The Third Member of the Anti-Trinity

Well, one morning a couple months ago, I started getting texts from people I know,

and they were letting me know that they had received some odd emails from me.

Apparently, I had some land in Montana that I was seeking to sell them at a rock-bottom price.

And if you know me, I don't have land in Montana.

It's all swamp land in Florida that I'm trying to sell and get rid of.

Well, I was sent one of these emails, and upon careful examination,

I noticed that the email address had just a couple letters changed.

And so there was an imposter, Mike.

And this person who had intentionally posed as me was trying to deceive the people that trusted me

in order that they could benefit somehow.

I don't know how. Make a buck.

It was really disturbing.

It was very sobering in that, oh, there are people out there trying to do that.

We all know about people trolling the internet.

Imposters trying to take advantage of people who are unawares.

This morning, we're being reminded of a group of imposters,

the anti-trinity dragon, the first beast, and the second beast,

who are actively trying to deceive people into the worship of the beast.

The greatest of all imposters is the dragon, the serpent of old.

And two Sundays ago, Billy preached a sermon and reminded us that,

according to Revelation 12,

the dragon has already been thrown down to earth

as a result of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.

Here's how to think about it.

The beginning of the end.

He already knows it.

His being thrown down is the beginning of his end.

He knows his time is short,

and he's furiously waging a war against God and us,

his blood-bought people, his saints.

And the war that he's waging is a war over worship.

Toothbrushes.

They're made for dental hygiene.

Light bulbs are designed to help you see at night.

Knives are meant to cut.

Cats, nobody knows their purpose.

And people are designed to worship.

The dragon is waging war,

and he has mobilized two beasts.

This is Revelation chapter 13.

Revelation 13 · chapter mention

Last week, we took a look at the first beast

in verses 1 through 10 of chapter 13.

It's the Antichrist.

It's a false savior gathering for itself

followers who marvel at its false death and resurrection.

It's a false salvation.

And last week, I tried to make the point

that the emphasis seems to be

on a false savior of the state.

The first beast is the anti-Lamb,

the second member of the anti-Trinity.

And this morning, we're going to look at the second beast,

also known as the false prophet.

And what we're going to see is that

this third member of the anti-Trinity

is the spinmeister of the anti-Trinity.

If the first beast is about just raw power,

the second beast is about subtle propaganda.

He is in the communication business.

Think about the false prophet,

the second beast, as Satan's PR firm

that is seeking to spin reality

to cause people to worship the beast.

There is a trans-historical

spiritual force of darkness

that is deceiving people

in order to worship the beast

and oppose the lamb.

Did you hear that word trans-historical?

And I'm wondering, what does that mean?

Here's what I mean by that.

This second beast,

as well as the first beast,

and the dragon,

they span history.

Trans-historical.

From one generation to the next.

From one people to the next.

Hundreds of years after hundreds of years.

And they are manipulating

human systems and institutions

in order to carry out their purposes

in opposition to God.

And this morning,

we're going to look at

one of these trans-historical

forces of darkness,

the second beast.

You see,

it's all about worship.

This war is over the hearts

of men and women.

Who you're going to worship.

And the two options are

you're either going to worship the beast

or you're going to worship the lamb.

And so the call this morning

shows up in our verse,

in verse 18.

The call to be wise.

To be aware.

To be discerning.

To know the landscape

of true reality

as revealed in the scriptures.

What John is doing,

he's pulling back on the curtain

of helping us to see

how things really are.

Revelation chapter 12 and 13.

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

It's the theological center

of the book.

John is saying,

here's the real problem.

Our real problem

is a spiritual conflict.

So we need to be wise.

And so this morning,

I want to show you

four things.

Be wise to what

the second beast is like.

Second,

be wise to the purpose

of the second beast.

Be wise to the tactics

of the second beast.

And finally,

be wise to its name.

You wonder what 666 is?

We have a trans-historical

spiritual power

that is seeking to

deceive people

and to worship the beast

and to oppose us.

And we learn some things

about him in chapter 13.

So let's be wise

to who it is.

Look at verse 11.

Then I saw another beast

rising out of the earth.

You learn something

about where they're from.

You learn something

about someone

from where they're from.

And what we learn

about this second beast

is he's from the earth.

Now, remember last week

I told you

that the first beast,

he came out of the sea.

And what John

is helping us to see

is that beast 1

and beast 2,

one from sea,

one from land,

they are the dragon's

counterclaim

on all of creation

saying,

it's still mine.

But the dragon's

been thrown down.

Christ's death

and resurrection

has thrown him down.

The beginning of the end

has started.

And Satan

will not relinquish

his claim

on creation

without a fight.

So we need to be wise

to this serpent

and how he operates.

And so the second beast

is part of his

counterclaim

on all creation

to oppose God.

And notice

verse 11

that he's sneaky.

It had two horns

like a lamb

and it spoke

like a dragon.

Two horns

like a lamb

and spoke

like a dragon.

Does anybody else

feel the dissonance

of that?

The conflict

of that?

He looks cute

as a lamb

but he's got

dragon breath.

He speaks

like a dragon.

He spits

dragon poison.

The second beast,

he's an imposter.

Who is the lamb

of the book

of Revelation?

Jesus!

He's trying

to be lamb-like

but his true nature

comes out

in his speech.

Dragon speech.

Jesus warned us

of false prophets

in Matthew 7.15.

He spoke

of wolves

dressing themselves

in sheep's clothes

so that they

can devour.

We've got

an imposter.

Comes off

lamb-like

but he's really

serpent at the core.

This is the false prophet.

He's purposed

on destruction.

And when you

see

it spoke

like a dragon

that is a major

clue

as to this

beast's

modus operandi.

It's how he rolls.

He is in the

communication business.

He wants

to

access

information

and manipulate

it

for beastly

purposes.

That's why

the second beast

is called

the false prophet

in chapter 16

verse 13

19.20

20 verse 10.

Here's how to

think about it.

The second beast

is to the first beast

as John the Baptist

was to Jesus.

The second beast

is going

before the first beast

to make

the way

of his

anti-lord.

And in verse

12

at the beginning

we see

that all

the authority

of the first beast

has been given

to the second beast

the false prophet.

He has been

authorized

to represent

the first beast.

So if the first beast

is power

the second beast

is propaganda.

Now in John's day

when the people

who originally

received the book

of Revelation

they would have

understood

first beast

as a reference

to the emperor.

At that time

it was Domitian.

And in every city

that this letter

showed up to

in Asia Minor

all those seven churches

there was

this imperial cult

of emperor worship.

and every citizen

under the emperor's reign

was to

worship

the emperor

once a year.

Take a pinch

of incense

throw it on the altar

before his image

and say something

to the extent

of

you know

Caesar is

lord and savior.

And so

they were facing

a very specific

manifestation

of the first beast

and they were also

dealing with

a very specific

manifestation

of this second beast.

There was this group

of people called

the Asiarchs

the council

of Asia.

We see them

make an appearance

in Acts 19.

Paul is preaching

Christ in Ephesus

and God's turning

that whole city

upside down

and the Asiarchs

come out to Paul

to make an appeal

to him.

And what these

Asiarchs are

they were essentially

the keepers

of the imperial

cult worship

city to city.

They were making

sure the emperor

got his due.

They were

localized

representatives

ensuring

the worship

of the emperor.

They were

making sure

he got his due.

And

so

what

is going on

in the first century

is that the second beast

is showing up

in a specific

manifestation.

He's going to show up

in a different

manifestation

in the 21st century

America.

This second beast

is authorized

by the first beast

to spin

could you imagine

Smyrna

first century

Asiarchs

come knocking

on your door

hey you know

what notice

you haven't been

at the emperor

temple this year.

Listen

you don't need

to make your

Jesus thing

in the worship

of the emperor

thing

in either or

thing.

You don't need

to do that.

Don't worry

about doing that.

I'm not going

to put you

in that position.

You can go

about being

a follower

of Jesus

all the rest

of your days

every year.

we just need

you to come

down to the

temple

just

you can come

tomorrow

take the incense

pinch it

throw it in the

altar

do the

do the emperor

savior lord

thing

you just need

to do it once

go on your way

no big deal.

Make it easy

on you.

Drive through

emperor worship.

Does that sound

kind of familiar?

You don't need

to make Jesus

an all or

nothing thing.

We can all

be happy here.

We're all

worshiping the

same God.

The problem

is this.

Our crucified

and risen

Lord requires

our wholehearted

exclusive devotion

and worship

to him 24

hours a day

7 days a week

365 days a year.

there's no room

for this

compromise.

He is worthy.

So the question

becomes

who's the

equivalent of

the 21st

century

Asiarchs?

Well let me

give you a clue.

Where is the

call to worship

coming from

in our culture?

Who's saying

worship this

way?

Who's telling

you how to

think?

You should be

looking at me.

I'm one of them.

Based upon

this book.

Who else is out

there making

claims?

You know what it

all boils down

to?

It all boils

down to who

says.

Who says

that

God's word?

And we're

putting all

of our eggs

in this one

basket of

God's word.

His word

is authoritative

and true

and we're

going to do

what it

says.

You've got

to know

that there's

a second

beast.

So part of

the way I was

thinking about

this sermon

was this.

I just want

to raise

your awareness.

There is a

trans-historical

spiritual force

of darkness

that is

actively

seeking

to deceive

people to

worship the

beast and

to oppress

God's people.

But you also

need to recognize

we've got to

be wise to

the second

beast's

purpose.

Look at verse

12 again.

It exercises

all the authority

of the first

beast in its

presence.

To what end?

How so?

For what purpose?

And makes

the earth and

its inhabitants

worship the

first beast

whose mortal

wound was

healed.

Do you see

the end game

here?

The false

prophet, the

second beast,

is looking to

promote the

worship of

the first

beast.

And in so

doing, the

second beast

is mimicking

the very

ministry and

purpose of

the Holy

Spirit, the

third person

of the

Holy Trinity.

Do you

remember in

John 16, 14,

Jesus tells

us what the

primary purpose

of the Holy

Spirit is?

Jesus, this is a

quote of Jesus

about the Holy

Spirit, he

will glorify

me.

The ministry

of the Holy

Spirit is to

spotlight Jesus.

that's what the

third person of

the Holy Trinity

is seeking to

do.

But what we

see going on

here is the

third member of

the anti-Trinity

is seeking to

spotlight the

beast.

So if you were

to ask the

first beast,

hey, what's the

purpose of the

false prophet?

You know what he

would say?

He will glorify

me.

The false

prophet.

is deceiving

people to

worship a

false savior

who promotes

a false

salvation

through a

false death

and resurrection.

What we're

seeing here is

the role of

the third

member of the

anti-Trinity

and the end

game is

worship.

There's a

battle raging.

You might not

have realized it

on the drive

over with the

sun shining and

the blue sky,

but there is a

battle raging for

all of the hearts

of the people

around you.

We need to be

wise to the

beast's purpose.

Third, we need to

be wise to the

tactics of the

false prophet, the

second beast.

beast.

What we see in

verses 13 through

17 are four

how-tos, four

tactics of the

second beast to

cause people to

worship the first

beast.

The first one is

this.

I'm calling them

sinister spin

tactics.

Sinister spin

tactic number

one.

Wonder

making.

Look at verse

13.

It, the

second beast,

performs great

signs, even

making fire come

down from heaven to

earth in front of

people.

It does great

signs.

The second beast

is out to wow

you, to make

you wonder, to

draw your heart to

amazement, to put

you in awe.

You notice it's, he's

not making

intellectual

arguments.

He's appealing to

your sense of

wonder.

It's out to wow

people into

believing the

first beast.

How so?

Even making fire

come down from

heaven to earth

in front of

people.

That's an appeal

to 1 Kings

1 Kings 18:20–39

chapter 18

verses 20

through 39.

Do you remember

this?

Elijah, he

squares off

against 450

prophets of

Baal and they

set the terms

of their

showdown.

You guys

get a bull,

put it on your

altar, I'll get

a bull, put it

on an altar to

Yahweh and

we'll call on

our gods and

if Baal sends

down fire from

heaven and

consumes your

bull, we'll

follow your

God.

But if Yahweh

sends fire down

onto my altar,

this altar, and

burns up this

bull, we all

follow Yahweh, so

let's do it.

The prophets of

Baal said, let's

do it.

They go into

their crazy

cutting themselves

and offering

prayers and all

the while Elijah

is taunting

them, is Baal

going to the

bathroom?

Where is your

God?

He never shows

up.

But you know

who shows up?

Yahweh shows

up, he pours out

fire and

incinerates not

just the

offering, but

everything around

it.

So in

verse 39 of

chapter 18,

before all the

people, they

see it all.

And do you

know what their

response is?

Listen, all the

people say, the

Lord Yahweh, he

is God.

The Lord

Yahweh, he's

God.

God.

God.

The great sign

of 1 Kings

18 resulted in

the recognition

of Yahweh being

God.

So the false

prophet is

taking a play

out of God's

playbook,

imitating one

of God's great

signs to

demonstrate to

the watching

world that the

beast is actually

divine or making

the claim.

Hence, he's a

better savior.

here.

And in doing

so, it's just a

sheer act of

defiance.

I hope you

can see, I

hope this is

making you aware

of what the

false prophet is

capable of.

He is capable

of mimicking

great signs

purposed to

deceive, to

lead people away

from the

lamb.

to worship

the beast.

What does

this mean for

us today?

Well, it

means for us

today that

this same

false prophet

operating in

first century

kind of Roman

imperial cult

worship, he's

operating in

American culture

too.

He's not done.

He's just

adapted.

here's how to

start sniffing

this out.

In our

culture, start

asking this

question of

yourself.

Where are

people being

wowed?

amazed?

Where are people

being amazed?

Where are people

saying,

unbelievable?

Maybe it's a

demonstration of

political power.

Wow!

Maybe it's a

demonstration of

scientific power.

Amazing!

Maybe it's a

demonstration of

technological

miracles.

What else can

we do?

Maybe it's

just you're

amazed at the

entertainment.

It is quite

sobering to

think though that

this even

applies to

religious

demonstrations

of power.

It raises the

possibility that

not all miracles

done in the

name of Jesus

are done in

the name of

Jesus.

That there

can be a

mimicking to

draw peoples

away from

the Lamb.

So here's

what you do.

You start

asking the

question,

okay, where's

the wow

happening in

our culture?

And then you

ask this

question, who's

getting the

credit for it?

Who gets

credit for

that wow?

And if it's

not the

triune God,

you've got to

start sniffing

a beast.

Because chances

are that wow

is leading

people away

from the

Lamb.

It's very

cunning.

It's very

effective.

And it

appeals to

our experience.

Who's getting

the credit?

the false

prophet is able

to do what

the prophets

of Baal were

not to do.

We've got to

be wise to

his wonder

making.

But there's a

sinister spin

tactic number

two.

He's into

making images

or making

people make

images of

the beast,

of a false

savior,

and a false

salvation,

of a false

hope.

If the

second beast

wins somebody's

wonder, it

will seek to

capitalize on

that by this

next tactic

of image

making.

the intent

here is to

focus someone's

worship on

something visible

and tangible.

Something that

you can feel

and see.

the false

prophet wants

human beings

to make

images

for their

worship

and it's not

just religious

images.

It's any

image

will do

just fine.

Thank you

very much.

Why?

Because

when you

create

an image

you are

moving down

the line

of

idolatry.

It is

establishing

this object

of worship

in your

heart.

It's like

pressing it

down more.

You're

focusing on

it.

Here's the

thing though.

This is

just

flat out

defiance

by the

false

prophet,

the second

beast.

Because

God's word

is very

clear in

Exodus

Exodus 20:1

chapter 20

verses 1

and 2.

You will

have no

other gods

before me

and you

will certainly

not make

an image

of me.

The beast

knows the

human heart.

He knows

that we

want to

walk by

sight,

not by

faith.

He knows

that we

want to

see what

we believe.

believe.

To be

able to

put our

hands on

it.

To measure

it.

To smell

it.

To taste

it.

Now a

prime example

of this

kind of

image making

and worship

goes back

to Daniel

3.

Do you

remember

that?

Nebuchadnezzar,

king of

Babylon,

erects this

90 foot

gold image

on the

plains of

Dura and

then he

puts this

command out,

anybody in

my citizenry

must worship

this idol.

And so

the kind

of band

plays and

Shadrach,

Meshach,

and Abednego

do not

worship this

image because

they know

Exodus 20,

1 and 2.

And you

know what

happens?

They get

tossed into

the fiery

furnace.

And God

does this

miraculous

deliverance of

them.

there's this

fourth person

like a son

of man

glowing in

the fire.

They went

in not

knowing they

would be

delivered.

They went

in not

having a

promise that

God would

deliver them.

But this

image making

and worship

is not

limited to

the 6th

century BCE.

It also

applies to

the 1st

century Asia

Minor.

The

Asiarchs,

this council,

this priesthood

of imperial

worship,

they were

insisting that

those citizens

under Domitian

needed to

make their

annual visit

to the

emperor temple.

Cast your

incense on

the altar

before the

bust image

of

emperor

Domitian.

religion.

That's what

our brothers

and sisters

in the

first century

were facing.

How about

us?

Certainly

there are

religious images

around today

which people

end up

worshiping.

Gold

Buddhas

all over

the place.

Shivas.

Even

crucifixes

get worshiped,

become objects

of devotion

instead of

Christ himself.

And then

it's not

limited to

religious images.

There are

political images.

Have you

ever seen

a shot of

North Korea

and there's

this banner

of Kim Jong-un

and there are

just these

crowds

fanatically

devoted to

him?

Apparently

worshipping

an image.

pictures of

Lenin,

of Stalin,

of Hitler,

of Mao Zedong,

even Uncle

Sam.

They're all

designed

to generate

nationalistic

fervor

of devotion.

It's all

ripe for

the false

prophet.

But I

think the

false prophet

is extremely

cunning

and I

think he

has brought

a new

dimension

to the

image-making

kind of

aspect of

this in

21st century

America.

We no

longer make

our images.

Images are

made for

us.

How we

encounter

these images

is through

marketing.

Have you

ever thought

about it

this way?

what is

the goal

of any

good

marketing

firm?

Here it is.

Their goal

is to convince

the consumer

that what

they really

need

is the

goods and

services of

the client

it represents,

whether it's a

car company,

shoe company,

pharmaceutical company,

tech company,

or whatever.

In what

marketing companies

do, they

send out

images for

you to set

your heart

on and

then pine

after.

I want that.

You know what

they're making

a case for?

The good

life.

Here's how

you can be

happy.

I just want

to raise

this, just

to make you

aware, it's

ripe for

misuse.

I'm not

calling all

marketing evil

and satanic.

What I am

saying, though,

is we got to

be wise.

The most

effective marketing

campaigns are

those that

convince you

that this

good or service,

you can't

live without.

That's

worship talk.

Is it

possible

that the

false prophet

is utilizing

America's

marketing

prowess

for his

purposes?

Oh, yeah.

I think it's

more than

possible.

I think it's

unlikely

to draw

off people

into

worshiping

the beast,

a false

savior,

the false

savior of

consumerism,

the false

savior of

materialism.

I'll be

good if I

just have

more.

Here's how

you find out

what an

image is

doing.

Idols

promise

deliverance.

false

prophet knows

that.

And so,

we have

on all of

our screens,

our phones,

our TVs,

our tablets,

our game

consoles,

our watches,

these are all

venues

to image.

We're not

making our

images anymore.

anymore.

They're being

made for

us.

And placed

squarely in

front of us.

We got to be

wise.

We got to be

careful.

Do you want

to know

how to find

out what an

American idol

is?

And I'm not

talking about

the show.

Here's how to

find out what

American idols

are.

You find a

Christian who

was raised in

another country,

and you

asked them,

hey,

brother,

sister,

where are,

what idols,

what images

do we

American

Christians

worship?

Or just

Americans?

That's

sinister

spin tactic

two.

Sinister

spin tactic

three is

related.

The false

prophet

makes

images

speak

look at

verse 15.

And it

was allowed

to give

breath to

the image

of the

beast.

The image

that was

made.

To give

breath,

literally,

that word

breath is

the word

spirit.

To enliven

Holy Spirit

mimicry again.

What the

false prophet

does is it

gives breath

to the

images

and they

speak.

We've got

all sorts

of speaking

images

confronting us

day in and

day out,

brothers and

sisters.

All sorts

of images

making big

claims,

and we don't

realize how big

those claims

are.

The claims

are,

this is the

good life.

this will

deliver you

from your

boredom.

This will

really make

you happy.

Only if you

had this.

When Brian

opened up

this morning

by reading

Psalm 115,

I'm not sure

if you heard

verse 5.

Let me

restart with

verse 4.

Their idols

are silver and

gold, the work

of human hands.

Verse 5,

they have

mouths but

do not

speak.

And so

what God

is saying

there is,

hey, you

can find

out an

idol because

they don't

speak.

And so

here we

have another

act of

defiance.

The false

prophet is

making an

image speak,

confusing

those who

hear,

deceiving

them,

making them

worship the

beast.

it's

another

act of

defiance.

Are you

aware?

Are you

aware of

all the

messages that

are coming

at you

day in and

day out

through all

of the

screens presenting

all of these

images?

Are you

aware of

that?

You need

to be aware

of that.

They're making

bigger claims

on you than

you realize.

And you're

getting inundated

with them.

What I want

you to see

though is

in verse

15,

what is the

result of

this false

prophet giving

life to these

images and

them speaking?

Look at verse

15.

And it was

allowed to give

breath to the

image of the

beast so that

the image of

the beast might

even speak and

might cause

those who

would not

worship the

image of the

beast to be

slain.

Apparently,

at least in

some cases,

the false

prophet's work

of giving

breath through

an image

results in

Christians

dying.

way.

It raises the

stakes real

quick.

His ways

are not

neutral.

There's

nothing neutral

out there.

What we're

talking about

now is a

kind of

persecution

that is

being

propagandized

by the

false prophet

through images.

And we

in the

United States,

none of us

are fearing

death today.

None of us

are fearing

being slain

because of

North American

marketing campaigns.

But we have

brothers and

sisters all

around the

globe that

today they

are facing

the possibility

of being

slain for

not worshiping

the beast.

last week

I pointed

you to

an app

through

Open Doors.

There's

another

website that

you need to

check out

if you

haven't

already.

It's

called

Voice of

the

Martyrs.

And

these

Christian

organizations

are bringing

awareness

to the

global

Christian

community

of those

brothers and

sisters who

are facing

death and

hardship for

following Jesus

day in and

day out.

It's happening

all around

us.

There will

be brothers

and sisters

who die

today for

being followers

of Jesus.

Now this

should remind

us of the

stakes of

the war

over worship.

This is

life and

death business.

Don't buy

what the

images are

saying.

It's not

that big a

deal.

It's a

huge deal.

The worship

of God is

at stake.

That's

sinister

spin tactic

number

three.

Sinister

spin tactic

number

four.

It,

the

beast,

makes

its

mark.

The

mark of

the beast.

We go

from wonder

making to

image making

to making

the image

speak to

mark

making.

notice the

mark of

the beast

in verse

16 is

an equal

opportunity

marking.

Small and

great,

rich and

poor,

free and

slave.

It doesn't

discriminate.

All are

welcome.

That is,

all who are

not sealed

with the

seal of

God.

God.

If you're

sealed with

the seal

of God,

Revelation

7,

you will

not have

the mark

of the

beast.

God

knows

those who

are his.

Do you

remember in

verse 8 of

chapter 13,

14,

and all

who dwell

on the

earth will

worship

everyone

whose name

has not

been written

before the

foundation of

the world

in the book

of life

of the

lamb who

was slain.

If you're

a follower

of Jesus

and you

are seeking

to live

for him

an uncompromised

life,

you're in

the book

of life.

You bear

the seal

of God

in 14.

1,

it's his

name on

your forehead.

The mark

of the beast

and the

seal of

God

indicate

ownership,

mastery,

allegiance,

ultimates.

So the

mark of

the beast

is its

mark of

ownership

and the

seal of

God

shows up

on those

who he's

bought

with his

blood.

It's who

you belong

to.

The mark

of the

beast

is the

anti-seal

of God.

it marks

those who

belong to

the kingdom

of darkness.

Is it

like a

tattoo?

Is it

a barcode?

Is it

something you

put under

your skin?

It could

be.

I think it

has more

to deal

with profession.

I think it

has more

to deal

with how

you're

living your

life.

I think

it has

more to

deal

with who

you are

speaking

of as

your

master.

And the

result in

chapter 13

verse 17

of this