In Revelation 13:11, John saw another beast coming up out of the earth. The antichrist came out of the ocean, but this beast comes out of the earth. This beast is an imitation of the Holy Spirit. It is the false prophet, which speaks for the antichrist. Matthew 7:15 warns us to beware of false prophets.

The antichrist came from the sea, so he controls this world (the sea represents the world). The false prophet will speak of humanism and selfishness. He comes from the earth; he will rule over this earth. He will use all of his power to create signs and wonders for the antichrist and will kill those who do not worship the antichrist. (Revelation 13:16-18) If you don’t have this mark, you cannot buy or sell anything.

Verse 12 says that the false prophet will come. He will have man’s authority and power over this earth. He will seem very wise and knowledgeable; people will be amazed at his wisdom.

Scripture always talks about false prophets, from the Old and New Testament. Most of the time, in Christian history, the true prophets are persecuted. Those who speak the truth and holiness of God are persecuted and killed, but those who give false prophecy are honored and protected. Jeremiah spoke the truth to Israel. He spoke that Israel would be captured by Babylon and held captive for 70 years. They became so angry with him for speaking this message that they put him in a pit and eventually stoned him. Jeremiah spoke against false prophets (Jeremiah 14:14).

Satan will give evil power to the false prophet so that he will be able to perform great signs. The devil does have power. In the book of Job, Satan brought down fire from heaven with God’s permission. (Job 1:11-16) The devil can create miracles; therefore we must not follow signs and wonders and miracles. We must follow the Word of God.

In Exodus 7:10-12, God performed miracles through Moses, but the sorcerers were able to imitate some of these miracles. God’s power is always greater, but the Egyptians were able to copy some of the miracles. We must always follow the truth, Jesus, the Word of God, and the Spirit of God. If you chase after signs and wonders, you will eventually get hurt. If you follow God’s Word, you will always have a heart after Jesus.

The end of the false prophet and the antichrist is the lake of fire. There will be a time when they will control the world with their evil power, but it is only for a season – 42 months.

Revelation 19:20 shows us that the end of the false prophet and antichrist is the lake of fire. Do you want to follow someone who will end up in the lake of fire? The antichrist will not offer you life; his future is the lake of fire.

Revelation 13:18 tells us about the mark of the beast. Once you receive this mark, your destiny is the lake of fire. You cannot take it back. Your fate is sealed. If you don’t receive this mark, you will not be able to get medicine or buy food. You will not be able to go to the hospital. You will not be able to purchase gasoline. But if you do receive the mark of the beast, you will not go to heaven.

The number 6 is imperfect and represents sin. It is one short of God’s perfect number, the number 7.

In the Old Testament, the Jews wore a frontlet, a sign of their faithfulness to God, of their relationship with God. Those who wore the mark of the frontlet were considered faithful children of God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-19)

This mark was originally given by God. The mark of the beast is a counterfeit to what God created. Those who wore the frontlet were considered faithful and belonging to God. Those who take the mark of the beast are sealed to Satan and will burn in the lake of fire forever.

The false prophet will cause people to worship the antichrist. Those who do not take the mark of the beast will suffer greatly. It will be a very scary time. If you are left behind, don’t even think about taking the mark of the beast.

If your life hasn’t been right with God, it’s time to fix it. If you have been doing drugs or drinking, if you have been stealing or you owe money, if you have been lying or deceiving people, you must repent. It is time to take care of your sin. You must repent. Heaven and hell are both filled with sinners. Hell is for those who’ve never repented. Heaven is for the sinners who repent.

True repentance means that you change directions and don’t commit the same sin over and over again. If you say that you have repented, but continually commit the same sin over and over, then you have not repented. If you want to be set free from sin, you must hate that sin. Satan knows your weakness; if you don’t hate sin, you will be tempted to commit that sin again. You must hate whatever sin you are struggling with in order to overcome it. If you still like that sin, you will not be able to overcome it. If you want to be a true, holy, powerful Christian, you must hate all evil and sin. You must be faithful and loyal to God and His children. You must have a relationship with God. You must talk with God, treating Him as though He is right next to you.

Right now, you have the power of the Holy Spirit to help you overcome addiction and sin. We live in such a good time right now because the Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome, courage, boldness, zeal, fire, understanding with the Word of God, and passion to do His work. But this time will pass. This is a precious time, a critical time for this world. But for Christians, this is a sweet time. It is the harvest time. The field is wide open. We can serve Him, preaching the Word. But this time, too, will pass. Everything is for a season.

Don’t let your family be divided. Worship God together. Teach your children to love God. Serve Him together. Love Him together. Fight for your children’s souls. We need to be watchful always. Don’t let Satan come and attack you or your family or your church. Be strong.

God bless you!
Pastor Sun Hui East