The Lamblike Dragon Intro One of the most persistent, cross-cultural legends is that of the dragon. Where did the myths of these fire-breathing dragons come from? I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on “The Lamblike Dragon.” Message Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. From the Brazilian jungles to the frozen tundra of Scandinavia to the African deserts, stories of dragon-like creatures have been told and retold. On nearly every continent of the world, the feats of legendary dragons have been extolled or feared. In Western cultures, generally the dragon slayers have been praised whereas in the Asian circles the dragons themselves are seen as good omens. Most of these mythological dragons are a cross between a serpent, bird and lizard—powerful, mysterious creatures. What are the origins of this worldwide myth? To date a live dragon has never been spotted nor fossils of one found, why then would there be such a similar myth in all the corners of the earth? One of the earliest stories in the Bible reveals a serpent, most likely with wings, talking to earth’s first mother. Perhaps from this tragic first encounter, the curiosity and fear of this dragon-like serpent transformed from one myth to another and as humanity spread around the earth, so did the mystery of the dragon. Revelation again pictures a dragon in the final scenes of this earth’s history, but ironically not just a hideous fire-breathing creature, but rather a “Lamblike Dragon.” Let us turn to the Lord in prayer as we consider the lamblike dragon. Outline I. United States of America is the 2nd beast of Revelation 13 A. Arises around 1798 B. Arises from a sparsely populated area C. Slowly grows to power D. Without a king E. Based on Christ-like principles II. The lamblike US will speak like a dragon. A. Lamblike 1. Liberty – Luke 4:18; 2 Cor. 3:17 2. Freedom – John 8:31, 32 3. Separation church & state – Matt. 22:21 B. Speak like a dragon – Rev. 13:12 1. Totally unsuspected 2. Dragon = Devil/Rome a. Devours – Rev. 12:4 b. Fights – Rev. 12:7 c. Deceives – Rev. 12:9 d. Persecutes – Rev. 12:13 e. Becomes enraged – Rev. 12:17 f. Makes war – Rev. 12:17 C. An image to the beast erected 1. Miracles – Rev. 13:13 a. Cannot trust in miracles – 2 Thes. 2:9-10 b. Word of God our trust – Luke 16:31 2. Image to the beast – Rev. 13:14 a. Image = likeness b. Sea beast – church/state combination c. Woman riding beast – Rev. 17 3. Union of church & state pictured a. Completely contrary US principles b. Barriers being broken down today D. Lead world to worship sea beast – Rev. 13:12 1. Enforce mark of beast – Rev. 13:16 2. Review Mark of Beast a. Issue = who worship; Creator or Beast? b. Issue = who obey? 1) Beast power lawless – 2 Thes. 2:7-9 2) God’s people – Rev. 14:12 3) So many attacks, but Law still binding c. God’s sign/seal = Sabbath – Ez. 20:12 d. Beast’s counterfeit = Sunday 1) Quotes a) “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday.” Faith of our Fathers, Cardinal James Gibbons, pg. 561. b) “The church, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath of the seventh day of the week to the first made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord’s Day.” The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 4, pg. 153. c) “Reason and sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible.” Catholic Mirror, December 23, 1893, James Cardinal Gibbons. 2) Solely tradition – Mark 7:7, 9 3. US lead world worship Papacy via Sunday a. Sunday laws ruled constitutional b. “Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.” Dies Domini, March 31, 1998, Pope John Paul II, on keeping the Lord’s day. Conclusion: I. Prophecy fulfilling our very eyes; US primary player! II. Who will we serve? A. God have people obey Jesus fully, you? – Rev. 14:12 B. Apostles – obey God no matter what – Acts 5:29 1. Struggling family? Work? Church? Friends? 2. God work, as w/Peter, but must make a stand C. Issue as w/Shadrach – Dan. 3:17, 18 1. Will deliver, but not from fire – IN the fire! 2. Are you standing firm for commandments?
|