Click here for a .pdf file that retains all of the original formatting. Easier to read.

1 And he stood on the sand of the seashore.

      And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4 and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” 5 And there was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies; and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. 8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

     11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. 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 performs 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 it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Revelation 13: 1-10         It was also given to him to make war with the saints

My brain has been busy thinking about the whole 9-1-1 debacle.  

Good.  Evil.  God.  satan.  

How does it work?  

I was talking with my friend Glen at work about this.  He's a skeptic.  Not a believer, but he has a keen honest mind.

He said, "ask the 3,000 families of the victims if God was looking out for them that day."

And that's where we go, isn't it.

Is it God's job to look out for us?  Everybody?  Just us believers?  

How does that work.  

A guy with a gun walks into a Navy base where he is employed and hoses down 13 people.  Where was God?  Billions of dollars worth of damage on the Rocky Mountain front range from unprecedented flooding.  Where was God.

19 terrorists fly airplanes into the twin towers and the pentagon and kill 3,000 people.  Where was God?  3,000 people, were 500 of them committed christian believers in Jesus.  300?   200?  50?  Where was God.  Did God get all of the christians out of harms way on 9-1-1?  Did believers die that day?

There is good and evil.  There is Satan's kingdom in this world, and God's kingdom, ultimately, over all.

Is God in control??  Why does He allow evil?  

What are our expectations in all of this?

We live in a relative vacuum.  Evil has been at work for thousands of years.  How many times has the jewish holocaust been repeated over 6,000 years.  How many times has human cleansing where one group completely wipes out another group, happened over history.

The United States over the last 200 years has been, in relative terms, an anomaly.  

Well, not really an anomaly.  We were the right group of people in the right place at the right time.  We founded our nation on principles of the Word of God.  We built our society on the 10 commandments.

We're over it.

The anomaly of the umbrella of God's protection that we enjoyed for 220 years . . is over.

Southern Baptist chaplains have been asked to leave their posts in the US military because of the whole gay question.  Our very religious liberties are eroding.  Not just talk this time.  Those chaplains are packing boxes to vacate.  Their future is a big question mark.

It's happening in front of our very eyes.

Teachers, what will you do when your school district asks you to sign a statement of memorandum of understanding that a homosexual lifestyle must be normalized and not considered a sin?  Would you sign that to keep your pay-check coming in?

What about government contractors.  Me and Pam both derive our very existence from this.  Ultimately the government writes our paychecks.  

What will we do when we are asked to sign a paper that says homosexuality is not to be thought of as . . different . . in any way.  To say it is sin is on the same level as saying the "N" word.  To say the "S" word about a homosexual life style, is equivalent to saying the "N" word about a black person.  

It's already happened to the chaplains.  How many months away is it for the rest of us.

Where is God in all of this?  Didn't we hire Him to give us blessings and a wonderful life, and good days?

So, the world belongs to Satan, and the blessings we've enjoyed in a Nation that was built on a respect for God's principles and honor of His word, is largely, over.  Are our expectations realistic.

When Glen said, "Ask the 3,000 families if God was looking out for them that day", my immediate thought was, you've got it backwards.  

Is it God's job to look out for those 3,000 families, or did God create those 3,000 families to glorify HIM.

Did we create God to glorify us?  Or did God create us to glorify HIM?

This is an interesting passage of scripture!

What we see here is...God, in His sovereignty, has placed limits on evil all these centuries.  

God is Sovereign over evil.  He is in sovereign control of the limits that Satan can do.  Only 3,000 perished on 9-1-1, because God set that limit.  He is in Sovereign control over natural evil.  The floods came and destroyed billions of dollars on the front range of the Rockie's, but God set that limit.

In this passage, those limits are lifted.  God is going to give Satan free reign for 3 1/2 years...pretty much.

 1And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.
      Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

I love that the New American Standard begins with the final sentance of chapter 12, as it was certainly intended by it's author.  Some of the manuscripts indicate that it's the author standing on the seashore as an observer, but the oldest and best ones have the dragon standing on the sea shore.

The picture is of the dragon, Satan, standing on the sand of the seashore, conjuring this beast up out of the waters of the sea.

This is Satan's day, and with the church out of the way, he conjures out of the abyss, this final kingdom of evil, complete, as we will see, with a false resurrection from the dead.

In the imagery here, the beast is both nations and kingdoms, but also it has the personality of a single individual.

Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.

This is the totality of Satan's reign on this earth.  10 horns.  7 heads.  This is a composite picture of all of the kingdom of Satan, the authority to reign of Satan in this world, brought to finality.

Seven heads are the historic seven instances of kingdoms that ruled the entire earth.  Egypt.  Assyria.  Babylon.  Medo-Persia.  Greece.  Rome.  (big parenthesis of 2000 years, the church) then this final version that grows out of the 6th, Rome, and becomes Satan's final kingdom over the entire earth after the church is gone.

ON the composite beast the first notable characteristic is the 10 horns.  10 nations.  10 rulers.  

Be careful trying to assign names and territory's to these.  We've heard about the 10 nation confederacy, and made lots of predictions about the European Union, the EU etc etc.  

But don't forget that the *Roman empire* of old, surrounded the mediteranean sea and included parts of all of the Moslem nations.  Africa.  Libya.  Egypt.  Israel.  Jordan.  Iraq.  Syria.  Turkey.  Lebanon.  Arabia.

All of these moslem nations were once partially included in the Roman rule of the whole world.  So don't be so quick to "westernize" this 10.  

The reason I say that is because it's getting more and more obvious that the Moslems are going to be huge player's in Satan's final world rule.

Whatever and who-ever these 10 heads, these 10 kings, 10 diadems, are, they are just puppets to the personality of THE anti-christ revealed here.  Rev. 17 says they have kingdoms, but no authority apart from anti-christ.

and on his heads were blasphemous names

The seven heads.  World dominating kingdoms, authorities to reign, beginning in Egypt, and ending in the future.  

So what are the blasphemus names.

Any name that claims to have authority apart from the God of heaven, is blasphemous.

Let me give you a couple;  Holy Roman Empire.  That's blasphemy.  It was Satanic.  Not Holy.  

How about "Vicar of Christ"  Blasphemy!  Vicar of Satan.  Any title that connects it's power to the God of heaven on this world controlled by Satan, is a blasphemous name.  

All of them have these names and all of them are blasphemous.  This final Kingdom, authority to reign of Satan, will claim to be god of very god.  Ultimate blasphemy!

 3  I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed.

This is how Satan will fool the entire world into believing he has powers equivalent to the God of heaven.  A false resurrection.

The moslems have teachings that include Jesus.  He shows up in Damascus.  Comes back from heaven and explains that in fact, he did not die and rise again, he was somehow taken to heaven and comes back for this purpose to set right all of the confusion caused by the false docrines of the christian bible.  

So you've got an "un-doing" of the death and resurrection of Jesus, if their predictive prophecies are right, and then here, we have Satan's man performing a as if it had been (fake) resurrection from the dead while the world watches.

And the result is in the verses that follow.

And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; 4they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

I want to talk for just a minute about the power of this deception.  This event is so powerful that the Bible indicates it is total and complete deception for virtually every person on the earth with one exception.  God's elect.

Listen to Jesus in Matthew 24:24  "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.

That little dis-claimer, if possible, becomes very important.  If you are not one of God's elect, you have no resource to escape this delusion of a false messiah who dies and is resurrected from the dead.

And that's exactly what Paul said to the Thessalonians.  2Thess.2:1  Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,  (This is the rapture of the church out of the world.)   2that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy  (we've been over this.  The greek word means departing.  Seperating.  I believe this references the rapture, not some apostasy.  The church has had non-stop apostasy for 2,000 years which renders this warning, useless if that's what it means.  I think he's talking about the rapture.  The real church departs, and the false church, the tares, if you will, remain) comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6And you know what restrains him now, (the church.  The true saints in the world)  so that in his time he will be revealed. 7For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

When your friends tell you that they'll believe when they see the rapture, take them here.  The reason they won't believe now is because they take pleasure in wickedness, and God will send a deluding influence after the rapture that is final.

Now is the time to repent and believe.  After the rapture, this delusion is too strong.  Folks who have heard and rejected the truth before the rapture will not be able to avoid this deluding influence.

Jump ahead for a minute to verse 8 of Revelation 13 because it supports all of these ideas.

8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

Only the elect will escape this powerful delusion.  The whole world will be amazed and fall into this deception of a false death and resurrection.  They will all say “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

The beast is invincible.  The beast is god.

And the beast will agree!

5There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him. 6And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

We asked a lot of questions at the beginning about Where is God when evil is happening.

I want you to pay close attention to one little phrase in all of this satanic activity, because it really looks like Satan is winning.  The whole world, minus the elect, fall into this delusion and worship him as God.

and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him
and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him

The God of heaven gives the authority for this power, and the God of heaven sets the limit.  42 months.

Sovereign God is in complete control, even as Satan runs rampant over this earth

Notice also that Satan here, even blaspheme's us.  We are His tabernacle who dwell in heaven at this point.  The rapture has happened.  The church is in heaven, tabernacling with God.  And Satan blasphemes us along with God.

How curious.  Does he make up a blasphemous story about the saints not being saints at all but being cleared away wholesale into hell.  We don't know.  All we know is this statement here.

6And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

Blasphemy is the trademark of the beast.  Every description of him includes his boasting and his blasphemy.  

7It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

How does he have authority to waste the saints?  Audience participation time.  How?  7It was also given to him   By who?  Sovereign Lord of heaven, that's who.  

There will be thousands and thousands of tribulation saints.  They'll hear, and respond, and be gloriously saved.

At what cost?  Their very lives.  First their property.  Then perhaps, their loved ones.  Then their lives.  This is what Jesus was talking about when he said;

Matt. 10:21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

The elect will pay this price.  The non elect, family members, friends, parents, children, will not.  They'll turn their own into the authorities in order to spare their lives.  

Daniel 7:25 says;  He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

The final couple of verses we're going to look at today get into some pretty heavy pre-destination and election.  Listen to them;

8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, every  one  whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. 9If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.

All will bow and worship this anti-christ, this beast from the abyss, unless, they are God's own elect.  Only the elect will be able to withstand and persevere unto death.  

Destiny.  If you're destined for captivity, to captivity you go.  Concentration camps.  Your sword will do you no good.  Perseverence unto death is the faith of the saints.

When Jesus taught about the Kingdom in the Matt. 13 parables, he taught about how the wheat and the tares grow together.  The real and the phony.  That's now.  Our churches are full of people who are playing along for whatever reason.  But a day is coming when the lines will be drawn and the only ones who will make it through the ordeal will be God's own elect.  Those whose names are written in His book from before the world was.

So, to answer some of the questions I posed at first, I think we're delusional.  I think modern American christians have some odd expectations about God.  What we learn here is that, it's not about US, it's about Him.  It's not about now, and our things, and our property,and our jobs, and our families.  God is gracious and blesses us with what we do not deserve, but people, there are far greater dramas being played out here and now than this life, this time.

Get ready to lose it all, if necessary, for the glory of God.  This life is a drop in the bucket of eternity.  Big things are happening.  Bigger things will shortly come to pass I think.