Revelation - Week 23

Day 1 

The Wounded Beast

READ

Revelation 13:3-4

3 I saw that one of the heads of the beast seemed wounded beyond recovery—but the fatal wound was healed! The whole world marveled at this miracle and gave allegiance to the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon for giving the beast such power, and they also worshiped the beast. “Who is as great as the beast?” they exclaimed. “Who is able to fight against him?”

This first beast in Revelation 13 is the greater of the two mentioned in the chapter and seems to be the Antichrist. He is empowered by the dragon, identified as the devil or Satan. Note the whole world will worship him. This is Satanic worship at its worst. Notice that just as Pharaoh’s magicians in Egypt were able to imitate miracles, the world will marvel at the imitations produced by Satan through the Antichrist.

REFLECT

Have you thought about how one distinguishes a false miracle from a true one? It can be tested by the message it gives.

RESPOND

As you study Revelation with a friend, read Deuteronomy 13:1-3 that reveals a miracle should be tested by its message. The message you should compare it with is the Bible.

Day 2

Blasphemy Against God

READ

Revelation 13:5-7

5 Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months. 6 And he spoke terrible words of blasphemy against God, slandering his name and his dwelling—that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.

The forty-two months mentioned in this passage is three and a half years. This is the last half of the seven-year Tribulation period. God allows the Antichrist to blaspheme Him and all who are in heaven. God even allowed the Antichrist to make war against His people. The Antichrist was also allowed to rule all people on earth.

REFLECT

Be thankful that if you are a believer in Jesus now, you will not be here for the terrible time when the Antichrist is terrorizing and ruling over everyone on earth.

RESPOND

Those who are Christ-followers now will be caught up to be with Jesus before the Tribulation begins. See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 about the time when believers will be caught up to heaven to meet Jesus in the air. Verse 18 says to comfort each other with these words. It would be no comfort if you thought you would have to go through any part of the Tribulation.

Day 3

Worshipers of the Beast

READ

Revelation 13:8-10

8 And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made. 9 Anyone with ears to hear

should listen and understand. 10 Anyone who is destined for prison will be taken to prison. Anyone destined to die by the sword will die by the sword. This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.

During the Tribulation, unbelievers will worship the Antichrist. Unbelievers are those whose names are not in the Book of Life. Those who are believers in Jesus in the midst of this worship of a false god will be persecuted. They are encouraged to patiently endure the persecution and to remain faithful to the Lord Jesus.

REFLECT

Think of what a horrible time this will be for believers in Jesus. Even in the 21^st century there are believers being persecuted, but it will be much worse during the Tribulation when the world is worshiping the Antichrist.

RESPOND

Even present-day believers are told how to respond to persecutors. See what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-45, and what the apostle Paul said in Romans 12:14-15.

Day 4

The False Prophet

READ

Revelation 13:11-13

11 Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.

This second beast is referred to as the false prophet later in the book of Revelation. He directs worship toward the first beast, the Antichrist. The opinion differs on whether the first beast (the Antichrist) was actually killed and rose from the dead. This false prophet will do “astounding miracles.” Satan does all he can by empowering the Antichrist and false prophet to deceive people.

REFLECT

Surely this is another lesson not to believe everything that seems to be supernatural.

RESPOND

See Revelation 16:13; 19:20; and 20:10 for references to the second beast being referred to as the “false prophet.”

Day 5

Statue of the Beast

READ

Revelation 13:14-15

14 And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. 15 He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

This statue of the first beast seems to agree with what is said about the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians 2. In the middle of the seven-year Tribulation the Antichrist will apparently desecrate the temple by placing himself or a statue of himself there to be worshiped. This passage in Revelation reveals somehow the statue will be enabled to speak, and any who will not worship it must die.

REFLECT     

Think how terrible it will be to be forced to worship someone or something. This is similar to what Nebuchadnezzar attempted to do with Daniel’s three friends (see Daniel 3).

RESPOND

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 to see what the apostle Paul wrote about the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist) during the Tribulation.