Corona Chronicles - Crown of Gold

Well, we're in revelation 13 for corona chronicles today, and we're we're actually gonna see what's really going on in this world, the lies that the devil, satan a dragon is actually communicating with the world and how he does it. Quite frightening passage this but really helpful for us to know how to live in this world. So Revelation 13 verses 1 to 5. The dragon stood on the shore of the sea and I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had 10 horns and 7 heads with 10 crowns on its horns and on each head a blasphemous name.

The beast I saw resembled a leopard but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 1 of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worship the dragon because he had given authority to the beast and they also worship the beast and asked, who is like the beast?

Who can wage war against it? The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies. And to exercise its authority for 42 months. Well, there's some stuff here. I mean in 1 sense, you wanna do the whole chapter but we've not put too much time on corona chronicles.

So we're doing these first 5 verses. Well, what what do you reckon? I mean yeah. So your little intro there saying a satan just is is a liar and and and the only thing he can do really is is copy. He can't create anything on his own.

So if you were look if you were to look at this without sort of much understanding of Christianity, I pose, like the Godhead and the trinity, you would go, what on earth is going on here. But if you if you do try and compare it to to to what God is like, then suddenly you see what he's doing. And he is copying gold here, isn't he? Because there's this unholy trinity that you can see. There's the dragon who sort of sends this beast calls him out of the sea and that's like the father calling sort of the sun, sending the sun.

And then this other beast has an there's a third beast. So there's this sort of unholy trinity going on. Yeah. John Calvin, that great sort of reform theologians said that the devil or Satan is is God's ape. Yeah.

He just apes everything. Because he because he's not an original and he's not a creator. Yes. He's just a a mimic and a very bad 1. Yeah.

It's yeah. And as you keep reading it, it's like a really awful tribute act, isn't it? Because you can kinda tell it's trying to copy something, but it's it's doing it really poorly. So the inverse 3, 1 of the heads of the beast seems to have a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. So kind of like Christ on the cross his fatal wound there and then rising from the dead.

Obviously, Satan can't do that. So here is this fatal wound that seems to have been healed. It's sort of just trying to be Yeah. Like Christ. I I mean, I don't know if you know the narnia tales, but you get this picture.

T s Lewis pictures this sort of Yeah. You've got you've got this wicked ape, actually. Yeah. Who wants to his founder a lion skin. Mhmm.

And he wants to convince people to to follow his ways. And he puts this lion's skin very badly on on puzzle -- Yeah. -- the the donkey. Yeah. And everybody sort of falls for it.

Mhmm. So that the ape couldn't get people doing because they they they think this is Aslan, the great line. And is it all is it you can see where Lewis got this We see it, isn't it? Yeah. And I guess I guess the only reason the Narnians went for the puzzle was because he looked like a lion Yeah.

I guess Satan knows, the only way people will sort of worship him -- Yeah. -- is if he resembles in some way God. So even you've even got in verse 2, that he's got a mouth like that of a lion. Lion. Yeah.

And we know that Jesus, the word of God is is the lion sort of of Judah. So even in that regard, he's trying to he's trying to look like Jesus. Yes. And speak out his words to influence people. Yeah.

And really this is what this little section is about because if we don't know there's a liar who's representing even good You know, I mean, he he he he might look good. I mean, they they worship him. Don't it? It says in verse 4, people worship the dragon because he'd given authority to the beast. And they also worship the beast and ask, who is like the beast?

Who could wage water? You know, he's the secure 1. No 1 can beat him. He's the great God. So he He's looking good.

Mhmm. But his whole approach is that of deception of lies, of cover up of taking us away from the real God. Mhmm. And that's what this is saying, isn't it? Yeah.

Yeah. And I guess it's he understands that people are made in god's image, were made to be in relationship with him, were made to worship him. So rather than sort of he's he's trying to he's feeding into that sort of need that we have as humans to worship something -- Mhmm. -- and he he's he's fooling us. He's blinded us, isn't he?

He's blinded the minds of of this generation. So, he's he's he's Again, he's not creating a new need in us. He's he's identified our need to worship God, and he's just throwing a a cover over himself and saying, I'm I'm God. Yeah. Yeah.

So actually, You can have people that follow Satan that are really very very wicked and we'll see that. I think in other parts of this chapter. Are doing extraordinary wicked things. But you can have just really good very nice, you know, really good neighbors. That are living in this world but not worshiping God, not actually loving Christ.

Mhmm. And they've been bamboozled. They've been lied to. You know, the the in 1 sense, they're Satan's victory. Yeah.

You know, the drug addict and and the and the sort of alcoholic whose whole life is ruined by lies of drugs and alcohol. You can see. In 1 sense, that Satan's sort of failure, isn't it? Yeah. But the good living, businessman, banker, faithful worker faithful but he's not living for God.

Yeah. In 1 sense, Satan's won that hasn't he? Yeah. Because of course if you'd spoke to that banker, he would say, well, of course, I'm worshiping the lion. Look at him.

He's right there. He's the 1 who I'm serving. Yeah. Oh, I'm doing fine. What's wrong with me?

Yeah. Yeah. Mhmm. What else have we got here? So he resembles quite he's he's certainly mimicking Christ.

And I guess you know, Jesus warns, doesn't he? That there will be false prophets coming. And people that say, follow me and people that claim to have a way to God. So there's religion here as well, isn't there? Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. In verse 5, we've got this comfort yet again that it is It's for limited time only. He's given this authority for 42 months. So it's not forever.

It's for a set time and God is in control and over overseeing all of this. Okay. Well, we'll leave it there now. I think we'll come back a little later.