****Please read the scripture from the Bible first as this is God's Word****

Have you ever watched a grocery clerk hold a new 20 dollar bill up to the light? It's important business, because if the money is fake or counterfeit, it has no value. The counterfeiting of US currency is an industry around the world, and everyone of us pay for it. But it is much more catastrophic to follow spiritual counterfeits, in which people have the tendency to do. BEWARE of spiritual counterfeits.

There are many counterfeit messengers about. There was a man in Puerto Rico recently that was claiming to be Jesus Christ, however, we know this man was false. How do we know this, because the things that proceeded out of his mouth were clearly unbiblical and uncharacteristic of God. People were giving this man loads of money, and he willingly accepted it of course. First of all why would Jesus need money. He is a very wealthy man in terms of money, but his poor soul has NOTHING. We see in Chapter 13:1 a beast rise up out of the sea having 7 heads and 10 horns and full of blasphemy. Sounds similar to the dragon we read about in Revelation 12:3. In 13:3 the beast appears to be wounded, however is healed, and all the people that witnessed the healing were marveled by this. And the people fall before the dragon and the beast and worshiped. The beast is a counterfeit messenger. Are there counterfeit messengers on earth today? Absolutely. How do we identify these false messengers? Here are some characteristics of these false spiritual teachers: They are angry and controlling, not loving, and giving. They seek revenge and hold grudges. They are interested in glorifying themselves or glorifying others in a very inappropriate manor. They will speak blasphemies. What is blasphemy? It is claiming to be equivalent to God or claiming falsehoods about God.

These counterfeit prophets, messengers, messiahs, or masters as they claim will perform false miracles. Have any of you ever seen David Copperfield or a magician perform tricks? They have merely mastered the art of performing illusions, making your eye believe what they want you to see. In a sense that is what we will see with these counterfeit spiritual leaders. In Revelation 13:11 we see a second beast come up out of the earth, but notice how it says he had two horns like a lamb. Who else in the bible is referred to as a lamb? Jesus of course, however we know Jesus is not a beast, therefore this beast with two horns as a lamb represents a false messiah. It may appear as Jesus, but notice the last part of verse 11, for he spoke as a dragon. In Revelation 13:13-14 we see that the second beast makes wonders and fire come down from Heaven, but notice it says in the sight of men, meaning it isn't necessarily real, but causes men to see what he wants them to see. The beast uses these false miracles to gain power and authority and trick people into believing he is all powerful, notice it then says that the beast commands the people on earth to create an image of the beast. God's second commandment reads as follows from Exodus 20:4, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." So we see the beast or false prophet directly violating God's law which in itself makes it counterfeit. The miracles are intended to manipulate and trick people, the miracle itself may have good intent, but if it is not glorifying God it is false. What do I mean by that? Well if someone claims they can heal a crippled person, or make a blind man see, but then commands you to worship an image of a dragon, then the miracle was not divinely inspired and doesn't glorify God therefore it is false, it is fake, and it is counterfeit. How do we recognize counterfeit miracles? The persons character is false, blaspheme, and contradict the will of God.

We see these counterfeit messengers say counterfeit messages. In Revelation 13:5-6 we see that they speak "great things" and blasphemies. They speak ill of God and his tabernacle or God's dwelling place. They will typically have a defamatory message, contradictory message, or a self seeking message. They are lusting for control and domination.

I don't know how to differentiate these beasts or dragons, however, I can give you the root of them, and that is Satan. Satan will feed you lie after lie to deceive you just as he did in the garden with Adam and Eve. One of the biggest lies that he tells us is this, "God can't use a person like you, remember all the bad things you have done, God can't and doesn't need you." We must not buy into that lie, Christ already paid the penalty for all our transgression and iniquities, all we need to do is accept that gift which is salvation and trust Christ, and serve Him faithfully until we go to be with our Father in heaven. We need to be aware in our spiritual lives that we are consuming the truth and not buying into the lies of the devil. Satan is very deceiving, and will often try and trick you, but if you hold the truth of God in your heart you will know how to see these counterfeit leaders and lies. That is why it is important to read the bible and get to know God, and his truths. There will be a day when many are deceived by the devil and will perish or die and eternal death in a place called Hell. Do you have your spiritual guard up?

posted by Ben at 8:46 AM