WEEK 13: The False Trinity... Revelation 13 Last week - We were introduced to the dragon, the woman, and her child - We determined these to be Satan, Israel and the Messiah - Chapter 12 ended with the statement: Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea. Revelation 12:17 ESV The beast - John sees a beast rising out of the sea - But he sounds eerily similar to the dragon in Revelation 12:3 - Are the dragon and the beast one and the same? o They share some striking similarities: Ten horns, sevens heads and ten diadems on its horns o But there are important differences: 12:17 the dragon is standing on the sand of the sea 13:1 the beast is rising out of the sea He has the features of a leopard, a bear and a lion o He has power, a throne and authority given to him by Satan Power Paul reminded the Ephesian believers that Satan has power You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Ephesians 2:2 NLT A throne Remember what Jesus said to the church at Pergamum I know where you dwell, where Satan s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Revelation 2:13 ESV
- Most likely, a reference to Satan s animosity toward Christianity as demonstrated in the city of Pergamum - Satan held dominion in Pergamum - He was worshiped whenever the many gods of the Romans were worshiped - And the people of Pergamum did the bidding of Satan when they persecuted Christians Authority - Jesus described Satan as the ruler of this world John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 - Satan is the god of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4 - His power extends over all the nations of the earth - He can share his power authority with all those who worship him - Satan promised to share his authority with Jesus To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours. Luke 4:6-7 ESV - And in Revelation 13, we seen him giving his authority beast - The ten diadems or crowns symbolize that power and authority - But who is the beast? - His identity o The beast appears to be both a kingdom and an individual There is a ruler the Antichrist There is also a kingdom Babylon the Great Daniel 7 records a vision Daniel received from God He sees four beasts: A lion with eagles wings A bear with three ribs in its mouth A leopard with four wings of a bird on its back and four heads A fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns And God reveals to Daniel who the fourth beast is As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces.
As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. Daniel 7:23-25 ESV He shall speak words against the Most High And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Revelation 13:5-6 ESV o For a total of 3-1/2 years o The second half of the Tribulation He shall wear out the saints of the Most High o For a time, times, and a half time = 3/12 years o The second half of the Tribulation 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, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Revelation 13:7-8 ESV - Its mortal wound o What is going on here? Some believe this alludes to the demise and revival of a nation Others believe it speaks of the Antichrist himself Revelation 13:12 refers to a mortal wound being healed Revelation 13:14 speaks of an idol being made for the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived The anti-christ will mimic the one true Christ Even to the point of replicating the death and Christ s death and resurrection And the whole earth will marvel And they will follow the beast, worshiping he and the dragon (Satan)
The second beast o Another beast appears to John o He speaks on behalf of the dragon (Satan) o He exercises the authority of the Antichrist o He performs signs and wonders o He encourages worship o But he deceives and deludes o He is the false prophet If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 ESV - He will replicate the powers of the Holy Spirit - He will appear to bring the idol of the Antichrist to life - He will demand worship of the Antichrist - He will put to death those who refuse to worship the Antichrist - He will cause everyone to bear the mark of the beast The mark of the beast - Arguably one of the most familiar aspects of the book of Revelation - People have been attempting to solve this riddle for centuries - But his identity remains a mystery because he has not yet appeared - This passage simply tells us: o He will be a man o He will be identifiable o Those with wisdom will be able to calculate his number o And escape his deception DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Have someone read 1 John 2:22-23 and 1 John 4:1-3. In what ways do we see the spirit of Antichrist in our own day? And how are we to resist that influence? Why do you think God would allow Satan to replicate the resurrection of Jesus by bringing the Antichrist back to life? Think about the false prophet. If Satan is the counterfeit for God and Antichrist is the false Christ, then in what ways is the false prophet a poor replica of the Holy Spirit?
Week 14 Homework: A New Song. Revelation 14 Read Revelation 14. Also read pages 122-133 of the Devotionary study on Revelation. Look closely at verses 1-5. What do you think is the significance in the statement, No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth? Why would they be the only ones able to learn the song? What does verse 4 tells us about these 144,000 and what do you think is relevant about these facts? Go back and look at verses 6-11. Write down what you find significant about each of the message of the three different angels. The first angel:
The second angel: The third angel: Why do you think verses 12-13 should provide assurance, even to those of us who live on this side of the Tribulation? Verses 14-20 contain some difficult imagery. Take a few minutes to write down what you think is going on in these verses To get a better idea of what is going on in these verses, read the following prophetic passages in the book of Isaiah and jot down what they teach. Isaiah 13:11-13 Isaiah 24:21-23