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 technology 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. 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 and also in the time of the Roman when it started out to
be kind of a way to give a worship that really did not mean as much as it
became later when it came to the point where Christians who did not worship the
Emperor that they would be killed. 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. 13:12).
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 to write, 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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