REVELATION 13
The Tribulation Begins.

The word “beast” is used fifteen times in Revelation 13. Fourteen of those uses are in reference to the Antichrist. Once, in verse 11, we see “another beast” rise up out of the earth, which is the false prophet who exalts the Antichrist. The name Antichrist is never used in Revelation; it is always “the beast.” The name Antichrist comes from the little Johns. Both names are very fitting. The name “beast” refers to his beastly nature that completely lacks humanity, while the name Antichrist implies that he is the complete antithesis of the true Christ. The very nature of their beings is diametrically opposed to each other. They are so completely opposite, they possess no qualities or characteristics that are the same. First John 2:18,22; 4:3; and 2 John 1:7 all mention the name Antichrist. First John 4:3 tells us that “every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” Many people believe in Jesus as a saintly character who went around doing good, but they do not believe He was the anointed Christ or the Son of God. The simple denial of the deity of the man Jesus Christ is Antichrist according to 1 John 2:22, but there is one who is yet to come who thinks, acts and is a total violation of the true Christ—he is the Antichrist.

Revelation 13 serves several purposes. It begins to familiarize the saints with the Antichrist so that when we see him, we will be able to recognize him. While we are being shown some detail about theAntichrist and how the Tribulation will be played out, we are introduced to the false prophet and the Mark of the Beast. We also see a link between the Antichrist and Satan. The last thing we saw in Revelation 12 was Satan going to make war with the offspring of Israel who keep the commands of Jesus Christ. In this chapter, we see that the Antichrist is the emissary of Satan on this earth who is given the job of making war with the saints. In fact, the great red dragon with seven heads from the previous chapter is morphed into the seven-headed beast of this chapter.

The dragon was identified as the old serpent named the Devil and Satan in verse 9 of the last chapter. The seven heads always represent seven empires, which he exerted great control over and which he used to persecute Israel as he attempted to stop the plan of salvation. Those empires, in order, are Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and the Antichrist Empire.Whenever we read about the beast, we are reading about the Antichrist, and by extension, his end-times kingdom. The end-times kingdom of the beast will provide Satan with one last chance to interfere with the work of God.He will attempt to put a stop to the preaching of the gospel through fear and intimidation and the mass murder of all those who oppose him. This plan will backfire because many people draw closer to God in times of tragedy and persecution, and many will get saved, which will lead him to plan B—the destruction of all flesh. Plan B will be thwarted, however, by the appearing of Jesus to rescue His saints.The first two verses of this chapter link the Antichrist and his kingdom to the past while at the same time showing us what is yet to come.

Revelation 13:1-2

1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Lions and leopards and bears, oh my! These are the same three animals Daniel saw in his vision that represented world empires which arose upon the earth to rule. The lion represented Babylon, the bear was Persia and the leopard was Greece. All three animals are used to describe the end-times beast, suggesting that the fourth kingdom, which is the Antichrist kingdom, will have all the power and fierceness of the previous kingdoms combined. The Antichrist will also rule over the same geographic areas as those previous empires, particularly Greece. We learn this from Daniel 8 where we see Alexander the Great lead the Greeks against the Persians with spectacular success, only to die and have the kingdom divided between his four generals in Daniel 8:22. Then, in Daniel 8:23, we are told that in the latter time of their kingdom, transgressors will come to a fullness just before the Antichrist steps in to reign. The Greek Empire actually has little to do with the nation of Greece and much to do with the Middle East, including Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of North Africa.

The end-times beast will be like a leopard, suggesting great speed and agility, quickness and stealth.His feet are like a bear—strong and powerful, able to kill with a single blow, supporting the full weight of the bear and crushing anything that gets in its way. The mouth of the beast is that of a lion. The king of the jungle is able to rule with just a roar, but if that is not enough, his jaws are powerful enough to tear the flesh of any foe.Not only is the mouth of the beast like a lion, but, as Daniel said in Daniel 7, his teeth are like iron, which symbolizes the cold and destructive power the Antichrist receives from Satan until Jesus intervenes to take the kingdom at the appointed time. The amalgamation of all these characteristics into one beast makes for an extremely powerful, capable and destructive adversary. This is what the end-times beast will be. The end of verse 2 says that the dragon, who is Satan, is the one who gives the beast the power to make war and a kingdom to rule. Daniel 7 proclaims that God will eventually give Jesus the victory over the beast, and He will give Him the kingdom to rule forever but not until after Satan delivers it over to the Antichrist for a short time at the end of time.

In the next verse, we see one of the heads of the beast receive a death blow, followed by a full recovery back to life again. The heads of the beast represent different empires and could represent the primary kings of those empires. In the case of the Beast Empire, the supreme leader of the ten-nation alliance—that comes together before the Antichrist ever rises to power—would be the most likely candidate for a death blow and subsequent Antichrist indwelling, if that is what is happening here—which may very well be. As we have already seen in Revelation 11:7, the beast is described as literally ascending out of the bottomless pit. This is reaffirmed later in Revelation. Of course, the Antichrist himself, as a mortal man, could be the one slain and then revived with no other personalities involved. We will look at this further when we get to Revelation 17 where we find more information about the Antichrist, the seven heads of the beast and the ten kings.

Revelation 13:3-4

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

The end of verse 3 states that the world will marvel after the beast. The fact that those words are tacked onto the end of verse 3 does not mean that the world will marvel over the rising from the dead of the Antichrist. It could simply be a stand-alone statement that has nothing to do with his near death experience. There are many reasons why the world will wonder after the Antichrist: 1) He will be the most visible world leader of his time; 2) his arrogance and his desire to instill fear into the hearts of men will drive him to remain in the spotlight; 3) people will wonder after him because of his crude nature as he rises to power by trickery and force; and 4) the world will be amazed by his claims of deity just like they were amazed by Jesus’ claims of deity. People will either love him and his destructive ways, or they will disdain him.

Back in Revelation 11:13 when we were looking at the Wrath of God,we saw that the same people who are worshipping the beast here were giving glory to God by their acknowledgement that God is the one bringing wrath upon them at that time. This type of worship is not praise; it is simply an acknowledgement. Regardless of whether a person is a follower of the beast with a heartfelt hatred for all of God’s people, or one who has rejected God, has no hope in God, wants nothing to do with God and yet rejects the Antichrist also, they will all make the same acknowledgement:Who is able to stand against the beast? If you’ll recall, Matthew 24:21 declares the beginning of the Tribulation, and then verses 23 and 24 declare that there will be false christs and false prophets out to deceive all who will listen to them, even the elect of God if they give in to the lies. Those false christs will worship the beast along with others as they speak of the great power of the beast and then demand submission to themselves from the simpleminded. The Church—those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life—will continue to magnify Jesus and minister salvation to any who are willing to receive.

When anyone willingly worships and serves the beast and all that he stands for, they are, in effect, worshipping the dragon, which is Satan. This does not mean that there will be an outbreak of Satan worship across the face of the earth. Many will deny any connection between the Antichrist and Satan, but the truth is, if you worship the beast, you worship the serpent that sent him. The kind of worship the beast generates from people is different from the loving admiration and adoration that Jesus engenders. The world will worship the beast by saying things like, “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” Rather than accolades of joy, the Antichrist will generate utterances of disdain and fear. For those who love disdain and fear, the worship will be genuine, but for all others it is only a verbal acknowledgement that the Antichrist is indeed someone to be reckoned with. Any statement that recognizes the brutal warlike nature of the beast, and particularly those statements that give support to his actions, is worship to the Antichrist. Second Thessalonians explains that strong delusion will accompany the Antichrist. Many will love his lies and his disregard for the truth. Daniel 8:12 declares that those who actively support and follow after the Antichrist in his kingdom will cast truth to the ground. They will be the true worshippers of the beast; all others will simply fear him. If you’ll recall, the chapters of Revelation we are reading now are the ones that accompany the vials and are focused around the Middle East exclusively, with Israel right in the middle of things. If there is an abundance of true worship for the beast in this region of the world by those who look upon him as the messiah who has come to destroy Israel, that should in no way be mistaken for a worldwide worship service for the beast.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

God, by His omniscience and omnipotent power, is able to control Satan and cause him to do things within His own timing. In other words, when verse 11 says that ”God shall send them strong delusion,” it is not God doing these things or forcing Satan to do these things. Rather it is God knowing what Satan’s plans are, knowing Satan’s nature and how he is going to react in any situation (knowing the end from the beginning) and then restraining, circumventing, tricking and basically pushing Satan’s buttons and jerking his chain to the point that He actually brings Satan’s actions in line with His own timing and plans.

Verse 5 is one of the many places we see the time limitation put on the Antichrist for causing Great Tribulation—forty-two months, or three-and-one-half years. His reign will exceed that number by years. But for forty-two months, he will have the full power of Satan at his disposal and will be completely unrestrained by God from causing all the trouble that he can (except that God will continue to deliver those who trust in Him and His covenant, which will still be in effect).He will begin his reign sometime before he is able to get the seven-year peace treaty put into effect and will continue to be the ruler of a devastated kingdom after the Wrath of God begins. He will survive right up to the end of God’s wrath and will be successful in turning world opinion against the God of heaven and the soonreturning king of all nations—Jesus Christ. The words of blasphemy he speaks will be a part of the strong delusion he will bring to all those who refuse the gentle leadings of the Holy Spirit and who refuse to believe the truth.

Revelation 13:5&6

5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

It is apparent from the verses below that the saints will still be on the earth during the Tribulation.We have already seen in Matthew 24 and in the first half of the Revelation that the Church is not raptured until after the Tribulation. That is exactly what we are seeing here once more. The Rapture will not take place in this chronological setting until we get to the beginning of Revelation 14, and even then it is divided into two stages—the 144,000 firstfruits from Israel and then the rest of the Church. God’s wrath is not discussed in the following verses; His wrath does not begin until Revelation 16.

There will be a circle of death surrounding Israel where deception and a love of lies are so deeply ingrained in the people that many will not even be able to recognize truth. Those that are resident in this area of the world, and have received the truth and a love for the gospel, will reach out to others with the Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword and cut through some of the delusion. There will be revival, but the Antichrist will make war against the saints, against revival and against the Word of God. There will be plenty of distress to deal with, no matter what part of the world you live in, but the nations surrounding Israel will see the very worst of it. Those who live outside the circle of death need to start praying now for the salvation of all those who belong to God inside those nations. The gospel will be preached throughout all of the ten nations where the Antichrist will rule before the end comes. Pray for those who are called as missionaries, pastors and laborers to these nations.

In verse 7, we read about the Antichrist having power over all nations and tongues. Because we are also told that he rules over ten nations, it must be assumed that he does not rule over all nations directly but has some other power by which he is able to either influence or control other nations. That influence and control is six-fold: 1) He will have the power of Satan working in his life to accomplish his goals; 2) he will have the disruptive power of a world war, which puts him at the center of world affairs as other nations rush in to put a stop to his madness; 3) he will have the power of religious zeal working in the people who serve him and the false prophet who exalts him; 4) he will have the power of terrorism; 5) he will have shock value and confusion when he seats himself in the temple of God and claims to be God; and 6) he will have enormous control over the wealth flowing through his kingdom by way of the city of Babylon. He will have power over all of the earth without actually reigning over all the whole earth—all he has to do is cause great tribulation.

In Job, chapter 1, Satan gained power over all Job had and he used that power not to rule over Job’s family and possessions, but to destroy them. For years Job trusted God and God built a protective hedge around him. Satan, knowing he was unable to penetrate that hedge, didn’t even try anymore. Instead, he went whining to God. Satan may or may not have noticed that Job was offering sacrifices continually in fear, as opposed to offering one sacrifice a year in faith as prescribed by God. Because Job was no longer in faith, God had to release him into the hands of Satan. In the end the Antichrist will use those who submit to him to destroy those who don’t, and God will determine who He delivers and who He will allow to be tried by death. During the Tribulation, the power of the Antichrist will be concentrated in his kingdom first, over those nations which he conquers second and then will flow to all the earth to the proportion h is able to rally evildoers by his deception. His power is not to rule over all the earth but to cause havoc and destruction.

Revelation 13:7-10

7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

God gives us a warning in the tenth verse about how we are to conduct ourselves during the end-times—and any time for that matter. The Antichrist and a good portion of the world may be at war against the saints, but the saints are not at war against the world, or at least, they are not supposed to be.With the end so near, there is no reason to fight for our survival. We will all be included in the Rapture—dead or alive. Our primary concern should be what our Lord wants from us, and our secondary concern should be how many of our antagonist we can take to heaven with us. Stephen was willing to lay down his life for Christ, and that act of faith and obedience, coupled with his testimony, eventually led to Paul’s salvation. Paul went on to lay his life on the line multiple times, and God delivered him every time. The Book of Acts will continue to be written in the end-times with millions of Stephens giving up their lives as a testimony to others, and millions of Pauls who just don’t know when to quit and who put their lives on the line every day for the eternal lives of others. Belonging to any type of civil or national defense occupation brings a high level of responsibility with it to protect others, and God has ordained these ministries of protection. He doesn’t expect law enforcement and military to lay down their arms and allow evil to have free rein.

We are introduced to the false prophet in the next two verses. His job is to point the way to the Antichrist with deceiving miracles and signs. The two horns the false prophet exhibits more than likely represent two additional nations the false prophet has power over that are not included in the original ten nations the Antichrist will rule. This will make him a political and spiritual figure and possibly a warlord just like the Antichrist. The addition of two more nations would make twelve altogether, which would mimic the twelve tribes of Israel that together make one nation. Satan is very unoriginal and always copies and perverts the things God does—even down to this dirty dozen.

Revelation 13:11-12

11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The false prophet gets the attention of the world by performing miracles and wonders, which will be scientifically unexplainable miracles. These are not the modern miracles of technology put to use by a team of animation experts, but rather, the simple working of demons as they manipulate the natural realm to deceive human beings. You’ll recall from 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, that the Antichrist will come after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders to deceive. We learned from verse 12 that the false prophet possesses and exercises all the same powers the Antichrist possesses. In Revelation 16:13 and 14, we see the words “the spirits of devils working miracles.” It will be the power of demons and the power that Satan bestows upon him that causes these things to come to past.

Revelation 13:13-15

13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of the Syrian portion of the old Greek Empire, took over Jerusalem in 167 b.c., and set up a statue of Zeus Olympus in the temple of God and forbade the worship of God. However, before that, he entered the Holy of Holies himself and put a stop to the daily sacrifice for nearly three years. Antiochus may be more than a type of the Antichrist. He lived over a hundred years before Jesus ever spoke of the abomination that would stand in the temple in the latter days, and he did fulfill some of the prophecy that is written of the Antichrist, but, by no means, not all. We’ll discuss Antiochus and the abomination later.

When the false prophet calls for the people of the earth to make an image of the beast, it will be similar to when God called upon the Israelites to give a freewill offering for the building of the temple. So much was given that a second decree had to be made to get the people to stop giving. At the same time, it will be like Aaron taking the offerings of gold to build a calf for the wayward Jews. The beast image might very well be constructed of gold just like the calf. People from all over the kingdom of the beast and from other parts of the world will send the resources needed to form the image of the beast. It will be a dumb idol with the likeness of the false god who has taken over the temple of God until the false prophet empowers the dumb idol to speak. That empowerment will be coupled with the command that all who are not giving true knee-bending, soul-surrendering worship to the beast should be killed. In the kingdom of the beast, mothers will finally have no choice but to turn in their sons who have rejected the beast over to the magistrates, and daughters will have to snitch on their fathers who have given their hearts to the Lord, or face death themselves. And, because it’s a talking idol that comes to life, it must be God doing it. Right? Wrong! The power comes from the false prophet who receives his power from Satan.

The following verses warn us of the Mark of the Beast. The mark is described in very simple terms because it is a very simple thing—a permanent mark like a tattoo or a brand. There are three different markings to choose from, and it may be placed on the forehead or the right hand. A person may choose between the name of the beast—the number 666, which is described as the number of his name, or a mark which is not described but is probably some type of emblem or logo that may or may not be unique to the beast but will show one’s allegiance to the beast.

Revelation 13:16-18

16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

God forewarns us not to take the mark, the name or the number of the beast. God wants us to know about it now so that when it is happening, we will be able to avoid it even if it costs us our lives. If God had given us the number 777 for the real Christ, we would say that seven is God’s number of completion and it also represents the seven spirits of God. Because it appears three times, which is God’s perfect number, it represents the fullness of the perfection of the Godhead. Verse 18 explains that 666 is the number of a man and because six appears three times, this man is perfect in his ungodliness and rebellion toward God. Six is one half of twelve, which is a number God uses frequently in reference to His redeemed. Maybe God is saying that despite all the earthly and devilish wisdom the Antichrist possesses, he is still just a halfwit compared to those who have the wisdom to follow after and submit to the God of heaven. It is important to remember in these times, as in any other time, that God is well able to deliver and provide for His people. If we are among those who keep their lives until the return of Jesus, that doesn’t at all mean we will continue in our jobs, remain in our fine homes or enjoy any creature comforts. The 144,000 of Israel will be hiding in the mountains of Israel, and things may not be much better for the rest of us.We need to be prepared for anything and be willing to give up everything. Having said that, in the year that Jesus was born, a decree went out that “all the world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1); however, we know that the decree was to the people of the Roman Empire and did not affect people in places such as China, India or anywhere outside the empire. Likewise, when the decree goes out for all people to receive the Mark of the Beast, until the time has come and gone, we will not know how far-reaching it will be. It will likely only be in the tennation kingdom of the beast and will affect those who wish to trade with these nations. Any nation that is overrun by the Beast Empire will fall under this rule which will be used to eliminate all Christian and Jewish opposition in those nations.

Many theories have sprung up about the Mark of the Beast being some type of microchip implant, a smart card, a bar code or some other technology that the Antichrist will use to track individuals and information about them. However, the Scriptures do not imply anything like that at all. It is a pretty far stretch for a mark to become an implant. Here, and in the remainder of the Revelation, the Mark of the Beast is always talking about a visible mark. Chapter 14:11b says, “whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” For many, the name of the Antichrist will be written onto their flesh by tattooing it, stamping it with some type of permanent method or even by burning it into the flesh as you would brand a cow. Knowing the nature of the Antichrist and the completely fallen nature of those who serve him, suffering the pain of being branded will more than likely be the method of choice. Something quick would be preferable also because the false prophet will probably not be promoting the beast until after he enters the temple of God at the middle of the seven-year treaty when the Great Tribulation has already begun. That would leave less than three-and-one-half years to mark perhaps billions of people during the chaos of war. We can expect the name of the beast to be written in Arabic since he will be ruling his ten-nation empire in the midst of the Arab world.

The Mark of the Beast will actually aid the true worshippers of the beast in following out the orders to kill all of those who refuse to worship the image of the beast. Those who do not have the Mark of the Beast on their bodies will be the ones who stand out like sheep in a den of hungry lions.Whether you are on a crowded street or on an elevator with just one other person, everyone knows who has submitted to the beast and who has not because you either have the mark or you don’t. This is actually scarier than an implant because it makes it impossible to walk down that crowded street without detection. A simple mark is the most practical and the most diabolical way to turn the population into a singleminded mob, doing the work of the Antichrist. Fear of persecution and death will transform many peace-loving uncommitted citizens of the beast kingdom into soldiers for their lord. The absence of the mark will make Christian and Jewish believers ready targets for persecution and death.

Verse 15 in the previous scriptures makes clear that those who refuse to receive the Mark of the Beast and worship him will be killed. From that statement it may appear that only unbelievers will survive the Tribulation since Christians will be avoiding and refusing his mark and thus putting their lives at risk. However, we need to remember that the chapters we are reading now are the ones that focus on the kingdom of the beast in the Middle East and not the whole world.We need to remember that Jesus will not come for His elect until after the Tribulation.We also need to remember that there are 144,000 Israelites who are born again and protected in the wilderness from the wrath of Satan during the Tribulation. Jesus will return to an earth full of saints who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord. There will be a worldwide Church purged of all those who turn away from God because of fear, as they see the things that are coming on the earth and as their own faith is put to the flame and consumed. Many millions will also turn to the Lord because of the things that are coming on the earth. They will finally see Satan unmasked and will not like what they see, so they will turn to the Lord for refuge. For those who believe in the doctrine of “once saved, always saved,” receiving the mark of the beast will prove that doctrine to be a lie.

The Tribulation will be the worst time of persecution the Church as a whole has ever known, but it will also be the Church’s greatest hour. The covenant of faith will still be in effect, and God will still be delivering many of His people through the daily tragedies that will befall them. At the same time, however, many will have to lay down their lives during the trial of their faith. Verses 7-10 of this chapter reveal the Antichrist targeting the saints for destruction and overcoming many, but the ones who overcame relied on their faith and patience and not retribution or self-defense. Revelation 12 explains that “they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Many will have to lay down their lives for the Lord. Daniel 11:32 and 33 put everything into perspective. Bear in mind that the epicenter of the Tribulation will be in the Middle East.

Daniel 11:32-33

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

Many of the early saints, and even Jesus Himself, make excellent examples of going through trials of persecution. Stephen was a man who laid down his life for the Lord without regret, without guile and, in fact, without pain. He didn’t die an agonizing death at the hands of his persecutors; he simply fell asleep as they threw stones at him.

Acts 7:58-60

58 And cast him (Stephen) out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Before Jesus laid his life down at the cross, God delivered him at various times as the religious Jews tried to kill Him before His time. Twice He walked right through the middle of angry mobs as they tried to end His life.

John 8:58-59

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Luke 4:28-30

28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,

29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.

30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,

Paul went through an awful lot of persecution (tribulation) and kept on going, all the way to prison to witness to Caesar.

2 Corinthians 11:24-27

24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Acts 14:19-20

19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.

Paul knew that he had a choice between living or laying down his life as a martyr. After finalizing his decision in the verses below to continue on and live for the ministry to the saints, they could have stoned him on a daily basis, and he would have just kept on getting up and going on.

Philippians 1:21-25

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

1 Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;

2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:

3 That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

5 For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

©
Copyright 2004 RevelationStation.com

All rights reserved.