His Perfect Love

Matt VanderVen: Pastor Matt says an unholy Trinity will emerge during the great tribulation.

Matt Vanderboegh: The devil has no new tricks. He is patternistic. You we should always know our enemy, right? You study your enemy. Military, if you're going to go into battle or to fight against an adversary or somebody you're going to go you study your enemy. You learn some of their character attributes and or traits. How do they function and act? Satan is no different. He's very repetitive. He's very patternistic. He has the same old bag of tricks. We have an unholy Trinity here. Let's make sure we understand what's happening.

Matt VanderVen: Today on His Perfect Love, we'll be talking about the rise of the Antichrist and the process of him coming to power. What will happen when this takes place? When will this occur? Will the church be on earth to witness it? And what comes next? There's no need for speculation. The answers are here in Revelation chapter 13. That's where we join Pastor Matt Vanderboegh for this message recently delivered at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Matt Vanderboegh: So, I'm just going to again read Revelation chapter 13. I'll begin in verse 1. Then I stood on the sand of the sea. That's John speaking by the way. His his eyes have been moved off of the things happening in the heavens and they're now being focused on the things on the earth. Okay? Just if you've been with us, just know where John's eyes eyes are looking. I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea having seven heads and 10 horns and on his horns 10 crowns and on his heads a blasphemous name and we we talked about that a few weeks back.

Now, the beast which I saw was like a leopard. His feet were like the feet of a bear. His mouth was like the mouth of a lion and the dragon gave him power, his throne, and great authority. Three things there. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So, they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast and they worshiped the beast saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and he was given authority to continue for 42 months. We see that again. That's that three and a half years, the latter half of the three and a half years. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. Again, three. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him whose names have not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

If anyone has an ear, let him hear. A sobering warning here. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity. He who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Then I saw another another in the Greek one like the one previous, similar but not the exact. I saw another beast coming up out of the earth and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell on it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.

So, something interesting here that we see that we all should be aware of. The devil has no new tricks. He is patternistic. You we should always know our enemy, right? You study your enemy. Military, if you're going to go into battle or to fight against an adversary or somebody you're going to go you study your enemy. You learn some of their character attributes and or traits. How do they function and act? Satan is no different. He's very repetitive. He's very patternistic. He has the same old bag of tricks. And it's not surprising when you take God's holy Trinity.

And I hope everybody sees that right here. You have God's holy Trinity which is the Holy Spirit, right? We've God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I know we don't see the word Trinity in our Bibles, but there's tons of passages that obviously teach of the Trinity. One God in three persons. We have an unholy Trinity here. Let's make sure we understand what's happening. So, what does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said what? I only came to the will to do the will of my Father.

What did we just read here? If you were paying attention, we just read that that is exactly what Satan is trying to copy. He literally takes and says that this false witness this is what we're going to learn about this beast from the earth is going to testify of who? The Antichrist. The which is remember not the true definition in the Greek of the word anti not of it's going to mean instead of in the Greek. Okay? So, people that are looking for someone that's going to be the exact opposite of Jesus um in character true, yes.

But the way that they're going to profess that outwardly, the Antichrist is going to be somebody people are going to love. They're going to look and want to follow this guy. They're going to say, I like that guy. People have no idea because they're thinking, well, he's going to be terrible and and obnoxious and ugly to be around and I don't want to follow him because they're thinking Antichrist. And and we know Christ is very loving and beautiful and you know certainly meek and mild. So, they're looking for somebody maybe is the opposite of that and they're thinking that that I'll be able to identify the Antichrist.

Not so. Not so. That's not how it it's instead of Christ, Messiah, Jesus. The Antichrist is going to turn around and do what? He's going to draw all attention back to who? Satan. Who is the one that gives the Antichrist all authority, all power? We actually read it in three play His throne, his authority. Who who's going to do that? Satan. So, it's an unholy Trinity. We need to recognize that as such because that's going to play a big part in the end times uh tribulation events that come forward and unholy Trinity. Well, let's keep reading.

He performs great signs so that even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men and he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. This is important. I'm going to reference the scripture earlier. Underline it in your Bible. An image is made of the beast. This is important in the proper interpretation as we go to Daniel chapter 7 in a moment.

I just want you to remember it's an image of the beast, not an image of a government. Okay? So, just keep that in the back of your mind for a moment. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast should both speak and cause many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. That's the result when you won't bow the knee to this beast, to this image of the beast, you'll be slaughtered. You'll be killed. He causes all both small, great, rich, poor, free, slave to receive a mark.

How many of you thought the mark was the only thing during the great tribulation that will uh be used by Satan to those that are going to buy, sell, and trade? Many people think it's just a mark, but here I read three things, not one thing only. He causes all both small, great, rich, poor, free, slave everybody to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. Okay? And that no one may buy, sell except one who has here it is the mark or the name of the beast. What is the name? Think back to the Hebrew.

A name represents character. So, someone that is coming after the character of him, even if they don't necessarily have the mark, will still be able to buy, sell, and trade. Did you know that? Have you ever heard that? Everybody's looking for well, there's going to be a mark. I'll be able to recognize those people in the great tribulation if you won't be there if you're saved. But those that are living in the great I'll be able to recognize those who are saved and not because I'll I'll look for the mark. If they got the mark, they're not they're clearly not saved, right?

No. Not necessarily because it not only a mark or the name, the character of the beast or it says again the number of his name. And then it goes on to say here's the wisdom. Think about this. The wisdom is the appropriate application of knowledge. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of men. His number is six, six, six. He says, look, this is something that during the great tribulation at that time you'll see a mark of the of the beast on the hand or the forehead, right?

That'll be a clear distinguishing mark that person's not saved. You'll be able to see someone walking after that person, but it but it'll be a character attribute. It may not necessarily be the mark, but there'll be something about that individual that is just like we know that when we read about David and in the Bible, David has a heart after the Lord. Right? A heart after the Lord. Well, this this people that are living at they're going to have a heart after Antichrist. That's going to be part of the character and or name. Okay? And then the third thing is is that either that or he's going to have this number and those alive at that time are going to be able to maybe do some mathematical calculation or something to be able to go six, six, six and somehow it's going to work out you know some type of algorithm where they're going to see that the number of men, this number of six, six, and they're going to be able to figure that out because they're going to it says or the number of his name.

So, somehow at that time there's going to be a number tied to an association of a name. You know we call that a mixed methodology. So, when you have qualitative and quantitative, we call that mixed methodology. So, somehow at that time there's also going to be something that's being used by either this Antichrist or a government that's going to tie these two things together. We're using qualitative because there's the name or character attribute or quantitative where there's something about this individual that you're going to be able to calculate that will add up to six, six, six.

Now, again, if you're a born again believer, here's the good news. You're not going to be here. So, I want you to think about why is God telling you and I, believers in Christ, all about this if we're not going to be here during the great tribulation. And again, if you look up on our screen here, we got a timeline. And in that timeline, we're talking about the last half of this seven year tribulation. That's where we're at in our reading today, the latter three and a half years. Okay? And then come after that we're going to have a thousand year millennial reign where we'll have a theocracy on earth and Jesus Christ is coming.

So, during that last three and a half years, very important, they that are alive at that time that survive all the cosmic disturbances need to look for those three things. And we'll be able to Now, as we go to focus in here on our time this morning, we're going to begin back in verse two. And if we look at verse two again, it says, now the beast which I saw and John is given these animals and you know specifically was like a leopard. His feet were like the feet of a a bear. Right? And it says his mouth was like the mouth of a lion.

The dragon gave his power, his throne, and his and great authority. So, he gives power, Satan, the throne. The throne talks also about what? That reminds me of a position of privilege or a kingdom, right? When you're on a throne, you're in a position of power, right? But not just power of governance. Okay? Cuz obviously if you have a throne, you are overseeing something or someone. Would you would you agree? And then obviously there's great authority. So, authority also comes with responsibility and or privilege. So, all three Satan is going to indwell or give to this Antichrist and this is very important.

Now, my Bible tells me a lot of things. Everything that I understand about the scriptures is because I'm told to test everything in the light of scripture. So, as I read Revelation here, I'm reminded when we began the book specifically we talked about how there's 404 verses in the book of Revelation. 278 of those verses directly correspond with Old Testament scriptures. So, if I want to understand something about who this leopard is or or what this leopard is trying to communicate, the feet like a bear or the mouth like a lion, I need to go back to the Old Testament scriptures, don't I?

Um the best commentary of scripture is scripture. So, would you please turn in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 7. I'd like to go back to Daniel chapter 7 here this morning. And I'm not knocking commentaries. I mean many of us have libraries. I have libraries full of books. Um I I I have I keep having to build new bookshelves for as many books as I I have and I'm I'm thankful for all the gift the books that I've been given and inherited. Um but I understand that those are written by man. They are not God breathed.

What I have sitting in before me or standing right here before you and you have on your laps and I have on my lap is divine. It's directly from the fingerprints of God. It's from the breath of God. There's nothing else like it on the earth. There's nothing comparable to it. I appreciate man's wisdom, but I am so much more interested in what God has to say on matters. So, when I go to understand things, I'm going to go back to where I've seen something like this maybe to come back to some kind of you know understanding here this morning.

So, Daniel chapter 7 I'm going to begin in verse 1 if you'll turn there with me. That's in your Old Testament. Okay? And I'm going to read this. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. So, he's obviously sitting in bed. Maybe he was praying. Maybe he had just woken up. And he begins to have this vision. Then he wrote down the dream telling the main facts. So, we are told here that he didn't write down every single detail, did he? He only wrote down what?

The main facts. I believe that why we're also given the book of Revelation because some of what Daniel didn't write down we also are given though in the book of Revelation in the chapter we're in right now. But look what he says. What are some of the main facts and do they correspond to the very chapter that we're in in chapter 13 in Revelation? Daniel spoke saying, I saw in my vision by night and behold the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. We read about a sea in chapter 13 one of the beasts came out of the sea.

And four great beasts come up from the sea each different from their other. The first was like a lion. We just read about a lion. And had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man and a man's heart was given to it. Very strange, right? And suddenly another beast, a second one like a who? A bear. We just read about that in Revelation 13 too. And it was raised up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth and they said thus to it, arise, devour much flesh.

And after this I looked and there was another like a leopard and that's our third animal that we read about in Revelation chapter 13 which had its back on its back four wings of a bird and it says that the beast also had four heads and dominion was given to it. And after this I saw in the night visions and behold a fourth beast. Interesting. The way that Daniel describes this fourth beast, he said that it was dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth. It was devouring, breaking into pieces and trampling the residue with its feet.

It was different from the other beasts that were before it and it had 10 horns. We read about horns horns speaking to power. I was considering the horns and there was another horn, a little one coming up among them before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots and there in the horns were were eyes like the eyes of man and a mouth speaking pompous words. We also read about pompous words. We we we read about that in Revelation 13. So, some some corroborating here we see going on. Verse 19, I watched till the thrones were put in place and the Ancient of Days was seated.

Who is the Ancient of Days whenever it says that in scripture? That's speaking to the Godhead, God the Father. His garment was white as snow. His hair of the on his head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame. Its wheels a burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. A thousand thousands ministered to him. 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. The court was seated and the books were open. I wonder what books it's talking about. I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.

I watched till the beast was slain and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I was watching in the night visions and behold boy this is very familiar language with Revelation chapter uh 1 verse 13. One like the Son of Man. Jesus, right? Coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days to the Father. And they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom.

We read something about that in Revelation chapter five and six when he took the title deed scroll of the earth and everything was handed over to him at that power because he was the only one worthy that all the peoples, nations, languages should serve him and they will during the great uh sorry during the millennial reign there, the thousand year millennial reign. His dominion is an everlasting dominion. So, even after that we see a new heaven and new earth. It's going to go on and on and on. And God will lead us and will worship him and will serve him forever and forever and ever.

And that's what this is communicating to us. He says Daniel saw this in the vision. It's just it just keeps going on into infinity. His dominion, his sovereignty. He says and we're all going to just serve him. He says it doesn't ever pass away. It just keeps going. Daniel's use a human like you and I. He's trying to use the best thing he can in words, but he just sees it going on and on and on. He doesn't never see it end. How do you communicate that? You know did he know the word infinity? Did he know how to say these things?

I don't I don't know, but he's trying to communicate to you and I the same thing if we had to describe it today, we'd say, well, I I just didn't see the kingdom ever end. The kingdom of heaven never ever ends. It just seems to go for eternity. He says it shall not pass away and his kingdom the one that will not or shall not be destroyed. That's good news. That's good news right there. Now, the reason I brought you to this passage is because there's a definite alignment between Daniel chapter 7 and Revelation 13.

One of the beauties of Daniel chapter uh seven here verses 15 and on is that we get an interpretation. I really believe that's why the book of Revelation in chapter 13 doesn't go on to take additional time to give us an interpretation because Jesus is like, hey, I wrote about this. Go back to Daniel. You have your interpretation right there and now you understand exactly what I'm saying. So, he says, I Daniel was grieved in my spirit within my body and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to want the one of those who stood by and asked him the truth of all this.

So, he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things. Those great beasts which are four are four kings which arise out of the earth, but the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever and ever and ever. Then I wished, which by the way culminates right there, the heavens and the new earth. Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze which devoured, broke in pieces and trampled the residue with its feet.

And the 10 horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up before which three fell, namely that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words whose appearance was greater than his fellows. I was watching and the same horn was making war against the saints and prevailing against them. And that's exactly what we're going to read and already have read in the book of Revelation for those tribulation saints that are alive at that time for three and a half years. And do you remember what Jesus said that he brought them out into the wilderness?

He protects them and that the earth protects them for the three and a half years. And then if they make it to that time and they're able to survive, then Christ comes back and they're part of the overcomers. So, this is what remember how it said in Daniel. He says, I gave the main facts. Or in the book of Revelation we get additional details. This is an example of that. Verse 22, until the Ancient of Days came, speaking of the Father, an judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High. And that interesting behind the scene we get to see God the Father moving.

You know the focus is on Revelation is mostly on Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, but we actually get to see God the Father moving behind the scenes. They're all in unity, three, right? One God, three persons, but they're in unity working together. And it says in that the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. And thus he said the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom in the earth which shall be different from the other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it to pieces. And the 10 horns are 10 kings.

So, we know exactly who this is or I mean we know what this is speaking about. Forgive me. Who shall arise from this kingdom and another shall arise after them and he shall be different from the first ones and he shall subdue the three kings. Certainly he's used them to his credit at this at this point. And then he no longer needs them. So, the Antichrist will do what? Get rid of the other three. That's what's going to happen in the great tribulation. And he shall subdue the three kings and he shall speak pompous words against the Most High.

That's what we just read in Revelation 13 too. And he shall persecute the saints of the Most High and they shall intend to change times and law. Circle that in your Bible. Very important because that is already starting to happen today in our current events. And I'm going to talk about that in regards to a recent change in Pennsylvania law that just happened in the recently in the last few months. And most people are not aware of it in regarding to utilities and providing the way we used to do certain things for those that were less fortunate or those that maybe required oxygen in their homes and they needed assisted you know some kind of assisted living device.

Um we're going to talk a little bit about that. Remind me if I forget or I just call out.

Matt VanderVen: We've been learning about the Antichrist today on His Perfect Love. It's part of Pastor Matt Vanderboegh new study of Revelation, a book that comes with a blessing attached to those that read and study it. If you were blessed and encouraged by the Lord, we'd like to know. Email us while it's fresh on your mind. They're at our website hisperfectlove.org. Be sure to include your prayer requests. Also, at our website you'll find an archive of these studies in Revelation making it easy to replay a message you enjoy or catch what you miss on the radio. Again, we're at hisperfectlove.org and now at oneplace.com as well.

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Matt Vanderboegh: His Perfect Love is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.