08 - The Two Beasts And 666 2009
Revelation Revealed - UPDATED 2009 • Sermon • Submitted
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Last time we saw that the temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem. Also, the Antichrist will make a peace treaty with Israel for 7 years, temporarily solving the Arab-Israeli conflict. After the first 3 ½ years, he will break his treaty with Israel and commit the “abomination of desolation.”
Now, during the first 3 ½ years, the antichrist will have a thorn in his side in the form of two witnesses who prophesy about the awesome judgments of God that are coming.
3 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap (Like John the Baptist) and will prophesy during those 1,260 days (3 ½ years).”
“These two prophets are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of all the earth. 5 If anyone tries to harm them, fire flashes from their mouths and consumes their enemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them must die (supernatural protection).”
6 “They have power to shut the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy (Like Elijah).”
“And they have the power to turn the rivers and oceans into blood, and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they wish (Like Moses).”
When the Antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel and invades Jerusalem, the two witnesses are slain.
7 “When they complete their testimony, the beast (Antichrist) that comes up out of the bottomless pit will declare war against them, and he will conquer them and kill them.”
Notice next how John predicted the ability of our present-day world to view something world-wide via television.
8 And their bodies will lie in the main street of Jerusalem, the city that is figuratively called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” the city where their Lord was crucified. 9 And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies.”
And next notice how the world under Great Tribulation judgment rejoices over the death of the righteous.
“No one will be allowed to bury them. 10 All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.”
But the world-wide celebration doesn’t last long!
11 But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them, and they stood up! Terror struck all who were staring at them. 12 Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, “Come up here!” And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched.”
These two witnesses, who are likely Elijah and Moses—the two mean that also appeared to Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration—will be resurrected from the dead while the whole world continues to watch.
The moment this happens, an earthquake rocks the city.
13 “At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in that earthquake, and everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
Then John warns:
14 “The second terror is past, but look, the third terror is coming quickly.”
Remember how we said at the beginning of this series that the action often shifts from earth to heaven and back again. At this point in Ch. 11, John is taken up into heaven to see the 7th angel blow his trumpet.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven:
“The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.”
This trumpet encompasses the whole time period of 42 months, described in detail all the way through Chapter 19. This final 1,260 days is called in 10:7 “the days of the voice of the seventh angel.”
In heaven, John again sees the 24 elders representing the raptured, glorified saints and the resurrected New Testament saints. They are rejoicing, worshipping, and proclaiming that the time of rewards in heaven is at hand. At the same time, the hour of judgments on earth is in process.
16 “The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. 17 And they said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations were filled with wrath, but now the time of your wrath has come. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.”
After this, the following chapters describe the conclusion of history. Civilization as we know it will destroy itself, and the Lord Jesus Christ will intervene in majesty and glory!
19 “Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.”
The lightning, thunder, earthquake and hailstorms John saw in heaven are preludes to what is about to take place on earth.
Chapter 12
“The Woman and the Dragon”
As Chapter 12 opens, John has a “flashback” for the purpose of identifying and explaining the first of seven characters active in the end times that we meet in Chapters 12 & 13.
1 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven . I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head.”
The “woman” John saw is Israel in history and as represented in prophecy. From Gen. 37 and Joseph’s dream, the symbology of the “sun, moon and twelve stars” is clear.
Gen. 37: 9 “Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”
How did Jacob interpret this dream?
10 “What kind of dream is that?” Jacob asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?”
The “GREAT WONDER” John saw was the pregnancy of Israel.
2 She (Israel) was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.”
Of course, a “Wonder Child” was born from this birth—Christ Jesus the Lord. And look what happened next:
3 “Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads.
The dragon is clearly the devil. Thirteen times in Rev. he’s called a dragon.
His seven heads depict the evil perfection of his influence on civilization’s progress.
And the ten horns are a prediction of the final form of Gentile world power. We will see later that Satan works through ten nations to enthrone his Antichrist as the world ruler.
Next, we have a review of Satan’s rebellion and fall prior to the Garden of Eden:
4 “His tail swept away one-third of the stars (angels) in the sky, and he threw them to the earth.”
One third of the angels of God rebelled with Lucifer against God. These fallen angels are the “principalities and powers” against which we wrestle in spiritual warfare. The record of this is found in Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28: 12-17.
“He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.”
This is what took place through wicked King Herod when Jesus was born: Matt. 2:16-18
“Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”
John’s “flashback” continues as he witnesses the birth and victory of Jesus Christ:
5 “She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.”
Next, John jumps back to the future and the narrative picks up again 3 ½ years into the middle of the Great Tribulation. The new world ruler, the Antichrist, has severed his seven-year covenant with Israel, and slain the two witnesses in Jerusalem.
Now Israel, the woman, comes under persecution. Many Jews in that day will flee to “a place in the wilderness,” perhaps hundreds of thousands of those who still have not received Jesus as Messiah. John says they will be protected for 1,260 days:
6 “And the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.”
Now, another shift from earth to heaven takes place. John sees an incredible battle under way:
7 Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. 8 And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. 9 This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.”
While the Jews are in flight, Satan is totally expelled from heaven, denied even the limited access he now experiences as revealed in Job 1 and 2. Satan is now confined primarily to earth for the final 1,260 days of the Tribulation. Heaven rejoices (vs. 10-12).
But the dragon is now filled with great wrath. John warns in verse 12, “But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.”
How does that anger manifest itself? The dragon proceeds to energize the Antichrist with supernatural power. Chapter 13 paints an incredible picture of just how bad it becomes:
13:5-8 “5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. 7 And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation. 8 And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast.”
Now the time of Jacob’s trouble comes upon Israel. Satan hates Israel because they are God’s elect, royal people, and because Israel (the woman John saw) gave birth to the Wonder Child—Jesus Christ.
13 “When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time.”
15 “Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth” (persecution against the Jews in last 3 ½ years).
16 “But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon” (God protects His own).
17 “And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus” (Satan hates all who name the name of Christ. This is likely a prediction of a sweep of martyrdom).
18 “Then the dragon took his stand on the shore beside the sea.”