Revelation Part 22
Revelation 13:1-8
Introduction
Today begins the study of the Book of Revelation, Chapter 13. In this chapter we will examine the beast, the anti-Christ, the false prophet, and of course the relevance of the number 666. Chapter 13 should take us two messages to get through, and the importance of this sermon is vital to your survivability as a Christian. God needs you to understand these next two messages.
They are the explanation of the clear and present danger that we face as Christians, and without this knowledge I tell you today that you are living in a world of denial. Understanding the purpose of Satan is mandatory comprehension to ANY Christian.
Pray
Point 1 – The Beast (v1-2)
We have covered that Satan appeared on the Earth and wanted to attack the woman (Israel), so I am not going to go in depth on that again.
In Daniel and Revelation the Beast seen by both Daniel and John are portraits of the last Human government before the return of the Messiah. WHEN Christ returns the Beast of Daniel and Revelation will be the dominant force on the Earth.
The beast mentioned in Daniel will be the revived Roman Empire, and Daniel covers this completely in Daniel Chapters 9, 7 and even in Chapter 2.
Because Daniel is seeing this beast come from the sea, this sea is figuratively referred to here and it is the Sea of humanity. Note that the anti-Christ will be a man.
The 10 crowns represent the 10 Kingdoms which make up the initial kingdom to be established by the anti-Christ – his authority over the Earth is supreme, and there is no where to hide from him and his minions seeking to do his bidding. Get this – Satan has absolute power from God.
However, in his own show of defiance, he places a blasphemous name on him. This name will signify his defiance to God, and those who follow him will have the same defiance. Rather than creation worshiping God, he will demand worship – this is blasphemy!
Biblical references for animals: The Lion represented, Babylon; The Bear, Persia; The Leopard, Greece; The Beast, Rome. If you combined all of these images, you would have one pretty ferocious beast on your hands.
The kingdom of Antichrist will be a world kingdom with a world capital. This means that all control will be had by Satan, and through him all things will be said, done, bought, and sold on this Earth. Those living on the Earth during this time will have one option, and is to worship Satan (follow his rules, etc.) or be destroyed.
Point 2 – The Man (v3)
This is the anti-Christ’s entrance onto the world: John says, “I saw one of his heads …” The heads represent the succession of kingdoms throughout history opposed to God’s redemption through Israel’s Messiah. This Seventh head represents a “Revived Roman” kingdom, which has recovered from its mortal wound. This head, the “Roman Head” is lead by the Antichrist, who is Satan himself. John like Daniel focuses on the Beast’s appearance and notices one of the 7 heads. Daniel notices one horn among the 10 and describes its appearance and actions.
"I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:8
Sometime during his reign, the Beast is somehow mortally wounded, and from Rev 17:8 we know he dies or appears to die, went into Hell and ascended out of Hell. The Beast is a satanic counterfeit of Christ resurrection. The death of the Beast corresponds with the fall of Satan from Heaven. At the death of the Beast, Satan was able to indwell the body begin to rule the world thru the Antichrist.
The mortal wound becomes the focus of worship during the last half of the tribulation. (Read Rev 13:12)
Because the beast resurrected himself, the entire world marveled at who he is! The mysterious death of this world leader and his resurrection will give credibility to the next phase of Satan’s plan. The world turns to the Beast not only as a political leader but also as “god on earth”. Satan’s pride was his undoing, in Heaven he sought to be god; he will seek to be god on earth too.
Summary – The anti-Christ is a man; brought from the Roman Empire; who dies and is resurrected by Satan’s power. If you are left behind and you are hearing or reading this, these are the things to watch for.
Point 3 - The Religion of the Beast (v4-8)
During this horrible time, people are given the option to serve Satan, or die. But, think of this world today. How far off is this from what you see now? Does the devil not influence things on this earth today? Consider for a moment the amount of people NOT in church today! Consider the amount of people worshiping at their own pace or worshiping their own god?
“We are part of the IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT generation.”
How much does Satan really have to do in order to gain control? Nothing – except cater to our egos and make us think that we are really something and that God is not important. This is the struggle of the church – this is the ministry of the church, and I believe with all my heart this is ought to be the cry of ministry for Bethlehem Baptist Church. Defiance against Satan is NOT an option for this church – it is a commandment!
The beast was Satan and the soul of the Antichrist both indwelling the same body. After the “Glorious return” the Antichrist is cast into the “Lake of fire” and Satan is cast chained into the Abyss. (Rev 19:20,20:2) – this is the hope of tomorrow, but today we have a work to do in ensuring that Satan is hindered. This is the authority of the church and I tell you with all honesty, we are failing to stop him.
The saints are those who come to Christ during the Tribulation – as in, those who were “Left Behind” at the rapture! During this time, Satan intensifies his search for the offspring of the women who fled into the wilderness for 1260 days. The women’s offspring both physical and spiritual are hunted down for destruction. When Christ returns, the saints in hiding will be brought before Christ by the angels who will gather them from the nations.
Matt 24:30-31 says, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Conclusion – Let’s stop here for today …
Two questions to ponder:
Will you be hiding or in heaven when Jesus returns?
Where will you be when God finds you? Will you be right here in church on Sunday?
The glorious coming in the clouds is that of Jesus Christ’s return to battle against the anti-Christ – but before that time can come WE must strive and continue to work for the Lord! Many today are fooled by thinking what they are doing is enough, or thinking that they have done their work and there is nothing more to do.
If you are one of those, you are lying to yourself. Commitment to follow Jesus is not an option – it is a commandment. Jesus said in John 15 “greater love has no man that he lays down his life for a friend.” Today you are, or you can be, a friend of God. Jesus laid down his life for his friends – for US – and the least we can do is live for Him.
Jesus was committed all the way – how about you?
I have been studying this book for months and am convinced that God’s cry to the church is to get up, dust off the proverbial cobwebs, and get to work! God has a work for us to do today – the question is, will you work for the Lord? Our actions today, I believe, will directly affect eternity … the biggest question of all is: Do you care?
* Research taken from TruthNet.org
