The Apostle Paul calls us Jars of Clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). As followers of Jesus we must allow the Word of God to fill us with it's message of Truth and Grace. In this way, we become a "vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

Monday, March 12, 2018

The Beast from the Sea - March 11, 2018 sermon


By Pastor Greg...

It was raining hard, and a big puddle had formed in front of the little Irish pub.   An old man stood beside the puddle holding a stick with a string on the end and jiggled it up and down in the water.  A curious gentleman asked what he was doing.  “Fishing,” replied the old man.  “Poor old bugger,” thought the gentleman, so he invited the old man to have a drink in the pub.  Feeling he should start some conversation while they were sipping their whiskey, the gentleman asked, “And how many have you caught today?”  Without looking up from his drink, the old man replied, “You're the eighth.”
There are people like this old man all over our world.  It seems just about every day we read a story about this kind of deception.  Sadly, this even happens in religious circles.  And, as we read in Revelation, one day a man will come along claiming to be the Messiah.  He will mimic Jesus, but he is a deceiver; a liar driven by the “great deceiver” himself.
Revelation 13:1-10.  1 Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. It had seven heads and ten horns, with ten crowns on its horns. And written on each head were names that blasphemed God. This beast looked like a leopard, but it had the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion! And the dragon gave the beast his own power and throne and great authority.
I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”
Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life before the world was made—the Book that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered.
Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. 10 Anyone who is destined for prison
will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful. [1]
Scary stuff, right?  This whole scene is alarming.  A leader who initiates peace is killed, but he rises from the dead, assumes power, presents himself as the Messiah, and has people follow him because of the miracle.  But he isn’t the Christ; he is the Antichrist – a false Christ – who leads the world astray.
This dictator is a Gentile (that’s what the word “sea” means in this section).  He is called a “beast” for many reasons.  He is described as a leopard, a bear, and a lion – the three “beasts” mentioned in Daniel 7.  Daniel is told these beasts represent three kingdoms; Babylon, Persia, and Greece.  And these three kingdoms were conquered by Rome; a “terrible beast,” says Daniel.   In John’s vision, Rome represents the Antichrist.  And because of this, some biblical scholars feel the Antichrist will rise to power in Rome and reunite these nations into one evil power.
This false resurrection probably happens midway through the 7-year tribulation.  As Satan is thrown to the earth, he resurrects this world leader who, empowered and influenced by Satan, marches directly into Jerusalem, kills the two witnesses, enters the Temple, and presents himself as the Messiah.
Sadly, the world is amazed by this miracle and begins to follow this “beast of a man.”  In other words, they become his “disciples.”  And as directed, they worship the dragon - which is Satan - and curse the God of heaven just like the beast.
Why do you suppose John shared these visions with the Church?  Why is the image of this beast so important?  If the Church is called to Heaven several years before this event, why warn people of this great deception?  I think it’s because Satan is already attempting to deceive the world; he is busy trying to influence men and women right now.  And John knew this.  In 1 John 2:18, he says that many antichrists have appeared.  Of course, John is not speaking about “The Antichrist,” but instead about individuals who deceive and lead people astray in the spirit of the Antichrist.  We have seen world leaders over the years who behave like the Antichrist, but they are not empowered by Satan, merely influenced by him.
And they are still among us today.
I understand if you have some concern about being deceived.  Perhaps you wonder if one of these antichrists has led you astray.  Paul assures us that no one can say “Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).  It is God’s Spirit who helps us know the difference between Truth and Lies (1 John 2:21).  It is the Holy Spirit who causes us to lift our hands toward Heaven and cry “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15); “Abba means “papa.”  If the Holy Spirit lives in you, you will not curse Jesus.  If we have been led astray by one of these “little antichrists,” we would be led to curse Jesus or deny that He is fully God – to deny His deity.  We would deny the fullness of His work on the cross.  However, because we believe these things and worship Jesus as Savior and Son, we can be sure our faith is grounded in Truth.  As John says, “Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son[2] (1 John 2:22). 
John wrote these things as a warning; there will be people in this world who, in the spirit of the Antichrist, attempt to lead you away from Jesus (1 John 2:26).  For this reason, God gives each believer His Spirit.  And God’s Holy Spirit teaches us what we need to know.  Realizing that Satan is even now attempting to deceive us, Christians need to remain steadfast in their faith and trust the words written by those who walked with Christ.
I find it sad that during this Tribulation people will be so thirsty for the truth that they will even believe a lie.  They will want answers; they will long for someone to save them but will be deceived by a counterfeit.  And in a way, I think the same thing is happening today.
Although there are many people today who want to deceive the world (1 John 2:26), we have the Spirit of God to keep us from being deceived.  But what about the rest of the world?  Is there some way they can tell the difference between lies and the Truth?  Of course, a faithful Christians could lead someone to Christ; that should be our highest priority as a church.  But Peter challenges Christians to, “Live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world[3] (1 Peter 2:12).  According to Peter, a Christian’s honorable behavior becomes a testimony to the Truth of God. 
Since there are many deceivers, the Church must live in such a way that the people of this world recognize the Truth through us.  And when something counterfeit comes along, they will see it for what it is; deception from the enemy.
For I am convinced that there are many people in our world today who are thirsty for the Truth; I pray they might see and hear the real message of the cross through us before it is too late.


[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Re 13:1–10). Carol Stream, IL.
[2] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (1 Jn 2:22). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed., 1 Pe 2:12). Carol Stream, IL.

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