(Revelation 13:1-18)

And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. He had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear’s, and his mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to wage war against him?” 5 A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies. He was also given authority to act for 42 months. 6 He began to speak blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. 7 And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation. 8 All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slaughtered. 9 If anyone has an ear, he should listen: 10 If anyone is destined for captivity, into captivity he goes. If anyone is to be killed with a sword, with a sword he will be killed. This demands the perseverance and faith of the saints. 11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb, but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.

One of the most interesting and, in my mind, the most fascinating tours that you can take in Washington DC is to tour the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. This is where the United States prints our money. Back in the 1970’s my dad took me and my family on a vacation and as we traveled up the east coast we stopped in Washington DC and toured this facility. I will never forget watching the process of how our money is manufactured.

One of the greatest tasks of this agency is to make sure that our currency cannot be counterfeited. There are people that work in this agency that spend their entire lives tracking down fake money. I’ve heard it said that the best way to keep from receiving fake money is to learn the marks of real money. This principle is also true for this chapter we have read today. This chapter is about a counterfeit Christ. The Antichrist.

So many people in the United States and in fact around the world have often made statements suggesting that they hope they never accidentally receive the “mark of the beast.“ Some people stay away from Social Security numbers, tattoos and other things like this thinking it will help them avoid receiving the mark. But in reality the book of Revelation says that the only people who avoid the mark are those who are sealed by God. These are the peoples names that are written in the Book of Life. Because they had a relationship with the Christ of God they were never in danger of being tricked by Satan‘s Christ.

Is the Antichrist living right now? Is he rising to power right under our nose? That’s something that God only knows. Yes, we could very well be the generation that experiences the Antichrist. But for those of us that believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, Christ will take the Church to heaven before the tribulation starts. It’s not something we should sit around and worry about. What we should really be concerned with is the many antichrists that are already working in the world today.

The antichrists that are in the world today are using political, religious, and economic pressure to pull us away from Christ Jesus. The apostle John had something to say about this in (1 John 2:18). “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.”

Jesus spoke about this topic (Matthew 24:5) (HCSB): 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. (Matthew 24:24) (HCSB): 24 False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Jesus is saying here that even Christians will possibly be deceived by these antichrists.

The apostle Paul took this a step further and said that some of these antichrists could even come from within our own Christian community. (Acts 20:30) (HCSB): 30 And men will rise up from your own number with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them.