The Mark of the Beast
Last week we celebrated Christmas together a little bit. Who decorated? This week feels a little more like Halloween. Why? We’re talking about the antichrist.
If you do a google search for movies about the antichrist, you would find 27 movies appear. 27! The most recent debuted in March of 2024.
What this says to me is there is significant interest/curiosity (from both followers of Jesus, and those who are not followers of Jesus) in the idea of the antichrist.
“On Nov. 1, 1999, Newsweek magazine’s cover story was “Prophecy.” It reported that 40 percent of US adults believe the world will end in a battle of Armageddon between Jesus Christ and the antichrist. It also reported that 19 percent of Americans believed the antichrist was alive on the earth right now.”
There is significant interest in the idea of the antichrist.
IT WAS SPURGEON WHO ONCE SAID SOMETHING LIKE…“People show up to hear sermons about Jesus. But they really show up to hear sermons about the Antichrist.”
Today, we are in chapter 13 of our study on the book of Revelation. This part of our series is called, “The Face of Evil.” And we are going to see two figures in chapter 13.
Now, as a point of review, remember a few things.
•Remember this timeline:
•On this timeline, we are at the mid-point of the Tribulation. We are at the 3.5 year mark.
7T – 7 Years Tribulation
•We have just seen a cosmic battle between the great red dragon, Satan, as he pursues the woman, Israel, in order to devour her offspring, the Messiah, who will rule the nations.
•We have just seen Satan thrown out of heaven and he comes to make torment on the woman, and her offspring.
Notice how Revelation 12 closes out.
Revelation 12:17
“Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”
As we conclude chapter 12 and step into chapter 13 today, John sees two beasts, one from the sea and one from the earth, symbolizing the Antichrist and his false prophet. Let’s look at this first one:
I.The Beast out of the Sea (13:1–10): This is the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:1-10
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 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 and faith of the saints.”
Notice that last line there. “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” The Bible is constantly inviting us to endure. It continuously admonishes us to persevere.
Why do believers in this time period need to do that?
Well, let’s examine this first beast.
A.Notice first of all that he is Beast…
I LOVE HOW GREGG MATTE TAUGHT THIS A FEW YEARS AGO. HE SAID…“Government with morals, is a blessing. But government without morals is a beast.”
The Beasts in eschatology are governmental figures…kingdoms, empires.
Notice this beast is coming…
B.out of the sea.
Geographically, if you are standing on the shores on the edge of Israel and Palestine, you look at to the Mediterranean Sea. If you were to look to the Northwest, you would be looking in the direction of Europe, and more specifically, Greece and Rome.
Many scholars believe that the Antichrist will come from Europe, and many believe he will lead a resurgent Roman Empire, consolidating the power of 10 nations and leading out.
WARREN WIERSBE SAYS: “The sea symbolizes the Gentile nations (Rev. 17:15). From one of them, Satan will bring forth his “Super Leader,” the man we call “Antichrist.” Up to this point, Antichrist has headed a ten-nation European league; but now he is about to embark on a new career as Satan’s world dictator.
You will remember that Antichrist began his career as a peacemaker (Rev. 6:2) and even “settled” the Arab-Israeli problem by making a covenant with the Jews to protect them for seven years (Dan. 9:27). This protection would permit the nation to rebuild the temple and reinstitute religious rituals (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:1). But in the middle of the seven-year period (the time we are studying now in Rev. 10–14) he will break that covenant, stop the ceremonies, and set up himself as god in the temple (Dan. 9:27; 2 Thes. 2:1–12).”
C.His appearance (13:1–2)
Revelation 13:1-2
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”
1.He has ten horns (each with a crown) and seven heads (each with a blasphemous name) (13:1).
Now, it’s important to note that Horns represent authority, crowns represent kingdoms.
He also has 7 heads…these represent the 7 hills of Rome:
7 Hills of Rome
The 7 heads also represent the 6th other world empires that have risen and fallen. And the Antichrist will lead the 7th great empire of the world.
We know this from Revelation 17.
Revelation 17:9-14
“This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Now, notice this in verse 10.
Revelation 17:10
“they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.”
Five of them whom have fallen.
Think with me back through history. What are the world empires from the Bible. Here we have five that are fallen:
1.Egypt…they were defeated by the…
2.Assyrians…who were defeated by the…
3.Babylonians…who were defeated by the …
4.Medo-Persians…who were defeated by the…
5.Greeks
It says that there are “five of whom have fallen, one is…”
What is the one that is?
John is writing off the coast of Patmos, having been exiled by what kingdom?
He is writing to residents of the Roman kingdom who are required to proclaim, “Caesar is Lord.”
So, the Sixth empire, the one that “is,” is Rome.
And After Rome, what do we see?
We don’t see one world empire. Instead, we see nations.
•France, Germany, Australia, Great Britain, India, China, Russia, the United States…
In world history, the world empires stopped with Rome.
Now, remember this timeline…
ESCHATOLOGY TIMELINE
And we live in this time…this time between the last world empire and the coming world empire — and it is called the “church age” or “age of grace” when the gospel is going out to every nation and people group.
C.G. – Church and Great Commission
2.He looks like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion (13:2a). — these are the past governments of Daniel. John is looking back in time from most recent, to oldest. Daniel was looking forward from Nebuchadnezzar forward.
ONE WRITER SAYS, “The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one their evil and power. Added to the ferocity of these beasts will be Satan’s own power, throne, and authority!”
So, let’s take note of the authority of this beast.
B.His authority (13:2b): It comes from Satan himself.
Revelation 13:2b
And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”
Now, recall, last week, I introduced to you the idea that many say that what we see in chapter 12 and 13 with the emergence of the great red dragon, the first and second beasts, is an unholy trinity — that Satan is counterfeiting who God is and what he does. You will see this playing out as we walk through this chapter and move forward in the story.
But here, we have the dragon putting forth one to sit on his throne and he grants him great authority.
This is an imitation of the Father, making Jesus, the Son, a the King of kings and Lord of lords.
D.His (possible) assassination (13:3a): Some believe he will be killed and then rise from the dead.
Revelation 13:3
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
a.Fatal wound possibilities: Rev. 13:3
i.The wound Satan endured at the cross. Now falsely revived.
ii.The revived Roman empire.
iii.Literal wound that is recovered from by the antichrist.
Beth Moore: “A Study of Revelation Session 9”
E.His adulation (13:3b–4, 8): Following this the entire world is astonished and worships him.
Revelation 13:4, 8
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
“and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Through the beast, Satan will finally receive the worship that he longs for.
Notice his arrogance.
F.His arrogance (13:5–6): For a period of forty-two months, he blasphemes God.
Revelation 13:5-6
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”
Warren Wiersbe says, “Almost all dictators have risen to power by controlling people with their words. Some of us can recall when Adolf Hitler was rising to power, and know now how he mesmerized huge crowds with his speeches. Satan will make “the beast” a great orator, whose addresses will blaspheme God, His name, His tabernacle (heaven), and the saints in heaven. Since Satan will have recently been cast out of heaven, this blasphemy is to be expected.”
F.His activities (13:7, 9–10)
1.In regard to God’s people (13:7a, 9–10)
Revelation 13:7
“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation,”
2.In regard to all people (13:7b): He rules over them.
So, who is this person? European, gentile (non-Jewish) and political.
Ill. PAUL HENRI SPAAK, PRIME MINISTER OF BELGIUM IN THE 1930’S AND 40’S, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 1945, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, AND ONETIME SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO. “We do not need another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man and be he god or devil, we will receive him”
II.The Beast out of the Earth (13:11–18): This is the false prophet.
Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels, (born October 29, 1897, Rheydt, Germany—died May 1, 1945, Berlin), minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler.
A master orator and propagandist, he is generally accounted responsible for presenting a favourable image of the Nazi regime to the German people. Following Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels served as chancellor of Germany for a single day before he and his wife, Magda Goebbels, had their six children poisoned and then took their own lives.
Goebbels was Hitler’s Hype Man! The false prophet will be the Antichrist’s hype man.
Really quickly, let’s look at this second beast.
Revelation 13:11-18
“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
LET ME SHARE WIERSBE’S OVERVIEW OF THIS SECTION. “In Revelation 16:13; 19:20; and 20:10, the beast from the earth is called “the false prophet.” The dragon or Satan is the counterfeit Father (“I will be like the Most High”), “the beast” is the counterfeit Christ, and the false prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit. This completes the satanic trinity.
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ and lead people to trust and worship Him (John 16:7–15). The false prophet will point to Antichrist and his image and compel people to worship Satan through “the beast.”
The image of the horns (Rev. 13:11) suggests that the false prophet has authority, but the absence of a crown indicates that his authority is not political. Our Lord warned that there would be false prophets (Matt. 24:11, 24), and this one will be the greatest. He will have the “character” of a lamb but the voice of the dragon. What a deceiver he will be—and all the world will listen to him!”
Notice quickly:
A.His mission (13:11–12): With the appearance of a lamb but the voice of a dragon, he forces the world to worship the Antichrist.
B.His miracles (13:13, 15): He performs great miracles.
1.He calls down fire from heaven (13:13).
2.He gives life to a statue (13:14–15): This statue bears the image of the Antichrist.
C.His mark (13:16–18)
1.What it is (13:18): It is the number 666.
2.Where it is applied (13:16): Either on the right hand or forehead.
3.Why it is applied (13:17): No one is able to buy, sell, etc., without it.
This is all about control. You see, the false prophet and the Antichrist are not content to control people simply through worship. No, the false prophet will institute strong economic measures as well. To buy or sell, you must take the mark of the beast. And to get the mark, you have to submit to the beast.
But even in this, the Lord is going to warn people and invite them to repent. Let me jump ahead to Revelation 14 and the words of one of the angels.
•First Angel — goes over all the earth to proclaim the gospel
•Second Angel — goes over all the earth proclaiming judgment to Babylon
•Third Angel— goes out warning people to not take the mark of the beast.
Revelation 14:9-11
“And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
You may say, “What do we do with all of this?”
Let me show you something in 2 Thessalonians 2 to make good application in light of all of this information.
1.I want to show you verse 3 in the Amplified version.
2 Thessalonians 2:3, AMP
“Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], [Dan 7:25; 8:25; 1 Tim 4:1]”
So, for the lawless one, the Antichrist to come, there needs to be a great falling away, and an abandoning of the Christian faith.
So, if you do a google search for, “The Number of Christians Leaving the Faith,” you will see these options:
Google Search
Do you see the videos leading with questions:
•John Bevere — Millions of Christians Are Leaving their faith, Why?
•Sean McDowell — Statistics on People Leaving the Faith
Listen, that criteria of a falling away is being met today.
2.But look at this second thing from 2 Thessalonians 2.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-7
“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.”
What force is restraining evil?
It is God the Holy Spirit.
And where does God the Holy Spirit live?
He lives inside the believer.
So, the church, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, is restraining the evil one’s plans.
Remember the time in which we live:
ESCHATOLOGY TIMELINE
Our work is not finished.
Look at what is coming…
3 R’s – Return, Resurrection and Rapture
It is when the church is raptured, and the Holy Spirit is removed, those who love this world, and its systems — those who love darkness — those who oppose Jesus — They will get what they long for:
•No Bible
•No Prayer
•No Church
•No Rules
•Whatever it is they want.
And we…we must recognize the call to faithfulness.
Revelation 13:10
“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”
And, we must Witness.
We don’t know when Jesus returns, but we to spare our friends, our family, our loved ones, and our neighbors from the coming days of the tribulation.
May we consecrate our hearts to being faithful witnesses.
This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday October 6, 2024. Check out the full message below!
If you do a google search for movies about the antichrist, you would find 27 movies appear. 27! The most recent debuted in March of 2024.
What this says to me is there is significant interest/curiosity (from both followers of Jesus, and those who are not followers of Jesus) in the idea of the antichrist.
“On Nov. 1, 1999, Newsweek magazine’s cover story was “Prophecy.” It reported that 40 percent of US adults believe the world will end in a battle of Armageddon between Jesus Christ and the antichrist. It also reported that 19 percent of Americans believed the antichrist was alive on the earth right now.”
There is significant interest in the idea of the antichrist.
IT WAS SPURGEON WHO ONCE SAID SOMETHING LIKE…“People show up to hear sermons about Jesus. But they really show up to hear sermons about the Antichrist.”
Today, we are in chapter 13 of our study on the book of Revelation. This part of our series is called, “The Face of Evil.” And we are going to see two figures in chapter 13.
Now, as a point of review, remember a few things.
•Remember this timeline:
•On this timeline, we are at the mid-point of the Tribulation. We are at the 3.5 year mark.
7T – 7 Years Tribulation
•We have just seen a cosmic battle between the great red dragon, Satan, as he pursues the woman, Israel, in order to devour her offspring, the Messiah, who will rule the nations.
•We have just seen Satan thrown out of heaven and he comes to make torment on the woman, and her offspring.
Notice how Revelation 12 closes out.
Revelation 12:17
“Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”
As we conclude chapter 12 and step into chapter 13 today, John sees two beasts, one from the sea and one from the earth, symbolizing the Antichrist and his false prophet. Let’s look at this first one:
I.The Beast out of the Sea (13:1–10): This is the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:1-10
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 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 and faith of the saints.”
Notice that last line there. “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” The Bible is constantly inviting us to endure. It continuously admonishes us to persevere.
Why do believers in this time period need to do that?
Well, let’s examine this first beast.
A.Notice first of all that he is Beast…
I LOVE HOW GREGG MATTE TAUGHT THIS A FEW YEARS AGO. HE SAID…“Government with morals, is a blessing. But government without morals is a beast.”
The Beasts in eschatology are governmental figures…kingdoms, empires.
Notice this beast is coming…
B.out of the sea.
Geographically, if you are standing on the shores on the edge of Israel and Palestine, you look at to the Mediterranean Sea. If you were to look to the Northwest, you would be looking in the direction of Europe, and more specifically, Greece and Rome.
Many scholars believe that the Antichrist will come from Europe, and many believe he will lead a resurgent Roman Empire, consolidating the power of 10 nations and leading out.
WARREN WIERSBE SAYS: “The sea symbolizes the Gentile nations (Rev. 17:15). From one of them, Satan will bring forth his “Super Leader,” the man we call “Antichrist.” Up to this point, Antichrist has headed a ten-nation European league; but now he is about to embark on a new career as Satan’s world dictator.
You will remember that Antichrist began his career as a peacemaker (Rev. 6:2) and even “settled” the Arab-Israeli problem by making a covenant with the Jews to protect them for seven years (Dan. 9:27). This protection would permit the nation to rebuild the temple and reinstitute religious rituals (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:1). But in the middle of the seven-year period (the time we are studying now in Rev. 10–14) he will break that covenant, stop the ceremonies, and set up himself as god in the temple (Dan. 9:27; 2 Thes. 2:1–12).”
C.His appearance (13:1–2)
Revelation 13:1-2
“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”
1.He has ten horns (each with a crown) and seven heads (each with a blasphemous name) (13:1).
Now, it’s important to note that Horns represent authority, crowns represent kingdoms.
He also has 7 heads…these represent the 7 hills of Rome:
7 Hills of Rome
The 7 heads also represent the 6th other world empires that have risen and fallen. And the Antichrist will lead the 7th great empire of the world.
We know this from Revelation 17.
Revelation 17:9-14
“This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of Lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Now, notice this in verse 10.
Revelation 17:10
“they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.”
Five of them whom have fallen.
Think with me back through history. What are the world empires from the Bible. Here we have five that are fallen:
1.Egypt…they were defeated by the…
2.Assyrians…who were defeated by the…
3.Babylonians…who were defeated by the …
4.Medo-Persians…who were defeated by the…
5.Greeks
It says that there are “five of whom have fallen, one is…”
What is the one that is?
John is writing off the coast of Patmos, having been exiled by what kingdom?
He is writing to residents of the Roman kingdom who are required to proclaim, “Caesar is Lord.”
So, the Sixth empire, the one that “is,” is Rome.
And After Rome, what do we see?
We don’t see one world empire. Instead, we see nations.
•France, Germany, Australia, Great Britain, India, China, Russia, the United States…
In world history, the world empires stopped with Rome.
Now, remember this timeline…
ESCHATOLOGY TIMELINE
And we live in this time…this time between the last world empire and the coming world empire — and it is called the “church age” or “age of grace” when the gospel is going out to every nation and people group.
C.G. – Church and Great Commission
2.He looks like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion (13:2a). — these are the past governments of Daniel. John is looking back in time from most recent, to oldest. Daniel was looking forward from Nebuchadnezzar forward.
ONE WRITER SAYS, “The final world empire will be rooted in all the previous empires and unite in one their evil and power. Added to the ferocity of these beasts will be Satan’s own power, throne, and authority!”
So, let’s take note of the authority of this beast.
B.His authority (13:2b): It comes from Satan himself.
Revelation 13:2b
And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.”
Now, recall, last week, I introduced to you the idea that many say that what we see in chapter 12 and 13 with the emergence of the great red dragon, the first and second beasts, is an unholy trinity — that Satan is counterfeiting who God is and what he does. You will see this playing out as we walk through this chapter and move forward in the story.
But here, we have the dragon putting forth one to sit on his throne and he grants him great authority.
This is an imitation of the Father, making Jesus, the Son, a the King of kings and Lord of lords.
D.His (possible) assassination (13:3a): Some believe he will be killed and then rise from the dead.
Revelation 13:3
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
a.Fatal wound possibilities: Rev. 13:3
i.The wound Satan endured at the cross. Now falsely revived.
ii.The revived Roman empire.
iii.Literal wound that is recovered from by the antichrist.
Beth Moore: “A Study of Revelation Session 9”
E.His adulation (13:3b–4, 8): Following this the entire world is astonished and worships him.
Revelation 13:4, 8
And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
“and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
Through the beast, Satan will finally receive the worship that he longs for.
Notice his arrogance.
F.His arrogance (13:5–6): For a period of forty-two months, he blasphemes God.
Revelation 13:5-6
“And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”
Warren Wiersbe says, “Almost all dictators have risen to power by controlling people with their words. Some of us can recall when Adolf Hitler was rising to power, and know now how he mesmerized huge crowds with his speeches. Satan will make “the beast” a great orator, whose addresses will blaspheme God, His name, His tabernacle (heaven), and the saints in heaven. Since Satan will have recently been cast out of heaven, this blasphemy is to be expected.”
F.His activities (13:7, 9–10)
1.In regard to God’s people (13:7a, 9–10)
Revelation 13:7
“Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation,”
2.In regard to all people (13:7b): He rules over them.
So, who is this person? European, gentile (non-Jewish) and political.
Ill. PAUL HENRI SPAAK, PRIME MINISTER OF BELGIUM IN THE 1930’S AND 40’S, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 1945, FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, AND ONETIME SECRETARY GENERAL OF NATO. “We do not need another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man and be he god or devil, we will receive him”
II.The Beast out of the Earth (13:11–18): This is the false prophet.
Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels, (born October 29, 1897, Rheydt, Germany—died May 1, 1945, Berlin), minister of propaganda for the German Third Reich under Adolf Hitler.
A master orator and propagandist, he is generally accounted responsible for presenting a favourable image of the Nazi regime to the German people. Following Hitler’s suicide, Goebbels served as chancellor of Germany for a single day before he and his wife, Magda Goebbels, had their six children poisoned and then took their own lives.
Goebbels was Hitler’s Hype Man! The false prophet will be the Antichrist’s hype man.
Really quickly, let’s look at this second beast.
Revelation 13:11-18
“Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
LET ME SHARE WIERSBE’S OVERVIEW OF THIS SECTION. “In Revelation 16:13; 19:20; and 20:10, the beast from the earth is called “the false prophet.” The dragon or Satan is the counterfeit Father (“I will be like the Most High”), “the beast” is the counterfeit Christ, and the false prophet is the counterfeit Holy Spirit. This completes the satanic trinity.
One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ and lead people to trust and worship Him (John 16:7–15). The false prophet will point to Antichrist and his image and compel people to worship Satan through “the beast.”
The image of the horns (Rev. 13:11) suggests that the false prophet has authority, but the absence of a crown indicates that his authority is not political. Our Lord warned that there would be false prophets (Matt. 24:11, 24), and this one will be the greatest. He will have the “character” of a lamb but the voice of the dragon. What a deceiver he will be—and all the world will listen to him!”
Notice quickly:
A.His mission (13:11–12): With the appearance of a lamb but the voice of a dragon, he forces the world to worship the Antichrist.
B.His miracles (13:13, 15): He performs great miracles.
1.He calls down fire from heaven (13:13).
2.He gives life to a statue (13:14–15): This statue bears the image of the Antichrist.
C.His mark (13:16–18)
1.What it is (13:18): It is the number 666.
2.Where it is applied (13:16): Either on the right hand or forehead.
3.Why it is applied (13:17): No one is able to buy, sell, etc., without it.
This is all about control. You see, the false prophet and the Antichrist are not content to control people simply through worship. No, the false prophet will institute strong economic measures as well. To buy or sell, you must take the mark of the beast. And to get the mark, you have to submit to the beast.
But even in this, the Lord is going to warn people and invite them to repent. Let me jump ahead to Revelation 14 and the words of one of the angels.
•First Angel — goes over all the earth to proclaim the gospel
•Second Angel — goes over all the earth proclaiming judgment to Babylon
•Third Angel— goes out warning people to not take the mark of the beast.
Revelation 14:9-11
“And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
You may say, “What do we do with all of this?”
Let me show you something in 2 Thessalonians 2 to make good application in light of all of this information.
1.I want to show you verse 3 in the Amplified version.
2 Thessalonians 2:3, AMP
“Let no one in any way deceive or entrap you, for that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first [that is, the great rebellion, the abandonment of the faith by professed Christians], and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction [the Antichrist, the one who is destined to be destroyed], [Dan 7:25; 8:25; 1 Tim 4:1]”
So, for the lawless one, the Antichrist to come, there needs to be a great falling away, and an abandoning of the Christian faith.
So, if you do a google search for, “The Number of Christians Leaving the Faith,” you will see these options:
Google Search
Do you see the videos leading with questions:
•John Bevere — Millions of Christians Are Leaving their faith, Why?
•Sean McDowell — Statistics on People Leaving the Faith
Listen, that criteria of a falling away is being met today.
2.But look at this second thing from 2 Thessalonians 2.
2 Thessalonians 2:5-7
“Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.”
What force is restraining evil?
It is God the Holy Spirit.
And where does God the Holy Spirit live?
He lives inside the believer.
So, the church, empowered by God the Holy Spirit, is restraining the evil one’s plans.
Remember the time in which we live:
ESCHATOLOGY TIMELINE
Our work is not finished.
Look at what is coming…
3 R’s – Return, Resurrection and Rapture
It is when the church is raptured, and the Holy Spirit is removed, those who love this world, and its systems — those who love darkness — those who oppose Jesus — They will get what they long for:
•No Bible
•No Prayer
•No Church
•No Rules
•Whatever it is they want.
And we…we must recognize the call to faithfulness.
Revelation 13:10
“Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.”
And, we must Witness.
We don’t know when Jesus returns, but we to spare our friends, our family, our loved ones, and our neighbors from the coming days of the tribulation.
May we consecrate our hearts to being faithful witnesses.
This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday October 6, 2024. Check out the full message below!
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