(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Revelation chapter 13 is an essential chapter that basically narrates the culmination of world empires and the role that it plays in end times Bible prophecy. And in fact, we know that each of these empires that have existed throughout time, basically apex at the end of the world, and they become what's known as the new world order. This is the order, this is the empire that the Antichrist will be ruling over. And this is what chapter 13 deals with in the first initial three verses of the chapter. Now we also see that the rider on the white horse that we saw in Revelation chapter six is no longer an anomaly. Because if you remember in Revelation chapter number six, when the first seal is open, the Antichrist comes on a white horse. And he goes forth conquering and to conquer, he has a crown, but he's given a bow, which is an instrument that's used, it's a weapon of war that's used from a distance. And the implication there is that no one really knows who he is. You know, he is an enigma, the general public does not recognize him, they don't know who he is. And in fact, that fits in perfectly with what the Bible teaches us, because the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians chapter number two, that the man of sin, the son of perdition is not revealed until he opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, all that is worshiped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. And we know that on the prophetic timetable, that does not take place until the initial beginning of those 75 days when the abomination of desolation is set up, 75 days thereafter is the rapture. And so in Revelation six, no one knows who he is, but guess what? In Revelation 13, he is now revealed as the son of perdition, the man of sin. And why is that? Well, because of the fact that he receives a deadly wound to the head, his wound is healed, and the Bible says that all the world wonders after the beast. And in fact, they not only wonder about him, but they actually admire, they love and even worship him, okay? So in Revelation six, he is not known to the general public, but in Revelation 13, he's known globally and has even worshiped globally as well. This is also the famous passage where we will see the antichrist making war with the saints. And the Bible tells us that he overcomes them. In Daniel chapter number seven, it says he prevails against them. This is referring to the persecution of Christians, how they will be delivered before councils and magistrates, they shall be put to death. And in fact, the previous chapters hits a lot in that persecution, that tribulation that they're gonna go through, and this goes into detail in regards to that. Now let me just say this is that chapter 13 is a major transition on the prophetic timetable because of the fact that we see persecution of Christians and it's being implemented. But let me say this is that it's commenced under the cloak of a solution to the beginning of sorrows. Now what do I mean by that? Well, Revelation six, you have the first four seals, which is the conquest of the antichrist. You have wars and rumors of wars. You have famine, pestilences and earthquakes, and this is what's known as the beginning of sorrows. But let me say this is that it affects not just Christians, it affects the whole world. So everyone is suffering from famine, everyone is suffering from the pestilences and the earthquakes. I mean, a lot of people are dying during this time, not just Christians, but also unsafe people as well. And what happens is that after the fourth seal, you have a jerking of the steering wheel in the fifth seal where all of a sudden you have martyrdom of Christians. So somehow it switches from tribulation for all people to great tribulation where only Christians are being targeted, they're being persecuted, they're being martyred and killed. And that's what we see under the altar, the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held. And so what we know is that these four horsemen, these ringleaders of the New World Order, they're basically using this beginning of sorrows as a springboard to inaugurate the New World Order, which is used to basically persecute Christians and make war with them. So you think of the one world government, the one world financial system, the one world religion. Yes, this is set in order to put the Antichrist as the ruler of the world, but his main agenda is not to make money. His main agenda is not to become just the greatest political leader so he can create all kinds of solutions. His main agenda is what? To make war with the saints. And in fact, the Bible tells us in the previous chapter, in chapter number 12, that he is wrought with a woman and seeks to basically destroy the remnant of her seed. So he's coming after Christians. He's coming after Christians today, right? The Bible says that he, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. So he's constantly seeking to devour Christians and destroy them and cause them to stumble. The Bible tells us that he comes before God day and night to accuse us before God. And basically what we see here is that when he's evicted from heaven by Michael the Archangel and his angels, he comes down, he knows that he has a short time on this earth, 75 days to be exact. That's when he possesses the man of perdition, the son of perdition, the man of sin, and he embodies this person and that's when he rules for 75 days and the campaign there is to destroy Christians, okay? So this chapter, chapter 13, describes that MO of the Antichrist and how he's gonna commence this global campaign against believers. That's what it is, okay? You know, everything up until this point, we've read the foretelling of the persecution of Christians. We know that we're gonna be persecuted. We know that we're gonna go through tribulation. We know that Christians are gonna be martyred. I mean, this is constantly reiterated throughout the gospels, throughout the New Testament, and even in the book of Revelation, the first half, we hear a lot about that. I mean, Revelation 2 and 3 spends a lot of time about the Christians at the seven churches which are in Asia being persecuted, right? Being thrown into jail, being martyred, you think of Antipas and all these examples that the Bible gives, but we don't necessarily know the manner of which this crusade will be initiated up until this point. It's in Revelation, chapter 13, that we see how is it that he uses the beginning of sorrows as a means to kill Christians and to put them to death and to make war with them and to overcome them. And so this is what this chapter is dealing with and, of course, you have the famous topic there at the very end about the mark of the beast, which is exactly what I was referring to, what he's gonna use. Now let's go ahead and get into it. Look at verse number 1. Let's look at the beast that comes out of the sea. It says that I stood upon the sand of the sea and I 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. 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. So picture this. Now go to Daniel, chapter number 2, if you would, Daniel, chapter number 2. So think about this. You know, John, the apostle John has just finished seeing this great wonder in heaven in Revelation, chapter number 12 of the woman. He sees her going to the wilderness for 1,260 days. He sees the war in heaven. He sees that Satan is wroth with the woman and seeks to make war with the remnant of her seed. And then all of a sudden the scene changes and he is on sand looking towards the ocean and he sees this terrible sight of this image of this beast rising up out of the ocean. And obviously I'm sure that John is very much familiar with the Old Testament scriptures. And I'm sure what came to mind was Daniel, chapter number 7, right? Because when you hear the description of this beast that's coming up out of the ocean, they're coming up out of the sea, it is likened unto the beasts that we see in Daniel, chapter number 7, when he sees these beasts coming up out of the ocean as well. And in Revelation, chapter 13, these beasts collectively are just kind of together. They culminate together and they create this image of this beast that represents the New World Order but also represents the Antichrist. Whereas in Daniel, chapter number 7, they're actually separate entities, right? Now before we get into Daniel, chapter number 2, let me just say this, is that the same beast that we see here in Revelation, chapter 13, is later reiterated in Revelation, chapter 17. And it's described as the scarlet colored beast, right? We know it's the same one because it talks about, it gives that same description of those seven heads, 10 horns, 10 crowns, et cetera. The only difference is, is that in Revelation, chapter 17, the great whore, Mystery Babylon, is sitting upon the scarlet colored beast. That's what the Bible tells us in Revelation, chapter 17. And it says in verse 3 of chapter 17, so he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and 10 horns. Now I don't want to get too much into the harlot as of yet because we've got to save that for chapter 17. But let me just say that what's being depicted here is that the spirit of Babylon, the spirit of conquest, has ridden the expedition of conquest throughout all these great empires. You know, that's why we see later on in chapter 17, when referring to those seven heads, it's referring to seven kingdoms, seven kings, you know, from Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, the Medo-Persian Empire, Greece, Rome, and then ultimately that seventh one known as the New World Order, and then the antichrist is the eighth and he is of the seventh, the Bible says. So what's being depicted here is that the spirit of conquest, that expedition to just rule the world, has ridden throughout all these ages, okay? All these world empires seeking to carry out this agenda, all right? And then ultimately, the apex is in the end times of Revelation chapter 13 where he's able to carry out his agenda and make war with the saints, et cetera. Now in Daniel chapter 7, as I mentioned, there's four separate entities, right? You have the lion that comes out of the ocean, it has wings as an eagle, and this is representing Babylon and more specifically is representing King Nebuchadnezzar because it talks about how he gives him a heart of a man and you know the story there. And then the second animal that comes out is a bear that's lifted up on one side, this is the Medo-Persian Empire. Then there's the leopard with four wings and four heads, this is the Grecian Empire, and the reason it's depicted with wings is because of the fact that its conquest was so fast and so rapid. The four heads represents the fact that it was split into four different kingdoms. And then the fourth beast is not necessarily described as a particular animal with certain features, but we know this specific beast to be Rome, right, because that's the one that actually came after the Grecian Empire. Now this same concept is reiterated in Daniel chapter number 2 in the form of the image that Nebuchadnezzar sees in a dream. Now look down at your Bibles in Daniel chapter number 2 in verse 37, it says here, Thou, king, are king of kings, for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. So the image he's explaining and interpreting the image that he sees, he has the head of gold, the chest and arms of silver, he has the belly and thighs of brass, and then the legs of iron, the feet made of iron mingled with miry clay, and he begins to expound unto him what each of these signify. Verse 39 says, And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, for as much as iron breaketh in pieces to subdue with all things, and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, for as much as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, and as the toes of the feet were part of iron, part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. Now this is referring to this final empire, okay, Babylon, okay? And the reason it depicts the bottom, the foundation as Babylon is because of the, or as iron and feet of iron and clay, is because of the fact that this final empire that's gonna come up in the end times is gonna have the power of the Roman Empire, so to speak. Its ability to subjugate people and conquer, make conquests, and just rule the entire world, because you think of the Roman Empire, you know, the fact that it describes it as being as iron is a good depiction, you know, because they were able to just conquer so much of the known world at that time, subjugate so many people, implement their laws and their way of living to everyone, this is exactly what the final empire is going to do. But notice that the feet are of iron and clay. So what is that signifying there? Well, the iron, as I mentioned, represents the civil power that's ruling the world. The clay, in my opinion, is referring to apostate churches, okay? Now, you say, why do you say that? Well, because of the fact that, you know, you think of Christianity, okay? Well, first of all, you think of clay in the Bible. If you research clay in the Bible, it's often in reference to God's people, right? And you think of the potter and the clay, the clay is always represented as God's people. However, the clay that we're looking at here in times with the feet, it's described as miry clay. So this is corrupted, it's apostate, it's a false representation of God's people, right? And look, folks, we have that today, do we not? You know, you have churches today that have the name Christian, you have our church, you have Christians today that will call themselves Christians, but they're not even saved because they have a false gospel. They use false versions of the Bible, they believe a wrong way of salvation, they believe you can lose your salvation, they have all these false doctrines that they're, you know, propagating and fomenting, and they call themselves Christians. They say they believe in Jesus, they say they believe in God, they believe in the Bible. But when you really delve into what they believe, they're not Christian at all, they're not even saved, okay? You say, well, it has church, the name has church on there, or how about this, the name has Baptists on there. But you know what, even though it has Baptists, even if it has church, if they don't have the doctrines that fall in line, that work in tandem with the Bible, it's not an actual church, they're not actual Christians, okay? You say, well, I mean, are you trying to say that everyone that calls themselves a Christian, that they're just apostate? No, but there's a vast majority, the majority of people, let me just say this, the majority of people who claim to be Christians are not, they're not, you know? And the reason for that is because there's always been a remnant, right, of saved people, and we're not gonna be able to evangelize the entire world, we're here to seek and to save that which is lost, and you know what, we don't believe in this ushering in the kingdom where we think we're gonna permeate politics and permeate businesses and restaurants and all these political forums, and we're just gonna be able to usher in the kingdom for Jesus Christ to come, that's an agenda of the antichrist. That's what he's gonna do, he's gonna be able to permeate, right, politics, permeate, you know, school systems, everything, everyone is gonna worship him. The Bible tells us that he's gonna have power over all kindreds and tongues and nations. And so what's gonna foment that? What's gonna assist that agenda of apostate churches? You know, the Joe Olsteins, the Rick Warrens of this world, okay, those who claim to be nations, this is the miry clay that this is referring to, and let me say this, a nation is only as strong as the people who abide within it who believe on the Lord, right, who are actual true Christians, you know, blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord, right, who has the God of the Bible as their God who adhered to the Bible, who are saved, you know, this is the nation that God's gonna bless. But you know what? The more that a nation departs from that, the more that a nation begins to reject Jesus Christ and reject the Bible, reject God, the more brittle it becomes, okay? So it's apostate Christians that compromise the structural integrity of an empire. You know, what is gonna be the downfall of the United States of America? Is it Donald Trump? Is it politics? Is it the White House? No. It's this, right? Everything rises and falls upon the church. The Bible says, if my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, right? But you have people today who claim that name, they claim to be Christians or they have church on their, you know, Baptist or whatever it may be, and they're teaching false doctrine, they're gonna compromise the structural integrity of this empire, and thankfully, good for them, you know, because this empire needs to fall and they're gonna fulfill biblical prophecy, but that's not to say we're not to preach against them, obviously. Now, so this final empire that's gonna rise up in the end times, they're gonna have the strength of the Roman Empire, so to speak, you know, because look, the Roman Empire was able to subjugate the known world, the Antichrist is gonna be able to do that too. To a greater extent than even the Roman Empire, right? I mean the entire world shall worship him. That means the entire world, except for obviously believers, are gonna, you know, they're gonna join together in unity and agree upon one another that this is the man, okay? I mean you even have those 10 kings who the Bible says they give their power unto the beast, you know, they agree in such a way that they believe this is the guy who should lead, who should dictate the entire world, and this is why he's capable of subjugating the entire world, and in fact, let me just say this, is that he's not gonna have to subjugate them with, you know, force, most of these people, they're gonna want to worship him. Some people think, well, you know, they're gonna be enforcing that mark of the beast, not really, not really, you know, they're gonna be asking for the mark of the beast. Folks, this is why the first four horsemen, these ringleaders of the new world order, that's why they're creating all this chaos in the first four seals to create such a drastic problem, such a chaotic world, that the members of society would be begging for a solution from the government, and don't you have people today that depend only on the government for all their problems, you know? They depend on the government, the government's their savior, well, you know, one day they're gonna get a pseudo savior, so to speak, who's gonna come, he's gonna bring a solution, and that solution is the new world order, and that solution is the mark of the beast, okay? So but what's gonna help with that? What's gonna assist with that? They're gonna compromise the structural integrity of the empire, this is the miry clay, this is why the iron is mixed with the miry clay, and look, you think of Plato, for example, Plato is able to bring things together pretty good, right? I mean, you smash it together, it sticks together pretty good, but you know what, you can break it apart very easily, and you think of miry clay in the New Testament, or excuse me, in the end times, you know, they're gonna seek to bring together all religions, right? They're gonna seek to bring together all ideologies and all philosophies and all people and tongues and nations, but you know what, at the end of those 42 months of his rule, what's gonna happen? Jesus Christ comes in Revelation 19, and that stone shall break that thing in pieces, okay? It shall be able to just decimate it, he will decimate them, and look, you think about, for example, the contributing factors to the fall of Rome, obviously there's many contributing factors to its fall, you know, you had barbarians that were coming in and destroying Rome, but in 1313 AD, Constantine basically introduced the religion of Christianity, now this we obviously know is apostate Christianity, this is not the Christianity of the Bible, right? But it is said that after the introduction of Christianity, so to speak, that's when the demise of Rome began to go down, why? Because when you introduce apostate churches, apostate Christianity to any empire, it's gonna fall, okay? And look, America fits this description perfectly, why? There's a lot of talk of unity, but it's unity that's centered around tolerance of other religions and beliefs, you know, it's not as a unity that is centered around truth, it's not a unity that's centered around Jesus and the Bible, it's not unity that's centered around his precepts, his laws, his word, around the right salvation, around the King James Bible, no, it's a unity that is centered around the toleration, the coexistence of all religions, okay? You know, people who seek to basically, they honor the God of forces, you know, you just, you worship who you wanna worship, let me worship who I wanna worship, and we can just coexist and get along. No, the Bible tells us, have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, the Bible says. You know, the Bible teaches us that we should not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What concord hath Christ with Belial? There is no agreement between, you know, the temple of God and idols, folks, there needs to be a clear separation, and the Bible even tells us, Jesus said, I came not to bring peace but a sword that divides, right? And look, there's a rude awakening for those who make it all the way to the millennial ring. You know, they're not gonna get a Jesus coming on, you know, an ass coming to them and just kinda saying, hey, you know, we can still coexist, and you know, I know we had our differences, I know I sent fire and brimstone and destroyed your world, and I, you know, I destroyed a third part of the oceans and a third part of this, and you know, I know there's a lot of dead people, but you know, maybe we can coexist. No, he rules with a rod of iron, the Bible says. And look, the Bible says, he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be also killed with the sword, what's that referring to? It's referring to the law of Moses, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Life for life. He's keeping track. I mean, folks, have we forgotten when he says, vengeance is mine, say it, the Lord, I will repay? He's referring to the fact that though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished. For those who are leading Christians into captivity, they're arresting Christians. You know, when the father delivers up his son, the mother delivers up her daughter, the mother-in-law, her daughter-in-law, when others seek to turn on you, God remembers those things, and he says this, he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. Were you a partaker of killing Christians, then you yourself shall be killed by the sword as well. And that's why he says, here's the patience and faith of the saints, and we'll get into that in just a bit. I don't want to get ahead of myself. So we're referring to the fact that this clay, the miry clay, is a representation of apostate Christianity. Some would say it's Catholicism. Some would say that it's, you know, just ecumenical churches, ecumenicism. But what I say is just, yes, yes, it's churches that name the name of Christ that permeate Babylon and cause it to basically compromise the structural integrity of that empire, which ultimately leads to its fall, okay? And God allows it. Now, think about this, you know, you're looking at this image, Nebuchadnezzar was looking at this image, and the most valuable aspect of that image was the head, right, it was the head of gold. But you think to yourself, why would you allow the foundation, the feet, to be made of iron and clay? You know, you put all these gold, silver, precious stones, but your foundation is faulty, right? And the Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 7 verse 26, everyone that heard these sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. You see, the Bible tells us that there's no other foundation that man can lay than Jesus Christ, right? 1 Corinthians chapter number 3, referring to salvation, and when you build gold, silver, precious stones upon that, you know, you're going to have a reward, but it has to be on the right type of foundation. So you have all these people that are going to be prospering during this time, they're getting along, they're coexisting, they're succeeding, you know, they even give gifts one to another once the two witnesses are killed, and they're able to get along, but you know what, there's a faulty foundation, that foundation being the antichrist. And great shall be the fall of that house. It's going to be the greatest fall in the history of mankind. Go to Ezekiel chapter 13, if you would. So I believe this is referring to apostate churches, apostate Christians, you know. That's why it's important to preach against these CCM liberal type churches, and I understand there may be some liberal church out there, some pterodactyl out there that preaches the right gospel, you know, they believe right about salvation. They maybe even use the King James Bible, but they're very far few and in between, folks. The vast majority of churches like this, you know, the liberal type churches, the ecumenical type churches, these are going to be the ones who are fomenting and promoting the antichrist. They're going to love the false prophet, okay. Look what it says in Ezekiel chapter 13 and verse number 9, it says, and mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity and that divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel, and ye shall know that I am the Lord God. Because even because they have seduced my people, saying peace, and there was no peace. I mean, don't you think there's going to be some false prophets in the end times who are going to be saying once the antichrist comes, hey, peace, he's here, this is it. Peace, peace, and there was no peace, and one built up a wall. And look what it says, and lo, others dobbed it with untempered mortar, saying to them which dobbed it with untempered mortar that it shall fall. There shall be an overflowing shower, and ye, oh great hailstones, shall fall and a stormy wind shall rend it, the Bible says. So what is this telling us? It's telling us that the reason that this house is going to fall, the reason it's going to be decimated, is because of the false prophets that are coming in and dobbing that house with untempered mortar. False prophecies, okay? Seducing people, they're divining lies, they're preaching false doctrine, they're promoting the antichrist, they're promoting the false prophet, they are promoting the new world order, and the Bible tells us that all they're doing is dobbing that house with untempered mortar, and eventually the end result of that is that it shall fall, okay? We rent into pieces. Now who do we see at the helm of worship in Revelation chapter 13, the false prophet, right? Because the Bible tells us later on that he sees he beholds another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and he spake as a dragon. And you think of a lamb, obviously, you know, you think of the Lord Jesus Christ, the lamb of God who should take away the sins of the world. And I don't think it's any coincidence that God is telling us that it has two horns, though. You know, it's basically leading us to believe that this is like an angel of light. You know, he's like a false prophet, a false apostle who's coming in as an angel of light, but once he opens his mouth and you try what's coming out of his mouth when you prove all things, hold fast to that which is good, you see that what he's saying is false, okay? This is how you can know. So he's going to look like a Christian, in my opinion, and in fact, I believe they're going to try to come on the scene under the label of Christianity. You say, why is that? Because that's the main religion he hates. That's the main group of people that he's trying to destroy. That's the main group that he's trying to deceive as much as he possibly can. Now, go back to Revelation chapter 13. So at the helm of worship is the false prophet described as the lamb with two horns who speaks as a dragon. And what does he do? He opposite the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the beast whose deadly wound is healed, okay? He operates, you know, somewhat of a forerunner of the antichrist. Look at verse number three. Let's talk about the deadly wound here. It says, and I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast. Now, this is interesting, you know, because we see that in Revelation chapter 6 verse 2 when the antichrist comes on a scene, he's on a white horse and he's going forth conquering and to conquer. And the implication there is that he is involved in war. I mean, if he's out there doing conquests, he's conquering, he has a bow, he's fighting, you know, this is a man who is not, you know, he's not operating from behind the scenes so to speak, you know, sending soldiers to go fight for him. It almost seems as though he's actually in the battle himself. And the reason I would even think that is because of the fact that he receives a deadly wound to the head, you know. I mentioned in previous sermons that I believe that the antichrist is going to seek to embody all of the Old Testament kings, right, the prophets and the Old Testament kings. The primary one being King David. Now what does the Bible say about King David before he went into sin? At a time when kings go forth to battle, David tarried behind at Jerusalem. So what I believe is the antichrist is going to do, he's going to try to bring that back to say, well, you know, kings of Israel used to go forth and fight for their people. So he's going to gain this honorable position and they're going to admire him because he's out there fighting the wars of Israel so to speak, okay. And potentially this is why he receives a deadly wound to the head and then his deadly wound is healed. Now the fact that it says that he receives a deadly wound to the head is referring to the fact that he dies, okay. He actually dies and, in fact, this is when he, in my opinion, according to what we see in the book of Revelation, he actually goes to hell. But then the Bible tells us that he comes out of the bottomless pit and possesses himself again. He comes back to life and that's when Satan comes down from heaven when he's evicted and possesses him as well. That's when he actually becomes the son of perdition, the man of sin, and, you know, the embodiment of the antichrist, okay. Look at verse number four, it says, and they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast. And they worshiped the beast saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? You know, Saul has slain his thousands but David his ten thousands. This is what they're going to say, they're going to be like, man, who's able to even like make war with him? This guy can't even be killed, this has to be God, right. Verse five, and there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. So this falls in line perfectly with the prophetic timetable, you know, referring to, this is actually happening in the midst of the week of Daniel's 70th week because that is when the abomination of desolation is set up, that's when he goes into the temple, proclaims himself to be God. We know that to be true because it tells us in verse five that he's able to continue forty and two months. And that is from the time that the abomination of desolation is set up until the very end, that's how long his office is, okay. The Bible says, and he opened his mouth and blasphemied against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven. This is what's being reiterated in 2 Thessalonians chapter two when he proclaims himself to be God. These are the blasphemies that he's referring to. Now we're going to look at the war with the saints, look at verse seven, and it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations. Look at Revelation chapter 12 and verse number, we'll look at verse number 14, we'll start reading verse 14. It says, and the woman, and to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness into her place where she is nourished for a time and times and a half a time from the face of the serpent. Skip down to verse number 17, and the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now just think about this, look at the lengths that Satan is willing to go to in order to kill the remnant of the seed. He said, well, what lengths are you referring to? Well, how about just conquering the entire world? How about just subjugating the entire world? The government, the financial system, the religion, all for the purpose of destroying the remnant of the seed. His main agenda is to make war with the remnant of the seed, but the only way he's able to even accomplish that is if he rules the world, this new world order, the government, the financial system, and the religion as well, okay? Now you say, well, why are you saying that, you know, how does that fit in with the financial system? Well, you remember that the wars produced the famine which, what does the new world order do? They create the solution which is the mark of the beast. We'll see that later on in the book of Revelation, or verse 16 through 17. Now the mark of the beast is the solution, quote, unquote, to the rest of the world to fix the so-called problem of famines, right, and potentially even pestilence. This is the only way you're gonna be able to operate and function in this world is through the mark of the beast. That is the solution to the world, but you know, the main purpose of the mark of the beast is not to create a solution to the beginning of sorrows. The main agenda of the mark of the beast is to find Christians. That's what it's for. It's not to help everyone else. You think Satan gives a rip about any unsafe person? You think he really gives a rip about putting food on the table for these people, you know, providing shelter, rent, food, and just, you know, being there for them? You think he even loves this world? No, he's damning them to hell. He's seeking to deceive them in order that they may be damned forever. He can care less about human beings. The reason he's even implementing the mark of the beast is not necessarily to be a blessing to the world. He's doing it so we can sift out believers, so we can find them, because the only way that the mark of the beast can be implemented into a person, the only way a person can even take the mark of the beast, the number one requirement is that they have to worship the image of the beast. And the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 6 that he sees under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and what? And for the testimony which they held. And that could be referring to the fact that they come to them and they say, here's the mark of the beast taken. They say, no, I'm a believer. I don't worship the dragon. You know, I don't worship the devil. Kill me. Chop off my head. I'm not doing it. And they're like, gladly, we've found another one. Or it could be that even weak Christians, they're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, let me get it. But they have some sort of technology where they're able to see if you truly worship the beast or not. It could be referring to the fact that the Bible tells us, you know, the spear bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. Okay? You know, it could be the fact that, you know, the Bible tells us that the spear gives us that utterance during those times to speak certain things, to be bold, and that causes certain people to be put to death as well. What we know is this is that they're not trying to give the mark of the beast to Christians. It's not for Christians. The mark of the beast is not to help Christians. It's not even to try to damn Christians because he knows he can't. Satan knows, you know, you can't take away the salvation of a Christian, it's impossible. The mark of the beast is used in order to sift them out to find them. Why? Because the vast majority of the population is taking it. And if you find someone who doesn't want to take it, they're going to say, well, why not? What do you have to hide? And look, folks, don't we see something like that today, right? Something called vaccinations where they just demonize people who don't want to be vaccinated. You know, people are like, well, I'm anti-vaccine, I don't want to put heavy metals into my body. I don't support vaccinations because they have aborted fetal tissue in the ingredients. I'm not for that. That goes against my convictions and my beliefs. And then the other population is like, well, how dare you just put my child in danger by not vaccinating your child. And they just think we're just like the worst scum of the earth for not vaccinating our children. Right? Yeah, people are like, yeah, you got this group of anti-vaxxers and, man, these people are dangerous. This is the reason why people are going to get sick. This is the reason why people, that more disease is going to spread because they're not willing to comply with this, they're not willing to be vaccinated. You know, that's the same mentality that's going to be prevalent in the end times. You see, no one's going to be forced to take in the mark of the beast. They're just going to be like, you know, you go to the doctor, oh, would you like your flu shot? Would you like your mark of the beast? They're just going to be like, yeah, sign me up, I've been waiting to get that for a while. It's painless, right? Yeah, it's painless. You could either put it in your right hand or your forehead, you know. What's the difference? Well, it's just the difference between 4G and 5G. If you want it to work faster, you get it in your forehead. And they're like, yeah, sign me up, let me get that. Yeah, you could even download movies. You get a free subscription for three months or whatever. No, you get a free subscription for 40 in two months. People are not going to be fighting the mark of the beast they wanted. Who are the people going to be fighting? Those who don't want to take it. They're going to be like, oh, you are one of those people. You guys are anti-mark of the beast. And instead of anti-vaxxer, they're like, you're anti-mark of the beast. You're the reason why, you know, my kids are going to get sick because now they've upgraded. Did you get the upgrade on the mark of the beast? Now, you know, the chip that's in your forehead or in your hand is able to detect certain sicknesses in your body and cleanse you of that. And if you're not taking it, man, you're just like a leper. And they're going to look down on people like that. That's why the Bible even says that father shall deliver up son. For what reason? You know, if your family, if they're not saved, you know, and they don't have a religious background, you really think that they're just going to deliver you up because they just hate you? No, it's because maybe you have, you're doing something that, or excuse me, you're not doing something that they're doing and they think you're a threat to them. I mean, that's happening today, folks, where families literally have these conflicts because of vaccinations. It's like, man, I love you, man, but I just can't have you around my family. I mean, your kids aren't vaccinated. You know, I can't believe you believe this. It's just like unbelievable. I mean, they think we're crazy for not being vaccinated, right? Well, that entire agenda with vaccines is simply to condition the minds of people to prepare them for the mark of the beast. That's what I believe, and I don't think that's a far-fetched idea. Oh, you're such a conspiracy theorist and I can't believe you're saying that. I mean, think about it. Think about it for a second, okay? You know, they're instilling these vaccinations. They're conditioning the population to allow some doctor to stick a needle into your arm and fill you with poison, thinking that you're going to become better, you know, and if the vast majority of the population is doing it and they're causing people to look down on those who don't, that's the mentality that they want to condition the masses to have in order to prepare them when the mark of the beast is implemented, okay? I got ahead of myself there, but I just wanted to mention that. So he begins to make war with the saints. Now, let me skip some things here. We also see that in Daniel chapter number 7, look at verse number 9. It says, If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints. We hear that a lot in the book of Revelation, do we not, when it comes to persecution? It's like, In your patience possess you your souls. Well, that's in Luke 21, but it's in reference to what we're seeing here. Revelation 3 tells us, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth. So why does he say, Here's the patience and faith of the saints? Because it takes patience, you know, to not kill someone when they're trying to come after you and your family. It takes patience to give place unto wrath, right? When you have people coming after your life, they want to destroy you, they hate you. And God is just like, Be patient, you know, be patient, because he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. If they kill with the sword, they must be killed with the sword. This is what we have to think about. If this comes in our lifetime, and we're going through tribulation, the great tribulation, the last 75 days, we just got to think about it like this. Man, in just three and just three and a half years, or in 75 days, in just 75 days. And in fact, in just three and a half years, we're going to be in the millennial reign. You know, we're going to be in the millennial reign, and he that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity. That person who arrested my family member, my brother in Christ, you know, this person who killed my church member or whatever, I'm going to remember that person. I'm taking names, OK? You know, it is just we really we do have to think about that. I mean, think about that. It's like, man, in just three and a half years when you're in the great tribulation, I'm not saying that now, you know, at three and a half years, like we're going to be in that millennial reign. Jesus will be here in 75 days. We will be with him reigning here on this earth. You know, if my life gets taken, the person who's going to take my life, I'm going to tell him, like, I'm going to see I'll see you in three and a half years. I'm going to remember you. I'll see you in three and a half years. Proceed. You know, just like take my life. But in our patience, we possess our souls. You know, and the Bible often relates tribulation to patience. Then we see the changing of laws. Look at verse number 11. It says, And I beheld another beast come up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the beast whose deadly wound is healed. This is talked about in Matthew 24, when there shall be false Christs and false prophets. Now think about this, because this beast that comes up out of the earth, referring to the false prophet, he's given, you know, this power to manifest these great wonders, right? And in fact, it even says in verse 13, He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of man. Now, who's another prophet, a real prophet, who did that in the Bible? Elijah. Who's here during this time? Elijah. So you have Elijah and Moses, and by the way, they're given the ability to do the same. So what does this sound like? You know, you have Elijah and Moses doing all these great wonders, calling fire down from heaven. They're turning the water into blood. You know, they're causing it not to rain. You know, they're spewing fire out of their mouth and consuming those who seek to take their life. And then you have the false prophet doing the exact same thing. What does that sound like to you? Janus and Jambres versus Moses. Janus and Jambres, which are the magicians, I was going to say the musicians, the magicians, you know, that were under the leadership of Pharaoh, you know, Moses and Aaron came, and they were doing all these great wonders. They throw down the snake, the rod, and it becomes a snake, and they would do the same exact thing. Only the snake that they threw down ate the ones of Janus and Jambres. But they were able to duplicate those signs and wonders. Now, what did that, you said, what's the purpose of that? Well, the purpose of that was to harden the hearts of those who were in Egypt along with Pharaoh. Because if the Egyptians were seeing Moses and Aaron, they're just like, wow, he's of God. But then they see Janus and Jambres, they're like, well, you know what, they're fake then. And it would cause them to harden their hearts. Well, this is the same exact thing that's going to be taking place in the end times. So when Moses and Elijah, who are the two witnesses, who come at the initial, you know, beginning of those 75 days, they're going to be doing all these great wonders. Everyone's going to be observing them throughout the whole world, but you know what, the false prophet is also going to be doing those wonders as well. And this is going to cause the hearts of the masses to harden their hearts. It's going to cause them to harden their hearts and not believe the two witnesses and to really accept, you know, the Antichrist that much more. So this will be a duplication of Janus and Jambres versus Moses. Look at verse 15, it says, And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Now, a lot of speculation about this, what this image looks like, right? If you were to ask me what do I think it is, I would say that I would conjecture that it is artificial intelligence. I don't think that's far-fetched in the age in which we live, okay? And I've spoken about that many times in previous sermons, but if you were to have an image that basically works as a home base and they release all of these AI, artificial intelligent type robots into the world, you know what I mean? This is basically how they can get the job done, if you think about it. Because remember, whoever doesn't worship the image of the beast should be killed. That is the commandment that this false prophet gives. But here's the thing, it's not a bunch of people lining up to see the image of the beast to see if they're going to worship it. It'll almost be as, you know, it's like martial law being implemented. You have all these types of robots coming in. And by the way, this is speculation. I'm not saying this is true, but if you were to ask me my opinion, this is what I would say it was. You have all these robots being permeated into society, and maybe not necessarily literal walking and talking robots, this could be on your phone. This could be through different technology, and they're able to determine and ascertain if you really worship the beast or not, and at that point, they can take your life. This is how this can be taken care of globally, you understand? Because you think of the image that was built, that Nebuchadnezzar built, yeah, everyone in that immediate proximity to that image was killed, right? If they were not going to worship that beast or that image. But in the end time, we're talking about the entire world. How are you going to fulfill such a task globally? Well, with the technology, that's possible, okay? So he is able to give life into the image of the beast, and it says that the image should both speak, you know, it's able to talk, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. It says in verse 16, now here is the modus operandi of the antichrist, and he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. Why? Well, that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. So what is the means by which he's going to persecute Christians? How is he going to be able to find them using the implementation of the mark of the beast? That's how he's going to do it. You see, when a person takes to the mark of the beast, you know, it doesn't mean that they previously did not worship the antichrist. I believe these people were already worshiping it. It just kind of seals the deal for them. You understand? So I mentioned this in my Revelation 6 sermon, where what could potentially happen is they were already on their way to being damned, but if they put, for example, a chip in the forehead or into the brain, you know, and they put it into the frontal lobe cortex, they give them, you know, a lobotomy, so to speak, they rid them of their ability to reason when a lie comes, when deception comes to them, that basically seals the deal to make them reprobate. So when all these deceptions and all these wonders and signs come about, they just believe it, and it seals the deal for them. They are eternally damned after that. They become reprobate, okay? And so he's using this not to try to give it to Christians. He's using it to give to the world and to weed out who is a believer on Christ, okay? And then ultimately, verse 18, it says, Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred three score and six. So what do we see in Revelation chapter 13? We see that what John is seeing here is this image of this beast coming up out of the ocean, and he's basically helping us to understand that the manner in which the Antichrist is going to find Christians is by establishing this one world government, one world financial system, and one world religion. This is all being implemented and imposed in order to find Christians. That's what he's trying to do, you know? So we'll get into chapter number 14 next week, and let's go ahead and bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your word, and Lord, thank you for the tribulations and trials that we go through today, and Lord, if we just think about our tribulations today as an exercise, so to speak, to prepare us for great tribulation, you know, we would definitely be far more patient today because many of these tribulations that we're going through today are just preparing us for the future. If so be that the beginning of sorrows and great tribulation happens in our lifetime, we can be ready for that. It takes someone who, you know, has patience and is abiding in the word of God and is doing the work of the Lord to be able to survive such a chaotic time. And I pray, God, that you'd help us, help us to be watchful, and not necessarily by watching what's taking place in current events, but rather watching with the new man, reading our Bibles and praying and becoming strong in the Lord and in the power of his might to be familiar with the word of God and to increase our faith day by day in order to prepare us for such a day, to help us to put our houses in order, to train our children, to prepare our spouses, and prepare ourselves spiritually for such a time as this. And I pray, God, that you do so and please continue to protect us, please continue to use us to see more people saved, that we will see a great revival in our nation as we seek and to save that which is lost. We love you so much, Lord, and we thank you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen.