Good morning. It's good to be with you and worship with you. It's great to see some new faces in the audience, but also some old faces I haven't seen in a while.
And it's good to always to see my church family every week. So it's good to worship with you guys.
Please turn with me to Revelation chapter 13.
If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand. We'd love to bring you a copy that you can have.
Revelation chapter 13. It's the last book in the Bible for those of you who are new to the Bible and familiar with it.
Revelation chapter 13. I'm going to cover the first 10 verses today, chapter 13, but let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Heavenly Father, you sent your only son to bear witness to you and to the kingdom of God
and to the good news of salvation that he accomplished through his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.
And Lord, you have taught us in your word that just as Jesus suffered, just as he was persecuted,
that those who follow him too will face tribulations.
As we look at the bare reality of that this morning in Revelation 13,
won't you feel your precious people,
my brothers and sisters in Christ,
won't you fill us all with hope,
with faith,
which remind us of your sovereignty,
of your care,
of your love,
that we might endure faithfully till the end.
Amen.
Grant us endurance as we hear your word.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you are able, please stand for the reading of God's word from Revelation 13.
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea,
with ten horns and seven heads,
with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
And the beast that I saw was like a leopard,
its feet were like a bear's,
and its mouth was like a lion's mouth.
And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.
One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound,
but its mortal wound was healed,
and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon,
for he had given his authority to the beast.
And they worshipped the beast,
saying,
Who is like the beast?
And who can fight against it?
And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words.
And it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months.
It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God,
blaspheming his name and his dwelling,
that is, those who dwell in heaven.
And it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.
And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation.
And all who dwell on earth will worship it.
Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world
in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
If anyone is to be taken captive to captivity, he goes.
If anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
2 Thessalonians chapter 2 prophesies about the Antichrist,
saying that before Christ's second coming,
the man of lawlessness will be revealed,
the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself
against every so-called God or object of worship,
so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,
proclaiming himself to be God.
But that same passage,
which teaches about that Antichrist that is coming,
also teaches us that the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.
The Antichrist is not here yet in his fully-fledged form,
but his rebellion, the mystery of lawlessness,
is already at work.
This is confirmed by 2 John 7, which says,
Many deceivers have gone out into the world.
Those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh,
such a one is the deceiver and the Antichrist.
Already many deceivers and many Antichrists have gone out into the world.
Revelation 13 is John's prophetic vision about the Antichrist,
and I do think it predicts in the end,
at the climactic end,
a single individual Antichrist will appear at the end.
I think Revelation 17 is a little clearer on that front.
But I think for the main application,
it's inclusive.
While it's inclusive of that end-time Antichrist,
I think in the same way that the woman that we saw in chapter 12
was a corporate representative
and a symbol for the people of God,
I think this beast is also a corporate representative,
a composite picture of the worldly kingdoms and kings
that are in rebellion against God
and persecute God's people.
And this happens during the entire church age
between Christ's first coming and his second coming.
And why does Scripture contain warnings about these Antichrists?
Because God doesn't want us to be caught unawares.
He wants us to be aware and prepared and equipped.
He doesn't want us to be blindsided by fierce persecution.
He wants us to endure with faith till the end.
In the game of American football,
I would just call it football,
but we've got some British people here.
And in the game of American football,
quarterbacks and running backs and wide receivers
seem to get the most attention
and appear to be the most important players in the game.
But if you look at the average salary,
not the individual salaries,
but the average salary across the board for each position,
it's the left tackle that actually gets paid more
than any other position,
including the quarterback.
The unnoticed job of the left tackle
is to protect the quarterback's blind side.
Because most quarterbacks are right-handed.
They turn this way,
square up this way,
and throw the football this way.
And so they can't see anything on their left side.
And so the teams usually put their best blockers
on that left side
because it doesn't matter how good your quarterback is.
If he's not protecting his blind side,
he can get crushed underneath these,
I don't know,
three,
four hundred pound behemoths
and get injured,
which has happened many times before.
And they can't do anything.
And so what Revelation 13 is doing this morning
is it's playing left tackle for us.
It's protecting our blind side
and warning us against what is coming.
Because if you can see this
three, four hundred pound man
running after you,
trying to tackle you,
you can do something about it.
You could try to run away
or you could at least brace yourself for impact.
But if you're blindsided,
then you're totally defenseless
and vulnerable to injury.
And here God teaches us
to brace for and endure
the persecution of the worldly kingdoms,
trusting that God is sovereign overall.
There are three, I think,
main exhortations for us here.
First, we are to repudiate
the blasphemous beast.
Second, we are to worship
the sovereign lamb.
And third, we are to endure
even unto death.
At the end of chapter 12,
we saw that the great red dragon
had emerged from his bottomless abyss,
the sea,
and stood on the sand of the sea.
And now this beast
also rises up out of that same sea.
And as I mentioned last week,
the sea is often in scripture
a symbol of chaos and disorder.
And that's why at the end of Revelation 21,
after Christ comes
and consummates his kingdom,
the sea is no more.
Jesus is the prince of peace.
They came to give us peace,
as we talked about
in the assurance of pardon,
Romans 5.
But this beast
comes to make war on the saints.
He's the prince of chaos.
And we know that this beast
is cut from the same cloth
as the dragon
that we looked at last week,
because like the dragon
of chapter 12,
this beast has 10 horns
and seven heads.
Jesus is the image
of the invisible God.
And we can say that this beast
is the image
of the invisible dragon.
Just as the lamb of God
representing Jesus
in Revelation 5, 6
had horns symbolizing
his authority and power,
likewise this beast
also has horns.
Just as Jesus
in Revelation 19, 12
is described as having
many diadems,
this beast has diadems
on his head.
But this beast
is just a cheap imitation
of Jesus.
We're told in verse 17,
we were told in chapter 12,
verse 17,
that the dragon makes war
on the rest of the woman's offspring,
on those who keep
the commandments of God
and the testimony of Jesus.
The dragon makes war
on the saints.
Now we see exactly
how Satan makes war
against the saints
by using these proxies.
Including this beast.
He says in verses 5-7
of our chapter
that he was allowed
to exercise authority
for 42 months
and make war on the saints
and to conquer them.
Remember the 42 months,
if you don't know
what I'm talking about,
you can listen to
the previous messages.
The 42 months
is the 1,260 days
and that is
the three and a half years
prophesied of
in Daniel 12, 7.
And it's the period
of the church's witness
to Jesus
where they are
spiritually protected by God,
but it's also the period
of intense persecution
by the beast
of the saints
where they are
physically vulnerable
and sometimes even killed.
And so we see here
the dragon last year,
I mean last chapter,
and then we see here
the beast
and then in the rest
of chapter 13
which we'll cover next week,
we'll see the false prophet,
the second beast.
And these three form
an unholy triad
in mockery
of our triune God.
The beast
as we have seen
and we'll see some more
is the image
of the dragon
and just as Jesus'
image of the father
and the false prophet,
the second beast
we'll look at next week,
bears witness
to the beast
in the same way
the spirit bears witness
to Jesus,
God's son.
In the same way
that the Holy Spirit
seals God's people
with the name of God,
this false prophet
seals the followers
of the beast
with the name
of the beast.
in the same way
the Holy Spirit
performs signs
and wonders
to verify
the proclamation
of the gospel
by his servants.
Likewise,
this false prophet
will perform
signs and wonders.
So the dragon,
the beast,
and the false prophet
are very intentionally
parodying
the triune God.
And this is
the very nature
of evil.
Satan is incapable
of being original
because he is not
the creator.
He is only
an imitator.
He can only produce
cheap knockoffs
of the real thing.
His kingdom
is a bootleg kingdom.
His glory
is a bogus glory.
And his name
is a phony name.
Theologian
Cornelius Plantinga Jr.
explains this
imitative nature
of evil
this way in his book,
not the way
it's supposed to be.
To do its worst,
evil needs to look
its best.
Evil has to spend
a lot on makeup.
Hypocrites
have to spend time
polishing their act
and polishing
their image.
Hypocrisy
is an homage
that vice
pays to virtue.
Vices
have to masquerade
as virtues,
lust as love,
thinly veiled sadism
as military discipline,
envy as
righteous indignation,
domestic tyranny
as parental
concern.
even Satan
who looks heroic
to rebels
must masquerade
as an angel
of light
in order to look
merely plausible.
This infernal
embarrassment,
Satan must appeal
to our God-given
appetite for goodness
in order to win
his way,
suggests a significant
feature of evil.
To prevail,
evil must leech
not only power
and intelligence
from goodness,
but also
its credibility.
We can see now
why
the very identity
of this beast
and what he says
and does
are all
blasphemous.
There are blasphemous
names on its head,
verse 1 says.
His mouth utters
haughty and blasphemous
words,
verse 5 says.
It opened its mouth
to utter blasphemies
against God,
blaspheming his name
and his dwelling,
says in verse 6.
To blaspheme
is to slander someone,
to speak against someone
in a way that damages
that person's name
and reputation.
It means to revile
a person
or defame a person.
You know,
Titus 3, 2
commends us
not to slander
anyone.
That word slander
is the exact same word
as the word blaspheme
here.
But usually
in our English
Bible translations
when it says blaspheme
it refers
to speaking against God
or something
that is sacred
and holy.
In Matthew 26,
64 to 66
we see an example
of this.
Jesus
claims to be
the son of man
prophesied of
in Daniel 7
that we read
in the cult worship
who receives authority
from the ancient
of days
and sits on his throne
and reigns over
all the nations
and then after hearing
that the high priest
tears his robes
and says
he has uttered
blasphemy.
What testimony
do we need?
We should
kill him.
He deserves death
and condemnation
because he's blasphemed.
Well,
Jesus wasn't blaspheming
because he actually
is the son of God.
But if anyone
who is not worthy
of that title
and anyone
who is not befitting
of that glory
claims to be that
that is blasphemy
because it's injurious
to God's name
and reputation
to be compared to
or to be likened
to such inferior beings.
No matter how great
this red dragon is
we saw in the last chapter
no matter how many
diatems are on its head
no matter how powerful
or how much authority
it has upon the earth.
This beast
is just a flea
compared to
the glory
and authority of Christ.
That's why it's blasphemous
for him to claim
such things.
There's an Aesop's fable
entitled
The Donkey
and the Lion's Skin.
I'm sure many of you
have heard of this
growing up as a child.
It goes like this.
A donkey found
a lion's skin
left in the forest
by a hunter.
He dressed himself
in it
and amused himself
by hiding in a thicket
and rushing out
suddenly at the animals
who passed that way.
All took to their heels
the moment they saw him.
The donkey was so pleased
to see the animals
running away from him
just as if he were
King Lion himself
that he could not
keep from expressing
his delight
by a loud
harsh
bray.
I wish I could
sound a bray for you
but I can't.
A fox
who ran with the rest
stopped short
as soon as he heard
the voice.
Approaching the donkey
he said with a laugh
if you had kept
your mouth shut
you might have
frightened me too
but you gave yourself
away with that
silly bray.
This is the story
that C.S. Lewis
takes in the last battle
and uses.
The moral of the story
is this.
A fool
may deceive
by his dress
and appearance
but his words
will soon show
what he really is.
This is exactly
what the Bible teaches.
How do we
identify
and expose
antichrists
for what they are?
By their words.
1 John 2.22
says this is
the antichrist
he who denies
the father
and the son.
1 John 4.3
every spirit
that does not
confess Jesus
is not from God
this is the spirit
of the antichrist
which you heard
was coming
and now is
in the world
already.
2 John 1.7
says that many deceivers
have gone out
into the world
those who do not
confess the coming
of Jesus Christ
in the flesh.
Such a one
is the deceiver
and the antichrist.
Anyone who refuses
to confess
Jesus Christ
as Lord
as the one
who came in the flesh
the son of God
to redeem us
is the antichrist
and like the donkey
spray antichrist
reveal themselves
by their words
for no good tree
bears bad fruit
and no bad tree
bears good fruit
for each tree
is known
by its own fruit.
Those who are evil
cannot speak good
because out of the
out of the abundance
of the heart
the mouth speaks.
That's what Jesus
taught in Matthew 12
and the beast
is no exception.
like the harsh
praying of
the donkey
he utters
blasphemous words
because that's
what he is
he's a counterfeit
Christ.
Don't be deceived
by the counterfeit
Christ in this world.
Jesus told us
in Matthew 24
if anyone says
to you
look here's
the Christ
or there he is
do not believe it
for false
Christ
and false
prophets
will arise
and perform
great signs
and wonders
so as to lead
astray
if possible
even the elect.
See I have
told you beforehand
so if they say
to you
look he is
in the wilderness
do not go out
if they say
look he is
in the inner rooms
do not believe it
for as the
lightning comes
from the east
and shines
as far as the west
so will be
the coming
of the son of man.
Wherever the
course is
there the
vultures
will gather.
Jesus'
second coming
is going to be
unmissable
like a lining
that shines
in the lights
of the entire sky
it's going to be
unmissable
from the east
to the west
that prophecy
seems to get
twisted by every
like Messiah
false Messiah
claiming
especially the ones
from Asia
they're like
look it comes
from the east
I'm the true Messiah
I'm the Christ
no
that's not
it's not about you
that's not what
they're saying
Jesus' coming
is going to be
unmissable
if you missed it
already
that's not the Messiah
where the body
is
the vultures
gather
when Jesus
comes
he says
in Matthew
24
30 to 31
he will gather
all of his
elect
to himself
if that hasn't
happened
then he has
not yet come
I think this
beast
as I mentioned
earlier
is primarily
a composite
symbol
and a corporate
representative
of all the
worldly
kingdoms
that oppose
God
and persecute
people
and here's
why I think
that
look at
verse 2
it says
the beast
that I saw
was like
a leopard
his feet
were like
a bear's
and his mouth
was like
a lion's mouth
and to it
the dragon
gave his power
and his throne
and great
authority
note that
all the animals
that this beast
resembles
the leopard
bear
and lion
are all
ravenous
and ferocious
wild beasts
it characterizes
the way the beast
makes war
on the saints
the beast
is an allusion
to Daniel 7
where
Daniel sees
a vision
of four
great beasts
that rise
out of the sea
like this beast
that rises
out of the sea
in Revelation
the first beast
looks like a lion
second looks
like a bear
the third
looks like a leopard
but then there's
a fourth beast
which is terrifying
and dreadful
and exceedingly
strong
that's how Daniel
describes it
that is different
from all the beasts
that were before it
and it had
ten horns
so notice
that this
Revelation 13
beast
has ten horns
and it looks
like a leopard
and a lion
and a bear
if Daniel 7's
vision
matches
Nebuchadnezzar's
dream in Daniel
chapter 2
which is what
most people think
then the lion
like beast
represents the
Babylonian empire
the bear
like beast
represents the
Medo-Persian empire
and then the
leopard like beast
represents the
Macedonian empire
and then the
final beast
the fourth beast
terrifying beast
represents the
Roman empire
empire
and so this
beast
in Revelation 13
is not one
of those beasts
but a composite
picture of all
four of Daniel's
beasts
it looks like
all of them
and this is why
I think
he has
also seven
heads
if you add up
the number
of all the heads
of the beasts
in Daniel's vision
they have
seven heads
total
so it's a composite
picture
also because seven
symbolizes
completeness
beasts
it represents
all the
worldly kingdoms
and kings
that oppose
God
the ultimate
hybrid beast
the sum
of all
beasts
later in
Revelation 17
we're told
explicitly
that the
seven heads
represent both
seven mountains
and seven
kings
which shows
that these
symbolic
pictures
can have
multi-layered
meanings
multiple meanings
and one of
the nicknames
for Rome
was a city
on seven
hills
or a city
of seven
mountains
so I think
the Roman
empire
is clearly
included
in this
composite
picture
of the
beast
we're also
told that
the ten
horns
on the
beast's
seven heads
are ten
kings
who have
not yet
received
royal power
in later
Revelation 17
and that's
where it wears
diamonds on
those ten
heads
the number
ten signifies
completeness
and so
and later
at the
end of
the end
times
we're currently
in the end
times
since the
coming of
Christ
but at the
end of
the end
times
these ten
kings
who will
later
receive
royal power
will hand
over all
their authority
to this
beast
that in
Revelation 17
is described
as the
eighth
because it's
the one
that comes
after the
seven
that represents
all the
worldly
powers
I think
that will
be the
most
devilish
antichrist
that ever
comes
and nothing
will be
like it
but even
now
that this
beast
is active
and if
Satan's
authority
the dragon's
authority
is behind
this
beast
which
represents
world's
governments
and powers
then we
should not
be surprised
when God's
people are
marginalized
and persecuted
by nation
states
the beast's
crude
imitation
of Jesus
the true
king of
kings
continues
in verse
three
one
of its
heads
seemed
to have
a
mortal
wound
but
its
mortal
wound
was
healed
and the
whole
earth
marveled
as they
followed
the beast
one
of its
heads
means
one
of the
kings
John is
likely
making
imaginative
creative use
of the
Nero legends
that were
popular
in his
day
Nero
Caesar
was
emperor
of the
Roman
empire
during
54 to
68
80
during
which
he was
notorious
for his
vicious
persecution
of the
Christians
but when
he was
eventually
deposed
by the
Roman
senate
and declared
a public
enemy
he committed
suicide
the next
day
by falling
upon a
sword
and later
in verse
14
we're told
that this
beast was
wounded by
the sword
and yet
lived
but because
Nero's death
was shrouded
in mystery
and there
were very
few witnesses
popular legends
were built up
around Nero
and many
people in
those days
believed that
Nero would
return
so this is
called the
Nero
return
legend
or the
Nero
living again
legend
Nero
kind of
resurrected
legend
and
this is
there were
sibling
oracles
like Oracle
of Dolphin
you've probably
heard of it
they wrote down
oracles
and one of the
oracles
did say
that Nero
would return
to life
to take
vengeance
on those
who deposed
him
and retake
the kingdom
and so
I think
John is
making
creative use
of that
legend
to show
what basically
the end
time
Antichrist
is going
to be
like
and what
the beast
is like
throughout
the age
this legend
was so popular
that Dio
Chrysostom
a first century
Greek historian
says
quote
even now
everyone wishes
that Nero
were alive
and most people
actually believe
in it
even by the
fourth century
Augustine
the Christian
pastor
writes
that some
people believe
still
that Nero
now lives
in concealment
in the vigor
of that same age
which he had
reached when he
was believed
to have perished
and will live
until he is revealed
in his own time
and restored
to his kingdom
so Nero
was popular
with the Romans
but not
with the Christians
for understandable
reasons
Roman historians
like Tacitus
note that
Nero
most likely
instigated
the great fire
of Rome
so that he can
clear the grounds
to create
so that he can
build the golden
house that he
had been dreaming
about
dreaming about
the golden
house
but then
afterwards
he blamed
the Christians
as scapegoats
oh they're the
ones who did it
and burned him
alive
several
ancient writers
including
Tertullian
described Nero
as the first
that persecuted
Christians
and the Christian
doctrine
and so
Nero is a very
fitting
kind of a
ready-made
type
of figure
of the Antichrist
and John
uses him
and the
narrow
returned legend
as a literary
foil to Christ
to show how
this beast
is just a
crude imitation
of Jesus
the beast
is said to
have a
mortal wound
and that
word
in verse 3
the word
wound
is the exact
same word
that's used
to describe
how the lamb
was slain
later in
verse 8
and just as
the lamb
earlier in
chapter 5
verse 6
was slain
but nevertheless
standing
referring to
his resurrection
of Jesus
so now
this hideous
beast
imitates
the lamb
who had
a mortal
wound
that was
healed
and later
in verse
14
it was said
that he
was wounded
but yet
lived
which is
resurrection
language
just as
in chapter
5
after the
lamb
is seen
the heavenly
host
fall down
before him
and worship
him
and they
praise him
for how
he ransomed
people for
God
from every
tribe and
language and
people and
nation
but now
here
after this
mortal wound
of the beast
is healed
he says
the whole
earth marveled
as they
followed the
beast
and they
said
authority
was given
to go
for every
tribe and
people and
language and
nation
and all
who dwell
on earth
will worship
him
the beast
is imitating
Christ
in order to
rob him
of his
worship
Jesus
was afflicted
with the
mortal wound
so that
he died
on the
cross
so that
he might
make atonement
for our
sins
so he
might bear
our
punishment
to bear
the wrath
of God
and
extend to
us
forgiveness
and freedom
he was
pierced
for our
transgressions
he was
crushed
for our
iniquities
the
chastisement
that brought
us
peace
was upon
him
with his
wounds
we are
healed
but in
contrast
this
beast
this
beast
mortal
wound
serves
no
salvific
purpose
it's
like a
it's an
entirely
self-serving
trick
like a
magician
who
creates
an illusion
a death
defying
illusion
to get
applause
from people
and get
people
to follow
him
this
beast
his
wound
is just
a crude
imitation
I do
think that
at the end
of the end
times
as I
mentioned
that there
will be
a singular
antichrist
who will
conquer the
people of
God
like never
before
I
explain that
more when
we get
to
Revelation
17
but
this
beast
I think
it's
resuscitation
coming back
from healing
from the
mortal wound
I think
it's probably
best understood
in the main
application
as the
repeated
rise and
fall
of states
and kingdoms
that oppose
God and
oppress
God's
people
because they
keep coming
back
don't they
first was
the Egyptians
and then it
was the
Persians
then it
was the
Babylonians
then it
was the
Macedonians
I think I
flipped you
over there
a little bit
the Genghis Khan
and the
Mongol Empire
massacred
4 million
Christians
12-14 AD
Tamerlan
and his
Timurid Empire
killed about
4 million
Christians
in 1358
late 1800s
and early
1900s
1.2
million
Armenians
Muslim
Christians
killed by
the Ottoman
Empire
about 12
million
Christians
killed
under the
Soviet
Union
among the
6 million
Jews
that the
Nazis
killed
1 million
Christians
were also
killed in
death camps
according to
Open Doors
a ministry
that keeps
track of
persecuted
Christians
and tries
to help
them
360 million
Christians
throughout the
world
face high
levels of
persecution
hundreds of
millions
of Christians
face extreme
persecution
in countries
like North
Korea
Somalia
Yemen
Eritrea
Libya
Nigeria
Pakistan
Iran
Afghanistan
Sudan
and India
again and
again this
beast seems
to rise
again
and it's
this seeming
indestructibility
of the beast
that leads people
to worship
the dragon
and the beast
saying in
verse 4
who is like
the beast
and who can
fight against
it
this too
is a
parody
of the
worship
of the
saints
because
repeatedly
throughout
the scriptures
we see
the people
of God
marveling at
who God
is in
this manner
in Exodus
15
11
who is
like you
oh Lord
among the
gods
who is
like you
majestic
in holiness
awesome
and glorious
thief
doing wonders
only God
is incomparable
only God
has no equal
only God
is transcendent
and sovereign
overall
but this
donkey
in a lion
skin
the pretender
the imposter
the fraud
dares
to receive
the worship
that belongs
to Yahweh
it's blasphemy
it's a
travesty
does it
grieve you
brothers and
sisters
that God
is not
given the
worship
that is
due to
his name
does it
grieve you
that the
whole earth
marvels
as they
follow the
beast
that's
why we
have our
mission
to go
to our
neighborhoods
to the
nations
with the
gospel of
Jesus
Christ
this
worship
of the
beast
is also
a mockery
of the
church
who worship
the true
Christ
Deuteronomy
33
29
says
who is
like you
and this
time it's
not referring
to God
it's
referring to
God's
people
who is
like you
a people
saved
by the
Lord
the shield
of your
help
and the
sword
of your
triumph
I don't
know if
Chris
Tomlin knew
about this
first when he
wrote that
song that
we were
singing
we talked
about God
is our
shield
and sword
there is
no one
like the
people of
God
on earth
no one
as precious
as the
saints
on earth
who have
been saved
by the
Lord
there's
no one
like us
for whom
God
himself
is our
shield
and God
himself
is our
sword
but the
beast
and its
worshippers
mock us
that's why
it says
in verse
6
he not
only
blasphemes
God's
name
he also
blasphemes
God's
dwelling
that is a
reference to
those who
dwell in
heaven
meaning the
heaven dwellers
those who
have their
citizenship
heaven
in heaven
those who
are right
now
spiritually
seated
with Christ
at the
right hand
of God
in heaven
as it
says in
Ephesians 2
that's us
the dwelling
place of God
the temple
of God
1 Corinthians
3 16
says
the beast
slanders
God's
people
speaks against
God's
people saying
you will be
destroyed
not saved
you are not
the chosen
people
you are not
the favorite
people of
God
but these
are lies
and we
must repudiate
the beast
verse 8
reminds us
of who we
really are
it says
and all
who dwell
on earth
will worship
the beast
everyone
whose name
has not
been written
before the
foundation
of the world
in the book
of life
of the lamb
who was
slain
the book
of life
is mentioned
a total
of six
times
in revelation
it's the
census book
of the new
heavenly
Jerusalem
it's the
invited guest
list
of the
eternal
wedding feast
of the lamb
and if you
are a
Christian
then your
name has
been written
in that
book
before the
foundation
of the
world
it's an
amazing
thought
before
there's a
lot of
people
pregnant in
our church
were having
babies
before
their first
child is
born
expecting
father and
mother will
often take
weeks
and months
and maybe
before some
people have
trouble conceiving
even years
to prepare
their house
for the baby
to prepare
the baby
they start
purchasing
furniture
get the
crib
get the
changing
table
they
might even
paint
the room
and in this
day and age
of course
with non-toxic
paint
that's safe
for the baby
and
they'll buy
diapers
and other
supplies
like onesies
and swatting
cloths
and of course
a car seat
and when that
child is born
she's welcomed
into a world
that has been
waiting
for her
and she's
already well
loved
the parents
have been
waiting
and expecting
and preparing
for all those
many months
but that is
nothing
compared to
how long
God has been
preparing
for his
children
Christian brothers
and sisters
your name
has been
written
in the book
of life
of the lamb
before
the foundation
of the world
before the heavens
and the earth
were created
before the sun
and moon
and the stars
were put in
their place
before time
began
in the eternal
past
God planned
that he would
create you
by name
and that he
would save
you
and adopt
you as
his own
child
in the eternal
past
God chose
you
and wrote
your name
in the book
of life
so that you
might share
eternity with
him
that's who
we are
we're so
loved
and it's
this sovereignty
of God
that gives
us hope
and enables
us to
endure
despite
intense
persecution
from the
worldly
powers
look at
verses 5
to 7
the beast
was given
a mouth
uttering
haughty
and blasphemous
words
and it
was allowed
to exercise
authority
for 42
months
verse 7
it says
it was
also
it was
allowed
to make
war
on the
saints
and to
conquer
and authority
was
given
it
this is
what we've
seen
throughout
revelation
and throughout
much of
scripture
what we know
as the
divine
passives
instead of
attributing
the direct
action to
God
it implicitly
attributes
this to
God
by using
the passive
tense
to show
God's
ultimate
sovereignty
even
over
evil
even
the
beast
blasphemy
against
God
even
the
beast
war
against
the
saints
even
the
beast
authority
over
the
world
they're
all
given
in an
ultimate
sense
from the
sovereign
hand
of God
this is
why the
beast's
time is
limited
and it's
short
he's
allowed
to exercise
authority
for 42
months
that's a
defined
period of
time
that will
surely
come to
an end
neither
the
dragon
nor
the
beast
can
take
even
an
inch
more
than
what
God
gives
and
this is
wonderful
assurance
for us
even
when
the
world
seems
upside
down
even
when
we
can
remember
that
God
is
still
seated
on
his
throne
even
when
we
are
tempted
we
can
remember
that
God
will
not
let
us
be
tempted
beyond
our
ability
but
will
provide
a
way
of
escape
so
that
we
might
endure
it
our
destiny
has
already
been
decided
our
names
have
already
been
recorded
in the
book
of
life
the
end
of
the
story
has
already
been
written
and
it's
a
happy
ending
if
you
are
not
yet
a
follower
of
Christ
do
you
want
to
know
if
your
name
has
been
written
in
the
book
of
life
of
the
land
who
was
slain
there's
only
one
way
to
find
out
put
your
faith
in
the
lamb
who
was
slain
so
that
you
might
live
confess
that
Jesus
Christ
is
Lord
and
believe
in
your
heart
that
he
died
for
your
sins
and
was
raised
from
the
dead
and
then
you
will
be
saved
and
then
you
will
know
that
your
name
has
been
written
it
had
been
written
in
eternity
past
in
that
book
of
life
it
says
in
verse
9
if
anyone
has
an
ear
let
him
hear
this
is
the
invitation
that
was
affixed
to
the
end
of
all
seven
letters
that
Jesus
writes
to
the
seven
churches
in
chapters
2
and
3
it's
a reference
to
Isaiah
6
9
to
10
simultaneously
a warning
and an
invitation
those
who
reject
God's
message
prove
themselves
to
not
have
the
ear
to
hear
but
those
who
receive
God's
message
and
believe
show
that
they
do
have
a
year
to
hear
that
God
has
given
when
you
hear
the
word
of
Christ
and
believe
that's
when
you
find
out
that
your
name
has
been
written
in
the
book
of
life
divine
election
is
best
understood
in
hindsight
and
note
that
there
are only
two
sides
in
the
spiritual
war
all
who
dwell
on
the
earth
will
worship
the
beast
everyone
who
says
whose
name
has
not
been
written
before
the
foundation
of
the
world
the
book
of
life
the
lamb
will
slain
you're
either
worshipping
Jesus
or
you're
worshipping
the
beast
to
remain
undecided
is
to
have
already
chosen
the
beast
because
that's
the
default
mode
of
sinful
humanity
in
which
you
start
human
beings
are
hard
wired
for
worship
and
you
will
in
the
end
all
be
worshipping
something
either
the
real
Christ
or
the
counterfeit
Christ
there's
no
neutral
zone
no
Switzerland
in
this
spiritual
war
and
if
you're
already
a follower
of
Christ
the
fact
that
God
is
sovereign
over
our
lives
and
that
our
names
are
written
in
the
book
doesn't
mean
that
we
don't
have
any
more
responsibility
verse
10
tells
the
part
we
must
play
if
anyone
is
to be
taken
captive
to
captivity
he
goes
if
anyone
is
to be
slain
with
the
sword
with
the
sword
must
he
be
slain
here
is
a
call
for
the
endurance
and
faith
of
the
saints
this is a
paraphrase
of
Jeremiah
15
2
where
the
prophet
prophesied
of
Judah's
coming
exile
and
this
confirms
that
in
this
world
that
is
in
rebellion
against
God
we
are
spiritual
exiles
and
persecution
will not
be foreign
to us
verse 10
pulls no
punches
this is
about as
matter of
fact as
it gets
some of
us will
be taken
captive
for our
faith in
Jesus
open
doors
says
last year
alone
4542
Christians
were arrested
for their
faith
do you
love Jesus
more than
you love
your
freedom
last year
alone
they
estimate
that
5621
Christians
were murdered
for their
faith
throughout
the
world
and he
says
we
will
be
slain
with
the
sword
do you
love
Jesus
more than
you love
your own
life
verse 10
calls for
endurance
and faith
of the
saints
endurance
is the
capacity
to bear
up
under
suffering
and
hardship
and
persecution
athletes
that do
sports
that
require
you know
bursts
of
explosive
strength
you know
like
power lifting
or that
they focus
on muscle
building
for strength
so they
can lift
as much
weight as
possible
in that
short
moment
of exertion
but
athletes
engaged
in
endurance
sports
long
distance
running
cycling
cross
country
skiing
rowing
they focus
on sustained
repeated
movements
over an
extended period
of time
without
giving up
right
the
100 meter
dash
record
right
you
saying
bolt
9.58
seconds
just under
10
seconds
the
world's
best
marathoners
run
the
100
meter
dash
in
just
over
17
seconds
but
they
do
that
422
times
in a
row
that's
endurance
we must
not be
like a
kindling
that just
bursts
into
flame
and then
dies
in a
few
seconds
it must
be like
the
coal
that
burns
for
hours
and
hours
and
hours
with
that
steady
amber
and in
order to do that
we also need
faith
we are people
who walk by
faith
and not by
sight
faith is
the assurance
of things
hoped for
the conviction
of things
not seen
but we do
not yet see
the resurrected
Christ
we believe
in him
and wait
patiently for
his return
that we do
not yet see
our eternal
rewards
we believe
the promises
of God
and live
with that
in you
I haven't
mentioned this
book in a
while
you guys
used to
make fun of me
because I
mentioned it
so many weeks
in a row
in the book
Insanity of
God
the author
Nick Ripken
becomes the
story of
Dmitri
the Christian
pastor who
was in
Soviet Union
was an
inspiring
example of
both endurance
and faith
during the
persecution of
Christians under
the Soviet
Union
when his
small
church
founded a
small house
church
and they
were meeting
for worship
and they
were warned
you need to
stop meeting
if you keep
doing this
bad things are
going to happen
to you
well they
keep worshiping
because God
commands it
and they do
it discreetly
but they get
caught and
they and
and then
pastor
Dmitri
is jailed
he is
carted away
600 miles
away from
his family
so he can
have no
visitors
and he is
placed with
around
1,500
hardened
criminals
it's a
squalid
prison
which is
literally
the size
of probably
our closets
everything
toilet
you know
little sink
door
little cot
all right
there
and
there are
two things
he says
that kept
him
faithful
during his
time in
prison
two spiritual
disciplines
that he
had learned
from his
father
and his
grandfather
the first
thing he
would do
is that
every time
he could
he came
across a
scrap of
paper
as he's
wandering
the prison
compounds
he'd pick
it up
and then
he'd go to
his cell
and find
the stub
of pencil
that he
had
stowed away
or the
little piece
of charcoal
and he
would write
as small
print as he
possibly can
all the
bible verses
that he
remembered
all the
bible stories
that he
remembered
and all the
songs of
worship
that he
remembered
and then
he would
put it
on the
column
the stone
column
the pillar
that was
in the
cell
and it
would stick
because it
was a
leaky
cell
and the
water would
drip down
the column
all the time
and he'd just
stick the
paper on there
every time
he'd do it
he'd find
a scrap of
paper
do it
the guards
would come
and see
what he
has written
because he
was arrested
for being
a Christian
obviously he
would be
punished
for worshipping
God in the
prison
he'd get
beaten
but he'd do
it again
and one day
he says he
received a
special gift
from God
he found
an entire
sheet of
paper
with a
pencil
laid next
to it
and he
grabs it
he takes
it to
his cell
fills it
top to
bottom
front and
back
and puts
it on
his
pillar
gets
beaten
for it
again
the second
practice
that he
did
was that
every time
he woke
up
when the
sun
was
rising
he would
go to
the edge
of his
cell
where the
bars are
and he
would look
to the
east
and he
would stand
attention
and lift
up his
two arms
raise his
arms to
the heavens
and he
would sing
what he
calls his
heart song
a song
that resonates
in his
heart
worship song
that he
has made
his personal
life anthem
he'd sing
that every
morning
at sunrise
and as he
does that
he would be
mocked
and jeered
by the
fellow prisoners
saying you're
knowing
go back
to sleep
they'll
sometimes
throw things
at him
throw
leftover
food
sometimes
they'll
grab
feces
from their
own
toilets
and throw
it at
him
but he
kept
doing it
kept
praising
God
and he
did this
for
17
years
eventually
the guards
are
exasperated
and they
decide that
you know
we're just
going to
kill you
because we
can't break
you
we're going
to kill
you
so they
start to
drag him
out to
the
execution
yard
but as
they're
dragging
him out
the fellow
prisoners
who have
been
mocking
him
pay
homage
to him
as he's
going out
to get
killed
by all
standing up
by their
cell bars
standing up
attention
raising up
their arms
and singing
the very
hard song
that he's
been singing
for all
those years
because by
this point
every single
one of those
is a song
by heart
and then
the
jailers are
just
scared
out of their
mind
they're
they're like
what in
the world
who are
you
and then
Dimitri says
I am a
son of
the living
God
the God
I worship
is Jesus
Christ
the jailers
are so
scared that
they halt
the execution
put him
back in
his cell
and they're
worried that
he's converting
the entire
jail compound
and so
they release
him
and he
goes back
to his
back
it's
endurance
it's
faith
Jesus
said
a servant
is not
greater than
his master
if they
persecuted
me
they will
also
persecute
you
so
let's
look to
the pattern
that Jesus
set for us
the path
that he
has
blazed
for us
and weather
the persecution
of the worldly
kingdoms
with endurance
and faith
let's pray
lord
jesus
you
are
worthy
of that
kind
of
allegiance
you
are
worthy
of that
kind
of
worship
you
are
worthy
of our
faithfulness
even unto
death
who is
like you
oh lord
there is
no one
like you
you deserve
the worship
of every
tongue
and every
niche
about how
to you
help us
to endure
to the end
as faithful
witnesses
to your
name
until that
day when
you come
back
to gather
us to
yourself
to vindicate
us
to show
just how
much
you love
us
lord
we wait
for that
day
in jesus
name
we pray
amen