The sands of time are running low and the end is near. There is coming a human being who is the devil in the flesh. He is called the man of sin, the wicked one or the Antichrist.

1 – His sudden appearance (vs. 1)

The sea stands for the nations of the world. Out of the multitudes the Antichrist is going to come. The nations will be in turmoil. The Russian bear is wounded and hungry. The Chinese dragon is ready to breathe its hot breathe. Europe is being reunited into a revival of the old Roman Empire. They want someone who can offer a panacea for the troubles of the world.

2. His satanic ancestry (vs. 2 & Rev 12:3)

This beast is a devil of a man. His father is the devil. His family – the lion, bear and leopard represent world empires. This Antichrist is going to be the composite of all the rulers there has been in the world. He is all Hitler, Stalin, etc, all rolled into one. They will receive the spotted leopard rather than the spotless lamb. His family fortune – Satan is able to give the riches of this world to the Antichrist. The beast will be a worshipper of Satan and he will inherit his power. The Holy Spirit is restraining things at the moment. When the church is taken out the restraint will be taken away. Hell will have a holiday.

3. His seductive appeal (vs. 3-4)

He will be greatly admired. This beast will be handsome and charming. He will have a deadly wound in his head and it will be amazingly heal. It will appear to be a resurrection.

4. His sinister motives (vs. 4-9)

There are dark motives behind the madness.

• To deify Satan. (vs. 4).
• To defy the Saviour (vs. 5-6) – He is reduced to name calling. He will turn people away from belief in Jesus Christ.
• To destroy saints (vs. 7) – There will be some people saved during the tribulation.
• To dominate society (vs. 7) He will have global control. He will threaten and tempt.
• To delude sinners (vs. 8-9) – These people are going to believe Satan. The Devil wants converts, not causalities. The Devil will persuade many. God will send a strong delusion. See 2 Thess 2:4-5. They will follow the Devil’s Messiah.

5. His supporting agent (vs. 11-17)

He is the sinister minister of deception. Satan has his unholy trinity. He will persuade people to believe in the Antichrist. How is he coming to control the masses?

• The fire – He is somehow going to have the power to set the heavens ablaze. It is some dazzling display.
• The image (vs. 14-15). The image of the beast is a replica of the beast that speaks. It could be some technological trick.
• The mark (vs. 16-17). If you cannot buy or sell then you cannot live. It is the brand of hell. There will be a cashless society. We already see some of this today. Six is the number of man and three the number of God. 666 is man trying to be like God. The whole world will be systemised. We have smart cards which can have your entire history. A step further will be to put this on a person. We see pets and prisoners being electronically tagged today. The whole world will be a concentration camp with all the inmates numbered. They will have a number rather than a name. Will your name be called or will your number be up?

We ought to be offering up to Jesus praise rather than ungodly rock music. We should stand against the obtrusive government system that seeks to control us all. The spirit of antichrist is already in the world. The church will be taken out before the Antichrist is revealed in the world.

Categories: Revelation