Before we begin, let's have a
word of prayer. Our Father, we thank you again
for another time to be able to be here, to hear the gospel of
Christ. We pray that you would bless
the Word, bless it to our understanding. Lord, we pray that it would be
blessed to be not word only, but it would be word with power
from the Holy Ghost, that truly we might understand, perceive,
behold him, the Lord Jesus, who is our hope. These things we
ask for Christ's sake. Amen. to Revelation 13 and I will plan
to do as we did last week and spend both services this morning
and try to finish this thirteenth chapter. As I said the last time, the
reason that I want to deal with this chapter in these two services
is because this chapter reveals that which every man obviously
deals with as far as having one nature. But this chapter reveals
the truth of a believer that has two natures now that is at
war. I've entitled these four messages,
The War Within. Last week, we saw where John
stood and saw a beast rise out of the sea. The scripture says
that this beast, having seven heads, ten horns, crowns on his
head. Every one of them had the name
of blasphemy written on it. That beast, without going back
and going over the fullness of that, revealed the attitude of
the flesh. That is what the believer wars
against. That old nature. Paul said, I see another law,
a different kind of governing law in my members, bringing me
into captivity. I can't get away from it, to
the law of my mind. There's a battle of The scriptures
reveal that the flesh lusteth, tug-of-war, that's what it means,
pulling against. The flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, that new man, that new birth, born from above. The flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, the Spirit against the flesh. that John saw was the beast having
seven heads, areas of prominence. Having them, holding them, not
only on top up here where they are, but holding them, having
them. These are mine. These belong to me. Don't you
try to touch them. These are prominent areas to
me, and that means that all of these areas are just as important
as any other area. It's just as important to me
to have a job and to spend time at the job, or my hobbies, or
my wife, or my oxen, or my lands. I don't mind coming to your supper. That's what the Lord Jesus sent
his supper. He gave him a parable. He said,
You go and you bid them to my supper. We'll come to your supper. But I've got a wife who can't
come now. I've got some oxen that I bought. I'll prove them. I'll come to
your supper when I get a chance. I've got some land. I'll go out
and check it out. I'll come to your supper when
I get time. But let's keep everything in
priority. Let's don't get out of character
here. That's the flesh. That's the way the flesh thinks.
John is seeing two beasts, one of them has seven heads. The
tale of this world that crowds out, chokes out. All right, let's
look now at verse 11. John says, And I beheld another
beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb,
and he spake as a dragon. It's another beast, but it's
another beast that has the same heart, the same attitude, the
same purpose. Now, there's two words that are
interpreted in Scripture, another. One of them means of the same
sort when the Lord Jesus Christ says, and I will send you another
comforter. He'll guide you into all truth.
He'll tell you, reveal to you, what I see. Another. That's of
the same sort, another. But here is another word, another,
that means of a different sort. When Paul said that scripture
I quoted a while ago in Romans 7.23, he said, I see another
law. That's of a different sort. Two
different kinds of laws. One law that's honoring, one
law that's dishonoring. Now, this word, another, right
here, means of the same sort. I saw another of the same kind,
same heart, same attitude, coming out of the earth. Now, what is
revealed in that is the attitude of this beast. Turn over to James
3. There's a few pages back. Verse 14 to 16. James says, But
if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory
not, don't think, don't have an attitude that that's good,
and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual, that is, natural, the natural
man, devilish. For where Indian and strife is,
there's confusion and every evil works." So this beast that John
sees right here coming out of the earth is talking about his
character. It's devilish. It's natural. It's of the earth. It's not from
above. So here James speaks to those
who profess to believe the truth, but actually the cares among
the weak. This beast that John seeks, coming
out of the earth, represents those who in heart have religion. This picture right here, this
beast, is a picture. False religion, false truth. They possess a jealousy for God's
honor. They think that they have a right
to be God. In fact, in practice, in heart,
that's what they say. I can elevate myself by accepting
what the Lord has offered. I can honor myself by being His
will. his offer. James said that that
desire, that is absolutely of the natural man. This beast,
this beast, the scripture says, has two horns. I beheld another
beast of the same sort coming out of the sensual, natural,
devilish earth. It had two horns, it was two
horns Now, the horn is always setting forth and picturing power. Any time you find a horn being
used in scriptures to describe something, it's a picture of
power, power, strength. Now, this man had two horns,
two horns of power. Now, this is false religion. This is the religion of the flesh. These two beasts represent the
flesh of which the new man roars. Remember, Satan was wroth with
the woman. He went to make war with her.
Where is the war being fought? As I said last week, don't think
it's out there somewhere. It's out there in the world somewhere. The battle is here. Here's the
battle. I find myself striving against
myself. This old nature, this flesh represented
by these two beasts, is that beast within, that beast that
roars against the law of my mind. Two horns. Now, horn being power,
this beast sets forth the thought of false religion. The false
religion of this world says, I've got two sources of power. It's me and God. Now, it appears that Almighty
God has done all that He can, and that's powerful. That's good. You know, He's gone to the cross. And he died for every man, false
religion says. He died for everybody's sins.
He bore all of their sins on the cross and he made salvation
possible? Well, my question has always
been this. If he died for every man's sins and paid the debt,
if God sends one man to hell because he paid for all their
sins, He paid the debt of it now. He paid the debt. If he
sends one man to hell, he's not just. You say, well, no. He paid for all their sins, but
you've got to expect it to make it effectual. Then I say, then
salvation is by your work. No, no. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. That's what you said. That's
what you said. You said that God has done all
that He can. That's powerful, but it takes
me two. It's going to take two horns.
It's going to have to take two forces of power. This beast coming up out of the
earth had two horns. It was like a lamb. Like meaning
it resembles or it's similar to a lamb because it speaks of
sacrifice. It's got some terminology that
mentions substitution, it uses the words, but this beast, though
it has a similitude, resembles a lamb, here's the way he talks. He talks like a dragon. Well,
how does a dragon talk? He's a liar. That's how he talks. He is a liar. Satan is a liar. He is the father of lies. He's proud, he's arrogant, he's
haughty, bragging about what he's able to do. A sheep, true sheep, says this,
I must be led of myself. I can do nothing. I have no ability. within myself. And the dragon
says, I can do all things. Or the believer says, I can do
all things through Christ who strengthened me. The dragon says,
I can do all things. Two horns, looks like a lamb,
talks in lamb terminologies, uses words, but he really speaks
like the devil. Verse 12, And he exerciseth all
the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth
and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose
deadly wound was healed. Now, being a beast of the same
sort as the first beast, that means having that area of the
flesh that demands no more attention than any other area. This beast,
this false religion, exercises or executes, is what that means. It fulfills all of the power
of the first beast before him, all of the control. He manifests
exactly what the first beast sets forth. There's areas, and
there was an area where one of them, one of those heads, one
of those areas, it was like it was slain and it was healed back. We looked at last week. There's
an area of the flesh that talks about death and substitution,
and it's always where that head that was executed. Substitution. Religious. It always
came back and it was always capable. This one right here fulfills
or exercises, fulfills all of the power of the first beast.
That first beast that reveals the divided heart, the double-mindedness
of the flesh. That first beast looks to, has
its sights set on, This false religion got to have this one
to make me complete. Got his eyes set to. False religion
is big business, and don't you ever think it isn't. It's nothing
more than a means to my end. Whatever it takes, I've got to
have religion. This second beast caused it. It says, "...accomplishes the
earth's worship of the first beast." Every man born in Adam
is religious. Men are religious. I said before,
you go to Mexico, that was one of the best examples to me. I
went up there and saw this. They had these Mayan Indians,
and they would execute these people. They were religious. Man must have something to worship. Man, by nature, is religious. But you listen to me. The religion
of the natural man is no more important than his job, Mark. His job is just as important
as him showing up on church on Sundays every once in a while.
His stuff that he does, his hobbies, his whatever he is, it doesn't
matter. It's no more important. I told you what I heard Brother
Don say one time, or wrote. He said, false religion gears
the worship of God around everything else. A believer gives everything
else around worship of God. There's the difference right
there. We have one horn, the horn of our salvation. Past religions
got two. And man by nature must have his
religion. He's got to have something to
worship. And since he doesn't worship
Almighty God, he worships himself. That's the bottom line. The flesh
looks through that second beast, false religion, and says, you're
my kind of worship. I like that. I like that. I like it where I can have a
little honor in this thing. I like it where you give me a
little glory. I don't know about all of y'all, but I believe. I don't know about
you, but I've been a member here all my life. I'm one of the founding
fathers. I'm on the board. You see what
I'm saying? I've got to have a little bit
of honor, a little bit of glory. And we'll stop after this verse
right here and take up Lord Willing on the next. And he doeth great
wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men. Now, the beast of false religion. Now, listen carefully to this
verse and the next two or three after this. The beast of this
false religion is said here. You see, the word doeth great
wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men. Now, words, as I've told you
before, mean everything. Understanding what the words
mean. The word in verse 13, and he
doeth, and the word maketh, and also next same word, is the same
word made in 2 Corinthians 5.21 of which we are very, very familiar.
For he hath made him sin. It meant it got the job done. Actual. Now, I could have never
perceived had I been that category and looked upon him, that many
did. I would have never perceived
it by looking at him, but the scripture says he hath actually
accomplished what he said he did. He made him sin. Now, this beast is said to do,
he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men." That word means it actually
accomplishes, it actually does, it exercises and maketh. He is said to do great wonders
and makes fire light, light. You say, now, is it actually
dropping fire? Well, I couldn't actually find
in the scriptures where that has ever actually happened being
done by a false prophet. So here's what the scripture
is setting forth. It is saying that what this beast
is trying to do by God turning men over, A reprobate mind sending
them strong delusions is actually doing what God says it's doing. They're actually seeing and believing
that what they're witnessing is of God. They actually do it. Now, are men like Benny Hinn
and all of these other liars, false prophets, Are they actually
healing people? Well, based on the word here,
I'd say they probably are. They probably are. I do believe that there are probably
fakes among the fakes. But let me ask you this. Whenever
Moses went into Egypt, And the scripture says, and he
laid the staff down, the rod down, and it turned into a snake.
And the magicians in Egypt did the same thing. Did they actually
do it? Yes, they did. Yes, they did. Simon Magus, in
Acts 8 and 9, it said that he was actually performing sorceries. He was actually doing it. Are these people that come down
and go to these healing services, are they actually being healed?
I would say some are, some aren't. I don't doubt. Now, I've seen
a lot of reports on 2020 and stuff like this that says they've
proven that later they came back and had them tested and the doctors
said that they weren't really healed and this, that and the
other. But here's the point. The people believed they were.
They believed it. And that's where the damage is.
They thought it was. Unless Almighty God calls them
out of darkness, they'll die in that. Now, whether or not
they actually remove the cancer, a man has cancer removed and
dies in his sin. What happened, Jeff? He still
died in his sin. You see what I'm saying? of what they were trying to do
was actually done. When did they do it? I don't
have any confidence in it at all, but the words indicate that
what they were trying to do, they did. That word says it actually
accomplished what they were wanting to do. They were wanting to lie
to them, and certainly they did lie to them. They did. When the
Lord was made sin, was He actually made sin? Actually made sin. Could I perceive it? I couldn't
perceive it. How do I know it's so? God said
He did it. It's the same word made, causeth,
maketh, it accomplished what the scripture said it accomplished.
There's the issue right there. You see, our Lord promised great
signs through His apostles. John 14.12 says, Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do, that
word do right there, is the same word right here when it says,
and he doeth great wonders and maketh, same word, same word. The works that I do, that I accomplish,
those also shall you do. Now, what was he referring to?
After the Lord Jesus Christ was ascended into heaven, and the
apostles that he sent to preach the gospel that he preached,
how were they confirmed? How did God Almighty actually
confirm that what these men were preaching, how did God confirm
that they were of the Lord? They did exactly what the Lord
did. Turn over to Hebrews 2, verse
3. Whenever our Master was on this earth, the scripture
says, in Acts 2, that he was confirmed by the Father by miracles,
signs and wonders. He came to this earth, and God
confirmed him by miracles, signs and wonders. Now, that's what
the scripture says. After he left, those that he
had sent, some of them, not all of them, but some of them, Paul
the Apostle, James, Peter, different ones penned the scriptures. How do I know that those that
wrote down the scriptures, how do I know that they were from
God? How do I know? Starting in verse 2, for if the
word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just, reconvincible reward, how shall we escape if
we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?"
God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and
with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to
his own will. How do I know? How do I know
that Peter, when Peter wrote down these scriptures, how do
I know that he was from God? God confirmed him. Peter and
James walking up to a temple one day. There was a man sitting
there who couldn't walk. He looked up to Peter and asked
for alms. And Peter said, Silver and gold
have I none, but such as I have, give I thee in the name of Jesus
of Nazareth. Rise up and walk. And he got
up and never walked before. He walked. Paul was out on an
island. The snake bit him. He just sat
there and watched him. He's gone. He ain't going to
make it. He just sat there and watched him. He didn't die. God confirmed that those men,
but you listen to me. After those apostles died, so
did the signs and wonders from God. Why? The scriptures were
written then. There is no more need of signs
and wonders and miracles to confirm men of God. We've got the Scriptures. How
shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us
by them that heard Him? God bearing them. Those that
spent and learned the gospel from Christ was confirmed by
miracles and signs and wonders. God gave them the sign of confirmation,
and after they wrote the scriptures down, there's no more miracles
and signs and wonders from God to confirm that these scriptures
are so. Whenever these apostles were
there in the first church, there was no Titus, there was no second
Thessalonians. They wrote it down, and God confirmed
these men are for me. But you remember the warning
of our Master concerning false prophets and Christ. Mark 13.22
says, For false christs and false prophets shall rise and shall
show, that is, commit make and deliver up signs and wonders
to seduce, if it were possible, even the very least. They'll
see that, and they'll say, huh, that looks real to me. That looks
real. I don't think y'all are doing
those things over here. They're doing it. They're having healing
services. They said they're healed. They
said they're back. They said this. If it were possible,
they would deceive the very elect. These false prophets are said
to actually make fire come down, light from heaven on the earth
in the sight of men. 2 Thessalonians 2, 9-11 reveals
that these signs and wonders are actually lying. They're lying
wonders. They're there. They're lies. Don't believe them. Don't believe
them. The way that a false prophet, preacher, how do you know somebody
that's false? Well, number one, if they're
claiming to be accomplishing and wonders and miracles and
healings. If they're saying, I'm from God,
God says they ceased. He's a liar. He's a liar. God confirmed those that heard
Him until these scriptures were written. And after that, there
are no more. Now, do I believe that God heals
today? Absolutely. I can believe Almighty
God can do anything that He's pleased to do. But is there any
more men walking around to confirm that this is the Scriptures by
miracles and signs and wonders? No. No. How do you know they're
a liar? They say they're committing these
from God. They're a liar. And secondly, it's also what
they preach. You listen to them. Galatians
1.8, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we preached unto you, let him
be accursed. A cursed, that is, a thing devoted
to God without hope of redemption. That's a cursed. A thing devoted
to God, set apart by God with no hope of redemption. That's
a cursed. Man come preaching a false gospel
and die in that lie? No hope. We're going to stop for a minute,
come back, Lord willing, in a few minutes and try to pick up the
rest of this book for me.