Satan's Counterfeit

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Turn to and read Revelation 13:1-18.
According to the International Anti Counterfeiting Coalition, counterfeiting is a federal and state crime, involving the manufacturing or distribution of goods under someone else's name, and without their permission. Counterfeit goods are generally made from lower quality components, in an attempt to sell a cheap imitation of similar goods produced by brands consumers know and trust.
In Fiscal Year 2013, the Department of Homeland Security seized counterfeit goods valued at over $1.7 billion at U.S. borders.
The International Chamber Commerce estimated that, in 2015, 1.7 trillion dollars worth of pirated and counterfeit merchandise was globally traded.
While we most often think of counterfeiting in terms of counterfeit money, industries that are affected include Apparel, Footwear & Accessories, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Electronics & Appliances, and Entertainment & Media.
Should it then come as any surprise that Satan is the greatest counterfeiter that the world has ever known. And, we see his greatest work here in the verses of Revelation chapter 13.

The Unholy Trinity

In Revelation chapter 13 we are fully introduced to the unholy trinity which is made up of the dragon, Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. In chapter 13 both the antichrist and the false prophet are introduced as “beasts.”
Revelation 16:13 KJV 1900
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Many writers have noted the parallel between this unholy trio and the divine Trinity. The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet seem almost intentionally to be counterfeiting the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, respectively, in a last-ditch effort to remove God from His throne and destroy the saints of God.
Isaiah 14:12–14 KJV 1900
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

The Dragon - Satan

We were introduced to the dragon in chapter 12.
Revelation 12:9 KJV 1900
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Satan is the power behind the unholy trinity.
Revelation 13:2 KJV 1900
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Revelation 13:4 KJV 1900
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Satan, at this point, is getting what he has always wanted - to be worshipped. However, this worship will be short-lived, as we will see as we continue our study of the Revelation.
Do you remember the scene right before Christ’s earthly ministry begins when He is tempted by the devil?
Luke 4:5–8 KJV 1900
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
I want you to notice the admission of the devil there in Luke 4:6...
Luke 4:6 KJV 1900
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Even the devil understands that what he is able to “give” is not his but was given to him!
I like this that has been said...
“Though [Satan] would like people to think so, he is not the opposite of God. God is all-powerful, everywhere present, and all-knowing. Satan is none of these. He does not have unlimited power, he cannot be everywhere at once, and he does not know everything. He is a created, limited being. He depends upon God for his existence.”
Philippians 2:9–11 KJV 1900
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
There is coming a day when even the devil himself will bow the knee before Jesus Christ!
Satan is a counterfeit!

The First Beast - The Antichrist

Revelation 13:1 KJV 1900
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
This first beast which John sees is the antichrist. He is the consummate politician. He will be everything that every other world leader from Nimrod to Nero to Hitler has ever hoped to be. He will be the political leader who will unite all the world’s national powers together against God!
From vs. 2 we see that this beast is a combination of all of the world powers that Daniel saw in Daniel chapter 7.
Revelation 13:2 KJV 1900
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (a) The False Prince (13:1–10)

The Lord Jesus could say of Himself. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Here is Satan’s imitation of the incarnation. He conjures up a man, a beast, who bears all the characteristics of Satan himself. Whatever Satan is in his person, his nature, and his personality, so is the Beast. He is the visible expression of the invisible devil. He who has seen the Beast has seen the father of lies himself in his outward manifestation. Every line of Satan’s character is faithfully reproduced in the character of the Beast. He and his father are one in family likeness.

Just as Jesus Christ was and is the visible manifestation of God the Father so the antichrist will be the visible manifestation of the devil himself.
Now, when we come to vs. 3...
Revelation 13:3 KJV 1900
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The anitchrist is a counterfeit and, in Revelation 13:3, we see the devil’s counterfeit of Christ's resurrection.
The time of the tribulation will be a time of supernatural activity and miracles. Think back to Revelation chapter 11 where we are introduced to God’s two witnesses. For three and half years they have been the enemy of the antichrist. The two witnesses, perform miracles for their protection. Could it be possible that, as the devil deals the final blow to the two witnesses, causing their deaths, that the two witnesses are able to strike the antichrist with a deadly wound from which he dies? Then, through the power of the Satan, the antichrist is brought to life again.
As God raised Jesus from the dead, Satan could raise his representative from the dead, for he does have a certain power over death.
Hebrews 2:14 KJV 1900
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Revelation 13:14–15 KJV 1900
And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Some additional passages of Scripture that you can consider in this regards would be Revelation 11:7; 17:8,11.
Revelation 13:3–4 KJV 1900
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Notice, the dwellers upon earth say, “Who is like unto the beast?” and they worship the antichrist!
Revelation 13:8 KJV 1900
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
“Conceive, if you can, the most attractive features of the great world leaders combined in one man. Satan has such a man, and when he comes the leaders of nations will yield their thrones to him. Men will not flee from him but instead will idolize him.” - Lehman Strauss
But we must remember that he, the antichrist, is merely a counterfeit!

The Second Beast - The False Prophet

Revelation 13:11–12 KJV 1900
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
While in this chapter he is referred to as “another beast,” he is three times later in Revelation called “the false prophet.” (You’ll remember one of those passages being Revelation 16:13.) This beast - the false prophet - will be the leader of a one-world religion. I believe that this false prophet will unite all of the world’s religions under the banner of the Roman Catholic church.
The modern ecumenical movement, active among apostate Protestant churches in the first half of the twentieth century, then essentially combining (or at least fellowshiping) with the Catholic and Orthodox churches in the second half of the twentieth century, will eventually amalgamate with all other world religions, especially after the departure of all true churches to be with Christ [in the rapture]. - Dr. Henry Morris
I would like you to notice what this false prophet does..
He points the world’s population to worship the antichrist.
Revelation 13:12 KJV 1900
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
That is exactly what the Holy Ghost does. He points people to worship Jesus Christ.
John 15:26 KJV 1900
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
John 16:14 KJV 1900
He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
This false prophet deceives the world’s population through miracles.
Revelation 13:13–14 KJV 1900
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
Turn to and read 1 Kings 18:21-24, 36-39.
This fire, sent by God from heaven, was confirmation that God was God and that Elijah was his prophet.
In Revelation chapter 13, the world’s population will accept this false prophet as a real prophet and will accept the devil as god.
The dragon, the antichrist, and the false prophets are counterfeits! The devil has been able to fool countless millions of people straight into a Christ-less eternity. That deception is going to only get worse.
​What is amazing to me is the fact that while the world has rejected God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit - and will continue to do so even throughout the tribulation - there is coming a day when the world will readily accept this counterfeit trinity - the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophet.
2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 KJV 1900
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
There is one last thing regarding this unholy trinity that I would like to point out...
Revelation 13:16–18 KJV 1900
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
During the tribulation, the world’s population will swallow this unholy trinity “hook, line and sinker” to the point that they will willingly lay aside everything to be identified with the dragon, the antichrist, and the false prophet. They will willingly take the mark of the beast, the number “666.”
Aside from the Jewish remnant, there will no longer be any hindrances to the devil to use politics and religion to unite all of mankind for one final battle against God! A battle that will be as quick as it is decisive in vindicating the Lord God.
1 Kings 18:39 KJV 1900
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

Our Defense Against the Unholy Trinity

I would like for all of us to understand that, even now, the devil is alive and feverishly at work. Our only defense, to keep us from experiencing Revelation chapter 13 is found in vs. 8 of our text.
Revelation 13:8 KJV 1900
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Our defense is to have our names written in the Lamb’s book of life. Our defense is salvation.
But, as I said, the devil is at work even now. How do we defeat the devil tomorrow morning as we head to work?
Turn to and read Ephesians 6:10-18.
Is there hope for the unsaved?
Ephesians 6:15 KJV 1900
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Just as Bro. Prettyman reminded us in his update video this morning, we must constantly be sowing the seed of the Gospel!
Galatians 6:9 KJV 1900
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
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