A Journey through Revelation: The Triumph of God s People Lesson 15: The Counterfeit Trinity

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1 A Journey through Revelation: The Triumph of God s People Lesson 15: The Counterfeit Trinity 1. Let s take a look at the first beast a. Revelation 13:1-3 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a rising up out of the, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his, his, and great. 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. i. Here are some points from the text for us to understand 1. The beast is and in Daniel we are told that beasts are. a. Daniel 7:17 - Those great beasts, which are four, are four which arise out of the earth. 2. This beast comes from the Sea, and in Revelation sea is a for people, multitudes, nations and tongues. a. Revelation 17:15 - Then he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. i. The implication is that this beast would rise amongst a area. 3. The sea beast appears to be an of the fallen kingdoms described in Daniel 7. 1

2 4. This beast is said to have seven heads and while it s not clear what those heads represent here, Revelation 17:10 let s us know that these are seven consecutive that Satan uses to God s people. a. Revelation 17:10 - There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 2. Does the sea beast have anything in common with another player in Revelation? a. Revelation 12:3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his head. i. Yes there is a similarity here between the sea beast and the. ii. The crowns on the dragon represent his claim to have full power and authority over the things of heaven and earth; therefore it makes sense that his agent, the sea beast, would have the same crowns on its head as this system of spiritual falsehood and given its power by the. 3. What ominous point does verse 4 reveal concerning this sea beast? a. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Revelation 13:4 2

3 i. When John sees this sea beast the mortal wound that it received previously is now. 1. John would repeat this sentiment in revelation 13: Daniel 7 will give a little more insight into what we are learning a. Daniel 7:4-8 The first was like a lion, and had eagle s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man s heart was given to it. 5 And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: Arise, devour much flesh! 6 After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. i. The kingdoms represented here the following 1. The first kingdom was, represented by the lion with eagles wings. They ruled from 606 B.C. to 538 B.C. 2. The next kingdom was -, represented by the bear raised up on one side because the Persians were stronger than the Medes. The three ribs represent the three 3

4 providences that made up this kingdom. They ruled from 538 B.C. to 331 B.C. 3. The third kingdom was Greece, represented by the leopard with four wings speaks to the speed with which Alexander the great conquered the world and how the kingdom would eventually be divided amongst his four generals after Alexander s early death. This kingdom ruled from 331 B.C. to 168 B.C. 4. The fourth kingdom was from all the others, it was dreadful and terrible implying that this kingdom would be extremely and. This kingdom was the and they ruled from 168 B.C. to 476 A.D. 5. Out of the fall of the Roman Empire the kingdom was divided into kingdoms. a. are destroyed and the seven that remain make up modern day. 5. Why were three tribes destroyed? a. They are destroyed by the power. i. Here are nine characteristics of this power. 1. Came to power amongst the ten horns which puts the date sometime after 476 AD. Daniel 7:8 2. It uprooted three horns in its rise to power. Daniel 7:8 3. This power has eyes like a man and mouth to speak. Daniel 7:8 4. This power isn t like the ones that have come before it. Daniel 7:24 5. This power will attempt to change God s law. Daniel 7:25 4

5 6. It will reign for 1260 years. Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14 6. What s the connection between the little horn and the sea beast? a. Revelation 13: And he was given a speaking great things and, 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. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. i. Notice that the beast of the sea is given a to speak against God in the same way as the little horn. ii. The beast of the sea reigns for, which is the same as just like the little horn. iii. This beast of the sea makes on the saints just like the little horn. b. The beast of the sea here in Revelation 13 and the little horn power of Daniel 7 are the. 7. Revelation 13 introduces another beast onto the scene as well. a. 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 5

6 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. Revelation 13: i. Here is the description of this kingdom. 1. At first glance it would appear that this beast is and but eventually it changes into the of the first beast. 2. Where sea represents a populated area, the earth represents an unpopulated area and in this case this beast comes to power in an area where there are no kingdoms. 3. This beast comes after the first beast which means it must come into play ii. There is only one place that fits this description and that is the United States of America. 8. How does this beast deceive the world? a. The bible tells us through great, even making come down from. 9. What other falsehood is brought out in this passage? a. Those who follow and fall under the spell of this counterfeit trinity will be given mark on their or in their. i. Satan has a false. 6