Spiritual Warfare Part IV…..The Two Beasts

Spiritual Warfare

Part IV…..The Two Beasts

Mark l: 9 It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and were baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.

11 Then a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

            12 Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.

13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. It says in verse 13, “And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him." What Jesus had to overcome was these "BEASTS" and one of the things that you and I are going to have to overcome, whether God is in us or not, is going to be these beasts operating in us.

So let’s take a look at what this beast is.

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

This beast comes up out of the sea of humanity because that is where it has life and the power to operate.

Ø     The number seven is symbolic of becoming spiritually complete and ten horns speak of a new order.

Ø     The ten crowns tell us that he reigns

Ø     Upon his heads is the name of blasphemy.

This is a picture of the antichrist spirit. It is self seeking, self centred, selfish and it devours. Today, that beast is devouring everyone that’s out there in that sea of humanity.

Revelations 13: 2And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

It was Jesus came that dealt a deathblow to the head of that beast.

Revelation 13: 4 and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

This is the great question today.

We face people who are making war with the beast and they draw back and say, “Who is able to make war with this beast? Look I've tried and he always wins. Who is like unto the beast?”

I'll tell you why we can’t walk make war with this beast.

Ø     It’s because we don’t have faith enough to believe that we can actually walk without sin.

Ø     Maybe we’ll be without sin in the sweet by and by or when we all get to Heaven, but not now.

Ø     We have got more faith in the beast today than we have in God.

Ø     We believe that the beast is stronger than God and that there is not enough power in us to come against it, to actually be victorious and to put this beast to death.

Ø     We forget that Jesus 2000 years ago already struck a deathblow against this beast. It’s already weakened.

How many times have we heard people say, “I’ve tried to overcome that; you just don't understand the problem, it just works in me a lot stronger than it does in everybody else.” No it doesn't, it’s the same beast. It just seems stronger to you because it’s in you. You can't feel the strength of it in somebody else.

Revelations 13: 5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

Notice that when we listen to what the beast realm of mankind has to say, it will always blaspheme God.

Ø     It doesn't have any difficulty using the Lord's name in vain.

Ø     It is the beast that defiles, devours and pollutes.

Ø     It has no respect for anyone.

Ø     It doesn't care about anybody’s property.

Ø     It doesn't care how much damage it does just as long as it can satisfy its own lusts.

If you don't believe that the beasts is operating then study teenagers and young adults of today.

Ø     If no control is exercised over them they will become destructive.

Ø     They will have no respect of anyone’s property and whatever they think to do they do regardless of holiness.

Ø     That’s the nature of the beast.

The Divine nature is quite different.

Ø     The Divine nature never seeks for himself.

Ø     He has a great regard for the welfare of others.

Ø     He never destroys, but comes to build and redeem, to restore and give life.

Revelation 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

There is no nation and no tongue that has not felt the power of the beast. It has already overcome many of the saints.

Only the remnant shall escape, who do not worship this beast. Everyone else will give in, everyone else will say, “The beast is too powerful, who is able to make war with the beast?"

 Let’s not lie to ourselves though, the beast has been operating mightily in us and we have yielded more to the beast than we have to God, but if we're going to win this warfare we’ve got to kill this beast nature in us.

Proverbs 9: 1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

            Revelation 13:9 “If any man have an ear let him hear."

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

In the beast realm men live by the sword.

Ø     You can pass all the laws you want to but when the beast is in control it regards no law except the law of the beast and it respects no order except its own.

Ø     It operates freely and it challenges anyone that challenges itself.

Ø     It knows no boundaries or limitations because, “Who can make war with the beast?"

Sin is the operation of that beast in us, but the good news is that the power of sin has already been broken in our life. Sin does not have the dominion over us any more because Jesus came and destroyed the works of the devil that gave the beast his power.

Revelation 13: 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

When Adam fell, the entire world went into the beast realm that rose out of the sea of humanity, but when Jesus was into the world, He opened up another dimension and another realm.

Ø     God chose a people out of the realm of all the nations for His name's sake.

Ø     This is why the next dimension of the operation of the beast came up, not out of the sea, but out of the earth.

“Coming up out of the earth” speaks to us of a religious realm that came into being.

The church today perceives that it is in the power of the Lamb, but there's a problem. Scripture says that the beast out of the earth “had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”

Ø     This beast is not speaking the Words of God, which is the truth, but it is speaking a lie.

Ø     Scripture also says that in the last days people will be unwilling to hear the truth but will turn to myths. The myths that they will believe are not the ones that the world is speaking, but the ones the religious system is telling.

Ø     They are going to heap to themselves teachers saying, “Speak to us smooth things".

Ø     Paul says that in the last days the church will appear religious, but they will deny the power that would make them Godly.

Ø     They want to see the power of the lamb demonstrated in their midst, but they don't want to be faced with the truth.

This is why the Bible says “truth is fallen in the streets, for all seek their own and not the things of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This religious beast coming forth is still in the beast realm because it’s not moving by the nature of God. It is just the same old beast nature now clothed in a garment of religion.

Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

There are true miracles of God that take place, but there are many more out there that are in a false miracle realm. I’ll tell you how you can recognize the false from the true.

Ø     The false is like an illusion, today you've got it and tomorrow it’s gone.

Ø     Whatsoever the Lord does is done forever.

Ø     Nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it.

All that this religious beast system has done is cause more people to worship the first beast than it has to worship God.