Study of End Times week 31
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The Beast from the Sea
The Beast from the Sea
Two weeks ago we finished looking at the Dragon, the woman, and the child were we seen that the Dragon was Satan or the devil, the woman was Israel and the child was Jesus.
The Dragon was permanently kicked out of heaven after a fight with Michael the Arch Angel, and this has sent Satan into a real furry and he has now went after the Woman, Israel, those that are God’s people to destroy them.
God had provided protection for them, He gave believer’s a three-fold formula for victory which is - Our cleansing through the blood of the lamb, our confession by the words of our testimony, and then our courage to stand against all opposition.
So far in the book of Revelations, and our study of End Times, we have only briefly talked about the Antichrist, he has been standing in the shadows of history up to this point.
Starting in chapter 13 tonight we will see 4 things about the Antichrist, which is referred to as the Beast from the sea, here in the first 10 verses of chapter 13.
I. The Delivery of the Beast:
I. The Delivery of the Beast:
18 The dragon stood on the sand of the sea.
1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names.
In the last verse of chapter 12, we are told that the dragon is standing on the sand of the sea, Satan is waiting on the arrival of his son, of the Antichrist.
Then in verse one, John sees the beast coming up out of the sea. Sea and water are symbolic of multitudes of wicked people from every tongue and nation. We see this represented elsewhere in God’s Word.
20 But the wicked are like the storm-tossed sea,
for it cannot be still,
and its water churns up mire and muck.
We also see it later on in the book of Revelation 17:15
15 He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
The stage is set for the delivery of the beast. There is a troubled, growling, seething sea of disturbed and evil people.
The Soviet Union has been dissolved, but the former Soviet Republic that were a part of this formidable power are still dangerous to world peace. Many of them are strongholds of Islamic fundamentalism and launching posts for religious jihad.
The Russian bear, wounded and hungry, is sniffing out morsels to devour.
Think of what is happening in the spiritual vacuum of Europe that is being filled with New Ageism and Occultism.
World financial markets are alarmed as unsustainable debt threatens to collapse the economies of many nations.
Then consider worldwide terrorism. Because of Islamic fundamentalism and its religious jihad, we are now being faced with the horrendous prospects of biological warfare, chemical warfare, suitcase bombs, hijacking, and who knows what else.
And do not think that I am prejudiced against mild easterners or Islamic people, but as tomorrow is September 1st, 9-11 is on my mind.
It is scary to even send our kids to school these days, with all the wickedness and evil in this world.
And we have yet to mention the famines, natural disasters, and political schemes that are a part of the world events of today.
All of these things tell us that perilous times are here and that the nations of the world are like a seething sea out of which will rise the beast.
II. The Attributes of the Beast:
II. The Attributes of the Beast:
A. His Father:
A. His Father:
What will this beast be like? First, let’s notice his father:
18 The dragon stood on the sand of the sea.
We see the dragon standing here on the sand of the sea, but we can also see his father in his attributes.
1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads. On its horns were ten crowns, and on its heads were blasphemous names.
There are a couple things about the beast here that if we think back to chapter 12, we should be reminded of the dragon.
3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns.
In verse one of our text for tonight we see that the beast had ten horns and seven heads, and on the heads had seven crowns, and then from chapter 12, we see that the dragon had ten horns, seven heads, and on his heads he had seven crowns.
Like father, like son, isn’t that the old saying. The beast has the attributes of his father the dragon.
The Bible teaches that when the beast comes, he will posses all the power of Satan:
9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan’s working, with every kind of miracle, both signs and wonders serving the lie,
When Jesus was on earth, He said,
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
When the devil enters the Antichrist, the Antichrist will be able to say, “The one who has seen me has seen my father.”
All the attributes of Satan will be in this man of sin. He will be a consummate liar like his father and will perform the works of his father.
B. His Family:
B. His Family:
We know his father; now let’s meet the rest of his family - a lion, a bear, and a leopard:
2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.
To understand this, we need to look at Daniel 7, where Daniel described the four great empires of the world as beasts.
The first empire the world has ever known was the Babylonian Empire.
Daniel describes it as a lion.
4 “The first was like a lion but had eagle’s wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
The lion is the royal king of beasts with a ravenous and incredible strength. He is able to terrify every other animal in the kingdom.
The next world empire was Medo-Persia, and Daniel described it as a bear.
5 “Suddenly, another beast appeared, a second one, that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up! Gorge yourself on flesh.’
The bear has massive strength and powerful claws to crush its victims - a fitting symbol to describe the way the Medo-Persian kings ruled the world at that time.
Next Daniel characterized the Greek Empire as a leopard because of its rapid movement to conquer the world.
6 “After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was given dominion.
Alexander the Great led the charger and wept because there were no more worlds to conquer.
Daniel saw one more kingdom over which the Antichrist would rule:
7 “After this, while I was watching in the night visions, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.
When the Antichrist comes, he will come from this lineage of empires. He will have the royalty of Babylon, the strength of Medo-Persia, and the sophisticated wisdom of Greece.
He will be a combination of Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Caesar, Charlemagne, Hitler, and more. This is family legacy.
C. His Fortune:
C. His Fortune:
Notice the last part of
Revelation 13:2 (CSB)
2 The dragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great authority.
This man will receive a throne of authority from Satan in which to rule the world. Does Satan have it to give?
Indeed, he does.
In the Gospels we read that Satan tempted Jesus to follow him and wanted Jesus to bow down to him:
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
Notice that Jesus did not tell Satan that he didn’t have the kingdoms of the world to give because He knew Satan had taken that dominion from Adam.
The devil offered the kingdoms to Jesus; and Jesus wouldn’t take them.
But a man of sin who is coming so diabolically wicked that he will give his heart, mind, soul and everything to the devil. Satan will enter into him to give him power and authority.
This is the man Jesus described in John 5:43
43 I have come in my Father’s name, and yet you don’t accept me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.
Jesus prophesied that one of these days those who would not receive the Lord Jesus Christ will receive the Antichrist.
III. The Disguises of the Beast:
III. The Disguises of the Beast:
3 One of its heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but its fatal wound was healed.
The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”
When the Bible describes the Antichrist as a beast, it is not describing his appearance; it is describing his character.
The beast will be an appealing person in the eyes of the world. He will be handsome, charming, clever, and intelligent.
The whole world will wonder about the beast.
They will ask, “Who is like him? Who is able to make war against him?”
One of the ways he will win their affection is through a counterfeit resurrection.
At some time during his world rule, he will be fatally wounded on the head. The whole world will mourn his death; then dramatically he will come back to life.
His propaganda machine will church out the news of his resuscitation. It will be the masterstroke of Satan that causes the world to follow after him as never before.
The devil has always wanted to imitate God. For everything God has, Satan has a counterfeit.
There are counterfeit Christians. We call them hypocrites.
There is a counterfeit Church. The Bible calls it the synagogue of Satan.
There is a counterfeit Trinity - the dragon (Satan), the beast from the sea (Antichrist), and the beast from the earth (false-prophet).
They are the false or anti - (the anti-father, anti-christ, and the anti-holy spirit.)
The devil is a counterfeiter. People will be deceived by the devil.
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
Jesus said in Matthew 24:24
24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
IV. That which Drives the Beast:
IV. That which Drives the Beast:
A. He is coming to Promote Satan:
A. He is coming to Promote Satan:
The beast wants people to worship Satan. The devil has always wanted to be worshipped.
4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against it?”
Just as God the Father receives worship through God the Son, the devil will receive worship through this Antichrist.
B. He is against the Savior:
B. He is against the Savior:
5 The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. 6 It began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme his name and his dwelling—those who dwell in heaven.
The Antichrist is a blasphemer. He cannot touch God Himself, so he is reduced to name-calling.
Like filthy lava, blasphemy will belch from his mouth as he twists everything good, pure, and holy.
With burning eloquence he will turn people away from Jesus Christ and to himself.
The ultimate in blasphemy will occur when he sits in the temple of God to proclaim that he is God.
Remember the term Antichrist? That word is not found in Revelation; it is found in the first two epistles of John.
18 Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour.
22 Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the one who denies the Father and the Son.
3 but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.
7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
The prefix anti means against and instead of. He comes against Christ by being instead of Christ.
C. Driven to Destroy the Saints:
C. Driven to Destroy the Saints:
7 And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
The Antichrist wants to stamp out every person who believes in the true God. He hates those who love God.
During the great tribulation, true believers will face torture and terror by dying in all kinds of ways.
Many will be beheaded for the cause of Christ. It will be the devil’s last fling.
D. He will Dominate Society:
D. He will Dominate Society:
7 And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
This verse tells us a time is coming when this beast will have global control.
How will he do this?
He will intimidate and browbeat some people. He will bedazzle others.
By persecution or reward, he will eventually have control of the entire world.
Even now the world is moving toward a one-world monetary exchange and global government.
E. He will Mislead Sinners:
E. He will Mislead Sinners:
8 All those who live on the earth will worship it, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered.
9 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.
10 If anyone is to be taken captive,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.
This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.
God is encouraging faithfulness in His martyrs.
Remember that the time is coming when the table will be turned.
The beast himself, who has used the sword, will be taken captive and decimated by the mighty sword that is in the mouthy of the conquering Lord Jesus.
That blessed blade is His Word. Keep believing. He will not fail because He cannot fail.
The closer we get to the end of time, we will see more and more demonism, occultism, and witchcraft.
The Antichrist will be the christ of cults.
Remember this about the devil: he doesn’t want casualties; he wants converts. He wants people to worship him.