Counterfeits

Summary of Revelation 13

John has a vision of a beast rising from the sea and describes it. He noticed a mortal wound on the head of the beast that was healed. Next, John explains that the dragon who gave authority to the beast and his popularity and continues to tell us about the blasphemies spoken by the beast and who he blasphemed. The beast makes war against the saints and John gives a warning to all who will listen. Furthermore , John describes the second beast, his “job description”, and the strategy of the first and second beast together. Lastly, there is mention of the number of the beast…666.

Takeaways

• It is not the suit that makes a superhero; it is the man inside the suit.
• The best way to decide if something is a counterfeit is to be very familiar with the real thing.
• Persecution is going to get very real and intense, but we have nothing to fear.
• We need to recognize that when push comes to shove, it is going to be very tempting to follow along with the thundering herd and follow the counterfeit leader. We need not to be afraid, but discerning.

One Couldn’t Help But Ask…

1. If the antichrist looks like Jesus, seems to come back from the dead, is pleasing to mankind, seems supernatural, if he is so deceiving, how do we identify the imposter?
2. How are we supposed to live in the midst of this counterfeit leader? In other words, what does life look like for a Christian who is alive during these times.
3. Brandon mentioned that during these times of the antichrist and persecution we are to “remain in Christ” and to “faithfully endure”. What do these terms mean and how does it look when they are played out in our lives?
4. Have you personally experienced anything that caused you to be tempted to hide your faith and belief in Jesus?