Sunday, June 3, 2012

A Beast Rising Up Out of the Sea

Lord, please prepare my heart for the message You will convey. Thank you. Amen


" ... And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns ... and I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast." (Revelation 13:1, 3-4)


The devil has always wanted to be worshiped. His unholy desire will be realized on a worldwide scale through the antichrist, satan's superman. John depicts him as a beast rising from the sea. The tumultuous climate of the last days will render humanity a seething sea of distress which will deliver to this world a beast of a man who will be just like his father, the devil.


Jesus Christ was God incarnate; the beast is going to be the devil personified. He's described with the same imagery used to portray the dragon (Revelation 12:3). He will inherit the dragon's power and be a compilation of all the beastly qualities of all the wicked rulers who have ever lived. (Revelation 13:2).


But don't think he will be hideous or repulsive. Beastliness describes his nature, not his appearance. He's going to be handsome, clever, intelligent - a global charmer. The world will adore him!


One of the reasons for his popularity will be his resuscitation, for he will appear to come back to life after a fatal wound (v. 3). It will be satan's imitation of Jesus' resurrection. The world will fall at the feet of this false messiah, clamoring for the peace and prosperity he promises.


His arrival on the world scene will seem to usher in the devil's millennium. Yet the Bible also says this about the coming of the antichrist, "And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8). The dark days of the antichrist's reign will be the black velvet upon which the diamond of our Lord's glory will shine all the more brightly!


~Adrian Rogers~

No comments:

Post a Comment