SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/25/2015
9:19 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Antichrist’s
Adoration
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
13:4
Message of the
verse: “they worshiped the dragon
because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast,
saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with
him?"”
I thought that it would be a good idea to give you the
definition of the word “beast” as found in my Greek/English dictionary that I
have on my Online Bible program: “1) an
animal 2) a wild animal, wild beast, beast 3) metaph. a brutal, bestial man, savage, ferocious.” I think that the last definition fits the
Antichrist.
As the world around us gets smaller and smaller, that is
because of the theology that seems to be growing by the day, and as global
problems seem to also grow very rapidly, the world is ripe for a dictator, and
Antichrist will be the one that will fulfill this role. We see in verse four that the world’s fascination
with Antichrist will quickly turn to the worship of him. Verse four says that Satan is the one being
worshiped but we know also that his Antichrist will also be worshiped in a
similar way that Nebuchadnezzar was worshiped as seen in the third chapter of the
book of Daniel when they made a great statute of him and all had to bow down
and worship him. Let us look at 2
Thessalonians 2:4 “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or
object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying
himself as being God.” This is what Paul
wrote about the Antichrist and it is believed that this will happen during or
just past the midpoint of the Tribulation Period. Now just like in Nebuchadnezzar’s time with
the statute if people did not bow down and worship him they would be killed,
(now we know the rest of the story of those who did not worship him as seen in
Daniel chapter three). John MacArthur
writes “Antichrist will seek adoration; not content with respect, he will
require reverence; not content with being hailed and heralded, he will demand
to be worshiped. And those who ‘did not
receive the love of the truth so as to be saved’ (2 Thess. 2:10) will be
deceived into worshiping him. That
deception will be fostered by the Antichrist’s associate, the false prophet,
who ‘makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast
[Antichrist], whose fatal wound was healed’ (Rev. 12:12).
So we see the role of Antichrist changed from the time he
first came on the scene. Did it change
on his own or because Satan caused it to change by having him possessed with a
powerful demon. Was he kind of like
Judas whom Satan used to betray Jesus?
My guess is that he had aspirations of leading the world in his own mind
and then when Satan has him possessed by the powerful demon he enjoys the power
given to him. When I think of Antichrist
I sometimes think of a verse where Jesus states “"For what will it profit
a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man
give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26).” This is exactly what will happen to
Antichrist.
As I stated the people of the earth will not only worship
the Antichrist but they will also be worshiping Satan, now I don’t know if they
will be doing this willingly or unwittingly, but they will be worshiping the
devil one way or the other. Satan
worship is something that has grown over the years so it may be that they will
know what they are doing, but perhaps some will not realize that is what they
are doing. Paul writes in 1 Corn. 10:20 “The
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.” These people believed they were worshiping a
god to whom they were sacrificing things to were actually worshiping
demons. So it will be with the
unbelievers in the Tribulation period who are worshiping the Antichrist.
As we look at the end of verse four we read “Who is like
the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"” Let’s look at the first of the Ten
Commandments “2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods
before Me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of
what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the
earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the
third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing
lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” I suppose what we see with the unbelievers in
the Tribulation Period is the blind leading the blind. Now as far as the question in the last part
of verse four we know who it is who will wage war against him and also defeat
him, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
However I don’t think that the people who are saying this are talking
about the Lord defeating him but other political leaders who will be taken out
if they try and defeat him. The question
is meant to be a rhetorical question.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: It is easy to get
taken advantage of if you are not careful in this world. Most every day I ask the Lord for wisdom and
my prayer goes like this: “Wisdom: I Pray that the Lord will give our pastors,
and myself wisdom in all
of the decisions that we have to make today. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “5 Trust in the LORD with
all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” “I’m putting on the belt of truth. I ask You to make it very clear to me what I
am to accept into my life and what I am to reject. Help me to see clearly the motives of others
as they deal with me and converse with me.
Let me walk in Your truth, making decisions and choices according to
Your plans and purposes for my life.” The
quote comes from a book I read written by Charles Stanley.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I am struggling with a problem that came up
yesterday and I need wisdom from the Lord to care for it.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
Today’s Bible
question: “Who said ‘How can these
things be’?”
Answer in our next SD.
6/25/2015 10:03 AM
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