HERE COMES THE BEAST (20 OF 29)
by Keith Krell
Scripture: Revelation 13:1-18
This content is part of a series.
Here Comes the Beast (20 of 29)
Series: Live Like You're Leaving
Keith Krell
Revelation 13:1-18
One of the most remarkable tours available to visitors to Washington D.C. is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It is fascinating to learn about the process by which paper money is manufactured. One great task of the government is to make counterfeiting difficult. Many agents of the Treasury Department spend their entire careers tracking down fake money. On these tours, the most commonly asked question is, ''What's the best way to avoid receiving counterfeit bills?'' The answer is always the same: ''Just learn the marks of a true bill. Then you will not have any trouble spotting the fake ones.''
That guideline holds true for Revelation 13. In this chapter, an unholy trinity emerges: the great dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. This diabolical troika will be bent on deceiving and destroying the world. Yet, the message of Revelation 13, and the rest of Scripture, is: Maintain a close relationship with Jesus, the true One, and those who are cheap imitations will never deceive or destroy you. To put it succinctly: Don't be fooled by cheap imitations!
Revelation 13 is composed of two major sections, each describing a beast. Verses 1-10 depict the beast ''out of the sea'' who represents civil and military power. Verses 11-18 describe the beast ''out of the earth'' representing religious and media power in service of the first beast. Both beasts are instruments of the dragon (i.e., Satan) to persecute the church and to deceive the unbelieving world. In these two sections, God gives us two precautions that hold true for believers of all ages.
1. Beware of satanic partnerships (13:1-10). Satan's strategy is really fairly simple: He acts like he's God, and he tries to kill anyone who isn't fooled by his impersonation. So in 13:1-4 Satan's beast will try to convince the world that he's Jesus. Then in 13:5-8 Satan will go to war against everyone who isn ...
Series: Live Like You're Leaving
Keith Krell
Revelation 13:1-18
One of the most remarkable tours available to visitors to Washington D.C. is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It is fascinating to learn about the process by which paper money is manufactured. One great task of the government is to make counterfeiting difficult. Many agents of the Treasury Department spend their entire careers tracking down fake money. On these tours, the most commonly asked question is, ''What's the best way to avoid receiving counterfeit bills?'' The answer is always the same: ''Just learn the marks of a true bill. Then you will not have any trouble spotting the fake ones.''
That guideline holds true for Revelation 13. In this chapter, an unholy trinity emerges: the great dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. This diabolical troika will be bent on deceiving and destroying the world. Yet, the message of Revelation 13, and the rest of Scripture, is: Maintain a close relationship with Jesus, the true One, and those who are cheap imitations will never deceive or destroy you. To put it succinctly: Don't be fooled by cheap imitations!
Revelation 13 is composed of two major sections, each describing a beast. Verses 1-10 depict the beast ''out of the sea'' who represents civil and military power. Verses 11-18 describe the beast ''out of the earth'' representing religious and media power in service of the first beast. Both beasts are instruments of the dragon (i.e., Satan) to persecute the church and to deceive the unbelieving world. In these two sections, God gives us two precautions that hold true for believers of all ages.
1. Beware of satanic partnerships (13:1-10). Satan's strategy is really fairly simple: He acts like he's God, and he tries to kill anyone who isn't fooled by his impersonation. So in 13:1-4 Satan's beast will try to convince the world that he's Jesus. Then in 13:5-8 Satan will go to war against everyone who isn ...
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