Revelation 13 & The One World Government - Part 2 (WVNE Life Changing Radio - Worcester / Boston)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. So in the end times, this world ruler, the beast or the antichrist, he ascends to power and he is either indwelt by or at the very least empowered by the devil.

Look at verse 3, or the dragon as he's called. Verse 3, and I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded. Now it didn't say it is mortally wounded, it said as if it had been mortally wounded.

So his deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled. I mean, they're standing in wonder and they followed the beast. So this would indicate that there is most likely a false resurrection event. So the beast will appear to have died.

Maybe he really will have died and then is brought back to life by the spirit of Satan himself. That's possible, but at least he will appear to have died and then his deadly wound will be healed. It's like, well, he rose from the dead.

He must be Christ. He must be God. And after all, the antichrist is a false Christ. He's an imitation. He's an imposter. So Jesus rose from the dead. The antichrist appears to have risen from the dead.

Jesus had his prophet to pave the way, John the Baptist. The antichrist will have his false prophet. Jesus could perform miracles and signs and wonders. The beast will have his lying signs. And wonders, Jesus had a ministry of how long?

Three and a half years. Well, the beast will be given authority to continue for 42 months or three and a half years. Now look at verses three and four. So they worship the dragon who gave authority to the beast.

And they worship the beast saying who is like the beast, who is able to make war with him. And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. And he was given authority to continue for 42 months.

Also, Jesus had God the Father. Well, the beast will have his father, the devil. Jesus was worshipped as God. The antichrist will be worshipped as God. There is the holy trinity of Father, Son, and Spirit.

Then there is the satanic trinity, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. And we will read about him, make reference to him a little later on. But going back to Revelation 13 verse 1, you know, if it is the dragon who's standing on the sand of the sea.

Pastor and Bible teacher John MacArthur says this, that this is Satan taking his position in the midst of the nations of the world. Represented by the sand of the sea. The sea represents the abyss or the pit, the haunt of demons.

So this would be a picture of Satan summoning a powerful demon from the abyss, who then activates and controls the beast and his empire. So at this point, if the beast has authority over the entire earth, and then he comes back from the dead, you know, something happens to him, someone maybe tries to assassinate him, and then he comes back from the dead.

It's no surprise that the whole world will marvel. They will stand in wonder. And back in Revelation 11 verse 7, the beast is able to do what no man has ever done before. For three and a half years, the two witnesses minister.

And basically the people of the earth, they hate the two witnesses. The two witnesses torment the people of the earth and no man can touch them. No man can kill them, but the beast is allowed to kill them.

So the beast kills the two witnesses. He does what no man could do. And that results in the world saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? He was able to kill the two witnesses.

We've been trying to do that for three and a half years. But the beast did it. We will follow him. He is the savior of the world. And of course, he claims to be God. And he has his false miracles that seem to confirm that.

So the people will believe the Antichrist. Jesus came unto his own. His own did not receive him. But the people will believe the Antichrist. Jesus said in John chapter five, verse 43, I have come in my father's name and you do not receive me.

If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. So this is the pattern of human history, is it not? You know, God speaks the truth. Man chooses to believe the lie. The Lord gives the Ten Commandments.

Mankind breaks the Ten Commandments. God sends Christ. The world rejects Christ. Satan provides the Antichrist. The Antichrist is embraced. Look at verses six and seven. Then he opened his mouth and blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven.

And it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given to him over every tribe, every tongue and every nation. So this is your one world government, because the Antichrist has authority over all the nations.

Look at verse eight in all who dwell on the earth. And that's a phrase that's pointed at or referring to unbelievers. They will do what they will worship him. They will worship him. And then we see this interesting statement about those who worship the beast, that their names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

You see, the Lord knows his people and the Lord will protect his people. He knows who belongs to him, and he has written their names in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world. What is Ephesians 1, 4 and 5 tell us?

That God has chosen us in Christ from before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.

So the point is no true believer will ever worship the Antichrist. No true believer will ever take the mark of the beast. That is one thing that we do not have to worry about. Oh, the world will follow the Antichrist.

The world will take the mark. True believer will not. And Jesus himself warned us about how false Christ will rise up, and they will show great signs and wonders. That if possible, even to deceive the very elect.

Of course, thank the Lord that is not possible. So God will preserve the salvation of his own. And then John goes on to write, if anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity, and he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. So in the last days, all authority is given to the beast over every nation, tribe and tongue. That is the dragon's plan for a one world government. Now, point number two, the dragon's plan for a one world religion.

Revelation 13 verse 11. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.

And he performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs, which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

And he was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. So you have here a one world religion in that all people of the earth will worship this man, the Antichrist.

And as I've said before, we identify the first beast as the Antichrist. And then the second beast, he is known as the false prophet. He's mentioned Revelation 16 verse 13, Revelation 19 verse 20 and Revelation 20 verse 10.

They all talk about the beast and the false prophet. So what is the role of the false prophet? Well, again, Jesus had his prophet, John the Baptist, who prepared the way, make straight the paths of the Lord, and he directed people to worship Jesus.

He must increase. I must decrease. Don't worship me. Don't follow me. Follow him. Worship him. And that's what the false prophet is going to do. He is going to direct people to worship the Antichrist.

He even makes an image of the beast. And this image has the appearance as if it's alive and it can speak. And some have suggested that this image is an idol, like a carved image. But with modern technology, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine that it had the ability to talk.

Some theorize that it could be a hologram. You know, we don't really know. We don't really know what it is. We don't know what the mark of the beast will be. We'll talk about that in a moment. But here is the point.

It doesn't matter necessarily for us what it is. People who are living during the end times, they will know at least the redeemed of God will be able to recognize that's the Antichrist. That's the image.

That's the mark. OK, so we might not know, but this is for the people living in that time period. So they will know. So there is this one world religion and it's going to be established and the object of its worship will be the beast or the Antichrist.

And again, he sits in the temple of God, declaring himself that he is God. Now, here's the challenge. Here's the question people ask. And it's a good question. It's a reasonable question. How can a man bring all religions together?

How is that possible? Well, there is a motivating factor. You do realize that. A few things. First of all, the beast, he has ultimate political power. He's going to be an impressive figure. There's no question about that.

There is also satanic deception going on. There's false miracles, a false resurrection event, or maybe an actual resurrection. We're not exactly sure. So no doubt the false prophet, when he talks about the beast, he's going to tell people what they're inclined to believe and what they want to hear.

That's what all false prophets do. And, you know, if all of that doesn't work, there's one thing that will seal the deal. What is that? You either worship the Antichrist or you will be beheaded. You either worship the beast or die.

And the Bible says that the fearful or the cowardly will be cast into the lake of fire. So even if you don't want to believe, these people don't believe in God. These are the people of the earth who have rejected the true God.

They've rejected Christ, God for his people. He has not given us a spirit of fear. But Satan, according to Hebrews 2, controls the people of this world through the fear of death. So the Antichrist, when he says either worship me or die, the people of this earth will be cowardly.

They won't stand up for him. They've rejected the true God. They rejected the spirit of God. They will try to preserve their own lives, which is what you would probably expect. They will be fearful, even if they don't want to give in and worship the image and take the mark and bow to the Antichrist, they will do it.

Of course, most of the world will be happy to do it because the Antichrist is going to come on the scene at a time which will be there'll be warfare and pestilence and disease. And he's going to be the guy who appears to have all the answers.

He's going to be able to solve the world's problems. Or so he says. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornickchurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, with the grace of God, be with you.