Back To The Future — Sermon #32

 

Revelation 13:11-15

THE BEAST FROM THE EARTH

Intro: For the past few weeks we have been treading unholy ground. We have spent a lot of time talking about the devil and his activities during the Tribulation. I would just remind you today that Satan is an imitator. He hasn't had an original thought in over six thousand years.

      As we all know, there is a Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is comprised of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is these three individuals Who are one God. Satan has a trinity too. His trinity, however, is anything but holy.

      The unholy trinity is composed of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Each member of the Holy Trinity has a specific purpose. God the Father receives the worship of His people through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the facilitator of this holy worship. He stirs up the heart of the believer and causes him or her to worship God.

      Remember, Satan is an imitator. His trinity functions exactly the same way. In Satan's unholy trinity, Satan receives the worship through the person of the Antichrist and the False Prophet facilitates this worship.

We have already considered the first two members of the unholy trinity. We have looked extensively at Satan and at the Antichrist. In this message we will look at these verses and get a glimpse of the False Prophet. He is the person who will guide the world's religion during the Tribulation Period. Let's look into these verses together and notice the insights the Bible gives us concerning The Beast From The Earth.

 

I. v. 11               THE PERSONALITY OF THIS BEAST

A. What He Displays — This second beast is a man just as the first beast was. The word "another" translates the Greek word "allos". It means "another of the same kind and quality." The figure described here is a man. This is also proven by his fate, Rev. 19:20.

            This beast has horns, which are a symbol of power. He has "two horns". Two is a number that symbolized "testimony'. While the first beast had power because of the territory he ruled, this beast will have power because of he testimony he gives.

            The first beast had "ten horns" this beast had "two horns". The first beast had "ten crowns". This beast has no crowns. The first beast is described in terrifying language, as a leopard, a lion and a bear. This beast is called "a lamb". The first beast comes as a powerful world ruler. This beast appears as a mean, gentleman of faith.

            This individual will appear on the world stage as a gentle, meek, loving and kind religious leader. He will have the charisma and gentle nature of a Joel Osteen or a Robert Shuler. He will possess the religious power of the Pope. While the Antichrist will rule the world with brute force; this man will attract the world through his pleasant personality and pleasing words.

B. What He Declares — As the old saying goes: "You can't judge a book by the cover." With this man everything is not as it appears. He has all the outward appearances and trappings of a man of faith, but when he speaks, he speaks the words of the dragon. He is the mouthpiece of Satan himself. He will be a religious man, but the religion he is promoting is the worship of Satan! His true nature will be revealed by the words which he will speak, III. Matt. 12:34.

 

(Note: It does take long to learn what a group or a preacher believes. You only need to attend this church a few times to know what we believe. Come to Sunday School, preaching and youth meeting. Come to a revival meeting. Come a few times and you will know where we stand. That is how it should be!

      By the way, it doesn't take too long to figure out what a preacher or a church believes. Just listen to their words and they will reveal their hearts in short order. Take some of these TV preachers for instance. One of the most popular never mentions the name of Jesus, nor does he mention sin. He just tells a few stories and builds everyone up. Others are always talking about money and prosperity. It doesn't take long to separate the wheat from the chaff, if you know a little bit about the Word of God!)

 

  I. The Personality Of This Beast

 

II. v. 12                      THE POWER OF THIS BEAST

A.   The Source Of His Power — "He exerciseth all the power of the first beast'. This individual will receive his power from the same source that the Antichrist will receive his power: the devil, v. 2. The world will accept this man as a "man of God'. He will be hailed around the world as the greatest religious leader the world had ever seen. The world will be deceived and will not grasp the truth that he is the agent of Satan until it is too late.

B.   The Scope Of His Power — The man will be the facilitator of a vast world wide religion. He will be able to unite all the religions of the world under one banner. He will convince the world that the Antichrist is a god and that he alone is to be worshiped. Men and women from every conceivable religion will bow down in worship of the Antichrist as the leadership of this False Prophet.

            This man will solve the problems between the religions of the world. Take the situation in the Middle East. The problems there are not political, they are religious. The problems in that part of the world predate the forming of Islam. The Jews and the Arabs have been bitter enemies since the days of Moses and Joshua. Now, the Muslims hate the Jews and they are bent on the destruction of the nation of Israel. No one can seem to solve their differences today, but this False Prophet will during the Tribulation. He will find the common ground that will allow all the religions of the world to exist under on umbrella.

            In our day, when there is news of a religious nature, the world looks to the Pope to see what he has to say about the matter. In that world, the eyes and ears of the world will rest on the False Prophet.

 

(Note: Why will the world worship the Antichrist? As we learned last time, the Antichrist will be wounded and die and he will rise again from the dead, v. 3-4. The world will fall at his feet in stupefied wonder and worship.

      At some point, the Antichrist will enter the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. He will go in to the Holy of Holies and he will place his throne there. He will declare himself to be God and he will demand to be worshiped as God, 2 Thes. 2:4. The False Prophet will support the claims of the Antichrist and will lead the world to worship this Man of Sin. The phrase "before him" in verse 12 means "in his presence". The two men, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are the devil's duo. They will work hand in hand to accomplish the devil's will here on earth during the dark days of the Tribulation Period.

      Remember, Satan is an imitator! We are told that the Holy Spirit will magnify Jesus, John 16:13-14. Satan's anti-spirit will spend his time magnifying the Antichrist and he will lead the world to worship the Beast!)

 

  I.  The Personality Of This Beast

 II.  The Power Of This Beast

 

Ill. v. 13-15        THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS BEAST

A. v. 13-15 His Miracles — We are told that the False Prophet will be a man of miracles. He will duplicate the miracles of the Two Witnesses, Rev. 11:5. He will duplicate the miracle of Elijah in 1 Kings 18. When Elijah called fire down from Heaven, men fell to their faces and worshiped Jehovah. When the False Prophet calls down fire from the sky, men will fall on their faces and worship the devil!

            This False Prophet will lead the world to build an idol, an image of the Antichrist. He will cause this image to come to life. This image will speak to the people. They will be deceived by his power and his miracles and they will fall down in worship of the beast and his image. The ministry of the False Prophet will be marked by exciting and powerful miracles. His miracles will deceive the world.

 

(Note: In Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas there are three great fountains inside a part of the building known as The Forum Shops. This shopping complex has been designed to give the illusion that you are walking down an ancient Roman street. There is even a sky with clouds over head. At the top of every hour two of these fountains come to life. The statues in the fountains begin to move and talk to one another and to the people watching. One of the fountains tells and acts out the story of the fall of Atlantis.

      I said that to say this: if man in his ingenuity can make statues that will come to life, surely the devil can do that and greater. This image of the Antichrist will live and it will deceive the world!)

 

(Note: We read this and we have trouble believing it. We are living in a world where most people worship nothing but themselves. It is hard to imagine people the world over bowing down to worship an image. In our day of advanced technology, and sophisticated people it is hard to see the world falling down before a statue to worship the devil. But, try to put yourself in that time period!

      Millions have gone missing in the Rapture. The world is falling apart at the seams as war rumbles from country to country. Disease, war, starvation and other plagues have claimed nearly one-half the world's population. Men in that day will be looking for something to believe in. they will be looking for someone who has the answers.

      Then, the Antichrist will appear. He will have the solution to the problems of the world! He will have the solution to war, to hunger, and to every problem know to humanity. He will die at the height of his power and the world will mourn his passing. Then, miracle of miracles, he will rise from the dead! The world will see it live and in living color on their television sets.

      The False Prophet will speak and he will set the world at ease. He will declare the Antichrist to be the world's savior and they will bow at his feet and worship him. It will be a time of mass deception on a world-wide scale!)

 

(Note: Our world is being prepared for such things right now! Miracles of every kind are going on all around us. Let me share a few of the weird things that are happening in different parts of the world.

·         Copper Ridge Baptist Church, Knoxville, TN, 1995-1996 – Strange crosses of light appear in the windows of the church. Several miraculous healings have been reported. Strange visitors appear and disappear in the church.

·         The home of Salim and Ruksana Patel, in Bolton, England, has recently been inundated with about 50 visitors a day, coming to see their miraculous eggplant. Mrs Patel foresaw the miracle in a dream after she'd bought the eggplant from their local shop. On slicing the vegetable in half, she saw that the seeds were formed in the Muslim symbol "Ya-Allah", meaning "Allah exists".

·         A girl in Lebanon produces crystals from here eyes.

·         On 11 June, 1995, a man suddenly appeared before a vast crowd in Nairobi, Kenya, gathered to witness the miracle healings of Kenyan spiritual healer, Mary Akatsa. Instantly recognizing the tall, white-robed figure as "Jesus Christ", the crowds fell down overcome with emotion.

·         A likeness of the Buddha appears in a man's bathroom window and a rainbow of light streams from this image.

·         On Thursday 21 September, 1995 the news swept around the world of the extraordinary miracles of milk-drinking Hindu statues. Never before in history has a simultaneous miracle occurred on such a global scale. Television, radio and newspapers eagerly covered this unique phenomenon, and even skeptical journalists held their milk-filled spoons to the gods -- and watched, humbled, as the milk disappeared.

·         Crowds flock to springs that are supposed to contain great healing powers in France, Germany, Mexico and elsewhere.

·         A six-inch-high porcelain statue began weeping tears of blood. The liquid staining the image is genuinely blood, and human at that. The Santiago coroner's office pronounced the substance is type 0 human blood. The statue weeps regularly, particularly in the presence of children. – The Guardian, Dec. 4, 1992.

      These are just a few of the strange happenings in our world. Some people look at these things and call them miracles. I look at them and call them the work of the devil as he prepares the world for the arrival of the False Prophet.

 

(Note: If you want to draw a crowd, just start advertising miracles and the people will come. It doesn't matter how strange or outlandish the claims, people will flock to see what they think is a miracle.

      One fellow claimed to see the face of Jesus in a tortilla in 1977 in New Mexico. He built a shrine and thousands have gone there to pray before the tortilla. Someone saw the image of the Virgin Mary on the side of their house and turned it into a shrine. Thousands have gone there to pray to Mary. When the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 occurred, someone took a photo of a cloud that was supposed to look like the devil. People believe that kind of junk!

      I guess it never occurred to anyone that no one knows what Jesus, Mary or the devil look like! This stuff just proves my point: The world is being prepared fro mass delusion, 2 Thes. 2:11.)

 

B. v. 14-15 His Motive — The False Prophet does all of this stuff for the sole purpose of getting the world to worship the Antichrist. The world will fall for this deception and they will worship the Antichrist. Those who refuse, orthodox Jews and those who have been saved during the Tribulation, will be hunted down and destroyed.

            Today, you can worship any god you please to worship, or you can worship no god at all, if that is your choice. In that day, you will either worship the Antichrist or you will pay for your disobedience with your life.

            The world will come together one day. It will not be the United Nations that will bring about that unity. It will be the work of Satan and he uses the Antichrist and the False Prophet to accomplish his goals in the world.

 

Conc: Our world is heading for some very dark days. The time to escape the coming nightmare is now! If you have never trusted Jesus as your Savior, I challenge you to come to Him for your salvation. Come to Him and be saved today!

If you are saved, you can praise the Lord because you will miss these things. But, you and I have family and friends who will be here. We are living in a world filled with people who will be here. We should seek the Lord on their behalf. If He would have you do that you come and call on Him as He leads.