1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:04,960 In Revelation chapter 12, we learned that one of Satan's 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:09,320 final fits of rage before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:15,480 is that he will wage war against followers of Jesus Christ across 4 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,720 the world in an unprecedented way. 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:25,240 And it's in Revelation chapter 13 where we discover how he will 6 00:00:25,240 --> 00:00:31,400 attempt to pursue this. The way that the evil one will 7 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:35,120 seek to exterminate what's left of Christian witness during the 8 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:39,440 Tribulation period is by possessing a human being in a 9 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,320 manner unlike what we have seen in the past. 10 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:49,000 We are about to be introduced to a figure in this prophetic book 11 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:54,480 that you have most likely heard about before, but not in the 12 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,080 detail presented in this passage. 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:01,080 If you've been with us in this series of the Book of 14 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:05,319 Revelation, then you most definitely have heard about this 15 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,000 individual. If you're visiting for the first 16 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,880 time and you are hearing what I'm saying, and this already 17 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:15,960 sounds strange or unfamiliar, I want to let you know from the 18 00:01:15,960 --> 00:01:18,920 beginning that we are studying a book in the Bible that makes 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,200 predictions. Another way of putting it. 20 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,080 This is a book filled with prophecies. 21 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:30,200 These are not predictions made by men merely, but by God, who 22 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:34,080 through men gave insight into what will come. 23 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,760 And the reason why as a church we take these prophecies 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:40,920 seriously is because the Bible has given us predictions before, 25 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,520 and history testifies that those predictions have come to pass. 26 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:48,600 And so it is our conviction that if God was right before, then 27 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:50,000 he's probably going to be right again. 28 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,200 And so we're taking these claims very seriously. 29 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,920 We believe that they are indeed from God. 30 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:01,760 And at this point here, what we discover is the blueprint for 31 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,360 the last days. What we are looking at here are 32 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:07,920 some of the final marks of what's to come before the 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,080 culmination of the age. And the focus of our study this 34 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,680 afternoon is a person. And this person is famously 35 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:21,160 known as the Antichrist. The Antichrist goes by many 36 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:25,160 other titles in the Bible. In Paul's writings alone, he is 37 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:31,640 known as the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, or the 38 00:02:31,640 --> 00:02:35,520 lawless. 1 And that's not even counting what this man is known 39 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,200 as in other places of the Bible. But what we're about to see in 40 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,720 Revelation chapter 13 is an identity about this man that is 41 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,240 new. This agent of Satan who arise 42 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,200 near the end of time is called the Beast. 43 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:57,240 The Beast, a name that accurately reflects the twisted 44 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:02,760 nature and personality and behavior of this one man. 45 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:05,840 Now, this is not the first time that the Beast is referenced in 46 00:03:05,840 --> 00:03:09,600 the Book of Revelation. He appeared in Revelation 11, 47 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,600 verse 7, when we were told there briefly that the beast will kill 48 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,280 the two witnesses. But John now in this chapter 49 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,760 reintroduces this diabolical character, and more 50 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:29,560 specifically, he's going to give us insight into his career, what 51 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,360 he is going to do, and how he is going to do it. 52 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,520 Evidently, this is something that the Lord wants us to know 53 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,640 because it's in our Bibles. And the reason why I say this is 54 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:43,920 because I'm fully aware of how some can be overwhelmed, maybe 55 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:48,560 even intimidated by something like this, given its symbolism. 56 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,000 We have to trust something. We got to trust that by 57 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:55,240 meditating on these things, we're going to do more than just 58 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:59,880 satisfy our curiosity. If we interpret it faithfully 59 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:05,480 and apply it rightly, it will bless us, it will bless us, it 60 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,520 will equip us, it will stir us, it will move us in a deep way. 61 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,360 At least it should. And this is what we seek to do 62 00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:15,520 by God's help. So again, let me emphasize why 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,920 we're here today. We are looking at Satan's plan 64 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:24,080 to extinguish the light of the gospel near the end of time 65 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,880 during his final few years of tyranny. 66 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:31,600 And he will attempt to do this by raising up a powerful 67 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:36,200 individual known as the Beast. And in this session, we will 68 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:43,640 begin looking at 5 insights about the career of the Beast. 69 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,800 And the reason why I say begin is because we're only going to 70 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,320 look at the first one today. The first one is the most 71 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,520 densed. The the first one is the most 72 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,640 packed with information. And I don't want us to be 73 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,600 overwhelmed, but I want to let you know that if we decode this 74 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:05,920 first one, this initial insight, it's only going to get easier 75 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:08,000 from here. And we'll look at that by God's 76 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:12,600 grace next week as we simply focus on the 1st foundational 77 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:16,640 point about the career of this man known as the Beast. 78 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,840 This is what it is. He will be a global leader. 79 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,320 He will be a global leader. Turn with me to Revelation 13. 80 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:31,840 We're going to look at the 1st 2 verses together, John writes. 81 00:05:32,640 --> 00:05:39,800 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven 82 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:45,240 heads, with 10 diadems, that is, crowns on its horns and 83 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,840 blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was 84 00:05:49,840 --> 00:05:53,760 like a leopard. Its feet were like a bear's and 85 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:59,360 its mouth was like a lion's mouth, and to it the dragon gave 86 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,880 his power and his throne and great authority. 87 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:11,320 Let's pray, Lord, we admit that we need the spirit of wisdom and 88 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:18,640 revelation at this moment. Guide us, Lord, help us see your 89 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:21,840 wisdom, your beauty in this very text. 90 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,840 Help us understand it with clarity. 91 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:29,800 May the delivery be accurate, may be faithful to your design, 92 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,200 to the message that you desire to give through it. 93 00:06:33,200 --> 00:06:35,600 And Lord, may we all be transformed as a result. 94 00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:38,920 We believe that every corner of the Word of God has this 95 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,680 purpose, our sanctification and you being glorified. 96 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:44,800 May we experience that now as a church. 97 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,640 In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen. 98 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:54,720 John's first sight of this beast is truly hideous. 99 00:06:56,240 --> 00:06:59,760 He has seven heads, and with each of those heads there's a 100 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:03,840 blasphemous name. He has 10 horns and there are 10 101 00:07:03,840 --> 00:07:08,400 crowns upon these horns. And if that wasn't frightening 102 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,280 enough, the other parts of the beast are just as grotesque. 103 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,400 We see here that he looked like a leopard. 104 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,160 We learned that his feet are like that of a bears. 105 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:20,760 And when you look at its mouth, it was ferocious. 106 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,080 It was like the mouth of a lion. And there is no doubt that these 107 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:29,240 characteristics portray the vicious and monstrous nature of 108 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,240 this beast, whoever he is. And that's significant already 109 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,240 because we've studied about the Antichrist before and we have 110 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:40,760 determined from the Bible that he will be a future political 111 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:45,720 leader, a ruler Who Will Win the affection and the devotion of 112 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:49,000 the globe. Now, if you're going to do that, 113 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,280 it's very unlikely that you're going to be successful if you 114 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,240 look like this. So this is indeed symbolic, but 115 00:07:56,240 --> 00:08:01,000 more than symbolic, it's God's perspective on the beast from a 116 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,800 human standpoint. He, he has to be charismatic. 117 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:09,520 He has to be a genius. He, he has to be successful. 118 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:14,800 He has to be charming to some degree if he's going to sway the 119 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,360 world to surrender to his leadership. 120 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:22,480 But from God's standpoint, he's hideous. 121 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:27,320 He's ugly, he's vile, he's destructive. 122 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:29,920 And all I want to tell you from this point is that God sees the 123 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:36,080 things differently than we do. But these details also provide 124 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,919 incredible insight, and the best way to understand the message of 125 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,720 these symbols is to examine them individually. 126 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,559 And this is our practice as a church. 127 00:08:43,679 --> 00:08:47,240 When we come to something that seems cryptic, challenging, 128 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:52,400 strange, we have to step back and ask ourselves, have we seen 129 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:54,880 any of these features and other parts of the Bible? 130 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,360 Have we seen paralleling Scriptures? 131 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:01,080 And if we have, we have to visit them to to see if they will shed 132 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:02,840 light on what's presented before us. 133 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:04,040 And that's what we're going to do. 134 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,000 So we're going to turn these verses that we just read, these 135 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:15,440 first 2 verses, into bite size portions and we'll begin by 136 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:17,680 examining where the beast comes from. 137 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,200 Look again at Revelation 13, verse 1. 138 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:25,240 And I saw a beast, John says, rising out of the sea. 139 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,120 Throughout the Scriptures, especially the Old Testament, 140 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,120 the sea often represents things. Obviously there are parts of the 141 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:36,920 Bible where the sea is literal, but in different areas we see 142 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:42,640 that the sea can represent chaos, danger, even forces of 143 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:47,480 evil that oppose God. But there are also other places 144 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:53,440 in certain contexts where the sea simply symbolizes nations, 145 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,960 especially Gentile nations. We find that in the book of 146 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:00,320 Daniel, and we even find it in the Book of Revelation. 147 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:05,560 Consider another vision that John experiences where the beast 148 00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:08,240 is included and other characteristics similar to what 149 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:12,640 we have in Revelation 13, where God gives him the interpretation 150 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,120 of some details that help us understand what's before us. 151 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,680 You have your Bible with you. I hope so. 152 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,800 Go to Revelation 17. Look at verse 15. 153 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,240 This is the middle of another vision John will experience. 154 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,600 But I look at this one verse to shed some light on the verse 155 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:30,400 that we're looking at in our main text. 156 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:36,080 Revelation 17, verse 15. And the Angel said to me, the 157 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:40,280 waters that you saw, John, you saw a sea. 158 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,920 You saw a body of water, large body of water. 159 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:47,720 The waters that you saw where the prostitute is seated are 160 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:52,440 peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 161 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,080 Do you see that? So this body of water again 162 00:10:56,080 --> 00:11:01,640 speaks of nations. With this in mind, we can 163 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:05,200 understand that the beast emerging from the sea signifies 164 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:11,600 that he's going to come from this world, specifically the 165 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,440 Gentile world. Now there's debate. 166 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:16,920 Is the beast a Gentile? Is he a Jew? 167 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,600 Is he a mix? We won't get into that 168 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:23,400 conversation now, but what is obvious is that he is a human 169 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:28,640 being and that he is summoned by Satan at a particular point. 170 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:32,960 At what point we'll remember how Revelation 12 ended when he was 171 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:35,320 kicked out of heaven. He pursued the woman and he 172 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,600 failed. So he vented his anger toward 173 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:40,920 the rest of her offspring, those who bear the testimony of Jesus. 174 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,800 And he stands the border there beside the water. 175 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:46,120 And then the next thing you see in Revelation 13 is the 176 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:50,840 emergence of this beast. He is summoning this individual. 177 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,080 But let's go to the next detail. In Revelation 13, we learned 178 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,920 that, yes, he comes from the sea, but also with 10 horns and 179 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:04,880 seven heads, with 10 items on its horns and blasphemous names 180 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,280 on its heads. What do we make of these 181 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:10,440 details? What do we do with these 182 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:12,320 features? Well, let's ask ourselves this. 183 00:12:12,320 --> 00:12:14,600 Have we seen something similar before? 184 00:12:14,680 --> 00:12:16,520 We're going to keep asking that question, by the way. 185 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,960 Have we seen these horns and these heads in a similar fashion 186 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,720 associated with a different creature that we've studied 187 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:28,400 recently? Answer Yes. 188 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,440 Just go back to Revelation 12. Look at verse 3. 189 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:36,960 Revelation 12 and another sign appeared in heaven. 190 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:46,400 Behold, a great red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns and on his 191 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:52,160 heads 7 diadems. Not exactly the same, but close 192 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:54,160 enough. And that's intentional. 193 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:57,880 There is differences in in the details, but we're not looking 194 00:12:57,880 --> 00:12:59,760 at the differences, we're looking at the similarities. 195 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:04,680 The beast shares the same qualities as the dragon. 196 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:06,400 Who's the dragon? Satan. 197 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,880 So he resembles the devil. He is distinct from the dragon. 198 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,760 He's his own thing, but he reflects the nature and the 199 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:25,160 ambitions of the evil. 1 So he does arise from men. 200 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,000 He comes from the sea, comes from the world. 201 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:32,520 He is a human being, but he also carries the likeness of Satan. 202 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:37,880 In other words, he is practically the devil Incarnate. 203 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,560 And that's why in other parts of Revelation you'll read The Beast 204 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:45,640 Who Arose from the Abyss. Well, which one is it? 205 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,480 Well, again, he's coming from the sea, the world, but he's 206 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:53,960 also energized. He is summoned and he's 207 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:57,000 operating under the power of Satan himself. 208 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:02,520 This is, in a sense, Satan trying to mimic God. 209 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:05,320 We're God, who in Christ came in the flesh. 210 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:09,760 He wants to do the same. He wants to appear in a way in 211 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:14,360 the flesh. He wants to embody someone. 212 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,440 He wants to take over and he wants to operate through a human 213 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:19,160 being, and he will do so successfully. 214 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,920 But the shared features between the beast and the dragon are not 215 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:25,840 only to emphasize this point, it's also to highlight the 216 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,600 influence the beast will have in the world. 217 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,680 What do I mean by that? Well, let's go back to the same 218 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:35,320 vision that interpreted the sea, because in it we're also going 219 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,760 to get further clarity about what these symbols represent. 220 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:39,920 So let's go back to Revelation 17. 221 00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:43,880 I want you to see what it says here in verse 8 down to verse 222 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:50,760 10, Revelation 17, verse 8 and 10. 223 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:54,440 Is there anything here to help us understand what these heads 224 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:56,440 and these horns mean? Well, let's read. 225 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,720 The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to rise 226 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,600 from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. 227 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,280 And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in 228 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,120 the book of life, from the foundation of the world, will 229 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:16,320 marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to 230 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,440 come. This calls for a mind with 231 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:20,880 wisdom. Pause there for a moment. 232 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:25,920 God tells us that in order to understand these things, we have 233 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:29,320 to use our minds. We have to think. 234 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,200 We can't be lazy in our study of God's Word and expect to get 235 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:35,960 answers. So there's a challenge even in 236 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,400 this. This calls for a mind of wisdom. 237 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,920 Somebody's who's willing to do the work of the Word to arrive 238 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,320 at conclusions. Just throwing it out there 239 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:46,000 because we're going to be doing a lot of travelling in our 240 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,560 Bibles. This calls for a mind with 241 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:51,960 wisdom. The seven heads are 7 mountains 242 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:54,360 on which the woman is seated. But look at verse 10. 243 00:15:54,360 --> 00:16:00,360 Now they are also 7 kings. There are 7 kings, five of whom 244 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:02,840 have fallen. One is the other has not yet 245 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,560 come. And when he does come, he must 246 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,560 remain only a little while. Now Scroll down to verse 12 and 247 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:13,320 the 10 horns that you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received 248 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:17,240 royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for 249 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,960 one hour together with the beast. 250 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:25,320 These are of one mind and they hand over their power and 251 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:29,160 authority to the beast. I'm aware that we just read a 252 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,920 lot of data. There's a lot of information 253 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:35,120 here and we'll get to the details once we arrive at this 254 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:38,560 chapter. But for now, all we need to see 255 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:42,200 is that these heads and these horns clearly represent 256 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:48,800 political leaders and their kingdoms, rulers in this world, 257 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,840 and the reason why these powers symbolized by these horns and 258 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,720 heads are first associated with the dragon. 259 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:00,280 Remember Revelation 12, He had several heads, He had many 260 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,720 horns. The reason why these political 261 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,440 leaders, their kingdoms are associated with the devil, what 262 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,880 we studied in Revelation 12, is because it's being communicated 263 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,680 through the Word of God that these powers are ultimately 264 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:16,200 under the dominion of Satan. The Bible teaches that this 265 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,839 world to a certain degree is under the influence and the 266 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:24,920 leadership of the devil himself. I don't think I need to give 267 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,839 many examples to you to prove that. 268 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:30,240 Real world cultural illustrations. 269 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,520 It's not even subtle anymore. It's right in our face. 270 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,720 Sometimes it is more deceptive, sometimes it is cloaked in 271 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:40,840 supposed righteousness and goodness. 272 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:44,920 But the day that we're living in is just in your face. 273 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:48,120 And it's even causing unbelievers to wonder. 274 00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,760 I mean, there's got to be something operating behind the 275 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:55,920 scenes for these devilish agendas and symbolisms and all 276 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,080 these acts and what we find in our entertainments. 277 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,880 This is something beyond the natural, for the Bible has 278 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,760 answers. So Satan ultimately is the 279 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:11,640 puppet master and God has granted him a level of control, 280 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,920 but not total control. But here's what's interesting. 281 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,040 We find that in Revelation 12, the devil has his horns in the 282 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:20,000 heads. But then you go to Revelation 13 283 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:24,880 and those horns and heads are now upon who the beast. 284 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:29,560 Yes, because they, they're, they're sharing the same 285 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:31,800 qualities. They're from the same family. 286 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:35,840 They, they carry the same DNA, but more than that, because 287 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,720 Satan at that point will delegate these authorities to 288 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:46,280 the beast, he will hand over these positions and these powers 289 00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:49,720 and these governments over to this one man. 290 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:54,640 So here's what this means. This beast, whoever he is, will 291 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,240 be a leader indeed, but he will be spearheading a global agenda. 292 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,760 He's not going to be just leading a powerful nation. 293 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:06,360 He is going to rule over all nations. 294 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:12,080 And the nations at that time will gladly surrender their 295 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:16,800 power to him. Now you might be wondering what 296 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,880 will the world come to for, for such a decision to be made? 297 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,120 Well, listen, if you, if you actually just lean in a little 298 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:27,360 bit, there have been talks of, of globalism for decades. 299 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,240 There's a push for it even in our day, to erase borders to to 300 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,080 erase distinctions, to all come under 1 banner. 301 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,160 And so we even see undertones of this. 302 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:41,560 We, we realize this from time to time it rears its ugly head, but 303 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,320 it will reach its fulfilment in this person. 304 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:48,040 And one of the reasons why it will actually happen is because 305 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:52,000 the world will be such a mess. There'll be so much confusion 306 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,360 and havoc. There'll be such a lack of 307 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,880 competent leadership that when this figure does eventually 308 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:01,560 emerge on the scene, people will desperately throw themselves at 309 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,160 him. He's going to put a spell on 310 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:05,240 them. He's going to make promises. 311 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,160 And in fact, the Bible shows us that initially he's going to 312 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:12,000 solve world issues that global leaders have not been able to 313 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,080 do, the only dreamed about doing. 314 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:18,640 And so he's going to win the allegiance of the nations. 315 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,520 And it's ultimately going to be a satanic trap. 316 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,440 He's going to deceive these world leaders to surrender their 317 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,800 power. He's going to work through this 318 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:29,920 individual to make it even more convincing. 319 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:33,720 And the power of the beast and his system is expounded on in 320 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,160 the next set of details back in Revelation 13. 321 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:45,640 Look at verse 2, John says, after describing where he came 322 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:50,640 from and what he looked like, to zoom in and give us more details 323 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:54,240 of his appearance in verse 2. And the beast that I saw was 324 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:58,360 like a leopard, Its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was 325 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,800 like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his 326 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,960 power and his throne and great authority. 327 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:07,120 So the second part of that verse confirms what we just heard, 328 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:08,840 right? That Satan is going to 329 00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:13,680 orchestrate it for the world to be united under this one system, 330 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,400 the beast. But what do we do with all of 331 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,280 this? That much is clear, I hope. 332 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,680 But why is he described as a part leopard, part bear, part 333 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:27,040 lion? What was the question I said 334 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:28,600 that we were going to repeat over and over again. 335 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,680 Have we seen these features in the same context in different 336 00:21:32,680 --> 00:21:34,560 parts of the Bible before? Answer. 337 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:36,960 Very good. Yes, we have. 338 00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:39,200 Who saw it? Daniel. 339 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,880 Very good. So let's go to Daniel Chapter 7. 340 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,360 Now this is where things get very interesting. 341 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:51,480 Daniel the prophet had a vision about the same beasts. 342 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:56,600 And notice how these two texts will complement each other. 343 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,240 You're saying, well, what's so impressive about that? 344 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:01,920 Well, Daniel existed and lived hundreds of years before the 345 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:04,960 time of Christ. John, who's writing Revelation, 346 00:22:05,280 --> 00:22:09,000 is doing so decades after the resurrection and center of 347 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,600 Christ. And yet there's perfect harmony 348 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:14,680 in their writings, in their not just writings, in their 349 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,560 predictions. Daniel 71. 350 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:22,480 Notice what the Holy Spirit says through him. 351 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,160 In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel saw a 352 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,520 dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. 353 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,480 Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. 354 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:41,400 Daniel declared, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the 355 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:45,000 four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. 356 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:47,920 Isn't that interesting? Here we see the sea again, and 357 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:49,400 what's going to happen with the sea? 358 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,720 Verse 3 And four great beasts came up out of the sea, 359 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,320 different from one another. The first was like a lion and 360 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:03,680 had eagle's wings. Then as I looked, it's wings 361 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,520 were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and 362 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:08,640 made to stand on 2 feet like a man. 363 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,160 And the mind of a man was given to it. 364 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:14,400 And behold another beast, a second one like a bear. 365 00:23:14,920 --> 00:23:18,600 It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth 366 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:23,120 between its teeth and it was told arise devour much flesh. 367 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:27,240 After this I looked and behold another like a leopard with four 368 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:31,320 wings of a bird on its back, and the beast had four heads and 369 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,920 dominion was given to it. This is fascinating. 370 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:39,080 This is exhilarating. And in case you're a little bit 371 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:44,240 confused of what we just read, Daniel actually gives us the 372 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,440 interpretation because he was granted the interpretation. 373 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:50,760 What Daniel is seeing here is the trajectory of human 374 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:54,200 governments, more importantly and more specifically world 375 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:58,720 empires from his time until the return of Christ. 376 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:01,760 Proof. Are you still in Daniel 7? 377 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,640 Scroll down to verse 17. Here's a part of the 378 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:10,960 interpretation of this vision. He's told these 4 great beasts 379 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,400 are 4 kings who shall arise out of the earth, but the Saints of 380 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,760 the Most High shall receive the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom 381 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:23,320 forever, forever and ever. It's right there, it's plain. 382 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:26,920 But what kingdoms is Daniel seeing? 383 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,920 Well, biblically and historically we know the first 384 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:36,080 king that Daniel saw was represented by a lion, and that 385 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:40,040 represents and speaks of the Babylonian Empire. 386 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:44,920 The Babylonian Empire. Babylon in the Bible is referred 387 00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:48,920 to both as a lion and an eagle in certain passages, and notably 388 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,400 these symbols also appear as some claim and Babylonian 389 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:57,240 historical artifacts. So we know that Babylon is 390 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,880 represented by this majestic creature because it was a 391 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:05,080 majestic empire, powerful, fierce, lofty, impressive. 392 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:07,800 Following the line, we learn about the bear. 393 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:12,240 The bear speaks about the Medo Persian Empire because this is 394 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:14,760 the historically speaking, and biblically speaking, there's 395 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,360 history in the Bible. The Medo Persians succeeded the 396 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:21,200 Babylonian Empire. Why a bear? 397 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:26,040 Because it wasn't as majestic as Babylon, but it was powerful. 398 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:33,320 It was scary, maybe not as swift, but very destructive. 399 00:25:35,360 --> 00:25:37,640 But then we come here and we realize something about the 400 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,960 third and it is a leopard, or like a leopard. 401 00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:45,320 Leopards are fast, are they not? But more than just a leopard 402 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:47,880 being fast, we're told that it had four wings on its back. 403 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:52,720 So it's very fast. And this is an image that points 404 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:56,720 to the Greek Empire. And this empire, especially led 405 00:25:56,720 --> 00:26:01,080 by Alexander the Great, swiftly conquered the Persian dynasty. 406 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,920 The speed, the agility, the far reaching success of Greece's 407 00:26:04,920 --> 00:26:08,760 military campaigns are perfectly captured by this image of a 408 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:12,760 leopard that is winged. Now, there are other details I 409 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,800 skipped over, but if you are intrigued by this and you look 410 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:20,320 more carefully at these other symbolisms, you'll be blown to 411 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:22,800 blown away to realize that there are so many historical 412 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:25,760 fulfillments in them. So much so that skeptics of the 413 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:29,200 book of Daniel refused to believe that Daniel wrote this 414 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,600 at his time. That's how accurate these 415 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:36,040 pictures are. And so you'll have some who say 416 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,040 whoever wrote the Book of Daniel wrote it long after these 417 00:26:39,040 --> 00:26:42,760 empires emerged and succeeded one another. 418 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,000 But there are differences between what we find in Daniel's 419 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,160 vision and John's 2 main ones. This is interesting. 420 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,520 The same beasts appear, right? But did you notice that the 421 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,520 order is different? What's the sequence of the 422 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,800 beast, these kingdoms and Daniel? 423 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:08,320 It begins with a lion, then the bear, then the leopard. 424 00:27:09,240 --> 00:27:10,760 In Revelation 13, what do you find? 425 00:27:10,760 --> 00:27:12,960 The same beast? Reverse order. 426 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:19,480 He saw the leopard, right? And then the bear, and then the 427 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:23,360 lion. Is that detail significant? 428 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:25,000 I think so. It just speaks about how 429 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:26,880 surgically precise our Bibles are. 430 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,640 And I think the simple answer is that Daniel is looking forward 431 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,640 to these empires rising. So he's seeing it from the front 432 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:38,280 end, his perspective. He's looking ahead, whereas John 433 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:44,840 is reflecting, he's looking backwards on these empires and 434 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:46,520 the order that they had already appeared. 435 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:51,200 But John's vision is more than just a reflection, because in 436 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,920 Daniel's perspective, he sees these beasts as separate 437 00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,320 entities, right? Different kingdoms. 438 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:04,200 But then when John sees it, he sees these beasts compiled, 439 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:08,960 merged, mashed up into a single beast. 440 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:16,880 What does that mean? It means that John's vision is 441 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:19,120 that this new beast that will appear in the last days will be 442 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:22,960 convergence of these former world empires that are 443 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:25,320 historically known for persecuting the people of God. 444 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,840 In other words, the future empire John sees will be a 445 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:36,760 combination of the strengths of these historical empires who 446 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:38,680 have persecuted the people of God in the past. 447 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:43,240 So this empire, whatever this beast is, will have the strength 448 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:49,600 of Babylon, it will have the authority of Babylon, it will 449 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:55,080 have the ferocious force and movement of the bear, and it 450 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,360 will have the agility like a leopard all in one, all rolled 451 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,240 up in a single one. So the impression that we're 452 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,760 supposed to have, if you, if you read that with a Hebrew mind and 453 00:29:05,760 --> 00:29:09,560 with a biblical mind like we do, understanding the implications 454 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,160 of the the strongest traits of those former empires now 455 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,880 colliding into one empire, this thing is going to be 456 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:19,160 unstoppable. It's going to be so 457 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,040 overwhelming. You think America is powerful? 458 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,960 You've seen nothing yet. This will eclipse all former 459 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,160 things. Whatever the history books have 460 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:34,440 testified about, this will be unlike anything that we've ever 461 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:38,040 known. Now some of you might be 462 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:42,880 wondering, but I thought Daniel saw a vision of four beasts. 463 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:50,760 So why is John by the Spirit only borrowing from the imagery 464 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:52,680 of the the first three that we read about? 465 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:56,240 And if you thought that, I applaud you because you're 466 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,160 paying attention. I commend you for that. 467 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,680 Yes, there is a fourth beast that Daniel describes. 468 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:04,280 And I think looking at that 4th beast will give us even more 469 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,000 understanding of the beast that we see in Revelation 13. 470 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:09,960 Let's go look at it. Daniel 7, are you there? 471 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:14,480 Look at verse 7. After this I saw in the night 472 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:20,000 visions and behold a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful 473 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:24,520 and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. 474 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:29,040 It devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with 475 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,600 its feet. It was different from all the 476 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:36,840 beasts that were before it, and it had 10 horns. 477 00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:42,960 Wow. At face value, Daniel seems to 478 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:47,080 be seeing the same beast that John is seeing in Revelation 13, 479 00:30:47,080 --> 00:30:49,200 right? Is that the case? 480 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:53,360 I would say yes, but with a clear distinction. 481 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,840 A very important difference. He is looking at the same beast, 482 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:05,000 but at two different stages. Let me explain. 483 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:10,160 Babylon. Medo, Persia, Greece, you're 484 00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:13,280 seeing the succession of these kingdoms, and we come to the 4th 485 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:15,360 1. Historically speaking, who does 486 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:17,520 this 4th one represent? Rome. 487 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,360 Rome. And this accurately fits Rome. 488 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,400 I mean, Rome conquered Greece and became one of the most 489 00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:27,040 impressive and lasting empires in all of human history. 490 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:29,600 And that's why Daniel says here that it was different from all 491 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,240 the other beasts. Nobody can stop Rome. 492 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:37,880 But what Daniel does here is that he goes on to give details 493 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:44,240 of the fourth beast that don't completely match the historical 494 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:50,920 Roman Empire, namely that when the reign of Rome expires of the 495 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:55,760 fourth beast, when when it comes to an end, evidently the literal 496 00:31:55,800 --> 00:31:59,280 eternal reign of Christ will what begin? 497 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:04,440 That's something repeated over and over in Daniel Chapter 7, 498 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:08,000 and here's one example of that. Are you still in that chapter? 499 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:12,400 Look down at verse 23. There's further understanding of 500 00:32:12,400 --> 00:32:14,320 what this 4th beast, beast means. 501 00:32:14,760 --> 00:32:20,440 And in Daniel 723 we read thus he said, As for the 4th beast, 502 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,080 there shall be a fourth Kingdom on earth. 503 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,560 We shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall 504 00:32:26,560 --> 00:32:29,880 devour the whole earth and trample it down and break it to 505 00:32:29,880 --> 00:32:33,840 pieces. OK, look at verse 26. 506 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:35,680 Now this is the same breath. This is the same train of 507 00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,160 thought. But the court shall sit in 508 00:32:38,160 --> 00:32:42,360 judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and 509 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,800 destroyed to the end. And the Kingdom and the dominion 510 00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:48,120 and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven 511 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,920 shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High. 512 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:53,920 His Kingdom shall be an everlasting Kingdom, and all 513 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:55,720 dominion shall serve and obey him. 514 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,760 Do you recognize the difficulty of this interpretation? 515 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:06,200 If the 4th beast symbolizes the Roman Empire and that God says 516 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,240 here that he will destroy it, and not just destroy it, but 517 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:14,760 hand over all the kingdoms under heaven to the Saints, how can 518 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:18,320 this be reconciled with the fact that the Roman Empire collapsed 519 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:22,440 around 1500 years ago? Are we living in that reality of 520 00:33:22,440 --> 00:33:25,000 all the kingdoms of heaven being given over to the people of God? 521 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:29,680 Some say yes, we are, which would be a disappointment to me 522 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:31,880 if this is it. No. 523 00:33:34,760 --> 00:33:36,280 So there's only three possible answers. 524 00:33:36,280 --> 00:33:38,160 You ready? 3 possible answers to this 525 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,200 apparent dilemma #1 this prophecy failed. 526 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:45,840 It failed, the 4th Kingdom would end, and immediately after we're 527 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,600 talking about the return of the Son of Man. 528 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,440 That's in the same context, the same chapter. 529 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,880 Where is it? Which leads to the second 530 00:33:51,880 --> 00:33:56,480 possible answer that even good hearted genuine believers would 531 00:33:56,480 --> 00:34:01,640 say, well, this is referring to a spiritual dominion that Christ 532 00:34:01,640 --> 00:34:06,280 inaugurated when he entered into history under the Roman rule and 533 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:09,760 reign during the time of their peak success. 534 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:12,920 Because we know that even in the Gospels that Rome was in power 535 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,760 when Christ came into the world. And so they would say all the 536 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:19,040 stuff that you're reading about dominion and the Kingdom and the 537 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,120 greatness of the Kingdom being handed over to the people in the 538 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,400 Saints of the Most High, that's all spiritual. 539 00:34:25,199 --> 00:34:26,840 This is how they would try to reconcile this. 540 00:34:28,199 --> 00:34:29,719 But here's the third and final option. 541 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,440 The prophet Daniel is speaking about the same beast that John 542 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:38,840 saw about the future, but in two stages. 543 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:45,080 And if the beast is the same here as it is in Revelation 13, 544 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:47,080 then I believe option #3 is the most accurate. 545 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:51,520 Which would mean what? That in the last days there will 546 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:54,239 be some form of revived Roman Empire? 547 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:57,000 That there will be this confederation of nations that 548 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:02,200 will dominate in a way that was previewed by the Roman Empire. 549 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:08,440 Now, that conclusion alone has led to many speculations, many 550 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:13,240 crazy applications. Some are more safe than others. 551 00:35:14,040 --> 00:35:16,520 What does that really mean? Well, we can't get into that 552 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:21,960 now, But I would just say that is the understanding of this 553 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:27,000 beast that yes, historically Rome fell, but there is going to 554 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:31,880 be some kind of renewal that reflects its dominating 555 00:35:31,880 --> 00:35:38,400 influence in the last days, known as the beast, and it will 556 00:35:38,400 --> 00:35:41,440 carry the strongest characteristics of former 557 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:44,520 empires in that last period of time. 558 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:49,000 Now, if you're hearing this interpretation and you're 559 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,440 finding difficulty to accept it, let me mention one more thing to 560 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:54,640 hopefully persuade you. There are other details that 561 00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,320 Daniel gives about this fourth beast that are very difficult to 562 00:35:59,320 --> 00:36:02,880 say, being historically fulfilled in ancient Rome. 563 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:05,000 Let me give you just one example of that. 564 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:08,200 We read Daniel 723, but we skipped to verse 26. 565 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,000 What's in between? Let's read from verse 23 again. 566 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:18,080 Thus he said, As for the 4th beast, there shall be a fourth 567 00:36:18,080 --> 00:36:21,920 Kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, 568 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:25,160 and it shall devour the whole earth and trample it down and 569 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:29,200 break it to pieces. As for the 10 horns, out of this 570 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:33,720 Kingdom 10 kings shall arise, and another shall arise after 571 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:35,880 them. He shall be different from the 572 00:36:35,880 --> 00:36:38,120 former ones, and shall put down 3 kings. 573 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,200 He shall speak words against the Most High and shall wear out the 574 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:46,200 Saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times 575 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:50,000 and the law, and they shall be given into his hand for a time, 576 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:53,480 times and half a time. And then he goes on to describe 577 00:36:53,720 --> 00:36:56,560 how God's reign will come and take over everything. 578 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:00,600 Again, I'm aware that there are more details even here. 579 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,720 Here's the main point, however. The reason why I read this is 580 00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:09,920 because you would be very hard pressed to try to see the 581 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:15,480 fulfillment of the fourth beast, the 4th empire, in this way in 582 00:37:15,480 --> 00:37:23,200 history, especially when you consider the duration of the 4th 583 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,760 kingdom's maniacal reign. What does it say there at the 584 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:29,240 end of verse 25? Does this sound familiar to you? 585 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,680 They shall be given it to his hand for a time, times and half 586 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:36,480 a time. Have we seen that before in 587 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,280 Revelation? Yes. 588 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:42,280 That is describing the final few years of the tribulation period. 589 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:45,400 It's the same duration. So it's got to be speaking about 590 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:51,800 the same thing. So here's here's what we've 591 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:55,920 gathered so far. Daniel and John are seeing the 592 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:59,960 same thing, the same beast, but at two different stages. 593 00:37:59,960 --> 00:38:02,720 It was historically fulfilled in part, but there's going to be 594 00:38:02,720 --> 00:38:06,880 some kind of revival of a Romanesque type of empire in the 595 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:10,960 last days. Now this is how this has LED 596 00:38:10,960 --> 00:38:13,720 some to believe then the beast in Revelation 13 is not a 597 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,760 person, it's a system, right? Because what have we been 598 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:18,640 studying the past few? Well, I don't know how long it's 599 00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:21,680 been, but what a beast is a Kingdom. 600 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:27,000 So then why are we making it sound like a beast as an 601 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,680 individual? Is the beast in Revelation 13 a 602 00:38:30,680 --> 00:38:35,520 person or a political power like a government? 603 00:38:36,040 --> 00:38:38,600 And my answer is it's both. It's both. 604 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:40,960 Both. You actually consider this in 605 00:38:40,960 --> 00:38:45,720 history, that in any empire, the government tends to be almost 606 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:50,040 wholly identified with the ruler, especially if it's a 607 00:38:50,040 --> 00:38:53,160 dictatorship. And if you look back at 608 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:55,200 Revelation 13, we only read the first 2 verses. 609 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:59,000 But you go on and you read that the beast will be worshipped. 610 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:04,160 It's very unlikely that people will worship an ideology. 611 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:08,280 Maybe so. But then you go on to read in 612 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,920 Revelation 13, and there will be another beast that we're going 613 00:39:10,920 --> 00:39:12,200 to study about in the coming weeks. 614 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:16,240 And he's going to persuade the world to worship the image of 615 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:18,800 the beast. The image of what? 616 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:28,120 A set of laws, a creed. And here's the most convincing 617 00:39:28,120 --> 00:39:31,440 part, when you get to the end of Revelation, in Revelation 618 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:34,480 chapter 19, when Christ returns, one of the first things that he 619 00:39:34,480 --> 00:39:38,520 will do is judge the beast. And it says this, that he will 620 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:44,160 throw him and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire. 621 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:49,720 To me, case closed. He's not just an idea, he's not 622 00:39:49,720 --> 00:39:52,440 just a system, he's not just a form of government. 623 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:57,800 He's not just an empire. It is an empire, but it's also a 624 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:03,320 person who's running it. Well, we've heard a lot, haven't 625 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:06,400 we? I'm sure you can see why we 626 00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:10,400 couldn't cover every point. Today was meat and potatoes in 627 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:14,280 the first point alone. So let's just pause here and 628 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:16,800 consider something marvelous. Isn't it amazing that Daniel and 629 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:21,440 John are seeing the same thing centuries apart in their 630 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:25,840 ministries, but seeing and complementing each other's 631 00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:28,160 visions of the last days? How is this possible? 632 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:29,880 Well, it's the same. God is revealing it to them. 633 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:32,960 You can't convince me that this book is not supernatural. 634 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:38,440 But then we look at this and we think to ourselves, OK, well, 635 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:40,200 what do we do with all this information? 636 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:42,960 I mean, hopefully clarified, hopefully again, it provides 637 00:40:42,960 --> 00:40:44,840 some tools of how to interpret the scriptures. 638 00:40:47,040 --> 00:40:49,560 But if I myself wanting to ask this question whenever we come 639 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,000 to texts like this, what does it do for me now? 640 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:58,360 How does it influence me in my day-to-day with all the 641 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:02,040 responsibilities I have? And yes, I know we're studying 642 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:03,960 about the end of the world, but my world seems like it's ending 643 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,640 on its own. So preacher, help me. 644 00:41:08,680 --> 00:41:11,440 Well, I have nothing to offer except the Word of God. 645 00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:15,000 And I think one thing that we can do in terms of application, 646 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:20,040 in terms of how to relate this to ourselves, is to see Daniel's 647 00:41:20,240 --> 00:41:23,280 reaction to the vision that he saw. 648 00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:29,720 It's the last verse of Daniel 7. Notice how he wraps things up in 649 00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:33,920 verse 28. Here is the end of the matter. 650 00:41:34,880 --> 00:41:41,280 As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me and my color 651 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:44,520 changed, but it kept the matter in my heart. 652 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:53,480 Apart from Daniel experiencing a supernatural thing, the reason 653 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:59,480 why he responded in such a way was because the thoughts that he 654 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:02,520 was having about the implications of this vision 655 00:42:03,880 --> 00:42:10,360 overwhelmed him and moved him. It provoked something internal. 656 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:15,960 And I'm not here concluding this message to suggest that the way 657 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:19,600 we should feel about what we just heard is to be frightened, 658 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:24,160 anxious. But I do want to say that it 659 00:42:24,160 --> 00:42:27,400 should do something in you, something. 660 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:32,320 When Daniel saw what he saw, sure. 661 00:42:32,320 --> 00:42:39,480 The experience in itself was moving, but I believe when he 662 00:42:39,480 --> 00:42:45,400 saw it, he believed it. It wasn't just an experience. 663 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:48,280 It was something that he believed to be true and that's 664 00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,640 why it did the work in him to the point that it physically 665 00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:53,800 manifests. I mean, he was losing the color 666 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:58,440 in his face. How did you respond in this past 667 00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,560 50 minutes sitting there today to what was just said? 668 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:07,880 What did it do for you? Oh, I'm sure some light bulbs 669 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:09,520 went off in our minds. That's OK. 670 00:43:09,720 --> 00:43:15,040 God wants us to use our minds. But do you actually understand 671 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:20,640 the implications of these predictions, where this is all 672 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:28,160 heading, how the story is going to conclude, how it speaks to 673 00:43:28,160 --> 00:43:30,320 the temporal nature of the things that we think are going 674 00:43:30,320 --> 00:43:33,920 to last forever, like your house and your body, your 675 00:43:33,920 --> 00:43:39,000 relationships, all of that has an expiration date. 676 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:42,240 And we know that from personal experience. 677 00:43:42,240 --> 00:43:44,680 But the Bible wants to tell us it's not just going to be an 678 00:43:44,680 --> 00:43:46,560 individual thing where we're all one day going to die. 679 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:49,560 This whole world, this whole world is going to be flipped 680 00:43:49,560 --> 00:43:53,720 over. This, this whole thing, all of 681 00:43:53,720 --> 00:43:57,920 history is leading to one point, and that's Christ ruling and 682 00:43:57,920 --> 00:43:59,920 reigning. That's Christ returning to 683 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:03,600 redeem and to establish his Kingdom. 684 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:04,840 That's where all of this is headed. 685 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:09,120 So maybe you're here today, you're visiting, and we're so 686 00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:10,800 glad you're here. Maybe you've been coming, but 687 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:13,120 you're not a believer in Jesus Christ and you don't know what 688 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:17,880 to do with what you just heard. Here's how I want to speak to 689 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:23,200 your heart. You may not believe it, but at 690 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:27,600 least leave this place questioning what you just heard 691 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:34,520 and asking yourself what? What does this mean if it's 692 00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:39,680 true? And are these claims just coming 693 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:42,280 from one author? No, I just mentioned it more 694 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:45,560 than once. You're talking about a library 695 00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:48,960 of books of ancient literature that are speaking about the same 696 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:51,920 thing. How is that possible? 697 00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:53,880 I want you to ask those questions. 698 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:55,760 Don't just leave out of here scoffing. 699 00:44:56,920 --> 00:44:58,880 Don't just walk out of thinking, OK, I don't know what that was, 700 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:03,000 but glad it's over. No, no, Ask yourself, what did I 701 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:07,440 just hear? And if it's true, what does that 702 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:13,120 mean for me? And if you're so confident that 703 00:45:13,120 --> 00:45:15,600 this is not true, then challenge it, Disprove it. 704 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:21,800 Believer, again and again, you are being reminded of what your 705 00:45:21,800 --> 00:45:25,960 purpose is. Now there's a question of why 706 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:29,000 Daniel was alarmed. I mean, this ends on a good 707 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,800 note. All these other kingdoms will, 708 00:45:31,800 --> 00:45:34,440 will fall, they will collapse and Christ's Kingdom, the Son of 709 00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:35,600 man will come and rule and reign. 710 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:38,440 But I believe Daniel's wrestling with different emotions here. 711 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,920 It's what we need to consider also as we study this is, yes, 712 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,240 our future, but also the future of those who don't know Christ, 713 00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:55,040 the loved ones that don't have faith in the Messiah, What's 714 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:58,960 their future going to be? Our children, Are we praying for 715 00:45:58,960 --> 00:46:00,680 them? You know, you have some parents 716 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:02,640 who are more concerned about their future job and their 717 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:04,480 salary and who they're going to marry more than where they're 718 00:46:04,480 --> 00:46:09,560 going to spend eternity. And so all these things need to 719 00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:11,720 be considered. And if you find yourself sitting 720 00:46:11,720 --> 00:46:14,240 there today unmoved, well, here's how we can pray and ask 721 00:46:14,240 --> 00:46:16,200 God's help. Lord, do something in my own 722 00:46:16,200 --> 00:46:18,400 heart. If I can hear these things, 723 00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:22,360 these prophecies and your perspective on life and humanity 724 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,080 and history, and it doesn't do anything to me, then Lord do 725 00:46:26,080 --> 00:46:30,520 something in me. And that is something that God 726 00:46:30,520 --> 00:46:35,840 is willing to do because this book that has been written by 727 00:46:35,840 --> 00:46:42,960 him is also written by God who is alive even now, and He can 728 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:46,920 work in your heart right now if you would just humble yourself. 729 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:51,120 What that means is if you don't believe in Christ, you can know 730 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:55,160 salvation today, and you can be assured that your futures 731 00:46:55,520 --> 00:46:59,440 absolutely set on the path of redemption and hope and 732 00:46:59,440 --> 00:47:03,280 everlasting joy and bliss. And if you're a believer here 733 00:47:03,640 --> 00:47:05,480 and you find yourself for whatever reason, week after 734 00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:09,320 week, becoming more stale and indifferent and more excited 735 00:47:09,320 --> 00:47:11,520 about the things of this world than the things that are going 736 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:17,360 to happen to this world as God to revive your heart, that's 737 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:19,480 something He's willing to do. Can we pray? 738 00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:35,080 Father, we stand amazed at your word. 739 00:47:38,440 --> 00:47:44,280 We thank You that in this one service alone we heard verses 740 00:47:44,280 --> 00:47:48,680 that minister to our personal needs, How You know about all 741 00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:53,720 things from Psalm 139. We reminded in the same service 742 00:47:53,720 --> 00:47:56,520 of the gospel truth how we are guiltless because of our faith 743 00:47:56,960 --> 00:47:58,800 and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. 744 00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:02,800 And now we've come to prophecy to see what you will do in the 745 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:05,160 days to come and how you are telling us ahead of time. 746 00:48:05,200 --> 00:48:10,200 I know tomorrow all these things happen in one service. 747 00:48:11,840 --> 00:48:13,440 We do not take your word for granted. 748 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:18,240 We are blown away by Your revelation, but Lord, we don't 749 00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:20,240 want to just be stimulated intellectually. 750 00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:23,680 We pray like Daniel shows us even in this one brief moment, 751 00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:26,400 how it moved him and it provoked him. 752 00:48:26,800 --> 00:48:30,800 Lord, move us. It is our prayer that what we 753 00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:34,680 heard would make us holier. It will make us more intimate 754 00:48:34,680 --> 00:48:37,720 with You in the place of prayer. It will want us to get deeper 755 00:48:37,720 --> 00:48:42,880 into the word for ourselves, that it will help us detach from 756 00:48:42,880 --> 00:48:47,640 the things of this life. It will help us love those who 757 00:48:47,640 --> 00:48:51,720 need to be loved and serve those who are called to be served and 758 00:48:51,720 --> 00:48:54,280 reach out to those who don't know the truth. 759 00:48:55,240 --> 00:48:58,040 So, Lord, take all the things that we've just studied together 760 00:48:58,480 --> 00:49:02,320 and translate them into our lives and be glorified by our 761 00:49:02,320 --> 00:49:05,080 obedience. We thank you for this in Jesus 762 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:08,720 name, Amen and Amen. All right, let's stand.