Revelation chapter 17. Revelation chapter 17. I'd like to deal this morning
with verses 12 to 14. I've entitled this, Lord and
King. I would like to pick up really
with the thought that I had last time we were looking last Sunday
evening. In our last study, John was given
the interpretation of the drunken woman that he saw in the vision. That is, Mystery Babylon, the
great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.
and the beast that carried her, that is, this world's governments
that we have looked at so many times. It had seven heads, which
the Scripture said that we looked at last time had seven, were
seven mountains, seven prominent kingdoms, and five of those seven,
the Scripture says, or fallen, I said that in verse 10. One is, that is, was in existence
during the time of the writing of this vision by the Apostle
John, and the other has not yet come. John saw that on the beast
it had ten horns that were referred to as ten kings, or emblems of
power. The Scripture says of those ten
horns that they had received no kingdom as yet. That is to
say, there was no obvious to the eye throne in which they
sat. But the Scripture says that they
do rule, that they receive power as kings one hour. with the beast,
that is, that their rule is a short time. The rule of these ten horns
is during a lifetime, any given lifetime. These ten horns, and
I'll try to pick up just where we were last time, these ten
horns, and I'll again remind you what these ten horns, I believe, They rule just for an hour, just
for a short time in this life in those and all those who have
been taken by them. Now, though this beast is said
to have, in verse 11, seven heads, the beast itself, the Scripture
says, is the eighth. one entity. I won't go back and
explain that, but it's seven heads that are actually made
up into one true soul of rebellion, if I could say it like that.
But turn back to Daniel 7.7. Daniel 7.7. I want to say something
about this ten-horned beast. Daniel 7.7 gives us some real insight to
this beast with ten horns. The Scripture says, after this,
Daniel says, After this I saw in the night visions, and behold,
a fourth beast. Now, you'd have seen if you went
back and read those first six verses, you saw where there were
three other beasts. spoken of, but he said, I saw
a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly. And it had great iron teeth and
devoured and breaking pieces and stamped the residue with
the feet of it. And it was diverse from all the
beasts that were before it. And it had ten horns. Now just
hold your hand right there in Daniel. one that Daniel saw. This fourth
beast, the one that had ten horns, is spoken of back in Revelation
17. He said this one was different. This one was diverse from all
the others. Look at verse 15 again so we
can understand. Because I believe that this ten-horned
beast is absolutely the most fearful and feared and watched
beast, every believer is aware of this beast. And it is fearful. Let me show you. Look in verse
15. Daniel 7, 15. I, Daniel, was
grieved in my spirit, in the midst of my body, and the visions
of my head troubled me. He said, I came near unto one
of them that stood by, and I asked him the truth of this. So he
told me and made me know the interpretation of the things.
These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, or four
kingdoms, or four powers, which shall arise out of the earth.
But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess
the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. Then I would know the
truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse, from all the others
exceedingly dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of
brass, which devoured and breaking pieces, and stamped the residue
with his feet, and of the ten horns that were in his head,
and of the other which came up, before whom three fell, even
of that horn that had eyes, and had a mouth that spake very great
things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.' I want you
to understand something. This beast, the one that was
diverse from the other three, he saw four. And it says of those
four that Daniel saw, if you've still got your hand in Daniel
7, that's okay. I'll just tell you if you don't.
It says of the four beasts that came up from the sea, and the
one that was different from them. Daniel 7 verse 4 said that the
first one was like a lion, had eagle's wings. Daniel 7 verse
5 says the second one was like a bear. The next one in Daniel
7 verse 6 was like a leopard. And so Daniel saw in those four
beasts, three of them were so obvious that they were beasts
He recognized them. These are trouble. These are
fearsome. These are evil. But He saw them. He recognized them. But He said
that the fourth one was diverse. Verse 7, "...from all the beasts
that were before it." And it had ten horns just like the beast
in Revelation 17. But back in Daniel 7, it was
described, the fourth beast was dreadful or formidable. And it was terrible, Daniel said. It was well-loined, strong, and
burly is what that word means, mighty, strong. And this was
the beast that grieved Daniel more than the other three. He
recognized the other three. They were so obvious. He knew
it. But that fourth one grieved him. This ten-horned beast is, I believe,
the manifestation, and by God's grace, I'll try to show you why
I believe that this fourth beast that is diverse, that's different,
that's so fearful, that a believer watches, and he watches it today. Oh, this ten-horned beast, believe
me, is very alive right now. But this ten-horned beast, I
believe, is the manifestation of this world and the emblems
of power, the ten horns, that this world uses, if I can say
it, to lure, to entice everything all to itself. Three of the beasts
in Daniel 7 were obvious, and maybe the obviousness of those
would be shunned easier. If something is so obvious that
you know it, it is easily shunned. One of the most fearful things
that you'll ever see is something that you don't expect to be fearful. If I look at a lion or a tiger,
I'm going to be careful. I'm going to keep my distance
from that. But if there was a little bunny rabbit over here and it
appeared as though that it was harmless, and all of a sudden,
fang teeth came out of that, I think, you know what? That's
scarier to me because I didn't expect that. This fourth beast
was diverse. King David. In 1 Samuel, let
me just read this to you. Just listen to this. In 1 Samuel 17, 26. Young David,
the king. Well, there wasn't a king yet.
But David, who would be king. He came into the camp. of Israel,
and they were facing off with the Philistines. And you remember
Goliath came out there, and this guy was big. I mean, he was just
tall. He just stood heads above everybody
else. His spear was like a weaver's
beam, it said. He had just a shield. It took
a few guys to carry that thing for him. It was just so big.
He was just obvious, just obvious. And the Scripture says that David
came into the camp of Israel and they started relating to
him, you know, well, this is Goliath. And David said this
in 1 Samuel 17, 26, Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that
he should divide the armies of the living God? That was an obvious
enemy. He saw him. That was in 1 Samuel. In 2 Samuel 11, 2-4, the same
David. The Scripture relates something
concerning this David, and it says, He saw a woman washing
herself. He sent and inquired after the
woman, and He took her and He lay with her. That wasn't as
obvious, you see, a threat to David, but that's where David
fell. And David went the rest of his
life suffering the scars of that. It wasn't as obvious. Here this beast of ten horns
is diverse and doesn't appear to be as frightful. The simple ones of Proverbs 7. False prey to the woman with
the attire of a harlot. False religion sitting upon the
ten-horned beast. of this world's allurements.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life. Here is the beast of ten horns. It's the things of this
world. And it just doesn't appear, Ben,
that it's that big a deal. It just doesn't. If something
is so obvious and so fearful, you know, you say, I'll watch
that. I'll keep my eye on that. There's, I see that, and I'm
not going to, I'm not, you know, but these things that just don't
appear to be that big a deal. Oh, I'm telling you, there's
so much that is revealed in our Lord's parable of the sower.
The sower, I brought this up last week, the sower that went
out to sow. Some of it fell by the wayside. The seed is the
Word of God. Some of it fell by the wayside, and the birds
came and just took it away. The Lord explained it later.
He said some here. And he said, absolutely, the
Word of God makes no impression upon them at all. They just,
they heard it, nah, no big deal. Some of it fell among stony ground. And it says, and when the sun
came out and persecution, you know, the first time persecution
came out, It said it withered. It sprung up quickly. Oh, I like
that. That's a novelty. I've never
heard that message before. I like that one. But the first
time something comes up, it falls away. But some of it, it said,
fell on thorny ground. Clean, looked good, Brother Scott. And it looked like it took root.
Looked like that seed took root. It says, but before long. And I don't know how long, before
long is. But in time, it says the cares
of this world choked it out. And it may take 10 years, 20,
30, 40, 50, I don't know. But if God doesn't keep a man
or a woman in time, the ten horned beasts of this world's allurements
will slowly, slowly reel him in. And before you know it, he's
gone. The cares of this world. The
ten-horned beast. And Daniel looked at that and
said, that one right there grieved me more than any other because
it's so subtle. It was different. Oh, I'd go
out here and I'd see some things. Now, that's wrong. Now, I know
that beast right there. Whatever it is. Whatever it is.
Murder, robbery. I know that's wrong. I know.
But you let the cares of this world and let God Almighty not
keep a man or keep a woman. And the cares of this world.
Oh, here is this beast that is most feared and most watched. And you that believe, you know
exactly what I'm talking about. Because except for the grace
of God, We would all succumb to this. We would just eventually
tell ourselves, it's not that big a deal. And it's so slow. It wasn't like a cut just one
time. But if I just kind of took a
knife there and just kind of kept it right on my hand and
just barely, barely, you know, just give it maybe a week, I
just didn't notice it. I was cut. ten horns. They are most fearful
because they are the most outwardly harmless in appearance. But He
is the One that tempts the unbeliever to worship, the Scripture says
in Romans 1, worship and serve the creature more than the Creator
who is blessed forever. All believers possess this mind
that longs, now listen well, all men, even believers, possess
this mind that longs for the cares of this world. You that
believe, you say, oh, I don't. Oh, yes, you do. Paul said in
Romans 7.25, So then, he said, with the mind I myself serve,
or I am a slave to the law of God, but with the flesh. That law in my old members, it
wars against the law of my mind. I serve the law of sin. Don't
tell me that you don't have that law in your members. That is
in your flesh. wherein dwells no good thing."
This is the war, Bob. This is a war that goes on. God's
people, though they possess two natures, a flesh and a spirit, an old
man, a new man, a new creature, though they possess two natures,
they are not double-minded. Double-minded means two-spirited. Well, you say, well, how can
they then possess flesh and mind? You know there's two. Paul says,
I see in me. That is, in my flesh there dwells
no good thing. You know that's so. Well, if
that's so, and he says, with my mind, that is, the new mind,
I serve the law of God, But with that old nature, I serve the
law of sin, how could he then not have two natures there? But he wasn't double-minded.
Double-minded means two-spirited. Believers do not possess one
spirit that is divided. They have two natures that serves
either The flesh that serves the law of sin? Or their new
mind that serves the law of God? Well, whichever nature it is,
it serves its God. Does that make sense? If I tell
you that a believer possesses a mind, a new mind, Jim, that
serves the law of God, it has one God. That new mind has one
God. But that flesh? has one God too,
and it serves the law of sin, Paul says. Now, a double-minded
man, one that has a spirit that thinks that he can serve God
and man, is unstable in all of his ways. He's got really one
God. Therefore, back in Revelation
17, John saw in verse 12 the ten horns which thou sawest are
ten kings. They have received no kingdom,
but received power as kings one hour." That ten-horned beast
is the same beast that Daniel saw in Daniel 7 that he feared
greatly and grieved him greatly because he knows, a believer
knows, but for the grace of God, I will fall. I will give in. The cares of this world, and
you just watch it, It's just so slow. And before you know
it, everything else is more important than worshiping Almighty God.
Verse 13 says, "...they have one mind, and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast." All rebellion against Almighty
God manifests itself one way. They have one mind. They have
one opinion. Let me say this. They are united
in the same object, the thwarting and resisting of Almighty God
and His will, and the worship of the Great Whore. They have
got one mind. Philippians 2 verse 5 says, Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form,"
here's the key, of a servant. Servant. "...made in the likeness
of man." This mind of the ten-horned beast is the mind of dividedness
that says, I can serve God and man and it doesn't matter. And the Scripture says, they
shall give their power and strength. They have one mind and shall
give their power and strength unto the beast. They deal out
their power or force. And remember, don't forget these
ten horns, the one in Daniel 7, the one that was diverged
from all of the other obvious creatures, beast, resistance. The one that grieved Daniel.
They deal out their power, give their power and their delegated
influence unto the beast and become the upholders or supporters
of the beast. Or in other words, they are the
way that the beast of this world's government maintains control
over their minds. The fierceness of these ten horns
is manifested in the love of this world's goods. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6.10,
for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and have
pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Things that began
to matter more than Almighty God, whether it be the governmental
worldly control of finance or education or commerce or industry
or whatever the enticement is, the great harlot of Mystery Babylon
sits upon the beast and the ten horns of seducing power in the
cares of this world. Scripture says in verse 14, they
shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them.
For He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and they that are with
Him are called and chosen and faithful. They shall make war. They strive and do spiritual
battle with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them. He shall subdue them. He shall
prevail. The gates of hell, the Scripture
says, shall not prevail. against God's people. These,
these right here, the ten horns are kings of the beast's power. They make war. This war rages
within the believer. You see, the thing is, it's so
easy when we look, Daniel looked, if I see As I said a while ago,
if I see something that's obvious, I'm watching it. But if I'm not
realizing that the battle is here between two natures, the
law of my mind, the law of my flesh, and the contrary. Paul
said they're contrary, and they strive one against another. Someone
says, oh, I don't believe they do. They do! What do you mean
you don't think? A believer knows they do. Knows
they do. They make war. Rage is within. The battle finds its field of
conflict between the flesh and the spirit. Paul said, I know
that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. Turn over
to 1 Peter 2.11. 1 Peter 2.11. Do you think Peter had been taught
something? as the Lord revealed to Peter
when the Lord was on this earth. And Peter was taught experientially
of this old war and his denial of the Lord. What do you think
Peter learned? Look at 1 Peter 2 and verse 11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you
as strangers and pilgrims abstained from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul." There is a battle that is going on within the believer,
and they recognize this ten-horned beast, the cares of this world,
that's diverse from anything else because it's so subtle.
It doesn't appear to be a beast. It doesn't appear to be something
to be feared. It's just stuff. It's just the
things. This war is realized by the believer. It's realized by the beast through
the ten horns, saying to God's people, Love me. You need me. You can't do it without me. 1
John 2.15 says, Love not the world, the beast. Give not love
and obedience that is due God Almighty to the beast. Neither
the things that we'll look at in this next verse, described
as the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the
pride of life, the things that are in the world. Love, not the
world, neither the things that are in the world. Now, obviously,
this doesn't mean that we're not to have any appreciation
for or admiration for what Almighty God has created. All of these
things we enjoy. These things that Almighty God
made, we enjoy them. I enjoy them. I like to eat.
I like to, you know, everything. All of this that God has created. But a believer doesn't put this
world and the things of this world above the worship of Almighty
God. But I'm telling you, he wrestles
with them all the time. As I said, and this was the closing
verse that I used last week, I jumped over into my notes into
this verse right here. In John 21, verse 15, it says,
When they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? And he saith unto him, Yea, Lord,
thou knowest that I love thee. And he saith unto him, Feed my
sheep. And as I said, I don't know whether
or not the Lord was referring to either the other apostles
that were with him because they were there, or whether or not
it meant the boat and the fish and the nets that they had just
left right out in the water. More than likely, it was the
boat and the fish and the nets. Lovest thou me more than these? There's the ten horns. There's
the beast that's the most feared and most watched. You don't have
any idea. I'll just go ahead and admit
it. You don't have any idea of the struggles that I have, and
I believe every other man. I think if Brother Scott was
standing here, he'd tell you the same thing. For a pastor
that struggles with stuff, responsibility that I've got, every other pastor's
got, be in that study. and study and prepare and be
ready. And it's the struggle every day
to be able to just let something else steal it away. Now, you think that's not a battle?
I'm telling you, it's a battle. But I tell you, when it says
they make war with the Lamb, they, they make war with the
Lamb, I got to thinking about this. How is it, and we talk
about the great tribulation that shall be and is being, and the
great tribulation. I've thought a lot about this.
I've thought a lot about what I'm about to tell you. And I
believe, though I will admit to you right now, I don't know
the depth of it. I cannot see, Jeff, the totality
of it. But this great tribulation, in
that Scripture, in verse 14 of Revelation 17, it says, "...they
shall make war with the Lamb." You know this, the real battle
is fought against, it's against the Lamb because the Lord said,
if you've done it unto the least of one of these, My brethren,
you've done it to Me. So the war ultimately is against
the Lamb. The cares of this world that
steals or lures or tries to lure away They won't lure away God's
people because God keeps them. That's the only reason they don't.
But I'm telling you that this battle, it's against the Lamb
itself. If I try to lure someone away
from you because I don't love you, the battle really is with
you, though I'm trying to use some other means over here. But
really, I'm mad at you. The war is with the Lamb. But there is another area, and
this is what I was thinking about, where this battle manifests itself
and this war with the Lamb against His people is found in a falling
away. The Scripture says that this
time shall not come until there comes a falling away first. As I told you, I'm not concerned
with what I see men that are standing in pulpits where I know
and it's obvious that the gospel is not preached. I can recognize
those three beasts. I know those, Brother Scott.
I can see that. I know a man that stands up and
makes a statement. And it's just self-willed and
free-willed and everything. That's an obvious one. But let
me tell you the one that's scary. It's when I don't expect it.
And it's from someone that supposedly is my friend and believes what
I believe. Turn with me to Psalm 55. Now,
these words are spoken through David, but these are the words
spoken of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. And you
understand and I understand that these words are prophetic, meaning
they are speaking of Him and not David. Don't ever lose sight. The Lord says, beginning with
Moses and all Prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning Himself. Our Lord chose twelve apostles. What do you think the possibility
was that He knew that Judas was going to betray Him? What do
you think the possibility was that He knew from the beginning,
100 percent, No doubt about it. Listen to the words of our Lord,
our omniscient God, who is speaking through the words of this mouth
concerning Himself. Psalm 55, verse 12. He said, It was not an enemy
that reproached me, then I could have borne it, neither was it
he that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would
have hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal,
my guide and mine acquaintance." Mine equal. That equal right
there means trusted as one of my order. Mine equal. Obviously not equal to the Lord
Jesus Christ as Him being God. But that equal means treated
as one of my order, my guide, or that word means my friend,
or my acquaintance, my associate. Let me tell you the great tribulation. I know that everybody's looking
at it and they think this whole world is just going to be torn
to pieces and great tribulation and all of these beasts and all
this stuff. And they say, this world? in
false religion knows absolutely nothing about what's going on.
The great tribulation is going to be because of God's people
that see the falling away that comes within the places where
the gospel has been preached. The great tribulation The things
that they see where the cares of this world steal away, and
they see those that they trusted. That was my friend. That was
my brother, I thought. I tell you this, it would not
affect me if someone came off this street right here and said
something to me that was derogatory about the gospel that I preach.
It would not affect me. It would not affect me. I'd expect
that. But if that man right there said
something to me and said, Marvin, I don't believe the gospel that
you're preaching, I'd kill him. That's my friend. I thought that
was my friend. You see, the great tribulation. Daniel saw this in the ten horns
of this beast. He said, that grieved me. The
Lord, who knows all things, said if it had been an enemy, I'd
have hid myself from him, but it was my friend. You betrayed
me with a kiss. Scripture says they make war
with the Lamb. The great tribulation is concerning
God's people. There's the battle, Jim, right
there in their hearts because of the falling away and the apparent
falling away. Not within places where the gospel
is not preached. Don't even count. Don't even
count. But where the gospel is being
preached. There's where that battle is.
That's the battle. That's the grieving. And it's the things
of this world. Things that just steal them.
Whatever it is. Whatever it is. It doesn't matter. Whatever it
matters. You be sure of this. The beast.
The ten horns. The things of this world through
the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of
life is war against the Lamb. And it manifests itself through
the warring against God's people. The sheep. Oh, but look at this. It says
the Lamb shall overcome them. The reason that we're more than
conquerors is because we're in Him. I don't have any strength. You don't either. The Lamb shall
overcome them. You know what I'm saying? The
Lamb. The Lamb shall prevail. He has destroyed the power of
death against His people by dying as their substitute. His blood
is the atonement for His sheep, and by His Spirit a new heart
is Created that loves and serves Him and He keeps Him. And He
keeps Him and He keeps Him. And His sheep go through this
world. His enlightened, regenerated sheep go through this world warring
within themselves. Striving and warring in that
old nature. And they're tempted and tested
and tried. And Almighty God keeps them and
shows them. And He says, I'll never leave
you. I'll never forsake you. And they'll go through great
tribulation as they see a falling away, this beast that manifests
itself as the ten horns and the cares that Daniel said was different
from everything else I saw. I didn't expect that one. That's what made him so dangerous.
If you just don't trust somebody, it doesn't matter how many times
they smile, if you don't trust them, you still don't trust them.
And that's just your grief. More right there. than somebody
that you know is your enemy. Oh, but what peace and comfort
and assurance believers have that God rules. David said in Psalm 115, 3, Our
God is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever He hath
pleased. Job said in Job 42, 2, I know
that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholding
from thee. And they that are with Him, the
Scripture says, are called and chosen and faithful. And Lord willing, that's where
I'll pick up tonight, and I'll preach on that subject, called
and chosen and faithful. Oh, may God be pleased to teach
us something of His faithfulness. in this dire, desperate world
by which we see the strivings of this great beast. You know, it's such a pleasant
thought. Though I have to admit, I know
that the battle is there. I know it's there. And I know
that it's so subtle as far as this ten-horned beast. See, I
don't even realize where the lines are. Gary, I don't know. I really don't. I can't just
look at him and just say, you know. There he is right there. The lines are so vague. The L-I-N-E-S,
not L-I-O-N-S. The lines are so vague. I don't know. Where are the lines
through which that which I need, that God has provided for me,
that He's given me and manifested His goodness and mercy to me.
Where does it cross over where that old warring nature of mine
starts longing after those things? You see what I'm saying? I don't
even know where the battle is. It's there. I know that. But
I'm so thankful that I can say, Lord, You kept me. You called me. You love me. Lord,
I'm helpless." And that's what's so grieving about it, because
I just don't see it like I ought to. But thanks be to God, He
does. And when He said, I won't leave
you, it's good enough, Gary.