Rev. 13:1-10; Psalm 51:1-2

In Revelation 12, we met Satan who is called the dragon. In chapter 13 we will meet "the false Christ" (vv. 1-10) and "the false prophet", vv. 11-18. These 3 are in dramatic opposition to God, and they play a key role in the 2nd half of the Tribulation.

Today we will focus on "the false Christ" or Antichrist in Rev. 13:1-10. He is called a beast coming out of the sea. The sea may represent the Gentile nations. You will remember that the Antichrist will at first be something of a peacemaker, allowing the nations to accept him. He even allows the Jews to rebuild the Temple. But in the middle of the Tribulation he shows his true character as a monster until the control of Satan himself. Read the description in vv. 1-3. Men will worship Satan, the dragon, and the Antichrist. vv. 3-4.

The cruel Antichrist will rule with an iron hand for 42 months--3 1/2 years. Those who don't know the Lord will worship him, but he will "make war" against the saints and will conquer them and kill some of them. True believers who are on earth at this time will not submit to the Antichrist. It is a comfort to know that we as a part of the body of Christ, the Church, will be taken out of the world before the Tribulation begins (1 Thess. 4), but some Jewish people will be saved during the Tribulation, and they are the ones spoken of here. The vast majority of the populations during the Tribulation will be lost people. They would not believe the truth about Christ, but they will believe the lies of the Antichrist.

Psalm 51:1-2
Psalm 51 is the humble prayer of a contrite sinner. We will see that David makes no excuses, neither does he minimize his sin. David was a believer, and his example is exactly what we should do when we find we have sinned against the Lord.

• He asks for mercy for himself.
• He recognizes God and His unfailing love.
• He knows God is a God of great compassion.
• He asks God to "blot out" his transgressions. God does not "keep a record" of our forgiven sins so that He can bring them up against us. They are "blotted out." Praise the Lord!
• He asks God to "wash away" all his iniquity and to "cleanse" him from his sin. He recognizes that only God can make us clean again from the pollution of our sin.