Sermon Central
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Revelation Study Series 18b - God’s Mysterious Plan Fulfilled (Chapter 13b) Series
Contributed by Clayton Beck on Mar 7, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus came! He died! He resurrected! He is coming back!
Revelation Study Series 18b - God’s Mysterious Plan Fulfilled (Chapter 13b)
03.20.22
Message…
Last week we began talking about the antichrist.
John saw a beast come up out of the sea…
Revelation 13:5, 7-8a
5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.
…
he was allowed …“to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.”
And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. …vs.’s 7b - 8a
We asked the question about who do you belong to? The world, or God?! Which does your life/faith reflect?
11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. he had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
12 he exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
13 He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.
14 And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. he ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.
15 he was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.
16 he required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead.
17 And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.
18 Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. his number is 666.
Those three numbers are known by most of the world to represent demonic, end of the world evil!
To some it’s meaningless, or an unlucky set of numbers.
What’s this all about?
11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. he had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.
The first beast rose out of the sea…(a “sea” of people.) This beast rises up out of the earth.
That seems to imply that this beast is a man, who has…“two horns” like a lamb.
(The “two horn” may be symbolic of the religious and political power this beast will have.)
https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/5796/the-two-witnesses-and-the-two-horns-of-the-beast, paraphrased
Lambs are cute, fluffy, and tiny and playful…who doesn’t like a baby lamb?!
But this man, this beast who appears innocent and non-threatening has the “voice of a dragon” [satan]. He is the mouthpiece of satan.
He will not be what he appears to be. He will be a true wolf in sheep’s clothing, spewing lies and blasphemy!
12 he exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
The first beast, the antichrist, sought worship for himself, and to the dragon/satan.
This beast does not seek self-worship, but promotes worship of the antichrist and the dragon/satan. He will work in harmony with the antichrist and satan.
Now, we have a three-fold counterfeit trinity. (satan, antichrist, false prophet)
Remember how we have talked about the fact that the Bible establishes the need for witnesses.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Here we have satan’s attempt at this.
After the antichrist’s fake death and resurrection…the false prophet will inspire, and move the world to worship the antichrist and a statue.
Before this point in time, after the rapture of the church and the beginning of the seven year tribulation period the antichrist, while dominating the world, will do so through a cloak of establishing peace.
In the beginning there will be religious tolerance.
The antichrist will make an agreement with the Jews to re-establish themselves so that they can return to a sacrificial form of worship held in a rebuilt temple, in Jerusalem.
But, mid-way during this seven-year agreement…the antichrist will break his word with them (Dan. 9:27).
he breaks this agreement because his plan all along is to bring the world together and then set up worship and allegiance toward himself, and satan.
