The Beast from the Earth...False Prophet

Revelation chapter 13. Lord willing, we'll finish this chapter this evening, but that's where we're at. Revelation chapter 13, verses 11 down through verse number 18. Let me read them for you.

And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb. And he spoke as a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence.

And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. Whose fatal wound was healed. And he performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which he was given, or excuse me, which it was given 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.

And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak, and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. And he provides that no one Should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast. For the number is that of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. The beast from the earth, quite a fascinating individual, as you recall in the Olivet Discourse. Back in Mark chapter 13, over in verse number 5 and verse number 6, Christ said these words to his men. We've read them before, but it would serve us well to read them again this evening. See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in my name, saying, I am He, and will mislead many.

Then over in verse number 21. And then, if anyone says to you, Behold, here is the Christ, or behold, he is there, do not believe him, for false Christs and false prophets Will arise and will show signs and wonders in order, if possible, to lead the elect astray. In Christ's message to his men, in Mark chapter 13, in the Olive Discourse, He emphasized at the very beginning of His message. Something that I think a lot of us have forgotten: that Satan's main strategy is always deception. To deceive us into thinking that His way is the right way and God's way is the wrong way.

And he tells us that in the end times there will be a myriad of false prophets who will arise in a world that. Is desperately seeking answers. There will be individuals who come along and lead them astray. But as many as there are, As many false prophets that will arise who will say, Behold, there is the Christ, or behold, I am the Christ, the Messiah. There will be one and just one. That will stand far above all the other prophets that are false, all the other pseudo Christ's. He is the consummate false prophet.

He is the final one. He is the most hypocritical deceiver yet. And he is the one that completes the unholy trin. You already have the dragon who is Satan him. You have the Antichrist, who is the beast that comes out of the sea, and we've spent the last two weeks studying about him. And now you're going to have the false Prophet. He completes the overall picture that Satan wants to present to the world to deceive the world to get them to follow him tonight. We want to look at the man, his methods, and his mark.

And from that, we'll be able to understand more of how Satan will use this individual. To accomplish, listen, God's purposes. The man. Three things I want you to see: his identity, his authority, and his priority. The text says, and I saw another beast, Therion, a beast, animal-like beast, a monster, a wild an, another beast. The Greek word aulon, which is another of the same kind. So it's another of what same kind? It's the same kind as the beast we have already discussed, the beast that comes up out of the sea.

Difference being, this one comes up out of the earth, whereas the Antichrist comes up out of the abyss, or the pits, or the sea. The first beast was a man.

The second beast is similar, for he too is a man. You will note that as you read different commentaries, some people will believe that this beast is a system, is an ideology. Or some kind of government. The problem with that is in Revelation:, God takes the false prophet and throws him into the lake of fire. God does not throw governments. God does not throw systems or ideologies into the lake of fire. People are cast into the lake of fire, along with Satan him. So this is a man. And this man comes up out of the earth.

Now that phrase an bin or an Yeah, an means to come up out of. So, like the first beast comes up out of the sea, this too.

Beast comes up out of the earth, out of that internal inferno. I think it also refers to the fact that this one too is going to be one who is demon-possessed. One that Satan will control. As opposed to the Antichrist who came up out of the sea, this one comes up out of. That flaming inferno, describing the fact that he is a formidable force and that he is infested with a demonic sp. Now this Antichrist in Revelation 13 verses 1 to 10 is one that's a different kind of beast. That one came, as you recall, with ten horns and seven heads and ten blasphemous names, looking like a bear, a lion, and a leopard.

With a mortal wound on one of its heads. Kind of a scary-looking beast, but this beast comes differently. For the text says that he had two horns like a lamb. This one's different. This one's more subtle. This one is more gentle. He is for sure a pseudo-Christ. But he doesn't come with empirical power. He doesn't come like the Antich with a tenacious, ferocious, ravaging kind of lifestyle. The Antichrist comes with military power and military force. But this prophet, this false prophet, this beast that comes up out of the earth, comes in a different way.

For he comes in a more winsome, persuasive kind of way. He is more gentle, more kind, more sympathetic. He is the consummate counterfeit. Of Christ. The Lamb is a religious symbol. So it confirms the fact that this counterfeit Christ is a religious character. Now, the question comes: why does he have two horns? That's a good question. You know, he comes up out of the earth, he's got two horns. One out, three, four, five, six, seven. Well, remember Revelation chapter 5, verse number 6? Let me refresh your memory in case you have forgotten.

But in Revelation chapter 5, verse number 6, it says, And I saw between the throne with the four living creatures and the elders a lamb standing as if slain, having how many horns? Seven horns. Horns are the symbol of what? Authority. The symbol of power. The Lamb of God has seven horns because seven is the number of perfection, number of completion. There is no one with more authority and more power than the Lamb of God. This lamb has two horns. Very significant. Because here they symbolize how this individual Exercises its authority in two realm.

One, polit, one, religious. As the Antich is gaining power through his military might in the political realm, the false prophet is gaining his power in the religious real. You see, Satan knows that the key to man is not his money. The key to man is not his military might. The key to man is what he thinks in his mind about rel, about deity. About some trans being outside of him. God has a purpose. The purpose is that the religious system And the military system comes together to be one system. And the name of that system is in Revelation chapter 17, verse number 5: Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.

And of the abominations of the earth. That's the name of the religious system. That's the name of the entire system that comes together, and therefore, Antich is worshipped. As God turn back with me to Revelation chapter 13. It says, He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. Who's the dragon? Revelation 12, verse 9 tells us that Satan, it's the devil. He's Satan's mouthpiece. When he opens his mouth, he speaks Satan's words. He will not speak monstrous things against God. But he will speak winsomely about the Antichrist.

That's his identity. Let's look number two at his authority. The text says, and he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his pres.

That's significant because the authority that he has is the same kind of delegated authority that the Antichrist has. The reason they can operate in the same room. Being present with one another is because Satan is the one who empowers them. Satan is the one who works in and through them. He has worldwide recognition as a great preacher. And the text says, He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast.

whose fatal wound was healed. That phrase he makes or he causes is used eight times as the false prophet. It speaks of his influence. It speaks of his ability to move the masses. It speaks of his ability to convince people, to persuade them, that what he says is truth, although it's error. Can you imagine Buddhists, Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, all coming together? As one to worship and follow the Antichrist. Oh, it's going to happen. We're trying our best today to make it happen. But it's really going to happen with great for during the tribulation period.

This man knows the power of religion over man's mind. How he seeks the supernatural, how he seeks the mystic. How he seeks the psychic as he tries to move man to worship Antich, which leads us to point number two: his methods.

We saw the man. We saw his identity, his authority, his priority. Now I want you to look at number two, his methods, and three things I want you to notice about his methods.

Number one, how is he going to do this? Well, look what it says. Verse 13. And he performs great signs. Great signs. Now, that phrase, perform great signs, if you were to take your concordance and go through the New Testament, you would notice.

It's the same phrase used continuously in the Gospels to describe the miracles of Christ. Remember, he's the counterfeit Christ. He's the false Christ. He's the false prophet, not a true prophet. And so he is going to do all he can to mimic Christ and to mimic the two witnesses. Number two, he deceives earth dwellers.

He does exceptional wonders and he deceives ear dwellers. It says this in verse number 14. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs. which it was given him to perform in the pres 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. Very significant. He deceives earth dwellers. Consider once again the vulnerability of people. A Holocaust of immeasurable amounts. Death is everywhere. We've already gone through the sealed judgments and the trumpet judgments.

One-fourth and one-third have died respectively upon the earth. Murder, sorcery, immorality, evil. Theft is rampant. The sky has been rolled up. The sky has fell to the earth. The world is in an upheaval. Desperation is beyond imagination. And they refuse already. To worship the true God. We saw that in Revelation chapter 6. They refuse to worship the Lamb who sits on the throne. So they refuse to worship God. So the false prophet's looking really good by about now.

I mean, everything's crumbling round about everybody. They've already rejected the God who sits on the throne. Who's left but the false prophet to come and to deceive them into believing that the Antichrist is the true God? So they believe. The text says he deceives those,', which means to wander. That's where we get our English word planets, the wandering bodies in the heavens. He gets them to wander away from the truth. That's what Satan does. He's a master deceiver. This great orator, this persuasive speaker, this miracle worker will get these people to erect an idol to this beast.

He's going to get them to build an image. To build a statue, to make some monstrous figure that people will worship and bow down to. And then it says, that image speaks. Think about it. The image speaks. Why? Because it was given, the text says. Life, or excuse me, breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak. Imagine that. This image was given breath. Now, listen very carefully. The word for breath is pneum. It is not bios, nor is it zoe. So the image does not have life, because those two Greek words refer to life, but it's giving some kind of breath.

Some way this image is going to be able to speak and deceive people into worship it and Antichrist. Even now, with cochle implants, artificial retinas, and silicone chips, the blend of man and machine has al begun. It's already beginning. And so when the false prophet comes on the scene, he's going to be able to ret. Human beings. He's going to be able to reshape images. He's going to be able to make that which was. A few years ago, obsolete, something very common, so that the world will bow down and begin to worship through his deceptive wonders.

An amazing, amazing scene. So not only does he deceive earth dwellers and do exceptional wonders, but number three, he destroys earnest worship.

The text says this. And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak, and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast. To be killed. To be killed. He will destroy true and earnest worship. That's an amazing, amazing thing. Those who do not bow down are going to die. Revelation 20 tells us that they will be beheaded. I imagine they'll be beheaded on national television for everyone to see them. They want the world to be. Coerced and with all their scare tactics to get them to realize that everybody must bow down to this image at one time or another.

And so, therefore, those who do not worship the image of the beast. Will be killed. Now, not all will die. Why is that? Well, we know from Revelation 7 that there's a remnant of Gentile believers who Who will go into the millennial kingdom? We've already seen in Revelation chapter 12 that there are some Jews who will be spared as they escape to the wilderness there in Edom. There's 144,000 Jewish evangelists. But outside of that, everybody else will be killed who doesn't worship the beast. But why those who do not worship the beast?

are killed. Those who do are given a malignant sore because the grace of God is still trying to persuade them to come to Him and repent in spite of the severity of those sores. We serve an amazing God who would even in the midst of all of that try to persuade man to come to him so that man is without ex. The man, his methods, his mark. Verse number 16. Four things I want you to notice about the mark: its extent, its evidence, its effect, and its end.

First of all, its extent. And he causes all: the sm, the great, the rich, the poor, free man, and sl. All? Well, every who receives the or who worships the beast, because there are some who are true believers who will refuse the mark. And not worship the beast, but he causes all to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Number two, it's evidence.

Why did you give him a mark? Revelation 14. Revelation 14, verse number 1. And I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing in the mount of Zion, and with him 1,000, having his name and the name of his father, written where? On their foreheads. God's already branded His people. Now, how did God brand the 1,000? I don 't know. Did God actually put his name and the name of his father on their foreheads? I believe he did. 144,000 Jews. Satan is the master counterfeit. He's going to brand his people. He's going to brand his worship.

God 's got his, Satan's got his. What 's the mark? Nobody really knows. But we do know this, it is an identifying mark. In fact, it already exists. When you go to the bank and you put your card in the bank and you can be in Israel? Like some of you will be with us in the spring, hopefully. Put your car at the bank and says, Hello, Mr. Sparks. How can we help you? Say, well, I'd like to have some cash. So I push the cash button. How much cash would you like, Mrs. Sparks? Now, how do they know my name in Israel?

How do they know your name in Israel? Those little barcodes on the back of your credit card? They got all kinds of information about you today. But it will be evidenced on the back of your hand, on the Forehead of an individual, and therefore people will know whether or not you have the market's effect, total economic chaos. Totally economic control. Excuse me, not chaos, but control. You can't buy or sell unless you have that mark. Can you imagine? You can't buy. Food, you can't buy water, you can't pay your bill, you can't do anything.

We're moving to a cashless society. I didn't read this to you earlier, but one of the projections for the new millennium, of course, is the complete cashless society where no one carries any cash. And I imagine that that's what's going to happen under a one religious system, one economic system, one world power. Very likely, the currency is gone. It will be a cashless society. But that's what the false prophet's going to do. He's going to move you toward that direction. The effect is tremendous for those who have not received the mark.

If they don't die by being beheaded, they'll starve to death, they'll die of thirst, they'll be unable to live. But I want you to notice the fourth point, and that is the end.

The deceived will burn in fire and brimstone forever. They will feel the full wrath of Almighty God. For the deceiver, that's Revelation 19, verse number 20. And the beast was seized. And with him, the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thr al into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone. That is their end. My admonition to you this evening is: do not be de.

Be delivered. I know that not everybody who comes to Christ Community Church is born again. I'd be a fool to believe that. And yet, there are many people who are deceived. Maybe you're one of them this evening, into thinking that you have a true relationship with God, but in reality, Satan. Has dealt you a lie. Don't leave tonight unless, first of all, you know for certain that if you died tonight, you'd spend eternity with God.

Don't be deceived.