Trios of Evil, 2of6

~ Dragon – Beast – False Prophet ~

The Key Scripture ~ “Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13).

The Dragon (the anti-God) ~ “And there was war in heaven.  Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.  The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.  He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.  For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.  They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you!  He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.’

“When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.  The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach.  Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.  But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.  Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring — those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:7-17).

The Beast (the anti-Christ) A beast from the sea! ~ “And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea.  And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.  He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his 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.  One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.  The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.  Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast?  Who can make war against him?’

“The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.  He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.  He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them.  And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.  All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. 

“He who has an ear, let him hear.  If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go.  If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed.  This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints” (Revelation 13:1-10).  

The False Prophet (the anti-Spirit) A beast from the earth! ~ “Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth.  He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.  He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.  And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.  Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.  He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.  He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.  He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:11-17).  This second beast is the epitome of all false prophets. 

The Bottom Line ~ Thank God for His Son Jesus Christ and the Cross of Calvary.

“Amazing grace!  How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” ~ John Newton

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Trios of Evil, 1of6

~ Lust of the Eyes – Lust of the Flesh – Pride of Life ~

The Key Scripture ~ “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]” (1 John 2:16, amp – bracketed items are from the Amplified Bible version).

the example of our Lord Jesus Christ:  The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ in His humanity was tempted in every way that we can be tempted.  “For we have not an high priest [Jesus Christ] which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  Someone might say, “So what?”  The Word of God answers, “For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).  Interestingly, in Matthew 4 we find the devil deliberately tempting Jesus Christ in each of the three areas we are looking at in this post (as noted below). 

Clarification ~ “Lust” in Scripture relates to internal sin—any wrong longing or desire which leads away from God.  The issue of lust is about the focus and passion of our hearts.  Are we focused on our eternal God or towards lesser temporal objects (see Romans 1:21-23)? 

the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ:  Remember when He explained the parable of the sower He said, “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world [lust of the flesh], the deceitfulness of riches [lust of the eyes], and the desires for other things [pride of life] entering in choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).

The Lust of the Flesh (physical appetite) ~ In today’s modern societies many areas of physical appetite lure us: food, drink, drugs, personal comfort, etc.

the example of our Lord Jesus Christ:  “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.  The tempter came to Him and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’  Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”’” (Matthew 4:1-4).  The first temptation our Savior faced was related to the lust of the flesh in His humanity—to His physical appetite.

The Lust of the Eyes (aesthetic nature) ~ Particularly in “civilized countries” it is so easy to be consumed with wanting more and more—never satisfied with what we have—a lack of contentment with what we have!  For some it might be a drive for financial security—always wanting more.  “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.  And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.  But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:6-10).

the example of our Lord Jesus Christ:  “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  ‘All this I will give You,’ he said, ‘if You will bow down and worship me.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Away from Me, Satan!  For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’  Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him” (Matthew 4:8-11).  This temptation was related to the lust of His eyes in His humanity—His aesthetic nature.

The Pride of Life (spiritual ambition) ~ Pride is one of the sins God tells us He absolutely abhors! (Proverbs 6:17)  Pride is a root of every sin.  I have to believe that pride in one’s spiritual accomplishments, reputation, or position is at the top of God’s hatred of pride!  There is a story about the Prince of Preachers who after preaching a message was told, “Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I want you to know that was the greatest message you have ever preached!”  To which, he immediately replied, “Thank you, but the Devil already told me that!”

the example of our Lord Jesus Christ:  “Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple.  ‘If You are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw Yourself down.  For it is written: “He will command his angels concerning You, and they will lift You up in their hands, so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.”’  Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test”’” (Matthew 4:5-7).  This temptation was related to the pride of life in His humanity—to His reputation through display of His available power.

Observation ~ In all three of these dangerous errors we find that things that are intrinsically good can quickly become idols to us—causing us to drift from an intimate relationship with our Lord and Savior.

The Bottom Line ~ “Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Identity in Christ, 16

~ I Am One Who Possesses God’s Grace ~

Introduction  ~  When Christians understand the various characteristics and aspects of the birthright which came with their second birth, they comprehend their identity in Christ.  Once Christians understand their identity, their destiny is also clear!  This series of “Abundant Life Now” posts will look at one of those facets each week. 

This Week’s Verse  ~  “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1-2).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “IDENTITY IN CHRIST” NOTES ~~~  

(1)  Each Monday ALN posts an example of Scripture’s description of aspects/characteristics of Christians—those who have personally trusted in Jesus Christ, The Messiah, as their personal Savior.

(2)  This series is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

(3)  God the Father described Himself to Moses as the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14).  God the Son also said “I AM” (John 8:58). 

(4)  Jesus Christ is the Son of God and several times in the Gospel of John He refers to Himself as “I am.”  “I am the Bread of Life” (6:35-51), “I am the Light of the World” (8:12, 9:5), “I am the Door” (10:7-9), “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11-14), “I am the Son of God” (10:36), “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (11:25), “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (14:6), “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me … Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:10-11), and “I am the True Vine” (15:1-5). 

(5)  Individual Christians are also sons and daughters of God.  This series will show some of the various “I am” aspects of a Christian. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .