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THE BEAST FROM THE SEA - A NEW WORLD EMPIRE

Revelation 13:1-10, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."

It is a popular but erroneous notion to name the beast from the sea the Antichrist. John, who was the only one to use the term "antichrist" in scripture, did not himself use the term to describe the beast from the sea. Antichrist means against Christ. Referring to false teachers, John states, "Even now are there many antichrists." (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7) Indeed the beast from the sea is "against Christ", but lets look at the bigger picture.

An antichrist can be anyone. If you walk out onto a busy city street you are probably surrounded by antichrists. A person in your class or even a loved one or family member can be an antichrist.

Let's take a look at the characteristics of an antichrist.

In 1 John 2:18 John states that there are many. John goes on to say in verse 22 that he who denies that Jesus is Messiah (Christ) is the antichrist and that anyone who denies that there are a Father and a Son is the antichrist.

1 John 4:3 states that if you do not believe that Jesus was an actual flesh and blood person you are an antichrist. John goes on to reinforce this in 2 John 1:7 by stating that people who do not confess that Jesus came in the flesh are deceivers as well.

If we consider our own friends and acquaintances we should all know at least one antichrist. Society and the church have distanced themselves from the concept that there are many antichrists by attributing the term to only one person in the distant future. This is much more palatable than believing that perhaps your best friend, sister, brother, mother or father could be an antichrist.

Society at large always tends to "lay blame" as opposed to "taking responsibility" for what they have allowed. Some examples of this are as follows. Jesus was killed and society blamed Judas Iscariot. World War Two sweeps over the world and society blames Hitler. The Vietnam War is blamed on politicians. The amount of sex and violence in our society today is blamed on actors and directors in Hollywood. Our illegal drug problem is blamed on drug dealers.

Even though the persons mentioned here, Judas Iscariot, Hitler, Politicians, actors, directors and drug dealers are culpable and liable for much evil: they are but scapegoats. The true blame for these atrocities lies squarely on the shoulders of the societies that stand by and allow the atrocities happen.

It was the people of Jesus' time who were yelling "Crucify Him!" It was the people of Germany who elected Hitler to power. The people of America elected the politicians who paved the way for the Vietnam War. It is the people of the world that pay for the movies and television shows that have eroded our moral balance. Finally, if there were no market for illegal drugs there would be no drug dealers.

This is what has happened with the teachings of the antichrist. Society has created a fictional villain to lay the blame on. They have forgotten that it is society who has laid the groundwork for such villains to come to the surface. It is the spirit of the antichrist resident within society today, which is the real villain.

Now before we go on let us take a few minutes to discuss prophetic symbolism. One of the keys to understanding prophecy is to understand the symbols used in prophetic utterances. For example, when a "beast" is mentioned in prophecy it is usually in reference to a kingdom, a nation or a New World Order. When a &qu

Day 32 - July 21, 2010

So, Wednesday I finally got my 24mm, and it was such a relief to know I wouldn't have to do another shoot with that terrible 50mm again. Unfortunately, I couldn't buy my new 24mm at any of the nearby Samy's locations since they were out of stock. So, I went to another well-rated camera shop called Simon's. I ended up paying $70 more than if I had ordered the lens on amazon, but I couldn't afford to wait until next Thursday to have it, which is the estimate amazon gave me.

But enough of the 24mm - Wednesday was the best concert of my entire life - JAMIE CULLUM!!! The venue, The Ford Amphitheatre, didn't allow photography, although that didn't stop a lot of people from bringing their point and shoots. But, honestly, I was okay not taking any photographs so I could just enjoy the concert…..

Jamie had complete control over the crowd, whipping us into hysterics and then quieting us down to a whisper. In fact, for his opening song, he and his band came out and performed the jazz standard Caravan without any microphones, completely acoustic. And Jamie ended the concert almost the very same way, almost silently performing his gorgeous song "Gran Torino," just him and the piano. The concert would go anywhere from cool jazz, to complete almost-rock abandon, to total musical and lyrical blues improv, to humor (Jamie's American accent made me want to double over laughing), and beyond. And not only was Jamie in top form, playing some of the most difficult piano improvisations I've heard live, but his band was also teeming with talent. For instance, the keyboardist, Tom, played keys and synths as well as saxophone. And the electric guitarist also doubled as a trumpet player.

But most importantly, for me, the concert really solidified my longing to be a jazz musician. When I left that concert, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to play piano and perform like Jamie. And with Berklee growing closer and the thought of being around so many talented musicians far more gifted than I am, well, I really needed that. I really needed this concert to remind me that it doesn't matter how long it takes me to get there, and it is going to take a long time before I'm proficient at jazz, eventually, with passion and dedication, I can get there. Eventually, I will be playing jazz, and I'll be capable of improving with a band, just like Jamie. Well, okay, maybe not just like Jamie, but you get the idea.

I guess I just needed to feel that rush again, that ecstasy over hearing a great concert, to remind myself to stop worrying about my placement audition in September and how much I haven't had time to practice during my internship….. Instead, at least for a few hours, I just enjoyed myself…. I was taken away by the music. And afterwards, I was as equally pumped and anxious to kick my practicing time into high gear as I was elated just to listen and enjoy Jamie play.

And that's why it was the best concert. And everything I needed.

- "L.E."