Lesson 11 Review: The Impending Conflict

Introduction

Memory Text: “ ‘Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth’ ” (John 17:17, NKJV).

The Mark of the beast is not some microchip implanted into a patient, it is not the bar codes on cans of food, neither does it have to do with the Illuminati. This week’s lesson reveals the coming conflict over worship, how the Sabbath will become the center of the global conflict on worship, how the devil will use coercion, pressure and force to break our commitments to Christ and most importantly how Jesus’ strength is what we need to go through earth’s final conflict.

Where did the conflict between Christ and Satan begin and what is the conflict?

The conflict between Christ and Satan began in heaven over worship.

Why should we worship God according to Revelation 14:7?

We worship God because He is Lord of all creation. Hence the reason why the devil hates the Sabbath so much, because it is an eternal reminder of our identity.

How do we worship God?

We worship God by keeping His commandments. Not keeping God’s commandments only indicate that you are paying allegiance to another power in direct opposition to God.

What does it mean to have the faith of Jesus according to Revelation 14:12?

The faith of Jesus is a faith so deep that it trusts when it cannot see. It perseveres when it cannot understand. It is a gift from Jesus that we receive by faith and will carry us through the impending conflict.

What is Satan’s strategy in getting many people to worship him?

His first strategy is deception. When deception does not work, he resorts to force. He is ultimately behind the idea that anyone who refuses to worship the beast or receive his mark will be put to death.

What is the mark of the beast?

The mark of the beast is the final link in the persecution of Christians. The devil is already preparing professed Christians for the mark of the beast by encouraging them to make compromises in their lives.

How do God’s people not receive the mark of the beast?

By God’s grace, by the power of Christ, God’s people stand firm when everything is shaking around them, they triumph over the forces of hell arrayed against them. While the world is following the beast, they “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14:4, NKJV).

Who is the dragon primarily?

The book of Revelation identifies the dragon primarily as Satan who worked through pagan Rome to try to destroy the “male Child,” Jesus Christ, who was “caught up to God and His throne” (NKJV).

What are some of the means through which the devil works?

The devil works through political and religious institutions to accomplish his purposes.

How does the dragon give his power, throne and great authority according to Revelation 13:2?

“The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev. 13:2, NKJV). This prophecy was fulfilled hundreds of years later when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved his capital from Rome to what came to be called Constantinople, in modern-day Turkey, thus leaving a power vacuum for the beast.

Who is the beast?

The beast is not a person; it is a religious organization that has substituted the truth of God’s Word for human decrees.

What is blasphemy and how is the Roman papacy a victim of blasphemy?

The Bible defines blasphemy in John 10:33 and Luke 5:21 with two examples: (1) a man pretending to be or claiming to be God, and (2) a man claiming the power to forgive sins. These accusations were falsely made against Jesus Christ since Jesus Christ is truly God. The Roman papacy has two distinctive doctrines that the Bible calls blasphemy: its claims that its priests have the power to forgive sins and that the pope has the prerogatives of God on earth.

Where do God’s people find their greatest joy?

Rather than worshipping the beast, God’s people find their greatest joy and highest delight in worshipping Him. Their obedience springs from their heart of love.

How do we identify the beast in our world today?

Today, the world leaders welcome the pontiff as an ambassador of the church of Rome and visit Him regularly at the Vatican. The scene is being set for the Pope to be the acclaimed moral leader and soon when that happens those who do not abide by the order of the society may be accused of disaffection toward the Government. Those who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. Pope Benedict XVI in his speech on June 6, 2012 defended Sunday as the day of the Lord and of men and women, he further said it is a day of freedom.

How does the first beast in Revelation 13 differ from the second beast in Revelation 13?

The first beast rose out of the sea, the second beast comes up “out of the earth” (Rev. 13:11, NKJV). The second beast rises near the close of the prophetic period during which the first beast exercises authority (Rev. 13:5). That is, it rises to preeminence around A.D. 1798.

What does the sea and earth in Revelation 13 represent?

The sea represents “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:15, NKJV). The earth represents a sparsely populated area of the world.

Which power precisely fits this description of the beast from the earth?

The United States precisely fits the description of the beast from the earth. It declared its independence in A.D. 1776, adopted its constitution in A.D. 1789, and was recognized as a world power by the late nineteenth century.

What are the further details of this second beast in Revelation 13?

“He had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11, NKJV). Horns in Bible prophecy symbolize power. The first beast had no crowns on its horns suggesting it’s not a monarchy. These two horns however represent the primary governing principles that are the source of the United States’ power and success–political and religious liberty.

What change is seen in the second beast according to Revelation 13:11, 12?

This gentle lamblike nation ultimately speaks like a dragon, exercises “all authority of the first beast” (Rev. 13:12, NKJV) and abandons its principles of religious liberty, causing “the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” (Rev. 13:12, NKJV). When United States was identified as this beast power, they were nowhere near the military and economic behemoth it was to become and remains now.

In Conclusion,

True worship springs from a mind taught by God’s Word, a soul transformed by His love, and a heart filled with His Spirit. Then we will not be “conformed to this world” but live according to God’s will which is found in His Word. That is our only safety! May God help us to offer Him true worship and not be conformed to this world, in Jesus’ name.