The Beast

Also, a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven heads, with 10 dad to him on his horns and blasphemous names on its heads the beast that I saw was like a leopard's feet were like a buyers's mouth was like a lion's mouth into it. The dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its head seem to have a mortal wound but it's mortal wound was healed. And the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast they worshiped the Dragon for your given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast who can fight against it. The base was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words was allowed exercise authority for 42 months and opens his mouth. Other blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling. That is, those who dwell in heaven also is allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe, people, language and nation and all who dwell on the earth will worship it.

Everyone whose name is not been written before the foundation of the world. The book of life of the Lamb that was slain anyone has an ear letting here if anyone is to be taken captive to captivity he goes. If anyone is to be slain with the sword with the sword must he be slain.

Here is a call the endurance and faith of the saints is pray. Heavenly father. What passage we are dealing with today.

We asked father for insight instruction from your word and direction Lord from your Holy Spirit, heavenly father, we thank you for loving us. We thank you for inspiring the apostle John the right. This great book of Revelation. 2000 years ago heavenly father as we go through it. We have come to understand if this is not just a book that was written to the last generation of Christians that would live on this earth but it was a book that was written for every generation of Christian that we might understand the calling that we have that we might understand that Jesus Christ is truly worthy that he is worth all that we can give to him. Heavenly father, we would ask today that you help us, that we might better understand the enemy that we face in Lord we might have the heart to fight him with all that we have gotten directors now through this passage. May Jesus be uplifted and exalted by this congregation beatified. It is a holy and precious thing that we pray of Jesus.

Amen.

You may be seated. If you come from a dispensational background or you have read Hal Lindsey's book, the late great planet Earth, or if you have read the this series by Tim LaHaye a left behind.

Then as soon as I mention the term the beast of Revelation immediately in your mind you think of this world dictator, a man who is fully possessed by Satan. A man who has economic and political power. Great power. A man was ruling over the world and is in is deceiving the world and is turning the world from Christ. A Hitler on steroids. Now who is this man the. The Scripture refers to him as the antichrist, the man of sin. The man of lawlessness. When will he reign of the dispensational is tell us that he will reign after the rapture of the church that he will reign for a seven year period of time and that he is reign will end when Christ comes back in the last day and destroys him and in Christ will set up a 1000 year millennial period of time a golden.

Here on earth. I would not believe that is what Revelation chapter 13 is teaching. I do not believe that the beast is a single personality.

I believe that the beast is a picture of the secular political systems and kingdoms that will rise and fall all the way through human history.

Now do I believe that there will be a powerful political leader who will rise up and rule in in the last days immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. Do I believe that I do believe that but I don't get that from this passage that were looking at today. I get that from second Thessalonians chapter 2, and we can look at that right now. Chapter 2 second Thessalonians verses one through 12, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ are being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by spirit or spoken word or letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God do not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things and you know what is restraining him nail so that he may route be revealed in his time, the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.

Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way and then the lawless one will be revealed in the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. That is the man of lawlessness, that is, the son of perdition. That is the powerful dictator who will reign on this earth in the very last days immediately preceding the actual second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will deceive the world through false signs and and wonders and how will he be able to do that when we read in verse 10 to 12 once again they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. These people it is mentioning here were in rebellion against God, refusing to believe and follow the Lord so the judgment of God on them will be that he will send them a strong delusion in order that they might believe a lie. The live the strong delusion comes when there is a defiant heart against God's word and in general that what we see going on across our world today.

Generalize that in in France and England today only 2% in some cases less than 2% of the populations of those countries claim to be evangelical Christians, and ever show up and and enter a church door must most of Western Europe. Today is following in that very same vein, there are rows of Moslems that are coming in and into Western Europe and their company and with the purpose and that purpose is to build big families in order that they might propagate a false religion and an order that they might bring Europe into a commitment to Islam books. They are deadly set against the Christian faith, they will persecute Christians beats Vietnam and its great possibility that it will be much worse. Communist countries are essentially existing and their atheistic and huge nations like Russia and China. Stanley firmly against God's truth. America has become so politically correct that it is created, not indifference to biblical truth, but downright defiance against political truth and the kind of defiance that is mean-spirited and in your face if you are pro-life. If you believe that that marriage is between only one man and one woman. If you believe that there are only two genders, and that those genders are not dependent on your choice. They are dependent upon God's providence, then you are a narrowminded bigot and if you are a narrowminded bigot. Then they believe that voice has to be silenced.

Isaiah said what window those who call good evil and evil good who put light for darkness and darkness for light, the people rejected the truth of God's word and desire to make pleasure there. God are people who will listen to and articulate, passionate, well spoken leader who will tell them what they want to hear who will give them what they desire who will promise them the world and will never mention the consequences to their actions and never mention eternity. He will cover them with a strong delusion the world in this new technological age in which we are living has changed exchange very quickly. Used to be that news would go out and it would take weeks, months, sometimes years to get to the four corners of the earth.

Now that new spread very quickly set in seconds instead of weeks or months. I don't know when Christ is going to return. I don't know when this man of lawlessness will begin his reign, but I do know this.

The stage is set and and more so now than it's ever been in the history of this world now set all that to say this, the beast of Revelation in the man of lawlessness are not one and the same. The man of lawlessness is incorporated into what the beast is the beast itself is much larger and much broader in time and space, then the than just the man of lawlessness.

So let's take a look at the base five points I want to share with you .1 is the beast identified. Look at verses one and two, I saw a beast rising out of the sea with 10 horns and seven heads, with 10.items on its horns and blasphemous names on his heads in the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a Beyers and his mouth was like a lion's mail and to the dragon gave his power and his with throne and great authority.

As I just said the beast is not just a man. The beast is a picture of secular political systems that rise and fall all the way through human history.

Like I said last week. John drew very heavily as he was writing the book of Revelation from the Old Testament.

There are over 500 Old Testament references that are found in the book of Revelation here in chapter 13 John goes all the way back to Daniel chapter 7 in Daniel chapter 7.

You will see a that Daniel had a vision of four different beast that represented different empires and any tails help those beast in succession, rise up and how they fall and who do they represent the represented babbling, Persia, Greece and then Rome. They were all in opposition to God's people, but Christ ultimately defeated each one of them. The beast that John speaks of in Revelation chapter 13 is very very similar to the fourth beast, which is the Roman empire in the Scripture tells us that this beast of Revelation is coming up out of the sea is not a literal. So this is a sea of nations. This is a sea of people. The the horns, the heads in the diadem's represent royal power governmental control summit, kissed a marker says that the numbers 10 and seven that are used here a represent completeness and fullness in indicating power that can become worldwide.

We have Hendrickson said this, the Seabees symbolizes the persecuting power of Satan, embodied in all the nations and governments of the world throughout all history in the beast. The persecuting power Satan becomes visible. The beast has blasphemous names on it said this point students of the false claims of deity that that political leaders of Payette and we sing it all the way through history. When John was writing the book of Revelation, Domitian was that Rosa Emperor of the Roman Empire and he would force people to come and sacrifice to him as if he were God, he built a statue of himself had altered beside the statute and the people would have to come and sacrifice to him as if he were a God reminds us of Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament who built the great statue of himself in the planes of Dora and the people would or forced to come into the planes and bow down before that statue and worship, and if they would not they would be thrown into a fiery furnace, Shadrach me shack and Abednego refused to bow and were thrown into the fiery furnace and as you know lives through it.

Nebuchadnezzar was bringing deity upon himself in the early church. Many Christians were martyred because they were required once a year to go before an altar in Rome take a pinch of incense, throw it on the altar and then proclaim that Caesar is Lord. The Christians would not do that and I would say no. No, Caesar is not Lord Jesus is Lord for that they would die.

Richard Phillips gave a good definition of the beast. He said this, the beast from the sea represents all the empires throughout human history that it stood against God and his people.

The fact this beast exercises authority for 42 months. That is, for the entirety of the church age shows that this beast represents more than the ancient Roman that persecuted the churches of John's time. It represents the entirety of violent earthly empires that oppose Christ kingdom and people. The question may be rent raised whether this beast from the sea should be equated with Antichrist, the answer is yes if the antichrist is biblically understood. The term is used only in the epistles of John, where the apostle spoke of those who oppose the revelation of Jesus children. It is the last hour as you have heard that antichrist is coming so many so now many antichrists have on this verse states that the antichrist is a figure who will appear in the EN but who is represented throughout church history by many who are like him. John added that every spirit that does not confess Jesus is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and is now in the world already. This spirit is exemplified in the beast from the sea which was given a mouth uttering Holly and blasphemous words. Paul's teaching in second Thessalonians to three indicated that there would be an ultimate antichrist before Christ's return, whom he named as the man of lawlessness, yet he is represented throughout the church age by blasphemous powers in opposition to Christ that why my spending so much time explaining how the beast of Revelation includes the antichrist who will so powerfully oppose Christ and his people in the days immediately preceding the second coming of Christ but yet is is not limited to him the be the beast incorporates that antichrist but is much larger and broader than that.

We need to understand this because the book of Revelation is not written to just that last generation of Christians that are living on this earth. The book of Revelation was written to every generation of Christians usually John needed the book of Revelation for remote for his own self, for he was persecuted and put on the island of of of Patmos by the Emperor Domitian. I think of Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, who were martyred for their faith burned at the stake by secular English government.

I think of of Idi Amin who martyred tens of thousands of Christians in Uganda took their lives.

Just because the you and love the Lord Jesus. I think of so many in Sudan today who are being beaten and martyred because they love Christ. I think of the.

The ones in China who worked our Christians and are being thrown in prison because of their love for Christ and every gin of ration of believers need to hear the message of Revelation and what is that message. It is this. Yes, there will be persecution. But Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you.

I point to is the beast is a counterfeit Christ of verse three and four. One of its head seem to have a mortal wound but is mortal wound was healed.

And the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast and they worshiped the Dragon for you. Given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, who is like the beast, and who can fight against it. Now let me begin this by just sharing a few parallels between the true Christ and the Antichrist. These are parallels. They are there ugly counterfeits with their you see the similarities here. This is important one. Revelation 19 verse 12 Christ wears many die dams. Revelation 13 one. The beat is seven die dams number two Revelation 1912. Christ is a worthy name written on him.

Revelation 13 one.

The beast is covered with blasphemous names, number three Revelation 59 Christ has people from every tongue and nation.

Revelation 13 seven. The beast assumes power over people every over people from every tribe, kindred tongue and nation number four Revelation 710 Christ is worship together with God. Revelation 13 for the beast demands false worship with Satan books those are similarities, but they are ugly ugly counterfeits me to stop here and say something we are living in a society today that is being encouraged in our school systems in our secular universities to put their trust in government to depend on government to take care of you to look to government for your healthcare for your food and sustenance for your education and for your well-being and we are soon at sea in a generation growing up believing that it's better to depend upon government then depend on God.

We see in young people shunning the church today by thousands rejecting the truth of Scripture and embracing the government as their God.

They been told lies so often to revise history books and through pseudoscience that they will believe anything the government tells them. This is exactly the scenario that we read about in second Thessalonians 2 that is have us a technically inspired dictator could lead the world he lies people believe the lies they are under a strong delusion, so is the enemy of the beast. We are the enemy of the beast. The beast absolutely hates us who does he hate. He hates those who Christ or Christ followers.

He hates those who believe the truth of God's word and government knows that our voice can hinder their agenda and so they go all out to silence. That voice what's what's happened to freedom of speech on our college campuses today do everything they can to put a stop to freedom of speech and they know that they have to do that for their agenda to took to go to move forward.

But since that kind of anti-God atmosphere that people were people will be given over to a strong delusion we share with you one more counterfeit that we see in verse three is one of the head seem to have a mortal wound but it's mortal wound was what was healed. And the whole earth marveled as they followed the bees that if you've read some of those novels about the last days and you will read that what happened here was that this anticrisis man. He had a wound that he appeared to die, but it was really just a hoax and that he was given a drug it slow down his heart and then something had happened and he was resuscitated and when he was resuscitated. Everybody believed it was a resurrection, and since it was a resurrection. This could just be a mere man. This had to be a God. And so the world followed him. That was that was the interesting scenario that the novels I have, but please remember this, the beast is not just a man is school systems throughout history, so listen to this explanation. Revelation 1314 says that the beast was wounded by the sword and lived.

You go through the book of Revelation who carries the sword who wields the sword all the way through it is none other than Jesus Christ himself. And if you remember back to the last few sermons. What was the deathblow to Satan. What was the of the, the, the thing that caused him to lose his access to heaven when was it that Michael and the archangels wage war against Satan and his angels and Satan and his angels were cast down to this earth. When was it that Satan was bound in order that he might deceive the nations no more, what happened, what was the turning point in history that caused all that it was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

So if that was Satan's mortal wound than what was his resurrection.

I love what Richard Phillips said here think he explained it well is that yet the persecuting emperors, beginning with Nero and continuing with the mission represented a revival of Satan's power in a way that would have impressed those who witnessed the Christians apparent defeat GK Bill right Satan's wounds appeared to be fatal. And indeed it really was. Nevertheless, the devil's continued activity through his agents make it appear to John as though he is overcome the mortal blow dealt him at Christ's death and resurrection. Christians can be sure that Satan and his beast will seek to confuse the world by mimicking Christ resurrection, Jesus taught that the false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Jesus added that believers must not follow anyone who claims to be the Messiah. Despite apparent miracles or resurrections since the true Christ is ascended to heaven and will return to earth only in his glorious second coming I'd .3 is the beast power. We were sworn five and they worshiped the Dragon free had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, and who is like the beast, and who can fight against it. The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words and it was allowed exercise authority for 42 months. The beast has two agendas. The first is together false worship to himself that will essentially go to to Satan and the second is to persecute Christians. One of those following the Bayswater they say they worshiped the beast, verse four says by saying who is like the beast and remember the beast is a picture of secular political government to dictators desire worship. Oh, you better believe they do. They demand unquestioned uncompromised unconditional submission only tell you this, only God has the right to require that these worship of the beast or shouting who is like the beast, those are words that should only go to God to get to the Scripture. They always go to God. I think of Moses get ready to cross over the Ritz Red Sea and what is he say he cries out who is like you oh Lord I think of prophet Micah instantly said this, who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression.

Lucifer said in Isaiah chapter 14, I will be like the most high God wanted to do that. What what what he desire that why did he want to be like God, so that he could have that adoration and that worship is prideful heart desires never even had the gall to to request from Jesus that he worship him and he took Jesus up onto the high mountain and showed them the kingdoms of the world. He said if you will bow down and worship me and I will give you all these kingdoms, Vern Poythress had great insight here is that this is not to say that all government is evil. Paul used his Roman citizenship citizenship and was often helped by honest Roman officials. The beast is seen when government takes the place of God in our lives in democratic country.

Satan wants people to look to the state as if it were a Messiah. When the government is set forth is the remedy for all alleles, economic, social, medical, moral and even spiritual, then the idolatry of the state usurps the place reserved for God alone. Whenever we sing the secular doxology praise the state from whom all blessings flow.

We will soon be serving the beast noticed again the time. 42 months. 3 1/2 years 1260 days. We sing that over and over throughout the book of Revelation and what a wastes learn about that is not be taken literally. But every time you see that particular time. It is a time. That represents a time of trial, a time of great tribulation.

So how what windows there been a time of of trial or to Jesus Christ from the very beginning and it is not ended and it will not end until Christ returns to this 3 1/2 year period of time. Here is a picture assemble of the church age. I believe this is interesting. John days did dictators were were making coins that bore their image and then they were using that to push their agenda down the throats of their constituents vote today secular's demand that that science that science had the last word on everything including morality and are ultimate beliefs. So what does it mean to worship the beast. It involves bowing to the secular world agenda. It means agreeing with abortion agree and was same-sex marriage agreeing with transgender is agreeing with the idea that there are many, many genders agreeing with euthanasia of the elderly agreeing with evolution both when we refuse to stand firm against the lies of the secular world than we are, in essence, begin to worship the beast .4 the beast enemies. Look at verse 67 it opened its mouth the other blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling. That is, those who dwell in heaven also was allowed to make war on the saints, and the copper them in authority was given it over every tribe, people, language and nation for time sake. To avoid repetition of just make the short Christians are the enemy. The enemy of the beast, and there will be times when it appears that we are being conquered.

Rest assured of this. Those times are temporary, but God's time, a victory for us is eternal .5. The beast people look at verse eight and all who dwell on earth will worship it. Everyone whose name is not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. So who is it that will capitulate to the beast who is it that will follow him. All those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life, and those names were written in that Lamb's book of life or not written before the foundation of the earth. If you don't believe in the doctrine of election if you don't believe in God's sovereign grace that reaches down to this earth and brings his people out if you don't believe that, then you explain this verse to me. Folks, you're not a Christian because you're smarter than somebody else you're not a Christian because you're more spiritual than somebody else you're a Christian because the sovereign God of this universe reached down from heaven and shows you out in order that you might bring glory to his name.

Our salvation is not just for privilege of going to heaven.

Our salvation is for the. The joy of bringing glory to his precious name for all of eternity. If you're Christian today.

It is because the spirit of God has regenerated your heart and giving you a heart to express faith in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone and a desire to repent of your sins and that makes you what an enemy of the one who is following the beast an absolute enemy.

So what does that mean for us that doesn't mean that everything's going to go our way as Christians does it mean that this life is gonna be a easy life and were just going to, flow through everything's going to be easy. No, it does not, and I'll let these last two verses speak for themselves. Verse nine and 10. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.

If anyone is to be taken captive to captivity he goes.

If anyone is to be slain with the sword with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance of the saints. Did you realize you have a call of endurance.

Did you realize that Jesus of right now to the word of God calling you to be a Christian who will stand for truth, who will stand against the lies of the beast. The lies of a of a political world who wants you to follow the ways of the world rather than the fall.

Christ spray heavenly father, we thank you we praise you today for your love and your goodness to us. We thank you Lord for this precious scripture that gives us warning that also gives us advice on how we are to live on what we are to do.

I pray heavenly father that you would be with us and help us Lord that we might be faithful to Christ that we might be a people who do it, do endure to the end and Lord, that no matter what comes our way. Jesus might be more important's than anything else. Heavenly father's will get ready now to participate and celebrate in the Lord's supper. We pray that your spirit will move among us and that we would experience your presence very sweet and wonderful way. We assess prayer in Jesus name, amen