God’s Vision For Israel – part 3
Zechariah 8:9-17
January 22, 2017

By now you’re certainly familiar with the context behind this great chapter So I don’t want to spend much time setting the stage.

We know about the delegation which came to seek God’s favor,
And we know that God is revealing to them that they already had it.

We have already seen in the first 8 verses:
1) HIS PASSION – that He is jealous for Zion
2) HIS PLAN – that He will return, remain, and renovate
3) HIS PEACE – that old men and women will sit in the streets
4) HIS POWER – that this is not too difficult for Him
5) HIS PROMISE – not only that He can, but that He will do this

Tonight we continue in this chapter as there are still 5 more realities
That God is going to reveal to these refugees
Regarding the favor that He has toward them.

Tonight, as we get back into that revelation,
I want to uncover yet another emotion that they were most likely feeling.
And that emotion is FEAR

(9) “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Let your hands be strong…”
(13) “Do not fear; let your hands be strong.”
(15) “so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear!”

Based on the things God is now saying to these people,
I think it’s obvious that fear was one of their main issues.

We should also point out exactly what they were afraid of.
And perhaps this is a surprise to you,
But the thing they feared was the LORD.

Perhaps we would immediately say, “But aren’t we supposed to fear the Lord?”
And the answer is “yes”.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

But not all fear is the same.

There is the type of fear we are commanded to have,
Which deals with awe and reverence toward God.
• We are to know that God is holy and just and will most certainly punish sinners.
• We are to know that He is worthy of all respect and admiration and glory that we could possibly give Him.
• We are not to take His commands lightly or assume that He is fine with sin.

Certainly that type of fear is commanded in Scripture and is healthy.
It is like the fear a son has of his father.

However, there is also a type of fear that is not warranted.
• We should never fear that God can’t do what He says.
• We should never fear that God won’t do what He says.
• We should never fear that God will change His mind regarding us.
• We should never fear that God is working against us instead of for us.

There is a type of fear that motivates our obedience (good fear)
And there is a type of fear that destroys our hope (bad fear)

Oddly enough Satan confuses the two quite often.
He downplays the fear that leads to obedience
(for instance telling Eve, ‘you won’t die’)
And he promotes the fear that destroys hope
(whispering in our ear that God will fail)

The fear we are dealing with in Zechariah 8 is that second type of fear,
Which is detrimental to your faith.
We are talking about that type of fear that destroys hope.

Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

Don’t let your fear cause you to think that God doesn’t care about you.
That is fear that destroys hope.

Matthew 8:23-26 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.”

There it is again, it was a fear that caused them to lose hope entirely.
It is a dangerous type of fear that crushes hope and crushes faith.

Luke 8:49-50 “While He was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” But when Jesus heard this, He answered him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.”

Hopefully you get the point.
Some fear is good, some fear is bad.

HOW DO I TELL THE DIFFERENCE?
Good fear exists when we believe the word of God.
Bad fear exists when we don’t believe the word of God.

Does that make sense?
• When God says “obey or else” and we have that fear that causes us to obey, that’s good.
• When God says “don’t worry, I’ve got this”, but we don’t believe Him and still have fear or anxiety, that’s bad.

Good fear exists when we believe the word of God.
Bad fear exists when don’t believe the word of God.

What God is dealing with here is people with the wrong kind of fear.
(That’s obvious since 3 times God tells them not to)

Their fear was because they did not understand the word of God.

In this case they were afraid to stop doing something God never commanded for fear that God would be angry with them.

What was it that they were afraid to stop doing?
That fast on the 5th month.

They had been doing out of tradition and they were afraid to stop.
We call that SUPERSTITION.
It is fear which is not based upon the word of God.
And it is the wrong kind of fear.

Incidentally, it is a very common fear in our world today thanks mostly to religion.
• How many have met Catholics who are afraid to leave Catholicism because of some fear of being excommunicated.
• How many in the cults are afraid to leave for fear of being totally cut off.
• We see people who, in the name of obedience, threaten people with the Law, or with other ordinances, telling people if they don’t do it God will be angry.

Let me give you an example:
TURN TO: COLOSSIANS 2
These people were afraid that if they didn’t keep all these ordinances and commands that God was going to be angry.

We could most definitely throw the Galatians into this boat who were even being circumcised out of fear that they were going to anger God.

(READ COLOSSIANS 2:16 – 3:4)
The Colossians were being threatened to do things God was not commanding, and they were continually doing them out of fear of God.

That sets the stage well for these refugees in Zechariah’s day.

God had never commanded a fast on the 5th month,
But these people were afraid to stop doing it out of fear of God.
(More than that they were afraid they’d lose God’s favor)

God has been telling them not to buy into all that.
• He is jealous for them
• He loves them
• He’s got a plan for them
• He’s going to care for them

His purposes for them are for their good
And they need to quit living in fear of what is not true.

That reality is the backdrop for these next two revelations from God.

We’ve looked at the first 5
#6 GOD REVEALS HIS PLEA
Zechariah 8:9-13

I love that God begins by saying “Let your hands be strong”

We know what He means by that
Because down in verse 13 He says,
“Do not fear; let your hands be strong.”

It is a reference to a person who is shaky and weak at the knees.
They are trembling in fear.

And God says “Don’t be afraid”
As a father I certainly want my kids to have a healthy fear of me,
But I don’t want them to be afraid of my plans for them.

There is a difference.

“Let your hands be strong, you who are listening in these days to the words from the mouth of the prophets,”

STOP THERE, because it is a good indicator about their misguided fear.

How did God describe these people?
He called them “you who are listening…”

• In other words, these are obedient people.
• They are doing what God has said.
• They are listening to the prophets God has sent.

What prophets are we talking about?
“those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built.”

What prophets spoke to get the people to rebuild God’s temple?
Haggai and Zechariah

Through those prophets God had issued a directive
That it was time to rebuild the temple,
And the people were doing what they were told.

And that is the point.
You have no reason to fear, you are doing what I said to do.

Look at verses 10-13
“For before those days there was no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no peace because of his enemies, and I set all men one against another. ‘But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the LORD of hosts. ‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. ‘It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.’”

This is so perfect to God’s point.
• You are now doing what I commanded, but that wasn’t always the case.
• Do you remember what it was like when you weren’t obeying?
• Do you remember what it was like “before those days”?

For this we look to the book of Haggai
Haggai 1:6-11 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.” Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways! “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD. “You look for much, but behold, it comes to little; when you bring it home, I blow it away. Why?” declares the LORD of hosts, “Because of My house which lies desolate, while each of you runs to his own house. “Therefore, because of you the sky has withheld its dew and the earth has withheld its produce. “I called for a drought on the land, on the mountains, on the grain, on the new wine, on the oil, on what the ground produces, on men, on cattle, and on all the labor of your hands.”

Haggai 2:15-16 “But now, do consider from this day onward: before one stone was placed on another in the temple of the LORD, from that time when one came to a grain heap of twenty measures, there would be only ten; and when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there would be only twenty.”

Haggai revealed that the reason God was angry and was punishing them
Was because they were not doing what God had commanded.

GET THIS:
• They were not fearing the LORD.
• They were not worried about His commands.

So God was punishing them.

BUT NOW, they are doing what God commanded.
After Haggai preached they got up and started rebuilding.

And the funny thing is that now, even while obedient,
They are fearing the Lord in ways that they shouldn’t be.

I punished you before because you weren’t doing what I said, (11) “But now I will treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the LORD of hosts.”

• I’m not angry at you…
• I’m not punishing you…
• I’m not threatening you…

• I’m going to make peace for you.
• I’m going to give you an inheritance.
• I’m going to make you a blessing.

There is no reason for you to fear, you are doing what you are told.

And here is the simple reality.
When you walk in obedience to God
There is no reason to have anything but hope.

Fear is the last thing you should have,
For God has promised good to those who walk in obedience to Him.

So God’s plea to these people is that they not be afraid.
• He wants them to walk in hope.
• He wants them to enjoy the promise.
• He wants them to live in personal peace.
• He wants them to rejoice in God’s favor in their lives.

Imagine if you walked in to your child’s bedroom
And they were frantically organizing the close in their closet by color.

You ask them why and they say, “Because I don’t want you to be angry with me and kick me out of the house.”

You’d respond, “Who told you that?”

And they say, “Well, my sister told me I’d better do it or else, and I know that you are an organized person and so I figured they were right, please don’t be angry with me.”

And suppose while rearranging they drop a shirt on the floor
And then run to the other side of the bedroom and ball up and are shaking in fear that you are about to grab them and throw them out of the house.

You’d do everything you could to reassure them wouldn’t you?
Don’t be afraid…You didn’t do anything wrong…

That is where God is coming from.
He is reassuring a group of people
Who have been held in bondage under faulty commands.

And so His plea is for them to not fear.
#7 GOD REVEALS HIS PURPOSE
Zechariah 8:14-17

• Just as you would take your child who is trembling in the corner and tell them to stop being afraid,
• You’d also do everything you could to reassure them that your intention is not to kick them out of the house.

That is what God is doing here.

(14-15) “For thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Just as I purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I have not relented, so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear!”

Let’s break this down a little because God is again using an analogy.

First He brings up a time in the past when His purpose was “to do harm”

Perhaps your trembling child brings that up.
“I remember when you kicked my older sister out of the house for what they did wrong.”

THAT’S A FAIR POINT ISN’T IT?
How can we say “I’m not going to harm you”,
When you know I did it to your older sister?

We are here saying that God wouldn’t reject His child whom He loves,
And yet we all know that God did in fact just kick her out of Jerusalem for 70 years.

But that is really the point…it was only for 70 years.
In other words, it wasn’t permanent.

GOD’S PURPOSE DIDN’T CHANGE.
Just because discipline occurred, it did not change His purpose.

If a child walks in disobedience, then certainly they should fear the punishment…that’s the purpose of punishment; to correct bad behavior.

But even a child under discipline
Should never fear a change of God’s purpose.

And this is so easy to illustrate.
• On the day when God was the angriest at Israel.
• On the day when He was as provoked as we have ever seen Him.
• On the day when He was whistling for Babylon to come on in to Jerusalem.

Do you remember what God said to Israel?
Jeremiah 29:10-14 “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’”

What was that?
It was God saying, discipline is necessary,
But My purpose for you has not changed.

Rather, discipline is a necessary process
For HOW I plan to fulfill My purpose in you.

God’s purpose involved them seeking Him and finding Him.
Discipline was necessary to fulfill that purpose.

See, the child who is currently huddled in the corner and afraid
That you’re going to send them away like you did their older brother…
CLEARLY DOES NOT UNDERSTAND GOD’S PURPOSE.

1) They were disobedient, whereas you are not.
2) They were only sent away that I might bring them back, not that I might be rid of them

So understand that.

Beyond that I want you to understand what God is saying here.

God is making a point about how
When He purposes to do something He always does it.

In verse 14 God speaks of a time when He purposed to “to do harm” to Israel.
• That was in response to their idolatry,
• God determined to punish Israel,
• And nothing could turn Him away from that.

Let me show you how resolved God was to this once He purposed it.

FIRST, let me show you when God made the decision that He was going to harm Israel.
2 Kings 21:10-15 “Now the LORD spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, “Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols; therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. ‘I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. ‘I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies, and they will become as plunder and spoil to all their enemies; because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.'”

• Manasseh was a wicked king who led Israel into all sorts of idolatry and immorality
• During his reign God made up His mind that He was going to punish Israel.

He purposed it in his heart that discipline was necessary.

But do you remember who was king after Manasseh?
Do you remember Manasseh’s grandson?

His name was Josiah.
2 Kings 22:1-2 “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. He did right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left.”

In fact Josiah cleaned house of idolatry.
It started with a determination to repair God’s temple.
As they repaired it they found the book of the Law.
And when Josiah read it, it profoundly impacted him.

2 Kings 22:11-13 “When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, “Go, inquire of the LORD for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

• Then Josiah burned all the utensils of worship for Baal and Asherah.
• He did away with all the idolatrous priests in Judah
• He did away with everyone who burned incense to Baal
• He burned the Asherah
• He broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes
• He defiled all the high places and broke them down
• He defiled Topheth (which is where children were passed through the fire)
• He did away with the horses which had been consecrated to the sun
• He burned the chariots of the sun with fire
• He smashed all the pagan altars which Manasseh and the other kings had made.
• He even broke down high places that Solomon had built for his pagan wives.
• He even destroyed the altar Jeroboam had made at Bethel and defiled it
• He cleared out all the high places in Samaria
• He slaughtered all the pagan priests of the land
• He came back and commanded the people to celebrate the Passover
• And the Passover he kept had not been done since the time of the Judges
• He removed the spiritists and mediums from the land

The point is, Josiah turned Israel around like you can’t imagine.

But God had already purposed to do harm to Israel
During the days of Josiah’s grandfather Manasseh.

So let me read to you what it says after Josiah did all those great things.

2 Kings 23:25-27 “Before him there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. However, the LORD did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. The LORD said, “I will remove Judah also from My sight, as I have removed Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, ‘My name shall be there.'”

In fact, through Jeremiah, God said this:
Jeremiah 15:1-4 “Then the LORD said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! “And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”‘ “I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the LORD: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. “I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.”

Now what do you learn there about when God says that He purposes to do something?

You learn that He will do it and nothing can change His mind.

Now notice what He says to these refugees in Zechariah’s day.
(14-15) “For thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Just as I purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I have not relented, so I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Do not fear!”

Why would God say that to these refugees?
• Because He wants them to stop being afraid.
• He wants them to walk in faith.
• He wants them to rejoice in hope.

What a glorious day it is when we realize
That God has purposed to do us good.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Did you catch that “called according to His purpose” part?

It’s not about what we deserve, it’s about what He has purposed to do.
Our hope and our security rest in the fact that
God has purposed to do good to us, regardless of what we deserve.

Ephesians 1:11 “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,”

Ephesians 3:11 “This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,”

2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,”

That is what God is telling these refugees here.
• I did in fact purpose to harm your fathers.
• I did it for disciplinary purposes in order to purify them.
• Now I purpose to do you good.

And I will accomplish My purposes.
Especially since you are walking in obedience.

But then comes an almost contradictory couple of verses.
(16-17) “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.”

Just after God tries to quiet them down
He turns right around and gives them four more commands.

They aren’t new, we’re familiar with them.
• “speak truth to one another”
• “judge with truth and judgment”
• Do not “devise evil in your heart against another”
• “do not love perjury”

And God gives those commands with this stipulation,
“for all these are what I hate” declares the LORD.”

And we back up and say, “See! God does want us to be afraid.”
“He may say He purposes good for us, but one slip up here and He’ll be just as mad at us and will kick us out too!”

It almost reads like that doesn’t it?
Do you know why we read it wrong?
Because we don’t understand the meaning of the word “good”

In verse 15 God said “I have again purposed in these days to do good to Jerusalem”

And we take the liberty of filling in what that “good” should look like.

We say, “Aha!” It’s wealth, and health, and prosperity, and our football team will win state, and sheep will bear twins, and our cat will quit getting pregnant, etc.

But we don’t get the liberty of defining what “good” is.
Only God gets that right.

• And “good” for God does not mean comfort or wealth or even health.
• “good” for God means holiness.

Do you understand that what He did to Jerusalem when He destroyed it was good? It was because it broke them of idolatry.

God’s discipline did not change God’s purpose, it helped fulfill it.

What He is reminding these refugees of here is that they have no reason to fear because His purpose for them is always good.

Now it is true that sometimes “good” does involve punishment,
But not for those who walk in obedience.

So, “speak the truth”, “judge with truth”, don’t “devise evil”, “and do not love perjury”

It’s not because these things will change God’s purpose,
It’s just that these things might affect
How He brings that purpose to fruition.

And that is what I’d pass on to you tonight.
As part of God’s church, God has purposed to do good to us
And He has done that through Christ Jesus.

Do not fear that that will ever change.

The only fear you should have
Is that which you leads you to believe God’s word.
The fear that causes you not to believe God’s word
Is the wrong kind of fear.

God has purposed to us good.
You never have to fear that He will change His mind.

Here Is Perseverance
Revelation 13:1-10
January 22, 2017

As you know we are studying through this book of the Revelation,
And currently we are in the middle of a parenthetical section.

It is a segment meant to reveal that
Despite the rage and rebellion of the enemy,
There is nothing that can be done
To keep Christ from reigning upon the world.

Satan is a loser.
• We’ve seen the child he couldn’t stop
• We’ve seen the battle he couldn’t win
• We’ve seen the woman he couldn’t kill

The final two chapters (13-14) reveal the final defeat of the enemy, illustrated by: THE THRONE SATAN COULDN’T KEEP

We know Satan has been kicked to the earth,
And on the earth, he does everything he can to set up his own kingdom,
And that is what we see unfolding in chapter 13.

In many ways this section works as sort of an overlay of the time period we’ve already covered.

One could say we are examining the same time period
Only from a different perspective.
Having seen the events of the tribulation through the eyes of earth,
We are now seeing them through spiritual eyes.

For example:
We now know why the Antichrist makes such an abrupt change of direction at the 3 ½ year mark of the tribulation, and why he enters the temple and declares himself to be god.
• It is because it was at the 3 ½ year mark that Satan was kicked out of heaven and he was so angry, he just decided to kill everything. So, that world war which unfolds in the second seal makes perfect sense to us now.

We also understand why he unleashed famine and plague on the world.
• It was because God had protected Israel (whom Satan wanted to kill) and made her off limits from his reach. The famine and plagues were an attempt to reach and kill an otherwise unreachable woman.

So those first 4 seals that were opened make even more sense to us now.

We also now better understand that fifth seal that was opened.
Remember in Revelation 6?

Revelation 6:9-11 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ” How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.”

That seal was the martyrs revealed.
And now we understand why.

Because of what we learned last week in Revelation 12
Revelation 12:17 “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

• All those martyrs appeared below the altar because when Satan realized that God was protecting Israel he then set out to make war with anyone who had helped her.

• He killed anyone who determined to be obedient to Christ and to persevere for Him.

So you can see that we are in effect seeing that same time period,
Only from a different perspective.

This morning we enter chapter 13.

Still in that same parenthetical section,
But chapter 13 seems to better explain the final verse of chapter 12.

We learned that Satan went out to “make war with” those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

Ch. 13 reveals Satan’s all out attempt to seize total control of the earth and to annihilate anyone who stands in his way.

But more than just an informative section on the workings of the enemy,
It is important that you understand
THE APPLICATION THIS SECTION HAS FOR YOUR LIFE.

Typically when people ask me questions about the book of Revelation
Chapter 13 is the chapter I field the most questions on.

There are plenty of curious things in this chapter.
• Why does God allow the antichrist to kill the saints?
• What is the mark of the beast?
• Why does God allow him to get away with all of that?

So let me help you understand what John is doing in this chapter.

There are two main points that are drawn from this chapter.
Two main issues John wants to drive into the mind and heart of his readers.

FIRST we read of the attack of the antichrist and his ability to slay the saints and then John says:
(9-10) “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”

There is your first main point.
This first section is about the perseverance and faith of the saints.

THEN we read of the rise of the false prophet and him forcing everyone to take the mark of the beast and John says:
(18) “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

There is your second main point.
The second section of this chapter is about the wisdom of the saints.

We have here Satan doing everything he can
To establish and maintain his kingdom on the earth,
And it is during this time of tribulation and persecution
That we can learn the most about perseverance, faith, and wisdom.

WE BEGIN by looking at this segment
Which ends with an explanation about perseverance.

And allow me to just state for you the importance of perseverance.
As we said last week, it is one of the necessary attributes of saving faith.

If you don’t have perseverance then you don’t have faith.
We are not saying that in order to be saved you must make it to the end
As though perseverance is the means of salvation.

Perseverance is a fruit of salvation.
Perseverance is a byproduct of genuine faith.

We say, that if you have perseverance then your faith is real,
If you don’t have perseverance then your faith is not real.

1 John 2:18-19 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

These were not real believers
We know that because they did not persevere.
It was their lack of perseverance that revealed the phoniness of their faith.

WHAT IS THE POINT THEN?
Perseverance is essential.
You must have it.

This morning we see what it looks like.
And we are going to see it displayed
In the absolute darkest time in the history of the world.

SO (at this point)…
• Satan has been kicked out of heaven and he is angry
• His objective is to kill Israel and anyone who will help her
• And his means is to do so through his puppet ruler known as the antichrist.

3 main points which we need to expound on
#1 THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST
Revelation 13:1-4

Here we see the rise of the antichrist; we see his ascendancy to power.
And we see it from that spiritual perspective.

We’ve already seen his rise to power from an earthly perspective.
Revelation 6:1-2 “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.”

• Hopefully you will remember how we talked about this man’s rise to power.
• How he ascends to the throne without any real credential or right to do so.
• “a crown was given to him”, he didn’t earn it.
• He “had a bow” but no arrows, it was a symbolic picture of authority
• The earth puts this man in power because they love his message of peace and tolerance.

He is given a kingdom by what is called “The 10 king confederation”
Or as some refer to as “The European Confederation”

Revelation 17:12-13 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. “These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.”

There is coming a day in the future
When you will have this sort of revamped Roman empire.
It will be a union of European nations (10 to be exact)
And they will all agree to give up their crowns and their thrones
And give authority and rule to this one man who can lead the world in peace.

That is his rise from an earthly perspective.

But here in chapter 13 we see it from a spiritual perspective.
(1-2) “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”

Here is why this man really comes to power.
Satan is behind it all.

In verse 1 we have a picture of Satan standing on the shore calling up “a beast” who comes “up out of the sea”.

WHAT?
• The “sea” is a reference to the abyss or to the bottomless pit.
• If you will remember back in chapter 9, this is the prison of demons.
• This was the place we saw opened and the demonic invasion occurred.

What you are seeing coming here is not the man who is the antichrist,
But rather the demonic spirit that will control him.

We read that he has “ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.”

The “ten horns” represent those ten kings which will give their power to the antichrist.
And now we find that the reason they will do so
Is because this demonic presence was controlling them too.

We see that he also has “seven heads” which you will remember represents those 7 nations which have plagued Israel in her history.
(Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Media/Persia, Greece, Rome, kingdom of antichrist)

Which means that he was that same demonic presence
Which has been at work throughout history to influence world rulers
And to try and annihilate the Jews.

And now we also find that “on his heads were blasphemous names.”

Every time this demonic presence influenced a nation
They not only served as an attack on Israel,
But also as a blasphemy against God.

• We can listen as Pharaoh blasphemes the God of Moses.
• We can listen as Sennacharib of Assyria blasphemed God before Hezekiah.
• We can watch Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon build an idol and demand to be worshiped…
• We can watch Darius the Mede pass a law that no one can pray to anyone but him…
• We can see Antiochus Epiphanes of Greece demand worship from the Jews…
• We can see Herod in Rome take glory for the kingdom for which God caused him to die and be eaten by worms…

All of those nations and all of those rulers
Are making much more sense to us now.
They were all under Satanic control.

And the demon which controlled them is called into action again,
And he is working through this man whom we know as Antichrist.

He will hate the Jews as he always has…
He will blaspheme God as he always has…
He will persecute the righteous as he always has…

Are you seeing picture behind the scenes now?
It sheds light on what Paul told us about spiritual warfare:
Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

We may see the man, but it is the devil behind him who is really at work.

And that is even further illustrated in verse 2.
“And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth was like the mouth of a lion.”

WHAT IN THE WORLD?
• Daniel was one who had much to say about this man named Antichrist.
• Furthermore Daniel was able to see the demonic influence behind him and how he affected the nations which afflicted Israel.

Daniel 7:1-8 “In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it. Daniel said, “I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. “And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another. “The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it. “And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, ‘Arise, devour much meat!’ “After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.”

Daniel saw 4 beasts also coming from the sea,
Which again speaks to their demonic influence.

The first was a lion which wings like an eagle, but one which had its wings clipped and ultimately which had a human mind given to it.
• This was Nebuchadnezzar who had been given sovereignty and power by God and authority to conquer. But if you’ll remember he was arrogant before God so God caused him to lose his sanity for 7 years and to eat grass like a cow until his mind returned to him and he worshiped God.

The second beast was a bear which was raised up more on one side.
• This was the Medes and the Persians, and the Persians were a little greater, which is why the bear was raised on one side. The 3 ribs were the 3 nations they conquered to ascend to power.

The third beast was leopard which had four wings and four heads.
• This was Greece who came to power under Alexander the Great, but which was split into four separate kingdoms after Alexander died.

Daniel predicted all of this, and history fulfilled it.

But Daniel also saw a 4th beast which was even more terrifying and it had 10 horns, and out of the 10 one little one rose up to seize control from the other 10.

SO WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?
This is Daniel’s 4th beast.
This is the beast with the 10 horns.
This is the kingdom of the Antichrist.

The one who is now reigns is the most evil and destructive ruler the world has ever known for all time.

• Although it looks like he came to power because he has the answers for world peace.
• Although it looks like the 10 king confederation trusted him and wanted to give him control.
• At the end of verse 2 we find out why really comes to power.
“And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.”

NOW LET ME PAUSE AT MOMENT
AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT HERE.

Hopefully you are aware of what we call “The Trinity”.
• God the Father
• God the Son (Jesus)
• God the Holy Spirit

Well, what you are seeing in Revelation 13 is the phony trinity of Satan.
• You have the dragon – Satan
• You have the beast – (a human counterfeit)
• You have the prophet – who duplicates the role of the Holy Spirit
Satan is counterfeiting God’s trinity here.
And in this man he has his counterfeit savior.
This man is Satan’s phony Messiah.

Antichrist is the man who took the deal that Jesus rejected.
Remember when Jesus came to earth and was tempted by the devil?
Matthew 4:8-10 “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'”

Antichrist will accept the offer and he will do so ultimately to his doom.

But he is Satan’s demonic controlled puppet.
He is Satan’s counterfeit Jesus, his counterfeit Messiah.

To prove that even further,
Look at the event Satan uses to catapult this man into worldwide fame.

(3-4) I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

Here we find that one of his heads appears to have “been slain”
But “his fatal wound was healed.”

It is a counterfeit death and resurrection.

Later in the chapter down in verse 14 we read:
Revelation 13:14 “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.”

Someone will slay this man with the sword
And Satan will miraculously deliver him.
When the world sees this they will all be enamored with him
And will pledge their allegiance to him.

But take special notice as to why they will love him.
They worship him and the dragon who gave him his authority and they will say, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

Now let’s put that into perspective as well.
Do you remember that sixth seal which will open and how there is a great earthquake and all of the earth sees God on His throne and the Lamb and they are terrified?

Revelation 6:16-17 “and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The earth will know that God is angry at sinners.
• Of course then we found that the trumpets started to blast
• We saw fire burning the earth
• The ocean to blood
• The fresh water made bitter
• A demonic army and all of that stuff.

But do you remember the response we saw after the 7th trumpet blasted?
Revelation 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

That means that on the earth we will have a helpless
And yet totally rebellious people.
(They knew they couldn’t stand, but still wouldn’t repent)

What they will want is a deliverer; a savior from the wrath of God.

And in Antichrist they think they’ve found it.
When this guy survives death (which is a major problem on the earth)
They will think they’ve found their deliverer.
AND THE WORLD WILL GO AFTER HIM.

THIS IS WHAT WE SEE AS THE RISE OF THE ANTICHRIST.

That’s the Rise of the Antichrist.
#2 THE RAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST
Revelation 13:5-7

We talked about how Christ reigns despite the rage of the enemy.
Well here is that rage further explained.

You see here that this antichrist ruler is the recipient of 4 things.
It is spotted by the phrase “given to him” used 4 times.

He is given A Message
(5a) “There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies”

He will spew off at the mouth in unthinkable blasphemy against God.

This will be part of his aura and mystique to the world.
They are looking for the guy who can overthrow God
And this guy will claim the ability to do so.

He is given A Platform from which to speak it
(5b) “and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.”

God actually allows him to speak freely for 3 ½ years
Without overthrowing him or shutting his mouth.

And so naturally this man will take full advantage of what God allows.
(6) “And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.”

This man sets out to declare war on heaven
And the God who sits enthroned there.
And the world will love it.

Daniel 7:8 “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.”

Daniel 7:25 “He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”

He is given Power to kill anyone who opposes him
(7a) “It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them,”

There will be some on earth who will not stand for his blasphemous talk and will no doubt seek to expose him.

And God will allow him to kill those people
So that it gives the appearance that God is actually losing
And antichrist is actually winning.

Daniel 8:24-25 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, And he will destroy to an extraordinary degree And prosper and perform his will; He will destroy mighty men and the holy people. “And through his shrewdness He will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; And he will magnify himself in his heart, And he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, But he will be broken without human agency.”

He is given the Support of the world to continue
(7b) “and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.”

This man will rule the world
And he will do so with a platform of aggression against God
And against God’s people.

And the point is that it will look like he is defeating God.
• It will appear like God can’t do anything to stop this loud mouthed persecutor.
• It will be the rage of Satan like nothing ever before on the earth.

The Rise of Antichrist, The Rage of Antichrist
#3 THE RESULT OF THE ANTICHRIST
Revelation 13:8

He will be so effective in what he does
That everyone will love him and follow him.

In fact, the only way to not fall prey to his threats and boasts
Is by the supernatural deliverance of God.

The only people who do not succumb to him are the elect.
The only people who do not yield to him are those whom God has chosen.

“everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

• Where are the names written? “the book of life of the Lamb”
• Who wrote them there? (obviously God)
• When did He write them there? “from the foundation of the world”

The only people who survive are those whom God has chosen to survive.
To put it a better way,
It is only by grace that anyone is able to resist the Antichrist.

It falls back to what Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse
Matthew 24:21-22 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.”

This man will rise under Satanic influence
And will deceive the whole world,
Except for those whom God chooses to not allow him to deceive.

Now I know people don’t like this reality, our world instantly cries,
“That’s not fair!”
And they then try to say it is somehow God’s fault then
That these people aren’t saved.

That is to totally distort reality.
THE POINT IS THAT EVERYONE WOULD BE DECEIVED
WERE IT NOT FOR GOD’S GRACE.

People say, “It’s not fair that God didn’t give everyone the choice of either following Him or following Antichrist.”
If He would have, then everyone would have followed the Antichrist.

They only reason anyone resists Him is because God intervened
(by pure grace) and chose not to allow some to be deceived.

Here we have God not allowing Satan to have total victory.

What you must understand here is that:

WE HAVE THE MOST DIFFICULT CULTURE FOR FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
(In fact, no one would be saved where it not for God’s sovereign election)

And yet, even during this most difficult time,
I want you to see the mandate of Scripture.

(9-10) “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”

Even at this most difficult time what is it that God expects from His people?
“perseverance” and “faith”

Even in a time when God is allowing this satan-controlled maniac
To blaspheme His name and kill His people;
Even then God expects “perseverance” and “faith”.

The good news is that God is supplying strength to His people
To maintain that “perseverance” and “faith”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR US?
(Remember John is recording this for your sake)

If God expects perseverance and faith from these during this time, what do you suppose God expects from you during your trials?

If God gives grace to persevere in trust to His elect even during this time, what do you suppose God will give to His elect today during their trials?

“HERE IS the perseverance and the faith of the saints.”

I’ll leave you with a quote from Martin Luther:
“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is more flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”
(sited in: MacArthur, John; The Truth War, Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception; [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN; 2007] pg. 26)

THIS IS WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD.