Ravening Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing: The Lamb-like Beast Speaks like the Dragon.
A diagrammatic summary of the Biblical narrative. Two threads have woven their way through scripture since the fall. Salvation by faith alone in the merits of the Lamb / Christ, or salvation by works – trusting in the lies perpetrated since Eden by the enemy. In Revelation 14 we will see that these produce 2 harvests; the wheat and the wine. Those who are trusting in the merits of Christ’s atonement alone (Justification by faith) are those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Those who are trusting in anything else but Christ, receive the mark of the beast. It’s the Abel and Cain story run throughout history, right until the last show down. Gen 4:15 – Cain received a mark. Ezekiel 9:4 God’s faithful remnant were marked in the forehead before the destruction of Babylon. Exodus 31:13 God’s people received a sign/seal of the covenant.
People say we have been talking about the coming of Christ and the end of the world for a long time and it hasn’t happened. They are right! However, the last prophet of the Old Testament (Malachi) wrote about the coming Messiah 400years before Jesus finally arrived! According to Daniels prophecies in Daniel 7 and 8, as we studied them in the previous “Unlocked,” it is evident that we have been in the ‘time of the end for over 200 years. The signs are ominous that this period is fast approaching rebellions curtain call.
In Matthew 24 (Which is like a table of contents to the book of Revelation) Jesus clearly foretold the end of the world. In the next chapter, which is part of the same sermon, He told the story of the bridegroom coming to the wedding. All the young ladies fell asleep (even though they all believed in the coming of the groom.) This prophecy is a warning to us that the world (and even some in the church) will be taken by surprise when Jesus comes. The theme in the parables of Matt 25 is watchfulness.
When the disciples asked what will be the sign of His coming, Jesus gave the sign of the Gospel going to all the world (Matt 24:14), and then he gives a command to understand Daniel’s prophecy concerning the Abomination of Desolation (V:15.) The book of Daniel has had more influence on the New Testament than any other Old Testament book. The term “abomination of desolation” is Daniel’s equivalent term for the antichrist who will oppose the Messiah. In Hebrew ‘abomination’ means idolatrous, desolation means persecutor, so the abomination of desolation is an idolatrous power that persecutes the people of God.
In the New Testament these terms from Daniel appear in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Paul’s Man of Lawlessness (2Thess2:3-12). They are equivalents to Revelation’s beast and its image. The beast is an amalgam of all the persecuting powers that went before it. Revelation 13 has shown us the false trinity, the final abomination of desolation. ‘Image’ is the same word in the Old Testament for abomination. Hebrew: ‘toebah’ or ‘to’eva’ (abominable or taboo) is the highest level or worst kind of abomination. It includes the sins of idolatry, placing or worshiping false gods in the temple, and much more. Remember Jesus warning about ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing? This is the lamb-like beast that ends up speaking like the dragon. Worshipping, or bowing down to his image is an abomination.
If you remember the numerology from a few weeks ago where we documented how every number between 1 and 13, plus other numbers have spiritual significance; 6 is the number of man and sin, 666 is the trinity of evil.
Revelation 14 will bring a warning about the fall of Babylon. Babylon is the Bibles symbolic capital for the devil and his doctrine of salvation by works. It will be a warning to recognise the counterfeit and avoid deception. If it is human, it is not God. If it speaks like a dragon, acts like a dragon and corrupts like a dragon, it’s a dragon. It is not God if it forces worship, in whatever mode. If it controls and manipulates, if it uses fear to coerce, it’s not God, even if it is a church, speaks like a church, and acts like a church – any church! The wolf likes to wear sheep’s clothing – it makes the deception more powerful. “Look to God’s instructions and teachings! People who contradict his word are completely in the dark.” – Isaiah 8:20 NLT. And so will you be if you listen to them. The Bible and the Bible only must be our rule of faith in the last days of earth’s history.