The STRATEGY For SATAN’s FINEST HOUR--part A,-#V
—Revelation 13:1-18
Attention:
•‘Grade school’ is potentially a successful strategy for a child’s betterment. It supplies the child with the minimum of what our culture supposes to be useful for a practical citizenry. Grade school also provides much to encourage the child’s consideration of how to approach the potential of their future endeavors.
•Liberal-Arts College education offers a congealing effect for those seeking to focus their education more solidly.
•Post-graduate education is for those who want to expand their knowledge & skills in very specific areas.
All the above compose a strategy for successful citizenry in the United States. But what exactly are students taught?...& with what strategic attitude are the principles caught? There is an overall strategy behind it all!
Satan’s end-time strategy preys upon & depends upon the surrender of your free-will to the weakness of your flesh...
Satan’s strategy is well thought out & is effective at keeping people from living by truth, yet pride being the driver of that Satan’s strategy, it is ultimately doomed to failure. Praise God that Satan’s end-time strategy is limited in time.
By examining ‘Satan’s Finest Hour’, then we are better able to plan around his trickery/wiles/schemes/cunning...
We will then be able to see our own spiritual shortcomings & needs, & see that our needs commend themselves to God’s ability rather than Satan’s, our own, or someone else’s.
In avoiding Satan’s deceptions, we will lead fulfilled spiritual lives & lead others to experience that same fulfillment.
Eph. 6:11—“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. God furnished, to the apostle John, a picture of Satan’s finest hour.
Those who trust Scripture are furnished a clear picture of Satan’s end time strategy.
What strategies will mark Satan’s last days?
2 major strategies for Satan’s finest hour are...
A--Satan’s Counterfeit CHRIST(:1-10)
&
B--Satan’s Counterfeit PROPHET(:11-18)
Today we are going to continue looking at Part-A
A--SATAN’s COUNTERFEIT CHRIST(:1-10)
We will examine some Satanic strategies that are wielded thru the counterfeit Christ.
Previously we’ve discovered that
Satan’s strategy for his finest hour Turns...
1. POLITICS/Rule His Way(:1-2a)
2. EMPOWERMENT His Way(:2b)
3. ATTENTION His Way(:3a)
4. COMMITMENT His Way(:3b-4, 8)
5A(:5). POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
5B(:6)—Satan’s strategy for his finest hour Turns...
POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
:6—“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, & those who dwell in heaven.”
“Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,...”
We have been told that the dragon(Satan) has been cast out of heaven for good(12:7-9). Satan thus denigrates & blackens anything of heaven, which is completely against his power to occupy or move.
•Bullies say derogatory things about the one(s) they are picking on, even though the statements the bully makes are twisted & thus not true.
•A bully, like the devil—a blasphemer & slanderer—attempts to denigrate or ruin someone’s reputation, so that it sets up a false comparison. Then the bully will ‘appear’ ‘good’ &/or ‘right’, & as a result, be idolized by others—others who will not make time to research & discover the truth.
You “blaspheme” someone whenever you rail against someone for personal reasons.
•A pastor can be wrongly denounced when he mentions specific sins, that may apply directly to your situation. IF you take the pastor’s warnings as a malicious personal vendetta against you, then you will probably denounce/blaspheme him to others.
“Opened”—anoigw—Verb—1) To open. Strong—To open up(literally or figuratively, in various applications).?From—ana—a primary preposition & adverb; properly--Up; but by extension, used distributively--Severally, or locally--At(etc.).—&—oigw(to open).
“Mouth”(See :2, 5)—stoma—Noun Accusative Sing. Neuter—1) The mouth, as part of the body: of man, of animals, of fish, etc.—1a) since thoughts of a man's soul find verbal utterance by his mouth, the "heart" or "soul" & the mouth are distinguished; 2) The edge of a sword. Strong—the mouth(as if a gash in the face); by implication--Language(& its relations); figuratively--An opening(in the earth); specifically--The front or edge(of a weapon).
“In/Into”—eiv—Preposition—1) Into, unto, to, towards, for, among. Strong—a primary preposition; To or Into(indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or figuratively--Purpose(result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases.
“Blasphemy/Calumny”—blasfhmia—Lit=‘injurious fame/report’—Noun Fem.—1) Slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name; 2) Impious & reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty. Strong—Vilification(especially against God). Used 19X.?From—blaptw—a primary verb; properly--To hinder, i.e. by implication--To injure.—&—fhmh—1) Fame, report; Strong—A saying, i.e. Rumor(“fame”).
“Against”—prov—Preposition—1) To the advantage of; 2) At, near, by; 3) To, towards, with, with regard to. Strong—a preposition of direction; Forward to, i.e. Toward(with the genitive case) the side of, i.e. Pertaining to; (with the dative case)--By the side of, i.e. Near to; (usually with the accusative case)--The place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. Whither or for which it is predicated.
“God”—yeov—Noun Masc.—1) A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities; 2) The Godhead, trinity; 3) Spoken of the only & true God; 4) Whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way. Strong—of uncertain affinity; A deity, especially(with o, h, to)--The supreme Divinity; figuratively--A magistrate; by Hebraism--Very.
“..To blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, & those who dwell in heaven.”
OR(Greek)--“His tabernacle(noun), & those who ‘tabernacle’(verb) in heaven.”
Here it is revealed that the Antichrist gets very specific in his blasphemies. This is an example of a direct assault upon God’s person, heaven in general, & God’s plan for the ages!
1.)That Antichrist denounces God’s “name” is to denounce all that God’s “name” encompasses. Antichrist(the beast) presumptuously denounces everything associated with God. To denounce God’s ‘name”, denounces everything that stems from God’s perfect character—including His love, care, concern, rescue, deliverance, longsuffering, grace, mercy, decisions, provision, etc. for mankind & the world God created.
2.)The “tabernacle” is denigrated because God states indirectly & directly thru “His tabernacle”(His place in heaven), that He has chosen to interact with mankind & lay out objective truth for & thru them. Of course such a design of God opposes that of the Satan(dragon) & his Antichrist(beast).
•?You opposed to the plainly stated plan of God for the ages?
3.)Thus ‘the beast’ also rails against “those who dwell in heaven” because they have given themselves to God. “Those who dwell in heaven” are continual living testimonies to God’s reality, which the beast, though temporarily, brashly & successfully(:7) undercuts for a short time.
God’s angels are denounced, who since their creation, have never left God’s presence, not following Satan’s initial rebellion(Rev. 12:4).
The faithful of mankind are denounced, those who have died in Christ or have been martyred.
The ‘polar’ opposite of Satan’s efforts, is that some will be polarized ‘toward’ God!
1Cor. 6:19-20—“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, & you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body & in your spirit, which are God’s[possessive].”
We believe & know that God dwells(tabernacles)—by His Holy Spirit—in those who are destined for heaven, upon their personal decision to trust Christ.
Jn. 14:16-18—“And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Rom. 8:8-14—“So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors--not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”
Some suppose that the Spirit’s presence is only known by the presence of tongues speaking(based on some testimonies in Acts 10:45-46; 19:4-6)...A supposition that is incorrectly to applied to the overall Christian experience!
2Cor. 13:5—“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified.”
Col. 1:24-29—“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, & fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages & from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
“Blaspheme”—blasfhmew—1Aorist Active Infinitive—1) To speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme; 2) To be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at. Strong—To vilify; specially--To speak impiously.?From—blaptw—a primary verb; properly--To hinder, i.e. by implication--To injure.—&—fhmh—A saying, i.e. Rumor(“fame”).
“His”(See :2, 4)—autov—Pronoun—1) Himself, herself, themselves, itself; 2) He, she, it; 3) The same. Strong—from the particle au[perhaps akin to the base of ahr[air] through the idea of a baffling wind]--Backward; the reflexive pronoun--Self, used(alone or in the comparative eautou) of the third person , & (with the proper personal pronoun)of the other persons.
“Name”(See :1, 8, 17)—onoma—Noun Neuter—1) Name: universally of proper names; 2) The name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one's rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.; 3) Persons reckoned up by name; 4) The cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason. Strong—from a presumed derivative of the base of ginwskw[to "know"](compare oninhmi[slur/gratify]); A "name"(literally or figuratively) [authority, character].
“Tabernacle”—skhnh—Noun Fem.—1) Tent, tabernacle,(made of green boughs, or skins or other materials); 2) Of that well known movable temple of God after the pattern of which the temple at Jerusalem was built. Strong—a tent or cloth hut(literally or figuratively). Used 20X.
“Those Who”—o,—OR—feminine--h, —OR—neuter--to—Definite Article—1) This, that, these, etc. Strong—The definite article; The(sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom).
“Dwell/Tabernacle”—skhnow—Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masc.—1) To fix one's tabernacle, have one's tabernacle, abide(or live) in a tabernacle(or tent), tabernacle; 2) To dwell. Strong—To tent or encamp, i.e. figuratively--To occupy(as a mansion) or specifically--To reside(as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection & communion). Used 5X.
“Heaven”(See :13)—ouranov—Noun Masc.—1) The vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it—1a) The universe, the world, 1b) The aerial heavens or sky, the region where the clouds & the tempests gather, & where thunder & lightning are produced, 1c) The sidereal or starry heavens; 2) The region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal & consummately perfect where God dwells & other heavenly beings. Strong—perhaps from the same as orov(through the idea of elevation—Probably from an obsolete orw(to rise or “rear”)); The sky; by extension--Heaven(as the abode of God); by implication--Happiness, power, eternity; specifically, the Gospel(Christianity).
Argumentation:
Dan. 11:36; 12:10-13—“Then the king[Antichrist] shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt & magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, & shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.”.....““Many shall be purified, made white, & refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; & none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, & the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred & ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, & comes to the one thousand three hundred & thirty-five days. But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, & will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.””
David’s son, Absalom undercut his own father kingship:
2Sam. 15:1-6—“...Absalom provided himself with chariots & horses, & fifty men to run before him. Now Absalom would rise early & stand beside the way to the gate. So it was, whenever anyone who had a lawsuit came to the king for a decision, that Absalom would call to him & say, “What city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from such & such a tribe of Israel.” Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your case is good & right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.” Moreover Absalom would say, “Oh, that I were made judge in the land, & everyone who has any suit or cause would come to me; then I would give him justice.” And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, that he would put out his hand & take him & kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.”
Php. 1:15-18—“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy & strife, & some also from good will: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; & in this I rejoice, yes, & will rejoice.”
Mat. 24:21-28—“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs & false prophets will rise & show great signs & wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east & flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”
Illustration:
Sea lampreys are a parasitic fish/They enter fresh water traveling up streams(like salmon do), to spawn/Before 1919, there was never a problem with sea lampreys in the Great Lakes/But some people thought it would be a ‘good idea’ to connect Lake Ontario to Lake Erie by means of a manmade canal(the Welland Canal)/It provided a shipping connection between Lake Ontario & Lake Erie which by-passed Niagara Falls/Prior to the canal’s presence, Niagara Falls served as a natural barrier to keep sea lampreys out of the upper Great Lakes/‘Improvements’ to the canal allowed sea lampreys access to the rest of the Great Lakes/By the late 1940s, sea lamprey populations had exponentially extended into all of the Great Lakes, causing severe damage to lake trout & other critical fish species/Before the sea lamprey invasion, Canada & the United States harvested about 15 million pounds of lake trout in the Great Lakes each year/By the early 1960s, the lake trout catch had dropped dramatically, to only about 300,000 pounds/Up to 85% of the fish that were not killed by sea lampreys were marked with sea lamprey attack wounds/The lampreys ruled the lakes!/Sea Lampreys are naturally drawn to the fish that feed their hunger/Likewise, the world will be drawn to dine upon what the Antichrist offers for their spiritual hunger!/POLARIZATION
Application:
?Could your faith survive POLARIZATION Turned Satan’s Way?
?Could your faith survive Satan’s Finest Hour?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Satan’s strategy for his finest hour Turns...
5B(:6). POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
1. POLITICS/Rule His Way(:1-2a)
2. EMPOWERMENT His Way(:2b)
3. ATTENTION His Way(:3a)
4. COMMITMENT His Way(:3b-4, 8)
5A(:5). POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
Pt#5B(:6) only! Presented 10/13/2019am to:
1stBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pt#s 2-8 Presented 05/11/2003am to;
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
