Worthy is the Lamb: Don’t Be Alarmed

Ever since the moment Satan and his demonic forces rebelled against heaven, there has been a supernatural, God-opposing, evil power throughout the universe. From its earliest chapters, the Bible shows that the Evil One and all who function in his kingdom have constantly opposed God’s plan. At the end of the age, a personality the Apostle John calls The Antichrist, will rise to the pinnacle of world leadership and will act in opposition to Christ and all who name the name of Christ

I. THE BEAST OUT OF THE SEA — THE DRAGON’S GREAT DECEPTION

“And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”” (Revelation 13:1–4, NIV84)

1. in chapter twelve the Apostle John writes that “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. ... ” (Revelation 12:9, NIV84)

a. in chapter thirteen, we are told how Satan will attempt to do that

2. although chapter 13 tells us about two beasts, the dragon of chapter 12 remains the focus of both chapters

a. at the end of the age Satan employs two helpers to aid him in his domination of the world

1) he first calls forth a beast out of the sea and

2) he then summons the beast out of the earth

3. these two beasts work together to blaspheme God, glorify Satan and persecute God’s people

a. this morning our attention will be devoted to the first beast — the one commonly known as the Antichrist

4. John pictures Satan, standing of the shore of the sea, either waiting for or perhaps summoning the first beast

a. John himself interprets the term sea symbolically in 17:15 telling us that the sea represents the peoples and the crowds and nations

b. this is simply John’s way of telling his readers that Satan’s false-messiah will rise out of the sea of humanity — he will be one of us

c. he will come to deceive, and may even deceive many professing Christians

5. let me share with you five characteristics of this beast who rises out of the sea who Satan will use to deceive the whole world

A. 1st, SATAN’S GREAT DECEPTION WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A FALSE CHRIST

1. Satan’s great deception will be accomplished through a false-Christ that the Church has referred to as the AntiChrist

a. interestingly, the bible never refers to this false-Christ as the AntiChrist

1) this is perhaps the most pervasive myth about the Antichrist

2) this false messiah is given many colorful titles in the Bible:

a) he is the Seed of the Serpent (Genesis 3:14-15)

b) he is the Idol Shepherd (Zechariah 11:15-17)

c) he is the Prince that Shall Come (Daniel 9:26-27)

d) he is the Little Horn (Daniel 7:7-9)

e) he is the Son of Perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

f) he is that man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

g) he is the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15)

b. but despite its ubiquitous use in contemporary theology, Satan’s False Messiah isn’t directly referred to as “The Antichrist” in the Bible!

1) that said, the False Messiah that will come into the world will be an antichrist

4. John’s primary characterization of Satan’s false-Christ in the book of Revelation, is simply “the Beast”

a. it is from the Apostle John’s three minor letters to the Church at Ephesus that he refers to a specific Antichrist

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18, NIV84)

1) the Apostle writes in 1 John 4:3 that the spirit of the antichrist ... is already in the world

ILLUS. John is here using the word “spirit” in the way we speak of a “spirit of cooperation.”

a) he is referring to a frame of mind or worldview that binds people together and that animates a person’s or a group’s actions — in this case — in opposition to God and His redemptive work

b) it is a Satanically inspired “spirit” and opposition

b. the Apostle writes that — even in his era — there are already many antichrists in the world

1) how do we identify an antichrist?

2) in 1 John 2:22 the Apostle is blunt “ ... whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.”

5. how do we identify the Antichrist? that’s the question the Church has been wrestling with for 2,000 years

B. 2nd, SATAN’S GREAT DECEPTION WILL BE A POWERFUL LEADER SATANICALLY INSPIRED

1. Satan’s false-messiah is described as having the characteristics of three of the greatest carnivores on the planet — the leopard, the bear, and the lion

a. we cannot read this chapter in Revelation without referencing the Old Testament prophetic Book of Daniel (Daniel 7:2–8, NIV84)

2. now, the good news is that Daniel interprets his vision for us, and this in turn helps us interpret Revelation

" ‘The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth." (Daniel 7:17, NIV84)

a. the most commonly accepted interpretation is that these four successive world empires are: Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome

1) the first portrayal is that of the leopard, noted for stalking its prey, its amazing speed in capturing prey, and its swiftness in dealing the deathblow

2) the second picture is that of a bear, who with its powerful paws is able to tear its victims apart

3) the third, the lion’s mouth symbolizes cruelty as it suffocates it’s prey by clamping its mouth down on it’s victims throat, and then devours it

4) the forth, Rome, is simply described as terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong ... with teeth of iron and claws of bronze

b. the beasts of Daniel’s vision are a depiction of force, speed, savagery, and relentlessness

3. in chapter 13 John describes the beast he sees coming up out of the sea with the combined attributes of the first three beasts of Daniel’s vision

a. I think what John is doing is attempting to describe an end-time scenario were all the nations of the world are hostile to Jesus Christ and his Church

ILLUS. A new book about Vice President Mike Pence just came out a few days ago, ,,.and it’s highly critical of his Christian faith. The author calls him a “Christian Supremacist,” Frank Burni, religious columnist for the New York Times calls Pence a “holy terror” and says he dangerous because he actually believes the Bible!

1) John’s beast was like a leopard, and his feet like a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion (vs. 2)

2) all of the characteristics of the three are encompassed in this first beast

3) John’s Beast out of the sea is simply all-powerful, and over-powering

b. this description has led a lot of Christians to believe that the Beast that comes out of the sea is not a specific man, but rather a specific empire or even a secular worldview that comes to dominate all the world’s cultures

c. many bible students believe this end-time empire is the establishment of an empire that rivals the old Roman Empire — the forth Beast of Daniel’s vision

1) so then, there is that interpretation that sees the Antichrist as a world-ruling empire controlled by Satan

2) but world-ruling empires need powerful earthly leaders

4. many believe the Beast the comes out of the sea to be a person

a. I like pastor and author David Hocking’s approach to the issue

1) he writes that the Beast of verses 1-7 is a modern, world-encompassing totalitarian government, that is ruled over by a powerful leader — he is the “little horn” of Daniel. The two will be so closely associated that you cannot speak of the one without the other

ILLUS. Consider world empires of the past. We cannot think of the Greek Empire without also thinking of Alexander the Great. We cannot think of the Persian Empire without also thinking of Artaxerxes. We cannot think of the British Empire without thinking of Queen Victoria. And we can’t think of the Soviet Empire without thinking of Joseph Stalin. We cannot think of Germany’s Third Reich without thinking of Adolf Hitler.

2) some empires are synonymous with their leader

b. there are some other reasons to consider that the Beast out of the sea is a person

1) 1st, Revelation 13:2 says that the Dragon — that is Satan — gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority

2) 2nd, the Beast out of the sea is worshiped as a god

3) 3rd, an image is set up of the beast, and the whole world is commanded to worship it

4) 4th, this Beast out of the sea has a proper name — John says, “a number of a man — 666"

5) 5th, this Beast is finally damned

5. whoever this Beast out of the sea is, Satan will be in control of him

“ ... The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:2, NIV84)

ILLUS. In 1937 a short story by Stephen Benet was published in the Saturday Evening Post. The title was The Devil and Daniel Webster. Benet's story centers on a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the Devil and is defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the famous statesman, lawyer, and orator. Farmer Jabez Stone, from the small town of Cross Corners, New Hampshire, is plagued with unending bad luck, causing him to finally swear "it's enough to make a man want to sell his soul to the devil!" Stone is visited the next day by a stranger, who later identifies himself as "Mr. Scratch", and makes such an offer in exchange for seven years of prosperity. Stone agrees. Over the next several years, Farmer Stone becomes very wealthy and very powerful. No one realizes that his success and power come from the Devil. In the story, Daniel Webster defends Farmer Stone before a heavenly tribunal who declare Scratch’s contract with Jabez null and void.

a. a time is coming when a powerful world leader will, in effect, sell his soul to the Devil

b. he will become a powerful leader who will gladly do the great red dragon’s bidding, and the world will be clueless until it is too late

C. 3rd, SATAN’S GREAT DECEPTION WILL HAVE GREAT AUTHORITY

1. most of the world will hail the Beast out of the sea as the savior of the world

“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8, NIV84)

2. have you ever wondered how this could happen?

a. back in chapters 8-9 we read of the Trumpet Judgments — they include a series of natural and supernatural cataclysms that ravage the earth

1) Christians will know and understand them to be the wrath of God poured out upon a rebellious and unrepentant humanity

b. the last three are so severe that the angles inflicting God’s wrath pronounce woe to the inhabitants of the earth

1) mankind is to be pitted for what is about to take place

3. confusion will reign throughout the world

a. for 3½ years God has regularly poured out his wrath upon a disobedient and unrepentant humanity

1) much of the world is devastated, millions have died

b. despite all these cataclysms, the majority of men will refuse to turn to the True and Living God

“The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk.” (Revelation 9:20, NIV84)

ILLUS. It’s easy for us to think, “Well, that will only be true of the non-Christian nations.” Not so. In a religious survey by the Pew Research Foundation released late last week, it is reported that 4 in 10 Americans (42 percent) believe spiritual powers rest in physical objects like mountains, trees, and crystals. A similar number (41 percent) believe in psychics. A third (33 percent) believe in reincarnation, while 29 percent believe in astrology. New Age beliefs, and pagan worship are alive and well in America.

4. desperate people often turn to desperate solutions

a. in Revelation 11:15 the last Trumpet Judgment announces the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ

1) it is at this moment that Satan will attempt one last great deception

2) unfortunately, the whole world will fall for it

5. the world will be deceived — they will not recognize the AntiChrist for who he is

a. the Devil’s false-Christ will not come announcing, “Hey, I’m the AntiChrist of the Bible you’ve heard tell about! Follow me at your peril.”

1) instead, he will announce that he has come to end the suffering and defeat the “evil” that has been tormenting man

2) just as Nero and other Roman emperors blamed the Christians for all the problems that plagued the empire, so the Beast out of the sea will blame Christ’s followers for all the problems that plague the nations during the Tribulation

b. according to Revelation 13:4 the world’s inhabitants will confess, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

1) and all those whose name is not written in the book of life of the Lamb (vs. 8) will choose to worship the Beast

2) and in worshiping the Beast they are, in reality worshiping Satan

D. 4th, SATAN’S GREAT DECEPTION WILL SEEM AMAZINGLY CONVINCING

1. Satan’s false-Christ will be a figure who will convince the world that he has the answer to all of the catastrophes that have plagued the earth

a. he will be so convincing that Jesus warned Christians not to believe the stories of the appearing of a messiah-type figure

“At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:23–24, NIV84)

2. but there is another reason why so many will follow the deception of the Antichrist

“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:9–12, NIV84)

a. when it comes to God, and heaven and redemption men, out of the hardness of their hearts, refuse to love the truth that is in Christ and so be saved

b. God in turn will say, “You’d rather believe the lie? Let me make it easy for you.” and He will let them believe exactly what they want to believe — that the Beast has the answers

E. 5th, SATAN’S GREAT DECEPTION WILL BLASPHEMY GOD AND KILL HIS SAINTS

“The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.” (Revelation 13:5–6, NIV84)

“He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” (Revelation 13:7, NIV84)

ILLUS. Some of you are thinking to yourselves, “Well Pastor. That certainly does not sound like my ‘best life now’!” It won’t be.

1. just as God supernaturally protected the Hebrews in Goshen against the ten plagues He afflicted the Egyptians with, so too, I believe that God will supernaturally protect His Church during this time of judgment

2. we will not, however, be supernaturally protected against the wrath of the Antichrist

a. Christians will be martyred by the millions during the last 3½ of the Tribulation

b. John simply ends by saying, “Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints”

3. in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 the Apostle Paul simply says not to become easily unsettled or alarmed at all of this

II. APPLICATION

1. we are in what the Apostle John called the last hour

a. he means that, according to God the Father’s time-table, the judgement of the world, the rise of the Antichrist, the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom, and coming of a New Heaven and a New Earth are near

2. as the end of all things approaches Christians need to heed the words of our Savior

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 “Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:16–22, NIV84)

A. As We Approach the Last Hour We Need Discernment

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1, NIV84)

1. the command to not believe every spirit is in the present tense

a. it literally means stop believing every spirit

1) it indicates that some in the congregation had been too gullible and accepting of false prophets and different gospels

b. it’s important to have a healthy skepticism when it comes to spiritual claims

c. to that end, the Apostle tells his congregation, "Listen friend, don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of deceptive spiritual leaders loose in the world."

1) we must examine, we must prove, and we must scrutinize the claims of those who say they have a “word from God”

2. the term translated test used in v. 1 refers to a metallurgist’s assaying of metals to test their purity and value

a. is also in the present imperative and indicates that believers are to continually test the spirits to see whether they are from God

b. the urgency of John’s command resides in the fact that not a few but many false prophets have gone out into the world

c. this is still true today

3. from this verse two truths should be embraced

a. 1st, We Must Be a Student of the Scriptures

b. 2nd, We Must Evaluate All Speakers, Teachers and Preachers by the Word of God

4. As We Approach the Last Hour We Need Discernment

B. As We Approach the Last Hour We Need Alertness

1. one of the sad truths is that as we approach the last hour we will see antichrists arise from within the church

2. we need to be alert

ILLUS. Robert Funk, who died in 2005, was considered by many as one of the most influential New Testament scholars of his generation. He served on the faculties of some of the most distinguished universities in America. He was a confessing Christian, but in reality he was one of the many antichrists who John said are already in the world. Listen to some of the things he believed. These are all verbatim quotes:

We should give Jesus a demotion. It is no longer credible to think of Jesus as divine.

A Jesus who drops down out of heaven, performs some magical act that frees human beings from the power of sin, rises from the dead, and returns to heaven is simply no longer credible. The notion that he will return at the end of time and sit in cosmic judgment is equally incredible.

The virgin birth of Jesus is an insult to modern intelligence and should be abandoned.

The doctrine of the atonement — the claim that God killed his own son in order to satisfy his thirst for satisfaction — is subrational and subethical. [It’s a} monstrous doctrine.

The resurrection of Jesus did not involve the resuscitation of a corpse. Jesus did not rise from the dead, except perhaps in some metaphorical sense.

3. As We Approach the Last Hour We Need Alertness

C. As We Approach the Last Hour We Need Courage

1. for a large segment of the world’s believers, the coming of the Antichist will simply be life as usual

a. in places where the church is already being persecuted, and where Christians are already suffering and dying for their faith, the last 3½ years of the Tribulation will only see an intensification of what they are already experiencing

b. for those Christians in the West and those nations where there is a form of religious freedom, the reign of the Antichrist will be unexpected and spiritually devastating form many believers who assumed they were going to be raptured out

2. John is plain, the Antichrist will be given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them

a. I just don’t know of too many ways to interpret that

b. we will need a courage to face the difficult days ahead

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10, NIV84)

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:21–22, NIV84)

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