December 16, 2019

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Read – Revelation 13

What does it say?
John saw a vision of two beasts coming up from the sea and from the earth. The first beast blasphemed God, and the other beast made all people worship the first.

What does it mean?
Satan will elevate and empower two leaders to deter as many people as possible from a relationship with God. These leaders are understood to be the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The Antichrist will have a great deal of influence in the world and will be viewed as an intellectual, political, and religious leader by most people. The False Prophet will set out to ensure that the Antichrist is worshipped as God. While it is unknown who these men will be, one thing is certain – Satan will use them to persecute believers and manipulate people all over the world through political, economic and religious power.

How should I respond?
The religious climate in our society has steadily decreased over recent decades, leaving little resemblance to “one nation, under God.” The stage is being set for the world to embrace the Antichrist, although Scripture warns us that his spirit is already at work in the world (1 John 4:1-3). The spirit of antichrist rejects the truth of God’s Word and Jesus as God’s Son. How might you have been influenced by ungodly views on money, power, or religion? How much time do you spend studying the truths of God so you can detect error? Satan can’t take your salvation, but he can distract you from God’s Word, God’s work, and God’s people.