this, the one thing that moved. 821 00:53:28,480 --> 00:53:29,760 Me. Yes, I love prophecy. 822 00:53:29,760 --> 00:53:32,440 I love figuring out these codes and these mysteries. 823 00:53:32,600 --> 00:53:36,080 I enjoy that, but all these things should lead us to 824 00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:39,640 practical worship. To know that what God asks of us 825 00:53:39,640 --> 00:53:42,520 first is to wonder at Him before we worship him. 826 00:53:43,480 --> 00:53:46,520 That's our homework this week. If I can use that word, that's 827 00:53:46,520 --> 00:53:48,800 our duty. And that duty will turn into 828 00:53:48,800 --> 00:53:50,600 delight. My charge to you today is to 829 00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:53,280 find a fresh way. If you're not, if you're doing 830 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:56,040 it, praise God. Stay there, but find a fresh way 831 00:53:57,280 --> 00:54:02,520 to behold the glory of the Lord. And trust the process that the 832 00:54:02,520 --> 00:54:06,040 very thing that you are examining, we'll transform you 833 00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:09,440 more and more. And I can guarantee you that you 834 00:54:09,440 --> 00:54:11,480 will know true worship from that discipline. 835 00:54:11,760 --> 00:54:14,080 You'll know how to worship here. You'll know how to worship in 836 00:54:14,080 --> 00:54:15,640 your workplace. You'll know how to worship when 837 00:54:15,640 --> 00:54:17,080 you're alone. Worship is not just singing 838 00:54:17,080 --> 00:54:18,400 songs. It's a life. 839 00:54:19,320 --> 00:54:21,240 It's a life lived out for the glory of God. 840 00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:24,600 And so, Lord, we ask you that you would help us. 841 00:54:24,600 --> 00:54:26,520 Behold you. Oh please, we pray that every 842 00:54:26,520 --> 00:54:30,560 single service, your glory would manifest. 843 00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:34,160 And that Lord, beyond these meetings, we pray that we would 844 00:54:34,160 --> 00:54:36,720 behold your glory. Lord, we we, we want you to be 845 00:54:36,720 --> 00:54:40,600 greater than any entertainment, than any hobby, than any 846 00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:43,320 achievement. We want you to be the ultimate 847 00:54:43,320 --> 00:54:46,840 the the supreme. Source of our delight and we 848 00:54:46,840 --> 00:54:48,600 can't get there unless you help us. 849 00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:51,880 So Lord help us. I pray that there will be a 850 00:54:51,880 --> 00:54:56,040 zealous ambition burning in every heart to say, oh, I want 851 00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:59,080 to see his glory. And we believe that you'll help 852 00:54:59,080 --> 00:55:02,520 us see it. We love you, Lord. 853 00:55:03,120 --> 00:55:08,800 Thank you for showing us who you are today in Jesus name, Amen. 854 00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:14,240 Amen. May the Lord Jesus be with you. 855 00:55:14,880 --> 00:55:17,800 There should be fellowship and something to fellowship around 856 00:55:17,800 --> 00:55:21,040 in terms of food downstairs. And if you really want to take 857 00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:23,120 this beholding seriously, here's a little segue. 858 00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:27,320 Sign up for that workshop. Sign up for that Bible workshop 859 00:55:27,320 --> 00:55:31,400 so you can know the tools to be able to excavate and mind God's 860 00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:33,960 Word and perceive the beauty of who He is. 861 00:55:33,960 --> 00:55:36,440 OK, God bless you. We'll see you this week, Lord 862 00:55:36,440 --> 00:55:38,480 willing. Prayer and Friday Bible study is 863 00:55:38,480 --> 00:55:39,320 on. Take Care now. 864 00:55:39,360 --> 00:55:39,720 Bye bye.