SNBS - Revelation Part 11 - The Anti Christ Part Deux

The Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the Mark of the Beast

Right here. It is that blank page before Genesis. That's my favorite page in the whole Bible. You may ask Josiah. Why is that your favorite page? There's none of God's words on it. I'll tell you what.

Good evening and welcome to Sunday night Bible study with pastor Josiah Shipley of Witten Baptist Church. Excited to be continuing the book of Revelation with you. This is part 11. We're still in chapter 13.

We should finish chapter 13 today. Next week will be in chapter 14. So today we're gonna finish with the Antichrist. All right. So remember the Antichrist already appeared in chapter 11 and actually maybe chapter 6 but already appeared in chapter 11.

Remember, he's the one that kills the two witnesses and then performs the abomination of desolation where he sits In the temple and declares himself to be God. Revelation 13 is kind of like one of those flashback episodes from those TV shows where they introduce a new character and like season 2.

And they're like the end of season 4 they'll do like a character development flashback of how that story came to be. How that character came to be? Well, that's what Revelation 13 is it's a flashback if you will how this Antichrist came to be.

Remember, he will be present there in the first three and a half years of the great tribulation, but he will not be revealed. At least it appears. Until that three and a half years when he kills the two witnesses, okay.

Now when he is revealed that's when He starts in for his his hype man, if you will the false prophet starts enforcing the Mark of the beast so on and so forth. Okay. All right. I want to we'll get more to the mark of the beast a minute.

I want to catch you up on who the Antichrist is. Who the false prophet is the blasphemies. They do. Then we'll talk about the mark of the beast and then we'll talk about Election. All right, you ready?

The Beast, the False Prophet, and the Mockery of the Trinity

First off. The Antichrist where anyone over his titles last week if you don't watch last week's episode. That would be very helpful if you'd go back and watch last week's episode part 10. All the names we had on the board.

So the Antichrist is the beast in Revelation. Remember that the dragon is Satan. The first beast is The Antichrist or the man of lawlessness or the performer of the abomination of desolation. Over little horn or you know, there's about 12 names for so on and so forth.

He's working through the power of Satan and Remember the whole world marvels at him. Or mortals at him. He doesn't start slaying and murdering until after he kills the two witnesses the whole world marvels at him.

And his job is not to be Antichrist, but to be another Christ to be a Substitute if you will and we'll get to that with the blasphemies in a minute. The second beast in verse 11. Verse 11 chapter 13. Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth 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 womb was healed. It performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven in front of people.

Verse 14. And. By the signs that is allowed to work in the presence of the beast. It deceives those who draw on the earth. Telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and lives.

It was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast might even speak. It might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. It causes all both great and small rich and poor slave and free to be marked on the right hand of the forehead.

So no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for the number of a man.

And his number is six six six, okay. And the false prophet guys, so this second beast for the rest of revelations called the false prophet, okay. So let's look at it again. We have the dragon which is Satan.

We have the Antichrist, which is the first beast. We have the false prophet which they call the second beast and then there's an image made of the beast the first beast. Okay. This image. We don't know what it is.

We could say it's a statue we could say it could be something with technology. We don't know. But whatever it is at some point the hype man the false prophet is gonna breathe life into it. So let's pretend it's a statue when the Bible says in verse 15 that The false prophet who I call the Antichrist hype man because his job is just a hype up the Antichrist make him popular.

Make everyone worship him. That false prophet is gonna breathe life into this. I'm gonna call a statue for now and that statue is gonna talk right creepy now the Antichrist. It's it's the dragon which is Satan the Antichrist, which is the first beast and the false prophet.

Can you see how they're trying to make a mockery of the Trinity? Right. That's one blasphemy also. Jesus Christ was resurrected. The Antichrist seemed to have a mortal wound that was healed. Elijah called fire from heaven in first Kings 18 and so here.

The false prophet is trying to perform signs that mimic those of the prophets and of God. Remember in the Shema Deuteronomy 6 Shema Israel's Yahweh Elohim Yahweh had. My Hebrew is not great heroes. Will the Lord our God the Lord is one.

And remember that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind strength. You will write these laws on your hand or in the front lens of your eyes on your forehead. It will be with you when you lie down and get up so and so forth.

So notice when God figuratively was speaking of memorizing the Bible. He said it'll write on your hand or on your forehead. Notice where the mark of the beast is on your right hand or on your forehead making a mockery of the Shema.

The Mark of the Beast and the Choice Between God and Antichrist

Now here's a great question someone asked in the in-person Bible study and by the way if A lot of you can't because you don't even live in Memphis if you can make it to the in-person Bible studies. They're pretty great.

Sometimes I can explain things a little better in person. I don't know. I'm not perfect on here. I do my best. Someone said Josiah, do you think it's possible for a Christian to accidentally take the mark of the beast?

The way I read Revelation 11 12 13 and 14. Doesn't make that seem very likely to me. I think will be a clear choice between God or not God between Jesus or Antichrist between staying faithful or falling away.

The reason I say that is because chapter 14, which I know we're getting to next week. Says three angels are gonna fly overhead and the third one says Revelation 14 9 if Anyone worships the beast or the image or receives a mark on his foreigner's hand.

He will drink the wine of God's wrath. So the angel is going to give us a warning. You know, there's a lot of talk guys About what this mark of the beast could be. Could it be? Um a vaccine could it be a.

You know a microchip guys. You want me to tell you the truth? I don't know and neither does anyone else. Okay, here's what the Bible does say verse 17. No one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Okay. Calculate the beast for the number of man and his number is six six six. We talked about this before sevens. God's number number perfection. Man is always short of that. So you can't do business without this mark at some point.

We won't be able to do business about this mark. So then the only people you'll be able to count to survive will be the other people who didn't take that mark. Now as far as the timeline of this it appears to me that this Mark where the false prophet kills Christians who don't take it.

This mark doesn't happen till after he's revealed. So here's everything that would happen before this will be forced on you. The two witnesses would be killed. The Antichrist would sit on the temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God.

Yes, I realize there's no temple there right now, but there will be again. False prophet will make an image and breathe life to it. It will speak and say worship him. Okay, by the way, the rapture has already happened.

I Don't think there's gonna be any. Oh, I wonder if this is it. I think it's gonna be a very clear choice of life or death of God or not. No, that's how I read it. Remember in my view the rapture happened in Revelation 4.

The Remnant, Christian Endurance, and the Lamb's Book of Life

So you may ask yourself. Okay, Josiah, then who are these Christians that refuse to bow down? In verse 15 and that are killed. Remember guys. People can still get saved after the rapture. People can still get saved after the rapture.

He me. There will always be a remnant always no matter how dark things have been in history. God has always reserved for himself 7 ,000 who will not bow the knee to bail always. There will always be a remnant.

There will always be a people of God who will stand up and say. There is one God. And one mediator between God and man. Christ Jesus himself human who gave himself a ransom fall a testimony at the proper time.

There will always be a remnant. Who believes in Yahweh and trust him, you know, whenever persecution hits the church. Yes, it's bad. But one good thing does happen of refining of purifying of God's Church.

So that those are that are left. You know, you can trust them because there will be no more fake social Christians. There'll be no more. A white upper-middle-class suburban Christians who are only there for a social club and not there for really life change.

Because it will cost you something Christian. It already does in a lot of the world and it will here too. So that the only people left and it may not be in a church building like this because it may be in hiding.

But the only people left are people that you can trust because it cost them their lives. To say that Jesus is Lord to call for endurance to call for love. It's a call. To be united with one mind in one spirit.

We don't have time to be divided over silly theologies anymore guys stand true on the Word of God and Love each other. This is why the church is so important. I'm not talking about the stupid building.

I mean the people that God bought. Because one day each other is all we're gonna have and you know what God said it's gonna happen. So bring it as part of his plan. Okay, one more thing here Revelation 13 8 and All who draw on the earth will worship it mean the Antichrist everyone except everyone whose name.

So everyone will worship it everyone whose name has not been written. From the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. There's one group of people, excuse me, there's one group of people who do not worship it.

One group and it's Christians. Real Christians, I don't mean pretend Christians real Christians. And they are described here as the ones whose name has been written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world.

Before the Foundation of the World

And I'm gonna end on this point my favorite page in the entire Bible my favorite page in the entire Bible is going on. ESB has 20 pages of intro. Right here. It is that blank page before Genesis, that's my favorite page in the whole Bible.

You may ask Josiah. Why is that your favorite page? There's none of God's words on it. I'll tell you why I'm gonna read 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9. 2nd Timothy 1 9 God saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works.

But because of his own purpose in grace. In grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. We read that again. He saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works. But because of his own purpose in grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began your Bible may say before times eternal.

Back down in Revelation 13 8 it says your name was written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. So before the foundation of the world before time began. When I read Genesis 1 1 it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

This says he chose me and loved me before time. Before the world began. Well, that's before Genesis 1 1 you see I can't even say that God's loved me since he wrote Genesis because that's not early enough.

This says in the beginning. But 2nd Timothy said he loved me before time began. In the beginning is a timestamp here. Before any of this happened in Genesis. Before there was a heaven and earth when it was just God.

He loved me. This little blank page reminds me of that they even before all this he loved me here. Ladies and gentlemen, you did not find Jesus. Jesus found you you only love him because he first loved us.

Revelation 13 8 reminds me of that. Because it says that your name was written in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundation of the world. Your name was written. It was sealed in that book before he said let there be.

Your name was in that book when you are saved you are saved past present and future. John 5 24 says if very truly true that I say unto you. Anyone who hears my words and believes on him who sent me has eternal life right now.

It will not come in the judgment, but has already passed from death to life. You have been saved past present future. Your name has been written in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundation of the world.

But Josiah we have to endure. We have to be faithful. Yes you do. But I am sure this. That he who started the good work in you will carry it on the completion till the day of Christ Jesus. I know whom I believed in.

I'm persuaded that he is able not me that he is able to keep that which I've committed to Him against that day. You have been saved by God. And God will lose none of those that have come to him. Even in the severest persecution.

They will all reach heaven. By his will all of them. And nothing that Satan the Antichrist the false prophet the image or all the world power combined can do to stop them. Remember that as persecution comes more and more.

With our brothers and sisters around the world who already experienced that. Remember that our sovereign God has a plan and nobody and nothing can thwart that plan. I Love you guys very much. I hope this was somewhat of a blessing to you and and.

Yeah, tune in the rest of the week don't forget Tuesday night Bible study Don't forget Thursday night. Wow moment Q &A on Saturdays and all that stuff. Love you guys very much. Have a good one.