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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
September 7, 2025
◘The Beast from the Earth
Revelation 13:11-18
Introduction
We are currently in a section of our study of the Apocalypse that began in chapter 12 that explains the background, characters and plot of what is coming in the final stage of God’s judgments that are expressed in the bowls of wrath in chapter 16. ◘In previous sermons I explained chapter 12 and the two signs John saw in heaven that introduce symbolic characters and their interaction. The woman with child is the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. The dragon is specifically identified as “the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.” The male child born to the woman is the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
◘The dragon failed to prevent the birth of the child and to murder him immediately after birth. Satan also failed to stop God’s plan of redemption with the crucifixion of Christ becoming an utter defeat instead of a victory because it paid the redemption price which enabled the offer of forgiveness of sin to man. Jesus’ resurrection proved the atoning sacrifice was accepted and that all of His claims and promises are true. Through simple faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ any human can be forgiven of their sins and adopted into God’s family assured that heaven will be their eternal home.
◘Jesus defeated Satan in every conflict between them, so His ascension to heaven had nothing to do with escaping Satan’s continued attacks. However, it did have the effect of changing his strategy. Blinded by his own pride and ambition Satan foolishly assaults heaven where he and his demons are defeated and thrown down by Michael and the good angels. Satan loses his access to heaven where he at the present time continues to accuse the saints before God. We rejoice that God’s response even when the accusations are true is to forgive, cleanse and restore sinning saints who confess their sins to God (1 John 1:9). ◘In defeat, the dragon turns his attention and wrath to the woman, Israel. However, God will intervene to protect and provide for the remnant of Jews that flee to the mountains in the wilderness following the abomination of desolation. That causes Satan further frustration and his wrath will then focus on the “rest of her seed” which will be the Jews that do not flee and Gentiles that fit the description of being those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”
◘Last week we started our study of Revelation 13 which continues the story of the signs John saw. This chapter begins with an introduction to the beast from the sea, the future antichrist who will be Satanically empowered to gain power, a realm and great authority. He will be the fulfillment of prophecies in Daniel 7, 9 & 11. He is the little horn that rises to replace three of the ten horns and subjugates the rest and eventually will become the political ruler over the world.
◘The beast will be blasphemous toward God and everything associated with Him. He gives glory to the dragon instead. As a result of his power and a counterfeit miraculous resurrection, everyone whose name is not in Lamb’s book of life will worship Satan and the antichrist. At the same time, the beast becomes the means by which the dragon carries out his war against the Jews and the Gentile followers of Jesus.
◘Demonically inspired and empowered persecution of the Jews has existed since the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant, but what will happen during the last half of the tribulation will make all of that minor by comparison. By the time it is over, two thirds of the Jews will be killed. During this same period, the vast majority of those who come to faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ will become martyrs at the direction of the future anti-Christ. They will be saved from sin and damnation to be made righteous and spend eternity in heaven with God, but their lives on earth will be cut short as foretold in Daniel 7:19-25. It will appear as if Satan and his followers will be winning, but God remains sovereign and the future will unfold just the way He said it would. Never despair when evil appears to be winning and the righteous suffer. God is still in control and limits it. Even at its worst, it is temporary. In the end, Satan and all of his followers, demonic and human, will be defeated, judged and eternally condemned while the righteous are sanctified and eternally blessed.
Turn to Revelation 13:11-18 as we now turn our attention to the beast from the earth who is another symbolic creature. This is the false prophet of the antichrist.
◘Revelation 13:11–18 (LSB)
11 “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he was speaking as a dragon. 12 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. 13 And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which were given to him to do 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. 15 And 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. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, that they be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that no one will 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. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man; and his number is 666.”
We will be examine this beast’s description, purpose, power, deceptions and authority, and then conclude with the riddle in vs. 18.
◘His Description – Revelation 13:11
This second beast has similarities to the first beast, yet is also very different. “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he was speaking as a dragon.”
◘The first similarity is that this is “another beast,” a[llo qhriovn / allo thērion. He is another beast of the same kind. As will be seen in what happens to this beast, this is an individual, not an institution or group of some type. The same symbol, a beast, is used for both of these men because both are dangerous. However, each beast is dangerous for different reasons. ◘The physical description of the beast from the sea makes his danger obvious. He is described as an amalgam of different animals – a mix of a leopard, a bear and lion – with multiple heads, horns and diadems. Rising from the sea adds the element of him being evil. This beast is the symbol of the man who will become a powerful political and military dictator who is blasphemous, the antichrist.
◘This second beast is also dangerous but in a very different way. He arises from the earth showing he is an earthly creature and not a heavenly one. It also shows that he is inferior to the first beast, for though land creatures can be extremely dangerous, they do not strike the fear of sea monsters. The physical description is extremely different. Even though the emphasis is placed on him having two horns, those horns are equated with those of a lamb which minimizes any appearance of danger. First, the horns on a lamb are small knobs which have the potential to bruise, but cannot pierce, hook or tear an opponent. Second, all horns of all horned animals start off as small, blunt protrusions, but being described as those of a lamb, the appearance then is that of a gentle, mild creature.
◘The danger of this beast is exposed in it “speaking as a dragon.” Though there are records of large reptiles in other parts of the world in the first century and later, there are no records that I am aware of that they were in that area of world at that time, so this is not referring to the sound a large reptile – a dragon – might make. The immediate context points to this being a reference to a voice similar to that of the dragon, that is, Satan. This then points back to the deceptiveness of Satan speaking through the snake to deceive Eve. The danger of the second beast will be in his speech. He will eventually prove to be as blasphemous as the first beast, but he will not be as blatant in it in at the beginning. He will use every form of persuasion before resorting to direct threats.
◘His Purpose – Revelation 13:12
The purpose of this second beast is revealed in his relationship with the first beast as pointed out in verse 12. “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.”
◘This beast is later identified as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20; 20:10) because he is the religious leader of the cult that worships the first beast, the antichrist. In a similar way that Aaron exercised miraculous powers in Moses’ presence, so the beast will do so in the presence of the first beast. His goal is to make everyone on earth worship the first beast, the antichrist. The phrase “those who dwell on the earth,” which refers to all those who remain in rebellion against God, is modified here and split so that everyone on earth is included. It will not be hard to get those in rebellion against God to worship the beast, but the false prophet also has a goal to make the Jews that God is protecting and providing for and the “rest of her seed” to also join in that idolatrous worship.
◘We saw last week in discussing verses 3-4 that the counterfeit miracle of the beast from the sea having a fatal wound and being restored to life will cause a lot of people to worship him. I explained in that sermon that I believe this is not a true resurrection back to life because vs. 3 states this “as having been slain” instead of “having been slain,” and only God has the ability to give life (Deut. 32:39). However, it will give every appearance of being a true miracle and for many people that will be enough to believe the beast is worthy of worship. The beast from the earth, the false prophet, will not need to do anything more concerning them to achieve his goal, but he will need to do more to convince others that will be more skeptical.
◘His Power – Revelation 13:13
Verse 13 describes another miracle the false prophet will use to persuade people to worship the beast from the sea. “And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.” Again, the position of the beast from the earth is like that of Aaron to Moses in Exodus 7:1 in which Moses will be made to seem as a god to Pharaoh and Aaron as his prophet. ◘The beast from the earth becomes the false prophet for the beast from the sea, the antichrist. The “great signs” he will do such as the specific one described here are done to persuade people to worship the antichrist as a god or at least a demi-god of some sort.
◘I need to point out that the text here describes this ability to make fire come down from heaven to earth as something he actually does. While Satan is a deceiver and much of what he does will involve trickery, he is also a spiritual being with abilities beyond the natural abilities of humans. Recall from the book of Job that though God put limits on what Satan could do, he not only instigated the theft of Job’s wealth by the Sabeans and the Chaldeans, but also the report that “the fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them,” and “a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died” (Job 1:16, 19). Satan also “smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head” (Job 2:7). I pointed out last week that demons cause all sorts of physical diseases and mental issues which Jesus cured by casting out the demons. Satan and demons are spirit beings, but they are real and they can cause real things to happen in the physical world. Satan can enable people to use his power to do supernatural things just as the Egyptian magicians did in mimicking the first three of the ten plagues God smote Egypt through Moses & Aaron (Exodus 7-8).
◘The purpose of the false prophet in calling down fire from heaven is to both mimic miracles from God in the past involving fire and to give the appearance that it is coming from God. In Numbers 16 fire came forth from Yahweh to consume the 250 rebellious men who were offering incense. In 1 Kings 18 in the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, “the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering [of Elijah] and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” In 2 Kings 1 Elijah called fire down from heaven twice to consume two different groups of soldiers sent to take him captive. In Revelation 11, which describes what happens in the interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpet, the two witnesses can project fire from their mouths to devour anyone who opposes them.
◘The power of those involved in the occult is Satan and his demonic hoard who still do supernatural things in our own time, but it will get worse in the future and reach its apex in the beast from the earth, the false prophet. Should people be afraid of Satan, demons and the occult? The answer is yes for those not following God, but no for those that will obey Him. 1 Peter 5:8–9 both warns and instructs, 8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” James 4:7 succinctly deals with this issue with the commands to “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The Holy Spirit in you is greater than Satan – 1 John 4:4
◘His Deceptions – Revelation 13:14-15
Satan and those he empowers can do supernatural things, but his purpose in doing those is to deceive as seen in verses 14-15. “And he [the false prophet] deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which were given to him to do 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.”
◘Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24 about the deception that will be prevalent in the tribulation period, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.” The beast from the earth will surpass all of these other false prophets in his abilities and deceptions with the signs that he performs in the presence of the beast who is once again identified as the one who came to life with the addition of the detail is that it was a sword that caused the wound that appeared to have killed him.
◘A specific deceptive miracle is then described in verse 15, “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak . . .” Some sort of idol is crafted that looks like the beast from the sea, the antichrist. Since the word image (eijkwvn / eikōn from which we get our word icon) is not specific, this could be either a three dimensional sculpture or a two dimensional painting. Either way, it is set up as an idol for the people to worship. ◘Why set up an idol? So that the people would worship the beast without the beast having to be physically present. Related to this, it also enables worship of the beast to be spread far and wide around the world since that idol could be copied with larger ones set up for community worship and smaller ones for home or personal worship. I imagine there could be massed produced small ones that could fit in a pocket or purse so the beast could be worshiped anywhere at anytime. While this is speculation on my part, it is based on the common practices of idolatry throughout history.
◘The supreme deception of this image comes in that it was given to the false prophet the ability to give breath to this idol so that it would speak. The source of this ability is not specifically named, but even if it is Satan, it is still limited by God. Since this is the ability to give breath (pneu:ma / pneuma) and not life (either zwh:V / zōēs or bivoV / bios) which only God can give as already pointed out, I take this to be a deception that appears to be alive. This image will be able to breathe and speak which overcomes one of the objections to idolatry pointed out multiple times in the scriptures. Isaiah 46:7; Jeremiah 10:5 and Habakkuk 2:18-19 all mock idolatry over the inability of an idol to speak and answer those that pray to it. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 Paul pointed out the foolishness of the Gentiles being led by “dumb / mute idols.” ◘And while breathing and speaking certainly will give the appearance of life, there is more to life than that. Those same Scriptures also criticize idols as being unable to rise up or walk, that they are made by the hands of man, and most importantly, cannot deliver – take action to answer the prayers made to them. This idol will have the appearance of life, but it is only an image. In the ancient world ventriloquism was used to fool people into thinking an idol was alive. Modern technology will give a lot of ways an idol could be made to appear to breath and speak. Even pocket models could be made that would repeat whatever the image of the beast says. And what is says proves its origin is Satanic.
◘Notice the last clause of verse 15, “And 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.” This reflects the evil of the command of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 3 to worship the idol he had made or be tossed into a blazing furnace. God miraculously preserved Daniel’s three friends, Shadrack, Meshack & Abednego when they were tossed into the fire. ◘The people in the seven churches in Asia to whom the book of Revelation was first written would have understood the evil of this command because those that refused to participate in the ritual worship of the Emperor would be severely persecuted even to the point of death such as happened in Smryna and Pergamum (Revelation 2:10, 13).
◘This is the arrival of a world religion that will supplant every other religion or at least make them subservient to it. It is not stated what toleration antichrist will have for other religions other than they will not be allowed to be exclusive, for it is very clear that anyone that does not also incorporate the worship of the image of the beast will be subject to being executed until they do.
◘This will greatly increase the pressure to believe the false prophet and worship the beast, but God gave specific warnings about false prophets that would do miraculous signs in Deuteronomy 13:1-5, and those warnings still apply. 1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us walk after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you to find out if you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 “You shall walk after Yahweh your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has counseled rebellion against Yahweh your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.” ◘ Your love of God must exceed that of your own life, because obedience to God and refusal to join with the sins of others could cost you your life. It certainly will during the tribulation period.
◘His Authority – Revelation 13:16-17
The threat of death for refusing to worship the image of the beast will be a strong reason to yield to the sinful idolatry. But how would it be known if you complied or not? Emperor worship compliance was demonstrated by a certificate received after the individual had offered the incense and said “Caesar is lord.” The false prophet will use a more dramatic method to prove compliance and also increase the pressure even more. “16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, that they be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that no one will 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.”
◘ This demand is enforced upon “all” with the universality of it emphasized by listing three categories by their extremes which would then include everyone in between. Small and great refer to every social class of people. Rich and poor refer to every economic class of people. The free and the slaves refers to every status of people. Everyone will be compelled to receive a mark on either their right hand or their forehead. ◘The word “mark” (cavragma / charagma) refers to some mark or sign which is either engraved, etched, branded or inscribed. Lots of ideas have been suggested about the nature of this mark, ◘but the historical context best fits some type of branding similar to those given to soldiers, slaves and temple devotees in John’s day. Those marks signified either ownership, position or loyalty. ◘This mark could by made by searing the skin causing a burn mark which would turn into scar tissue (branding), or it could be a tattoo in which the skin is permanently dyed some color. The mark itself will be either the name or number of the beast. The location of the mark on either the forehead or right hand will make it easily visible as a sign of being a worshiper of the beast. This mark is not meant to be removable such as a phylactery (Deut. 6), or a certificate which could be transferred or forged. ◘The mark will be visible even if it involves an implant of some sort that can be read by a scanner to access data about the person as some speculate due to the increasing amounts of surveillance in many nations such as China, but it is also increasing here in the United States.
◘The pressure to worship the beast and receive the mark is increased by the restriction that blocks anyone without it from being able to buy or sell. We got a glimpse of the tyranny this will be a few years ago when some jurisdictions placed restrictions on travel, places you could enter, and even being able to work unless you had proof you had received the shot for COVID 19, commonly referred to as being VAXXED, or in my parlance, the clot shot, since that was its most common side effect. What will be demanded by the false prophet will be much worse by far since it puts a restriction on all commerce worldwide. Of course, it can be expected that like any time a restriction is put on commerce, a black market will develop. However, those without this visible mark will also be subject to arrest, interrogation and execution if they refuse to worship the beast.
◘The Riddle – Revelation 13:18
This passage ends with a riddle in verse 18. “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man; and his number is 666.” ◘The amount of speculation on the meaning of this seems almost endless. It also seems that politics also gets involved with this because whoever the political enemy might be, a scheme can be developed to calculate their name to be 666. ◘I will just say up front that this is not Nero, Caligula, Nixon, Kissinger, Khrushchev or any other historical figure. This is a person who is still to be reveled in the future.
◘This a riddle which will require skill and understanding to solve, and its solution will involve counting. It is also a riddle that cannot be solved until the beast from the sea, the antichrist, comes on the scene. Neither his name or number can be known in advance, but God will enable the wise who have understanding to figure it out in the future.
◘This calculation for this riddle is called a gematria. Robert Thomas explains, “In ancient times, letters of the alphabet served as numbers. The first nine letters stood for the numbers one through nine the next nine for the numbers 10 through ninety, and so on, In Greek, the current alphabet did not have enough letters, so certain obsolete letters and signs supplemented the system. Every name yielded a number, the deciphering of which proved to be a fascinating riddle.” An example of this is that the Greek name, jIhsou:V / Iēsous, equals 888. Though Greek, Hebrew and Latin and mixtures of them have been used to speculate on the identify of this man, it will probably be a gematria that uses Greek since that is the language in which John was writing.
◘A clue that a gematria is what is being described here is that in verse 17 the mark can be “the name of the beast or the number of his name.” That phrase can also be taken to mean “the name of the beast, that is, the number of his name.” In other words, the letters of his name will calculate out to be 666. This will be a specific and identifiable person, but that must wait until he arrives on the scene in the future.
◘Whatever additional meaning their might be to the number 666, the number six is the number of man. It is a digit less than the perfect number of 7, the number of God, and so signifies an imperfection which is emphasized here by its triple repetition. ◘While boasting in his name, it also points to his failure and that of his master, Satan, to usurp God. His demand to be worshiped as a god is short lived. The antichrist remains a man, and Satan remains a fallen angel. Both of them plus the false prophet which form an unholy pseudo-trinity will eventually be caught, judged and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 20:10).
◘Conclusions
There is endless speculation about the specific identity of either the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth, the nature of the mark of the beast, and the meaning of 666. Don’t get caught up in that. ◘All of those things will be revealed in the future and are irrelevant in the present. From a pragmatic view, what would be achieved if the antichrist was specifically identified early by such speculations? It would not change the course of the future. The prophecies of both the the Old and New Testaments, will be fulfilled as written.
◘Revelation 13 is written to give insight and warning to those that will live in that time period to identify both the antichrist and the false prophet and their evil plans so that their deceptions can be avoided by those that will follow God. Jesus warned that their great signs and wonders were of such a nature, “so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). The book of Revelation is one of the reasons the elect will not be mislead.
◘In the present, this chapter reminds us as does the whole book of Revelation that our God knows the future before it happens and He is sovereign over it. Evil will rise, but God wins.
Sermon Notes – 9/7/2025
The Beast from the Earth – Revelation 13:11-18
Introduction
The woman is ___________ , the dragon is Satan, the child is the Messiah
Satan __________to stop God’s plan of redemption from being fulfilled
Jesus’ ascension caused Satan to change his strategy, but he was ___________by Michael & the good angels
The dragon’s ______is on the woman, but with the remnant protected by God, it turns to the rest of her seed
The beast from the sea is the Satanically empowered _____________who will fulfill Daniel 7, 9 & 11
The dragon’s empowerment of the beast & a counterfeit resurrection lead to ___________of both of them
Satan’s _______of Jews spills over to hatred of followers of Christ – and much martyrdom in the tribulation
His Description – Revelation 13:11
Another beast of the _______________as the first – similar in being dangerous, but different kinds of danger
The beast from the sea ___________dangerous and his actions proved him to be so
The beast from the earth appears mild, but his _____________as a dragon makes him very dangerous
His Purpose – Revelation 13:12
This beast is the _________________(16:13; 19:20), the leader / promoter of cultic worship of the antichrist
Many people worship antichrist due to the counterfeit resurrection, and more __________convince skeptics
His Power – Revelation 13:13
“Great signs” by the false prophet are done to get people to worship the ____________as a god or demi-god
The false prophet will _________call down fire from heaven – Satan can perform some “signs” – Job 1 & 2
This sign _______miracles of God in the past & future – Numbers 16; 1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 1; Revelation 11
Supernatural demonic activity is dangerous, but we ________fear Satan – 1 Pet. 5-8-9; James 4:7; 1 John 4:4
His Deceptions – Revelation 13:14-15
The purpose of Satan’s supernatural activities is to ____________people into worshiping him and the beast
False Christs and prophets will be very ____________(Matt. 24:24), but the false prophet will exceed them
A specific deceptive miracle will be giving ____________to the image of the beast so that it will speak
An _________allows people to worship the beast without him having to be there – and can be multiplied
The ability to breathe will give the _______________of life – but there is more to life & a true God than that
The threat now comes – failure to worship the image of the beast will condemn to __________
Those in the 7 churches of Asia would relate this to the demand to participate in _____________worship
This is a __________religion that supplants or makes subservient all other religions
Deut. 13:1-5 __________ against any prophets that promote another god even if they do supernatural things
Love of God must __________your love of life – for it may cost you your life here
His Authority – Revelation 13:16-17
Compliance to beast worship will seen by a mark on the forehead or right hand – enforced on ___________
While the “mark” could refer to many different things, historical context points to some kind of __________
Branding could be by searing the skin, puncturing the skin (Deut. 15:16-17), or a permanent ____________
The mark is meant to be permanent and __________- even if it includes implantation of a chip of some type
Pressure to worship the beast & take the mark increases with prohibitions on _____________without it
The Riddle – Revelation 13:18
The amount of ____________on the meaning of 666 seems almost endless
This is not Nero, Caligula, Nixon, Kissinger, Khrushchev or any historical figure – it a man in the ________
The riddle requires skill & understanding to solve, but that cannot be done until the _____________appears
This riddle is called a ______________- it calculates the numerical value of all the letters in the name
In verse 17, the mark is the name of the beast or number of his name – his _______will add up to the number
666, the number of man, is an _________number – the beast boasts in his name, but it points to his failure
Conclusions
_____the speculations about the specific identity of the beasts, the nature of the mark & the meaning of 666
They are irrelevant in the _______- & change nothing even if known since God’s prophecies will be fulfilled
Rev. 13 (& the whole book) give insight & warning to those of ____________period to avoid the deceptions
In the present, we are reminded that God knows & controls the future – evil will rise, but God _________
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children: Draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following:1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times “the beast” is mentioned. Talk with your parents about the identity & differences between the beast from the sea & the beast from the earth & the source of their powers
THINK ABOUT IT! – Questions to consider / discuss with others. Who is the beast from the sea? What is his source of power? Why is he dangerous? Who is the beast from the earth? What is his source of power? Why is he dangerous? What is his purpose? Does he actually cause fire to come down from heaven? What Biblical evidence is there for Satan to actually do supernatural things? Why would the false prophet call down fire from heaven? What are the dangers of the demonic? How should Christians respond to Satan / demonic powers? Jesus warned about deception in the last times (Matthew 24:24) – how deceptive will the false prophet be? What might the image (icon) of the beast be? Does the false prophet actually make that image breath so it can speak? Does he give the image life? Explain. Many scriptures mock idols for their inability to speak, what are some of the other things about idols that are mocked? What is the relationship between the worship of the image of the beast and the mark of the beast? What threat is made against those that will not worship the image of the beast? What restriction is placed on those without the mark of the beast? According to the text, what is the mark? What does that indicated about its nature? What are the reasonable options for how a person will receive this mark? When will people be marked in this way? Verse 18 is a riddle called a germatria – what is that? What is the relationship between the name of the beast and his number? When will this riddle be able to be solved? Would anything change if the riddle was solved before then? What is the purpose of Revelation 13?
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