We are studying the
book of Revelation and one of the reason we are doing this is because we will
be BLESSED. Don't we all need to be blessed?
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written
therein: for the time is at hand.
Blessed are those
that read, hear, and keep the things written in this book of prophecy. How can we expect a blessing if we read the
entire book of Revelation and understand nothing? What if it all sounds like a
bunch of mumbo jumbo to us? If we can't make heads or tails out of what we are
reading how are we going to be able to KEEP those thing which are written in
this book?
Yesterday we talked
about the need for praying to gain understanding and it is my prayer that we
will understand all that we need to understand so we may read, hear, and keep
the things written in this book of prophecy. Please Lord, please we bow down before
Your majesty, before Your presence and we plead with you to help us to find all
the truth we need to find in this book of prophecy given to us. You opened the
understanding of so many before us and the Holy Spirit guided them to discover
the truths by Your will. Please Lord, please we have no hope of comprehending
what we need to comprehend without the Holy Spirit guiding us now, right now.
We need this not because we deserve it but because our Savior died for us so
that we may live in Him, and because of His sacrifice, through HIS
righteousness , we may live watching and praying for the return of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
So far as we've
entered into the second half of the book of Revelation we've encountered quite
a few thought provoking verses.
Isa 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept
upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
When we studied the
prophecy of Daniel and linked it to Revelation we knew we were following the
instructions given to us by God to rightly divide the word of truth, studying
line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. We have to do this- sheer logic alone demands
that we don't ignore the way the two books similarities call us to note them
together.
Revelation 12 is a
broad outline- much as Daniel 2 was a broad outline. Revelation 13 is calling
us to a deeper understanding. Now let's look closer to what we started studying
yesterday-
In the Thirteeenth Chapter, two
"beasts" are seen, one rising "up out of the sea," and the
other "coming up out of the earth." (vs. 1, 11)
Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw
a beast rise up out of the SEA, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of
the EARTH; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
TWO BEASTS.
One comes 'UP OUT OF
THE SEA'.
The other comes 'UP
OUT OF THE EARTH'.
These two beasts are
related in the text to the dragon.
One receives
"his power, and his seat, and great authority" directly from the
dragon (v. 2).
Rev 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of
a lion: and the DRAGON GAVE HIM HIS POWER, and his seat, and great authority.
The other, "spake as a dragon" and
exercised "all the authority of the first beast," which authority had
been given it by the dragon. (vs. 11-12).
Rev 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of
the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he SPAKE AS A DRAGON.
Rev 13:12 And he EXERCISETH ALL THE POWER OF THE FIRST
BEAST before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
TWO BEASTS.
The FIRST beast
coming up out of the sea gets his power from the dragon.
The SECOND beast
coming up out of the earth gets his power.
Satan is the POWER
behind the beasts. We can NEVER forget
this, never. The beasts will NOT want to be recognized as being controlled by
Satan- and we know this for a fact-
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.
And if Satan can
transform himself into an angel of light we know for a fact that these beasts
can appear as angels of light- they can deceive by appearing as being forces
for good when in truth they are deceiving forces of pure evil. A person deceived will be given or will have
been given every opportunity to see the truth. Too many take the stand of being
appalled that seemingly sweet, innocent people are being trapped and God is
letting it happen. Those seemingly sweet, innocent people are JUST people like
you and I are. And we know for a fact that we are anything but sweet and
innocent. Every single old, white haired granny, every gray haired grandpa,
every adorable, sweet, soft spoken man and woman is a sinner. We don't like to
believe that everyone is a sinner, in fact a lot of times we are shocked when
we learn someone we thought sweet commits a crime. People can't be put on pedestals, not one. We
are all sinners and our sins warrant death. The only escape from that penalty
is through the forgiveness of our Savior, through His righteousness. When we
become Christ's we are open to all His truth and He knows our hearts because He
is the one who creates a clean heart in us, giving us a clean heart. If we keep
our filthy heart we will never be God's. So many only get a superficial
cleaning and think it's enough, but our entire heart must be cleaned. We are
chastened and refined by our God if we allow Him to work in our hearts. And
still, so many believe that ALL will be saved, that churches are FILLED with
saved people- God's people. People believe that being a sweet person is all it
take to be God's, but that's not true at all. And we are made to believe that
God is awful because He will reject a sweet person. The truth is… God KNOWS our
hearts and HE KNOWS the truth in our hearts whether it is His truth or
another's. IF that sweet, sweet person's
heart is His and their sweetness is manifested because of Him- He knows and
they will be saved! Not a single person from anywhere in the world will be lost
if they are HIS.
The beasts are NOT
His.
The beasts are
Satan's.
These beasts have
power that comes from Satan and we cannot forget this as we study.
You say it won't be
hard to forget because we associate beasts with evil anyway, but in truth a
beast that has power to deceive all but the very elect is a beast that will NOT
look or act like a beast at all.
More tomorrow- we're
taking this slowwww.
By the grace of God
always!!!!
Amen.
******* Continuing our prophecy study-- Please
GO back and READ the study from the beginning to gain full understanding of
where we are if you haven't been following this study daily. Thank you
:) We are on lesson number 96. God bless you! ******
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