Who Are The 2 Beasts?

Summary

In this sermon, Pastor Victor delves into the Book of Revelation, exploring the symbolic figures of the Beasts from the Sea and Earth. He discusses the historical and cultural significance of these beasts, drawing parallels to political powers opposing God's kingdom. Victor emphasizes the importance of discerning deceptive forces in our lives, whether blatant or subtle, and the need to align our hearts with Jesus rather than seeking fulfillment in worldly pursuits or political solutions. He challenges the congregation to seek a genuine relationship with God, beyond mere religious practices, and to resist the counterfeit allure of worldly power and idols.

Takeaways

• 📖 The sermon focuses on the Book of Revelation, specifically chapters 12 and 13, discussing the symbolism of the dragon and the two beasts.
• 🐉 The dragon is identified as the devil, Satan, and is seen as a mobilizing force for the two beasts, often referred to as 'Wild Thing One' and 'Wild Thing Two'.
• 🌊 The Beast of the Sea is likened to a sea monster, resonating with Jewish mythology and theology, often associated with dark forces.
• 🐾 The Beast of the Earth is compared to the Behemoth, a creature from Job 40 and 41, symbolizing a powerful, earthly force.
• 🦁 The first Beast is described with characteristics of a leopard, bear, and lion, amalgamating various Old Testament beasts to represent political power opposing God's kingdom.
• 🔥 The Beast's healing of a mortal wound and the subsequent marveling of the earth is seen as a symbol of the resilience of powers against God's kingdom.
• 🏛️ The sermon emphasizes the need for a healthy suspicion towards political institutions and warns against reducing Jesus' kingdom to a set of policies or political actions.
• 🌈 The text discusses recent events, such as Pride parades and pro-Palestine protests, highlighting the clash of ideologies and the challenge of finding unity in diversity.
• 🤔 The sermon challenges the congregation to consider whether their faith is genuine or if they are deceived by hollow idols, urging introspection and a return to a deeper relationship with Jesus.
• 🔢 The number 666 is discussed as a symbol of incompleteness and failure, contrasting the counterfeit nature of the Beast with the completeness of God.
• 🙏 The call to action is for the church to discern their own hearts, recognizing where they may have been deceived and to align themselves fully with Jesus, rejecting the hollow promises of the world.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the sermon based on the Book of Revelation?

The main theme of the sermon is the exploration of the figures described in the Book of Revelation, specifically the dragon and the two beasts, which are interpreted as symbols of political powers opposing God's kingdom.

Who is the figure referred to as the dragon in Revelation 12:9?

The dragon in Revelation 12:9 is identified as the devil, Satan, or the serpent of old.

What is the significance of the Beast of the Sea and the Beast of the Earth in the sermon?

The Beast of the Sea and the Beast of the Earth represent political powers that are mobilized by the dragon to do his bidding, symbolizing opposition to God's kingdom throughout history.

How does the sermon relate the imagery of the beasts to the original audience's understanding?

The sermon connects the imagery of the beasts to the original audience's understanding by referencing Jewish mythology and theology, where sea monsters were believed to represent dark forces.

What is the interpretation of the Beast having a mortal wound that was healed?

The healed mortal wound of the Beast symbolizes the resilience of political powers opposing God's kingdom, which have historically recovered from downfalls to continue exerting influence.

What is the role of the second Beast, described as rising over the Earth with two horns like a lamb?

The second Beast, also known as the Beast of the Earth, is about propaganda and deception, using signs and authority to lead people to worship the first Beast and follow its teachings.

What does the number 666 signify in the context of the sermon?

The number 666 signifies an incomplete or counterfeit power, representing the Beast as a failed imitation of God's completeness and authority.

How does the sermon relate the political powers described in Revelation to the modern context?

The sermon draws parallels between the historical political powers and modern ideologies, suggesting that the same spirit of opposition to God's kingdom manifests in various forms throughout history.

What is the sermon's stance on the role of political institutions in solving moral and social issues?

The sermon encourages a healthy suspicion towards political institutions, suggesting that they cannot solve the moral disorder of the world and that the Church, not the White House, is the hope of the world.

What is the warning against in the sermon regarding personal faith and beliefs?

The sermon warns against the deception that can lead individuals to place their faith in things other than Jesus, whether blatantly or subtly, and emphasizes the importance of genuine knowledge and relationship with God.

What does the sermon suggest as the appropriate response to the understanding of the Beasts in Revelation?

The sermon suggests that the appropriate response is to be discerning, to recognize and resist deceptive forces, and to align one's allegiance with Jesus, the true and complete source of life and righteousness.

Outlines

00:00

📖 Introduction to Revelation's Beasts

In this opening segment, Pastor Victor welcomes the congregation and dives into the Book of Revelation, focusing on the introduction of two beasts mobilized by the dragon, symbolizing the devil. He references the cultural significance of sea monsters in Jewish theology and biblical stories where Jesus encounters and subdues demonic forces. The pastor provides a detailed reading of Revelation 13:1-8, describing the Beast of the Sea with its ten horns and seven heads, and its miraculous healing that leads to global admiration and worship. The passage is interpreted as a symbol of political power opposing God's kingdom.

05:02

🐉 Political Power and its Opposition to God

This paragraph explores the symbolism behind the Beast of Revelation, drawing parallels with Old Testament imagery to suggest the Beast represents a composite of political powers throughout history that oppose God's kingdom. The pastor discusses how different figures have been historically identified with the Beast, but emphasizes the idea that it represents a recurring type of political power rather than a specific individual. He also touches on the resilience of such powers and the need for a healthy skepticism towards political institutions, warning against reducing Christianity to a set of political policies.

10:03

🌈 The Clash of Ideologies and the Role of the Church

In this section, the pastor discusses the recent events surrounding Pride parades and the pro-Palestine protests, highlighting the clash of ideologies and the resulting confusion and violence. He contrasts this with 'queers for Palestine' parades, showing solidarity across communities. The pastor challenges the idea that political solutions can bring about moral order, asserting that the church, not the White House, is the hope of the world. He encourages discernment, recognizing that political power can often be opposed to Christ's work.

15:04

🔍 Reflections on Personal Deception and Allegiance to Christ

The pastor delves into the individual's struggle with self-deception and the tendency to justify sinful habits. He warns against the human heart's inclination to seek the center of life while being aware of its own mortality. Using personal anecdotes, he illustrates how pressures can reveal our true character and the areas that need work. The message encourages embracing reality, recognizing the beastly aspects of our hearts, and seeking God's transformative power to mold us into the image of His son.

20:05

🐺 The Deceptive Power of the Second Beast

This paragraph describes the second Beast, which rises over the Earth with horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. This Beast performs great signs, including making fire come down from heaven, deceiving people into worshiping the first Beast. The pastor emphasizes the concern for deception in faith over physical suffering, as seen in the testimonies of believers from persecuted churches who hold their lives loosely and see a natural death as a loss. The passage serves as a warning against the deceptive forces that seek to draw worship away from Jesus.

25:07

🕊️ The Danger of Idolatry and the Pursuit of True Worship

The pastor discusses the concept of idolatry, not only in the form of blatant worship of other things over Jesus but also in the subtle form of self-deception where one believes they are good with God when they are not. He uses examples from the Old Testament and the teachings of CS Lewis to illustrate how people avoid true faith and genuine relationship with God. The message calls for self-examination and a return to genuine worship of Jesus, the only one worthy of all praise, life, and worship.

30:08

✝️ The Mark of the Beast and the Call for Discernment

In this segment, the pastor interprets the mark of the Beast, the number 666, as a symbol of an incomplete allegiance, contrasting with the completeness represented by the number seven. The Beasts are seen as counterfeits, parodies of God's true kingdom. The pastor warns against settling for anything less than Jesus, who offers abundant life, and calls for discernment to avoid being deceived by the hollow promises of the world.

35:12

🙏 Closing Prayer and Invitation to Connect with the Church

The service concludes with a prayer for discernment and alignment with God's will, followed by an invitation for the congregation to connect with Village Church, either in person or through financial support. The pastor expresses gratitude for the generosity of the community and highlights the impact it has on the church's ministries and programs for the next generation.

Keywords

💡Revelation

Revelation refers to the last book of the New Testament in the Bible, also known as the Apocalypse of John. In the context of the video, it is the primary text being discussed, with its themes of good versus evil, the end times, and prophetic visions. The speaker, Pastor Victor, delves into the symbolism and allegory found within the Book of Revelation, particularly focusing on chapters 12 and 13, which describe the figures of the dragon and the beasts.

💡Dragon

In the script, the 'dragon' symbolizes the devil, Satan, or the serpent of old, as mentioned in Revelation 12:9. It represents evil and malevolent forces that oppose God's kingdom. The dragon is depicted as mobilizing two beasts to do his bidding, which is a central theme in the video as it discusses the political and spiritual implications of these figures.

💡Beast of the Sea

The 'Beast of the Sea' is one of the two beasts mentioned in Revelation 13, which emerges from the sea with characteristics of a leopard, bear, and lion, symbolizing a powerful and composite political entity that opposes God. The video discusses how this beast is granted authority and power by the dragon and how it is perceived by the people of the earth.

💡Political Power

The concept of 'political power' is central to the video's interpretation of the beasts in Revelation. The speaker suggests that the beasts represent different forms of political power throughout history that have opposed God's kingdom. The video encourages viewers to be discerning of political institutions and not to place their faith in them as solutions to moral and spiritual issues.

💡Deception

Deception is a key theme in the video, particularly in relation to the second beast, which performs great signs and deceives people into worshiping the first beast. The video warns against the deceptive nature of worldly powers and ideologies that can lead people away from true faith in God. It emphasizes the need for believers to be aware of and resist such deceptions.

💡Worship

Worship in the video is discussed in the context of people being deceived into worshiping the beasts instead of God. The script mentions that all who dwell on Earth will worship the beast, indicating a shift away from worshiping the true God. The video challenges viewers to ensure their worship is directed towards God and not towards worldly powers or idols.

💡Mortally Wounded Beast

The 'mortally wounded beast' refers to a specific characteristic of the first beast in Revelation, which appears to have been fatally injured but then miraculously recovers. In the video, this is used as a metaphor for political powers that, despite appearing to be defeated, manage to re-emerge and continue to exert influence, reflecting the resilience of such forces.

💡Propaganda

Propaganda is associated with the second beast in the video, which uses signs and wonders to deceive people into creating an image of the first beast and enforcing worship. The term is used to describe the methods by which false beliefs and ideologies are spread and normalized, drawing parallels to historical and modern instances of manipulation through belief systems.

💡666

The number '666' is a significant symbol in Revelation, often associated with the mark of the beast. In the video, it is discussed as a representation of incompleteness and failure, a counterfeit of the divine completeness symbolized by the number seven. The speaker uses it to illustrate the deceptive and hollow nature of the beast's power and authority.

💡Discernment

Discernment is the ability to distinguish between truth and deception, good and evil. The video emphasizes the importance of discernment for believers to recognize and resist the influence of the beasts and their deceptive practices. It is portrayed as a crucial spiritual gift for navigating the challenges of the world without being misled.

💡Kingdom of God

The 'Kingdom of God' is a central concept in Christian theology, referring to the reign of God over all things. In the video, the speaker contrasts the Kingdom of God with the power of the beasts, suggesting that true change and hope come from the in-breaking of God's kingdom, not from political solutions or human institutions.

Highlights

Introduction to the Book of Revelation and the role of the dragon as the devil.

Chapter 13 focuses on the dragon mobilizing two beasts, referred to as Wild Thing One and Wild Thing Two.

The Beast of the Sea and the Beast of the Earth are introduced, drawing parallels with biblical creatures like Leviathan and Behemoth.

Jesus' calming of the storm is discussed as a metaphor for spiritual resistance against his ministry.

Description of the first Beast with seven heads, ten horns, and blasphemous names, drawing from Daniel 7.

The Beast's healing of a mortal wound and the subsequent global marveling at its power.

The Beast's authority for 42 months and its war against the Saints, highlighting the resilience of opposing powers.

The need for a healthy suspicion towards political institutions and the limitations of political solutions to moral disorder.

The contrast between the church as the hope of the world and the limitations of the White House.

The deceptive nature of political power, drawing parallels with historical figures like Napoleon and Ronald Reagan.

The role of the second Beast in performing great signs and deceiving people into worshipping the first Beast.

The significance of the number 666 in representing an incomplete allegiance to the Beast, contrasting with the completeness of God.

The call to discernment in recognizing deceptive forces in our lives and the importance of aligning with Jesus.

The challenge of maintaining faith in the face of global deception and the importance of knowing God personally.

The contrast between the deceptive promises of the world and the abundant life offered by Jesus.

The invitation to connect with Village Church and the importance of financial investment in the mission.

Transcripts

[Music]

[Music]

good morning Village Church how we doing

this morning yeah there we go welcome

well we are back at the Book of

Revelation of Jesus Christ my name is

Victor so excited to be with you one of

the pastors here on staff uh if you're

here last week uh you heard an amazing

sermon by Pastor fenu and it was all on

chapter 12 chapter 12 things start

unfolding pretty drastically we now see

this figure come on the scene and we

know that figure is the dragon John

makes that clear in chap 12: 9 this

dragon is the devil the Satan The

Serpent of old so cards are now on the

table and what we are now investigating

in Chapter 13 we'll spend all our time

there is this dragon now

mobilizes these two beasts he sends them

to do his bidding and these two beasts

with Scott mcnight calls Wild Thing One

and Wild Thing Two probably a little too

cute for what they actually do on the

Earth but this is the Beast of the Sea

and the Beast of the Earth Earth now

this wouldn't have been like unfamiliar

language for the original audience uh

job 40 and uh chapter 41 as well we see

descriptions of the leviathon this sea

monster and this beast of the Earth the

Behemoth and especially that first one

the idea of a sea monster would have

resonated with the original audience

quite a bit through Jewish mythology or

even theology it was often believed that

dark force

resided deep in the sea when you hear

stories like when Jesus casts out demons

and he casts out a whole bunch of demons

out of one man and they don't know where

to go and Jesus commands them to go into

a group of pigs this a really strange

story and these pigs then immediately go

straight off a cliff into the deep

Waters there's another story also with

um Jesus a very popular story you've

probably heard before of Jesus falling

asleep in a boat and you have these

disciples who are trained professional

fishermen crossing the waters they would

understood weather they would have

understood the waters would understood

like times when to go in the day and

they are in the midst of now a storm

that they can't even handle so much so

that they wake Jesus up and they say do

you even care we are going to die and

Jesus does if you know the story he

stands up and he rebukes the wind and he

rebukes the waves

and the whole thing goes calm what

commentators think that they think

there's actually more at work in that

story that Jesus and his disciples are

going to new territory in their Ministry

that they have not yet gone before and

potentially there is

resistance spiritual resistance to Jesus

moving into that territory so what he is

silencing is maybe more than just the

wind and the waves there and so for a

sea monster to come out of the ocean is

pretty on brand with what they would

expected dark Forces to come from so

let's read about our first

Beast verse one all the way to verse 8

and I saw a beast rising out of the sea

with 10 horns and seven heads with 10

dims on its horns and blasphemous names

on its heads and the Beast that I saw

was like a leopard its feet were like

bears and its mouth was like a lion's

mouth

and to the dragon gave his power and his

throne and great Authority one of his

heads seemed to have oh this is great

this is like perfectly in time you're

going to see this verse probably verse

you've never read before in your life

you're going to see it plastered all

over social media right now thinking

this is probably speaking about Donald

Trump's assassination attempt one of its

heads seemed to have a mortal wound but

its mortal wound was healed and the

whole earth marveled as they followed

the Beast there you go and Time stuff

guys um and they worshiped the Dragon

for he had given his authority to the

Beast and they worshiped the Beast

saying who is like the Beast and who can

fight against him and the Beast was

given a mouth uttering hottie and

blasphemous words and it was allowed to

exercise Authority for 42 months what's

a presidential term know I'm just

kidding um it opened its mouth to other

blasphemies against God blasphemy his

name and his dwelling that is those who

dwell in in heaven last bit here and

also it was allowed to make war on the

Saints and to conquer them and author

was given it over every tribe and people

and language and nation and all who

dwell on Earth will worship it everyone

whose name has not been written before

the foundation of the world in the book

of the life of that was cut off there of

the slain

lamb all right so a lot of texts there

describing this Beast remember what

we've already learned in the book of

Revelation is these images are rarely

literal they are describing something

deeper they're pointer to something more

profound there are usually cultural and

political images in that culture to

explain something more vast and complex

and this isn't foreign to us we do this

all the time we have political satire

cultural Sal satire to explain what is

happening in our world we have our own

beasts what would you would see here is$

dogs circling each other with blue FS on

their tails or maybe a beast in the

ground for someone 500 years ago they

look at these images and like they'd

have no idea what they're what they're

seeing some beast in the ground with his

nose coming out looks like a temple in

the front of a government building they

wouldn't know but for us if we look long

enough we can catch the message of what

these images are saying to us and so

what is this Beast then about what is it

pointing to well it use interesting

language to describe the Beast it's a

beast that I saw was like a leopard its

feet were like a bear and its mouth were

like a lion's mouth this is all pointers

to the Old Testament to Daniel 7

specifically Daniel has a vision in

chapter 7 of four beasts that literally

exact same saying four beasts came out

of the sea one was a leopard

representing Greece one was a lion

represent Babylon and a bear Persia and

a Roman Empire these four beasts

represent political power and what

Revelation is trying to do in this

picture of the beast it's an

amalgamation of these four creatures all

rolled into one representing political

power opposing God's kingdom now all

throughout history people and Scholars

have tried to point fingers to who this

actual Beast is Napoleon got thrown some

shade U Martin Luther even or the pope

depending what side of the debate you

were on were thought to be the beasts

Ronald Reagan was thought to be the

Beast as well simply because his first

middle and last name all had six letters

in it six six six you see um yeah you

got to think ahead um but maybe it's

less about a distinct moment and a

distinct figure and it's more because

the clues were given here of this using

Babylonian imagery using Greek using

Persian imagery and pulling that from

the Old Testament tells us it's more

probably like a type of political power

that pokes its head up every once in a

while throughout history and is

resilient the text we read one of its

heads seemed to have mortal wound but

the Mortal wound was healed and the

whole earth marveled as they followed

the Beast that speaks about the

resilience of these powers that are

against God's kingdom like the these

aren't even Theologian just secular

artists can pick up on those notes that

you pull down a dictator and what

happens another dictator comes up right

behind it these powers are resilient

that are opposing God and his kingdom

what Daryl Johnson says when just when

Nazism gets knocked off communism rears

its head up just when communism gets

knocked off nationalism rears its head

up leopard bear or lion over and over

again and I think here in this complex

text here here here's probably two

things that I think applies to us today

the first one catch this is I think we

need to have a healthy suspicion towards

political institutions Even in our own

Western Democratic

backyard now here what I'm saying on

that keyword healthy I'm not talking

about like wikileak links and like going

deep Dives and like Area 51 stuff that's

not what we're saying here I think it's

much more are you convinced that the

in-breaking of jesus' Kingdom will come

through blank

party or when you think of jesus'

kingdom when you watch your own self in

your own heart have you reduced jesus'

Kingdom to a set of policies on major

issues and your

participation isn't evangelism isn't

prayer isn't Jus work Justice work or

anything like that no you're only

Christian work is to vote

right like is that the sum tool of your

Christian walk is to allow politicians

to do the heavy lifting for you to bring

about what Jesus has for this world and

I get it these are confusing and

challenging Waters that we are treading

lately just coming out of June as you

guys know there was obviously been many

Pride parades all throughout the US and

Canada and what's interesting and what

was actually quite unexpected for this

year is in some cities like Victoria

Toronto and then the states Washington

DC Philadelphia and other cities there

has been these massive blockades of pro

Palestine protesters trying to stop the

LGBT Pride parades you saw all over the

news

and the once journalism actually found

out what were the reasons for why they

were block a because they believed many

of the corporate Pride sponsors were

also Zionist supporters so they are

actually against the pride parades and

it actually blew up into some violent

moments where they were push back Pride

Parade was pushing against the blockade

what's fascinating is these young people

many years ago or even months ago

perhaps saw the pride parade as virtuous

as something to push for something to

Advocate now see it as oppressive

something to stop and some places

actually broke into violence but

simultaneously what's happened in other

places in the US and Canada in this

month we saw uh parades that were queers

for Palestine parades all throughout

cities like Los Angeles and New

York people that came around the pro uh

Palestine um and were waving Palestinian

Flags find soless in these communities

that feel unheard feel unseen and

actually were Binding

Together and so what we're seeing before

even comenting any one of those parties

or positions simply if anyone anyone

were to pull back and just look at the

Baseline reality and recognize that

these are two examples of many heated

and

inconsistent ideologies that have

saturated the

West at times are clashing with each

other but each believing they have the

corner on Justice truth and

goodness and here's the challenge you

and I or anyone really we look at

something like this and we see these

examples and we genuinely believe it can

all come together it can all be solved

it can all become peaceful if we just

just vote for the right

party if you think about just getting

the right guy or gal in the chair and

John in this textt is calling you

out that your your imagination is too

narrow to what God is doing you you

simply put God into the place of

politics being the vehicle that will

solve all moral disorder in the world it

might clean up the streets but it cannot

clean up the hearts of men and women the

church is the hope of the world not the

White

House but we're all reading the

teleprompter

we all get caught up in the same thing

if you watched the presidential debate a

couple weeks ago um I think most people

thought it'd be way more heated than it

was it was actually quite subdued and I

think a lot of people thought the impact

of the debate would have been way more

catastrophic like there was literal

Civil War talk not like fun like hashtag

like there was conversation around what

potentially could happen the right and

the left leaning further into their

categories cementing position the center

dissolving the idea of who really

actually thinks they have the corner and

what the US is and what was interesting

was the consensus through the news and

media was the nation after the debate it

was way more subdued and

deflated I think because most Americans

recognized their options were quite

Bleak there was a massive uh hashtag

that remember on Twitter called it was

con man versus old man those were the

options because they put all their hope

of all the moral disorder all the things

that are pushing up against them as

Citizens they put all of that hope of

solving that in a president and now they

are feeling

hopeless do we vote of course do we stay

informed yes do we write to our MPS if

you want

to however I think the Book of

Revelation reminds us to be

Scrappy knowing that more times than not

political power can be opposed to

Christ's work not for it so we have to

be Discerning knowing our Allegiance

isn't to a political party isn't even to

a world view but is to Jesus the slain

lamb and so the second thing that I

think is important that we can pull from

this is it's easy to look at a text like

this easy to look at the description of

a beast describing arrogant Kings

Emperors parties all through history

that went the way of the beast in

scripture we see that King of Babylon in

Isaiah 14 king of Ty Ezekiel 28 even

Pharaoh in Ezekiel 29 gets described

Pharaoh king of Egypt you great monster

lying among your streams it's almost

like he's this described as a giant

serpent resting on the N River and even

in history demission Kula Nero all

exalted themselves as king all exalted

themselves to be like God they took the

way the Beast it's easy to point fingers

at people and figures like this but this

is what one commentator says but what

should frighten us even more is that the

same Spirit of self-defined Emperor

remains in every human heart that seeks

to make itself the center of Life while

bearing thoughts of its own mortality

you and I we have the same compulsion in

US potentially the only difference

between Nero or any of these figures is

these guys just had the resources to do

it like I'm a I'm a pretty relaxed guy

uh if you know me I'm pretty easygoing

it takes a lot to get me flustered uh

until I had children um they do that

they have that ability to do that for

you uh what surprised me a bit if I'm

honest is my anger and impatience kind

of rose to the surface more than I was

probably comfortable with uh it's not

like these were new sins that just out

of nowhere just clinged on to me and

were just foreign things it's that the

right pressures brought out brought to

the top was always been deep and dormant

below an unsanctified area of impatience

when it got squeezed out I recognized

needed work I needed Jesus to actually

mold and form that area of my life you

see just because you are poor doesn't

mean you don't have greed lurking deep

below just because you have no Authority

at your work doesn't mean you have a

don't have a twisted view of power deep

down below in pastoral meetings when

I've met with you know a handful of

people I remember just when one guy like

just talking about his weekend and just

he just got drunk he got hammered he's

talking about man I just I don't know

what came over me and I just had this

moment of weakness and they often use

disassociation language if you notice

that if you're Consulting with a friend

they'll say things like I feel like I

was a different person that night that's

so unlike me I'm not acting myself these

days and it's tempting especially as a

pastor to to empathize with them and say

like yeah man like that's not you you're

better than that and there's maybe some

truth to that but in all reality when

new pressures emerge for any of us

whether it be a wild party where

everyone's

drinking whether that girl or that guy

that's leaning in a little heavier late

at night that huge paycheck that comes

with some pretty shady strings attached

like these moments squeeze out not some

disassociated person that makes a

reckless decision no no no they squeeze

out the truest person in you your true

and actual character the reason you rush

to a shady paycheck with two extra zeros

on it money you've never seen in your

life it's not because you were now

greedy is because you always have

been and now you just have the

opportunity to act on

it there are things blow in deep layers

in our hearts that always don't get

attention so our job is not to deflect

using disassociation language but to

embrace our reality that there's still

work to do in all of us we recognize

there's something

beastly in our heart Hearts like pharaoh

and Nero and all the way back to Adam

who bit the fruit that we need God to

graciously and lovingly go to the

deepest undisturbed layers and put the

Beast out of its misery to chip away

those areas of our life that need work

and to make us into the image of his son

that is the work that he lays out for us

you know when you look at the second

beast the first Beast is all about power

and the second beast

sorry starting at verse

11 this is how the second beast is

described then I saw another Beast

rising over the Earth and had two horns

like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon

it exorcise all the authority of the

first beast and in its presence and

makes the earth and its inhabitants

worship the first Beast whose mortal

wound was

healed it performs Great Signs even

making Fire come down from Heaven to

Earth in front of people and by the

signs that it is allowed to work in the

presence of the Beast it deceives those

who dwell on Earth telling them to make

an image for the Beast that was wounded

By The Sword and yet

lived and it was allowed to give breath

to the image of the Beast so that the

image of the Beast might even speak and

might cause those who would not worship

the image of the Beast to be slain also

it uh also course of course of all it

both small U and great both rich and

poor both free and slave to be marked

on the right hand of the forehead or the

forehead so that no one can buy or sell

unless he has the mark that is the name

of the beast of the number of its uh

sorry name of the Beast or the number of

its name this calls for wisdom let the

one who has understanding calculate the

number of the Beast for it is the number

of a man and it and his number is

666 there's a familiar passage to many

of us so we see Wild Thing One is all

about power and Wild Thing Two the Beast

of the earth is about propaganda another

way commentators say this is about

politics and religion power propped up

by belief and when we read a chapter

like this I think honestly many of us

are most concerned about the first Beast

why because verse six says it was

allowed to make war on the Saints and

conquer them bring about suffering death

of Believers see you and I are

self-preserving creatures to we want to

squeeze out as many days as we can in

this

world yet what we see in verse six is

all across the world the Beast is doing

just that he's terrorizing he's

oppressing Believers and even the past

Century there's reports of Christians in

places like Sudan where Christians are

being enslaved and even crucified uh

Korean Christians World War II were in

prison and tortured when they refused to

bow down to Shinto shrines Chinese

imprisonment George Chen famously was

forced to work all day deep in a

cesspool filled with human waste but he

was rejoiced because the odor kept

others away all him to pray and sing as

he worked all day and while he was in

prison the church he planted Grew From

300 people to 5,000 people one of his

converts was released shortly after the

conversion and went back to evangelize

to his unreached tribal groups in one

month winning five villages with over

750 people missionary after missionary

believer after believer being pressed

under the claws of the Beast suffering

oppression death death and yet what's

the consensus of these missionaries you

and I we pity them and for Frank and

honest we don't want their lives we want

a comfortable life but hearing from them

hearing their testimonies how do they

talk about these things there's one

witness who is in a persecuted Church in

Iran who looks to the West he looks to

you and I and he said it's a shame for a

Believer to die of natural causes

wow what we see is a WI

to see our great grandkids to outlive

that to retire in the beaches of Miami

to die in warm beds these men and women

see as a

loss that's

interesting they almost pity the thing

we strive so hard to gain a quiet and

comfortable

death they hold their lives Loosely and

I think that resonates with the teaching

of Jes Jesus Matthew 10:28 and do not

fear Those Who Kill the body but cannot

kill the soul rather feel fear Him who

can destroy both Body Soul in put uh

sorry destroy both soul and Body in hell

in other words I think we should be much

more concerned about the second beast

why look what verse 14 says in the

presence of the Beast it deceives those

who dwell on Earth telling them to make

an image for the Beast that was wounded

did By The Sword and yet lived you're

aren't going to find many

passages about Jesus concerned for our

physical bodies you'll find some they're

there but you will find a library of

passages concerned about your deception

of your faith there's a parable in

Matthew 25 about these virgins and it's

actually pointing to this scene here it

says at that time it's talking about

this time the kingdom of heaven will be

like 10 virgins who took their lamps and

went out to meet the bridegroom talking

about Jesus five of them were foolish

and five of them were wise why well the

foolish ones didn't have enough oil and

so they waited and waited for the

bridegroom to show up and their lamps

actually went out and so they had to go

hustle they had to run and go to Walmart

whatever get enough oil to make it back

in time before the bridegroom showed up

they didn't want to miss it they were

unprepared and while they're over at

Walmart the bridegroom does show up the

wedding Bank starts and the doors are

shut you see these people rush back

these virgins rush back who are

unprepared and they're banging the door

please let us in the bridegroom Jesus

comes out and he says truly I tell you

it wasn't that he says you didn't hustle

enough or that you should have done more

Ministry or that you should have given

more to the poor no no the reason you

weren't allowed in is I do not know

you and to be honest The Guiding

questions in our lives that keep us off

and up at night are my kids going to be

okay did I do taxes right did I vote

right will this relationship lead to

marriage and all that's important but I

think what scripture pushes on the most

important question which often doesn't

get attention in our lives is do I know

God because there are real beastly

forces out there trying to mislead you

on the regular

like this this idea of these two beasts

of politics and religion power and

belief being ined together isn't A New

Concept during the time when John was

writing this the Roman Empire was a

fierce political force and what came

from that is Emperor Cults that

worshiped the power of Caesar worshiped

the power of government and these local

priests from these Emperor Cults were

called aarcs Acts 19 Paul is actually

advised steer clear of these guys they

are vicious do not go in their

theaters their job was literally just as

John says to said about the Beast to

deceive people and to worship it

performs Great Signs even making Fire

come down from Heaven to Earth in front

of people these guys would get buy in

for worship with trickery well one

commentator says they use hidden pulley

literally they use hidden pulleys for

example to cause statues to move they

made use of ventriloquism to make people

think statues or Idols spoke this is

literally like Disneyland stuff I don't

even been like the tiki hut I was there

with the kids this is what's happening

these priests deceive people into

worship using Hollow spectacles of

deflecting mirrors pulley and smoke all

to pull at the hearts of men and women

providing alluring Promises of power of

pleasure and security like do you see

it like nothing has

changed porn alcohol drugs career power

money all deceive our hearts to worship

them with shiny spectacles and Promises

of the good life and are always Hollow

Idols with ropes and py they always

overpromise and underd deliver leaving

us worse off than we started I remember

a couple weeks ago I shared about this

idea of like can we even recognize the

resistance in our city are we in tune as

we drive down into our neighborhoods do

we know what people put their hope into

but I think we need to even take one

step back this morning

and not just assessing and Discerning

our city but Discerning our own

Hearts do we know where we've been

deceived do we know where we put false

hope in what has got me off course from

actually knowing god you might rush to

like yeah yeah that's fine I know God

but

actually actually take a

minute do you

because you know what we don't see much

of in this chapter is the

devil the devil from the last chapter

sends these two puppets Beast one and

Beast two working behind the scenes not

needing to be celebrated worshiped or

recognized as long as Jesus isn't verse

four talks about the worship moving from

the dragon to the Beast and he is fine

with that well one commentary says the

devil can tolerate Buddha Muhammad and

the whole Pantheon and Hindu gods but

not Jesus

In This Moment the devil puts forward

two impressive and Powerful entities to

draw all the worship due to Jesus onto

these beasts without anyone knowing he

is pulling the levers behind the

curtain and here's how I think this

plays out for you and I in this

room knowing the force of deception is

always at work in our

lives you might fit into one of two

camps the first one is for some of you

might liter

know you're throwing yourself at the

thrs of worshiping other things it's

obvious it wouldn't take long to do some

inventory to recognize I put my trust in

something else other than Jesus massive

compromise of your faith to gain power

pleasure meaning in other things at the

end of the day you may not fully admit

to this out loud but you believe X

whatever that thing is is better than

Jesus it's more pleasurable it's more

powerful it gives me more meaning it's

more obvious it's more outright but it's

deception

nonetheless like the reason you work

crazy amount of hours trying to make

more sales trying to make more money so

you can have that luxury vacation for

the family that you've neglected all

year

round it's not a lack of discipline it's

not a lack of boundaries in your life

but it's a belief

issue like let's be honest here you

believe Jesus call to Sabbath rest is a

joke it's for weak people you have this

stupid like alpha male thing about you

where you think I just need to grind

harder I need to work harder I need to

never show weakness I need to never rest

because that's for weak people can't

move forward you find meaning in work

that's a belief

issue the reason you can't break a cycle

of pornography in your life of course

there's so many factors to that

neurological Pathways that get formed

that are hard to break practical steps

to attack addiction there's I'm not

downplaying but the root thing there

that you keeps tripping you up is

ultimately a belief issue your heart

ultimately believes in that moment of

weakness of clicking of scrolling of

looking you will find more pleasure here

than any framework of sexuality Jesus

calls you to you're just not

convinced what ultimately propels Us in

life all of us is

belief so it's the one thing the devil

wants to twist and derail all the

time it's for some of you it's blatant

it's obvious you could point it out

right now what the thing is you find

more affection more love more purpose

than Jesus and for others potentially

more concerning the second Camp it's

more

subtle when you believe you are good

with God when you potentially

aren't if we learn anything in the Old

Testament from from the people of God if

we learn anything from these people over

and over again there's something in the

human heart that rushes towards

justifying our own sinful habits and

covering them up like Jeremiah amongst

many prophets push on the people of God

all the time and he calls out a nation

and I think this speaks to our hearts as

well saying peace peace when there is no

peace you do all the right things you

serve you give you attend church you

tenic community group all these exterior

efforts to make you feel like you're

measuring up but there is something

below the surface that you do not want

to draw attention to you don't want to

be o honest with that thing the real

question you're avoiding do I actually

know

him do I have any substance of Faith or

is it just Hollow is it just my parents

faith if I just been doing this forever

I don't even know why anymore and you

spend your en energ deflecting by just

doing more stuff what CS Lewis says how

to avoid God here you go avoid silence

avoid Solitude avoid any train of

thought that leads off the Beaten Track

concentrate on money sex status health

and above all your own grievances keep

the radio on live in crowds use plenty

of

sedation so whether you are blatantly

have thrown your heart into worshiping

other things or having real realize your

heart has subtly moved on from

worshiping Jesus the weapon of choice of

the devil is the same it's

deception and here's where we close in

this passage here what I think actually

this whole chapter is getting at is that

by doing that we are missing out on

something

beautiful verse 16 says also causes all

both small and great both rich and poor

both free and a slave to be marked on

the right hand the forehead so that no

one can buy or sell any unless you have

the mark that is the name of the beast

of the number of its uh name this calls

for wisdom let the one who has

understanding calculate the number of

the Beast for it is the number of man

and his number is 666 so we can rush to

implications um trying real world

examples of what that 666 means but

let's not miss the overarching message

of what that number represents it's less

about a literal thing it's more about a

symbolic of an allegiance we have six is

one less than complete seven is the

number of complete we see that all over

scripture almost there but Falling short

rabbis thought six was the number of

incompleteness why 3 six is 666 because

three is also the number of completeness

so the message here is these three sixes

imply the Beast is completely

incomplete or commentator says failure

upon failure upon failure which speaks

to the whole scene in Chapter 13 the

dragon these two beasts are a parody

they are a counterfeit and they a failed

and Hollow imitation of God look at this

the description of the Dragon Revelation

12 mimics the description of the father

and four the description of the beast of

the sea in Revelation 13:7 mimics the

description of Jesus in Revelation

59 the description of the beast of the

Earth in Revelation 131 to18 maybe it's

the description of the work of the

spirit in chapter

11 it's a counterfeit it's mimic it's

trying to be a parody of the true an

actual thing I don't know if you've ever

seen those shows of the auction houses

or the pawn shop things there's always

one customer there's always like the

Highlight person that they interview

beforehand before it gets into the

actual examining the product this young

lady or whatever who who has like this

Medallion from the war that's been

passed from generation to generation or

generation or like the first draft or

some of Sherlock Holmes novel or

something and she knows this thing is

worth hundreds of thousands potentially

millions of dollars is like a

one-of-a-kind thing and they interview

this this woman before she goes and

actually gets an exam and you can see

the tension in her because it's this

thing's been passed through the family

generation after generation it's sacred

it's valuable in their family she

doesn't want to give it up but she also

has dreams of what she wants to do with

her life she wants to buy home for her

family she wants to whatever start a

business with her husband and she's

pulled in both ways but she thinks the

right mood because she can have this

whole life ahead of her if she actually

sells this thing and so she goes to the

auction house and she goes in with this

little Medallion or whatever the item is

and there's always the The Twist we've

seen it before where they set this thing

up and then the guy actually examines

with his monocle thing and he's looking

at the thing he's like oh yeah this is

like 20 years old there's like a hundred

of these I'll give you 20 bucks for it

your grandma lied to you and and you see

her face just

drop when she realized she put the whole

weight of her life on something that's

counterfeit and there are people in our

cities that are doing that every

day that are putting all their faith all

their worship all their affection on

something incomplete something less

something counterfeit that will never me

measure up to what is Holy what is good

what is righteous the one and true

God and if we can just end I think the

call is to for

us to check ourselves and not settle for

anything less than King

Jesus not only because he is the only

one wor worthy of all our praise our

life our worship but because even though

deceptive forces offer us all the sweet

flavors of the world he is the only one

that can give us life in life abundant

and so father as a

church who lives in the west who lives

in Canadian

culture there are deceptive forces at

work some of those forces are just Ling

us to sleep with comfort and pleasure

especially in Vancouver it's just a

recre

City and we can become irrelevant and

useless to the kingdom because we've

just made our

priorities pleasure making sure our

family is all set up perfectly making

sure our marriage is perfect making sure

we have perfect plans for the weekend we

ball the toys and everything that our

our garage is filled with all the fun

things to hit up whatever the mountains

for snow all those are fun and well but

they can also be distraction from the

real thing they can catch our heart off

guard and we can find ourselves

worshiping the wrong thing so Jesus

we spend a moment here and

now holy spirit I pray you would do the

work of revealing the deepest layers of

our

heart that are

undisturbed that are misaligned with

you that maybe have beastly nature to

them even ourselves wanting to go the

way of the Beast being p hold into that

making our world ourselves making

ourselves God in our own

Universe Lord help us be a church right

now this moment that could just put all

that before

you and help us get a glimpse once again

that you are superior you are better you

are richer you're more

beautiful you're more

Majestic than anything count fit this

world has to offer we pray that in your

name

amen thank you so much for joining us

online we really hope you were

encouraged as Pastor Victor reminded us

that we can't look to political powers

to solve The World's problems but it's

actually through Jesus and his church

that real change comes about we would

love for you to get connected with us at

Village Church and there's two quick

ways I want to let you know on how you

can do that uh the first one is by

attending a service with us in person

you know if you live close to any of our

locations across Canada we would love

for you to join us in person for one of

our services uh the second way is by

investing in the mission through your

finances if you're watching this and

you're already giving to Village Church

I just want to say thank you so much for

your generosity you know as the student

and young adults Pastor I get a front

row seat each and every week seeing the

amazing things that God is doing through

our next Generation you know and there's

so many Ministries and programs that

we're running and it's because of your

generosity and your giving giving that

we're able to do any of that so I just

want to say thank you so much uh with

all that being said uh thank you so much

for joining us and we hope to see you

again next time

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