Antichrist & Trump Worship (Revelation 13:3) - Part 2

Blessings to Israel presents Discerning the Times, a program committed to encouraging you to view current events through the lens of the Bible. Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, please join us for today's program. Welcome to Discerning the Times.

My name is Brian Thomas. Such a blessing to be with you once again this week. We're going to continue with our look at a sermon from July 14th, the day after the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. It was preached by Logan Fowler, the pastor of Truth Baptist Church in Lewiston, Idaho, in which he was addressing Revelation chapter 13, verse 3 of the mortal wound that was to the head of the beast.

So we'll pick up where we left off last week. But before we get to that, I want to remind you, as we always do, that your eternal state is far more important than your current state. If you've never received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so today.

Otherwise, if you leave this out of life without having received him, you will spend eternity in the lake of fire separated from God. So will you please give your heart to Jesus Christ on today? So, folks, once again, as I said last week, I was talking with my wife on July 13th.

That was the day of the assassination attempt on President Trump at the rally in Pennsylvania. And after we had been watching coverage for a couple of hours, I said to her that I guarantee some are going to run with that event, saying that it was fulfillment of Revelation 13, three. That verse reads, And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled and followed the beast. So that is a reference to Antichrist in the seven year tribulation that is to come.

So I began looking around on the Internet and sure enough, I found that there were several videos out there on the topic. So I came across this sermon again by Logan Fowler, the pastor of Truth Baptist Church in Lewiston, Idaho, in which he is saying very clearly that, no, this is not fulfillment of Revelation 13, three. And so he addressed the topic very well, along with giving good perspective on politics and overall eschatology.

So I wanted to share it with our audience. Now, I must say, my interpretation is not quite the same as I believe the mortal head wound is a governmental system or a nation rather than a human. And I'll explain shortly as to why I believe that. And well, Pastor Fowler thinks otherwise he thinks it is referring to a human being.

But I will say I am open to dual fulfillment, that it could be a human being. But again, I thought that it was overall the overarching message to his sermon, I thought was good. So, again, I don't agree with every single point in his message. I do truly believe that we are in a spiritual battle, even when we look at things politically. When you look at Democrat versus Republican. Yes, there are sinners on both sides. And that is because all of us are sinners.

All have sinned and fallen short. And well, you know, but when you look at things like taking the lives of unborn children and one party pushes it, I mean, just just pushes it as if it's their religion in the Democratic Party to to give a woman the right to take the life of an unborn child. And well, there are, yes, some Republicans that do believe that that a woman should have that right also in some cases. But at least when it comes to platform, the two platforms are nowhere near the same. Now, we'll talk about it in the weeks to come that the Republican platform, unfortunately, is moving in a direction that is away from the right. And when it comes to life, there's language in there that has really watered it down when you talk about life in the womb.

And so we'll talk about that more in weeks to come. But it is a spiritual battle. And we see that one party is standing more for biblical positions than the other. When you look at Democrat versus Republican, we have to be able to to stand up and say that. But again, when it comes to Revelation 13, three.

Is it a reference to a human versus a governmental system or nation? So I want to talk about that before I get into the sermon. Now, let me just say this before I dive too deep into this, those that politics has its place in the life of a Christian.

But the focus and the passion for it should not usurp our passion for our Lord. And I asked my daughter one day last week as we saw something on television with the presidential campaign, the presidential race. And I turned to my daughter and I said, do you think people focus too much on who's the president?

And my daughter, she's 13, and she said yes. And I said, yes, I agree with you, because a lot of people are more passionate about a presidential candidate or a political candidate than they are Jesus Christ. I see people who when someone says something against the candidate that they're in favor of, they get so worked up.

I mean, you just see all this passion pouring out of them. But then the same person who can be a professing Christian can hear someone blaspheme the name of our Lord and you see no reaction out of them. And I say that's that's not the way it's supposed to be.

That's out of order. So we are to be involved as Christians. I do truly believe that. But listen, we already have a savior. That is Jesus Christ. He's the only one that can save us. So we have eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. We already have a savior.

We're not looking for another. And I sometimes hear from people when I talk about politics and they say, why are you putting your hope and trust in a politician? We should only put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And folks, yes, we look to our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

He's the only one that fulfills that. But God does work through human beings to carry out his order, to carry out his law. And so when we support a politician, that doesn't mean we're putting that person in the place of Jesus Christ.

It just simply means we are wanting the person to represent us. That is best going to carry out the ways of our Lord. But we should not worship Donald Trump, as the sermon says. And we should not worship Kamala because you see it on both sides of the fence. You see people worshipping her. You see people worshipping Trump.

You saw it with Obama. We should not worship any human being. We should only worship our great Lord. But James 4 17 says, therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it to him, it is sin. So I don't understand how people can check out of the process and say, well, I don't want to get involved in politics because it's too dirty. And so therefore they do nothing to try to to try to defend the lives of unborn babies. I think the Bible clearly says here you can do something and you don't do it. Then that is sin.

So we should be involved to try to do all we can to save as many babies in the womb, along with so many other issues when it comes to our walk with our Lord Jesus Christ and how we approach politics. Revelation 13, verse one says, then I stood on the sand of the sea and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns and on his horns, ten crowns and on his heads, a blasphemous name. Verse two says, Now the beast, which I saw, was like a leopard. His feet were like the feet of a bear and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.

The dragon gave him his power, his throne and great authority. Notice in verse one, it says a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. Now, I remember as a child, when I first read Revelation, I took this literally. And I do take the approach when it comes to Bible prophecy that will, where the plain sense makes sense, look for no other sense or else you end up with nonsense. And that is a phrase that one of my my colleagues in the ministry coined years ago.

So that is the approach. You take it literally when it makes sense to do so. But obviously, a beast with seven heads doesn't make sense. But as a child, I did take that literally.

And I remember telling some of my cousins once we were out playing. And I said, yeah, there's going to be this beast roaming the earth and he's going to have seven heads and he's going to terrorize people. But but we know, folks, that this is symbolic because it is not representative of something that that we literally see on the earth. So I want to provide a few scenarios, a few possibilities of what this means. Scenario one is this could be seven kings of the Roman Empire. Scenario two could be seven forms of worldly governments. Scenario three. Rome was known as the city built on seven hills.

The seven heads represent the seven hills. And then scenario four, this could be seven kingdoms of past, present and future. As of the time Revelation was written, that oppressed the Jews. And the reason I provide these different scenarios is because I am a firm believer that there are some things when it comes to prophecy that we can't be dogmatic.

About. We make the strongest case, but I think some things God is not completely revealing to us until the time comes. So he's he's given it to us in symbolism, but we might not be able to decipher it exactly. And I think we all should be humble enough to say, well, I can't say with 100 percent certainty, but here is what it seems to state.

So I'm going to elaborate a little bit more on the fourth scenario. Revelation 17, 10 states, there are also seven kings. Five have fallen. One is and the other has not yet come.

And when he comes, he must continue a short time. Now, at the time John wrote Revelation, the nation of Israel had been under the oppression of five kingdoms in its history. Those five were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece.

These were the five that have fallen. Each king in the scripture that I just reference represented a kingdom. And then at the time when John was writing Revelation, Israel was in bondage to the Roman Empire. So the Roman Empire would be the one is that is the Romans. So as for the other has not yet come, this refers to a future kingdom, which many believe will be the Roman Empire, a revived Roman Empire that we know today as the European Union.

So time will tell if that last kingdom will be the European Union or some other coalition. But the last kingdom would complete the total of seven kingdoms that will have afflicted the Jews in scenario four that I presented. Now, the 10 horns in the in verse one of Revelation 13 equals the 10 toes of Daniel two and the 10 horns also represent the Roman Empire of Daniel seven.

I don't have time to go into great detail with all those, but but look it up during your own time. But these are the 10 kings who give the Antichrist power during the tribulation. Daniel 724 says the 10 horns are 10 kings who shall arise from this kingdom and another shall rise after them. He shall be different from the first ones and shall subdue three kings. Revelation 17, 12 says the 10 horns, which you saw, are 10 kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. So what we see here is that these horns represent world leaders that are going to arise out of this seventh kingdom.

And keep in mind that the European Union today is made up of several countries, each with a leader. They will all be inspired by Satan to rule with immorality. And then another leader will rise from the kingdom to take the place of three leaders.

This will be the ultimate evil ruler, the Antichrist. So I shared all of that to show that what the Bible is showing us is that these heads represent kingdoms. But of course, there is a physical person who was leading these kingdoms.

So with all of that said, it could be that a physical person will receive a deadly wound. But I lean more towards it is going to be a system or a government, because remember, the beast has seven heads. And one of them is going to receive a deadly wound to the head, but it then will seemingly be revived. And the world will wonder or marvel after the beast. 13, three, the main text of Revelation that we are looking at. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded and his deadly wound was healed.

And all the world marveled and followed the beast. If this is a person, it is going to be done through deception because we know that only God has the power to bring life. God only has the power to resurrect life. So if it is a human being, it'll be a mimicking by Satan to try to mimic the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That could be the case. But again, I lean more towards that this is going to be a government, a system, a kingdom. Again, like I said last week, maybe a communist nation that is going to go through some type of a collapse, but is going to be supernaturally revived. But again, I do have the the humbleness to say it could be a person. It could have dual fulfillment.

Time will tell. So with all of that said, let's return now to the sermon by Logan Fowler, pastor of Truth Baptist Church, a sermon in which he titled Trump Worship and Antichrist. The son of perdition, that word perdition means destruction, ruin when he comes.

It'll look like a good thing, but it'll lead into a lot of destruction and ruin. Look at four who oppose it and exalted himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he is as God. So so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. It will be a person full of himself saying, everybody, look at me, worship me and get away with it somehow. Remembering ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things. And now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. The Antichrist is going to come. He'll be revealed. But there's something that says what withholdeth this from happening. Watch.

This is important. Seven, for the mystery of iniquity doth already work. That, my friends, that's what I mean, this deeper conspiracy.

There's just what we're looking at. But the mystery of iniquity, the devil working towards this moment in time, pulling strings over centuries to get the world ready to worship a sinful person, ready to replace them as God. The devil's been working this for a while. The mystery of iniquity was already working back then.

Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. There is someone holding back this revealing of the man of sin. Many people study this.

Many people study this. I am firmly in the camp that what is holding this back is the Holy Spirit in the world, inside Christians. I believe that's what's holding this back. So when that's taken away, then this man of sin will be revealed. Look at verse 8. And then shall that wicked one be revealed, and that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.

Let's finish the passage here. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. So this is a deep passage, but I believe it is talking about what people have described as the rapture, the pulling out of the church in the end times.

Right now you've got saved people across the world filled with the Holy Spirit, reaching the world with the gospel. Well in the end times what's going to happen, God's going to take his church out of the way, and then the wicked man will be revealed. Then we'll be looking at the tribulation period. In the first three and a half years, the tribulation period is this time of peace and the antichrist bringing about peace. But the middle of the tribulation period, three and a half years, that peace falls apart.

And the last half of the tribulation is that great tribulation period where destruction falls on this world. I believe though the Christians are taken out for all of it. Some people believe different. Some people believe that Christians go through the whole thing. I don't believe that's what matches scripture. Some people believe Christians are taken out half way. Could be true. I still believe we're taken out before the tribulation period begins.

But just believe this. In this context, it's going to be taken out of the way. And the only answer I can find is the Holy Spirit be taken out of the way and then the wicked man's revealed. So we as Christians, we can speculate, but we'll never know for sure from this side of glory. We'll be up in heaven looking down and be like, oh that was the guy. That was the antichrist. Or that wasn't. That was somebody we didn't even realize.

It was actually Pat the whole time. I hope not. You haven't had any head injuries lately, have you? He hasn't. Good. Watch him.

Watch him. It says though here that there will be people remaining. And who are these people that will remain? Look at verse 10. And with all the seedless that have run righteous in them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Those left behind, those who did not receive the gospel, who did not receive Jesus Christ as their savior.

You can see in that language it's really on them, isn't it? It really was their fault. They could have received the free gift of salvation, but they did not. The devil was there telling them lies, but ultimately they're responsible. They had an opportunity to believe or not. What happens then? I've preached this and I've been challenged to change how I preach this, but I haven't yet.

Someone gives me more evidence. I think this is the way it really comes across according to the context and other scriptures. So the question then is, so God takes His church out, the unbelievers are left behind, but what about unbelievers who sit around in church today or who have heard about Jesus Christ today? And all of a sudden someone who, let's say, I believe I'm going to say people are here.

I hope you're all saved. Some person knows about Truth Baptist Church. They used to go here and they walked away, but now they know truth. And all of a sudden all the believers there in that church are gone. They've been raptured. What is that person going to say?

What are they going to say? Well, will they not just then believe? Oh, the Bible must be true.

I'm going to believe, I'm going to believe. Watch what happens here in verse 11. It says, And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but have pleasure and unrighteousness.

There's a book written years ago called Left Behind, and it described the world and the moment of the rapture. People, the church is taken out, but then all the people who remain are like, Oh my goodness, the Bible must have been true. I'm going to trust Jesus now as my Savior.

I don't believe that's the reality. From this passage, I believe God's going to say, I gave you your chance. I have come and I've taken my church. Those, they're going to be fed a lie, a delusion. I believe they'll be buying to some theory like, you know, all the people they headed for the hills, or they're out at some, you know, they started some cult out in the woods. That's where Truth Baptist Church went. They'll believe something else.

Aliens, I don't know. But they will not believe the gospel. So for those people waiting around to see what happens in the end time, I wouldn't risk it.

I wouldn't risk it. I'd get saved right now. I don't believe people are giving, according to this text, another chance to believe. People have brought up those who are born during the tribulation period and those who have never heard during the tribulation period coming to the Savior. I believe that is possible, but I believe the church will be taken away and those who rejected Christ, they'll be left behind and they will believe a lie.

They won't put it all together. They'll fall right in line and they'll worship this antichrist. They'll worship the antichrist. Look at, I want to talk about the rapture a little bit. Some people don't believe in it. Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 13. People have crazy eschatology, beliefs about the end times.

Some I cannot even consider as plausible at all. Some believe that this has already all happened, which I don't even believe is plausible. All the things you see in the book of Revelation in these passages, it hasn't happened yet. You say, well, it happened with Rome and that was the wicked antichrist revealed and all that.

It didn't happen. Today you've seen things grow darker and darker, a greater falling away. By the way, the technology is here that we need for this one world order, one world church, all glorifying one man.

I'll mention that at the end if we have time. The rapture has not happened. So I believe all these things are yet to come, which means Christ could return tonight.

Are you ready for him to come back? Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 13. He said, But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with Him? By the people, believers who have died, we have hope they will be resurrected. We'll see them one day in Heaven. That's real hope.

That's hope greater than Trump or Biden. It says in verse 15, For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.

No, that's not former President Donald Trump. With the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. One day God will call believers home, and the dead are going to rise first.

Look at 17, Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. People say the rapture's not in the Bible. Yeah, the word rapture's not in the Bible, but that's what the word rapture means in one word. Caught up together, raptured, grabbed, right?

Taken. Caught up together with them in the clouds to meet them and to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these things. The rapture will happen. God will call His church home right in time to avoid the wrath that's going to fall. Look down at chapter 5 verse 9.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Another thing that I do not believe is plausible are those who say that Christians live through all the wrath of the tribulation periods. People say, well Christians are going to go through all seven years.

I don't believe that at all. I believe pre-trib rapture, I can kind of see a mid-trib, but I could definitely never see a post-tribulation rapture. Because that is the wrath of God falling on this earth. And it says we're not to obtain wrath. And the context here is talking about the end days of judgment. It's not talking about heaven, hell. It's talking about wrath falling on this world. But to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

All right. So we're going to pause there. But I wanted to share this sermon as Pastor Fowler was just wrapping up his overall view of eschatology. I wanted to share this sermon, though, as he's pointing out that what we saw with President Donald Trump, the shooting on July 13th was not fulfillment of Revelation chapter 13, verse 3, the deadly wound. Again, his view is that it is going to be a human being. My view is that, well, it's going to be a governmental system. But I am hoping that it could be also dual fulfillment. But whichever way it plays out, again, what we witnessed just last month was not fulfillment of Revelation 13, three.

That is a primary thing that I wanted to share. But I love the fact that he is encouraging people that you should not be worshiping Donald Trump. You should not worship anybody. And I know there are people again that says, well, politics is just too messy. Just don't get involved. Well, my argument is that we need to do what we can to to shine the light of Jesus Christ into this in darkened world.

And we can't check out. We have to be salt and light. Yes, it would be my desire that candidates would just simply state what their policies are going to do, as opposed to trying to to mud sling and destroy the character of their opponents. I do not like that, but we need to focus on policy over personality.

That is what we have to keep in mind, folks, is policy over personality. So as we go into this election season, please remember, do things in a way that will be pleasing to our Lord. Pray about it. Ask God to guide you.

And as long as you ask him to guide you and you put your faith and trust in him, he will lead you in the right direction. So that's going to wrap it up for this week. I want to thank you for tuning in. Please come back and join us next time as we continue to discern the times by viewing life through the lens of the Bible. Until then, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel until the only wise God be glory through Jesus Christ forever.

Amen. Thank you for tuning in to Discerning the Times. Please come back and join us next week as we continue to encourage you to view current events through the lens of the Bible. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God. Discerning the Times is presented by Blessings to Israel.