Woke to the Devil’s Deception

Revelation 13:1-18

At the end of this year, we ask the question - are our values Christian? Have we lived for Christ? Or do we hope in the world? Has Satan deceived us to live for earthly things? Last week, we saw how the Devil hates believers. When he couldn’t kill Christ, and was cast out of heaven, he intensified his attack on believers. He uses your boss, your government, your temptation, and even your friends to hurt you. But today, we see how he uses the spirit of the age. He’s a roaring lion seeking to devour us. Are we really aware of his influence in our lives? As we come to chapter 13 at this year end, my aim’s to give further insight into the Devil’s ploy to deceive believers. Why? So that we can be more watchful in the new year. So that we can be woke.

In this chapter, we see how Satan works to destroy the church. He uses mainly a two pronged attack. He uses 2 vicious beasts - the beast from the sea and the beast from the land. Inspired by the Devil, they form an unholy trinity to persuade God’s people to abandon the faith. Firstly, he uses political power to persecute God’s people; and secondly, he uses deceptive doctrine to destroy God’s people.

Firstly, he uses political power to persecute God’s people. We’ve seen this again and again. So why’s John repeating himself? It’s apocalyptic literature. Isaiah says the same things in different ways. Even the Gospels record Jesus’ ministry from four perspectives. So John emphasizes this world system. In verses 1-4 John’s at the beach and saw a beast emerging from the sea. It had 7 heads, 10 horns, and 10 crowns. On his head was the name of blasphemy. It was like a leopard, it had bear’s feet and a lion’s mouth. Satan gave him power. And even when one head was badly wounded, it recovered and shocked the world. Then the world worshiped Satan and the beast, marveling at their power. Now, what’s the identity of the Sea Beast? He is every ungodly institution. It represents governments and world systems. Why? These animals were also described in Daniel 7, but separately. Daniel saw 4 beasts rising from the sea - a lion, bear, leopard, and an indescribable beast. These all represented 4 successive ancient empires - Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. But in Revelation, they are one composite Sea Beast. Why sea? The sea symbolized evil and chaos in the Old Testament. Many verses convey this, but here’s one - Isaiah 57:20 - “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” So Satan uses world systems like governments and rulers, militaries and even religious organizations to oppress believers. It’s not one ultimate wicked world ruler, but a composite beast representing all wicked systems in all times and places. Just as the 7 churches represented all churches, these numbers of 7 and 10 describe all world powers. Furthermore, this beast terrorized the saints for 42 months - the time and epoch before Christ comes.

And we know it’s not just one person, because in verse 3, the beast got a mortal wound on its head. But it healed. The multi headed beast is like Hydra - it keeps coming back. It spans governments and time. For example, Nero persecuted Christians. Then he died in 68 AD. But Vespasian continued the persecution. Titus also continued it. And even though Rome dwindled after the 5th century, its totalitarianism didn’t end. It’s in the world in various governments throughout all ages and nations.

We also see its character and work - it opposes God and persecutes believers. Verse 1 tells us that he has the name of blasphemy on his heads. It challenges the supremacy and majesty of God. That’s why it’s been called the Anti-Christ - the one who opposes God. Now, to be clear, the name Anti-Christ isn’t found in this book. But this beast certainly has the blaspheming spirit of Anti-Christ. 1 John 2 describes how there are many Anti-Christs and how they deny Jesus. Verses 5-8 says it opposes God’s people. It promotes itself and speaks against God and his people. Verse 7 speaks about how he oppresses believers all over the world. And they suffer because they don’t serve the beast. On the other hand, verse 8 says that all unbelievers will serve and honor him.

Now, in those days, what did this mean to the 7 churches? To be clear, it can’t mean to us what it never meant to them - so this isn’t some far-future dictator that will rule the world. Why? Because verse 9 says, “If any man have an ear, let him hear.” These were the same words to the 7 churches. These visions were applicable to them. To them, this represented the world system - the emperor cult of the first century. The whole empire accepted it. People offered incense. But Christians wouldn’t because it was blasphemy - the emperor set himself up as a god! We see it also in China - emperors were sons of Heaven. It’s no surprise that western envoys refused to kowtow to them. It’s no surprise Korean Christians refused to follow the Shinto cult of Japanese emperor worship. He was believed to be a son of Amaterasu - the Sun goddess. In North Korea, you must honor the cult of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un. If you don’t, you and your family are banished to the gulags. In the Reformation, Bible-believing Christians refused to acknowledge the pope as the head of the church - and they were killed.

In our day, who’s the savior in our nation to many? Yes, it’s the state. Yes, make no mistake, we’re very thankful for many things it’s done. But have we been lulled to sleep by the efficiency and prosperity we’ve experienced? There’s a problem - what’s the government doing about it? Inflation - the government needs to have a solution. Then government scholarship is the best - iron rice bowl. The intense academic rigors of the government educational system is the best - Singapore maths is world renown. We’re a multi-racial, multi-religious society - we must promote religious harmony. Now, for some of you, you may be appalled the preacher would say this; and some may even be quite fearful of repercussions - after all, our sermons are online. Hmm, what kind of service have you given to the beast? If any man have an ear, let him hear. But others here are absolutely delighted - your opposition blood is bubbling over with glee. You wish for more! But maybe you’ve been beguiled by some spirit! Now, we must honor the king - and I speak with all Scriptural caveats. But the point I’m making is simple - Christ is our only Savior. He’s the one who blesses us. And if we’re not mindful of the rising beastly influence, we’d be lulled into slumber by the efficiency and prosperity of our governors. I recently heard that in France, in order to ban the niqab for Muslims, Christians were banned from wearing crosses. You can’t wish others Joyeux Noël, French for Happy Christmas! Only Happy Holidays! But many citizens were happy - they want to preserve state secularism and security in France. Our brethren listening in from CGC, their beast is a completely different animal. Far more Anti-Christian. But many in their country are happy and want it. Yes, most people will follow the Sea Beast. They’ll yield to him. It’s beneficial. But the Christian must be wiser. Yes, make no mistake, the Christian is always pressured by the Sea Beast - sometimes painfully and at other times subtly - which may actually be more dangerous.

Secondly, he uses deceptive doctrine to delude God’s people. Satan uses ideology to support the world system. Verses 11-12 - John saw another beast emerging from the earth. It had 2 horns like a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. It had the same power of the first beast - meaning, to oppress. And it caused unbelievers to worship the first beast. Now we want to see it’s identity and character - he is every false teacher that lies. It rose up from the earth - it gives the impression of stability, unlike the chaotic sea. And it’s described as a lamb - it gives the impression of gentleness - like a child’s pet. But then it’s described has having 2 horns. This is the false prophet - mimicking Jesus’ gentleness and also having authority like the 2 witnesses. But how did it speak? It spoke like a dragon, verse 11. The Dragon deceives, accuses, and speaks lies.

John’s using highly figurative language to speak about false prophets in the course of church history. This Sea Beast is later called “the false prophet” in chapters 16, 19, and 20. These three together - Satan, the Sea Beast, and the Earth Beast - form the unholy Trinity. In the early church, the Jewish religious system conspired with the Roman state to persecute believers - we saw this in Acts. To the 7 churches, this was the Roman imperial priesthood enforcing Caesar worship. To the Reformers, this was the Pope himself working in tandem with kings to oppress true believers. Interestingly, the Pope has recently approved same-sex union blessings - supporting the agenda of many governments. Now, the world looks and wonders why Bible-believing Christians would still disagree with this.

You see, the aim of false prophets was to mislead the people of God and divert their devotion from Jesus to idols. Here, the aim is to make the first beast appealing - to foster compromise with today’s ungodly institutions. For the 7 churches, they had the Nicolaitans and Jezebel. They probably said - “It’s okay to participate in emperor worship - it’s not unfaithful, it’s just respecting him. Christ is your God in your heart - nothing will ever take his place - this is just outward show. You do it, you can still buy and sell.” Remember the 10 spies in Numbers 13? They said Israel couldn’t take the Promised Land. And the people believed - and they wanted to return to Egypt. Return to slavery to eat garlic. The majority of the people were deceived. When Japan took over Korea and instituted emperor worship; many Presbyterian churches allowed it - urging their members to follow. All except for the Koshin Presbyterian Church. Many of their pastors and members were slaughtered. The false pastors stood in opposition to true pastors. This is the same the world over.

We want to look deeper at this deception. We see more specifically their work - they deceive the world to serve Satan. As verse 12 says, their chief purpose was to seduce people into idolatry. They did this was through doing great signs, like calling down fire, verse 13; and making the image of the beast to speak. Now, this is symbolic, not literal - there’s no weird future robot idol speaking as some have proposed. This was borrowed from Daniel 3 - all were commanded to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image. This is false religion legitimizing wickedness. And they appear to be legit - like calling down fire from heaven like Elijah. False religion looks good. Pharaoh’s court magicians could imitate Moses’ deeds to legitimatize Pharaoh. This earth beast gets people to follow the spirit of the age. This is across time. Jesus said false prophets would arise in the last days, possibly even leading the elect astray. This is how for centuries, the Roman Catholic Church kept people in bondage by counterfeit miracles - turning bread and wine into body and blood. In recent times, liberal denominations defend abortion, same sex marriage, and other principles God opposes. It’s not loving to make a young girl have a child and ruin her life. Love is love! We even see it in prosperity gospel churches - God wants you to be rich, not to suffer. Wow! This only feeds the world system today. Oh, Jesus has fulfilled the Sabbath, he doesn’t require us to keep the whole day - how can you get ahead in life if you don’t study on the Lord’s Day? We need to honor our school system. It’s the envy of the world! After all, if she gets good grades, she’ll secure a scholarship. She can climb in the civil service. And she’ll be a good testimony for Christ. God certainly understands and approves. We live in this world anyway. Offer incense, join the trade guilds, engage in the ways of the world. Yes, some of us wonder if we should follow Christ whole-heartedly. If we follow Christ, we’d have to give this or that up. And some of you have counted the cost of following Christ - that’s why you don’t want to. The spirit of Anti-Christ has deluded you. And you know it.

Yes, this is the spirit of the age. The false prophet lulls our senses to give into whatever this age worships. In Singapore, it’s meritocracy. Meritocracy is the god today. Or comfort. For our brethren in CGC, it could be something else. What’s the god of this world seducing you to pursue? Maybe you’ve said - “Well, if we don’t pursue these things, how can we survive?” Exactly. You’ve bought into the doctrine of the false prophet - which serves the Sea Beast - which serves Satan. This is what we see in verses 16-17 - he makes both great and small, rich and poor, free and bond to have this doctrine. It’s written on their hands - whatever they do; it’s engraved into their foreheads - whatever they think - they’re marked by that doctrine. And unless you have that doctrine, you can’t hope to buy or sell. Meritocracy, success in life, education; and whatever compromises we must make to obtain those things. Many of you are making New Year Resolutions - follow Christ more. But how can you resolve to follow Christ and his ways, if you don’t abandon the doctrine of devils that’s been seducing you all this time?

The world follows the beast. It’s got his number on them. 666. They’re kowtowing to the world system. Now, to be clear, it can’t mean to us what it never meant to the 7 churches. It’s not a microchip or a vaccine. Believers are sealed by God on our heads - we believe the gospel. The world? They look to a false gospel to succeed. We’re marked and owned by Christ. The world is marked and owned by Satan. Their ideological commitment is to the world. But why 666? If you attributing a numerical value to a letter, the name “Nero Caesar” added up to 666. This was a common code practice in those days. In the ruins of Pompeii, a preserved piece of graffiti read “I love the girl whose number is 545”, meaning her initials were ?, ?, ?. But why Nero? John used a popular belief then to make a point. Nero died. But mysterious circumstances of his death gave rise to popular myths that he’d return - like Elvis or the Grand Duchess Anastasia. In fact, the myth was so alive there’d been 3 imposters. So John brought this up to make a point to the 7 churches. Verse 18 says, “Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast.” He wanted to tell them that the Nero spirit would continue - his head was wounded, but another head would spring up. They’d continue to be pressured to conform to the world system and to abandon Christ. It would be an ongoing thing during the 42 months.

How’s Satan deceiving the church today? Dear Christian, are you aware of how he’s already deceived you to make compromises in your faith? What idol are you worshiping? Are any of you giving your children over to the beast? Sacrificing them on the altar of meritocracy? Are there any compromises you’re making for the sake of your career? After all, you must buy and sell. You’re just following expected norms in this world. Yes, and those norms are controlled by Satan, run by the Sea Beast, and promoted by the Earth Beast. Are you woke to this? That’s why verse 18 says - if you have understanding, count the number. Look around - understand the dangers you’re facing right now. But also verse 10 has sobering words - “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” There are those who support the beast - their end is destruction. And this is the scary thing. The Nicolaitans were in the church. There was a Jezebel. Parents, in which way have you been like a Jezebel? Have friends here advised others in a Nicolaitan way? Are you excusing your lukewarmness to the things of God because you’re so busy in the world? The scary thing is this - we’re sealed by Christ, but we have that 666 card in our hand to play when we need it. James says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Christ said we can’t serve both God and mammon - we will end up serving one and hating the other. Perhaps this must be our resolution this year - to be aware of the beastly ideologies we have. To see how they invade our leisure, our work, our family, our outlook in life. We must be woke. Satan’s seeking to destroy us by compromise and worldliness. And this requires us to understand the times.

Our Lord Jesus was ever vigilant. He was tempted by the beast. Worship me! And I’ll give you everything! You’re hungry? Take it sinfully. You’re God’s son! He intends to exalt you! Plunge yourself down, he’ll rescue you! Give into your flesh, you’re hungry! God’ll forgive you! But our Lord rejected the ideology of the Earth Beast. He refused to serve the Sea Beast. He knew the deception of Satan. This is why our Lord suffered. He plunged himself to death on the cross to bear our sins, and he was lifted up. He worshiped only God, and is now worshiped by angels. He denied himself, so he can feed us with the Bread of Life now, and host the Marriage Supper next time. What do you want in life? Happiness ever after? This world can’t give it. May we see through Satan’s deceptions as Christ saw through it them. Let us serve Christ alone in the New Year.

1. He Uses Political Power to Persecute God’s People

A. He is every ungodly institution

B. He opposes God and persecutes believers

2. He Uses Deceptive Doctrine to Delude God’s People

A. He is every false teacher that lies

B. He deceives the world to serve Satan