Satan, The Beast, and the False Prophet

 Satan, The Beast, and the False Prophet – Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/satan-the-beast-and-the-false-prophet/ Angels are God’s created messengers. They have intelligence (2Cor. 11:3), emotions (James 2:19) and exercise independent will (2Tim. 2:26). They are spirit beings, but even though they don’t have bodies theysometimes take on physical bodies. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Heb. 13:2 That’s quite the statement. Have you ever wondered about who in the room might not be human? In addition to being God’s messengers, they also worship Him (Heb. 1:6), rejoice in what He does (Job 38:6-7) and are instruments in God’s judgments as we have previouslyseen in Rev. 7:1 and 8:2. Angels are immortal and therefore don’t get old and die. They don’t have to study God’s Word as they have lived it. They’ve spent 6000 years observing humans, so they havea good idea of what to expect in all situations. Lucifier was one of God’s three special Archangels. The other two are Michael and Gabriel. These Archangels had favored positions. Gabriel says that he: stands in the presence of God, Luke 1:19 One of the more interesting Biblical accounts of an Archangel delivering a message was when Gabriel was in human form and was bringing God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer. On the way to Daniel, Gabe got into a three-week fight with the demon Prince of Persia. Apparently the dark side didn't want anyone to know the answer to this prophecy aboutthe last days. Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, Dan. 10:14a Michael had to come help out Gabe and they finally delivered God’s message to Daniel. The entire account is in Daniel Chapter 10. So this tells us that Satan loathes us learning last-days Bible prophecies. He doesn’t want God’s peeps to figure out they have great hope for the future. Satan wants us fearfuland afraid of the future. On a side note, it’s interesting that one of the characteristics of the famous Proverbs 31 woman is that she is pointedly not fearful. She is not afraid … Prov. 31:21a Lucifer (whose name means the “light bearer”) is, of course, the angel who revolted. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. Ezek. 28:15 We call him Satan or the devil. His sin was rooted in “pride” of his beauty and wisdom. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. Ezek. 28:17 Most of what we know about Lucifer from scripture directly contrasts the characteristics of our Creator God. God is love, Satan is evil. God is all truth, Satan is a liar. God wants healing, Satan wants sickness, etc. Any problems we have in our lives can all be traced back to “Lucy.” He lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden and has been lying ever since. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he isa liar and the father of lies. John 8:44b In light of all that's going on today, don't miss Satan's first named characteristic is murder. So it’s not surprising that just like we see in scripture the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, in the Tribulation we also see a false trinity—Satan,the Beast, and the False Prophet. •Father Satan •Jesus Beast/Antichrist •Holy Spirit False Prophet Jesus received His power from the Father. Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” John 4:34 The beast/dragon/anti-Christ receives his power from Satan. And the dragon gave him (the beast) his power and his throne and great authority. Rev. 13:2b Just as Jesus had 3 1/2 years on the earth to glorify God, heal people, and do good things, Satan will have 3 1/2 years on earth to glorify Satan, make people sick, and dohorrible things. A Satanically possessed world leader will dominate the first 3 1/2 years of the 7-year Tribulation, conquering nations with nuclear weapons (Rev. 6:4c), drugs (Rev. 6:2),economic collapse via inflation (Rev. 6:5), and with food rationing via famine (Rev. 6:6, 8). And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. Rev. 13:2b At the mid-point of the Tribulation, after half the population of earth has already died (Rev 6:8; 9:18), the world leader will appear to die from a head wound. I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, Rev. 13:3a What happens is that the world leader lies dead for three days on a street in Jerusalem. At that time, Satan is banished from his heavenly realm and is cast to the earth. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” Rev 12:12b Satan is a spirit and needs a body. So he indwells the 3-day-old dead corpse of the world leader, bringing it back to life. He claims he is the risen Messiah and demands tobe worshiped. and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; Rev. 13:3b The Jews, having been taught both the Old and New Testaments for 3 1/2 years by the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, won't buy the Messiah claim. Then a major prophesied eventhappens. Satan, in the body of the slain world leader, breaks the 7-year peace treaty by standing in the Holy of Holies in the rebuilt Jewish Temple demanding the sacrifices be stopped. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week [7 years], but in the middle of the week [3 1/2 years] he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; Dan.9:27 Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those whoare in Judea must flee to the mountains. Matt. 24:15-16 Those Jews who have been studying the New Testament know when they see the Temple desecrated by Satan, they have only moments to flee town or die. Many immediately run withonly the clothes on their backs. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. For then there will bea great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. Matt. 24:15-21 It’s a massive massacre of the Jewish race by the hands of Satan. That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. Zech. 13:8 Two thirds of the Jews die in one day—roughly 7 million. IN ONE DAY! Those that got out of town early and survived end up at Petra, Jordan, protected by God for 3 1/2 years. We know they are protected in Petra because at the end of the Tribulation they’re in Bozrah (Is. 63:1). And Petra is a quite-rocky place that has zero green vegetation andis located in the middle of Bozrah. Enter the rock and hide in the dust… Is. 2:10 Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground… Is. 2:19 Satan then continues the death and destruction of the planet while God plummets the earth with His 7 Bowls of divine judgment. It’s hard to imagine what that would be like. The carnage ends when Jesus returns. He first stops in Petra and wipes out Satan’s world armies who are marching from the Valley of Armageddon to wipe out the Jews. Jesus defeats Satan; it’s not really a battle. The Antichrist/Beast and the False Prophet are cast immediately into the Lake of Fire. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, andwith him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. Rev. 19:19-20 Then Satan is bound for 1000 years in the abyss, not the lake of fire. God still has one more thing to use him for so he’s not yet sent into the lake of fire because it'sa one-way ticket. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the deviland Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, Rev. 20:1-3 From there Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. His feet touch down at the same place He left from on the Mount of Olives 2000 years ago. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you havewatched Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11 Jesus’ arrival on the Mount of Olives sets in motion an amazing chain of events. The Mount of Olives, no small mountain, splits north and south creating a large valley. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west bya very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. Zech. 14:4 This incredible division of the Mount of Olives sets off a worldwide earthquake so strong that all the mountains around the world are flattened and the islands sink in theseas. And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so greatan earthquake was it, and so mighty…And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. Rev. 16:18, 20 Mount Moriah is then raised up to be the highest mountain. Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; Is.2:2 It’s from this raised mountain that the Lord will rule and reign over the earth for 1000 years. The valley formed from the Mount of Olives splitting will be called the Valleyof Jehoshaphat. It’s there where Jesus will judge the nations, the Judgment of the Sheep and Goats. I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance,Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land. Joel 3:2 It’s very interesting that one of the issues Jesus will judge at that time is that God’s land had been divided. But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He willseparate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; Matt. 25:31-32 Satan is allowed one last stand at the end of the 1000 years, to filter out the dross one more time. 1000 years is a long time and apparently earthlings will forget all thatwas learned in the Tribulation. And, of course, we know Satan will have had a 1000 years to think about new lies to deceive people when he’s released. Since people in the Millennium will continue to be bornwith the sin nature, it will be duck soup for Satan to once again deceive the nations of the world. When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog andMagog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city [Jerusalem], and fire came down from heaven and devouredthem. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev. 20:7-10 So Satan is sent to the Lake of Fire to join the Antichrist/Beast and the False Prophet. Of course Satan won’t be able to see them in the dark. But he’ll probably be ableto hear them wail. Can you imagine an eternity of flames with no hope of escape? And it all started with Lucy wanting to be god, not worship the God who created him. I think it’s fascinating that Satan can read these scriptures for himself. He knows what his ultimate fate will be. His evil runs so deep he wants to take as many humans withhim as possible into those eternal flames. Satan knows his time is short and his fate is sealed. We look for our wonderful rescue, but he can only see his doom. That’s what we’re up against between now and the Rapture. We, thankfully, are comforted because our future is secure. TYJ! CQLJ! BP