Revelation 13:13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
At a personal level, the beast in the earth is the soul of the carnal man, governed by human nature and not the Spirit of FATHER. Do not think FATHER will fail to minister grace and mercy because the instrument HE uses is carnal. If HE waited until men were spotless in order to use them, we would be still waiting. Many evangelists in the last four decades saw many miracles in their meetings while they were privately walking after their lusts. Their fleshly desires would move them to sin even after they saw great miracles of healing and restoration. They would acquire many houses and exotic cars as their bank accounts grew and before long they were exposed in their sin. Putting your trust in man rather than FATHER will create disappointment and frustration. We must set our focus on the internal, not the external.
The purpose of the signs in the above passage is to convince people to follow the false prophet. Beware of those who constantly use signs as confirmation that they are “anointed”. When you rely on signs as your primary source of confirmation you will surely fall into the ditch. I am not against signs per se, but only FATHER should tell you when they are relevant. With seven billion people on earth, there are innumerable signs everywhere and at all times of the day. Signs can cause you to take your focus away from hearing FATHER’S Voice, beware!
Earth dwellers are carnal Christians. Their priorities are earth-based and they are fully content to place all of their priorities and interests in the temporal realm. They become subject to structure and are content to sit in the pew each Sunday morning and have the pastor convey any revelation he received in the last week. They enjoy being entertained by the music service attempting to be fully spiritual as the singers and musicians rock the sanctuary with loud, repetitive songs. How many times must we sing the same chorus before the Spirit will move? The traditions of men are alive and well in sanctuaries throughout the western world.
The beast is able to deceive those who dwell on the earth. Jesus was asked about the end of the age and He said in Mark, chapter 13:
21 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it.
22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
If there is anything we must be careful about in these times it is being deceived by men. Jesus made it quite clear that virtually everyone would be subject to great deception with one exception- the elect. Consider the brevity of that statement. The current system we live in is built around deception and there is great pressure to accept it as a firm reality, not subject to change, revision, or removal. Advancements in technology in the last 100 years would leave the average person to believe that it will continue as is.
It would appear that Love has no place in the forward movement of the current system. Mankind has become complacent and is being deceived by moving the focus away from the Spiritual and gazing on the structure-based systems in place. The complexities of the current systems are moving toward mass failure and no man can stop its demise. The simple challenge of building a house with a deck of cards best describes the current path of man. The carnal nature of man always moves toward destruction resulting in death. Fortunately the elect have been reserved by the Love of FATHER to provide the way out.
Those who dwell on the earth make an image of the beast. The beast represents an organization created by man to take the place of a direct relationship with FATHER. Men worship “the created”, not THE CREATOR. My wife and I have been able to travel abroad and the center of many cities, towns, and villages is the church building. Ornate facades and gold-leafed altars project the perception of holiness and demand your reverence. Men and women have poured hard earned resources as they have been deceived into supporting the beast’s image. FATHER cannot be found in man’s structure and HE is not obligated to show up on Sunday morning to tingle your spine. Instead, look for HIM in the silence of your prayer closet where there are no distractions. Big pipe organs will not summon HIM to come forth, a grateful, contrite heart will.
FATHER will occupy your temple by HIS Spirit… how simple! No longer give into the deception of the beast and support an external edifice that would have you believe HE is residing there. Men will build large buildings to support their large egos. Jesus never built a physical building but went out to where the people lived and ministered life to them. We are to minister Love to those we encounter on a daily basis. Our ministry is not confined to four walls, it is the entire earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven. Amen!