Don't miss the pictures of the zoo days. The Lord willing, Creation Creature Features soon.

Review: See the previous sermon notes on the Web -

Every warning, struggle, temptation, promise, strategy, and victory 
in the Revelation can also play out in your life, your family, and your church!  
The choice is yours ................

The Text ("Blue Letter Bible"):  Revelation 13
(Strong's numbers, Hebrew-Greek lexicons, cross references, etc., can be accessed from the above link)

Review: Outline of The Revelation:  Key verses = Rev 1:8 & 19

I.  Character of Christ  for His Father's Glory (Who Was) (Things You've Seen) Chapter 1
What about your character, & your family's character, & that of your church?
Can other people see Jesus' goodness, unselfishness, & humility through each one?
  A.  Introduction (1:1-8) Of Jesus to His servants (1:4 Church)  (see also 6:1 Israel)
  B.  Post-Incarnate, glorified Jesus (1:9-18)

II.  Counsel of Christ for the Church (Who Is)  (Things Which Are)  Chapters 2-3
This counsel also applies to you personally, your family, your local church, & all of "Christianity".
  A.  Command to Prophesy (1:19)
  B.  Seven Churches Counseled (1:20) ESP-TS-PL  (Praise before correction!)
  C.  Ephesus (2:1-7)                Loveless
  D.  Smyrna (2:8-11)               Persecuted
  E.  Pergamos (2:12-17)          Compromising
  F.  Thyatira (2:18-29)            Corrupt
  G.  Sardis (3:1-6)                    Dying
  H.  Philadelphia (3:7-13)       Revived
   I.  Laodicea (3:14-22)           Lukewarm (no praise)

III.  Consequences of Christ for the Church, Israel & the World  Chapters 4-22
         (Who is to come again!) (Things which will happen soon!)
Are you ready for your future?  The judgment seat of Christ?
  A. Church In Heaven

1.  The Rapture  (Jesus Rescues His Bride) up to Heaven (4:1)
2.  The King & His Bride prepare for the future. (4:1-5:14) (see also Ch 19)

  B. Tribulation of Israel (Jacob's) Trouble on Earth (6:1-18:24) (Daniel's 70th Week)

1.  Seals (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 6:1-8:2), includes chapter 7's message of encouragement
                ** Ch. 7 Who Can Stand?  Those God Has Chosen, & Who Choose Him
        2.  Trumpets (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 8-9)
                a.  The Little Book  (Rev 10)
                b.  The Two Witnesses (Rev 11)
            3.  Players (Seven) on the Tribulation Stage of His-story (Rev 12-14)
                    (Woman, Child, Dragon, Michael, 144,000, Sea Beast, Earth Beast)
                  * These three chapters are an interlude, zooming in for a personal look at the people.
                        4.  Bowls (Seven) of Judgments (Rev 15-16)
                                5.  Babylon's Final Fall (Rev 17-18)

  C.  Christ's Wedding & War (19:1-21)
  D.  Millennial Kingdom (20:1-6)
  E.  Final Futile Rebellion (20:7-10)
  F.  Great White Throne & Second Death (20:11-15)
  G.  New Heaven & Earth Coming (21-22:15)
  H.  Jesus' Promise & Warning for YOU, your family, & your church (22:16-21)

**  Be sure to see the more detailed, biblical analysis of "Lucifer" in the online booklet, 
"The Real Soul War".

III. B. 3. The Antichrist - The Monster's Minister:

Origin of the Antichrist                -  Sin, Satan, Sea ...

Appearance of the Antichrist      -  Little horn, "like" a mortal wound on his head.

Religion of the Antichrist             -  Self-Deification

Strategy of the Antichrist            -  Deception

Agenda of the Antichrist             -  10 Nation Confederacy, Kill 3 Leaders, Dominate other 7, economic strangle hold over the majority of the world's population, using technology.  Use the Phony-Prophet as his promotional manager to deceive many into thinking he is a divine messianic savior.

Weaknesses of the Antichrist      -  Blind self-deception.  The blind leading the blind into darkness.

No one knows for sure who the antichrist will be, until he both signs a seven year treaty with Israel and then 3.5 years later demands that Israel stop its temple sacrifices, claiming self-deification.  However, there are many men in the world today who unwittingly are at the very least setting the stage to make it easy for such a global dictator to arise.

FOR EXAMPLE:

GORBACHEV GATHERS PALS FOR A NEW WORLD ORDER

April 3, 2001  The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald reports: 

“Mikhail Gorbachev wants Malcolm Fraser to help him save the world. When the former Soviet leader decided to set up a World Governance Forum, the former Australian Prime Minister was among the politicians he invited to join him. A Gorbachev aide said there had been a positive response by telephone from Mr. Fraser, but he had been unable to attend the forum's inaugural meeting in the Italian alpine resort of St Vincent last week.

Mr. Gorbachev told the meeting that after World War I the League of Nations had been established, after World War II the United Nations, and, after the end of the Cold War, new structures were needed to govern globalization. The protests of the ‘people of Seattle’ confirmed his analysis, he said.

Mr Gorbachev said his forum would be a political version of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, which is confined mainly to businessmen and economists. Those present included the former Polish leader General Wojciech Jaruzelski and the former Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti…”  

". . . . Representatives of the Italian and European parliaments attended, and Mr Gorbachev announced support from figures such as Jacques Delors, the former European Union commissioner, Mario Soares, the former Portuguese president, and George Bush snr, the former US president.

The former US presidential candidate George McGovern, who is the US ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, described the forum as an "enormously important step forward in the history of the world", and Mr Gorbachev as one of the four greatest 20th-century politicians along with Mahatma Gandhi, Sun Yat-sen and Franklin Roosevelt.

[Emphasis Added]

Gorbachev Reborn?  George Soros (militant atheist?)

 (http://www.newsmax.com/cgi-bin/printer_friendly.pl)
March 9, 2001 - "Mikhail Gorbachev may be on the comeback trail in his native Russia, meeting with President Vladimir Putin and voicing support for many of his policies, but he's been prominent on the international scene, promoting what amounts to a Marxist version of world government."

"Good globalism is a reshaped globalism, stripped of the 'Washington consensus' of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher,"
said John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO, a co-panelist with Gorbachev and Canadian billionaire and militant atheist George Soros. "Corporate globalism," he said, "brought inequality between nations" and a "violation of human rights."

"Having presided over the collapse of the Soviet Union and its drive to impose socialism on the entire world, Gorbachev is now taking a different path toward the same destination. Allied with the likes of George Soros and the international green movement, and lavishly financed, he plows forward toward his dream of a Marxist utopia."

---

Mistake of the Monster:        How can we overcome him?  The Way of the Cross!

Rev 12:11; 1 John 4:18  Love your enemies, even unto death.
Antichrist overestimates himself & underestimates God & God's children!
Prov 16:18; Rom 5:1-8; James 4:7; 1 Pet 5:5-9
How can mature love transform your life?

Write out a plan to change your attitudes & behaviors so that God's mature love can rule over your life this week, for His glory and the blessing of others.

My personal testimony from a past crippled by fear . . . . .

Remember, every warning, struggle, temptation, promise, strategy, and victory in the Revelation can also play out in your life, your family, and your church!  
The choice is yours ................
What do you need to change?

(The final question to ask God, whenever you study God's Word)
Lord, how am I doing on your conflict meter, for your glory?
Giving Up < < < < Standing Firm > > > > Blowing Up

Remember there are only two modes for a believer:
* Marching forward with the gospel.
* Standing firm when conflict arises!

Return to related articles from "The Bible:  One Bite at a Time" -

Biblical Prophecy:  A Jigsaw Puzzle with Pieces Throughout the Bible
How to Interpret Prophetic Passages: Four Different Views with Important Consequences
Why "Normal" Interpretation is the Key to Prophetic & Apocalyptic Passages
Daniel's 70 Weeks: The Heart of God's Prophetic Puzzle 
      (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Mat 24, 2 Th 2)
Introduction & Outline of The Revelation
 . . . . . . . 

For further study of prophecy:

Prophecy Today - http://www.gospelcom.net/shofar/pp/htm/report.shtml
Soulcare's Recommended Materials on Prophecy (books, audios, videos, etc.)
http://www.soulcare.org/Resources_Biblical_Authority.htm#Prophecy
Booklet:  The Rapture, by Thomas Ice & Timothy Demy
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565073924/qid%3D980349983/104-6768955-3395119
John MacArthur, D.D., The Second Coming of Jesus: Signs of Christ's Return & the End of the Age.
     - Book: This text is an excellent overview, placing the puzzle pieces together until the picture is clear.
   *- Audio Set (9 tapes): This tape set is the best I've heard yet. Nothing beats the spoken word for clarity.
J. Vernon McGee, B.D., M.Th., Th.D.,, Thru the Bible Commentary Series, Revelation.  Dr. McGee's commentaries are probably the simplest, most practical, yet thorough and biblical that are available on the Bible.
_______, Reveling Through Revelation.
Chuck Missler, Revelation Commentary in MP3 on CD.  Chuck's commentaries on Daniel, The Revelation, etc., on CD not only contain extensive study notes, but also many hours of audio teaching.
Henry Morris, Ph. D. (Physical Science doctorate), The Revelation Record.  A theologically and scientifically sound commentary on the book of The Revelation.  Dr. Morris explains the amazingly accurate scientific parallels described in the Revelation that were unknown to the culture of the first century.  Only God's direct revelation to John can explain such accuracy.  For example, the "flaming mountain" crashing into the sea during the second trumpet judgment.  How would John have known of even the possibility of massive asteroids that would ignite in our atmosphere as a result of the friction and tremendous speed?
Dwight Pentecost, Ph.D., Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. This is a 600 pp encyclopedic reference to all of the major passages, topics, and issues involved.
_________ Thy Kingdom Come:  Tracing God's Kingdom Program & Covenant Promises Throughout History.  1995.
Randall Price, Ph.D. Jerusalem in Prophecy (Th.M. graduate of   Dallas Theological Seminary and holds a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of  Texas at Austin. He has done graduate study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and  conducted archeological excavation in Israel with the University of  Texas in conjunction with the   teaching of courses in biblical archaeology and the history and culture of modern Israel.)
Renald Showers, Th.D., Maranatha, Our Lord, Come! A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church.  [Dr. Showers, a graduate of Grace Theological Seminary, serves with Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, as well as the Institute of Biblical Studies.]
John F. Walvoord, Every Prophecy of the Bible.  This reference commentary is over 600 pages long and is an invaluable tool for those studying prophecy regardless of their perspective.  When studying eschatology, nothing is more important that having a comprehensive awareness of all that the Bible says on the subject.  This new work is more than comprehensive.  It is exhaustive.  Dr. Walvoord was on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary for 50 years, and is recognized even by those who do not hold to a premillennial perspective as being one of the most knowledgeable scholars in the area of prophecy and eschatology.

Audio Message: "The Rapture: The Great Escape", John Ankerberg
http://www.khouse.org/media/conferences/steeling/stmankerberg98.html
Article:  "The Great Snatch", by Chuck Missler
http://www.khouse.org/articles/prophetic/19950101-35.html
Article:  Byzantine Text Discovery & the Rapture
http://www.khouse.org/articles/biblestudy/19950601-39.html