Good morning, my friends. This is missionary James Robinette with Action International Ministries Uganda. It is my pleasure to be with you once again this Lord's Day morning via the airwaves of ABC radio as we look to the living Word of God together, the Holy Bible. And my friends, today we're looking at verses in Revelation chapter 13. So if you are able to turn to Revelation chapter 13 and we'll soon receive the Word of God. I'm a missionary with Action International Ministries Uganda. Please learn more about our ministry at www.actionuganda.net. And dear friends, let us pray. Father, in light of the violence that we have witnessed this week in the killings in Nairobi, I come to you, Lord, asking for grace and for courage for myself and for my listeners. And I pray that you will bless your precious truth, the living word of God to our hearts once again this Lord's Day morning. And I pray that as you do this, Lord, that we will all be helped to know that you're the great and awesome God who has loved us with an everlasting love and that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus for your elect people. Lord, thank you for your grace. Thank you for such love that no being, that no created entity, no power can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Thank you that death itself cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ. And so bless your people. I ask it, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. And so my friends, let's hear verses read from Revelation chapter 13, beginning in verse one. Then 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. 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 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 verse nine, 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. Verse 11. 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 exercises all 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. That's verse 12. And so my friends, the word of God tells us clearly here about how it is that the church of God is persecuted and will be persecuted and that the church will suffer a war with Satan, who is represented here by the dragon, and also by a servant of Satan, who is here called the beast from the sea. I also read some verses for you, verses 11 and 12 from Revelation chapter 13, which speak of a third being called the beast from the earth. And our real focus this morning is found in the first verses here, the first 10 verses, one through 10 of Revelation chapter 13, as we see that Satan empowers a being called the beast from the sea, and that this being represents the persecuting power of a demonized state. In other words, In the last days and until the end of the world, nations and states will rise up on the world scene. These are ungodly, unbelieving nations and states. And in their unbelief, they are empowered by demons and they are moved by Satan to accomplish his evil purposes of warring with God and in warring with the true saints of God or the church. And as Satan makes war through the beast, He persecutes the church. Again, this persecution comes powerfully through demonized states. And I've selected these verses to teach from today because I want to encourage you that though the events that we are all painfully aware of have happened, that is the killings in Nairobi. And recently there was a church in Pakistan that was bombed by suicide bombers, and about 80 people were killed. There were many, well over 100 as I remember, who were injured in that bombing. that though these things are taking place on the world stage and because of technology we have immediate contact in a sense with these events. These things do not seem to be far away from us here in Kampala and in Uganda, but through technology we are brought into the very into the very place where these things are occurring. in a real sense through television and through the media. We are front row witnesses in a real sense in a theater observing these horrendous events taking place around us. And I found myself this week seeking God and asking God for a greater understanding of these things. And he led me to these verses. And so let's understand briefly and quickly the general thrust of these verses. We're not going to focus on all of the specific symbolic details, and there is much symbolic detail in this chapter, Revelation 13, but we're going to just talk generally and gain the general meaning of the text here. And to do that, I want to share the thoughts with you of a Bible expositor by the name of William Hendrickson, because he gives us a clear and concise description of the beasts that are seen here, the first and the second beast. These comments are from a book entitled Discovering Christ in Revelation by Don Fortner. And so William Hendrickson makes comment, the first beast is a monster of indescribable horror. The second has a harmless appearance and for that very reason is more dangerous than the first. The first beast comes out of the sea. The second arises from the land. The first is Satan's hand. The second is the devil's mind. The first represents the persecuting power of Satan operating in and through the nations of the world and their governments. The second symbolizes the false religions and philosophies of this world. Both of these beasts oppose the Church throughout this dispensation. In this vision, we are assured of two facts. First, Satan's warfare against the Church of Christ will never end as long as time shall stand. Second, Satan's wrath against God's elect will never be successful. His number is the number of failure. As we read through these 18 verses, five things are clearly revealed to us. Number one, the beast rising up from the sea The C stands for the nations and governments of the world. We find that in Isaiah 17, 12 and Revelation 17, 15 represents all the civil political powers of the world bent upon the destruction of Christ's church. That's found in verses one through seven of Revelation 13. Number two. Though relentlessly persecuted, God's church is always safe and secure, preserved and protected in Christ by divine grace. Verses 8 through 10. The beast coming up out of the earth represents all the false religion of the world by which multitudes are deceived and damned. Verses 11 through 17. Number four. The number of the beast is the number of failure, frustration, and defeat, verse 18. That number is 666. There is no cause for alarm or despair. The number of the beast is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day. Six is not seven and never will be. Seven is the number of perfection, victory, and triumph. Seven is the number of completion, conquest, and joy. Six is one short of seven. Six misses the mark. Six never comes to completion. Six is always failure. Let all who worship the Lamb and do not receive the mark of the Beast, all who refuse to be identified with false man-centered religion of any kind, rejoice. Victory is ours. The number of the Beast is 666, which means failure upon failure upon failure. It is the number of man because the religion of the beast glories in man. Therefore, it must fail. Once more, we are assured that though we must endure much tribulation, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8 37. Number five, it is not possible for God's elect to be deceived because their names are written in the book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. And so according to Hendrickson, the beast from the earth, the second beast represents the power of evil that deludes the people of the world who are not true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, in false religion. And we must make brief comment that there is much false religion in our day, of course, and there has been in the world since the beginning. And we must comment, too, that the first beast represents, again, according to Hendrickson, this powerful ability of the devil to work through persecuting states, operating through the nations of the world and in their governments. And I am particularly encouraged this week, and I want to encourage you, that the Word of God clearly speaks about this working of nations in the world and nations that are empowered by Satan, they are moved by Satan, demonically energized, if you will, these are nations greatly influenced in their false religion by demons to come against truth and to come specifically against the Church of God to persecute the Church. In the face of this, and here lies my encouragement, we conquer through the Lord Jesus Christ. And so victory is truly ours. I think that Mr. Fortner put that very well in the comment that I shared with you. And so though there is persecution of the church, though there is a satanic attack upon the church in our day, in fact at this very hour, We must take courage in the face of such things because the devil's ability to destroy is limited by the great and sovereign God, and the devil's ability to destroy does not reach our souls. We who are truly saved in Christ have conquered the world. We are eternally secure and safe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so my friends, let us be encouraged in the face these terrible events that we are witnessing day by day and will witness perhaps in an increasingly greater ways as time goes on as we approach ever more closely to the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ at his second coming. Let us be encouraged to note and remember that the Bible tells us that nations will rise against nations, that there will be great tribulations and troubles. There will be great persecutions. There will be a time of great trouble so that men's hearts could fail them for fear, were it not for the precious salvation and grace and saving love of the Lord Jesus Christ that all of us who have truly come to Christ enjoy. The saving love of Christ will keep us in these last evil and very dangerous days. And so, my friends, we want to look now at verses in Matthew. Matthew chapter 10, verse 27. Let's begin in verse 27. Matthew 10 verse 27. The Lord Jesus is teaching us and this is what he says, whatever I tell you in the dark speak in the light and what you hear in the ear preach on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your father's will, but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows." And so we see that Jesus calls us not to fear those who can kill the body and who cannot kill the soul, but that he calls us to reverence and trust and love God, our Heavenly Father, who is in absolute control of all things, even to the falling of one of our hairs to the ground. And he is working in such a way that this God who will not destroy us, body and soul and hell, will care for us and does not want us to be afraid in these last days, and he wants us to know that we are very valuable to him. Christ has loved us. We are of such value. We who truly believe that God has brought us into his own personal care. We are saved from our every sin. We are saved from the evil in the world. We are saved from the power of demonized states that would persecute us. And so when the enemy in the providence and control of God does press hard against us, We are not to fear him, the one who can kill the body, but not kill the soul. My friends, there is real strong encouragement for us today from the Word of God. The body will die. It will die because we have sinned. And the Bible declares it is God who will take us at death. But our souls, in fact, in a real sense, our very persons have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. We are absolutely forgiven in Christ and we are eternally safe in this great salvation. If the devil is to press against one of us with a strong persecution and we suffer physical harm, even to the point of death, that is a very minor and temporary victory for the devil because God himself is going to raise us up again from the grave, from the dead, Our souls live forever in Christ. We cannot die, Jesus says, in this sense. We are alive spiritually. We cannot die. No spirit can kill us. We are alive in Christ, and God himself will raise up the body that falls in death, even Even those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, He will raise the body and He will join us, body and soul. He will put us together again in absolute glory in His great salvation. And the temporary victory of the devil who can kill the body will be eternally, absolutely, perfectly reversed. We shall live forever. the persons we are, our souls and our bodies have been redeemed through the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we are not to fear those who can kill the body. Let us be encouraged today, my dear friends, because it is simply true that by the spirit of grace, we overcome and we are more than conquerors. Let me read verses for you found in Romans chapter 8, beginning in verse 31. Paul writes, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, as it is written, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us, for I am persuaded. that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. And so, my friends, how wonderfully true this is that we are safe spiritually in Christ. In fact, we are safe in every respect. spiritually and physically in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are precious in his sight. And so let us quickly make application in light of these truths this morning. We must trust Christ. We must boldly and with courage in these last and evil days serve the Lord Jesus Christ and preach the gospel and bring the glorious message of salvation to the peoples of planet Earth. We must resist a temptation to be fearful in the face of persecutions or even terrible things as we've witnessed recently. We must remember that we are spiritually blessed by God, that we are temporally, that is, physically blessed by God also, and that we live spiritual lives as spiritual people and that we wrestle spiritually. In a real sense, those who can kill the body are not our enemies. Our fight is not with flesh and blood. Our fight is spiritually, and we make war spiritually through prayer. through the Word of God, through true love to God and through true love to fellow Christians and to our neighbor. In fact, in true love of God to our enemies who really don't know what they're doing. the Lord Jesus Christ declared from the cross, Father, forgive them for they don't know what they're doing. And in a real sense, those who are moved by the devil to come and kill us, we who are in Christ, do not understand or really know what they're doing. And so we must call out in prayer for God's salvation. We must pity them. We must love them. We must forgive them. We must do good to those who are our enemies and know that we are fighting a spiritual battle and that This is not really primarily a concern of flesh and blood. And so, my friends, let us take courage. As these verses came into my heart this week as I was reading the Bible, I was filled with great courage and a great sense of safety. And it just came into my heart and made such great sense to me. It was so clear that this body is going to die. And so I must not be overly concerned about this because the promise of God is that I am spiritually alive in Christ. And yet, even then, this body that will die cannot truly permanently die. It will be raised up for eternal glory in God's presence. And so, if the body was to be killed, it would be just for a very short season, just for a short time in terms of eternity, and that this would be just another Trial that God had called me to endure and and that he would make it all right And and death would finally be swallowed up in life Because I I cannot die in the Lord Jesus Christ and so my friends be encouraged at this at this real point of of our understanding of truth we see that we are absolutely secure in the Lord Jesus Christ and Father, thank you. Thank you for such security. And so I pray that you'll encourage and comfort us today, knowing that we cannot die, that we are safe in Christ. And I pray that you would use this sermon to bring people to Christ, that they might see that he is the refuge, the strong tower. He is the haven of safety for sinners. We thank you, Lord. We bless you and we praise you. Bless your word to our hearts and protect us. Bring good to our enemies. Save the lost, Lord. Open the hearts of those who would war with your church. Bring them to the light of the gospel. We ask it in Jesus name. Amen and amen. And so my friends, until next Lord's Day morning, may the Lord bless you.