The Prophesied Counterfeit Kingdom

Transcript

GRM 997
1/13/2008
The Prophesied Counterfeit Kingdom
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh


Our particular study on Sunday mornings is in the book of I Corinthians and we are in chapter 15. And we have taken a sidetrack in our study to look at some prophetic matters, and we will do that one more time in our study together today and then we will be returning to I Corinthians 15. And hopefully as we look at some of the matters there you'll appreciate some of the matters we have looked at and how they relate to the chapter that Paul is unfolding on resurrection.

Before we look into any specific passage I want you to do something for me. Go to Genesis 12 in your Bibles and put your finger there, hold your place and go to Acts in the New Testament and hold your finger there. Now you have those two places, now take your Bible and hold up that section you have and look at what you have. That section, the large section from Genesis 12 to Acts 1, is a section of the Bible that deals in its entirety with the nation Israel. God begins His plan and program with the nation Israel in Genesis 12 and all the way up until Acts 1, that is the subject of the scripture. Now that's not all there is to it. The Bible ends with the book of Revelation, but you know what chapters 6-19 are about. They are about God concluding His program with the nation Israel. We all know what the book of Hebrews is about in the New Testament, it's written to the Hebrews. Do you know who Peter wrote his letters to, I Peter and II Peter? To believing Jews of the diaspora, the dispersion, scattered throughout the world. Do you know who James wrote his letter to? Believing Jews of the diaspora, Jews scattered throughout the world.

What I wanted to say is if you do not understand God's program with the nation Israel, you do not understand the scriptures. People sometimes say, we're not interested in prophecy, we don't want to debate over the kingdom, premillennial, postmillennial, mid-trib, post-trib. It doesn't matter. I mean you think God took this much of His Word to talk about things that don't matter? Some people say, we don't get into those things, we don't want to divide over nonessentials. You can tell that's an awful lot of your Bible. If you don't understand God's program with the nation Israel, you don't understand your Bible. It's not possible to understand the scripture and not know about God's program with Israel. And it ought to be somewhat offensive to us that people who might call themselves Christian say, we don't think those things are the important things. I'm going to take this much of my Bible, and that's not all of it, and say that's the non important stuff? I mean, what do we think, God was just talking to hear himself talk? So we have to know about Israel, you have to know what God is doing. When you know and understand His program there, it fits the rest of us into proper perspective as we've seen in the context of the kingdom.

You can go back to Genesis 12, we're going to be in Genesis 11, but I want to recommend a couple of books to you again. One is in your newsletter now and we ran out last time I recommended it, we have more and if we run out we have more coming the first part of the week. Setting the Stage for the Final Act: The European Union and the Supra-Religion. And I really encourage you to read this. You will find his theology is right down the line with ours and he has brought much insight into the formulation of the coming one-world government. And it's often information that we living in the United States remain relatively ignorant of or uninformed about because we're occupied with our country. We think of ourselves as the centerstage of the world. But really the centerstage of the world is Israel and then in the context of satan's final push for his kingdom and one-world government, it centers in Europe and what is going on there. He will give you much helpful information.

I'm going to have to presuppose a lot of what we have talked about, otherwise we'll just mire down again. That doesn't mean we're not going to mire down, but we'll mire down where we are today, not where we were then. We have noted in our previous study two focus points for coming events in the 7 years leading up to the return of Christ to the earth and the establishing of His kingdom, the 70th week of Daniel, the revived Roman Empire and the reestablishing of the nation Israel. An interesting point brought out in the book that I just recommended, in 1948 there was a meeting in Holland that took place May 7-11 and represented 20 European countries as well as American and Canadian observers. They came together with one purpose, to promote political unity by creating a European council whose prime goal would be to break down national sovereignty by concrete practical action in the political and economic spheres. The Council of Europe emerged out of the Congress of Europe. So that was the establishing of the Council of Europe by the Congress of Europe in May 7-11, 1948, which helped to get rolling the modern day formulation of the European Union. You know what happened three days later? On May 14, only three days later, the free and independent Jewish state of Israel was reborn. Remarkable, isn't it? Within three days, 1948, decisions were made to establish, this was their goal in the establishing of the Council of Europe, ultimately, a European empire. Three days later actions are taken which established the modern state of Israel. The two key players in biblical prophecy for coming world event in the 7 years leading up to the return of Christ to earth.

Let me read you a couple of comments while I'm in this book. In 1948 the Council of Europe was a union of 10 countries, today the Council of Europe represents over 800 million people from 46 European countries. Its greatest function is to administer the European Court of Human Rights, and support the work of its offspring, the European Union. So we go from the Congress of Europe to the Council of Europe to the European Union. The Court of Human Rights dominates Europe with its decisions because its rulings always override those of the courts of its member nations. And that gives them sovereign power. So for the member nations, the Court of Human Rights overrules any individual rights or decisions of nations. I remember not too long ago in our country there was a debate because the World Court wanted to overrule our courts on the issue, I believe, of capital punishment. Now we are not part of that and all of us think, who are they to tell us. But you understand where the world is going.

One of the things established by those who founded the European Union was that the way you do this, a man named Monet, is you implement something and a broad policy, but you don't unveil the catches in it. So people look at the advantages of this and by being able to implement this now, you have implemented the possibility of going further steps, he calls it gearing up. And in that way now you implement further processes.

Let me read you just one example. The Council of Europe has already passed a law. Now this is the group behind the European Union. The Council of Europe has already passed a law, the genocide treaty, regarding the crime of intolerance. This law states that is is illegal for any individual to declare that his or her religion is the only true faith. Now you know how that got going, something that we might tend to agree with. We don't want the Muslim religion thinking that they are the only faith and thus executing people who disagree with them. So people here say it's not right for the Muslims to be treating non-Muslims that way, so it sounds like a good thing. But you know what it opens the door to. The law states that it is illegal for any individual to declare that his or her religion is the only true faith. What about Christianity? Jesus said I am the way, the truth, the life. No man comes to the Father but by Me. You know what? That can't be legal. You are declaring exclusivity for your religion. Well that's not what they intended, they intended just to deal with the Muslims. But see now you have a law that can be broadened. You understand that the European constitution that has not yet been fully ratified, it's different than our constitution that has checks and balances built in. We have the three branches of government, there would be checks and balances. The purpose of the European Union and its ultimate constitution, and it is founded on this basis, the overall good supersedes the rights of any individual people or any individual nations. So you have appointed individuals who have sovereign power to determine what is best and right for all of those under our authority.

And then with this they have a neighborhood policy. I know you're interested in this, and if you read the book you will because you'll be fascinated. Their neighborhood policy is this is the way we start. We live in a neighborhood, and if you live in a neighborhood you want to have peace with your neighbors, you want to get along with them. I mean it's part of a neighborhood. Well the European community considers the European area its neighborhood. In fact, they have declared all the region around the Mediterranean Sea, which of course you know includes Palestine and Arab countries and so on, its neighborhood. So we must be working in our neighborhood to bring peace and tranquility and harmony. But you know the neighborhood grows, because once you have your neighborhood boundaries, you don't want people right next door that aren't in your neighborhood, but they are your next door non-neighbor being troublesome. So the neighborhood has to grow to include them. So we do things, usually trade and economic things that will draw them in. And once you're working with them economically, now we have to do other things because it will disrupt the economy of both of us if we don't get along. And it keeps growing out and growing out. So this neighborhood policy moves toward one-world state.

You know the European Union, we're talking about Israel and the European Union, the revived Roman Empire. Through its neighborhood policy the European Union formalized a three-year action plan with Israel in December 2004. The stated intent of this action plan is “to deepen Israel's political cooperation and Israel's economic integration with us, the European Union, in return for working together on issues of mutual concern.” You see now we've drawn them into our neighborhood policy. They are not formally part of the European Union, but we're on the road, because you are part of our neighborhood. Now it's in our interest and in your interest that we work out things that will be for your economic benefit and ours. As I shared with you in a previous study, Israel is the largest trading partner already with the European Union. The European Union also has these kinds of agreements with Arab nations. This is not limited there, this is a world empire we're talking about, so keep this in mind. They already have agreements with the six-nation federation of South America, because their goal is this can't stop. Because ultimately you have to include everyone or there are those outside your boundaries that can cause you problems. So that's the move we have going in this day in Europe.

I could read you a lot more. But you get the book, you'll enjoy it. Another book along this line you might want to get, The Queen of All. It will tell you about Mary. And if you read this book you'll want to read this and find out how the exaltation of Mary and the worship of Mary is moving. You can read in here, he'll tell you how the appearance of Mary at Fatimah is significant to the Muslims. Because Fatimah was named for Mohammed's daughter. Part of Mecca. So the appearance of Mary there is significant to all of us. And on it goes. So we can have one-world government with on-world religion.

Look in Genesis 11. We are after the flood of Noah in the days of Noah. And chapter 10 told you something about the descendants of Noah and his family who will repopulate the earth. That's how chapter 10 closed. These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, their nations. Out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood. How did they get separated? Chapter 11, now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. And it came about as they journeyed east they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. You know what the land of Shinar is? It's what today is Babylon, modern Iraq. They said to one another, come let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. They used brick for stone, they used tar for mortar. They said, come let us build for ourselves a city, a tower whose top will reach to heaven. Let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.

You see what happens. If you're going to have unified world, you have to have a religion that unifies it. You know the god of this world, small “g”, satan, desires to rule the world in contrast to God's intended kingdom. But it's not enough to dominate the world, he must have a one-world empire that will worship him. So what's his goal here? Bring the people of the world, now, together with a capital city for the world, here in Shinar, Babylon, and we have to build a religious focal point. So we're going to build a tower, the top of it will be the worship place. They didn't think they could build all the way up into the heavens, but the top of it would be access to heaven because that's where they worship their god. Interestingly, several years ago in a study I used some picture ____________ of things associated with the coming Roman Empire, and some of those pictures are in this booklet as well, showing the European headquarters and they're modeled after a 15th to 16th century picture of a man who drew the tower of Babylon as he envisioned it. So it's a building that's not completed on the top, it even has the hanging gardens of Babylon. Some of these things associated with Babylon.

So what satan is doing here in this first attempt to unify the world, the existing people of the world, and center it around one focal point of worship. When God comes down, an anthropomorphism indicating He has come to deal out judgment, verse 5. Verse 6, the Lord said, behold they are one people, they all have the same language. This is what they began to do, nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. In other words, they are on the track to establish a one-world kingdom. It will spread out from here, but this will always be the capital, Babylon. This will always be the focal point of religion in this kingdom. No, it's not time. So God confounds their plans by confounding their languages.

So he broke these families down. So this family got up one morning and they couldn't talk to the family next door, they had different languages. They said, I'm not going to live next door to someone who talks like that, so off they go this way, they go that way ............. It's not the Lord's intention that the world be unified and gathered together until His Son, Jesus Christ, comes to rule and reign. Now we all feel the pressure economically today. We've become a world community. How much talk is there about buying products from China. I mean, there was a time years ago when people would say, I'm not buying things from another country like that, we buy American. Now we go to the store and we buy from China, we don't think anything of it. It's important for us to understand a world economy. And not just China, but other places.

Had opportunity to purchase some products from a company that prides itself, made in America. That's their whole thing, made in America. I looked at it, made in Malaysia. Then I took off my boots that I bought. Made in China. But their whole thing is American product. Well you know it's just part of it. Are they lying? Who cares? I mean, we care about the price, right? If the price is good, we buy. So, we're in Babylon in Genesis 11, but God's intention is not to unite the world. So all these global movements, they fit in God's plan, but you understand that is satan's goal, which God is using.

Leave Genesis 11 and come to Revelation 17. Now we are at the end of the 70th week of Daniel, that 7-year period that will climax with the return of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. Revelation 19, remember, records the coming of Christ from heaven to earth to establish His kingdom. What are Revelation 17 and 18 about? Look at Revelation 17. An invitation, come here and I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many water, with whom the kings of the earth committed immorality. Those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. Down in verse 3, he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having 7 heads and 10 horns. If you pick up this book or remember the pictures or have seen them in other places, you know what the statue is outside one of the EU buildings. It's the woman riding the beast, Europa, the goddess of Europe. Riding the bull, Zeus. Interesting, they even pick up the same imagery—the woman here on the beast.

Full of blasphemous names, having 7 heads and 10 horns. We've seen this. Remember Daniel saw four different beasts, picturing coming world empires. In the book of Revelation John goes back before Babylon. Daniel picked up with where he was, Babylon. John goes back before Babylon, the two empires that preceded Babylon. The Bible is only interested in empires that impact Israel. People say, what about China and their armies? They are not an issue because they didn't interact with Israel. So Egypt, obviously the first. It was when they were in Egypt that Israel became a nation, moved from being a family of 70 people to a nation of 2 million. Then the empire that succeeded Egypt, Assyria. Of course it impacted Israel and will carry the northern tribes into captivity. Now we're to Babylon, then we go to Medo-Persia, to Greece, to Rome, to the final form of Roman Empire, the 10-nation confederacy. So we have Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, the 10-nation confederacy. That's seven. Then Revelation 17 will say you might consider the final half of the 7-year period an 8th. But those are the 7 heads in verse 3, it has 7 heads. Those are the 7 world empires that I just enumerated for you. And in that final form of the Roman Empire, remember the 10 horns? It has 10 horns. The woman was clothed with purple and scarlet and so on.

Note verse 5, on her forehead a name was written, a mystery. Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth. You know where we are here at the end, right before the Second Coming? We're back at Babylon. Remember that tower whose top would reach to heaven? Here we have this woman with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, spiritual immorality. We're back to the Babylonian religion, as part of the Babylonian system.

Verse 8, the beast that you saw was and is not and is about to come out of the abyss and go to destruction. Those who dwell on the earth whose name has not been written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the earth will wonder when they see the beast. We'll say more about him in just a moment. This is the antichrist, this is the man who will rule during this 7-year period in a federation of ten nations. If you read this book, interesting perspective. For the European Union and the Council of Europe to rule the world, they have to change things, you have to break down national identities and so on. And so people lose their national identity. You make regions. He postulates you could divide the world into ten regions. How that will break down, we'll have to see. But that is a possibility.

Out of this 10-nation federation will come the one, the beast, the little horn. Verse 9, the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. And a mountain, remember, in Old Testament prophecy is a kingdom. Remember Daniel 2, the stone cut without hands smashes the other kingdoms of the earth and grows into a great mountain, a worldwide kingdom. So the heads are kingdoms, they are 7 kings or kingdoms. So it is identified here for us in three pictures. Five have fallen—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece. That's five. One is, Rome, the other has not yet come. That's the 10-nation confederacy, the 10 horns.
When he comes he must remain a little while. Verse 11, and the beast which was and is not is himself also an 8th, is one of the 7 because it is a continuation of the Roman Empire. So he's part of the 7, he comes out of the Roman Empire and he's an add-on from the 10 because he becomes the dominant one. Remember the little horn in Daniel 7 who replaces 3 and dominates the 10-nation confederacy? Here verse 12, the 10 horns which you saw are 10 kings or kingdoms who have not yet received a kingdom. But they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. They have one purpose—to give their power and authority to the beast. So you split that 70th week of Daniel into two 3½ year segments. The first 3½ years.......... Remember this starts when this antichrist, this little horn signs an agreement with Israel, Daniel 9. During that first 3½ years you have a 10-nation federation ruling the world. That agreement between the antichrist and Israel. Remember we read that in 2004 Israel signed a neighborhood agreement with the European Union. That wasn't the agreement we're talking about in Daniel 9. But it gives you an indication. How many people could have said, Israel signed a neighborhood agreement with the European Union in 2004. That stuff goes by us here because we see ourselves as this is what matters right here. This stuff goes on, doesn't make the front page for us. There will come a day when the representative of the European empire, the revived Roman Empire will sign an agreement with Israel. That will resolve Israel's conflict problems, enable them now, support them in such things as the rebuilding of the temple. Because as we saw in our last study, the temple will be rebuilt and in operation by the time you get to the middle of the 70th week of Daniel.

These ten kings are supportive of the little horn. In the middle of that 7-year period he's going to assume total control. And they are going to agree, he's the man who ought to rule. All right, so you see what happens. We start in Babylon in Revelation 11, we're back in Babylon in Revelation 17-18. That is satan's attempt to establish a counterfeit kingdom in opposition to God's goal to establish a kingdom over the world under His Son. You'll have satan attempting during this 7-year period to establish his rule over the world. Not enough that the whole world lies in the evil one, I John 5 says, he wants a kingdom where he is recognized, he is worshiped, and it is united under him. Because you see it has to be total replacement for God's plan, or the Messiah of Israel would rule and reign over all the earth.

Come back to Revelation 11:2, the court of the temple is trodden under foot, been given to the nations for 42 months. And I'll grant authority to My witnesses who will prophesy for 1260 days. Remember we said a prophetic year in scripture is 360 days, rounded off. And we know here, parallel 42 months, 1260 days. Jerusalem is trodden underfoot, it's given to the nations. Now remember for the first 3½ years things have been well, there is worship going on at the temple and so on. That will change drastically.

Come down to chapter 12. A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars. Roman Catholicism says this is the virgin Mary. Her role here as queen of heaven. She is clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, the crown of twelve stars. And you know what the flag of the European Union is? It's a flag with a circle of twelve stars. One of the designers would say he took it from here. You can see pictures of it and the material on that here. Roman Catholicism, the worship of Mary are totally interwoven. We could take a whole morning just reading quotes from European leaders as well as the Roman Catholic church on how the Roman Empire and the Roman church have to be together in the establishing of their unified empire.

The problem is, this isn't Mary. This is a reference to the nation Israel. Go back to Genesis 37. Joseph is receiving dreams from God, unfolding God's purposes and plans. We're just going to pick up with the second dream recorded here in Genesis 37:9. Now he had still another dream and related it to his brothers and said, lo I have had still another dream. Behold, now note, the sun, the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. He related it to his father and his brothers and his father rebuked him and said to him, what is this dream you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down to you? See they understand, you're talking about the sun and the moon, you're talking about Joseph's parents. And the eleven stars, Joseph's brothers. Do you remember Jacob's twelve sons become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. What you're saying is the nation Israel is going to come and bow down before Joseph. And they can't accept that, they think Joseph is a nothing. But who is represented by the sun, the moon and the stars? Israel. So when you come to the book of Revelation and you read, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the twelve stars, you have Jacob and his twelve sons. He's talking about the nation Israel here, the patriarchs. Let the Bible determine.

She was with child. Israel gave birth to the Messiah, right? Another sign appeared in heaven, verse 3, behold a great red dragon having 7 heads and 10 horns and on his heads were 7 diadems. The great dragon, this is satan. How do I know? I read verse 9, I looked ahead. Look at verse 9, the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world. So we know who the great red dragon is. We already noted who the 7 heads were when we were in chapter 17—the 7 earthly empires that have impacted Israel. And the 10 horns because they come out of the 7th empire. Remember in Daniel 7 they are on the head of the beast, depicting the Roman Empire. So now you have the dragon appears having 7 heads and 10 horns. What does that indicate? These empires of the world have been under the control of the devil. He's the god of this world. Who controlled and dominated Egypt, Assyria, and on we go? The devil. Who is behind these? He is the god of this world, the whole world lies in the evil one.

On his 7 heads are diadems because these are kingdoms. The diadem picturing rulership, it's the crown of the king or the ruler. His tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. I take it a third of the angels followed satan in his rebellion and lost their position in heaven. The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. What happened? When Christ was born out of the nation Israel, what did satan try to do? Kill him. What did Herod determine to do? Destroy all male children under 2 years of age. His desire, to kill the Messiah. We say, ultimately He is going to die, what's the difference? Because it's all right if the Messiah dies before He is crucified to pay the penalty for sin. Satan's goal is always to frustrate God's plan, to keep Christ from becoming the Messiah to rule and reign. Later in Christ's earthly ministry in Matthew 4 when satan appears to tempt Him in the wilderness, what will he say to Christ? Bow down and worship me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world. Jesus didn't say to satan, these aren't your kingdoms, because they were. In other words he is telling Christ you can rule the world without going to the cross. Fall down and worship me. Of course, Christ didn't do it.

She gave birth to a son, a male child, verse 5, who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God and to His throne. What happened? Christ was crucified, buried, raised from the dead. Acts 1, He ascended back to heaven seated at the right hand of the throne of God. The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God. You know what happened between verses 5 and 6? We have gone from events regarding the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ all the way down to the middle of the 70th week of Daniel. Because in Revelation 6-19 the church isn't in view, we're only dealing with Israel. And remember the church age doesn't appear in biblical prophecy. So this is an unusual event. So He was caught up to the throne of God in Acts 1, almost 2000 years ago. But in verse 6 we are in the middle of that 70th week of Daniel. The woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God so that she would be nourished for 1260 days—3½ years. Why only for that period of time? Because at the end of that period of time we will be in Revelation 19 and Christ will return and rescue Israel. The place in the wilderness, that Trans Jordan region over in what is a large extent Jordan today, that wilderness region there. Formerly Ammon, Edom and so on. God will prepare that as a special place for Israel to hide, believing Israel.

There was war in heaven, verse 7. Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon,the dragon and his angels wage war. They are not strong enough, there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, devil, satan who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, his angels were thrown down with him. Now remember satan has sinned, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, and lost his position as the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God. But satan still has access to heaven along with the angels who followed him in his rebellion. Remember Job 1-2, there came a day when the sons of God, referring to the angels, came to present themselves before God. And satan cam also among them. We've seen in other studies and other references as well to the event where even fallen angels appear before the throne of God in heaven. Satan still has access to heaven, but in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel he is removed. That's what we're talking about here.

So heaven is excited, the inhabitants of heaven. They shout, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. What did satan do with Job? God said, have you considered by servant Job, a righteous man? Satan says, he's not a righteous man, he just has a good deal. And if he didn't have that good deal from you he would no longer serve you. He accuses him. That's why I John 2 says, if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. An attorney, one who represents us in heaven, so that when satan accuses me, Christ is there to say, yes, but my death paid the penalty for my sin. My blood covers that sin, it's cared for. Satan is the accuser. Think of that when you sin, you give opportunity to the devil to accuse us. Praise God that Christ is there at the right hand. He ever lives to make intercession for us, Hebrews 7:25. So we are eternally saved. But what an awful thing, he accused Job, a righteous man. How awful that we should give him fodder to accuse us in the courts of heaven.

They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and so on. Verse 12, for this reason rejoice oh heavens, and you who dwell in them. Heaven is excited. Why? The kingdom is near. We are only 3½ years now away from the establishing of God's kingdom on earth. That's why they shout in verse 10, the authority of His Christ has come, the kingdom of our God. Woe to the earth, verse 12, and the sea because the devil has come down to you having great wrath, knowing he has only a short time. Satan has read the book of revelation, he knows something of the plan of God. He knew it back in Genesis 11 when he attempted to establish a kingdom that would thwart the plan of God for God's kingdom on the earth. He knows at this point that now access to heaven is closed to him. I have to give it everything I've got, I have to do all I can because the time for me to do this is short. You think if he knows, he's already read chapters 19-22. But you know what? Sinners always think they'll pull it out, don't they? How many people have you shared the gospel with and they'll say, no, I'll be all right. That's okay, I know I'm okay. They're going to hell, God said it, it's in black and white. No, it's all right, it's going to be all right. You're an idiot, you're a sinner and sinners always think they'll pull it out. Satan is a sinful being. Majestic, brilliant, knowledgeable, a sinner. And he still thinks the time is short, but there is still a chance.

What does he do when he is cast from heaven? Verse 13, when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. This is not talking about people who oppose the worship of Mary, we're talking about the persecution of Israel. Now that satan is cast out of heaven, he knows he has a short time. What does he have to do? What is the focus of the kingdom that Christ will establish on earth? It's a kingdom promised to Israel, isn't it? Now if you can annihilate Israel, what does that do to the kingdom? Washes it out. You see for God's kingdom it will center in the nation Israel. Remember Jerusalem will be the capital of the world, the Jews will be the central people in the world when the kingdom is established. Not in satan's kingdom. And his goal is to destroy the possibility of God's kingdom being established. So he begins to persecute Israel.

Israel is given wings to flee into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, times and a half time. Remember the book of Daniel? Time, times and a half time, 1260 days, 42 months, half of the 70th week, that 7-year period. Verse 17, the dragon was enraged with the woman, went off to make war with the rest of her children. I mean, unbelieving Israel is in a horrible position because they are the enemies of God by their unbelief, and they are the enemies of satan by God's sovereign electing choice. They have nowhere to go, they are going to experience the judgment and discipline and wrath of God in the tribulation for their unbelief, and they are going to experience the most fierce awful wrath of satan during the tribulation as well. That's why at the end of those 7 years if Christ didn't intervene in mercy to rescue a remnant, they'd be gone.

So chapter 13, I saw a beast coming out of the sea, having 10 horns and 7 heads. And on his horns were 10 diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. Now we're going to focus on this one final personage. Remember he could be called an 8th kingdom in Revelation 17. Because during the first 3½ years he is dominant, but he rules in an alliance of ten. When you get to the last 3½ years, remember, all ten have one purpose. The little horn, the beast, the antichrist, he should be sovereign over all of us. So here you have the same picture—the 10 horns, the 7 heads. They keep reappearing. Many, many, many years ago I wrote a master's thesis on the verses in Revelation 17 identifying the mountains, the heads as the nations here.

The beast is described, and you'll note, he is an assimilation of the other beasts. The beasts which I saw, like a leopard, feet like a bear, mouth like a lion. Remember the beast representing world empires? This is the culmination of world empires, this is the world empire that supersedes all world empires. This will be the best of satan's empires, and it will be a world empire. The end of verse 2, the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. It's a supernatural empire, but it doesn't come from God, it comes from the devil.

I saw one of his heads, it had been slain. His fatal wound was healed, the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast. This was referred to in Revelation 17. It seems to indicate that the beast, the antichrist here, suffers a mortal wound but is miraculously raised. You see the parallel going on? That's why we call it a satanic trinity in chapter 13. You have God the Father, God the Son carrying out the will of God the Father to rule and reign, and you have God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said when I send the Holy Spirit to you, He will glorify Me, direct worship to Me. That's the true trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here you have the satanic trinity, you have the dragon, satan, empowering the antichrist, the false christ. In a moment we'll have the second beast of Revelation 13 whose goal is to direct the worship of the world to the antichrist. And to complete this picture, what happened to Christ? He was crucified, He died and He was raised. What happens to satan's counterfeit christ? He died, he's raised. Now we have some mighty miracles here. Satan is given a liberty and a freedom to do greater miracles than the world has ever seen apart from the time when Christ was present. And the unbelieving world is going to be in awe. What would you think about it, if you could see on the news, and here you are watching the funeral of this major world political figure, and all of a sudden he gets up out of the casket and says, what's the problem? I decided I wasn't done here so I've come back to life. I don't think you can rule the world without me. He has to be God. Isn't God the author of life? Isn't He the One who gives life? Has to be God.

They worship the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast, verse 4. Because you see when they worship the dragon, when they worship the beast, they're worshiping the father. What did Jesus say? If you honor Me, you honor My Father who sent Me. So you see satan has solidified the world's worship into one person, just like we all must worship Jesus Christ if we are to worship the true and living God, right? So now the world must worship the antichrist so satan can get all the glory.

They worship the beast saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war with him? Perhaps he dies in the wars in the middle as he solidifies power, perhaps in the wars of the Islamic armies of Ezekiel 38-39, who come down to attack Israel in the middle of the tribulation. They are supernaturally destroyed by God. We're not told some of the details. There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, authority to act for 42 months was given to him. I mean, I don't know how people can say when they read the book of Revelation and say, you don't take the numbers literally, do you? I don't even know what to say. I mean, how are you going to take it? 1260 days, 42 months, half of 7 years, a time, two times and a half time. How many different ways does God have to say it before it starts to penetrate at least a little bit through the metal?

He opened his mouth in blasphemies against God to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. It was given to him to make war with the saints and overcome them. Now note this, authority over every tribe, people, tongue and nation was given to him. This is a worldwide empire, like nothing that has ever been seen. This truly rules the world, it encompasses all the earth. This is satan's masterpiece. Now the god of this world has brought it all together. He would have liked to have done it early in the process in Genesis 11, but God interrupted. Now in the plan of God he has it unfold.

You'll note he has power to make war and overcome the saints. This is going to be a terrible time for any believers. People will be saved in the tribulation, but there will be martyrdom on a scale the world has never seen. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb. Every single person around the world will come to worship the antichrist, except true believers, and most of them, then, will have to pay for it with their lives.

Then I saw another beast, verse 11, coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb. He spoke as a dragon, he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. So you see it's part of a satanic trinity. He is associated with Christ, he is associated with the Father in these pictures to be a satanic trinity. And his role, like the Holy Spirit's role, is to direct worship to Christ under the direction of God the Father. Here this second beast, we call him the false prophet, has one role—that is to see that all the world worships the first beast, the antichrist, the little horn. Because in worshiping him, they are worshiping the dragon who gives him his power.

He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. Remember the great prophet Elijah who did that? I mean, this has to be genuine, isn't it? I mean, that was fire. It came down from heaven. Don't tell me it was phony. It's not phony, this is genuine, this is supernatural. It's just not coming from the living God, it's coming from satan. He deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given to him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast, who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. You must worship the resurrected savior of the world. That's convincing. It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, small and great, the rich and the poor, the freeman and slave to be given a mark on their right hand or their forehead. And without the mark you don't buy. And nobody sees that as so amazing. How could have John ever thought this could ever happen?

I was reading an article, I think it was Popular Mechanics or something, a couple of weeks ago, and talking about how they can track people, 4 million cameras in London. You go anywhere now they have the face image and so they can call you up. And the man says, I went to a guy in Idaho who has a bank of computers. He calls up where I was at Walmart several years ago and what I bought. Then he calls up my image from where I had been at different places. That was in a secular magazine, it has nothing to do, they're not promoting any __________________. I told him, you could misuse this. He said, I could, but I won't. You know, you go and you're known, and now they can track you by your certain features. So to have a mark and have to have it to identify. Why wouldn't you? If you worship the beast, you'll have it, right? Now where are you going to sneak around? You can't even walk the streets of the city without being photographed and identified and called up immediately.

He gives breath, verse 15, to the image of the beast. Remember, the beast will take his seat in the temple, declaring himself to be God? You know the abomination of desolation, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place. They make an image of the antichrist, they set it up in the temple which has been reconstructed, and then he calls it to life. Tell me you wouldn't be impressed. Now what is the judgment of those who won't worship god? What is God going to do? What is Christ going to do when He sets up His kingdom? We looked at Matthew 25, judgment of the sheep and the goats. They are going to have to be destroyed. So people in the kingdom of satan, now .............. We've established this is truly God, and this is the man who was raised from the dead, and this is the man who can give life to lifeless stone. What should we do to those who won't worship him? They must be removed from the kingdom. That's his plan, that's where we're going.

We're going to the kingdom, Christ will rule and reign. But we have 7 years that you won't want to be part of on this earth yet to come, where God will allow satan the most success he's ever had as God pours out His wrath on an unbelieving world and prepares it for coming judgment and as He pours out His wrath on unbelieving Israel to bring Israel to its knees so they will cry out for the Messiah to deliver them. And He will return and stand on the Mount of Olives and destroy His enemies and establish His kingdom. What we are about now is calling to men, women and young people, turn from your sin and believe in the Savior. Turn from you sin and believe in a Savior. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. Repent and believe is our call today.

Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for your truth. Thank you for the marvelous revelation of your Word. Lord, we are in awe that we could be living at the climax of the church age, on the brink of the unfolding of the final 7-year period before the return of Christ to establish His kingdom. Lord, how crucial is it that we keep our balance, that we keep our focus, that we not be caught up and entangled with the meaningless things of this life which will pass away. But we have our attention, our eyes, our energy, our efforts focused on that which matters in light of your coming—the proclamation of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior for lost and sinful mankind. We pray in His name, amen.