SEVEN SIGNS (4-3): THE FALSE PROPHET HAS GREAT DECEPTION (REVELATION 13:13-14)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. Revelation
a) John wrote Revelation while a prisoner on the Island of Patmos, approximately 85-95 A.D. Its purpose is to give encouragement and hope for all Christians to continue watching for the return and triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. It also is to warn of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure on that Last Day.
b) John wrote that Revelation is special because,“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3).
c) A brief view of the Book of Revelation. It gives you some basic understanding of the book of Revelation.
2. The False Prophet Has Great Deception
Revelation 13:13-14
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
3. His False Miracles
Revelation 13:13-14
a) Great signs
i) Satan provides the power to this false religion to do great signs and thereby deceive many (Revelation 13:13-14). This is a warning to us. We should not treat every miracle, wonder, and sign as necessarily being from God. Paul warns us about "the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness..." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
b) Fire
i) The vision gives two examples of the kind of signs that deceivers can do: "make fire come down from heaven to earth... and give breath to the image of the beast so that the image would speak" (Revelation 13:13,15). Any magician worth his salt could do those things without even needing supernatural powers. The previous healing of the fatal head wound is somewhat more impressive (Revelation 13:3), but even that could be done by deception. When Elijah asked God to bring down fire from heaven, he went to great lengths to show there was no trickery, and so did God (1Kings 18:30-39).
c) When Jesus died and was buried, and arose from the dead, the reported events precluded any element of trickery — those who claim it was a trick have to invent a different report and a different story.
The End ...
13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
3. His False Miracles
Revelation 13:13-14
a) Great signs
i) Satan provides the power to this false religion to do great signs and thereby deceive many (Revelation 13:13-14). This is a warning to us. We should not treat every miracle, wonder, and sign as necessarily being from God. Paul warns us about "the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness..." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).
b) Fire
i) The vision gives two examples of the kind of signs that deceivers can do: "make fire come down from heaven to earth... and give breath to the image of the beast so that the image would speak" (Revelation 13:13,15). Any magician worth his salt could do those things without even needing supernatural powers. The previous healing of the fatal head wound is somewhat more impressive (Revelation 13:3), but even that could be done by deception. When Elijah asked God to bring down fire from heaven, he went to great lengths to show there was no trickery, and so did God (1Kings 18:30-39).
c) When Jesus died and was buried, and arose from the dead, the reported events precluded any element of trickery — those who claim it was a trick have to invent a different report and a different story.
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