The Unholy Trinity
End of Days • Sermon • Submitted
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· 30 viewsAs terrifying as this beast is rising from the sea, we understand by his number his is limited and doomed. Our portion is to endure and have faith - for the one who endures to the end receives the reward.
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Transcript
I almost feel like I have to apologize to some of you every time we talk about the Revelation.
I know there is nothing to apologize for, but I know how we are presenting Revelation is radically different from what some of you and I were raised on.
I was raised to interpret most of the symbols literally - in other words, not as symbols at all.
And of course, Revelation was what was going to happen at the end of time when Jesus returns.
But if we are going to interpret Revelation that way, we have to be a bit disingenuous.
In order to view Revelation that way, we have be believe that the Lord completely ignored the Christians of John’s day when He inspired the Revelation.
These people were going through third world and Muslim world type persecution.
The best case for them is they were shunned in the marketplace.
The worst was they, their husbands and wives and their children would be fed to the lions as entertainment for the ruling class.
To say that the message of the Revelation is all, “out there - sometime in the future,” is to say that the only word God had for them was, “you think today is bad, you just wait until later.”
That’s about as comforting as having your leg amputated and someone says, “Well, I know someone who had both legs amputated, their’s always someone worse off than you.”
That’s not comforting or helpful and I don’t recommend you do that - and God didn’t do that here.
And I do believe that Revelation addresses both now and later.
I believe there will be an - one - singular Antichrist - he will arrive as the leader of a unified world government.
I believe there may well be a literal mark of the beast - the idea of a vaccine passport enhances that thought.
If a government has the resources to track who has taken a Covid shot and allow you to participate or be banned from any activity based on your shot records, we’ll they can pretty much track everything else.
Do I believe it will be a literal 666?
Have you purchased a Monster energy drink?
You do realize those aren’t claw marks on the can, right?
They are the Hebrew letter Wa - the 6th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
There are three Wa’s on the can.
666.
They get it - the antichrist is a monster.
Enjoy your drink.
We’re going to do three things this morning: First, we’ll talk about the signs and symbols including the introduction of the unholy trinity and the mark of the beast. Then we’ll talk about the Lord’s message to us and then we’ll briefly ask this question: “With all of this we’re reading, all of the suffering and pain and death of all kinds of people, how good is God?”
Let’s get at it.
Have you ever been to Jekyll Island or St. Simon’s Island?
We once spent a lot of time at Jekyll and one of our things was to look for things along the horizon over the ocean - I bet you and your family have done something similar.
At first you might see a single light faintly in the distance in the dark.
But as you watch that speck on the horizon over several days, it grows larger and larger until one day, on high tide, a massive ship passes between Jekyll Island and St. Simons headed for the port in Brunswick.
That’s what John sees - “And I saw a beast rising out of the sea...”
He’s not seeing Godzilla - he’s seeing something like this.
When Rome conquered the eastern Mediterranean, their ships appeared like tiny specks on the horizon.
Day by day, hour by hour, they loomed larger and larger, until at last they landed and started what Dan Carlin calls the “human lawnmower.”
The machine that moves across the land mowing down warriors and civilians, moms and dads and children, killing anything that resists them with no thought of their pain or agony or terror.
The government of Rome invaded to win, and that they did decisively.
“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.”
The ten horns are governments - we learned that from Daniel’s vision - and here all of the governments are united behind one cause.
Power.
The greatest concentration of human power on earth is located in the governments.
What do say about the position of President of the United States?
He is the most powerful person in the world.
Let me ask you some questions.
When Covid hit, who did we look to for solutions?
The government.
When the lock downs were implemented, who did we look to for direction?
The government.
When businesses were threatened and people’s livelihoods started to disappear, who did we turn to?
The government.
When cyber villains attacked our fuel pipelines and our food supply, who did we look to?
The government.
When a hurricane or a tornado or a massive snow storm destroys life, limb and property, who do we turn to?
The government.
Are you getting it yet?
Vernon Poythress says, “But citizens are tempted to look to the state as if it were a messiah. It is the greatest concentration of earthly power, and so it must be the remedy for all ills - economic, social, medical, moral, and even spiritual. Moreover, blatant state persecution threatens to overwhelm us through fear. But in subtle ways we are tempted to give ultimate commitments to anything that we fear: fear of man (human opinion), fear of death, fear of pain, fear of poverty...”
The “blasphemous names on its heads,” what do you want to bet those are not words directly in opposition to God.
What do you want to bet they are something like, “I am from the government; I am here to help.”
“Trust us, we have your best interest at heart.”
“Equity, Inclusion, Diversity.”
“We will protect you.”
“We will take care of you.”
And the odd thing is, you’ve heard something similar.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
And that’s the point.
The beast is the Anti-christ.
He is created by the dragon who is the unholy father.
He creates the unholy son.
Just like Jesus is the exact representation of His Father, the beast is the image of Satan.
The beast has crowns - Jesus will have many crowns.
The beast has blasphemous names, Jesus has worthy names.
The beast is given power, a throne and authority by the dragon; Jesus is give power and a throne and authority by the Father.
The beast has a head wounded so severely he should have died, yet he lives.
“The whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.”
Jesus was crucified, buried, dead and was resurrected on the third day - and because of this gospel, people repent, are saved and follow Jesus.
The earth sings their praises to the beast in verse 4, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
Do you wonder where that praise comes from?
Exodus 15:11
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
Isaiah 46:5
“To whom will you liken me and make me equal,
and compare me, that we may be alike?
Jesus was slain, “and by [Jesus] blood [He] ransomed a people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation...”
The antichrist, the beast, 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,
Satan is a deceiver.
He makes things look like God and promise things like God, to deceive people so he can destroy them.
To complete the unholy trinity, a second beast rises up out of the earth instead of the ocean.
“It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.”
The purpose of this beast is to draw attention to the first beast.
This beast is the unholy spirit - he’ll be called the false prophet.
It performs great signs, “even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people.”
Like the fire came from heaven for Elijah.
Whatever God can do, I can do - Satan is saying.
This lamb told the people on earth to make an image of the antichrist.
People obeyed - remember these beasts represents governments - so many, many people obey the government without question.
The unholy spirit gave breath to the image so it could speak.
And whoever would not worship the image of the beast would be slain.
Now who would those people be?
Who would refuse to worship the image of the beast?
People who believed Exodus 20:2-5.
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
What would it look like to be slain?
Will it be like in the Left Behind series where guillotines were set up everywhere and those who refused to worship the beast will have their heads lopped off?
Slain doesn’t have to be violent.
In fact, slain can be as simple as being canceled.
You can work, you can’t socialize, you become invisible, inconsequential - you don’t matter, you don’t exist.
We found out this week, that on May 18, 2021, Stephen A. Martin, the director of the IRS Office of Exempt Organizations Rulings and Agreements denied the 501(c)(3) tax exempt status of an organization called “Christians Engaged.”
His reason was this, “Specifically, you education Christians on what the Bible says in areas where they can be instrumental, including areas of sanctity of life, the definition of marriage, biblical justice, freedom of speech, defense, and borders and immigration, U.S. and Israel relations. The Bible teachings are typically affiliated with the [Republican] party and candidates. This disqualifies you from exemption under IRS Section 501(c)(3).”
The government, for a moment at least, has canceled - has slain - this organization.
This week the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that says a Roman Catholic charity in Pennsylvania may refuse on religious-freedom grounds to place children with same-sex couples.
Even though the city was facing a 300 child foster care placement crisis, they city ended their contract with the Catholic foster and adoption agency because the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
And since the Catholics do not recognize same-sex marriages as Godly marriages, they could not in good conscience place children with same-sex married couples.
So the city canceled their 50 year contract although no same-sex couple had even tried using CSS.
CSS was ‘slain” - they were cancelled.
People stood to loose jobs and they stood to be branded as bigots - unemployable in some places because of their hate speech.
You may be thinking, well, it’s good news the Supreme Court ruled for CSS.
And it is - but if you think for a skinny minute this is over, you’re - well, overly optimistic.
The beast, through his chosen vehicle of the government, demands your worship.
And they know who you are.
The unholy trinity marks their people - on their forehead - where they think, on their hand - how they act.
With a mark that is the name of someone - that’s what verse 18 means:
Revelation 13:18
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.
It’s a name game they played back when - numbers stood for letters that added up to other numbers.
Here’s what I think:
In the next chapter we’re reminded that the Church, all Christ followers, are marked with Jesus and the Father’s name - written on their foreheads - where they think.
Since Satan will mark his people too.
What will it look like?
I don’t know - what does a vaccine passport look like?
Does it have to be a physical mark - or could it be software you carry on your phone?
What does this have to do with us?
The beast - the antichrist and their tools, the governments right now - “was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.”
No one in any country escapes.
Maybe it doesn’t happen all at once, maybe not all countries experience this at one time until the actual return of Jesus, but they all will experience it at some point in history.
We’re starting to see a light version of it here, in the United States, right now.
As our eyes are opened and we start to realize how entangled we are with the state, we will repent more and more and we’ll become more diligent to not make for ourselves graven images - that we’ll stop worshipping at the altar of Atlanta or Washington, DC.
I don’t know what that looks like - but I know how it can end.
Revelation 13:9-10
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 and faith of the saints.
The Lord has a plan and He is working His plan.
The beast is free to do what he is allowed to do for 42 months - which is the 1,260 days we’ve heard several times already
His persecution has a starting point and it has an ending point.
But it is going to happen - and our job as Christ followers is to endure to the end.
Patient endurance is “believing in God’s faithfulness and his triumph through Christ.”
The only way we will endure is in that.
This endurance, this devotion will have four effects.
First, those who endure will be saved.
Now don’t argue with me by saying, all I have to do to be saved is believe.
You are correct, but, if you truly believe, you will endure.
James 1:12
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
At the end of each of the seven letters to the seven churches, Jesus promises something new to those who “conquer.”
Second, those who endure are ultimately protected.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.
Satan can buffet us - he is buffeting us now.
Enduring what Satan throws at us could cost us a lot - maybe even our lives.
But all Satan can do is buffet our flesh.
He can’t steal us - we are marked, we are sealed, forever in Christ.
Nothing can ultimately happen to you - you are invincible in Christ.
Third, those who endure get stronger.
Paul teaches us in Romans 5:3-5
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Any couple who has been tested knows that, if they remain faithful to each other and they weather the storm together, their relationship grows stronger and deeper.
Remember this from Ecclesiastes: “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Every athlete knows, the harder the practice, the better the game.
We aren’t happy about our sufferings, but we can be joyful.
And like I’ve said, we are seeing this already.
The more we are canceled, the louder we speak.
Fourth, when we endure, we encourage others to endure.
Daniel Wright tickled me when felt called to the ministry and he said to me one morning, “If you can do this, I can too.”
It tickled me because it sounded like he was saying, “If you can preach, anybody can preach.”
But that’s not what he meant.
What he meant was, if God led me through everything I had to go through to get here and I could stay the course, then he could trust God to deliver and he could stay the course too.”
My life encouraged him.
Paul tells the church at Corinth, 2 Corinthians 1:6.
If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
Strangely enough, it’s not all about us.
It’s about all of us and sometimes your suffering might be meant to help someone else who is struggling to continue the fight.
This week Jane Davis’ niece Eliza Paris Harrison passed away from an odd kind of cancer at the age of 28.
When Jane talked to me about Eliza, one of the things you could tell touched her most was that Eliza helped so many other people while she was fighting this cancer.
Her obituary talked about the ways she supported other cancer patients around the world.
“She answered countless emails and texts, serving as a devoted friend to so many.”
Her funeral will be on Tuesday.
She didn’t spike a football in an end zone or win a Pulitzer prize, she wasn’t miraculously healed.
But someone is alive today because Eliza endured and they saw her do it.
God has a plan, He is working the plan, He has graciously chosen us to be a part of His plan and one day He will welcome us home and reward us for doing something that we could not have done without him.
Which leads us to the final question, with all of this suffering that is happening and will happen until Jesus returns, how is God good?
That question is asked a lot and I’ve heard that some people refuse to believe because of it.
With all of the suffering and pain, why doesn’t God stop it?
If God is all powerful, why did He let Eliza or my Dad or your Dad, why didn’t He heal them?
With all of this, how is He good?
To determine if something is good or bad, we have to have a standard, right?
We have to have something in mind that is good and something that is bad.
Most of us think in terms of events - happy right now type events and that becomes our standard of good.
If we aren’t suffering now, if things are working out like we want them to right now, then God must be good.
But God sees the story from end to end, remember?
James 4:13-14
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
God cares that you suffer now.
He cries with us - Jesus wept, remember?
He hurts for us - He puts our tears in His bottle.
But He would hurt worse if, when the end of time comes, you are lost for eternity.
That you lived a comfortable, stress free life only to be tormented by the scorpion demons of hell, forever.
He allows us to suffer now.
To encourage others.
That some might see our patient endurance and be saved.
To advance His plan, that one day.
Isaiah 11:6
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
We are headed in that direction, even so, Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Let us pray.