The False Prophet (The Second Beast) | Revelation 13:11-14 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Series)

What he accomplished, made me more excited to open God's word with you this afternoon. Well, let's turn in our Bibles now to Revelation chapter 13. When the lord Jesus taught about some of the marks of the last days, he explained that of the most prevalent signs would be the emergence of false Christs and false prophets who would even perform signs and wonders so as to deceive many. And though there will be multiple of deceivers who will arise, especially when the world is in its most chaotic phase, searching for answers, longing for somebody to bring a solution to all the mayhem around them. The word of God also teaches that there will be a single false prophet who'll be the most influential and impactful of them all.

That's right. The scriptures teach that there is coming an ultimate final false prophet who will be the most fraudulent and conniving of them all. Now students of the end times rarely give attention to this individual because the Antichrist seems to get most of the press. But we have to remember that as we've been studying Revelation 13, John's vision of this beast who represents the antichrist is not yet complete. We haven't gotten the whole picture yet.

As we're about to read, John, the same John who saw this terrifying creature is going to describe another one. There will be another beast who will arise and he will play a very significant role in the final years of human history. And so he will be the focus of our study today as we now turn to Revelation 13 beginning in verse 11, And we're going to consider some of the characteristics of this second beast as he's introduced us in this prophecy. Revelation 13 verse 11 reads, then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. And by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. Let's pray one more time. Father, we believe that what we just read is your voice.

And we believe that it is a treasure for our souls. But Lord, we also know that our flesh, our carnality can meddle with what you intend to say. So we ask for your help. We ask for clarity. We ask for conviction.

We even ask for comfort as we open up these words more carefully. And we pray that our hearts would be drawn to the person of Jesus Christ in a more intimate and loving manner. We give you glory and thanks, Lord. Take authority over every thought, every emotion, Lord. May we receive the pure milk of the word as your church.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, the verses that we just read can seem quite daunting, like many portions of the book of Revelation. But I think we can simplify what we just read by breaking these thoughts up into three main sections, if you will. So we're looking at the second beast.

We studied the past couple of weeks about the first beast, but now we have this new figure before us. And I want us to look at three things concerning him. Number one, I want us to consider the identity of the second beast. Who is he or what is he? Can we know that?

Well, we'll find out in a few moments. So the identity of the beast. But from there, we have to look at the mission of the second beast. What's his purpose? And how does it correlate with the operations of the first beast?

Is there a partnership going on here? Evidently, as we just read, there is. And finally, I don't want us to consider the authority of the second beast because the miracles that he will be able to perform, you cannot ignore, and they mean something. And so let's begin by looking at the identity of the second beast. It's plainly laid out here in verse 11, is it not?

But look again in your Bibles. John begins by saying, then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. So like the first beast, there are a lot of opinions about who or what this new beast represents. But the fact that John says he saw another beast helps us know that this character is distinct from the first one, but he is also sharing something in common. That's what the original word for another actually means.

Separate, yet of the same kind. Why is that important to know? Well, we determine when studying the first beast that this is primarily speaking about a person who will be a ruler of an empire. He's a political military figure. He's an individual, once again.

So for now, John to say that he saw another beast teaches us that we're also looking at another person. And this will become more clear as we go on. But what we want to spend more time here is where this beast comes from. Did you notice that it's different from the first? This beast, we're told, comes out of the earth.

Where did the first beast come out of? The sea. Very good. Now here's where it gets a little bit tricky. We also determined that when the first beast came out of the sea, the sea according to Revelation and a lot of parts of the bible, represents the nations.

So if the sea represents the nations, then what does it mean for the second beast to come out of the earth? Well, we'll see in a moment. Here's one popular interpretation. Since the sea again in Revelation strongly symbolizes peoples and nations and multitudes and languages, this strongly means that the first beast must be a gentile. And when you factor in all these other prophecies about the antichrist, you make a very strong case that he is indeed someone who is a gentile.

By way of contrast, however, because the second beast comes from the earth, some claim that he originates from a more specific location, namely Israel. And the reason for that is because they'll make a case that the land often in the Bible speaks about Israel, the land. Even if it's not specifically telling you what land it is, that generic term the land can mean Israel. Making this individual the second beast of Jewish descent. Now I'm aware of those who are proponents of this you will also show and provide additional sub points that this interpretation is most likely, because of things like for example, do you remember when we studied about the 144,000?

We have all these tribes and 12,000 coming from each of them. Well, one main tribe that's not mentioned was which tribe? Dan. The tribe of Dan. And then when you consider the prophecy about Dan early in Genesis, that's very ominous.

And so some make this connection, well, Dan is omitted from the 144 who will be redeemed and will represent Christ. Dan also doesn't get the best kind of descriptions even in the Old Testament. So could it be that the second beast who comes from the earth actually comes out of this particular tribe and is therefore of Jewish descent, which would make sense to some degree because how else are you gonna pursue Jews to put their trust in somebody like the Antichrist? It's a very compelling case. However, it's difficult to state it dogmatically due to the lack of clear scriptural evidence.

Therefore, this is a good place to remind ourselves of something that when a text lacks scriptural support, we must refrain from making absolute claims. Now we can talk about it and we can have differing opinions. I mean, for you to identify who the second beast is, it's very difficult to become a heretic with your opinion. Although it's possible, anything is possible, I guess. We have to be charitable, we have to be humble, and we have to develop the discipline of seeking to get the answers with the data that is before us.

So if we are simply working with this text, if we're looking at just what's revealed in the immediate context, what is more likely being communicated here is that this beast who is gonna function as a spiritual and religious figure is not heaven sent. In other words, the imagery demonstrates that this powerful persuasive voice that's gonna inspire the world to worship is worldly. He's from below. It reminds me actually what Jesus said when he distinguished himself from the religious leaders of his time when he confronted them in John chapter eight. Do you remember what he said in John eight verse 23?

He said to them, you are from below. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. So for John to receive this description of the second beast from the outset could very well mean that he represents a person who comes from the earth anchoring us especially as we go on to see what he's going to perform.

He's gonna do miracles. I mean, impressive miracles, not cheap ones. And it's as though we are being told right away, yes, this man whom you are witnessing is very powerful. He's very persuasive but remember, he is from the earth. That's not all there is to the identity of the beast.

The second part of verse 11, look at it again with me in your bibles. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. A very different description from the first beast. Right? The first beast that John saw, terrifying.

It was one single creature made up of all these different animal details. It had multiple heads, multiple horns, it's just grotesque. And And then you come to the second beast and we're reading something like a lamb with very little additional details. Much less intimidating perhaps by way of comparison or is it? Why is the second beast described as lamb like?

Well because whoever this individual is, he is going to appear to be innocent, gentle, harmless. He does possess authority as symbolized by the horns. Horns in the bible speak of authority, but not in the same way as the first beast who had a lot of horns and he came as a crushing, conquering political dictator. No. The second beast instead has horns, but doesn't have crowns on them.

The first beast had crowns, remember? And that speaks of, again, kingdoms and governments. So whatever authority this lamb has, it's not of political nature. Instead, he presents himself as meek, as winsome. I mean, you feel safe around this lamb in a sense.

You're you're secure. There's a soothing voice to some degree that will bring comfort and assurance to much of the world especially as it is falling apart. However, all of this will be a sham. This is all a facade. On the surface, the second beast may seem lamb like, but when it opens its mouth, you hear the voice of a dragon.

Isn't that what we read? Now what could that possibly mean? Can you imagine the sound and the sight? Looks like a lamb but when it opens its mouth of the roar of a dragon? It's very simple.

We know the dragon to represent Satan. And so here what here's what this means. Although this beast comes with a demeanor that seems reliable and trusting and wholesome, his words are from the devil. His message is satanic. He is ultimately energized and possessed by the evil one.

And I argue he's more terrifying this second beast than the first Because of just the absolute lie that this man will be to the world. And he fulfills exactly what the Lord Jesus warned about in Matthew seven fifteen. What did he say? He warned, beware of false prophets. Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

And this man will be more than a wolf. He will be a dragon. Again, he's gonna be the ultimate false prophet, the last false prophet, the false prophet of the false prophets. And to the world, he will seem like a lamb. And this is a good place to pause and reflect on how Satan works in our world.

So far in this vision, we've seen two beasts. They are different in their characteristics and their functions, yet they are both empowered by Satan. And that tells me how Satan operates even today. Like the first beast who openly blasphemes God, who with a lethal hatred hunts down Christians to kill them even, who even declares himself to be God. Satan today, and we're seeing this more and more in our day, are we not, Is becoming less and less subtle.

There are times where he manifests himself clearly, directly. I mean, you're watching award shows now where Satan is being demonstrated and praised. It's open mockery. But like the second beast, Satan also works in not so obvious ways. And one of the most deceiving ways that he masks himself as gentle and inviting and harmless and even righteous is in the realm of religion and faith.

Have you ever considered in the new testament how much Christians Christians, not the world, Christians are warned about false teachers? There is a warning in virtually every new testament book. Did you know that? You know what that tells me? That tells me that leaders in the local church should regularly warn the people of God of people like that, of false teachers.

And that's what I wanna do in this brief time. Just in this section here, I wanna be able to offer some warning. I wanna be able to offer us some level of discernment to be able to distinguish somebody who is true and somebody who is a fraud. There are a lot of voices these days and the difficulty of false prophets now is that in the in the New Testament, false prophets would have to lurk into an actual meeting like this and build relationships and then invite people to their homes or be invited to their homes and sit with them and spew their lies. Nowadays, they're in your pocket.

And they have podcasts. And they fill arenas. And they seem like they perform miracles. And when you hear them, man, they touch your heart. They're the way they are with words and they even quote scripture.

It's terrifying to some degree. But we shouldn't be paranoid. The bible has been granted us to be deceive proof. And here's one of the things that you and I have to develop as a discipline. When anybody teaches in the name of God, whether on a platform or in a living room or on a screen, do not make your judgment based on how they look.

You know, false teachers also wear suits and ties. Do not make your judgment on how they sound or how persuasive their words are or how powerful their deeds may be. Instead, listen to what they are saying and evaluate it with God's word. Remember, the second beast had the appearance of a lamb, but when it opens its mouth, it has the words of Satan. What was the giveaway?

When the lamb opened its mouth From the external, from distant observation, harmless, innocent, cute, the moment it began to speak, it revealed where it actually came from. Which tells you and I that what we have to do in order to be able to identify those who are true from those who are false is listen to the content, listen to the substance of the message. And by God's grace, we have something to compare it to. You know, there are people who are willing to believe anyone, even their twisted teaching about the Lord Jesus and the Christian faith, even though it clearly contradicts God's word because they seem sincere. All it takes is somebody to seem sincere for people to let their guard down.

I mean, when that person talks, they have tears streaming down their face as they talk about their version of Christ. Certainly, there's some legitimacy here. Certainly, they seem genuine. Tears are not the mark of truth. Passion and intensity are not the evidences of somebody being sincere.

It's what they're saying, not how they're saying it. Actually, I wanna invite you to a book of the bible that shows us even more Romans. Look at Romans 16 for a second. Romans 16 verse 18. Paul warns this is just one example of how the apostles almost in all of their writings admonish Christians to not be duped.

In Romans 16 verse 18, he says, for such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. Pause for a moment. There are people who present themselves as teachers, as missionaries, as miracle workers, and they claim to come in the name of the truth, but they are really serving their own appetites. You have to understand that. Just because somebody takes a time to travel somewhere, get up on a platform, speak through a microphone, doesn't mean that they come from a humble and truthful place.

There are some people who are manipulating and taking advantage of Christians for their own selfish gain. But their own appetites and by, look at this, smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the hearts of the naive. Who are the victims of such false teachers? The naive. What is a naive person?

Somebody who lacks wisdom and judgment. Somebody who's gullible. Somebody who just listens and there there's no discernment, there's no pushback, there's no questions being asked, there's no evaluation being made. You know, it's amazing. In Acts chapter 17, when Paul and Silas went to Berea, we're told that the believers in Berea were more noble than the Thessalonians for two reasons, because they eagerly received the scriptures, so there was a hunger, and more than that, they daily examined the scriptures to see if what this missionary team was saying was according to the word of God.

So we have a choice as Christians. We're either gonna be noble according to the Holy Spirit standards or naive. And the naive, they don't go to the word of God. This is not the ultimate authority to determine what's true and what's false. Experience is the ultimate authority.

Somebody's personality, their charisma, their supposed stories of how they have backing to their ministry because look what God did supposedly through me. No. No. No. That's all great, but I gotta find out what the scripture say.

And the Holy Spirit crowns the brains with nobility because now here's the thing. I knew some people when I first got saved that if you went to the bible to examine what somebody was saying or what a ministry was all about, you're being religious. You're being legalistic. You're not being open minded. Okay.

You can say what you want. I wanna be noble according to God's standards. What does God's word have to say? And so we can either be naive or we can be noble. Now, this is what's so interesting.

They they speak with smooth words. There's flattery going on here, but what makes them false? Go back to verse 17, the verse right before this. Paul writes, I appeal to you brothers to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught. Avoid them.

Over and over in different ways, it's it's the same mark of difference. What makes somebody false ultimately is that what they're saying is contrary to the doctrine that you've known that's been provided to us. So move through all the smooth talk, all the powerful oratory skills and listen to what is being communicated, does it honor, does it line up with the Bible? And if it doesn't, especially with the black and white of doctrine, they're dangerous. They're either willfully ignorant or they're untrained and they shouldn't be teaching in the first place.

And I know there is more to learn about how to identify false teachers, but for now, we have to ask the Lord for the discipline to investigate the material of what's being said, not the method. To look for the substance of what's being said, not for sight and not for even signs. God help us. There are some people who are so caught up in signs and wonders. I believe that God can do miracles, but miracles alone do not determine if something is true.

This second beast is gonna perform miracles and I'm afraid for professing Christians who make their whole Christianity about manifestations are setting themselves up for great danger today and tomorrow. This lamb like man appears true and he will even perform miracles and it will damn people to hell for eternity, which brings us to our second thought. We looked at the identity of the beast, but let's look at the mission of the beast. Beast. Come back to Revelation 13 for a moment and look again at verse 12.

It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose mortal wound was healed. So you've been hearing me say from the beginning of this message that whoever the second beast is, he's going to be a false prophet. But is there anything in scripture that explicitly states that? And I'm here to tell you, yes, there is. But before we look at these scriptures, be mindful of this.

Remember this, that so far in this amazing captivating vision, we've been learning about different figures. Number one, the dragon. Who is Satan. Then we've seen the first beast who is the antichrist. And now we come to the second beast who's the final figure in this vision and I wanna show you how he is not only labeled as a false prophet but the false prophet.

So are you there in Revelation? Travel with me to chapter 16 and look at verse 13. Revelation 16 verse 13, and I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon we looked at him before. Right? And out of the mouth of the beast, we saw him already, didn't we?

Who do you expect to be announced next? The second beast. Right? But notice what it says. And out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

Go to chapter 19 verse 20. This is an attack that describes what will take place when Christ actually returns, physically returns to the world. And it says here in Revelation nineteen twenty, and the beast was captured and with it the false prophet, who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. So again, now we are reintroduced to the beast and not just the second beast but the false prophet, the function of the second beast.

And notice that they were thrown alive in the lake of fire. So these two figures are more than institutions, they are not just movements, they are individuals. I hope that's clear. Let's look at one more thing. Go to chapter 20 verse 10.

And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire in Salfah where the beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. These are texts, in my opinion, that make it very difficult to see how these truths have been fulfilled in the past among many things that we've already seen in Revelation. It's only gonna get more complicated for those who hold to a different view other than the future is interpretation. But here's what we wanna establish, this beast is the false prophet. Right?

Now, what makes a false prophet false is that they propagate a false message. So we have to now examine and try to understand what is the agenda that he's gonna be pushing? What is the campaign that he's going to be promoting? And it's very simple. Verse 12 tells us back in chapter 13 that he makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast.

So he is going to step on the scene in order to convince the world to not just serve the first beast, not just honor the first beast, but to actually worship him. You think that's crazy? Worship a man? Well do a little bit of research in history and and you'll discover that there are empires and there are forms of government, especially those that are authoritarian and dictator like, where it doesn't take very long for the ruler of that movement to be deified. So this is nothing new.

This isn't so far fetched. But here's what's so amazing to me. This second beast who is known as the false prophet, now as he comes into this vision, completes a picture reminding us of how Satan seeks to imitate the true God To the extent that he even wants to mimic the triune nature of our God. We serve a God who is one, but is also Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And now with this second beast before us, we can determine that Satan is so desperate, so vile, so creepy that he even wants to imitate the triunity of the true God.

Think about it. You have the dragon who empowers the antichrist. Now that dragon is like an anti father. The antichrist, I'm sure it's clear. He is going to be essentially the devil incarnate.

He is obviously an anti Christ, anti son of God. And now we read about this second beast who we're told is the false prophet and his job is to do what? Point people and promote the worship of the antichrist, a counterfeit Holy Spirit. So what we have here in this vision is the satanic trinity. A false father, a false son, a false Holy Spirit.

Do you remember what Jesus said when he described the main role of the Holy Spirit in John 16 verse 14? He said, he will glorify me for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. That's what he said about the Holy Spirit. By the way, pause. Do you wanna know if the Holy Spirit is in a church?

See how much that church elevates and exalts Jesus Christ. That's what he does. He all he wants to glorify Christ. He wants to help people love him and adore him and serve him. That's his duty.

That's his job and he gladly does it. Do you wanna know the Holy Spirit is working in your life? You will love Christ more and more and more. That's the way I know when the Holy Spirit is really in a person or through a ministry or through the preacher. How much do you make of Christ?

Because Jesus himself said, he will glorify me and in a sick evil way, this false prophet will attempt to copy the work of the Holy Spirit by try trying to draw the allegiance and the affections of the inhabitants of the world toward the antichrist. And his ambition to do so will will receive great momentum because of the miracle that we looked at. Remember last week where this Antichrist will apparently be assassinated but he will also seem to have raised from the dead. A resurrection esque type of miracle. And that miracle remember when we opened this message and read the verses that we're focusing on, brings up It comes to our attention more than once in order to show us that this false prophet is gonna utilize that event to convince the masses, hey, this antichrist is more than he's more than human.

He's divine. He was able to conquer death. Have you seen our world in recent history? All the people that are succumb to disease and devastation and the sword. Well, here you have a man here who was able to evade death, conquer death.

Is he not worthy of our worship? This is how he's gonna talk. He's gonna be so compelling. He's gonna be so so so convincing. He's gonna be such a joy to listen to, and more and more people are gonna believe his message not just enjoy what he has to say.

So what we have here is in fact, a remarkable demonstration of the devil seeking to be like God in every way possible and before long, all of this will culminate in a one world religion. So alongside the one world government that the Antichrist will establish, there will also be this effort in the final years of human history to gather people for a global unity of spirituality. And the Antichrist will be the focal point of man's worship. And these detailed predictions are fascinating, are they not? We're gonna learn more about this one world religion.

And by the way, we're seeing it entertained now. There are leaders of sects and different religion who are trying to convince and promote this idea of just let's just all we all serve the same God, you know. Are you of the Abrahamic faith? Yes. It just all goes back to the same root.

And there's gonna be this push, this ecumenical idea of let's all gather, let this is gonna be the source of our unity and peace in the world and it's been unsuccessful so far, but at this point, it's actually going to reach a point where it's gonna happen. The world's gonna agree to this. So you have a one world government and without a one world religion. As we go to chapter 17 in the coming weeks, we'll look more into that. But for now, you know what gripped me as I was studying this the other night?

That even with everything happening in the tribulation period, disasters and all these different things, man will still be preoccupied with worship. That moved me. That moved me. You know why? Because it says something about human nature.

That there is something innate in each of us that desires to worship someone or something. There's this yearning for to to to to touch the transcendent. I'll never forget this, when I was in college, they gave the Christian group in that campus such a difficult time to start a campus ministry and to be very public about it. I remember it so clearly because I wanted to be a part of it. And as Christians on that campus were getting together to try to talk and discuss and you know, sit with the program coordinators and whoever was in charge behind the scenes, I remember this in the cafeteria speaking to one of the young adults at the time, my young adult pastor actually, and when we had left talking about the plans for the campus, I looked behind me in the cafeteria were these lineups of students and it caught my attention.

So I went to go look into it. My young adults passed through the time left at that point, and what I realized is that the the the school had invited fortune tellers. And they had four or five tables of fortune tellers with tarot cards, and they had kids lined up to have their future interpreted and read. I was curious. So I I went up to the the table there, it says, how do I sign up?

I didn't do it. I just said, I wanna know. They said, sorry sir, we have a wait list and we have people giving their numbers so we can text them once they're ready to come up. What is that? I'll tell you what it is.

People are hungry for the supernatural. People people have this instinct knowledge that there's something beyond the material world. And there's this longing for people to even worship. And here's the fundamental problem, that worship is often misdirected. And the bible calls that idolatry.

Only the true God deserves our ultimate awe, our devotion, our obedience and if we don't offer it to him, we will inevitably give it to someone or something else even ourselves. So my question for us this afternoon is, do you worship? But what do you worship? And who do you worship? Where is your greatest affection set?

Where do you find your ultimate meaning? What determines your purpose? And ask yourself even this, what is the supreme authority that determines my decisions? The answers to those questions will identify for you the object of your worship. And it's either the true God as revealed in the bible or an idol.

And in this time, you will have people, the future we're looking at right in this book, who will be preoccupied with worship because we are all created to worship. And we have the choice to either worship the truth or something that is false to our own spiritual peril. So the mission of the second beast is to inspire worship for a false Christ who offer false promises, false salvation, false miracles, and many will believe him. Let's consider now the authority of the second beast in the last two verses of the text that we read. It says here in verse 13 of Revelation 13, it performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven to the earth in front of people and by the signs that it is allowed.

You gotta highlight that part. That it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast. It deceives those who dwell on the earth telling him to make an image of the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lives. So this false prophet will not only manipulate the masses with his his language and his words, not only will he continually point to and make a case from this incredible event, this resurrection type miracle that the Antichrist will experience and showcase. On top of it, he's gonna perform miracles.

Astounding ones, impressive ones, and I understand that some people who come to a text like this have these dominant questions. Is this is this genuine? Are these fake? Are these just a show? Is it just a slight of hand kind of thing?

And if it is real, then how how do we explain God allowing these type of demonic individuals perform levels of miracles on on par with his supernatural ability? And those are legitimate questions. And supernatural ability? And those are legitimate questions. And the answer is deeper than, well, Satan is a supernatural being.

He's the really the the puppet master behind all this, so he's energizing them to perform these kind of things. I I think it's much more profound and here's the answer. God. God is allowing as we just read it, is allowing them to perform such mighty things as an act of judgment on the world. That's the answer.

And that's exactly how the Apostle Paul explains it. So here's our final text today in second Thessalonians in chapter two. I want you to see how he gives commentary on what we're reading here in Revelation 13 in chapter two second Thessalonians verse nine. Paul writes, the coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved, verse 11 is the main one that we want to look at. Therefore, God, not Satan, not the false prophet, not the Antichrist.

Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false. In order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. You have to be very careful with a text like this. I've seen people use it to accuse the character of God. It does not say that God sends a strong delusion on just anybody.

It doesn't just arbitrarily deceive or allow deception rather to claim people. It says that he sends a strong delusion on those who refuse to love the truth and so be saved. On those who do not believe the truth but had taken pleasure in unrighteousness. And the context of this passage is of the last days. Speaking about what's to come, which means that after all that the Lord will do leading up to the culmination of the age.

We've been looking at in Revelation, the miracles, the manifestations, the obvious display of God's existence unlike any other period, unlike any other era. Despite all of that, God will be met with persistent rejection. And it will reach a point where he will finally determine, if if you wanna be in darkness that badly, if you wanna deny me, I won't convict you anymore. I won't manifest myself to you anymore. Do you you wanna be in your sin?

You want to obey falsehood? Here you go. I will let you believe a false messiah and a false prophet to your own destruction. He's not the author of deception, but he is a sovereign one who allows it to come like a flood. Upon a generation more specifically, who have spat in his face despite his incredible efforts to save them.

Now I can imagine how some might use a passage like this to accuse God of being cruel. And if you're somebody here sitting and listening and thinking something like that, I wanna challenge your accusation. I wanna challenge your accusation by asking how can you charge God of being wrong for simply giving people what they want? You know, it's amazing. You have some that no matter what God does with humanity, he's to blame for something.

Right? So if he convicts you of unrighteousness, if he shines the light in your life while you are in the dark, people who don't want to be convicted say, well, you're unloving. Who are you to say that this is true and this is false? This is right and this is wrong. This is good and this is evil.

And if he lets you live in the deception that you wanna die for, well he's unjust and he's unfair and he's mean. So no matter what way you look at it, God always gets the blame. This is how evil we are. There's a time coming, as I said, that God will allow these people to have a freedom to unveil evil unlike any other point and it will be to some degree a manifestation of God's judgment upon a generation who have already determined we don't want to be saved. We want our sin.

We want our falsehood. We hate you, and we deny you completely. K? If that's what you just determined, here's another messiah and here's another false prophet and here's another message of salvation that will not save you but condemn you. God will send a strong delusion and that's what we're reading about in Revelation 13.

It will be so strong that this false prophet will even convince the world, alright, let's now make an image of this beast. Like Nebuchadnezzar, when he created that statue of himself and demanded all his subjects to worship it, history repeats itself. This Antichrist will gladly welcome the creative idea from the false prophet to have an image raised. And we're gonna see what's gonna happen with this image next week, but for now I want us to meditate on something as we come to this table. We read how God will send a strong delusion, but that's not his heart.

Before God will send a strong delusion, he has already sent something much more wonderful. It's his son, Jesus. That's his heart. Two thousand years ago, he sent mercy, he sent grace, he sent love, he sent the payment for all of our deeds, all of our wrongdoings, all of our rebellion. God sent a rescue mission on our behalf.

In the person of Jesus Christ, he took on flesh and he allowed evil men to do what they wanted with him. Not that he lost control, he laid down his life willingly, knowing that he would be able to absorb all the wrath that rests on your head and mine. As he was elevated to that tree, he was not just a mere martyr. He was not a victim of the religious corrupt system or the Roman Empire. This was all preordained.

This is all established from from eternity past within the triunity of our God. Coming up with the ultimate plan of salvation that would deem would redeem any man who would simply humble themselves and realize Jesus on that tree took my place. And he paid the price. And he lived out my obedience. And he he laid down his life to receive God's judgment.

Why did he do all that? As an invitation for you and I to see his love and also to receive him personally. Here's my final question. I've asked a lot today. Do you know Jesus?

You know, although that passage in second Thessalonians is a prediction of what's to come, it also carries principle for today. It is a very dangerous thing to constantly be exposed to the truth and swatted away. You're not doing your heart any good. In fact, you're setting yourself up to become even more and more and more hardened. And I don't want anybody to think here that I'm manipulating anybody.

I want you to understand this is what the scripture warns. If you hear his voice today, today is the day of salvation. If you sense throughout this message especially this last part, your heart being cut, there's something coming alive in you where you realize there's something true about this. I I don't know all the details but I know that there is a God. I know that I'm sinful and you're telling me that this God loved me so much that he died for me?

If you sense that prompting, don't silence it. Don't ignore it. Respond to it. Respond to it. Investigate it.

Question it in a good way. Look into it. Don't dismiss it. Because when people constantly suppress that conviction, they make themselves more ripe for deception. Believer, you and I are here today to understand and remind ourselves with this table before us that God so loved us.

He took on flesh and he shed his blood. And you are sitting here today, if you put your faith in this message, that's totally forgiven forever and ever. And all these warnings about deception and false messiahs and people being tricked, that doesn't apply to you. You've been delivered from that, and you and I stand as the children of God for all of eternity because of his grace. Let's celebrate that together.

Amen? Lord, we thank you for this word. We thank you for these elements as we now turn our attention upon this wonderful ordinance, awaken, love in our hearts for the person of Christ. For the person who doesn't know you, may they be introduced to you by the power of your Holy Spirit, and may they bend the knee to the true Messiah this afternoon. We ask these things in Jesus name.

Amen.