[ FUTURE LESSONS FOR TODAY S LIVING THE BOOK OF REVELATION DEDUCTIVE LESSON FIFTEEN Revelation 13 Day One: Verses 1 2 Read Revelation 13:1 2 and answer the following questions. 1. Describe the beast that John saw rising out of the sea. This beast represents both the Antichrist as an individual and his kingdom. His seven heads represent seven successive world empires: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the final world government of Antichrist. The 10 horns with 10 crowns represent 10 kings during that final government. The animals listed in the description of this beast match the animals in Daniel s vision (lion, bear, leopard see Daniel 7). Essentially, what this means is that the final empire of Antichrist will have a combination of the characteristics of preceding world empires: ferocity, strength, swiftness of conquest, and viciousness. 2. What do the following passages say about Antichrist? Daniel 7:25 Daniel 8:24 25 1
Daniel 11:36 39 2 Thessalonians 2:3 4 Scripture Memory: This week s Scripture Memory verse is Ephesians 1:13. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Ephesians 1:13 Day Two: Verses 3 4 1. What happened to the beast (Antichrist) in verse 3? 2. There is debate about this mortal wound and its healing, as to whether Antichrist truly dies and God allows him to be resurrected, or if he appears to be dead and his healing is made to look like a genuine resurrection from the dead. The latter seems more likely since Satan is a great imitator of God s genuine power. What does 2 Thessalonians 2:9 say about the wonders performed by Antichrist? 3. What was a result of this healing (Revelation 13:3b 4)? 4. Summarize what 2 Thessalonians 2:8 12 says about Antichrist and the world s response to him. 2
Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. In Him you also, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your ; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Spirit of promise. Ephesians :13 Day Three: Verses 5 10 1. What do verses 5 6 say about Antichrist s arrogant conduct? 2. Re-read 2 Thessalonians 2:3 4. What do these verses say about the extent of his arrogance? 3. Verse 7 of today s passage begins with the words, It was granted to him This subtle reminder of God s sovereignty is a welcome encouragement in the midst of the description of Antichrist. What was Antichrist granted to do? 4. This severe persecution of the saints was foretold by Daniel in Daniel 7:25. How long will it last? 5. What does verse 8 tell us? 6. What do you read in verse 10? 3
Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. In Him you also, after you heard the word of, the gospel of your ; in whom also, having, you were sealed with the of promise. Ephesians : Day Four: Verses 11 15 1. John sees another beast coming up out of the earth. We call this beast the False Prophet. How is this beast described and what does he do, in verses 11 13? 2. Describe what happens in verses 14 15. 3. This scenario reminds us of what happened in the third chapter of Daniel. Quickly read through Daniel 3 and write down how this is similar to what you ve read here in Revelation. 4. With Satan (a counterfeit of God the Father), the Antichrist (a counterfeit of Jesus Christ), and this False Prophet (a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit), we see an unholy trinity, Satan s imitation of the genuine Trinity. The false prophet will be persuasive, eloquent, and winsome and will convince many to willingly worship the Antichrist. What do these verses say about false prophets? Matthew 7:15 18 Deuteronomy 13:1 3 4
2 Peter 2:1 3 Scripture Memory: Fill in the missing words from memory. In Him you also, after you heard the word of, the of your ; in whom also, having, you were with the of. : Day Five: Verses 16 18 1. What does the False Prophet cause to happen (verse 16)? 2. What is this mark and how is it used? 3. We see that this mark of the beast this seal on the right hand or forehead is also an imitation of something genuine. What does Ephesians 1:13 14 say about the seal of the believer? 4. Much speculation has occurred over the significance of the number 666, and its affiliation with the Antichrist. Using all sorts of codes and methods of calculation, people have made the names of many historical people add up to 666 in an attempt to label them the Antichrist. However, the exhortation to be wise and understand the calculation of the number of the beast (found in verse 18) is undoubtedly a warning for the believer living in the days of the Great Tribulation. In 2 Thessalonians 2 we are told that the lawless one (Antichrist) will not be revealed until the one who restrains (the Holy Spirit) is taken away. Since the Holy Spirit lives within His people, this indicates that Antichrist (and his mark) will not be revealed until after the church has been raptured. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1 8 for yourself; what does Paul ask of the church at Thessalonica, in light of this knowledge? 5
5. How did Peter exhort us to live, considering all of this information about the last days? 1 Peter 4:7 2 Peter 3:11 12 Scripture Memory: Write out the entire Scripture Memory verse in the space below. : Day Six: Personal Application 1. This week we saw that Satan, the great counterfeiter, will imitate things that are genuine, but twist them to his own purposes. Can you think of some other things that the devil has counterfeited, stolen, or used as his own? 2. In Revelation 13:4, we read that the world worshipped the beast, saying Who is like the beast? But as Christians, we can join with the psalmist who said Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high? Spend some time simply praising the Lord for who He is. Use Psalm 113 for inspiration. 6
3. On Day Five we read 2 Peter 3:11 12 which tells us that in light of these sobering events of the end times, we should be persons of holy conduct and godliness. Can you say that your conduct is holy and godly? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any conduct that cannot be classified as holy and godly, and make note of your desire to change that conduct below. 4. In 2 Peter 3:12, we also read that we should be looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. Write a four-sentence prayer to God on that note, using the letters of the word come to begin each sentence. C O M E 5. Pray for the three people whom you have already identified as needing Jesus. Pray that they would avoid the Great Tribulation by placing their faith in Christ now. Pray your Scripture Memory verse for each of them by name. List their names or initials below. Scripture Memory: From memory, write out the Scripture Memory verse below. : 2011 Brian Joel Jackson. All rights reserved. Express permission granted for use and reproduction by Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, CA. www.harvest.org Prayer Requests: 7
Lecture Notes: 8