Some Characteristics of the Beast and the Antichrist

In January or February of 1970, the long-sought four beast of the End Times attended a sing-along at a master college in the cafeteria in Big Sandy. At least some thought perhaps he is the man. The overseer of the German work, Frank Schnee, was able to make friends with him and get him to visit both the Pasadena and Big Sandy campuses. At that time, it was thought that by some church leaders that Franz Joseph Strauss of Germany was the most likely person to fulfill the role of the beast in Bible prophecy. Well, from that time to the present, come January, February of 2024, that'll be, what, 50 years? 54 years from that time. Then, Strauss died in 1983 at the age of 73, 40 years ago. For decades, various church leaders, not only in United, but all over the world, lay members and pundits have tried to identify the beast.

However, apparently the Bible does not specifically identify that person, but it does give specific characteristics, actions, and other identifying features. So the title of the sermon today is Some Characteristics of the Beast and the Antichrist. Some characteristics of the beast and the antichrist, and of course that will include some of the actions and some of the identifying features that we might glean from Scripture.

The beast and the false prophet are linked together and work together in leading the beast system. So let's turn to Revelation 19 verse 20, and we'll begin to see that they are linked together. Revelation 19 and verse 20. In a sermon like this, you wish you could go in a straight linear, chronological order, but it's quite difficult to put many of these things together in that kind of order, but we shall do the best we can. Here we see the link between the beast and the false prophet. We'll start in Revelation 19 verse 20, 19-19. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gather together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against the army. Of course, that army is described up earlier of Jesus Christ returning on the white horse and with the saints and the heavenly host.

And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, that is, before the beast, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast into a lake of burning, of fire burning, and brimstone. Both the beast and the false prophet are cast in the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Back a few pages in Revelation 16-13, we shall see that the beast and the false prophet are linked together until the very end of the age. So in Revelation 16-13, they play a role in gathering the nations together to fight the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Revelation 16-13, and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon that old serpent, Satan the devil, and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. So we see that they are linked together even up to and during the time of the battle of the great day of God Almighty. And in that battle of the great day of God Almighty, they wind up being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Some have contended that the pope of the Catholic Church is the false prophet. Perhaps a pope will unite with secular powers and fulfill this role. The current pope has said that he would baptize aliens from outer space. He's made overtures toward Muslim leaders. However, this is a giant, however, as scripture will reveal, the coming beast and false prophet blasphemes the God of heaven and those who dwell in heaven. And that would require a dramatic shift in Catholic theology to become anti-Christ against Christ. Against, blessed be Mother Mary, Virgin Mary, Mother Mary, what they call the mother of Jesus Christ.

The Jews as a nation rejected Jesus Christ as a Messiah, so they deny that Jesus Christ has come even the first time and they're still looking for a Messiah. Now, that doesn't include every last view on the earth. A lot of Jews have been converted to true Christianity through the decades. So, in the immediate sense, those who are still looking for the Messiah are anti-Christ because they are against Christ. You know, even the Apostle Paul, when Stephen was stoned, he was then, after that, they laid down the clothes at the feet of one called Saul. His name was changed to Paul. And after that, Paul was commissioned to go up to Antioch and to search out those who believed in Jesus Christ and put them in prison and whatever else they might do to them. And he was struck down on the road to Damascus, the capital of Syria, on the way to Antioch. One of the five pillars of Islam states, and if you don't know the five pillars of Islam, you should. All you have to do is go to Google and put in five pillars of Islam and they'll come up. One of the pillars is, God neither begets or is begotten. God neither begets or is begotten. Therefore, they are anti-Christ, even though they recognize Jesus as a great prophet. But they do not believe that, of course, they believe that Allah, as true Christianity teaches that God is uncreated, that Allah is uncreated, but they also teach that He did not beget a son. And those who are of the faith of Islam, their destiny is not as the same, obviously, as that of true Christianity of being glorious, radiant spirit beings in the kingdom of God. So they deny that Christ is the begotten Son of God. Now, let's note back a few pages in 1 John 4 and verse 6, where this word, anti-Christ, occurs. 1 John 4, 6. Well, I want to start in verse 1. 1 John 4 and verse 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Many false prophets, and they continue to this day. There's a commercial running now quite often where Dr. Jeremiah, whatever his name is, Dr. Jeremiah has a new book out on the rapture that millions are going to be left here on the earth and wondering what happened and so on. And it's running on a lot of the news networks.

Hereby know we the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. Now, some commentators would read that and write it as every one that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in present and past. That he's coming in our lives, that Jesus Christ is living in us, but that is a technical point. And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ has come into the flesh is not of God. So we've identified some of those. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come and even now already is in the world. Of course, there were people who rejected Jesus Christ during the days of the apostles. John probably wrote this in the 90s A.D. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you, and God in Christ lives in us if we have the Holy Spirit. The same spirit that's in God is in Christ is in us. John 14, 23 says that we will both come and dwell in you. So they are the world, therefore speak the other world, and the world hears them. So let's read 4 and 5 again. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them. And there's no telling how many false prophets are out there today. They're on television, they're on YouTube, they're on all of these streaming channels, and there must be 500, and that may be a low count of streaming channels. I don't know if that's higher or low, but there are a lot of them. Verse 6, we are of God. He that knows God hears us. He that is not of God hears us not. One of the great separating points. Hereby know we the Spirit and the Spirit of error. So you listen to the inspired word of the apostles as recorded in the Bible. There have been many false christs and deceivers that have gone out into the world proclaiming various heiresses. There has never been a time since the days of Christ on earth and the time of John, the apostle John, that someone or some group was not seeking to identify the beast in the antichrist. And now with a host of increasing problems, pandemics, COVID and other pandemics, we have several people in this area have been affected with some kind of a cold flu kind of thing. Wars, rumors of war, and we see the war raging in Gaza and of course there are other hot spots in Yemen and Qatar is entering into the fray with missiles thrown our way at the behest of Iran. Energy problems, pandemic surges, devastating wildfires, earthquakes and hurricanes, I mean the increase in earthquakes is unbelievable. A renewed arms race and surging inflation regardless as to what they say. About once a month I go buy dog food. It started off about six months ago at 22-something, now it's 27-something. And it's just either chicken flavored or beef flavored. It's not the real stuff. If you want to buy the real stuff, you get ready for 40-50 dollars for 30 pounds or so.

So scripture identifies two persons that perform miracles, the beast and the false prophet, and we read that from Revelation 19 verse 20. And we have seen from scripture the false prophet is to a large degree an enabler of the beast and of the the beast the leader of the beast system. The Bible reveals characteristics of some time elements for the beast appearance on the world scene. One should consider that the word beast can refer to the person or to the system. There is a beast system, but there is a person who heads the beast system. So a person heads the beast system. A system does not corrupt people in the name of peace, which we shall see from scripture that the beast does corrupt people in the name of peace. A system does not perform signs and wonders. I mean a system, per se, is inanimate. A person performs signs and wonders or demons do, or the devil does. A system does not require worship. It's inanimate. It can't say, hey, come worship me. It's inanimate. A system does not blaspheme God. It can't speak. A system is not cast into the bottomless pit. It's the beast and false prophet that we read in Revelation 19.20, the fate of the beast and the false prophet. A person leads a confederation of ten nations who give their power to the beast. The beast in Antichrist is given many titles. Some commentators claim that the beast has more than 30 titles. We'll focus on, first of all, one of the titles that commentators claim is that of the beast and that of the bottomless pit. And perhaps you've never put these together in this way. Perhaps you have. In Revelation 19, in Revelation chapter 9, Revelation 9 verses 1 and 2, Revelation 9, and here we are at the first woe, and it is the fifth trumpet plague. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth. And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

Focus on bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and there rose smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And then this angel of the bottomless pit is identified in verse 11.

And they had a king over them, which is the angel, the angelos, the messenger, Adam the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abedon, but in the Greek tongue his name is Apollyon, and both mean the same. Both mean destroyer. And of course Satan is a destroyer, and here is a Prince Demon, apparently, who is performing these actions. Now we look at chapter 11 of Revelation, and we see that the beast out of the bottomless pit kills the two witnesses.

If you ever put those together in Revelation 11 verse 7, And one day that is the two witnesses shall it fulfill their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. So the beast out of the bottomless pit kills the two witnesses.

Now we go to Revelation 17, which we've often gone to. You'll notice something else about the beast that is identified here. He's the eighth, and of the seven, Revelation 17, 8, that the beast that you saw was and is not shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition, and they that dwell in the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, and they behold the beast that was, is not, and yet is.

So we see here that there's more about the bottomless pit later on. You look at Revelation 20 in verse 1. This is, of course, after the beast and the false prophet are placed in the lake of fired brimstone, that Satan is going to be bound for a thousand years. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, Revelation 20, verse 1, saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, and he laid his hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and put a seal upon him, that he should not deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be filled, and after that he must be loosed a little season.

There are several titles given to the beast, Antichrist, mainly the beast, and in the Bible. As I said, some commentators identified, claim, over 30 titles for the beast, and some of them are given in Psalm chapter 5, it's called the Bloody and Deceitful Man, Psalm 10, called the Wicked One, Psalm 52, called the Man of the Earth, so a lot of different titles. It's called in Isaiah 1412, the King of Babylon, and it goes on and on the various titles. Now, one of the main titles, of course, is found in the New Testament, which we have turned to in the last sermon that I gave here. We go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.

Here's probably the main titles that people know Him by. We'll begin in verse 1, 2 Thessalonians 2.1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and you're gathering together unto Him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter from us, that the day of Christ is at hand. Of course, the airways are filled now with, you know, Christ. The world scene is heating up. We have so much crime, pollution, earthquakes, floods, such that whether we have wars, rumors of war, we have economic problems, it just goes on. We have disease, and it seems the list of things never ceases. And obviously, it's the time to wake up.

And I would say that most people don't spend much time in the Bible, and I'm talking about church members, don't spend much time in the Bible through the week. And as we have said, the ministry, so for so many years that you have to study the Scripture, we'll have another verse or two about that a little later.

So some are saying that the day is at hand, and apparently sending out letters saying that Paul had written them, but he writes in verse 3, Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away, and apostasia, burst, and that man of sin be revealed, a sign of perdition. So that's one of his titles, a sign of perdition. Who opposes, of course perdition would be that lake of fire and brimstone, who opposes, and josts himself above all that is called God, or that is worship, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

So it's not Christianity, per se. It's not Islam, per se. It's not any religion that I know of, per se, right now. It is something new. We'll read what he does in favor a little bit later in Daniel.

He will be a very charismatic communicator. Apparently, the beast will be one of the main players in forging an agreement with the nations that allows the Jews to build a temple and restore sacrificial system.

I just saw one of the latest documentaries on YouTube about the Jews say, it's time now to build a temple. We're going to build a temple. So there's a movement, and there's been a movement like that for decades, we're going to build a temple. And supposedly, everything is in place to build a temple. But the sense of urgency, I think something that if they build the temple, call it a house of prayer for all nations, and somehow it might be able to persuade people to change their opinion of them and so on. And that is just speculation. I don't know that, for sure. So he'll be a very charismatic communicator. He'll be one of the main players, probably, in forging some kind of peace agreement. One of the things this documentary brought out was the fact that at present time, the Temple Mount is under the control of Jordan. They are the ones that are responsible for the upkeep and governance, and they do it through soldiers. I don't know exactly where the soldiers come from that do maintain the peace on the Temple Mount. From time to time, you'll see that a Jew or somebody tried to go on the Temple Mount and pray, and they were accosted and removed. So now let's look at Daniel 8. In Daniel 8, we'll see what the Bible says, where this one comes from. It doesn't name the country, it just says one of the divisions of Alexander's empire. The great vision here in Daniel 8 of the goat pushing against the ram of the two horns, Mediapurja, and then eventually it was revealed to Daniel what the prophecy meant. Well, pick it up in 17. Daniel 8, 17.

So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid, and fell upon my face, and he said unto me, Understand, O Son of Man, for at the time of the end, and that literally, that word for end there, the Hebrew word literally means the end of the age. For at the end of the age shall be the vision. For as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep in my face toward the ground, but he touched me and set me upright, and he said, Behold, I will make you to know what shall be the end, and once again that same word, of the indignation, for at the time appointed. Now, I mentioned this last sermon I gave you. There's, I think, that there is a time appointed. God has appointed a time, and so it would be helpful if you would look at user concordance or whatever Bible study age you use, and look at every verse that has the appointed time, the appointed time. So it will be at the appointed time the end shall be.

Now, some of them, we don't know exactly when Christ will return, but that says at the appointed time this is going to happen. The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of media and Persian, and the rough goat is the king of Greece, Alexander the Great, and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now, that being broken where four stood up in its place, so after Alexander the Great died, the kingdom was divided into four divisions, and under the control of his four top generals. It says, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation but not in his power. Of course, they won't be as strong as Alexander the Great, but eventually one will stand up that's energized by Satan the Devil. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of understanding dark senses, so he's attuned to witchcraft, to the occult, shall stand up. And in the latter time of their kingdom, verse 24, and his power shall be mighty but not by his own power. Of course, that power will be from the devil. And he shall destroy wonderfully, shall prosper in practice, and shall corrupt, there's a better translation, he doesn't destroy but corrupts the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many. He shall also stand up against the prince of princes. This tells you that it is the end time. Of course, we've already read several verses that tell you that.

He shall stand up against the prince of princes, but he shall be broken without hand. It will be the word of God that breaks him. Now hold your place there. You look at Revelation 17, I think verse 14. Revelation 17.

Revelation 17 verse 14. He shall make war with the lamb, and the lamb shall overcome them, for he is the Lord of hosts, king of kings, these being the ten who are led by the beast that we read about in verse 8. For he is Lord of lords and king of kings, and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful. So it says, now back to Daniel chapter 8 and verse 25.

And the vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true. Therefore, wherefore shut you up the vision, for it is yet for many days.

And Daniel was so troubled by this and other visions. And I, Daniel, claimed it was six certain days afterward. I rose up and did the king's business, and I was astonished that the vision was not understood.

Now in Matthew 24, in Matthew 24, Jesus Christ gives credence to Daniel's prophecy in Matthew 24 and verse 15.

In Matthew 24 verse 15, and when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, who so reads let him understand. Then it talks about what the Jews have to do during that time. Then verse 21, for men shall be great tribulations, so the place of the abomination, desolation introduces great tribulation. Such as was not since from the beginning of the world to this time know nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened. Of course, you don't know how much they'll be shortened, but we read from Daniel 8 that is at the appointed time, and we read also it is at the end time. There shall be no flesh except the days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Then if any man say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there believe it not, nor says in Revelation that he'll, the heavens depart as a scroll, every eye shall see him, and so on. For there shall arise false Christ, false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders beast and false prophet. It's so much that if it were possible, the very elect would be to save, would be to see. And of course, God is the one that prevents you from being deceived if you love the truth and are in the truth. Most commentators refer to the time that the leader of the beast system is in charge as the 70th week of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy, which we spent time with in the last sermon. The first three and a half years being a time of peace, and the last three and a half years a time of dictatorial rule in which the peoples of the world whose names are not written in the book, the Lamb's Book of Life will be forced to worship the beast or be killed. And we have read that scripture so many times, Revelation 13 8, and everyone whose name is not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be deceived. The placing of the abomination of desolation introduces the great tribulation, as we read, and the great deception, the greatest deception of all times, and it marks a countdown. We'll go back to Daniel chapter 12, at this time, Daniel chapter 12, and begin in verse 10. In Daniel chapter 12, verse 10, and many shall be purified and made wide and tried, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand, and from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away in the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. The countdown begins. Blessed is he that comes and waits to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. This beast system is energized, of course, by Satan the devil.

We want to read, we've already read from chapter 8 that is not of his own power. In Revelation 13 verse 4, in Revelation 13 verse 4, it makes it clear that Satan is the one who energizes the beast's power, and Satan will, at long last, what Satan's greatest goal, what is he trying to accomplish? He's trying to overthrow God's system. He's trying to overthrow prophecy. He's trying to become the object of worship. That's been his goal ever since. You read about the Israel gold in Isaiah chapter 14. So in Revelation 13 and verse 4, and they worship the dragon which gave power. So it's through the beast's power that the people worship the devil, and they worship the dragon which gave peace and power unto the beast, and they worship the beast saying, who is likened to the beast, who is able to make war with him. Revelation 13 8, and all that dwell upon the earth, notice that all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. As we have already noted, the false prophet will work with the antichrist to perform miracles and signs. Perhaps the greatest miracle attributed to the false prophet is the resurrection of the beast and causing and making an image of the beast, and the beast speaks. So we're in chapter 13. Let's follow up on that. Verse 11, Revelation 13 11, and behold another beast coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. And oftentimes we have said this may be a pope of the Catholic Church, and he exercised all the power of the first beast before him and causes the earth and them which dwell on the earth to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. The main way that he causes them to worship that beast is through the signs and wonders. And this is one of the most powerful miracles that you can even imagine that we're about to read. He does great wonders so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. Fire to come down from heaven and deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles. So how is the world deceived? Even the very elect would be deceived if it were possible. The miracles and the signs and the wonders are so great that if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived. That they should make an image of the beast which had the wound by sword and did live. Of course, the system was wounded. If you want to look at what someone talked about, the Holy Roman Empire, and it was revived, and was looking for another revival, you might talk about the system being revived. But what this says here, as we shall read, is that this image is given life and he speaks, which a system does not do.

So verse 14 again, and deceives them dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles, which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by sword and did live. Now, you don't kill a system necessarily with a sword. It's usually you kill people with a sword, and he had power to give life into the image of the beast.

Now, one of the keys here is this word life. Guess what the the Greek word for life is in this verse. The word for life in this word, in this verse, is pneuma, which can be translated as breath or wind or spirit. So he has power to give life, breath, and the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, should speak, and cause that as many as would not worship, the image of the beast should be killed. And he calls both rich and poor, receive the mark of the beast, and if they refuse, they are killed.

So the the irony of this deception is that he is part of a totally different religious system than Christianity. You notice in this verse, verse 5, Revelation 13, 5, And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power that given him to continue forty-two months. And he opened his mouth and blasphemed against God, to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and then that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and overcome them, and power was given him over kindreds and tongues and nations.

So he apparently pains us the Prince of Peace until he breaks the covenant with Israel. And as we have noted, stops in the daily sacrifice. We haven't actually turned to Daniel 11.31, but we have referred to from the time the daily sacrifice is placed. There will be great tribulation, and the abomination of desolation is set up. So there is a pseudo kind of peace that is going to come, and as unbelievable as it might be in the current climate that we're in, if we look at 1 Thessalonians 5, if Paul is not mistaken, and I don't think he is, because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write this in 1 Thessalonians 5.1, but of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write unto you.

For yourselves, know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. You don't know exactly when. So when they shall say peace and safety, which is coming, some kind of pseudo peace, then sudden destruction comes upon them as surveil upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overcome you as a thief. You are the children of light, and the children of the day.

You are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as do others, but let us watch and be sober. And the word for sober is really watchful. Be watchful for they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet a hope of salvation. See, that's part of the armor of God, is the helmet of salvation.

And right here it identifies what the helmet of salvation is, it is hope. See, hope permeates a helmet, it permeates the whole head, covers the whole head. So those who put on the helmet of salvation are filled with hope, knowing that they are going to be victorious in the end.

The beast power will claim absolute power will demand to be worshiped, as we have read. All pretense of democratic forms of government will be abandoned. You're beginning to hear even now that people who say, well, democracy is really not the best form of government. We need something else. But what else are you going to replace it with, Hamas?

After the abomination is set up, he reveals who he really is. As previously noted, he opposes the two witnesses and kills them. So let's note further, as noted earlier, he'll be a great communicator, orator, and be renowned for his persuasiveness. He will look the part of a great leader. He will be more stout than his fellows.

So Satan uses the occult to carry out his plan. Remember the words of the Apostle Paul, We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against wicked spirits in high places. Therefore, put on the whole armor of God. We have another warning in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 18, verse 23, we've already read that the false prophet deceives the people by the miracles that he performs. So working a miracle is not a sign that is from God. You have to know and know that you know. So Revelation 18, 23, And the light of the candle shall shine no more at all in you, talking about Babylon, the system, and the voice of the bridegroom, and the bride shall be heard no more at all in you. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorceries, by your witchcraft, by your occult practices, where all nations deceive. The nation's a miracle so powerful that the image of the beast is given breath and it speaks. And we just read it from Revelation 13. So he practices subtlety and deceit. He will put his trust in a different kind of power. So let's turn to Daniel 11. I've alluded to this already, that it is an entirely different scene with regard to what this one believes.

I don't know what I said, but I want Daniel 12 and verse 38. Daniel 12 and verse 38. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces.

Now let's read verse 37. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers. He does not regard the God of his fathers, whether it be Christianity, whether it be Islam, whatever, filling the blank. It says he shall not regard the God of his fathers. Nor the desire of women. Various things have been written about that.

One of the great desires of women in the Orthodox Jewish community are dating way back. The book, titled The Tree Grows of Brooklyn, deals with this, that Jewish women in the occult community, not the occult, the Orthodox, in the Orthodox community would be so proud that they were pregnant that perhaps they're giving, they're going to give birth to the next Messiah. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any God. He shall magnify himself above all. Now, I don't know whether desire of women means what we just said at all. I don't know exactly what that means. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces, that is, power. The God of forces has to do with the occult. It can be military, as it says later, but principally it's talking about the occult and the God of forces. And a God whom his fathers knew not, that shall he honor with gold, with silver, with precious stones, and pleasant things. That seems very odd. Why would you give gold and silver to something to the God of forces? How would you do that? That shall he do in the most strong in the most strong holds with a strange God, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory, and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. Now, for years, and especially in recent times, you're hearing about what's going to happen after the Gaza war. Well, what's going to happen to Gaza? How's it going to be ruled? And once again, you'll be hearing about the two-state solution. One state for the Arab Muslim world and one state for Israel. But can that work? The ideology, the deep-seated hate dating from the days of Ishmael and Esau to the present day, cannot be healed by a two-state solution.

And at that time of the end, at the time of the end, once again, that word, gets, means a very end to the age.

King of the South and so on, pushes at him. He will divide the land for gain, which is being talked about even now. Now, he will reveal himself also as a great enemy of the Church and of Israel. And he will seek to destroy those who keep the commandments of God. So we go to Revelation 12. Revelation 12. Revelation 12.

And verse 9. Revelation 12.9, I would think all of us can quote that.

Revelation 12.9, the third.

Not quite to 12.9 yet.

Revelation 12.9, and the great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth. Now, that deception takes place through the beast and the false prophet who energizes them. And through the beast, Satan is worshiped. And they worshiped the dragon, which gave power to the beast, which we read from Revelation 13.4. And his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now has come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our Lord, and the power of his Christ, for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accuses them before God day and night. And they overcame him three ways, by the blood of the Lamb. So you go daily before God and Christ to the throne of grace, and you confess your sins, you repent of your sins. He's faithful and just to forgive you of all unrighteousness, and you remain in a justified position.

And by the word of the testimony, and by the word of their testimony, you'll be called before kings and rulers and so on. And they love not their lives unto the death. There will be martyrs in the end time.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea, for the devil has come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast into the earth, he persecuted the woman which gave birth, which brought forth a man-child. And to the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place. And so that's where the verse is to get about the place of safety, where she is nourished for a time and times, and a half a times, from the face of the serpent. And the great dragon was cast, and the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of its mouth. And the dragon was mad with the woman, and he went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

So how can you avoid being deceived by the beast and the false prophet? First, we need to understand, and we must realize that apart from God and Christ, there will be no way to prevent you or I from being deceived. And the key for not being deceived is developing that love affair as I call it, with the truth.

So now we go back to 2nd Thessalonians, once again.

2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2. We'll pick it up in verse 7 or 8. The main verse we want to get to is the love of the truth in 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 7.

For the mystery of iniquity does already work. He who now lets will let until he be taken out of the way. Now we've got a lot of televangelists and documentaries and so on of people claiming that what's going to be taken away is the Holy Spirit. He's going to go back to heaven and just let you have at it. Well, I don't think that's correct. And then shall that wicked be reveal him the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, and with all power and signs and lying wonders. So you see that the beast power and the false prophet, once again, deceives through the signs and wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, and then the perish because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. So you have to love the truth. How do you show God that you love the truth?

Through prayer instead. And obedience. Prayer study obedience. The old song says, trust and obey, there's no other way.

And for this cause, God shall send them. Notice who sends the strong delusion. God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie. There's no indefinite article in the group. The lie. What is the lie? That the one that sits in the temple is God. That's a lie. He is not God.

That they might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

So loving the truth, developing that, what I call a love affair with the truth.

Another way is renewing the inward man daily. We go back to 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 15. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 15. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 15. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not, but through our outward man perish. Yet the inward man is renewed day by day. The inward man is renewed through, once again, prayer, study, obedience. Remember what Christ said, the words I speak, they are spirit of their life. So you want that renewal? You do that daily. For our light affliction is but for a moment. Work is for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Keep your eyes, be filled with hope. We must believe the truth, we must do the truth, and we must hide the word of God in our heart. Look at Psalm 119 verse 9. Psalm 119. I would encourage you this coming week to spend quite a bit of time with Psalm 119.

Psalm 119 can be like your prayer. You don't know what to pray for. Get on your knees and open the Bible before you. Psalm 119. Read it. Let this be my prayer. Psalm 119 verse 9. Wherwith, ye'll a young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to your word. With my whole heart have I sought you, O let me not wander from your commandments. Your word have a head in my heart that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord. Teach me your ways. Teach me your statues, as we sing. So, there are some of the ways we can avoid the deception that is coming. Some of the characteristics of the beast in the false prophet.