Sermon Notes - Revelation 13 - Prophecy Unfolding: The Ones - Littleby Baptist Church - April 3, 2022

 1.     We have looked at a lot of things the last couple of weeks.

2.     Started with social degradation and the apostacy that is rampant in this world.

3.     The labor pains led us to wars and rumors of wars.

a.      Russia and Ukraine may be events leading up to the war in Ezekiel 38.

4.     Then there are earthquakes and famines.

a.      Earthquakes are getting worse, but I would think Jesus was talking about a significant increase.

b.     For famines we are not there yet, but there are a lot of factors at play today that could lead that way.

5.     All of these events stacked together are preparing the world for the rise of the Ones.

a.      One Government.

b.     One Currency.

c.      One Religion.

6.     None of these events will happen all at once

a.      That would cause a lot of people to take notice, even those who are sitting on the fence.

b.     But, step by step, bit by bit, things are lining up that will result in this shift without some even noticing it.

c.      Rights being stripped away, growth of moral and religious relativism, the idea that anything goes and that there are many ways to God.

d.     Slowly the world is being prepared for the Ones.

7.     One Government

a.      Revelation 13:5-7

b.     The antichrist will be granted authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

c.      He will be the head of one government over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

d.     How will people turn over authority and submit to a single leader?

e.      Lack of trust in existing governments is a key step.

f.      There is a lack of trust in the US government, regardless of political parties, and we are not alone.

g.     There is more political turmoil around the world than our news services share with us.

h.     There is a lack of trust in many governments.

                                                    i.     Lack of trust if elections are fair.

i.       People do not feel heard or represented.

j.       They will follow someone who promises to make things better.

8.     One Government – war.

a.      If people cannot get along across borders, how appealing would it be if someone could unite the governments of the world into a single ruling body to bring peace.

b.     If the world ends up on the brink of a world war, there will be people who will jump at an opportunity of peace even if it means tearing down borders once and for all.

c.      If people were promised peace, security, and prosperity many would be all for it.

                                                    i.     They would say that losing some rights is worth it.

9.     One Government - How will people fall in line with something like this?

a.      Things will get bad; we may come to the ragged edge of firing nuclear weapons… and a charismatic leader will step out and people will follow them.

b.     People do it now with movie stars, athletes, etc… if they say something people believe it. They don’t even question if it is right or not.

c.      As we continue to see rights stripped away, people feel they have no control, or some think it really does not matter or does not impact them. Why worry about it?

d.     Those whose eyes are not opened by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God will follow blindly.

10.  One Currency

a.      Revelation 13:16-17

b.     The Mark of the Beast is a mark taken so that one can buy or sell.

                                                    i.     It does not mean that the mark is the tool, like an implanted chip or something like that.

                                                  ii.     Could be a part of that but does not have to be.

                                                iii.     The mark is a sign that someone belongs.

c.      This is probably the easiest of the Ones to take place.

d.     Out of convenience most people don’t carry or use cash.

                                                    i.     Easy to use a card, login to an account, or use your phone to pay for something.

                                                  ii.     Many of us do it already.

e.      Over the last two years we were encouraged to use cards only and some stores and restaurants would not allow the use of cash.

f.      The transition to a cashless society would be easy for most people.

11.  One Currency – value?

a.      The US dollar and other currencies around the world are not tied to Gold.

b.     Which means they are only as valuable as people view them.

c.      The value is perception based, which is great for a classic Mustang but not for the primary currency in the world.

                                                    i.     Inflation and hyper-inflation that we may be facing soon makes each $1 worth less and less.

                                                  ii.     As the debt continues to grow and if the US government ever defaults on it, the value of a dollar will plummet.

12.  One Government would push for a single currency.

a.      If there is a new currency, it would not be hard for them to go all electronic.

b.     The Mark of the Beast will not be something that we the Church will see, but we can see how society is moving in that direction.

                                                    i.     It will not be hard to accept a single form of currency in the world.

c.      Most of us already use Visa.

d.     The way is being paved and it would not be hard for that final push.

13.  One Religion

a.      Revelation 13:11-15

b.     The false prophet will compel all who live on the earth to worship the antichrist.

c.      Their will be a point where there is only one accepted religion.

d.     You will be persecuted if you don’t go along.

e.      How does the world get there?

14.  There are a lot of people in the world who do not know Jesus.

a.      They do not know the Bible.

b.     They listen to the rhetoric that Christians are hypocrites, bigots, homophobes, and that we hate people who do not agree with us.

c.      For many turning their hate towards followers of Jesus would be an easy thing to do.

15.  One Religion – Chrislam

a.      Abrahamic Family House in Dubai set to open in 2022.

                                                    i.     It is being called the One World Religion of Chrislam headquarters.

                                                  ii.     It will be a mosque, church, and synagogue. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish.

b.     This is being seen as a good thing.

c.      I am stuck on John 14:6, there is only one way to God and it is through Jesus.  

16.  One Religion – COEXIST

a.      A fairly common bumper sticker.

b.     I agree with it in one way, our faiths should not drive us to fight each other. But that is where my agreement stops.

c.      The message of COEXIST is religious relativism.

                                                    i.     All are equal and all are paths to God.

d.     People already believe this.

e.      The path is being laid for the world to accept One religion.

17.  Acts 1:8 – to the ends of the earth… why would Jesus tell us to be His witnesses, if all religions were equal.

18.  Matthew 28:19-20 all nations, baptizing them in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

a.      Not to Mahammad, not to Budda, not to some wican thing.

b.     To the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

19.  The path is being laid to breakdown what we know today and make the transition to the Ones easy for those that go along.

20.  I am excited to be with my King, but the path between here and there will be tough.

21.  While the Ones will not be in full effect until the Tribulation, we can see the world being prepared for them today.

22.  What do we need to do?

23.  Remember that our Hope comes from our Jesus.

24.  Remember that He will never leave us or forsake us.

25.  Philippians 3:19-21

a.      For us who EAGERLY wait for the return of our Savior.

b.     We will receive our glorious bodies and will spend forever in the presence of our God.

26.  The world is being prepared for our Lord’s return.

a.      It will be a bumpy road, but we will NOT see the worst of it.

b.     We need to keep our eyes focused on our Jesus.

c.      Remember out Home is not here, it is with Jesus.