SERMON 2:THE WOUNDED BEAST.

THE WOUNDED BEAST

OUTLINE

John Adams 

"My History of the Jesuits is in four volumes... This society has been a greater calamity to mankind than the French Revolution, or Napoleon's despotism or ideology. It has obstructed progress of reformation and the improvement of the human mind in society much longer and more fatally." - Letter to Thomas Jefferson, November 4, 1816

Turning to the 13^th Chapter of the Apocalypses(Revelations) is like taking a surreal trip into bizarre word of special effects.

Chapter 13:1-2

“And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns of horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.”

What are the internal evidences of the prophesy? What do we know about this beast power? Working strictly from the internal evidences of the prophesy,what do we know about this beast power?

1.     IT IS BLESPHAMOUS: Verse 1 says, “And on his heads a blasphemous name.” And what is ‘blasphemy?

Dictionary definition: “The act of claiming the attributes of God.” 

Biblical definition: Mark 2:7 “Why does this fellow talks like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The Wounded Beast claims the attributes and prerogatives of God.

2.     IT HAS A WAST DOMINION: Revelation 13:7

Plus, did you catch the length of its dominion? V.5 forty-two months. Which calculates into three and a half years, or 1260 days, or 1260 years as Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14;34 suggest should be done with prophetic calculations. A day-for-a-year principle.

3.     IT IS RELIGIOUS:

“One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Menworshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” Revelation 13:4

So,  what John is being shown here in this dripping wet, amalgamated beast is the symbol of a power that would hold sway during the history of the Christian church.

4.     IT IS POLITICAL: For only a political power has a throne and crowns and a global dominion (Revelation 13:1-2)

5.     IT HOLDS GLOBAL SWAY: Revelation 13:7 “And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”

So it is a fair to consider this beast power a GEO-RELIGIO-POLITICAL  INSTITUTION.

6.     IT WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED: 

V.3 “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.”

7. IT’S WOUND IS HEALED:

V.3 “One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.”

8. IT ATTRACTS WORLD-WIDE ATTENTION:

“The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the best and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”

But amazingly, that wound heals. Then, after the healing, this power reasserts its global dominance.  We are to witness the resurgence of this GEO-RELIGIO-POLITICAL POWER right before our eyes!

9.     IT IS AT WAR WITH GOD’S PEOPLE:

”He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.” Revelation 13:4

So what do we have?

So, the very minimum this Wounded Beast represents is:

1.     Geo-religio-poitical power

2.     That has been dominant for over 1260 years in the history of Christianity

3.     That assumed what belongs only to God i.e. worship, forgiveness of sins, etc.

4.     Was unexpectedly and mysteriously wounded,

5.     But that wound was eventually healed of its wound and

6.     Finally will hold global sway

7.     And play a leading role in persecuting/making a war with God’s people…

If you look carefully, you will discover that WOUNDED BEAST is actually very ‘similar’ to the WOUNDED LAMB!  Apocalypses 5:5 “a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes.” Apocalypses 5:9:  “You are worthy..for you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and language tongue and people and nation.”

It is obvious that The Wounded Lamb is the apocalyptic symbol for our crucified, resurrected, and ascended Lord Jesus.

Notice now the startling parallels between the Wounded Lamb and Wounded Beast:

1.     Both the Lamb and the Beast arise out of water as their beginning of  their influence on Earth—one out of the Jordan River at His baptism; the other out of apocalyptic sea.

2.     Both the Lamb and the beast exercise power for three and half years; Jesus for three and a half literal years during His ministry on Earth; and Beast for three and a half prophetic years—1,260 years of his unrestricted dominion over the world’s affairs.

3.     Both the Lamb and the Beast are mortally wounded; in fact, the Greek word describing the beast’s ‘deadly wound’ in Revelation 13:3 is identical to the word for the Lamb’s being ‘slain’ in Revelation 5:6 and 13:8

4.     Both the Lamb and the Beast come back to life. (Revelation 1:8 and 13:3).

5.     Both the Lamb and the Beast have horns: the Lamb has seven horns (Revelation 5:6); the Beast has ten (Revelation 13:1).

6.     Both of them receive honor and worship, to which only ONE of them is ENTITLED. Interestingly, the language of global worship for the Beast in Revelation 13:4 is the SAME language ascribed to divine worship in Exodus 15:11 and Psalm 35:10!

7.     And finally, both, the Lamb and the beast seek to reach every nation, kindred, tongue and people (Revelation 14:6; and 13:7).

IMPRESSIVE?  Somebody is trying very hard to be ‘like the Lamb’—to look ‘like the Lamb,’ to talk ‘like the Lamb’! Somebody is trying desperately to take Christ’s place. In fact, in Greek, word ‘ANTI’ means “INSTEAD OF.” SO ‘ANTICHRIST’ means “instead of Christ.” Somebody is covertly trying to take the place of Christ Jesus.

READ an article below and see if you are not getting an impression that somebody is trying very hard to look ‘like the Wounded Lamb’. And also remember the words of Jesus:  “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.” Luke 21:28.