Let's take our Bibles and turn to the book of Revelation and chapter 13. In considering in our series of revelation, this marvelous book, this mysterious book of which Many commentators dared not even attempt to write, but which we have been daring to preach on. The details of which, some of the details of which we cannot be dogmatic about, but certainly the general lines that the Lord is speaking here, the truth of the gospel is certainly revealed here. And we are glad for that, for the gospel is good news. We need to hear that also in the book of Revelation, this marvelous book of fantastic and heavenly symbols. Here from God's Word, Revelation 13. I'll read the whole chapter for us. Then I, that's John, I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast. rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 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 worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. They worshipped the beast saying who is like the beast who was able to make war with him. He was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. He was given authority to continue for 42 months. and he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And 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. 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. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity. He who kills with a sword must be killed with a sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Now, that's my text, verses 1 through 10. There's a lot there, but think of that as we read the rest of this chapter to get the context of another beast. Then 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 exercised all of the authority of the first beast in his presence and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs so that he 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. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six." Thus far we read Revelation chapter thirteen. This book of the Word of God, may God bless it so that we can hear and in hearing live in its light. Our text, People of God, represents the conflict of the ages, that battle of the devil against the church and against the anointed of the Lord, even Jesus Christ. And it's we do well if we understand this conflict of the ages here. As that is revealed in the scripture, in fact, Revelation 12, Revelation 12 really is another way of stating the same conflict that's that's listed, that's that's presented to us so mysteriously in Revelation 13. For we read in Revelation 13 of this beast that rises out of the sea and then out of the earth who is related to the dragon. And the dragon, we know, is revealed for us in Revelation 12 as the devil and as that being, therefore, that angelic fallen being who's had a conflict with God and his Christ and his church history long. If you recall from our sermons on Revelation 12, it depicts the dragon in the Old Testament getting and seeking to get at the man-child who would be born of that glorious woman And we have identified in light of the scripture as the church of the old dispensation would bring forth the Christ child, the devil having failed in that attempt to prevent the Christ from coming and then from killing off the Christ totally so that he's annihilated when the Christ is born. Christ instead ascends into heaven, now turns his energies to the earth. And in the earth, he flees after the wilderness, the woman in the wilderness, the church, now the new dispensation, that's us, and seeks to kill us and our children. And even as we speak, he's seeking to kill off the word from having a way into our hearts, into our ears. So this is the battle of the ages. And as we notice, really, this Revelation 12 and 13 and much of Revelation, is about this conflict that was begun already in the Garden of Eden. And the devil came there, that dragon of old, that liar, that great murderer from the beginning. He came and he tempted Eve. And the promise was given there that there would be enmity between the devil and his children and the wicked and the church and her children. God's elect. God puts the enmity. God makes the war on the earth When the devil comes seeking to claim all of the inhabitants of the earth for himself, God says, no, many are mine. You cannot have them. The devil, he still tries, however vain his attempt may be. So our text links us back to the history long battle. It's not just the reference here to a battle that is to occur only at the end of time, though that may be the emphasis it is. But it is a reference to that history long battle. There are principles here that are being played out, powers and principalities about which the Bible speaks in many different places. The message of Revelation is one with the message of the entire Bible. And that leads us to understand, of course, that this conflict, this bloody conflict, this spiritual conflict is all about the Christ. We are here not as warmongers and not as those who have an adventurous spirit or a brutal spirit, I suppose, or who delight in these things of of action and battle. But we are here as Christians. And the book of Revelation from the very get-go in chapter one has reminded us that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And the whole book of the Bible, Old and New Testament, is the revelation of Jesus Christ. And though the Antichrist comes, and we read of his coming, his rising out of the sea at this time, there is another prior coming and dominant coming about which history is entirely and emphatically and predominantly It's the coming of Jesus. Behold, he comes. This is the message of the book of the Bible and also the book of Revelation. So we want to find this Christ here of whom there is direct mention in verse eight of our text. He's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The council of redemption through the blood of the lamb is here depicted as something very consoling and something which is a mighty batter in the midst of this conflict between the Antichrist and his church. Having said that, this church that is addressed here in light of this conflict and called to look to Christ better take heed. This church here, a sovereign grace church. Your churches, of which you may be members, you, if you're not a member of a church, but you call yourself a Christian, take heed. It's a very, very important word of God here about one who is called the Antichrist, as we shall see. And at the end of this passage, even there is an emphatic warning. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 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 that we may have patience and faith in the battle of the Antichrist. Let us hear of the beast out of the sea. First of all. Let's identify him in light of the text and the rest of the scripture. Let us note here that what is represented in this conflict is the conflict of the ages. And finally, we want to consider the revelation of the Antichrist and the response that the people of God ought to give now. This Antichrist or this beast, I'll call him that, and I'll try to prove to you that this is the one whom the Bible calls the Antichrist. He has a specific origin. In fact, it's a twofold origin, an origin from the nation or the sea, from the sea. First of all, I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea. And also, as the text later indicates, He has an origination from the pit of hell. So he comes from the sea. He comes from hell. What about this beast? And can we say anything about the beast in light of his origination, the source of this beast? I believe we can, because I believe, and again, Revelation is this book of symbols, that this beast rising up out of the sea, speaks to us of where he comes from and therefore of his own identity as a a hero of the nations, because I believe in light of the Bible that the sea is represented as nations, the nations in their tumultuous fallen state who are depicted in the Bible as tempest-tossed. by the vanity of this age, by the conflict of this age and driven as a surging tide against all that is divine and all that is the church. That is how the Bible itself depicts the sea. And our text in the description of this beast and his beastly character bears out this interpretation. I would just turn with you to the book of Isaiah and chapter 17, where in verse 12 we read, that woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the roar of the seas and to the rushing of nations that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters. The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters, but God will rebuke them and they will flee far away and so on. So there's nations in their rebelliousness described as the sea and the surging of the sea. But then you go to Isaiah 57 and verse 20. The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked. But then we. We will be referring to Daniel 7, which speaks of beasts that arise out of the sea. But I would just grow for proof positive with you to the book of Revelation itself and verse 15, where the beast or the mother of harlots is linked there to a beast. And we'll see there an identity of these things. And at that occasion, there is one who says to John, the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples, the waters where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues. And then there's ten horns that are seen on the beast and so on. So I believe that this beast rises from the nations and nations which have a peculiar bent on surging against the people of God. In fact, this beast, I believe, is a great political power which manifests itself in worldly might such that, as our text says, all the world is under the sway of this beast, this political power with horns and heads, heads of state, and which has worldwide influence such that people will worship the beast and glory after him in wondrous awe of him. And so you have even this proven and this interpretation that's proven that this beast is a great and mighty political power arising out of nations. But it's an evil power in Daniel seven. And as we said before, to understand the book of Revelation, it's necessary to understand Daniel and the book of Daniel. That apocalyptic Old Testament book cannot be understood properly except in light of Revelation at the end of the Bible. But Daniel 7 speaks of Daniel receiving a vision in verse 2. Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vision by night and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. You have a sea again and four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. The first was like a lion. Now think about Revelation 13. We just read this. There's a beast there like a lion. First was like a lion, and it had eagle's wings, and 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. And suddenly another beast, a second like a bear. 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. After this I looked, and there was another like a leopard. which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads and dominion was given to it. And later on, we read in the Book of Daniel that these beasts represent kingdoms. For example, in verse 23 of Daniel 7, the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth. which shall be different from all other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth. Trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom, and another shall rise after them who is different from the first ones," and so on. All this is to say that I believe the fulfillment of this is found in Revelation 13 in this one beast. And this is the difference between this the four beasts of Daniel and the beast of Revelation 13. There's this one beast who now is the composite of all of the other beasts. And I believe it's this worldwide one unified power that rises at the end of time. The kings that were each separately like a leopard and like a lion and like a bear and so on are now this one beast who has it was like a leopard in general. His feet are like the feet of a bear. His mouth is like the mouth of a lion. It's a unity. It's a great power. And all of the differences are laid aside for the one cause of being on the behalf of the devil in the prosecution of his plan to persecute the church. And indeed, this political entity, this worldwide power that shall arise at the end of time, is from hell. You note here that the dragon whom is identified clearly in chapter twelve and verse nine as Satan, who deceives the whole world and is cast to the earth to to vent his anger upon the church. The dragon is the devil and the dragon in verse two of our text gives him this beast, his power, his throne and great authority. so that those who are under the sway of this beast, this mighty power arising from the nations, that is a unity and that is very powerful and vicious. The nations worship the dragon who gave authority to the beast, and they also worship the beast. So you see here in verse four, the intent of the beast, the purpose of the beast is to get everyone to worship someone, something other than God, and he presents himself as the object of worship. That's what the beast does. And then he presents the dragon also as an object of their proper worship. The people even wonder after this beast and they say, who is like the beast? Verse four, who is able to make war with him? Everyone is taken under his sway, all the nations and the tribes and the tongues. There are no enemies anymore. And so, this one monster, this vicious and cruel and satanic monster, is the one with whom we have to do in Revelation chapter 13. And even, I believe, he is called the Antichrist. The Antichrist is the one who is identified in the Bible, Old and New Testament, as the one who is in the agency of the devil, who arises history long, but especially at the end of time in the culmination, this beast of an anti-Christian world power, who is against God and against God's anointed and against God's church. Besides that, such is the Greek preposition, he stands anti or instead of Christ. as a dupe of Christ, or as the theologians called him, an ape, an imitator of Christ. And that is the one who's depicted here. No wonder he comes and everyone marvels after this beast. He comes and he's this one who, well, let's read of this in Second Thessalonians in chapter two. He's the one who is described there as the man of sin. Let no one deceive you, 2 Thessalonians 2.3, by any means, for that day will not come of apostasy, the day of Christ, unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And then verse 9. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan with all powers and signs and lying wonders. And this is precisely the beast who is mentioned here in Revelation 13. He comes and his coming is after the working of Satan. And he is lying wonders and he has a kind of salvation to offer to the world of health care and of food stamps and of anything else that the world can give. He has it all. He offers peace to a war, war ruined world. He offers the prospect of peace. If you would just ally yourself with him. Skipping ahead to Revelation 13, the last part, we even learn there that this beast and another beast together have the power even to control what you buy, what you sell, and they give you a mark 666, which if you don't have, you cannot buy or sell. So this beast, this power, this one with the great power of the devil is a one who is what the Bible calls the Antichrist, the Antichrist and blasphemy is his name. You note that on his head he has the name of blasphemy, and that means he's against anything that's God. He speaks things that denounce God as the rightful king. He is one who mocks the things of God and he speaks that which does not become a creature. And he is worthy of condemnation for that alone. Now, this Antichrist and this anti-Christian kingdom, I believe, has been in this world history long after a fashion because really the Santa Christian kingdom is the kingdom of man. Remember, we saw from our series in Genesis and we got to Genesis 11 and the Tower of Babel. That was the beginning of the organized kingdom of man. Remember, children, how the people of the day they stopped fulfilling the earth in obedience to God's command. And they went and they built a tower to heaven, a ziggurat. all the way to heaven, and they wanted to make a name for themselves. And this is their stated purpose. Let us make a name for ourselves. And God, you know, confounded the nations at that time by causing them all to have many different languages. The world was of one language then. But they had many different languages and they had to go their different ways. And this was for the prevention of the kingdom of Antichrist before its time and for the preservation of the church and the coming of the seat of the woman. So you had God. in a way, mortally wounding this anti-Christian kingdom way back in Babel. And that may be what is referred to in the description of this one of the heads of this anti-Christian kingdom as having a deadly wound. Verse three, which was healed later on. It speaks of this one who was wounded by the sword and who lived in verse 14. And so the text makes a significant point to speak of the identity of this anti-christian power as one who was wounded, but now he's healed. Some say, I suggest, or I mentioned to you that indeed that was what happened at Babel. There was the confusion of languages, the prevention of this kingdom from coming. But now, at the end of time, everyone settles their differences. We all got to overcome the pollution and global warming and everything else that plagues the world. And we all have to do battle together against these things. And let's just get rid of the religious folk who promote so many differences and who divide this world up. We need to be one. That's what some people say was the deadly wound that's now healed and that enables the worldwide power to have such sway and the adoration of most peoples. Well, I believe there's something more, though. I believe, in fact, that it would be biblical to say that the mortal wound of the devil. Or of this kingdom, this kingdom coming. was that wound that was afflicted by God himself through the word of Christ and that word of Christ, which was especially spoken loudly on the cross. I believe that's why you have Jesus presented here as the lamb, the lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world. And that's why you have Jesus as the revelation of revelation, who is the one who does the battle For God, that would explain how, indeed, the deadly wound was and the mortal wound was afflicted or inflicted upon the kingdom of man at Calvary, because little known to even most Christians, the judgment of this world was affected on the cross. That's what Jesus says when people rejected the sun. And they thought they were doing God's service. And when the devil was behind it all, don't you see, it was a suicide. The devil, in rejecting the Christ, effected his own judgment. Now is the judgment of the world to come. The devil, who thought he'd gotten Christ out of the way, only occasioned the resurrection of the Son and the exaltation of the Son. And now he's coming again. The devil who thought he was doing God's or thought he was doing himself service, nevertheless, was the instrument behind the Jewish and the Roman world in the crucifixion of Jesus in the salvation of the very people the devil wanted with him in hell. There was a wound there, and I believe this was the fulfillment of the promise that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the snake. Crush that head. So the devil was principally rendered ineffectual. By the work of Jesus on the cross, in all of his power to try to affect this kingdom of man, the cross was the end of that kingdom, however. Here's what revelation is all about and the rest of the new dispensation, the devil, in his death throes, even so that it appears as if he and his minions are having this way that I believe to be a proper way of explaining that the mortal wound is healed. The devil now is revived in his strength and in his energies. He's on his deathbed, as it were, but he's kicking and screaming and he's and he's swinging back and forth his deadly tail and he's whispering into the university and college professors the lies so that the next generation will be inseminated with the poison from hell. He's having his way, isn't he? He's having his way and it seems as if there's a revival of man, an enlightened man. So science rules and and the economy could be picking up if we all got to be one. And if we just united and settled our religious and political differences and came to the table. And came away from that cross. And from that faith. of our father's living still. The identity of the beast, no matter what we may say about just how these things are to be interpreted, the mortal wound especially, is certainly this kingdom that is against God and against his anointed. And this revived kingdom and this revived head of the beast causes there to be a conflict, especially in the end of time, such as never been seen before. The beast yields sway over the nations, and this is my second point. We see him here, his deadly wound is healed. All the world is marveling and following the beast. They worship the dragon, the beast leads them to worship the dragon. who gave authority to the beast and they worship the beast, too. Might as well worship them both. Who's like the beast, they say, who's able to make war with him? What a great peacemaking beast this is. What a great kingdom. Why would you rebel? Why would you be so opposed to it? The people say this, this kingdom and this king and this probably kingdom and king or Rulers, board of directors, CEOs in this kingdom, all called the Antichrist, are great people. You can just imagine the end of time. This is how they gain the sway of the nations. They have something that all of us humans need. They have something for our children. They have liberty for all after a fashion, though there's much control of this beast. It's a paradise, you see. It's a great utopia, except imagine, imagine there's no religion, no Jesus. The beast is bent on the destruction of the church. For all of the worship that he has and all of the power that he has, There are some people who do not worship him. It's granted to him to make war with the saints and so on, and the world wonders after the beast and so on. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, verse eight, whose names have not been written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. That means not all the world worships him. All the world whose names are not written in the Book of Life, the Lamb's Book of Life. But God's people, and this is a time when there's still God's people on the earth, the two witnesses, the official church is not yet slain. God's elect are there. Contrary to some dispensationalists, they're not taken out of the tribulation. The elect are there and they're there and they're saying no to the beast. No. to the beast. They are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. They have life eternal. They know God. They've been to God's house. We saw that this morning. We met with God this morning. We meet with God every Sunday. We meet with God every day. For God has met with us. And God has said, I love you. And God has said, my truth sets you free. And God says to us, I'm your shepherd and I leave you sheep. I'm the healer of your diseases and your sicknesses. Principle of which is sin. And you need that help from my son. And I give you that that has said all of this to us. And he's spoken kindly to us. And in mercy lifted us out of the mire and justified us before himself and imputed to us his own righteousness and imparted to us that righteousness so that we're holy. And he's made us to be children so that even though we were awake and and wandering on the streets in downtown Grand Rapids or Chicago or New York, where I'm from, nevertheless, God has said, I have you and you have a home with me. And I have a room in my home with you and you can be there every day and night. And I embrace you and I love you and I provide everything that you need for this life, not only, but for life eternal. That's what God has done to these saints. And so they cannot help but worship him and they will not worship the beast or any other idol. And they're in the truth, that's why Children, young people, we emphasize the truth in this church, not just a little truth, but a lot of truth is what Sovereign Grace United Reformed Church stands for. We don't want to be that church that has a little bit of truth and maybe a lot of love. That's that doesn't fit. You need a lot of truth for a lot of love. You need a lot of truth to bear the fruit of the truth. May God help us to be those who are always interested in this first prophet of the Bible, this first blessing for all scriptures given by inspiration of God and is profitable first for doctrine and then for correction and reproof and instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be perfectly furnished unto every good work. The truth. The truth that sets us free, the truth as it is in Jesus, the revelation that is this word of God, the center of the truth, which is Christ crucified and whom the elders want to know in this congregation and the pastor. We want to know Christ crucified, the fruits of your believing in him in this fold. Do you have those fruits? Are we in the truth today now? I mean it. The devil, when he comes, comes hell bent, destroying the church by knocking her away from her moorings. Remember, the devil comes like a sea, comes out of the sea, the troubled sea. And he surges out of the sea and rises up as this great harbor for the nations. But the nations are still they're foaming around him. And when they they find the coast in the harbors, where is the church still present in these latter days? They would knock over the church with the tidal waves of her philosophy and of her influence and the media, the media. The beast is bent on the destruction of the church, and we see this increasingly. Next time we'll see this beast that rises out of the earth, the theological aspect of the beast, the philosophical aspect of the beast. Looks like a lamb. Imitates Jesus and truth. Just to anticipate this. We see this. Influence of the devil in the church over and over again and increasingly. The devil is undermining the faith of our fathers living still from worship, that is no nonsense, and that is a worship in the presence of the holy God. We have worship that's nonsense only if we be in the presence of musicians who make us feel good. We're here to worship God. We're here not to worship and applaud human beings. We're here to have a minister get out of the way of the word. To present, yes, anecdotes and speak parabolically and metaphorically and and with some degree of eloquence, indeed, no problem with that, but so that it serves the gospel preaching to comfort the people of God, to call sinners to repentance, as we do here from this pulpit, God helping us. Many won't have that anymore, and they're ripe for the temptations of the devil, even so much so that when Jesus says, when the Son of Man comes to the earth, shall he find faith in the earth? He's not kidding. He's very serious. Will there be faith on the earth that comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God? Final point is this. The revelation, why is this whole revelation of Antichrist and this political aspect of Antichrist in the Bible? That's a good question. First of all, I want to back up and say that this is anti-Christian spirit. And this anti-Christian person in this political entity and also this religious aspect of him is already in the world. John speaks of this in First John. Spirit of Antichrist is already he's coming, but he is already that's the first century A.D., 20 centuries ago, the Antichrist was already in the world. His spirit is prophesying his false prophets, his political entities. That's why so many have figured that this beast here and this composite of beasts is one of the Nero or one of the Roman emperors, maybe Caligula or Nero or Vespasian or somebody else. And so they try to identify these beasts in this composite of beasts as one of those Roman emperors. Now, it could very well be that there is this allusion here to certain manifestations of emperors and the Roman persecution of the church of the first century. Not doubting that, however, The final and full and complete revelation here only fits with someone who is simply amazing and someone who is far, far greater than an earthly manifestation of a devilish reign that we've ever seen or shall see. This beast is completely anti-Christian, completely given over to duping folks for the devil and the dragon. And he is one who comes with lying wonders, as Thessalonians remind us. And we've never seen that before. And this one, indeed, is one who reigns the forty two months. He has this power. And we've seen that that period of time covers the time, especially from Jesus ascension all the way to the end of time and just before. And so there is this duration of his reign, this this reigning of the Antichrist culminating in the final kingdom of the beast that can only be mentioned here as the Antichrist. But be not deceived, people of God. Be not deceived. Antichrist, though he's not yet, is very near and his spirit is at work. Very near, speaking to you blasphemous words over the Internet, over the television, in governmental decrees, in the world peace movements, speaking to us and Vying for us to be worldly and seeking to dupe us from the truth so that we can be just like the world and love the things that the world loves. The question is, shall we stand? Shall we stand? That's. The urgency of this message here. The Bible at this point There's a striking thing here, verse nine and 10 goes back to language that was only brought up before when it says he that is ears to hear anyone has an ear to hear, let him hear only was brought up before when the address was given to the seven churches of Asia Minor. And that was the formula that was given at the end of each of those letters to Ephesus and Smyrna and so on. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. It's as if John is hearing this revelation and reminding us this is not theory, merely this is truth, really, and truth for living for the church or truth that's rejected for the dying of the church. Hear this here, you see here what words from heaven, these words. All the words that the Bible would speak to us be indoctrinated that way so that you are a principled people. Principled people before you're this practical people, you must be a principled people if you're going to stand. And if you're going to refuse even to buy or sell. Because you will not compromise your faith here. And believe. So that you have the faith and the patience of the saints. Interesting allusion here to prophecy of Jeremiah, I believe, in verse 10, he leads into captivity, shall go into captivity, who kills with a sword, must be killed with a sword, warning us in the first place not to fight fire with fire as a political entity here. He's going to coerce the people of God, if he could, into allegiance with him. We're not to fight back with a sword. We're to submit to the ordinances of the government as much as we can with a good conscience. But we are those who would have faith and patience and not to wield the sword power in response to the sword of the political entities. We are those who walk by faith and not by sight. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of the stronghold. What should we do, people of God? But to the end of the age, be preaching and hearing and loving the word of God and loving the day of the appearing of Jesus that we hear. What shall we do except love the truth as it is in Jesus and bring people the truth and bring erring brethren and apostate churches the truth for revival, for reformation. and for being conformed to the image of Christ, which we need to be as well. Must be as well, and I believe there's an allusion to this. In the text, we must be as well those who truly dwell in heaven. I believe it's possible to interpret verse six. And the beast opens his mouth and blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name, his tabernacle and those who dwell in heaven. I believe it's possible to interpret those dwellers in heaven as being us, not just the elect in heaven or the angels in heaven, but in contradistinction to those who merely dwell on the earth. Those who dwell in heaven. As God's heavenly people now. Those who sit and dwell with Christ in heavenly places, as Ephesians 2 tells us we are. Those whose citizenship is in heaven and not on earth, Philippians 3, verse 20. Those who have risen with Christ, Colossians 3, verse 1 and following, who are to seek the things above. We are to hear and I believe we are to be reminded to be those whose citizenship is not of this earth. We are not, first of all, Americans, but Christians, those of the kingdom of heaven, those whose kingdom is world without end, whose king is Jesus, the blessing of whose kingdoms are in heavenly places. Be that way. And you'll be ready for any Antichrist when he comes and says, but you cannot eat if you don't worship the beast will say, so what? I feast on my savior. and the bread of life. I know him who is more than life. Be that way and be faithful to the end, people of God, and let no one, not anyone, not any anti-Christian spirit in the form of a person or of a political entity or of a church take your crown. Amen. Our Father in heaven, we pray that you may speak to us now and make powerful the word we've heard in our hearing and believing. Make what we've heard effectual for our building up in the most holy faith, for the saving of some who may have come to church even and not really cared, or who have maybe come only to be critical. God in heaven, we ask your blessing of a humble reception of this truth and of an eager reception because it's truth for life and truth that gives all the glory to the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the word of Christ and his cross and the word of his coming. Lord, thanks for feeding us this word this day. It's been good to be in your house. We pray For your blessing upon our dismissal, the blessing of true peace with you and with our brethren. We pray that there may be fruit in the congregation, among the visitors and in our community and in this world. For Christ's sake, amen.