The STRATEGY For SATAN’s FINEST HOUR--part A,-#VI
—Revelation 13:1-18
Attention:
I recently watched a portion of a TV show called ‘America’s Top Dog’.
It is based on running certain law enforcement K-9 units(trained dogs) thru a standardized timed course. The course highlights each dog’s skillset or lack thereof, as well as the dog’s obedience to their handler.
I noticed immediately after the timer had begun & one dog & his handler were about to enter the course area, that the dog looked completely away from the doorway he was supposed to enter. The dog looked intently to his left & into the audience with great interest. The audience totally took the dog’s attention! However, at the exact time the dog was looking to his left, his handler saw what was happening & immediately commanded the dog, trying to get him focused on the race at hand.
The dog unhesitatingly listened to the voice of his master & won the course run.
Likewise, Satan is ‘sitting in the audience’ & continuously trying to steal your attention away from your Master(Jesus) & the tasks God has for you.
Satan’s end-time strategy preys upon & depends upon the surrender of your free-will to the weakness of your flesh...
The strategy you may concoct on your own to fix your situation may not be very effective, so that it ‘comes back to bite you’ as it were...destined to fail.
And, If your strategy is well thought out it MAY indeed be effective...though spiritually unsuccessful...
*However, if it is well thought-out by God’s design in Christ, then it WILL ABSOLUTELY Be SUCCESSFUL!
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.
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. 6:11-13—We are exhorted to:—“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand.”
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). POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
6—Satan’s strategy for his finest hour Turns...
ALLOWANCE His Way(:7a)
Explanation:(:7a) Action/Limited
:7—“And it was granted to him to make war with the saints & to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue & nation.”
“And it was granted to him to make war with the saints...”
“War”—This is not a description of individual battles or skirmishes. It is a depiction of the focus upon a full-scale all-out war with the intent of soundly defeating the enemy(God’s people) until they are completely subdued!
Dan. 7:21, 25—“I kept looking, & that horn[king/ruler/authority] was waging war with the saints & overpowering them” And he will speak out against the Most High & wear down the saints of the Highest One, & he will intend to make alterations in times & in law; & they will be given into his hand for a time, times, & half a time.”
The term “saints” is Scripture is actually a designation for all of those who are considered ‘holy’—those who are born again. It is a term describing those who not only do not worship or submit to the beast, but for those who readily give themselves to God Almighty, & are the bane of the devil!
In that day, governmental authorities submitting to their own devices, will take that allowance to extreme ends against the “saints” of God...Because it will be the beast’s(Antichrist’s) government!
Keep in mind that there is absolutely no good in ‘The Slanderer.’ If Satan is given opportunity, the adage is true regarding his prideful selfishness—‘if you give him an inch he’ll take a mile!’
“Granted/Given”2X(See :2, 4, 5, 15; :16—“receive”)—didwmi—1Aorist Passive Indicative 3rd Sing.—1) To give; 2) To give something to someone—2a) Of one's own accord to give one something, to his advantage—2a1) To bestow a gift, 2b) To grant, give to one asking, let have, 2c) To supply, furnish, necessary things, 2d) To give over, deliver—2d1) To reach out, extend, present, 2d2) Of a writing, 2d3) To give over to one's care, intrust, commit—2d3a) Something to be administered, 2d3b) To give or commit to some one something to be religiously observed, 2e) To give what is due or obligatory, to pay: wages or reward, 2f) To furnish, endue; 3) To give—3a) To cause, profuse, give forth from one's self—3a1) To give, hand out lots, 3b) To appoint to an office, 3c) To cause to come forth, i.e. as the sea, death & Hell are said to give up the dead who have been engulfed or received by them, 3c) To give one to someone as his own—3c1) As an object of his saving care, 3c2) To give one to someone, to follow him as a leader & master, 3c3) To give one to someone to care for his interests, 3c4) To give one to someone to whom he already belonged, to return; 4) To grant or permit one—4a) To commission. Didwmi denotes “to give” in general, opposite to lambanw--“to take”; dwreomai specific--“to bestow, present”; didwmi might be used even of evils, but dwreomai could be used of such things only ironically. Strong—a prolonged form of a primary verb(which is used as an alternative in most of the tenses); To give(used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection).
“Make”(see :5—“continue/act”)—poiew—1Aorist Active Infinitive—1) To make—1a) with the names of things made--To produce, construct, form, fashion, etc., 1b) To be the authors of, the cause, 1c) To make ready, to prepare, 1d) To produce, bear, shoot forth, 1e) To acquire, to provide a thing for one's self, 1f) To make a thing out of something, 1g) To (make i.e.)render one anything—1g1) To (make i.e.)constitute or appoint one anything, to appoint or ordain one that, 1g2) To (make i.e.)declare one anything, 1h) To put one forth, to lead him out, 1i) To make one do something—1i1) cause one to, 1j) To be the authors of a thing (to cause, bring about); 2) To do—2a) To act rightly, do well—2a1) To carry out, to execute, 2b) To do a thing unto one—2b1) To do to one, 2c) with designation of time--To pass, spend, 2d) To celebrate, keep—2d1) To make ready, & so at the same time to institute, the celebration of the passover, 2e) To perform: to a promise. Poiew denotes "to do”, prassw - "to practice”; poiew to designate performance, prassw intended, earnest, habitual, performance; poiew to denote merely productive action, prassw definitely directed action; poiew to point to the action result, prassw to the scope & character of the result. These words are often used interchangeably. Strong—apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; To make or do(in a very wide application, more or less direct).
“War”—polemov—Noun Masc.—1) A war; 2) A fight, a battle; 3) A dispute, strife, quarrel. Polemov ordinarily means war, i.e., The whole course of hostilities. Whereas ; mach--battle, is a single engagement. It is also true that mach has often the weaker force of strife or contention, which is very seldom found in polemov. Strong—Warfare(literally or figuratively; a single encounter or a series). Used 18X.?From—pelomai—To bustle[to move in an energetic or noisy manner].?English=‘Polemic’ or ‘Polemical.’
“Saints”—agiov—Adj.—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Agiov has probably as its fundamental meaning separation, i.e., from the world to God's service. If not the original meaning, this at any rate is a meaning early in use. This separation, however, is not chiefly external, it is rather a separation from evil & defilement. The moral signification of the word is therefore the prominent one. This word, rare & of neutral meaning in classical Greek, has been developed in meaning, so that it expresses the full N.T. conception of holiness as no other does. Strong—Sacred(physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).
Argumentation:
Mat. 18:7—“Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”
1Cor. 8:9—“But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.”
Gal. 5:13—“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
1Pet. 2:15-16—“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.”
Acts 5:12-42—“And through the hands of the apostles many signs & wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men & women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets & laid them on beds & couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people & those who were tormented by unclean spirits, & they were all healed. Then the high priest rose up, & all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), & they were filled with indignation, & laid their hands on the apostles & put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors & brought them out, & said, “Go, stand in the temple & speak to the people all the words of this life.” And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning & taught. But the high priest & those with him came & called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, & sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came & did not find them in the prison, they returned & reported, saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, & the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, & the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came & told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple & teaching the people!” Then the captain went with the officers & brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, & intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter & the other apostles answered & said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince & Savior, to give repentance to Israel & forgiveness of sins. “And we are His witnesses to these things, & so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” When they heard this, they were furious & plotted to kill them. Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, & commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, & all who obeyed him were scattered & came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, & drew away many people after him. He also perished, & all who obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away from these men & let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it--lest you even be found to fight against God.” And they agreed with him, & when they had called for the apostles & beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, & let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, & in every house, they did not cease teaching & preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
?To what end is your ‘freedom’ used/employed?
Illustration:
Dogs, IF they are allowed to run with other dogs, will run in a dangerously destructive ‘pack’/Their sense of ‘home’ & obedience to their master becomes blurred & lost/ALLOWANCE
BUT, there is another force at work—Almighty God!
Political affiliations/A Christian can be so driven by a political party, & the ideals of that political party, so that they ‘buy into’ the secular ideals of ‘their’ party, above that of Christ Jesus!/Christians should instead—choose a secular party, 1)Recognizing it as secular, & 2)Recognizing it as possibly the lesser of two or more secular evils!/‘Jesus sympathizers’ are not the same thing as Jesus Himself!/They Turn ALLOWANCE Their Way!
If allowed, who will you blindly follow the party lines of Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, Greens, Constitutionalists, etc.?
Or...will you wisely/knowledgeably & devotedly follow Jesus Himself, & allow Him to thread the needle of real truth, real direction, & real freedom, real policy?
Application:
?What freedoms does God allow you & what do you do with them?
?Could your faith survive ALLOWANCE Turned Satan’s Way?
?Could your faith survive Satan’s Finest Hour?
7—Satan’s strategy for his finest hour turns
PERSECUTION His Way(:7b)
Explanation:(:7b) Defeat/
:7—“And it was granted to him to make war with the saints & to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue & nation.”
There are obviously “saints” present in the future Tribulation-ridden world. There will be a time when the dragon’s beast(Satan’s Antichrist) will ‘successfully’ wage “war” against “the saints” so that “the saints” are “overcome” by him. In that future time, God’s own people—“the saints”—will lose their lives because of their faith. In the throes of death, “the saints” will no doubt, bear witness to God’s truth of salvation in Christ Jesus alone!
Such an ability will be “granted to him” from outside himself & ultimately from outside Satan himself. God ultimately ‘allows’ Satan temporal victory.
There will be none of any representative group of “saints” who will escape being “overcome.” “Every tribe, tongue, & nation” will be effected & involved!
Dan. 7:21—“I was watching; & the same horn[‘little horn’/Beast/Antichrist] was making war against the saints, & prevailing against them, was waging war with the saints & overpowering them”
Even in that day, God is still in control & “grants” this beast a specific time & people in which to ‘show off’ & ‘live out’ his obviously ungodly character.
Antichrist has total “authority”/control over “every tribe, tongue, & nation.”...
BUT...—BECNT—....
•Actually, Antichrist’s controlling influence is limited only to those who do not belong to Christ!
•Antichrist is also limited time-wise to 3 1/2 years or forty-two months(:5)!
All the horrors of hell will be experienced during the Tribulation, thru the hands of the Antichrist. BUT God actually ‘holds Satan on a short leash.’
“Overcome”—nikaw—Verb—1) To conquer—1a) To carry off the victory, come off victorious—1a1) Of Christ, victorious over all His foes, 1a2) Of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, & temptations & persecutions, 1a3) when one is arraigned or goes to law--To win the case, maintain one's cause. Strong—To subdue(literally or figuratively).
“Them”—autov—
“Authority”(See :2, 4, 5, 12)—exousia—Noun Fem.—1) Power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases—‚1a) Leave or permission; 2) Physical & mental power—2a) The ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises; 3) The power of authority(influence) & of right(privilege); 4) The power of rule or government(the power of him whose will & commands must be submitted to by others & obeyed)—4a) universally--4a1) Authority over mankind; 4b) specifically--4b1) The power of judicial decisions, 4b2) Of authority to manage domestic affairs; 4c) metonymically--4c1) A thing subject to authority or rule—4c1a) Jurisdiction, 4c2) One who possesses authority—4c2a) A ruler, a human magistrate, 4c2b) The leading & more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates, 4d) A sign of the husband's authority over his wife—4d1) The veil with which propriety required a women to cover herself, 4e) The sign of regal authority, a crown. Exousia is primarily liberty of action; then authority -- either as delegated power, or as unrestrained, arbitrary power. Strong—Privilege, i.e. subjectively--Force, capacity, competency, freedom, or objectively--Mastery(concretely--Magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence.
“Over”—epi—Preposition—1) Upon, on, at, by, before; 2) of position--On, at, by, over, against; 3) To, over, on, at, across, against. Strong—properly, meaning superimposition(of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution[with the genitive case], i.e. Over, upon, etc.; of rest(with the dative)--At, on, etc.; of direction(with the accusative case)--Towards, upon, etc.
“Every”—pav—Adj.—1) individually—1a) Each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone, all things, everything; 2) collectively—2a) Some of all types. Strong—apparently a primary word; All, any, every, the whole.
“Tribe”—fulh—Noun Fem.—1) A tribe—1a) in the NT all the persons descending from one of the twelve sons of the patriarch, Jacob; 2) A nation, people. Fulh is sometimes a race, nation, but usually a tribe, such as one of the twelve tribes of Israel, descended from the twelve sons of Jacob. Strong—An offshoot, i.e. Race or clan. Used 31X.?From—fuw—a primary verb; probably originally, to "puff" or blow, i.e. to swell up; but only used in the implied sense, To germinate or grow(sprout, produce), literally or figuratively.
“People”[AlexT]—laov—Noun Masc.—1) A people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock & language; 2) Of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere. In classical Greek—An unorganized people at large. ?Whereas in Biblical Greek—The people of a heathen city.? ?Laov is a word which is usually limited in use to the chosen people, Israel.? Strong—apparently a primary word; A people(in general; thus differing from dhmov[The public], which denotes one's own populace).
“Tongue”—glwssa—Noun Fem.—1) The tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech; 2) A tongue—1a) The language or dialect used by a particular people distinct from that of other nations. Strong—of uncertain affinity; The tongue; by implication--A language(specially, one naturally unacquired). Used 50X.
“Nations”—eynov—Noun Neuter—1) A multitude(whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together—1a) A company, troop, swarm; 2) A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus—2a) The human family; 3) A tribe, nation, people group; 4) in the OT--Foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; 5) Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians. Eynov in the singular is a general term for nation, applied to any nation, even to the Jews. In the plural it ordinarily denotes all mankind aside from the Jews & in contrast with them, the Gentiles. Strong—A race(as of the same habit), i.e. A tribe; specially--A foreign(non-Jewish) one(usually by implication, pagan).?English=‘Ethnic(-ity)’
Argumentation:
Mat. 5:10-12—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Those who are persecuted because they are living in true righteousness by God’s empowerment, are “blessed” of God. The persecution levied against them is proof that their commitment to God in Christ is real.
Rom. 1:24, 26, 28—As God gives men over to their sinfulness—“...God also gave them up to uncleanness...”; “God gave them up to vile passions...”; “...God gave them over to a debased mind...”
Likewise for a time, God will give the Beast over to run amok with his desires.
Mat. 24:15-22—“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant & to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 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.”
Illustration:
When I was a kid(~5-8 yrs. old), an older boy named Wayne S., held sway over certain areas of our neighborhood(me & my buddies considered Wayne a bully)/We lived in an area of North Carolina that had lots of low hills & lots of granite boulders/On the side of a hill, just above the creek behind our friend’s house, was an unusual, large rectangular ‘milky quartz’ rock ~3ft long X ~2 ft. wide X ~1-2ft. deep/The rock was embedded all over with patches of the small gold-colored metallic crystals-cubes of gold!(We later realized it was ‘fool’s gold’)/My best friend Doug E. & me got together one day & we tried digging some of the ‘gold’ out/We were ecstatic about finding ‘gold’!/However Wayne soon appeared & found us attempting to dig out the ‘gold’ from what he considered ‘his’ rock!/There was the threat of a fight!/Doug & I ran as fast as we could & successfully escaped Wayne’s clutches!/We ran safely into the arms of our respective Mommas!/He ‘Persecuted’ us because we were horning in on what he considered ‘his territory’/Turns PERSECUTION His Way
Christian Persecution comes our way because it is a threat to another person’s belief system...a threat to another society’s belief system....a threat to another culture’s belief system/Islam is threatened by Christianity—that’s why it lops the heads off of Christians living within it’s sphere of influence...And why considers America, the ‘Great Satan’/Turns PERSECUTION His Way
Application:
?Could your faith survive PERSECUTION Turned Satan’s Way?
?Could your faith survive Satan’s Finest Hour?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
‘America’s Top Dog’—The dog unhesitatingly listened to the voice of his master & won the course run.
Action:
Satan’s strategy for his last days Turns...
6. ALLOWANCE His Way(:7a)
7. PERSECUTION His Way(:7b)
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). POLARIZATION His Way(:5-6)
Pt#6-7 Presented 02/09/2020pm to:
1stBC Cbelle
206 Storrs Ave.(SE Ave. A)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pts. 2-8 Presented 05/11/2003pm to;
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 39897
