Revelation 13:1-2
The Counterfeit Jesus
Please open your Bible to Daniel 7 as well.
As I have said in the last few message, I believe we crossed into the
the last half of the Tribulation when the seventh Trumpet Judgment
began. Since \\#Rev 11:14\\, God has been giving us background
information to help us understand what would be taking place.
1. \\#Rev 11:14-19\\ God served the devil with an eviction
notice.
a. For the next 3 1/2 years, God will be removing the devil’s
power and authority.
b. It started in the very next chapter.
2. Revelation 12 describes the conflict between God and the
devil, starting at the cross and bringing the summary up to
what will happen at the middle of the Tribulation, namely
Satan will lose his last foothold in heaven. From that point
onward, he will not even be able to accuse the saved before
God; so he will direct all of his anger and wrath toward the
people of God, namely the Tribulation saints and the nation
of Israel.
3. Being angry and limited to the earth, the devil puts together
his A Team, the Demonic Trinity.
Several times throughout this book, I have mentioned the Demonic
Trinity. Today we meet—in detail—the first member.
It is interesting that God chose to introduce us to the anti-Christ
at this point, the middle of the Tribulation.
Dan 9:27 And he (the anti-Christ) shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week….
1. It is the anti-Christ that creates the treaty with Israel
that starts the seven-year Tribulation.
2. From there, he will be an aspiring world leader, on the main
stage, visible for all to see.
So why introduce the anti-Christ now? No one knows but perhaps it is
because at the middle of the Tribulation, the anti-Christ reaches
his peak.
1. The peak of his popularity, pride, and power.
2. Perhaps it is because by now he has his pool of allies in
place.
3. Because he has secured his position of world leader.
4. Perhaps it is because the devil secured his possession of
him.
Rev 13:1 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.
I. \\#1-11\\ He will be the beast that rises out of the sea.
A. God mentioned the beast in \\#Rev 11:7\\.
1. I told you then that we don’t normally call something that
is friendly a beast.
2. Rather, we call something ruthless, violent, and deadly a
beast.
3. That is the case here.
4. This being will be ruthless, violent, and deadly.
5. It will be the primary and predominate quality of this
man and of the work he does.
B. But even though this one is called a beast, He will also be a
human.
1. The beast is another name for the anti-Christ.
2. \\#2Thess 2:3\\ calls him the "man of sin."
C. \\#1\\ Notice that he arises "up out of the sea.
1. The sea is a picture of humanity.
2. It means the anti-Christ will be a person, just one of
the gang of humanity.
3. He will not have a solid black eyes, little horns in
his forehead, or a deep, reverberating voice.
4. As there were no distinguishing physical characteristics
to mark the Son of Man, so there will be none to mark
the man of sin.
D. However symbolically, God is identifying him in several ways.
(These may not all be seen in him at the very beginning, but
they will make it clear who is the anti-Christ.)
II. \\#2\\ He will head the fourth and final world kingdom.
A. The anti-Christ is described in terms of animals:
1. "like a leopard"
2. "feet of a bear"
3. "mouth of a lion"
4. \\#1\\ beast
B. In \\#Daniel 7:1-7\\, Daniel saw a vision of the four world
kingdoms.
C. In the vision, each kingdom was represented by an animal.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the
sea, diverse one from another.
4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s
wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were
plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth,
and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a
man’s heart was given to it.
5 And behold another beast, a second, like to
a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and
it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the
teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise,
devour much flesh.
6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a
leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings
of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and
dominion was given to it.
7 After this I saw in the night visions, and
behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,
and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and
stamped the residue with the feet of it: and
it was diverse from all the beasts that were
before it; and it had ten horns.
1. Babylon was represented by an eagle.
2. The Medes/Persian empire was represented by a bear.
3. The Greeks were represented by a leopard.
4. And the last kingdom was just called a beast, and was the
Roman Empire.
5. Those are the same animals mentioned here and this
kingdom, the final world kingdom, is called by the
same term, a beast.
D. Notice that the beast actually describes both the anti-Christ
AND his kingdom.
1. That is important.
2. Some of the things that are said of the beast will be
describing him, the anti-Christ, and some will be
describing the kingdom that the anti-Christ builds.
3. Without understanding that, things may get very confusing.
E. There is something different here.
1. John was not seeing four different kingdoms.
2. He was seeing the fourth kingdom but it had all the
images of all four kingdoms rolled into one.
3. That is God’s way of saying the principal and predominate
quality of the first three world empires will also be in
the fourth kingdom.
4. So the fourth empire will have the authority of Babylon,
the strength of Persia, and the speed of the Greeks,
plus an out and out brutality that will be uniquely its
own and will justify God calling this kingdom a beast.
III. \\#1\\ He will have the backing of world powers and of world
leaders.
Rev 13:1 …ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns
A. Let me tell you upfront that I have no doubt of this point.
1. The anti-Christ will have the backing of world powers and
of world leaders.
2. However, I am not for sure that is what these symbols are
referring to, especially the seven hills.
B. the ten horns and their ten crowns
1. These are not automobile horns but animal horns, used by
animals both to protect and to attack.
2. The horn is the emblem and—for the animal—the source of
its power.
3. So ten powerhouses are going to back this beast.
a. I believe it is possible that the ten horns are ten
nations and their ten crowns are their ten rulers.
b. This thought is not just the imagination of my mind.
c. Notice in \\#Dan 7:7\\, Daniel saw ten horns on the
head of fourth beast, and he was told what they
mean:
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom
are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall
rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the
most High, and shall wear out the saints of the
most High, and think to change times and laws:
and they shall be given into his hand until a
time and times and the dividing of time.
d. There is no doubt that God was talking about the anti-
Christ. He’s the loud-mouthed little horn that
speaks against God.
e. I believe that is essentially the same thing John saw
except John is telling us that the power will be the
ten nations that follow the anti-Christ, but the
reason they follow him is because the ten crowns or
kings are following the anti-Christ.
C. the seven heads
1. Again, I am not sure, but I think the seven heads will be
the seven rulers left standing.
2. Notice the math given in Daniel 7:24.
a. We start with ten rulers.
b. Then the loud-mouthed horn arises (that is the anti-
Christ).
c. And the loud-mouthed horn subdues, defeats, and
removes, three of the kings.
d. So we started with ten, we subtract 3, how may are
left? Seven.
3. It looks like the anti-Christ steps on the scene with the
approval of ten powerful nations and their rulers; but
before long, for some reason, he will have a conflict
with and remove three of them.
4. It is for this reason that some Christians keep our eyes
on the United Nations and its spin offs like G8 (Group of
Eight world powers, currently reduced to G7 (Russia got
suspended for bad behavior in 2014)).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_of_Eight
5. \\#3\\ Notice one of the heads or rulers almost dies but
is restored.
Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were
wounded to death; and his deadly wound was
healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast.
a. \\#3\\ does not say that the beast has a near fatal
experience, but one of the heads.
(1) For a one-headed being, a head wound can
certainly be deadly.
(2) It would seem to be for a seven-headed beast as
well.
b. \\#12\\ says that the beast had a deadly wound healed
and \\#14\\ indicates it was caused by a sword.
c. If all of these verses are speaking of the same event,
it would appear that the heads are essential to the
beast.
d. Some believe this is a picture of a literal death and
resurrection of the anti-Christ.
(1) This fits well with the idea of a unholy trinity
and a counterfeit Jesus for Jesus died and rose
again.
(2) I have preached that thought myself.
(3) But not knowing for certain what the heads are
makes it a bit too far of a leap to think the
beast will have or even pretend to have a
literal resurrection.
IV. \\#4\\ The dragon will empower the beast.
Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped
the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?
A. This is the Demonic Trinity, which means there will be three
demonic persons involved.
B. The anti-Christ will not be in this alone.
1. The anti-Christ will be the counterfeit Jesus.
2. The dragon or the devil will be the counterfeit Father.
3. And the "other beast," described in \\#11-18\\, will be
the counterfeit Holy Ghost.
V. \\#4,8\\ The lost world will worship the dragon and the anti-
Christ.
Rev 4:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the
book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world.
A. People think this world is evolving.
B. Not so.
C. As it already evident by the events taking place in our
world today, this world is devolving.
D. We have yet to see how foolish and unwise it can become, but
this verse is telling us.
E. This world will sink to the place where they will actually
bow their knee, love, and adore the devil himself.
VI. \\#5-6\\ The anti-Christ will be a loud-mouth blasphemer of God.
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies; and power
was given unto him to continue forty and two
months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against
God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle,
and them that dwell in heaven.
A. The anti-Christ will run his mouth against God and
righteousness for 42 months.
B. That is the entire length of the seventh Trumpet Judgment,
otherwise called the Great Tribulation.
1. This is the last reference to all 3 1/2 years meaning we
will now be moving on into the last half of the
Tribulation.
2. Since Revelation 11:14, we have been standing still in
time looking at different events happening and being
given background information to help us understand what
was about to happen.
3. However, the clock is about to start ticking again.
VII. \\#7\\ The anti-Christ will make war with the saved.
Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war
with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues,
and nations.
A. God will do some miracles to deliver and revenge the attacks
against His people.
Rev 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into
captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be
killed with the sword. Here is the patience and
the faith of the saints.
1. I take it that means if you kill one of God’s, you will be
killed in like manner and if you imprison one of God’s,
you will be imprisoned in like manner.
2. I am not sure how God accomplish that.
3. This is all that Bible says about this at this point.
B. However, do not be deceived.
C. God’s people will lose this battle.
D. As \\#Daniel 7:9\\ described, the only thing that will stop
the anti-Christ is the Christ, there called the Ancient of
Days.
E. He will come to stop the anti-Christ and to establish His
kingdom.
The question to be asked then will be the same question that has been
by hundreds of thousands of preachers through the centuries, to which
kingdom do you want to belong?
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