Revelation Revealed: Rev. 13:7–18, #21 | Jim Hammond
Recap
Pastor Jim taught his 21st message in his series entitled, “Revelation Revealed.” In part two of chapter 13, he taught about the Antichrist’s righthand man, the false prophet. This is a man that deceives the world into worshiping the Antichrist beast, who came back from the dead. We learned of the miraculous powers he will display which he will further use to deceive the world.
Dive Deeper
Pastor Jim chided those that do not believe in a literal rapture, saying there are so many scriptures that confirm the rapture is literal that it’s ridiculous not to believe in the rapture. He used Rev. 6:9, 7:9 and Romans 6:10–11 as references.
Reviewed last week’s message talking about the Antichrist beast and how all the world will worship the beast.
Verse 11. The first beast had ten horns, while the second beast had only two horns, which resembled the horns of a lamb. The horn is a symbol of power. Many believe these two horns symbolize religious power and political power. Some believe the second beast will come from the Middle East.
Verse 12. The second beast, who is the false prophet, will cause the world to worship the Antichrist beast because he was brought back to life after receiving a deadly wound. Some believe it is the false prophet that will actually bring the Antichrist beast back from the dead in a very public manner.
Pastor Jim took time to talk about a group of wealthy individuals in the world that are moving the world toward a one-world government system. In the past, they hid their agenda but now they’re very open about it. This group know as the “World Economic Forum,” is very anti-Christian. A statement made by its leader, Klaus Schwab, said, “Jesus is fake news. The World Economic Forum leaders have acquired divine powers to rule over humanity. A new one-world religion has arrived, and it unites all of humanity and worships at the altar of climate science, techno communism, and eugenics.”
Verse 13–14. The false prophet will display miraculous power, like fire coming down from heaven. Many will believe this power is real, and because of this, many will believe the false prophet is a divine being.
Verse 15. Power was given to the image of the beast where it was able to speak. Those that did not worship the beast were sentenced to death. Some say the power will simply be magic, while others believe it will be demonic power.
Pastor Jim compared the forced worship of the beast under the threat of death with Daniel chapter 2 where King Nebuchadnezzar also built an image and forced everyone to worship it under the threat of death.
Verse 16–17. The false prophet will force all the people to receive the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their right hands. Without this mark, you will not be able to transact business. If you control the economy, you control humanity. There was discussion about how the world is moving toward a cashless society.
By receiving the mark, you reject Jesus Christ. It will be a decision for your eternity. The Bible is clear: After taking the mark of the beast, there is no way into heaven and there is no way out of hell.
Read About It
Rev. 13:1–2, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Rev. 6:9, “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.”
Rev. 7:9, “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.”
Rom. 6:10–11, “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”
Discussion Questions
As you read about the false prophet and how he will be able to deceive people with displays of power, how would you be able to discern that it was not of God?
Do you believe in a literal rapture? If yes, would you be able to confirm it using scripture?
Imagine if you were one of those people who were being forced to worship the beast under the threat of death. Can you imagine the thoughts and feelings one would experience in that situation? Would you be able to be strong in faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?