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Tribulation  Signs - The False Prophet - Audio Link

THE FALSE PROPHET

Text: Selected Scriptures from the LSB

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we bow before You today, with hearts filled with reverence and
gratitude for the truth of Your Word. Lord, I pray for the Holy Spirit to
illuminate Your words of eternal truth to our minds and hearts today. Help us
to be attentive to the teachings we encounter, whether at church, through the media,
or in the conversations we have with others. Protect our minds and hearts from
the subtle lure of heresies disguised as truth, for You have warned us that
many wear the cloak of righteousness while sowing seeds of confusion and doubt
among Your people. Lord, I thank You for assurance, that despite the presence
of these dangers, we are secure in Your love and truth. Help us to stand on the
truth that Your Word is both our anchor and refuge. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.

Introduction: In the spring of 1993, Americans watched their TVs in
shock as the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidians cult ended in
the fiery conflagration of the cult’s Waco compound. The Branch Davidians were
led by David Koresh, who claimed prophetic powers that enabled him to crack the
code of the seven seals in the book of Revelation.  Koresh convinced his followers that he had
been called to raise an “Army of God” and began stockpiling weapons in
preparation for the Apocalypse. Allegations of sexual and physical abuse of
women and children led to several investigations of the cult and, finally, to
the deadly standoff that ended in the burning of the compound and the deaths of
more than 70 cult members, including their children.

The world has suffered no shortage of false prophets. Throughout history, many
self-proclaimed prophets attracted masses of followers and led them either to
disappointment or disaster when their predictions failed. In the early 1840s,
many sold their homes and possessions in response to William Miller’s
prediction that Christ would return by 1844. In 1978, the world was shocked
when cult leader Jim Jones led or coerced more than 900 of his followers to
commit suicide.

The apostle John tells us clearly that the world has not seen the last of false
prophets. One is yet to come whose massive deceptions will make those of men
like Koresh, Miller, and Jones seem minor and localized. In today’s message, we
will learn what the Bible tells us of this False Prophet’s emergence, his
profile, his purpose, his power, his program, and finally, his punishment.

I.                THE FALSE PROPHET’S PROFILE

[READ Rev. 13:11] John introduces the False Prophet this way:

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the
earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and he was speaking as a dragon.

The descriptions of the beast in this passage are
metaphoric; as we soon learn, John is merely using them to illustrate the
extremely evil nature of the man who will become known as the False Prophet (16:13;
19:20; 20:10). It’s significant that John’s imagery combines two animals
with opposite natures – the meekness and gentleness of a lamb merged with the
predatory, devouring malevolence of a dragon.

There is nothing random about this description. The False
Prophet will come on the scene as a reasonable, humble, self-effacing person
whose magnetic personality will easily attract a large following. He will be
the epitome of the type of deceiver Jesus warned us against:

[READ Mt. 7:15]

15 Beware of the false prophets, who come to you
in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

Bible expositor John Phillips explains how the False
Prophet will manipulate and deceive masses of people:

The dynamic appeal of the False Prophet will lie in his
skill in combining political expediency with religious passion, self-interest
with benevolent philanthropy, lofty sentiment with blatant sophistry (false arguments), moral platitude
with unbridled self-indulgence. His arguments will be subtle, convincing, and
appealing. His oratory will be hypnotic, for he will be able to move the masses
to tears or whip them into a frenzy …. His deadly appeal will lie in the fact
that what he says will sound so right, so sensible, so exactly what
unregenerate men have always wanted to hear.

Let’s step back for a minute and take this all in. We know that Satan is a liar and deceiver.
Satan’s minions, the demons, are at work deceiving the whole world. We’ve
learned that the Antichrist is deceiving. Now we add in the False Prophet who
is also a deceiver. But there’s another component you may not have thought about.

[READ 2 Thes. 2:11-12]

11 And for this reason God sends upon them a deluding
influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order
that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in
unrighteousness.

No wonder the whole Tribulation world is deceived. Satan, the demons, the Antichrist, and the
False Prophet are beguiling in their duplicity. Then on top of all this, God will
send a deluding influence into the world. The result of all this is that
everybody on the earth who is not saved, who has not believed the truth of the
Gospel, are going to be misled and betrayed.

The combination of widespread appeal and diabolical
deception leaves no doubt as to the strong relationship that will exist between
the False Prophet, the Antichrist, and Satan himself. But the plot goes even
deeper than you may realize. By recruiting these two malevolent accomplices,
Satan will be attempting to form a trinity of his own. In this unholy trinity,
Satan himself counterfeits God the Father; the Antichrist counterfeits God the
Son, and the False Prophet counterfeits God the Holy Spirit.

II.           THE FALSE PROPHET’S PURPOSE

Understanding how Satan’s unholy trinity imitates the holy Trinity
of God helps us discover the False Prophet’s purpose.

[READ Rev. 13:12]  

12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his
presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first
beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

Matthew 11:27, tells us that Christ received authority from the
Father. In a similar way, the Antichrist will receive authority from the
dragon, who is Satan (Rev. 13:4). The primary purpose and objective of
God’s Holy Spirit is to glorify the Son (Jn. 16:14). The False Prophet
will imitate this purpose by leading people to worship the Antichrist (Rev.
13:12).

The False Prophet will come on the scene as a religious leader. At
the outset, he will encourage worship in all non-Christian religions, knowing
that increased participation in multiple religions will dilute the influence of
Christianity. But behind this façade of “benign religious tolerance”
will crouch a demonic purpose, which is to compel all the world’s diverse
religions to worship the Antichrist.

Because religion has become largely irrelevant in our highly secularized
society, it may seem odd that a religious leader would figure so prominently in
the political turmoil of the Tribulation period. But history shows that this
fits a consistent pattern. Politics and religion have always worked in tandem
as the primary forces that control humanity. Politics compels compliance by
authority, while religion draws compliance by attraction. When these two
combine forces, their power becomes virtually absolute.

W.A. Criswell offers some powerful examples of this phenomenon:

I do not suppose that in the history of mankind, it has ever been
possible to rule without religious approbation and devotion.… In the days of
Pharaoh, when Moses and Aaron stood before the sovereign of Egypt, he called in
Jannes and Jambres, the magicians, the religionists of his day, to oppose
Jehovah. When Balak, the king of Moab, sought to destroy Israel, he hired the
services of Balaam to curse Israel.… Ahab and Jezebel were able to do what they
did in Israel, in the debauchery of the kingdom, because they were abetted and
assisted by the prophets of Baal.

Religion has always been a powerful force in influencing humanity.
Therefore, Satan will use religion as one of his most effective tools to bring
the world under the control of the Antichrist. The False Prophet will be
Satan’s agent in turning the world’s worship toward the Antichrist.

III.      THE FALSE PROPHET’S POWER

John tells us the False Prophet will exercise enormous
power, but that his power will be derived from another:

[READ Rev. 13:13-14a]  

3 And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire
come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. 14a And
he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which were given
to him to do in the presence of the beast.

Here we see demonic power flowing downward through a vertical chain of command: The False
Prophet receives his power from the Antichrist (the Beast), and the Antichrist
receives his power from Satan (the dragon). Scripture amply documents
this flow of power. John states five times in Revelation 13:2-8 that the
Antichrist will derive his power from Satan. Then in verses 12-15 he states
three times that the False Prophet will derive his power from the Antichrist:

[READ Rev. 13:12a, 14a, 15a]  

12a And he exercises all the authority of the first beast
in his presence…. 14a And he deceives those who dwell on the
earth because of the signs which were given to him to do in the presence of the
beast, … 15a And it was given to him to give breath to the
image of the beast.

These passages leave no ambiguity as to the source of the False Prophet’s power. It is
satanic, both in its source and its nature. Some believe that only God gives
power to work miracles, and they therefore assume the False Prophet’s signs and
wonders are mere tricks. But Jesus Himself counters that assumption:

[READ Mt. 24:24]  

24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and
will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Let’s take a few moments to identify three of the False Prophet’s miracles, which show how his demonic
power will be employed.

Ÿ HE WILL CALL DOWN FIRE UPON THE EARTH (Rev. 13:13; Gen.
19:24; Lev. 10:1-2; Rev. 20:7-9; Mal. 4:5; 1 Ki. 18:20-39; Deut.
13:1-5; Mt. 7:15-23)

[READ Rev. 13:13]

13 And he does great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the
presence of men.

This is yet another instance of demonic mimicry of the power of God, who has often used fire in
executing His judgments. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with a downpour of
fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:24). He used fire to consume the wicked
priests Nadab and Abihu for flouting tabernacle rituals (Lev. 10:1-2).
And at the end of the Millennium, God will send fire from heaven to annihilate
Satan’s army (Rev. 20:7-9).

However, Scripture indicates that there may be an even deeper purpose to the False Prophet’s use
of fire other than mere mimicry.

[READ Mal. 4:5]

5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day
of Yahweh.

The False Prophet’s use of fire will evoke a strong connection between himself and the OT prophet
Elijah, who ministered to Israel in the days of the divided kingdom. In a
spectacular confrontation with the priests of Baal, Elijah called for God to
send down fire to ignite the sacrificial bull he had prepared on an altar atop
Mount Carmel. The fire descended and consumed not only the sacrifice, but also
the altar itself and the water in the trench surrounding it (1 Ki. 18:20-39).
This was the Elijah prophesied by Malachi to be the forerunner announcing the
imminent coming of Christ. The False Prophet will mimic Elijah’s miracle of
fire and claim to be the fulfillment of Malachi’s prophecy. He will pose as the
promised Elijah and act as the harbinger of the Antichrist.

Many will see the power of the False Prophet as a sign of his authenticity. But biblical scholar Craig
Keener warns against accepting miracles alone as validation of an authentic prophet of God:

Signs by themselves can be positive or negative; what enables us to discern true prophets from
false ones is … to evaluate them by their moral character. The point is that we
know them by their message and their fruit, not by their gifts.

[READ Deut. 13:1-5] Moses taught:

1 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and
the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying,
‘Let us walk after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that
dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you to find out if you love
Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You
shall walk after Yahweh your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His
commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 But
that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has
counseled rebellion against Yahweh your God who brought you from the land of
Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in
which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So, you shall purge the evil from
among you.

[READ Mt. 7:15-23] Jesus warns:

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will
know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from
thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the
bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So
then, you will know them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will
enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in
Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your
name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I
never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Ÿ HE WILL COMMISSION AN IMAGE TO BE BUILT (Rev. 13:14-15;
14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4; Mt. 24:15-16, 21; 2 Thes. 2:3-4)

The False Prophet’s occult power will gain him an enormous following. When his influence and
deception become pervasive, he will commission an enormous sculpture honoring
the Antichrist to be set in the reconstructed Jewish temple. John describes the
statue as “an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived”
(Rev. 13:14). This image is a prominent feature in the book of
Revelation, mentioned 10 times in seven chapters (13:14-15; 14:9, 11; 15:2;
16:2; 19:20; 20:4). The worship of the Antichrist will center on this idol
until the end of the Tribulation period, marking the final stage of apostasy,
which is idolatry – the hallmark of all false religions.

Nineteenth-century theologian J.A. Seiss, noted the factors that will lead the world to worship
the image of the Beast:

[It is not] difficult to trace what sort of arguments will be brought to bear for the making of this
image. In the ages of great worldly glory and dominion statues were raised to
the honor of the great of every class, but who of all the great ones of the
earth is so great as the Antichrist! Statues have ever been common for the
commemoration of great events; but what greater event and marvel has ever
occurred than that in the history of this man, in that he was wounded to death,
and yet is restored to life and activity, with far sublimer qualities than he
possessed in his first life? … And who will there be among the proud sons of
earth to stand against such arguments?

Jesus was apparently referring to this image of the Antichrist in His Olivet discourse when He said:

[READ Mt. 24:15-16,21]  

15 Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the
prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then
those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. … 21 For
then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the
beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

The apostle Paul also referred to the image of the Beast and the apostasy that will accompany it:

[READ 2 Thes. 2:3-4]  

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it has not come unless the apostasy comes first, and
the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who
opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so
that he takes his seat in the sanctuary of God, exhibiting himself as being
God.

When this desecration of the temple occurs, the False Prophet will have achieved his goal of making
the worship of the Antichrist a worldwide phenomenon.

Ÿ HE WILL CONJURE THE IMAGE TO BREATHE & SPEAK (Rev. 13:15)

When the image of the Antichrist is erected in the Jewish temple, the False Prophet will then …

[READ Rev. 13:15]

15 … Give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause
as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

So, what exactly is the nature of this wonder? The Bible does not say. The old speculation was that
the “image of the Beast” would be a statue given the appearance of life.
With the rise of new technologies come new theories, including holograms,
androids, cyborgs, a human-animal hybrid, a human clone, or artificial
intelligence. Whatever it is, the image of the beast is the focal point of
worship in the “religion of the beast” during the second half of the
tribulation.

Let’s pull over here for a minute or two, because I think there are a couple of important things I
should point out to you.

[READ Ps. 135:15-17]

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work
of man’s hands. 16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see; 17 They have ears, but
they do not hear, surely, there is not any breath in their mouths.

This is a firm, OT statement against idolatry.
In fact, it’s repeated several times that idols are dumb and idols cannot speak.

[READ Hab. 2:19]  

19 Woe to him who says to a piece of wood,
‘Awake!’ to a mute stone, ‘Arise!’ and that is your teacher?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all
inside it.

But contrary to what is normal, as far as graven
images go, this idol can speak. Now, this is amazing. The Antichrist, will be
established as the focus of world-wide worship. The False Prophet commissions
this image and is somehow given the power to give it breath so that the image
can speak.

In Revelation 13:15, the word translated as “breath”
is not zōē, it’s not bīos, the two Greek words which
are used for life in the NT. Instead, John employs the use of the word pneûma,
which means “spirit-powered.” I believe John is describing an image that
has the appearance of life, but it is not flesh and blood life.

Some maintain that this image will actually come to
life, but I have a hard time believing that. You see, Satan cannot give life; he
can counterfeit it, but he cannot create life – only God can do that. So, the
Antichrist’s supposed resurrection is probably just another demonic fabrication.
Yet, keep in mind, that Pharaoh’s magicians could throw their staffs on the
ground and turn them into snakes to mimic Moses’ miracle. With all of the
technology available today, backed by all of Satan’s available power, this kind
of thing could be easily done. The False Prophet will animate this statue so
that it actually appears to come to life.

The late Dr. Henry Morris asserted that the image would speak and breathe through the power of a
demonic miracle: “The False Prophet is enabled (by his own master, Satan) to
impart a spirit to the image, but that spirit is one of Satan’s unclean spirits
…. This is a striking case of demon possession, with the demon possessing the
body of the image rather than that of a man or woman.”

I don’t know exactly how all of it is going to work,
but it isn’t hard to imagine that worldwide 24/7 television will keep the image
of the Beast in everybody’s homes all the time. People will be watching the
phenomenon of its movement and its speech, and they will be brought to their
knees in worship of the Antichrist. It will be much like ancient kings who set
themselves up as gods, built idols of their own design, and then demanded that
people bow down and worship those idols as symbols of worshiping them. So it
will be in the last half of the Tribulation, and anybody who doesn’t comply will
be given a death sentence.

At any rate, this image serves as a chilling example of the dark power that will dominate the
world throughout the Tribulation period – a power exercised by the False
Prophet that will confer credibility to the Antichrist and enable Satan to
complete his insidious program of deception in the final days.

IV.    THE FALSE PROPHET’S PROGRAM (Rev. 13:16-18; 7:3-4)

While this beast from the earth is first a religious
leader, he will also direct the Antichrist’s sweeping economic program.

[READ Rev. 13:16-17]  

16 And he causes all, the small and the great,
and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, that they be given
a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and that no
one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either
the name of the beast or the number of his name.

After securing worldwide worship for the Antichrist, the
False Prophet will capitalize on this success with a hostile takeover of the
world’s economic system. No one will be allowed to participate in any financial
transaction without a mark placed either on one’s hand or forehead. There will
be no exemptions. Those who refuse the mark will be barred from all buying or
selling.

The mark of the Beast is yet another satanic imitation of God’s activity.

[READ Rev. 7:3-4]

3 … “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the
trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4 And
I heard the number of those having been sealed, 144,000 sealed from every tribe
of the sons of Israel.

God will mark 144,000 Jewish evangelists with a seal on
their foreheads to signify their sanctification for God’s special purpose. The
False Prophet will try to replicate this act by forcing the followers of the
Antichrist to bear a demonic mark, thus sealing them as Satan’s own people.

The counterfeit mark of Satan will differ greatly from
the authentic seal of God. God’s seal will protect His witnesses from harm,
whereas Satan’s mark will inflict untold misery on his followers. God’s seal
will be given only to a select few, but everyone will be forced to bear the
mark of the Antichrist or suffer extremely severe consequences.

Dr. Mark Hitchcock explains the disastrous impact on those who refuse the mark.

No one will be able to shop at the mall, eat at a
restaurant, fill up at gas stations, pay utility bills, buy groceries, get
prescriptions filled, pay to get the lawn mown, or pay the mortgage without the
mark of the Beast. It’s the Tribulation trademark.

The recent breakthroughs in medical implant chips and
RFID technologies have increased interest in the mark of the Beast
spoken of in Revelation chapter 13. It is possible that the technology we are
seeing today represents the beginning stages of what may eventually be used as
the mark of the beast. Many good expositors of Revelation differ widely as to
the exact nature of the mark of the beast. Besides the implanted chip view,
other speculations include an ID card, a special tattoo, or simply a mark of
some kind that identifies someone as being faithful to the Antichrist’s
kingdom. This last view requires the least amount of speculation, since it does
not add any more information than what the Bible gives us. Any of these things
are possible, but at the same time they are all speculations. We should not
spend a lot of time pondering over the precise details.

[READ Rev. 13:18]

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding
calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man; and his number
is 666.

The meaning of 666 is a mystery, and it appears that the
apostle John, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intended it to
be that way. Calculating it, John says, requires “wisdom.” Some, using
gematria (assigning a number value to each letter of a name or word and then
combining the number values to arrive at a total number), have identified
the Antichrist as various people in world history. Some of the popular targets of
the past have been “Caesar Nero,” “Ronald Wilson Reagan,” “Mikhail Gorbachev,”
and various popes in Roman Catholic history. The lengths some will go to in
order to get a person’s name to add up to 666 are amazing. Virtually any name
can add up to 666 if enough mathematical gymnastics are employed. Six hundred,
sixty-six will somehow identify the beast, but precisely how 666 is
connected to the beast is not the main point of Revelation 13:18.

The Bible often uses the number 7 to refer to God
and His perfection. Traditionally, 6 is thought to be the number of man
-- created on the sixth day and always “falling short” of God. The Beast/Antichrist
will strive to be like God. He will even claim to be God. But, just as the
number 6 falls short of the number 7, so will the Beast/Antichrist,
with his “trinity” of 6’s, ultimately fail in his effort to
defeat God.

Suffice it to say, somehow, the number 666 will identify
the Antichrist. For centuries Bible interpreters have been trying to identify
certain individuals with 666. Nothing is conclusive. That is why John said the
number requires wisdom. However, when the Antichrist is revealed (2 Thes.
2:3-4), it will be very clear who he is and how the number 666 identifies
him.

V.         THE FALSE PROPHET’S PUNISHMENT (Rev. 19:20; 14:9-11; 20:4)

Despite the immense demonic power and control wielded by the False Prophet, he will finally
come to the horrible end prophesied by John.

[READ Rev. 19:20]

20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false
prophet who did the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had
received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two
were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.

Being cast alive into the lake of fire seems a fitting end to this demonic mass deceiver. Though
his power and influence will reach throughout the world, inflicting death and
misery on countless millions, his days will be cut short. He will be caught in the
relentless wheels of God’s justice and spend eternity with his cohorts, Satan
and the Antichrist, in the everlasting lake of fire.

What will happen to the millions he deceived? They too will be severely punished.

[READ Rev. 14:9-11]

9 … “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and
receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 and he also
will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in
the cup of His rage, and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And
the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and
night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark
of his name.”

Some may question the fairness of this judgment against those who accept the mark of the Beast,
thinking they will merely be doing what is necessary for survival. Yet, when we
look at their choice from an eternal perspective, we can see that it will bring
about the opposite of survival. It may briefly extend their earthly lives, but
at the end of the Antichrist’s regime, they will be plunged into eternal death.
Conversely, those who refuse the Beast’s mark will face the prospect of
immediate death, but they will awaken from that death into eternal life.

[READ Rev. 20:4]

4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment
was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
because of their witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and who also
had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on
their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and reigned with Christ
for a thousand years.

Conclusion: In this fallen world, Christians are not
called to a life where all choices lead to comfort or safety. We are called to
a life of commitment to the One who loves us enough to die for us. The Bible
often tells us this commitment will mean trouble and pain. We must draw
encouragement from the words of Jesus, who said …

[READ Mt. 10:28]

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but
are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both
soul and body in hell.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we’re living
in perilous times. The kingdoms of this world are in an uproar. The nation of
Israel sits at the hub of history, and the predictions of Your Word are
unfolding like a scroll. Evil has never been stronger and the end has never
been closer. Our world is in the grip of the birth pangs of tribulation, the
likes of which have never been seen before and will never be seen again. Lord,
rejecting the spirit of fear, we claim the Spirit of power, love, and a sound
mind. Help us share the Gospel in these last days. Give us a sense of urgency,
anticipation, and evangelism as we await the upward call. May we persevere as
we listen for the shout, for the voice of the archangel, and for the trumpet
call of God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Invitation # 375: “Jesus Calls Us” (4
vs.)

Benediction: Beloved, the Lord
gives us wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. So, trust in
the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Amen. (Prov.
2:6; 3:5-6)