Amen. Well, let's turn on our Bibles
now to the Book of Revelation chapter 13.
Revelation chapter 13. Today, by the grace of God, we
are going to continue to explore the five.
Insights concerning the career of the beast, This beast who
represents a coming world ruler who will seek to eradicate
what's left of Christian witness while deceiving the masses just
before the return of Christ. And last week we spent our time
together meditating on the 1st characteristic of the
Antichrist, the fact that he will be a global political
leader unlike anyone in all of history.
And the reason for this individual's unprecedented
authority is because, according to the Bible, he was empowered
by Satan unlike anybody else in the past, to the extent that he
is granted authority over all nations, all tribes, all
languages, all peoples. And this beast, as you heard, is
also known as the Antichrist. He's a powerful figure that the
Scripture not only predicts will emerge on the world stage to
oppose Christ, but more importantly, he will actually
seek to replace Christ. He will present himself as
humanity, savior, and deliver. And he will promise them hope.
He will grant them so many things that will persuade them
to the point of worship. And for the rest of this
afternoon, I want us to consider the four remaining
characteristics of this fascinating character, the
career of this beast. And as we meditate on these
things, we will certainly be challenged.
We will be encouraged at the same time.
So if you were with us last week, you remember that in
Revelation 13 one and two, we have a vivid description of this
man and how he will emerge as a global leader.
But the second characteristic is found in verse 3.
So let's read from verse one through verse 3 to recapture the
scene together. Revelation 13 verse one reads
and I saw a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven
heads, with 10 didem on its horns and blasphemous names on
its heads. And the beast that I saw was
like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's.
And its mouth was like a lion's mouth, and to it the dragon gave
his power and his throne and great authority.
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but it's mortal
wound was healed and the whole earth marvelled as they followed
the beast. Father, we pause to pray because
we humble ourselves in your presence, acknowledging that
with a text like this, we need Your help.
We need your help with every part of Your word, but
especially in a chapter that is often misunderstood,
misinterpreted, misapplied. So Lord, keep us safe and help
us know You through these verses.
Move our hearts to the worship of the true God and may every
other rival in our lives lose their power and may you have
ultimate and total devotion from us.
We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.
Let me remind you, the first insight concerning the career of
this beast is that he will be a global leader.
The second one is found here in verse 3.
And it can be summarized in this He will perform false miracles.
Now, it's likely that the
acceptance of this beast will be because of his charm, his
charisma, his overall attractiveness.
He's going to again come to the world.
He's going to arrive on the global scene when the nations
are in great turmoil, when there seems to be a lack of competent
leadership, when there seems to be no answers, when governments
will fail and fail and fail with no hope insight.
And so he will come. When the world is in chaos,
especially during the tribulation period, he will seem
to have the answers. He will even perhaps bring some
solution to small scale issues. But there will be 1 event, a
significant occurrence that will lock in the allegiance of the
world and bring it to a dangerous extreme.
And verse 3, we're told what that event will be.
Sounds like a supposed miracle. And the miracle looks like it
will be a resurrection, that something will take place that
will lead to a mortal wound, but it will be healed, and it will
be healed to a degree that it will cause the world to be
absolutely stunned by what they see and they hear.
Now, there is some debate about what this mortal wound means,
the fact that one of the heads of the beast will be afflicted
and that it will be restored. Some would say that this is not
speaking about an individual being assaulted or attacked, but
it looks like it's actually an empire or a government that will
fall and then rise again. And the reason for that
conclusion is because the beast with these characteristics like
the horns and the heads refer to such things depending on the
context. So some are satisfied in saying
this is not actually talking about a person that will be
afflicted, but a system or an organization or a state or a
nation that will seem to have fallen but will again gain life
and rise to power once more. And some would say that is
speaking about the Roman Empire specifically.
And though that is true in some case, we have to remember that
the beast here, yes, represents a system, but it is also
embodied in a person, just like many empires in the past have
been inseparably linked to its rulers, especially if they are a
dictator. And the way that the stunning
event is repeated in this chapter solidifies the
interpretation that what will happen in verse 3 will happen to
a singular person. So if you're still there, Scroll
down to verse 12 of Revelation 13.
At this point, we're going to see another beast arise, but
we'll see that next week. But notice a description in this
verse about the first beast, the one that we've been studying
about in verse 12. It reads.
It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its
presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the
first beast whose mortal wound was healed.
Look at verse 14. And by the signs that it was
allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those
who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast
that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
So whatever this wound is, it's very important to the Holy
Spirit for us to know about. It's repeated several times in
this close section of Scripture, but in the verses that we just
read, we have helpful clarification.
The fact that this beast is worshipped strongly suggests
that we are being told about an individual, not about a
collective group of people or an ideology or government.
A person seems to be worshipped here.
Additionally, this other beast that's going to emerge is going
to cause people to worship the image of the beast, the image of
a beast. And that seems to make more
sense if this image is about a singular person, a person who is
ruling this powerful empire. And if that's not convincing
enough, there is a striking parallel between the phrase that
we read in verse 3 and another portion of Scripture elsewhere
in Revelation. So go back to verse 3 again.
Look at the opening words. One of its heads seemed to have
a mortal wound. Now the NASB version, especially
the 1 from 1995, renders the same phrase in the following
way. And I saw one of his heads as if
it had. Been slain?
Does that sound familiar to you? As if it had been slain it
should. Because it is a description that
John receives and gives about a vision that he had of Christ
back in Revelation 5. In case you forgot, go back to
that chapter. Look at verse 6 of Revelation 5
and notice what is said about the Lamb who clearly represents
the Son of God. And Revelation 5-6 it reads.
And between the throne and the four living creatures, and among
the elders I saw a lamb standing as though it had been what,
slain with 7 horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven
spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
So the fact that this expression is used for a singular person in
this context, which represents Christ, strongly suggests that
it's also referring to a person, a single individual in
Revelation 13, especially if that person in Revelation 13 is
wanting to imitate Christ. And that is precisely what this
snapshot is about. The Antichrist, who will be
possessed by the devil, whose ambition at this point in
history will do everything that he can to extinguish the light
of the gospel in the world and deceive the world into eternal
destruction, will achieve this in great part by posing as
Christ to the extent that he will pull off a stunt, A
resurrection like performance. Now we don't know exactly how
that's going to play out, but we do know this, that it will be
some type of assassination. How do we know that?
Because we read it in verse 14 of Revelation 13, that he was
wounded by what? By a sword?
So he was attacked by a weapon. He was targeted.
And this will be something recognized by all.
So let's just use our imagination here for a moment.
I want you to envision a popular political figure.
He seems promising. He's winsome, he's attractive,
He's gaining more traction, he's winning the trust of most
people. And all of a sudden he is
attacked and he's attacked to such a point where it looked
like it was fatal. And so again, this is not
spelled out. This is not the script that I'm
presenting found in the word of God.
We're just trying to imagine what could lead to this.
So this individual seems to have died, seems to have been killed,
and the world is recording this, and the media is covering this.
And shortly after, there is his funeral.
And there's a great spectacle and there is ongoing footage.
And there is the news outlets. They're watching this and
reporting on it. And here you have an open casket
where this man that seemed to be the hope of the world is laying
lifeless. And suddenly he sits up.
And he waves to the global population as the nations are
watching, and slips out of his cask as though nothing had
happened. That will cause the world to
marvel, wouldn't you say? And that is?
Exactly what is going to happen, this is going to cause the world
to be absolutely spellbound. And if you think that this kind
of thing is imaginary or far fetched, I want you to think for
a moment about a political figure who didn't die too long
ago by the name of Hitler. If you actually study Hitler's
career, he had survived multiple assassination attempts.
And some of those attempts were such close calls, some of them
were so, so powerfully orchestrated, so effective, that
it seemed nearly impossible for this man to escape.
And it happened so frequently that it led many people to
believe that this man was, what, immortal.
And he boasted about that. So this is no exaggeration.
We've seen this in recent history.
But in this case, it will be more successful than at any
point in history. Now, as we consider this
further, we have to understand that this man is going to
perform something that will be very realistic.
Now there's debate. Is this going to be a real
resurrection? Like is God actually going to
permit this individual to rise from the dead in order to
achieve a greater purpose? Could be.
But it could also be that he will do something that will be
so slimy, so deceptive. It'll be the scheme that will
make it appear as though he rose from the dead.
And that is equally possible. It's not entirely clear, but one
thing is for certain. He will mimic Christ's greatest
miracle. He will try to imitate him to
this point in order to dupe the world into their own eternal
damnation. And although this is an
incredible deception that will take place in the last days,
just a few years before Christ will return physically, we have
to be mindful believers, that first John chapter 4 informs us
that the spirit of this Antichrist is at work now.
He's at work now, and if you and I want to be guarded and
shielded from whatever other plans of deception he may come
up with, which he is continually doing, by the way, and we need
to be equipped and there is a way that we can be equipped.
There is one main thing that you and I have to adopt and adhere
to and pursue constantly. If you want to be deceived,
proof turn with me in your Bibles.
The Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9.
This also speaks about the Antichrist and it gives another
commentary of what's taking place here in Revelation 13,
Second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 9, Paul says the coming of
the lawless one. That's another title for the
Antichrist. That's another identity for the
beast. The coming of the lawless 1 is
by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and
wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are
perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.
So who are the victims of this great deceiver?
Those who refuse to love the truth.
Those who refused to love the truth.
Notice that those who will be caught by these lies who believe
what is false, are not those who are not exposed to the truth.
That's not what it's saying here.
It's those who knew about the truth and yet refused to love
it. To love it.
How do you know you love the truth?
Here's one way you know that no matter what it demands of you,
you will submit to it. No matter how, no matter how it
challenges you, you will yield to it.
No matter what it asks of you, you will surrender to it.
It's one thing to know the truth.
It's one thing to be able to explain the truth.
It's another thing. To love the.
Truth. And the only way you know that
you love the truth is that you obey the truth.
And here's how that challenges you on more of a personal level.
You and I may have grown up with a specific theological
background that interpreted certain things in different
ways. But when you come to the
Scripture and compare it with other Scripture and you come to
a clear conclusion that what you grew up hearing was actually
false, was misinterpreted, misapplied, what will you do in
that moment? Will you submit to the truth?
Will you love the truth to that point?
Or will you hold on to your tradition, to your
denominational allegiance when culture is heading one way to
the point that it's influencing evangelical churches to adopt
their mentality and how we view things in the Word of God
concerning us in the church, in the home, in marriage and
sexuality, do we do what the Bible says or do we give in to
the culture? See, if you don't love the truth
to the point where you say no matter what anybody says, no
matter what I grew up with, I'm going to obey what God says.
If you don't have that whole hearted commitment, you are open
to being deceived. And if you think that the
Antichrist is only doing his work here with a few years left
before Christ returns, let me remind you that His Spirit is
active this afternoon. He's active in some churches
this afternoon. So you want to guard your heart.
You want to be shielded. You want to have the confidence
that nothing can sway you or that there's not one part of
your life where you're in darkness.
Love the truth no matter what it costs you, no matter if
everybody around you abandons the truth.
And part of loving the truth, by the way, is loving all of the
truth, not just the things that you think you need to obey
wholeheartedly and other things you can just be flexible on.
Yes, there are matters that are not as black and white where we
have to be charitable and we have to be humble.
But I'm talking about the clear things.
Were you denying it as willful disobedience?
You're bowing to the pressure of your flesh or those around you
who hold to a different interpretation.
Love the truth, and even the Antichrist himself cannot trick
you. You don't love the truth.
You don't hold the truth as your supreme authority.
I fear for you because the spirit of the Antichrist is at
work even now. So the second characteristics of
the career of the beast is that he will be performing false
miracles. But let's come to the third one.
In verse four of our main text, Revelation 13, verse 4 reads and
they worship the dragon. For he had given his authority
to the beast, and they worship the beast, saying who is like
the beast and who can fight against it.
So the impact? Of this miracle will be so
significant that it will cause the world to go from amazement
to Worshipful adoration. That's the third characteristic.
The beast will not only be a global leader.
He will not only perform false miracles, but he will also be
worshipped. He will be deified in the eyes
of men. They worship the dragon.
Look at verse 4 again, and they worship the beast.
This is something that the Antichrist will gladly accept
because according to 2nd Thessalonians 2, verse four, he
will claim himself to be God and it will be this false miracle
that will strengthen his claim. I'm no ordinary human being.
I'm God sent. I'm who you've been waiting for.
And you got to remember, there's going to be this accumulation of
death, there's going to be disease, and there's going to be
war. There's going to be bloodshed.
At a feverish pitch during the tribulation period.
But this man seems to escape death.
Wow, who is this guy? And they will fall at his feet.
But the real reason that the beast will be worshipped is
because that is what Satan has been.
Longing for all along. Remember, it's by the activity
of Satan that this man is able to do what he's doing.
Satan has always wanted to be honored and praised the way God
is. The audacity of the devil during
the wilderness temptation of our Savior, who approaches our
Christ and says. All these things I will give to
you if you would just bow down and do what?
Worship me. I mean, the pride of the devil
is so extreme that he actually believes he is worthy to be
worshipped by the true God. And he will achieve receiving
this kind of worship through the beast to the point, listen, that
he will actually be worshipped directly.
Did you notice that doesn't just say in verse four that they
worship the beast, It says that they worship the dragon because
he gave authority to the beast and they will worship the beast,
meaning what? That there will be some in the
world at that time who will have the knowledge that this man is
operating by satanic power and they will glorify Satan for that
Are the people who worship Satan directly today.
OK, so this isn't, this isn't like fantasy, right?
This isn't, this is real. And there will be others who
unknowingly are worshipping the devil as they place their
affection and their devotion toward the beast.
And there are people today who don't realize that whatever they
are worshipping, if it's not Christ, if it's not the truth,
they are in fact worshipping the devil.
Now, that may sound shocking, but I want to give you another
shocking statement that in this one verse alone, we actually
learned something about worship. Yeah, we learned something about
worship in a verse that tells us about how people worship the
devil and worship the beast. Let me ask you something.
What came before? The worship of the world
according to verse three. Look at it again.
It says that they marveled at the beast.
They marveled at the beast. Some translation say wondered,
others say they were amazed. And it all means the same thing
and revealing very important truth.
True worship cannot come unless we first wonder.
Marvel proceeds. Worship amazement comes before
adoration. So they marveled at the beast,
and then they worship the beast. And that is a pattern for both
true and false worship. This means that if you are today
here struggling to be devoted to Christ, struggling to love Him
with all your heart, it's likely because you have never
experienced or have lost your sense of awe for Christ.
And the only true way back to sincere devotion, sincere
holiness, sincere ministry, sincere passion for the Lord is
to reserve your energy and your focus on renewing your absolute
awe of Christ, to behold His glory long enough until it moves
you to love Him and serve Him in the way that He deserves.
Does this make sense today? They marveled at the beast.
Look what he did. Look who he is.
Hear his claims. And then they worshiped.
And the reason why so many professing Christians are stale
in their worship is because they haven't marveled or they've lost
their sense of wonder. And when they're trying to get
themselves all worked up to do what?
To serve at the church and to sing from their hearts, just
forget all of that. What you really need to do is
sit at the feet of the Lord with this book open before your face
and beg Him to open your eyes until your heart becomes warm
again. Let the rays of Christ's beauty
so shine upon you until your heart becomes tender again.
People miss this. It seems so simple.
Yes, it is simple, but it's also supernatural.
That's why Paul does something like this in Ephesians 118.
He prays for the Ephesians. He tells them, I'm always
remembering you, my prayers, and I never cease to give thanks for
you. And he tells them the subject
matter of his intercession for them.
Here's one of them in Ephesians one, verse 18, having the eyes
of your hearts enlightened. Wow.
Did you know that your heart has eyes?
Not physiologically speaking, of course.
Spiritually speaking, I'm praying for your eyes.
Not your physical eyes, but the eyes of your heart, the seed of
your emotions, the citadel of your will.
I'm praying that those eyes would be enlightened, that they
would be open to see. See what He gives three things.
Having your the eyes of your hearts in line, that you may
know what is the hope to which He has called you.
I want you to know the hope that you have in Christ.
Do you really see it? Do you really understand it?
Notice he's not talking about your mind.
The mind is important. He's talking about your heart to
get it, to see it, to perceive it, to register it.
I'm praying that your eyes will see the hope to which He has
called you. What are the riches of His
glorious inheritance in the Saints?
Just how wealthy you are spiritually, the inheritance
that you have because of the gospel.
I'm praying that you would see it.
There's a will right there and your name is in it and you don't
understand. I want you to see it.
I want you to look at the fine print of what you received, the
treasures that are yours in Christ, verse 19, and what is
the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe
according to the working of his great might, all the power that
you are connected to, Do you perceive it?
Do you discern it? It was the apostles that said in
Acts 420 when they were charged by the religious leaders, Don't
you dare talk about Jesus or teaching his name again.
And they said, For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and
heard. True worship comes from wonder.
If you don't wonder, you're never going to worship.
And that's why from this pulpit, we emphasize knowing the Word of
God personally so much, because this book, this holy book, is a
means by which you catch glimpses of his glory.
If you're not going to see it here, you're not going to see it
anywhere. Oh well.
Doesn't creation testify to the glory of God?
Creation is just an introduction to who God is.
Creation is meant to show you there is a God.
Inspiration is to show you who that God is.
Unfortunately, as the world approaches the end, the masses
are going to worship Satan through the beast instead of
worshiping the Father through the Lamb of God.
Who is Christ? He will be worshipped.
Who would have thought that we would have learned about worship
in Revelation 13? But we come now to the 4th
characteristic and verses 5 and 6.
And the beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty and blasphemous
words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for 42
months. It opened its mouth to utter
blasphemies against God, blaspheming His name and His
dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
The 4th characteristics of the career of this beast will be
that he will blasphemy God openly.
That seems to be of great importance to the Holy Spirit,
to show us that he will have not just the ability to perform
miracles, He's going to have a big mouth, a boastful mouth, A.
Blasphemous tongue. But that's not just showing the
viciousness and the vileness of his speech.
It's also speaking about his persuasiveness, his auditory
skills, words. So he will not only set up
listen to globalist government, he's actually going to establish
a worldwide religious system. Where he is the object, He is
the center of people's worship. And in order to draw others into
this new religion, in order to secure new followers, he will
continually undermine all other forms of worship, especially the
worship of the one true God. And he will do this by primarily
speaking against three things. According to verse six.
The first thing is God's name. The second thing is God's
dwelling. And the third thing is God's
people. Let's look at it again.
First, he will blasphemy God's name.
Now that means more. Than him using the name of
Christ in a scornful or irreverent manner, in the way
that we see in our entertainment and interviews and and all these
different forms of. Media Biblically speaking, God's
name reveals His character. That's why, for example, Jesus
says when He prays to the Father in John 17 verse 6, I have
manifested your name, I have manifested your name to those
whom you have given me out of the world.
So Christ embodied the name, the character of God.
So this is what this means, that the beast blaspheming the name
of God mainly implies that He will rail against God's
character, His attributes, His nature, His law, His promises,
His plan of salvation, among other things.
All that God is, He will mock, he will belittle, he will drag
in the mud as he exalts himself as the true God.
So he would defame God's name and the the blasphemy of
Christ's name today is just a precursor.
It's just a preview of the greatest form of disrespect and
dishonor that will come to the true God at this point in
history. But he will also malign God's
dwelling place. We see here, right?
That it will be God's dwelling, that he will blasphemy.
Other translations say Tabernacle, but the context
shows that it is speaking about heaven.
Now as I thought about this, I wondered, why is the Antichrist
going to spend his time ridiculing heaven?
And then it hit me. You got to consider the
condition of the. World at this time, the disease.
The death toll, millions upon millions, the disasters that
will come from all spheres, from above, from below, from around.
I mean, what hope are people going to have living in a world
that is literally falling apart? Heaven sounds pretty good,
doesn't it? That this world as we've known
it is not permanent. That this is going to be
destroyed and replaced one day. Then even if I were to perish
with this world, there is another domain, another realm,
another life beyond this life. But the Christians believed to
be heaven. And yet the Antichrist is going
to scorn such an idea. In fact, he might even convince
the world that he is going to be the means to bring heaven to
earth. I know it's bad.
Now just watch what I'm going to do.
Just see how I'm going to bring the golden age.
You think that it hasn't been as bad as it is now?
Watch how great it's going to become if you just follow me and
worship me. This longing for another realm
ruled by the Christian God is absolute foolishness.
You're not children, you're grown adults.
Get real. There's no thing such thing.
As a hopeful heaven for you, I'm the one who's going to bring
heaven. And this is a good place to
remember as Satan today actively seeks to misinform unbelievers
about life after death, does he not?
That's the spirit that's still at work.
But he's not just working against unbelievers.
He misinforms them, yes, but I I'm persuaded that he distracts
believers from heaven or else how does Colossians 32 make
sense where Paul says set your mind on things above.
Why would he have to say that because we have the tendency to
be so earthbound and so caught up with the things of this life.
He goes no, no, no, keep your meditation upward heavenward
where Christ is seated. That's your home.
That's where the most precious citizenship you owns relies and
is depended on. So that spirit is still mocking
eternity, still distracting people from what's to come.
What's more permanent, more valuable, more lasting?
But finally, the beast will target those who dwell in
heaven. Isn't that interesting?
This means that he will not only slander the very dwelling place
of God, but he's actually going to mock those who have already
arrived there. So how this all plays out, we're
not entirely sure, but this may refer to the Antichrist mocking
those who have died for their faith under his regime in order
to discourage others from doing the same or from joining them in
their belief in Christ. All in all, ridicule and social
pressure have always been Satan's tactics.
To discourage the Saints and others who are open to following
Christ from actually doing so. You got to.
Remember, according to Revelation 12, the devil was
evicted from heaven, barred from having access to the direct
presence of God, so that he can no longer slander and accuse the
children of God. So what does he do?
Here, well, through the beast on earth, he targets those who are
in heaven. This is how vile he is.
This is how aggressive he is. He's merciless, but it's not He
will do. He will also turn his attention
to believers who are alive during the Tribulation period
and unleash his fury upon them. Which leads us to the 5th and
final characteristic of his career.
He will target Christians. The Antichrist will primarily
hunt down followers of Jesus Christ.
Let's read from verse 7 down to verse 10 of our main text.
Also it was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer
them, and authority was given it over every tribe and people and
language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it.
Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of
the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain, If
anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone has taken captive to
captivity, he goes. If anyone is to be slain with
the sword, with a sword must he be slain?
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the Saints.
Look again at verse 7. Also.
It was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them.
So he is primarily going to prey on Christians.
Why? Because they will be among those
who refuse to worship Him, and not just refuse to worship him,
but persuade others to worship the true God.
They're going to stand in His way.
They are going to be a nuisance to His desire to win the world
to Himself. And so He will, because of their
bold stance, lead a campaign that will harass Christians
worldwide. There will not be one safe place
on the globe. Because you have to remember,
the globe surrendered to His leadership.
Every democracy, every Republic, every regime, it doesn't matter
the form of government, it will all come under 1 banner.
So there'll be no place to hide, physically speaking.
And this campaign, according to the verses that we just read,
will last for 3 1/2 years, for 42 months.
He will see Christians as his ultimate threat.
They hold the true gospel. They represent the true God.
So I must silence them. And whether you believe that
believers will be removed from the earth or raptured before the
Tribulation or after, there is one thing that none of us can
deny. There will be Christians during
the Tribulation period. There will be Christians during
this period. And that makes American
Christians more uncomfortable than anybody else.
You you speak this kind of message to Chinese Christians.
In China or in Iran, they go, yeah, we get it, we understand.
But us here in the West, we perk up.
What do you mean them? We're going to be slaughtered.
What do you mean that we're going to be attacked by
governments? We haven't known anything like
that. I mean, some of us have.
But it's true. The Bible predicts this.
I'm not here to get into that debate.
If the Lord wills, there'll be an entire session at some point
in Revelation where we'll look at these different views
concerning the removal of the church.
But I want us to focus here on how the Lord gives instructions
to those who will come to saving faith in Christ during this
time. Look at verse 9 and 10 again.
If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
If anyone is to be taken captive to captivity, he goes.
If anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must
he be slain? Here is a call for the endurance
and faith of the Saints. The manuscript variations
between the King James and the new King James, they are
slightly different than what I just read from the ESV, but the
the message, the core message remains the charge.
If anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear is always used in
the New Testament to grab the attention of the listener and to
understand that what's about to be said is of massive
importance. So essentially what we have here
in this vision of the beast is the crescendo.
This is the pinnacle. This is the climax of the
message, and it's for believers who will be alive during that
time. And here's the essence of the
message. Whatever happens to you,
surrender to it trustingly and faithfully, whether imprisonment
or execution. Do not resist your fate, do not
fight back, do not attempt to rally together and violently
plot against the beast regime. Reserve your energy for enduring
until the end and glorifying God in the process.
Now, I'm aware that the Bible contains instructions that if
persecution comes to one place, we are to flee, and that there
are instances where we need to utilize our rights.
But what we have here, what's in view here, is a world that is
faced with two inescapable options.
Worship a man who claims to be God when in fact he is charged
by the devil. Or suffer.
And what the Holy Spirit is saying to believers is choose to
suffer. Your faith is worth suffering
for. Now that sounds easier said than
done. So we have to ask this question.
Is there anything else in this text that can make that choice
easier for those who want to obey Christ?
And I'm here to say, yes, there are.
There are fingerprints of God's sovereignty all over this
passage that encourages the believers then and believers now
to endure absolutely anything. For the sake of Christ.
Did you notice some of it? Look at verse 5 again.
And the beast was given a mouth, uttering haughty and blasphemous
words, And it was allowed. To exercise authority for 42
months. Look at verse 7 now also, it was
allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer them, and
authority was given it over every tribe and people and
language and nation. Who is the one who gives the
beast the influence to do what he can do?
Here? Some would say it's Satan.
That's partly true. But beyond that, the Antichrist
activity is ultimately legitimized and authorized by
God himself. He was allowed.
He was given. He was given.
He was allowed. So the reason why believers can
surrender to their terrifying destiny under this man's
authoritarian regime. Because God is ultimately under
control. And this is what this means for
our suffering, that even if we have to face the most fearsome
ruler. Or the most oppressive regime
that man has ever experienced. Not one thing can be afflicted
upon his children unless he permitted it.
That is true for the Antichrist or any other agitator in our
lives. Moreover, regardless of the
nature of our pain, take hope in knowing that it's numbered.
The days of our trials are numbered, right?
We've seen that throughout Revelation.
Whether it's the church in Smyrna who would be imprisoned
for a certain amount of days, or as we we approach the final
moments of human history, everything has been organized by
our God to fulfill a glorious purpose.
Even down to the duration of it and for reasons beyond our
understanding, God allows it and all He asked us for our
faithfulness through it. So he says this is for the
endurance of the Saints. This is for the faith of the
Saints. And there are going to be times
even perhaps now you're listening to this and the pain
that you're feeling emotionally, mentally, physically seems
permanent or that. There are people in your life,
directly or indirectly, who seem to be getting away with their
injustice. They are corrupt and they seem
to evade any kind of punitive encounter.
And sometimes it will feel like in the world.
Christianity and Christians are being conquered.
Did you notice that phrase in the beginning of verse 7?
Also, it was allowed to make war on the Saints and to conquer
them, to overcome them and other translations.
In what way is the Antichrist going to overcome Christians?
It's very important to make the distinction purely in a physical
way. It just means that he will be
able to kill them. In no way does it suggest that
He will be able to destroy our souls, rob us of our eternal
inheritance, change our status before God.
If anything, for those who are in Christ, we are invincible.
We are invincible. Let me bring you to one final
passage today. Let's go to Romans 8 together
and confirm this glorious reality.
Romans 838 to 39. Romans 8 is a jewel among many
jewels in the Bible. And notice how Paul concludes
his thoughts in Romans 838. For I am sure that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything
else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Don't you love how this begins? Look again at the first few
words of verse 38. For I am sure, can you say that,
can you say I am 100% absolutely convinced that I am more than a
conqueror, that no matter what happens to me in this world or
in this body, I am more than a conqueror because I am held and
I am kept by the unchanging love of Jesus Christ.
You know the context of this passage if you if you read just
earlier, Paul speaks about martyrdom, that we like sheep
are being slaughtered all the day.
And then he transitions to this stop.
Even if I am met by loss, even if I am afflicted with disease,
persecution, even martyrdom, nothing can take away the most
valuable thing that I possess, and that is the eternal
affection of my God that he has set upon me because of Christ
Jesus. Nothing can change that.
So I never lose really. So back in Revelation 13, yes,
the Antichrist will be able to conquer believers, but Paul
reminds us we are more than conquerors.
He will target Christians, and he is targeting Christians Now,
that spirit, even in the West, we're seeing it more and more.
Are we not? Are you watching the news?
What's happening to Christians and what happened?
What's happening to churches? He's doing all that he can to
encroach and to see what he can get away with.
And I'm not a prophet, nor am I son of a prophet.
But all I know is that no matter what is going on around us, we
have to be willing to endure. And one of the ways that you can
endure is if you behold who God is, what He has done for you
enough, where you adore Him more than your life, will you love
Him more than anything else? And not only will we be able to
endure all things, we can endure all things and enjoy God in the
midst of it. So this is what we learned here
thus far with the career of the beast.
There's instruction for today as well as prophecy for tomorrow.
But here's my question as I wrap this message up.
Do you have ears to hear? Have you heard anything today
that resonated with you? How will you respond to these
things today? Well, I can give you one way we
can respond. We can ask God to open our eyes
so that we can marvel at Him again and worship Him the way He
deserves. And when we do that, so many
other things can be solved. So many other things can be
solved. Let's ask Him for that grace.
Father, we thank You that in a vision about the future, you
give us so much instruction for today.
And Lord, in this moment, we pray that you would revive our
awe of Christ, though we admit that with our physical eyes
looking at words on a page or with our physical ears hearing a
sermon, if you don't help us, if you don't intervene, then we
will not be changed. We need a work of God to be
performed upon the eyes of our hearts to be able to see what
you want us to see. So for those who have never,
ever beheld just how majestic and dazzling and splendid Christ
is, may they catch a glimpse this afternoon.
For those who once were enthralled by Christ, but
they're now fascinated by other things more than Christ.
Oh, would you bring us back again to being spellbound by who
He is? We've done our part, Lord.
We have opened your word, we have expounded it, we have
looked at it faithfully, but the power for it to actually
minister to us comes from You. And we ask that you would do
that work. Lord, we want to glorify You.
Finally, in your resurrection. We thank you that in your
resurrection you redeem. We read about the Antichrist and
his false resurrection. He condemns, He destroys, He
deceives. Lord, your resurrection gives
life. It offers hope, it transforms,
it renews, it secures our inheritance forever, which makes
us more than conquerors. We thank you that in your
resurrection we will be resurrected and your transformed
body. We will have a transformation
for these bodies. Thank you, O God, that no matter
what is taken from us in this life, even our own lives, we
have what you have offered us forever, and we give you thanks
for this as a church, as your church, in Jesus name, Amen.
Amen. Let's stand together, church.
Let's worship the living God in 2nd Corinthians 318.
So we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from 1° of glory to
another. For this comes from the Lord who
is the Spirit. He says we all implying that
this is available to every Christian.
This is not just for the spiritual elite.
This is for. Anybody who wants it, we all
with unveiled face. What does unveiled face mean in
the context? You see who?
Christ is for who He truly is. The blinders have been removed.
You can perceive Him as the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
You are there, we all with unveiled face.
But don't just stop there. That's just the initial
exposure. You continue to behold the glory
of the Lord. You know what that word behold
means to stare at? It's not a quick look.
It's not a peak to concentrate on, to focus on, to study,
beholding, what's the subject matter, the glory of the Lord.
When you do that long enough, one of the benefits is that
you're transformed into that very same image that you've been
staring at all along from. 1° of glory to another.
Implying what? That it is a process.
It is not instantaneous. You don't just go to 1 Bible
study or you don't just read one week in the book of whatever
book you're reading in the Bible and expect to become like
Christ. In that same amount of time,
it's a lifelong journey, but oh, it's incremental.
You graduate, you grow as long as you behold.
The moment you take your eyes off the majesty of Christ is the
moment you shrink and you go in the other direction.
So my charge to you in light of this, the one thing that moved.
Me. Yes, I love prophecy.
I love figuring out these codes and these mysteries.
I enjoy that, but all these things should lead us to
practical worship. To know that what God asks of us
first is to wonder at Him before we worship him.
That's our homework this week. If I can use that word, that's
our duty. And that duty will turn into
delight. My charge to you today is to
find a fresh way. If you're not, if you're doing
it, praise God. Stay there, but find a fresh way
to behold the glory of the Lord. And trust the process that the
very thing that you are examining, we'll transform you
more and more. And I can guarantee you that you
will know true worship from that discipline.
You'll know how to worship here. You'll know how to worship in
your workplace. You'll know how to worship when
you're alone. Worship is not just singing
songs. It's a life.
It's a life lived out for the glory of God.
And so, Lord, we ask you that you would help us.
Behold you. Oh please, we pray that every
single service, your glory would manifest.
And that Lord, beyond these meetings, we pray that we would
behold your glory. Lord, we we, we want you to be
greater than any entertainment, than any hobby, than any
achievement. We want you to be the ultimate
the the supreme. Source of our delight and we
can't get there unless you help us.
So Lord help us. I pray that there will be a
zealous ambition burning in every heart to say, oh, I want
to see his glory. And we believe that you'll help
us see it. We love you, Lord.
Thank you for showing us who you are today in Jesus name, Amen.
Amen. May the Lord Jesus be with you.
There should be fellowship and something to fellowship around
in terms of food downstairs. And if you really want to take
this beholding seriously, here's a little segue.
Sign up for that workshop. Sign up for that Bible workshop
so you can know the tools to be able to excavate and mind God's
Word and perceive the beauty of who He is.
OK, God bless you. We'll see you this week, Lord
willing. Prayer and Friday Bible study is
on. Take Care now.
Bye bye.