Can it Get Much Worse?
Questions About the Future • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro:
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Tonight as we continue our study on [Questions about the Future], the question I want to ask is, [Can it Get Much Worse?]
Currently, when we look at our world and our nation, we see division that feels unprecedented. We see immorality plastered everywhere we look. We see an ideology that espouses the idea that people can do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want.
There have been times when I have wondered, can it get much worse?
As we have looked in our study so far, it will get worse.
The event that will usher in a new era of God’s judgment will be the rapture. When the Lord returns for His church, everything will change.
It will be a wonderful event for the child of God.
We will go to heaven where we will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Then we will celebrate at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
But for those left behind, life will be very difficult. Last time we were together, we focused on the Tribulation. We believe that the tribulation will last seven years.
The first three-and-a-half years will be a time where the Antichrist consolidates his power.
There will be sings of God’s judgment everywhere people look.
The sun and moon will darken. Water will turn to blood. Many people will die. International order will be disturbed, causing people to look for someone who can lead.
There is someone ready who will come into power. The Antichrist will represent everything Jesus IS NOT. He will be charismatic, cunning, and seemingly cooperative with all the nations in the Middle East.
Halfway through the Tribulation, judgment from heaven will intensify and hatred toward Israel will intensify.
Our text is the story of what will happen.
There will be a day when there will be a spiritual war in heaven. The angels of God will fight with the demons of hell. Michael, the Archangel, will cast Satan out of heaven.
What does it mean to say that Satan is in heaven? In scripture we see what bible scholars call, three heavens:
First heaven, the sky, our atmosphere
Second heaven, the realm where spiritual warfare takes place
Third heaven, the location of God’s throne!
It is in the second heaven where spiritual warfare takes place. After thousands of years of Satan’s attacks, God will stop him and cast him down to earth.
When he comes down to earth, he will come with intenser fervor for he knows his time is short.
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
When this occurs, the peace that the Antichrist seemed to bring will turn into chaos. I imagine those on earth will begin to wonder, can it get much worse?
Yes it will get a lot worse because Satan’s attack on Israel and his desire for worldwide domination will come to a head.
There are three questions I want to answer tonight, [How will the antichrist rule?], [What about the Mark of the Beast?], [What other judgments will take place?]
Let’s begin
What other judgments will take place?
1. How will the Antichrist Rule?
1. How will the Antichrist Rule?
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Something we must ALWAYS remember about Satan, is his main goal is to be worshipped.
When he was an angel in heaven, he was cast out because of this.
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Isaiah 14:
He instigated a rebellion in heaven before creation and ever since he has been on a path that will lead to his eternal destruction. Once the church is out of the way, Satan will “anoint” the Antichrist to do his part in end-time events.
The wars that will take place during the Tribulation are physical, but the foundation is spiritual. The war will be a war over worship.
Satan wants to be worshipped. He will deceive many through the work of the Antichrist. The reign of the Antichrist will be a supernatural one.
He will gather the nations of the world together, making a treaty with Israel. However, halfway through the tribulation he will break this treaty.
7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it.
How could the Antichrist garner such a following?
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
Working with the Antichrist will be the False Prophet. He will preform false signs and miracles so that people will worship the Antichrist.
During the tribulation there will be an unholy trinity at work:
The Devil
The Antichrist
The False Prophet
The false prophet will preform supernatural miracles that will verify the Antichrist in the eyes of the word.
David Jeremiah believes, “If a well-known political leader today suddenly began manifesting miraculous powers, he would receive instant claim.”
That is what will happen with the False Prophet and the Antichrist. He will rule, empowered by Satan to deceive people into worshipping the enemy.
2. What about the Mark of the Beast?
2. What about the Mark of the Beast?
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,
17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
-18
Nothing has caused more concern or questions than the Mark of the Beast.
I remember going to Kid’s Camp and the evangelist spoke about the coming of the Lord. He talked about those who would be left behind and started making promises. If you want the best food you ever ate, if you want freedom to work any job you want, he listed promise after promise...
He said, then you HAVE to have this stamp. Kids were standing up screaming, stamp my hand! Our kid’s pastor said, trust me you do not want that stamp.
After the pandemonium subsided, the evangelist explained the Mark of the Beast and those who took the stamp would have been sent straight to hell! Needless to say MANY flooded the altar crying out to God!
Thankfully I did not take the stamp and will not be here when the Mark of the Beast is around.
But according to , the False Prophet will be the one who leads people to take the Mark.
The mark will be placed on the right hand or the forehead of people.
However the prerequisite for taking the Mark will be the Worship of the Beast.
No worship, no mark
No mark, no buying or selling
No buying or selling; no groceries, clothing, medicine, or shelter.
It will be nearly impossible to do ANYTHING without the Mark of the Best. What are the consequences for taking the mark?
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,
10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Revelation 14:
Notice how worshipping the beast is once again connected to the Mark of the Beast. And pay attention to the word, IMAGE.
The False Prophet will set up an image of the Antichrist in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He will make the image speak causing people to worship the Antichrist.
Those who do not worship will be put to death! So the Mark of the Beast is for more than buying and selling, it is for the sole purpose of forcing people to turn from God and worship Satan.
3. What Other Judgments will Take Place?
3. What Other Judgments will Take Place?
3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
Revelation 13:
Remember in the Old Testament where God said, I am a Jealous God. That face will not change during the tribulation. Therefore, judgment will increase during the last three years of the Tribulation.
People will begin to worship the Antichrist as god. Why? Because he will fake his death and pretend to rise from the dead. Notice the title ANTIchrist, he will attempt to do all that Jesus did, thereby getting people to worship Satan.
God will not stand idly by and watch this happen, judgment will have to come.
Revelation 15:32-7
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
3 They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
5 After these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.
6 And out of the temple came the seven angels having the seven plagues, clothed in pure bright linen, and having their chests girded with golden bands.
7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.
Those of us in heaven, will rejoicing knowing that God will vindicate Himself very soon.
Seven angels will come to bring the third and final set of judgments that will occur during the tribulation.
We have looked at the seven scrolls, the seven trumpets, and now we will see the seven bowls/vials judgments.
They are listed in chapter sixteen. They are as followed
First bowl- loathsome sores:
everyone who has taken the mark will have sores come upon their body.
Second bowl- sea turns to blood
Second bowl- sea turns to blood
unlike the trumpet judgment where only one-third of the sea turned to blood, this time, every sea creature will die because all the seas will turn to blood
Third bowl- The waters turn to blood
fresh water, rivers, and lakes will also turn to blood
Fourth bowl- People are scorched
the heat from the sun will be so intense it will cause many of those who blasphemed the name of the Lord to die
Fifth bowl- widespread darkness and pain
it will become so dark that people will gnaw on their teeth because of the pain. says they will blaspheme God because of this and refuse to repent.
Sixth bowl- The Euphrates River will dry up
Sixth bowl- The Euphrates River will dry up
This is significant, and we will read about it more next weeks, but this will lead up to the Battle of the Armageddon.
NKJV13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.Seventh bowl- Destructive earthquake and hail
Seventh bowl- Destructive earthquake and hail
simultaneously hail will fall from the sky as the worst earthquake that has ever hit the earth will take place.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
As we can see, judgment will be very intense toward the end of the tribulation.
One author (Swindoll) called the tribulation- “from dimming to darkness.”
At the beginning of the Tribulation, those who are left behind will see a light shining from the darkness. With the world in chaos because of rapture, the Antichrist will seem to have all the answers.
People will place their faith in him instead of the Lord and judgment will be the result.
Close:
If you are anything like me, there are times we look around and wonder, can this world get much worse? The answer is YES, it can and it will.
But here is our hope,
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Ephesians 6:
If we will stay close to God, we will win the war with evil.
As we draw closer to the coming of the Lord, we must stand strong and stay faithful in His word and in His work, clothing ourselves in His armor.