War in Heaven, Part 8c: False Prophet Miracles and Antichrist Image - Pastor David

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Revelation 13:14, “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast”

Here we have the very words, almost, used of this same second Beast in 2 Thessalonians 2:9. We have two accounts, 2 Thessalonians 2:9, and Revelation 13:13-14, of the same being and his work. In 1 Timothy 4:1-3 we are told of the times coming on the earth when "deceiving spirits" (in other words, evil fallen angels and demons) should be teachers, and "teachings of demons" should be taught and received. We are in those days NOW, and these lying spirit-teachers are at their awful work. Demoniacal teachings are being received on every hand. Many professing Christians are dabbling with Spiritism; and even ministers are presiding at lectures where this abomination is being advocated. What it will come to before long, we are told in these scriptures.

Revelation 13:14-15, "saying (ordering) to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."

Again I ask you, Why not? What has been, can be again. On the plain of Dura (Daniel 3) a similar scene was witnessed and a similar law enacted, so far as the worship and the penalty are concerned. How the speaking will be effected we do not know, but we know enough to see how easy the task is becoming.

In seven passages we read of "the image of the Beast" (Revelation 13:15; Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:20; and Revelation 20:4).

Psalm 73 refers to those troublous and perplexing times, when the faithful, the Jewish remnant, (and NOT the Body of Christ, as we are long gone, home with the LORD, AMEN!), are at their wits' ends, and desolation and destruction of the ungodly are described. In Psalm 73:20 it says, "As a dream when one awaketh, So, O Lord, in the city (Hebrew: bair), thou shalt tread down (bazah) their Image."

Now, bair means in the city, and bazah means to tread down, tread under foot, as in Psalm 44:5. Isaiah 14:19; and Isaiah 63:18. So, when God awakes to judgment, He will tread down this Image, and cause it to vanish from the city as a dream vanisheth on awaking. The city is, of course, Jerusalem, where this abomination will be set up.

Revelation 13:16, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads”

And The object of all of this is...?

Revelation 13:17, “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

The plan is truly Satanic in its wisdom: for each one becomes a spy on the other. Living will be made next to impossible: all money will be useless. The rich will be as the poor if they have not this mark. It will be far worse than famine.

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

So There You Have it!

Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide.

Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.

In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry

Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)

War in Heaven, Part 8b: Second Beast Makes All Worship the First Beast - Pastor David

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All the Scriptures which refer to these Beasts speak of them, without exception, as individuals. There is no hint as to their being anything else.

The second Beast is a spirit-being, but it is a man who is possessed by it. To the world he will be seen as a man. To us, now and here, he is shown to be superhuman; and as immediately led, influenced, and energized, by special spirit-agency. Already, there are many who are tampering with Spiritism, and who have their "familiar spirits" and guides. They call themselves, “Mediums” or Spiritists. However, the Spiritists, themselves, are well aware of the dangers and evils of possession. But there will be one who will be possessed by this mighty spirit-agent of Satan. Acts 16:16-18, and Acts 19:15-16 throw a little light upon it.

Eight times is the expression "he causeth" used of this False Prophet, (Remember the characteristic term used of the FIRST Beast is, “It was given”); so that he is an efficient agent. What "he causeth" we are told in the verses which follow...

Revelation 13:12, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, (in other words, "in his presence"), and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."

“The earth and they that dwell therein" is a figure of speech called Pleonasm, or redundancy; a Hebrew figure characteristic of this book. Pleonasm is the use of more words or word-parts than is necessary for clear expression: examples are black darkness, tuna fish, or burning fire. Now, the sphere of activity of the first Beast will be Political; of the second it will be Ecclesiastical. The basis of the worship will be the first Beast’s miraculous resurrection. People are then induced to pay him divine homage. The False Prophet reduces it to a system.

There is nothing in all this that is so shocking that it is beyond our faith. Such things have happened before; why not again? Herod received Divine homage and took it as his right (Acts 12:21-23). History is full of similar examples, and can easily repeat itself. Even now there are "New" Religions in the air; and in each there is less and less of God. In the new religion that is coming, God will be entirely left out, and man will be exalted. It will be a combination of wisdom, science, progress, and philanthropy, combined with all that panders to the lowest instincts of fallen humanity. Given all this, plus Satanic and spirit-agency, what is here described is easily possible, and what is more, it is revealed to us as positively certain.

Revelation 13:13, "And he doeth great wonders (miracles), so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men"

That these are real miracles there can be no doubt, since that very same word is constantly used of the miracles wrought by The LORD Jesus Christ. And these miracles are "great." This again is no new thing. Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses (Exodus 7:11; 2 Timothy 3:8), and up to a certain point worked the same miracles. Elijah caused fire to come down out of heaven more than once (1 Kings 18:38. 2 Kings 1:10-12), and in this Book it is used by God as one of His judgements (Revelation 20:9). The two witnesses deal in like manner with their enemies (Revelation 11:5).

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

So There You Have it!

Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide.

Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.

In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry

Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)

War in Heaven, Part 8a: Second Beast from the Earth - Pastor David

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And Now...The Second Beast: from the earth.

The Second Wild Beast is distinguished from the first, twice in the twelfth verse, and elsewhere. As soon as he is mentioned, "the Beast" always means the first Beast, as being pre-eminent and predominant.

Revelation 13:11, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

The second Beast, like the first, is superhuman, possessed and energized by Satanic power. Three times he is called "the False Prophet" (Revelation 16:13, Revelation 19:20; and Revelation 20:10). He is also the great coadjutor of the first Beast, and his mission is to aid the first Beast by deceiving mankind. The LORD Jesus Christ, in speaking of this Great Tribulation, warned against False Prophets as well as against False Christs, and spoke of their great work and power to deceive (Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, and Mark 13:22). Here, in view, is "THE False Prophet," and this is his proper title.

He has TWO horns, and NOT ten, like the first Beast. The ten denote dominion; the two speak of testimony; in this case false testimony. He spake as a dragon, in other words subtlely, craftily, and deceitfully. (Compare Genesis 3:1; Genesis 49:17. 2 Cor. 11:3).

And all these are used in behalf of the first Beast. The first Beast is Political, the second is Religious. The Dragon, the Beast and the False Prophet form the Devil's travesty of the Holy Trinity. It is infernal, as the other is Divine. The Dragon is the anti-God; the Beast is the anti-Christ; the False Prophet is the anti-Holy Spirit.

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In Ephesians 1:13 the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul declares that men are saved and sealed by hearing and BELIEVING the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation. Therefore, here, now, is declared unto you the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: "that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures" 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. BELIEVE today. The time is short.

So There You Have it!

Spread this message to everyone you know, far and wide.

Grace be to you and peace, from God: our Father, and The LORD Jesus Christ.

In The LORD Jesus Christ,
The Lion and Lamb Ministry

Pastor David Picos, D.D.
Minister and Ambassador for Christ in the Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-20)