1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:05,240 Few subjects in the Bible have stirred as much curiosity and 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:12,480 intrigue as the truth of the mark of the beast. 3 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:17,480 It has not only sparked debate among Christians, but has even 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,000 captured the fascination among some in the secular world, 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,240 especially in recent years. But like many difficult 6 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:31,680 teachings in the Bible, there is much confusion generated from 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:36,160 this truth than understanding, more speculation than insights, 8 00:00:36,160 --> 00:00:40,800 strange interpretations and imaginative connections to 9 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:45,960 modern or historical figures or events, leaving many to be 10 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:51,920 really hesitant to engage with this subject or to even come up 11 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:54,360 with reasons why it's beneficial for us to know. 12 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,680 But we as believers who love the Word of God have to understand 13 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,960 that misguided teachings or unsupported conclusions should 14 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:07,480 not deter us from approaching even a text like this with 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,680 absolute confidence and assurance. 16 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,880 With any part of God's Word, we have to believe that God has 17 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:18,200 something to say through it, that he wants to bless us, that 18 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,840 he wants to inform us, that he wants to equip us. 19 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,760 And that is no less true than with the truth that is before us 20 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,400 today. And by God's grace, we're going 21 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:30,000 to seek to unlock what seems to be a mystery for many. 22 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,760 But before we can even do that, we have to remind ourselves of 23 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,680 the context in which it is introduced. 24 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,840 And so you and I need our Bibles, right? 25 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,640 So if you have a Bible with you, let's turn to Revelation 13. 26 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,280 And in the latter portion of this chapter, the Holy Spirit 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:51,680 reveals that there is coming a dangerous duo, a duo that will 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:56,240 be summoned and empowered by Satan himself with unparalleled 29 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:59,680 authority, and they will dominate the world. 30 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,240 Revelation 13 tells us that they are identified AS2 separate 31 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,560 beasts. They have their own distinct 32 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,160 kind of profiles, yet they are working in tandem. 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:16,720 The first beast the Spirit shows us will be a political leader. 34 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:21,800 He will be a world dominating figure, he will be brilliant, he 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,200 will be persuasive and he will indeed have his way. 36 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:29,080 He will actually bring to fruition what many have only 37 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:33,080 theorized or dreamt about and that is a globalist regime. 38 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,960 He will bring the nations together under 1 banner. 39 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,200 But more than implementing a universal political system, this 40 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,040 individual who is known as the first beast will demand worship. 41 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:49,680 And this is where the second beast comes in. 42 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:54,280 Because the second beast, who is also a man, will emerge on the 43 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,560 scene, and he too will be a persuasive voice. 44 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,160 And he will compel the world to give their homage and their 45 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,960 devotion and their ultimate worship to the first beast. 46 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:11,240 And he will even perform signs and wonders to win the trust of 47 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,880 the masses. And over and over, with his 48 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:22,440 ability to communicate and the power behind his message, there 49 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:27,000 will be a compelling case for the world to begin to bow the 50 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,480 knee to the first beast. But there's going to be more 51 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:34,760 than just amazement. And there's going to be more 52 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:40,520 than just deception at play here to win the allegiance of the 53 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,920 nations. We're about to discover that 54 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:45,760 there will be cruel implementations. 55 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:50,680 There will be certain protocols and systems that will be in 56 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:56,480 place in order to pressure the people to surrender their hearts 57 00:03:56,720 --> 00:03:59,840 to this evil tyrant known as the Antichrist. 58 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:02,800 And that is where we find ourselves here in Revelation 13. 59 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:06,520 Our main text is in verse 15 down through verse 18, but we're 60 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:08,880 going to read from verse 11 to refresh our memory. 61 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:16,200 Revelation 13, verse 11 reads. Then I saw another beast rising 62 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:19,760 out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, 63 00:04:20,120 --> 00:04:24,080 and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority 64 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,400 of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and 65 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:31,800 its inhabitants worship the first beast whose mortal wound 66 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,640 was healed. It performs great signs, even 67 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:37,840 making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of 68 00:04:37,840 --> 00:04:40,280 people. And by the signs that it is 69 00:04:40,280 --> 00:04:43,560 allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those 70 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,880 who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the the 71 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,320 beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 72 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,600 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the 73 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,480 beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak, and 74 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,360 might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast 75 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:02,560 to be slain. Also. 76 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:06,440 It causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both 77 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,880 free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 78 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:15,320 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is 79 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,160 the name of the beast or the number of its name. 80 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:23,120 This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has 81 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:26,960 understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is 82 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:33,040 the number of a man, and his number is 66 6. 83 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:39,200 Let's pray, Lord, your word calls for wisdom in this portion 84 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,120 of Scripture, and that's what we asked for. 85 00:05:42,720 --> 00:05:47,520 We asked for wisdom, as we heard even earlier through Paul's 86 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,440 words. What does the Scripture say, 87 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:51,840 Lord? No matter our presuppositions or 88 00:05:51,840 --> 00:05:54,400 our own ideas or our own conclusions, we pray that all 89 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:59,680 things would bow to the truth, and that Lord, you would clarify 90 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,520 all confusion, that you would settle any heart that is 91 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:07,000 troubled, and that Lord, we would see your wisdom in these 92 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,920 verses for our worship and our love for you. 93 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,280 We pray these things in the matchless name of your son, who 94 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:16,600 we believe to be alive and the soon coming King. 95 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:22,080 Amen and Amen. So in my personal reading this 96 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,360 week, I find myself in the Book of Daniel. 97 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,280 An amazing book for many reasons. 98 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,840 And early in Daniel's story, you would know this if you've read 99 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:36,720 the book, we see that King Nebuchadnezzar decides to build 100 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,240 a massive golden statue of himself and he threateningly 101 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,400 commands all his subjects to worship it. 102 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,600 And I just found myself earlier again this week being reminded 103 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,120 that this is just one of many examples in biblical history of 104 00:06:50,280 --> 00:06:56,320 how humanity is capable of 1. Worshipping themselves, and two, 105 00:06:56,840 --> 00:07:01,440 worshipping idols in general. So it should not surprise us 106 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:06,080 then that what we just read about the future is a man who 107 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:11,040 will have others worship an image of himself. 108 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,320 Now what's interesting about this image, however, is that it 109 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:19,080 stands out from all other previous idols we see in the 110 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:24,480 scriptures for one main reason. This idol, this image, this 111 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,440 structure of some kind, this object, we're not too sure what 112 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:35,200 it will be, has been given life. It's animated, it's receiving 113 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:40,160 breath, and it comes off as though it is alive. 114 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:42,880 Now if you've read the Scriptures carefully, you would 115 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:48,000 notice that the Holy Spirit repeatedly emphasizes the the 116 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,800 foolishness of pictorial or physical idols and the scorn 117 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:57,200 that is offered. A holy scorn, may I add, is that 118 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,440 these idols, they have eyes, but they do not see. 119 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:02,520 They have ears, but they cannot hear. 120 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:04,720 They have hands, but they cannot move their feet but cannot walk, 121 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:09,400 and they have mouths but cannot speak. 122 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:14,120 So one example is from Psalm 115, four and five. 123 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:15,560 And you don't have to turn there, but listen to these 124 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:16,840 words. Listen to what the psalmist 125 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:19,680 says. Their idols are silver and gold, 126 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,840 the work of human hands. They have mouths but do not 127 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:28,600 speak, eyes but do not see. And that reverberates throughout 128 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,320 the Scripture, even up to the Book of Revelation. 129 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:35,559 Do you remember how this holy contempt is offered towards 130 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:38,960 idols under the six trumpet judgment? 131 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,640 If you forgot, you can now turn to Revelation 9 and look at 132 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:50,360 verse 20 for a moment. Revelation 9, verse 20, John 133 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,960 writes, The rest of mankind who are not killed by these plagues 134 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,000 did not repent of the works of their hands, nor give up 135 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,280 worshipping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and 136 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:07,720 stone and wood which cannot see or hear or walk. 137 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,440 Nor do they repent of their murders or the sorceries of 138 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:14,320 their sexual immorality or their thefts. 139 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:18,400 So we know that idol worship is nothing new, and we also know 140 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:21,640 that it's not going to grow old. It's going to be prevalent even 141 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:24,440 in the last days. But interestingly, according to 142 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,240 John, the image of the Antichrist, the first beast in 143 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:33,120 Revelation 13, will in fact not be a lifeless structure. 144 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,160 We're told that it will have the ability to speak, and more than 145 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:42,480 that, it will somehow possess the authority to kill those who 146 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:47,280 do not worship it. Now you can imagine the 147 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:52,360 difficulty of John's immediate audience and trying to make 148 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:57,560 sense of how a mere object or idol can perform such acts. 149 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,280 But with modern technology today, that difficulty no longer 150 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:06,840 remains, does it? Now, whether this image will be 151 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:11,240 animated technologically or supernaturally is not entirely 152 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,800 clear. And whether this image will be 153 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:18,400 mass produced and forced to be placed in people's homes or 154 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:23,400 erected in key regions is not made known either. 155 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:28,040 But if we concentrate on what is clear, we can have wonderful 156 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:30,800 discussions of what this verse is conveying. 157 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:35,360 Or we can talk about how the language here reminds us of one 158 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:38,480 of the first acts that God performs in Genesis, in Genesis 159 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:43,360 27, when he breathes into the man who was formed out of the 160 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,320 dust, and we're told there that he became a living creature. 161 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:51,320 Telling us what that yet again in Revelation 13, we have the 162 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,600 Antichrist trying to imitate God. 163 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:57,880 Or we can discuss how more specifically, this is the second 164 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:01,200 beast whom we learned to be a counterfeit Holy Spirit. 165 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:04,320 And we know that the Holy Spirit, one of his wonders is 166 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,080 that he breathes life into the lifeless soul, right? 167 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,520 He regenerates us. He makes us born again. 168 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:16,600 And here we find again the anti Holy Spirit seeking to mimic the 169 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:19,680 true Holy Spirit by bringing life to something that was once 170 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:21,640 lifeless. Oh, there are so many things 171 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:24,720 that we can speak about, but allow me to focus on just one 172 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:30,640 gripping thought. And it is how the incentive to 173 00:11:30,640 --> 00:11:34,360 worship the Antichrist is so different from the draw to 174 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:38,560 worship the true Christ. Look back again with me here. 175 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,760 John tells us that anyone who refuses to worship the image of 176 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,040 this beast will be executed. The moment they resist, they 177 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,200 will be slain, in John's word. Do you understand what that 178 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,480 means? That this kind of worship for 179 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,200 this kind of beast will be enforced. 180 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:02,360 The people will be coerced, and this will essentially promote a 181 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:05,400 devotion driven entirely by terror. 182 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:09,760 This is what this tyrant is going to produce. 183 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,040 And though it is true that there are consequences for those who 184 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:18,960 refuse to worship and surrender to the true God, that kind of 185 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:23,080 punishment is a manifestation of holy justice against those who 186 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:26,800 have first made the decision to reject God's grace. 187 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:30,720 Do you remember what Paul said in Second Thessalonians 18, 188 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,480 where early in that book, very short book, he describes the 189 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,560 return of Christ, the true sense of Christ's return, that He will 190 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:45,360 inflict vengeance on those who do not obey God or the Gospel of 191 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:52,400 our Lord Jesus? Notice that the main crime that 192 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:56,920 Christ will execute judgment for are against those who have made 193 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,280 the decision to reject the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 194 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:01,600 What's the gospel? The good news? 195 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:03,760 What's the good news about Jesus? 196 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:05,560 Grace? God's grace. 197 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,960 So does our God judge? Yes, but for what? 198 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,840 Those who have swatted away his gift? 199 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,360 Those who have denied him? Those who have blasphemed him? 200 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,240 Those who have not received freely that gift of salvation. 201 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,640 You see, with the true Christ Christ, judgement comes to those 202 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,960 who have first denied his grace. Whereas the Antichrist gives no 203 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,520 grace at all because Satan has no grace to offer. 204 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:39,080 Think of it this way. The Antichrist says worship me 205 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,920 or die. The true Christ says worship me 206 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:50,120 because I died for you. You see, the primary way our God 207 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:55,440 wins the worship of sinners, wins our love, wins our loyalty. 208 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,400 It's through His love. It's through His indescribable 209 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,640 sacrifice. No such thing exists in the 210 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:04,480 world of worship with the Antichrist. 211 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:08,520 I mean, you can even see this in the resurrection type miracle 212 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,000 that he will perform. Remember we studied that 213 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:13,000 together earlier in this chapter that there will be some kind of 214 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,440 assassination attempt and He will bring this kind of stunt 215 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,160 where He will make it seem as though He rose from the dead. 216 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,160 But notice the difference. That is clearly an imitation of 217 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,000 what Christ has done. But the motive is far different. 218 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:32,080 The Antichrist will do this to try to flex his power, to try to 219 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,360 impress the masses. It's deception. 220 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:39,120 But Christ didn't do what He did to try to impress us. 221 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,480 He did it to pay for something. He did it for our behalf. 222 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,520 He did it for something that we were lacking. 223 00:14:45,640 --> 00:14:48,360 He did it out of His love. He didn't have to do it. 224 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:51,640 He chose to do it. So even in the motive of the 225 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,080 miracles that we see here between the true Christ and the 226 00:14:55,080 --> 00:14:59,800 Antichrist are so different. And All in all, the Kingdom of 227 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:04,600 darkness weaponizes fear to when peoples worship, while the 228 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:08,200 Kingdom of God extends grace to to win sinners. 229 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:11,440 In fact, have you ever considered how the Book of 230 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:14,680 Revelation ends? This book that is clearly 231 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:19,360 dominated by future judgement, holy justice, cosmic chaos, all 232 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:21,880 these things that at 1st may terrify us. 233 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,600 Have you ever wondered the last words of the Book of Revelation? 234 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:28,160 Well, let's turn there. Look at it. 235 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:36,400 Revelation 22 verse 21, the signature verse to end this 236 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:44,320 prophecy is what the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. 237 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:49,320 Amen. Isn't that amazing that after 238 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,600 describing God's fiercest display of wrath against evil 239 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:56,360 and evil doers, the last thought that he wants the reader to 240 00:15:56,360 --> 00:15:59,360 encounter before closing this prophecy is grace. 241 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:03,560 You want to know why? Because that's God's disposition 242 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:09,760 towards humanity, forgiveness, restoration, redemption. 243 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,800 So in the last verse of not just the Book of Revelation, but of 244 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:18,080 all the Scriptures is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 245 00:16:20,280 --> 00:16:25,080 We serve a wonderful master. You know, the Antichrist seems 246 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,840 not to take any issue of getting worship, no matter how he can 247 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,720 get it. And clearly this is this is 248 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,720 driven by dread. Some will be deceived, some will 249 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,680 fall in love with this man. But in that same prophecy we 250 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:41,880 read that others will have no other choice. 251 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:43,720 At least they think they have no other choice. 252 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:51,760 And Satan seems to take no issue with cold, external, mechanical 253 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:55,480 devotion. Christ is not interested in that 254 00:16:55,480 --> 00:16:59,800 kind of worship. He wants genuine, heartfelt 255 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:04,160 adoration and affection. And the way that He draws that 256 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,560 out of us is by pouring out His love first. 257 00:17:08,520 --> 00:17:12,400 He melts the hearts of those who have turned their backs on Him. 258 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:16,440 That's how he draws US. Oh, what it this should cause us 259 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,599 to worship him. Imagine if Christ was like the 260 00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:21,800 Antichrist. He's not. 261 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:25,599 Thanks be to God, he is not. But the extent of the Antichrist 262 00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:28,319 slavish system is explained in the next verses. 263 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:32,240 Let's look at it again. So we realize that he's going to 264 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,800 make this image. It's a remarkable kind of 265 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,040 achievement, but he has other things in mind. 266 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:41,600 In verse 16 we read also. It causes all, both small and 267 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,760 great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on 268 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,360 the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell 269 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,040 unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the 270 00:17:52,040 --> 00:17:54,880 number of its name. So the Antichrist in his 271 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:58,320 totalitarian regime will not only promote man worship, but 272 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,280 will also administer a required universal marking system. 273 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,360 Evidently, he's going to impose this new arrangement of personal 274 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:10,240 identification. And what that ID is going to 275 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,760 reveal is going to be the most important thing that one can 276 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:15,840 know about an individual at that time. 277 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,240 Here it is. Are you for or are you against 278 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,200 this new world leader? That's all that's going to 279 00:18:21,200 --> 00:18:26,480 matter at this point. Are you marked for him or are 280 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,640 you not marked for him? And John tells us that a 281 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,880 person's allegiance or lack thereof will be known. 282 00:18:31,880 --> 00:18:36,200 It'll be very hard to hide. It's going to be apparent. 283 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:37,760 It's going to be plan, it's going to be physical. 284 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,360 Now, there are two vital things that we have to try to 285 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:43,120 understand in order to get clarification of what this mark 286 00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:44,640 is about. And if you can remember these 287 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,960 two things, you'll be a step ahead from a lot of people who 288 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,000 are kind of in this state of confusion about what this 289 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,920 prophecy really entails. 2 things about this mark. 290 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:58,440 The first thing is it's spiritual significance and the 291 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:00,800 second thing is it's physical consequences. 292 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:03,840 The spiritual significance is what we'll begin with. 293 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:07,440 Remember up to this point we have seen how pathetically 294 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:12,120 desperate Satan is to mirror God, to imitate God, to replace 295 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:14,840 God and we see it even with this mark. 296 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:18,920 Remember we've studied this chapter by chapter, verse by 297 00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:21,280 verse. We we've seen that this concept 298 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:25,040 of a mark in terms of devotion has already appeared. 299 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:31,440 Do you remember how the 144,000 Jews are distinguished in 300 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:34,160 Revelation Chapter 7? If you don't go there for a 301 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:38,200 moment and look at one verse with me in Revelation 7 verse 3. 302 00:19:43,970 --> 00:19:46,730 This is what the Holy Spirit says about this future group of 303 00:19:46,730 --> 00:19:52,040 people, Revelation 73 reads, saying Do not harm the earth or 304 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:56,720 the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our 305 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:01,320 God on their foreheads. We know, of course, that this is 306 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,720 primarily speaking about a spiritual stamp, a spirit 307 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:09,240 spiritual designation. But Satan Listen wants to mock 308 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:12,440 it. This is a parody. 309 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,840 And more than that, if you notice in Revelation 13, he's 310 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:21,880 very specific. He wants to ensure that those 311 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:25,040 who are committed to the Antichrist are labeled in one of 312 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:30,200 two places, one the right hand, the other the forehead. 313 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:38,800 Why those two places? Well, if you and I know our Old 314 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:43,560 Testament well, then we would we would ask this question. 315 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,400 I think. Is there any place in the Old 316 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:53,720 Testament that reveals the idea of the hand or the the head 317 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,240 being connected to a form of devotion? 318 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:01,360 I see a lot of heads ironically nodding. 319 00:21:02,120 --> 00:21:04,840 Deuteronomy 6. Let's turn there. 320 00:21:05,680 --> 00:21:07,600 This is what is commonly known as the Shema. 321 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:13,160 This is a central instruction for the Jewish people even to 322 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,760 this day. But notice what is mentioned in 323 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:21,000 this set of instructions, Deuteronomy 6, beginning in 324 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:26,920 verse 4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our 325 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,840 God, the Lord is 1 You shall love the Lord your God with all 326 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,760 your heart and with all your soul, and with all your might. 327 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,400 And these words that I command you today shall be on your 328 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,680 heart. You shall teach them diligently 329 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:39,600 to your children and shall talk to them. 330 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,520 When you sit in your house and when you bought walk by the way, 331 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,760 and when you lie down and when you rise, pause for a moment. 332 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:46,000 Every time I read this, it moves me. 333 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,040 Do you know why? Because it instructs families, 334 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:54,200 especially parents, that when we seek to disciple our children, 335 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,200 it should look more than just having a set devotional time. 336 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,080 I'm not against those. I think those are wonderful. 337 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,000 But there's something more realistic here being presented 338 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,160 that when we want to train our children concerning the things 339 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:08,880 of God, it should be conversational. 340 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:14,320 It should be casual on our on our Rd. trips. 341 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:17,760 We should we should talk about biblical truths as we travel. 342 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:21,120 We should be able to relate all of life to the things of God. 343 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,680 I believe that's more effective than anything. 344 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,960 You may disagree with me, but I believe to be able to show our 345 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:32,440 loved ones how we can include and we should connect all of 346 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:35,600 life, all of our problems, all of our joys to what God has 347 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,760 revealed about himself and to us is so effective. 348 00:22:39,360 --> 00:22:40,880 Not my idea. It's here and Deuteronomy 6. 349 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:43,880 But notice what it goes on to say in verse 8. 350 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:50,320 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as 351 00:22:50,320 --> 00:22:55,160 frontlets between your eyes. Where's that here? 352 00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,840 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on 353 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:03,680 your gates. What is this instruction all 354 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,880 about? It's clear the lobbying on one's 355 00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:09,760 hand and between one's eyes is both symbolic and practical. 356 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:15,600 All it's really saying is God's people should be in a place 357 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:19,760 where they adopt everything that God has said to their thinking 358 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:23,240 and to their doing. In essence, it speaks of the 359 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,960 integration of God's voice in all of life, in our day-to-day, 360 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:32,560 internally and externally, in your thought life, in your heart 361 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:38,640 life, in your actual life. And so this is really a picture 362 00:23:39,360 --> 00:23:43,360 of complete and absolute devotion. 363 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,440 Now, Jews today would actually take this literally and they 364 00:23:47,440 --> 00:23:50,360 have those small boxes with, you know, scriptures in them, and 365 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:52,320 they would tie it around their hands and tie it around their 366 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:54,880 heads. What God's after really is that 367 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:56,800 this would be obeyed, this would be lived out, this would be 368 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:58,720 chairs, the truth of God. And what we find here in 369 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:05,640 Revelation is that this ancient and holy call to consecration is 370 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:09,320 now mimicked for an evil purpose. 371 00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:14,480 Satan takes this, and he now seeks to apply to his own 372 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:19,240 worship. So imagine how a Jewish audience 373 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,560 especially would understand and interpret the mark of the beast 374 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:27,160 immediately. They would primarily recognize 375 00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:31,360 this as an inversion and perversion of what God asked of 376 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:35,760 them. This biblical tradition that all 377 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,680 that you think up here and all that you do with this would be 378 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:43,640 to the glory of God, would be instructed and inspired by God. 379 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,640 And now I read of this evil regime that's asking to be 380 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,240 marked on the hand and on the forehead. 381 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:54,480 It's clear. And they would also recognize 382 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:56,440 the depth of the spiritual defiance of this. 383 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,960 They would see that this is a lawless system intent on 384 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:03,600 claiming what belongs to God alone, and that is again, 385 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,400 complete devotion. So this is deeply disturbing 386 00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:09,520 because it carries spiritual significance. 387 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,400 So listen and you and I understanding what the mark of 388 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,160 the beast is about, we have to 1st answer it in this way. 389 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,720 It carries spiritual significance, and what the mark 390 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,520 of the beast seeks to do is twist what God asked since the 391 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:27,240 beginning by taking that symbolic imagery and instruction 392 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:34,480 and applying it here. However, we cannot discredit the 393 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:38,760 physical implications of this mark, which brings us to the 394 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:41,520 second point, the physical consequences. 395 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:47,400 Now you have some, and it's becoming more popular believers 396 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,400 who are very comfortable staying within the realm of symbolism 397 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:51,760 when it comes to the mark of the beast. 398 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:57,560 And you can make an argument for it being purely symbolic if you 399 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,960 stick with verse 16 alone, But that becomes virtually 400 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,760 impossible when you factor in verse 17 of Revelation 13. 401 00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:11,880 Look at it again, the end of it, or really all of it, so that no 402 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:16,800 one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of 403 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:18,720 the beast or the number of its name. 404 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:23,720 This is undeniable. The mark of the beast is more 405 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:28,640 than just a token of loyalty. It becomes an integral part, 406 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:34,560 apparently to economic survival. Or else what do you do with 407 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:35,640 this? Are you going to symbolize this 408 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:38,600 as well? You can't buy or sell unless you 409 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,720 have this mark on 2 physical locations on your body. 410 00:26:45,600 --> 00:26:49,000 Again, as comfortable as you would want to be to keep it 411 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,160 within the sphere of just. This is really a spiritual 412 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,680 picture. It is, but it goes beyond that. 413 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:01,800 At its core it is spiritual, but in its manifestation, it's it's 414 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:06,640 physical. And so understand the Antichrist 415 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:09,000 Empire will have complete control of how the world 416 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,360 conducts business, of how transactions are made, and how 417 00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:17,800 people access basic necessities and supplies for daily life. 418 00:27:21,120 --> 00:27:23,560 It seems as though cash and other forms of payment will no 419 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:27,880 longer be relevant because the economic standards that we have 420 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:32,120 always known will seem to disappear and be replaced by 421 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:37,520 controlled credit system. And this is what interests 422 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:41,400 people, isn't it? But here's what we have to say. 423 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:45,040 First of all, the Spirit of God tells us that mankind, 424 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,360 regardless of the societal status, will be subject to this 425 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:52,720 new type of organization. It's a new world order, and it's 426 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:56,640 inescapable. If if you want to be a part of 427 00:27:57,360 --> 00:28:01,120 this commerce, there's only one way, and that is for you to 428 00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:02,440 pledge your allegiance to this man. 429 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:04,800 You want to be a part of this economic system. 430 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:06,520 You have to worship the one who controlled it. 431 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,680 We've seen minuscule manifestations of this 432 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:14,280 throughout history and different forms of governments and 433 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,360 regimes, but it's going to have its full-fledged manifestation 434 00:28:18,360 --> 00:28:21,800 here. And this is a type of 435 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,640 persecution. It will be crushing. 436 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,920 It will bring pressure to everybody on a level that 437 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,480 humanity has never experienced. And when you even factor in all 438 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:39,600 the loss and all the devastation due to the disasters that we've 439 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,600 been studying up to this point in the world during the 440 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,360 tribulation period, that appeal becomes even stronger. 441 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:50,920 The temptation is even heavier that there will be one man who 442 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:56,920 will contain all control over the stockpile of the nations. 443 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,560 And this will cause people to bow the knee, but there will be 444 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:09,480 some who will refuse, namely Christians who will not give 445 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:11,760 themselves over to this wickedness. 446 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,520 Those who will be saved during the tribulation period would 447 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:19,840 rather die than live to worship this wicked foe. 448 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:25,680 I want to, I want to consider a couple of thoughts when you 449 00:29:25,800 --> 00:29:28,640 meditate on this vile methodology. 450 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:30,320 There are some instruction in it. 451 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,120 The first one to consider, at least, is that again, you can 452 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:37,280 see a difference between how Christ operates and how the 453 00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:40,960 Antichrist functions. Here's a man who immediately is 454 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:46,680 willing to withhold basic goods for survival unless you are 455 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,640 willing to give your heart to him. 456 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:53,120 This is cruel. This is this is unimaginably 457 00:29:53,760 --> 00:29:55,240 devastating. You got to think about the 458 00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:57,040 children. You got to think about wives. 459 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:58,920 You got to think about the difficult decision that fathers 460 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:04,360 will have to make and many will flock to the sign up sheet, 461 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:09,200 whatever that would look like to receive this mark in order to 462 00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,360 survive. But I couldn't help but reflect 463 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:17,200 on how God, even with those who hate him, does not treat them in 464 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,840 such a way. You know where my mind went when 465 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,520 Paul was preaching to those idolaters in Lystra in Acts 466 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,720 chapter 14, in a moment, because he performed a miracle in the 467 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:32,760 name of Jesus, that crowd turned and began to worship him and his 468 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:36,120 ministry team. And Paul begins to preach an 469 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:39,200 impromptu sermon to repel this idolatry. 470 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,440 And he wants to point him to the true God. 471 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:46,840 And in his spontaneous attempt to persuade their hearts that 472 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,800 the true God alone is worthy of worship, let me read to you what 473 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:51,800 he says to describe him at least in one part. 474 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:59,000 In Acts 14 verse 16 to 17, Paul says in past generations he 475 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:03,520 being God, in past generations he allowed all nations to walk 476 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,800 in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself 477 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:12,400 without witness, for He did good by giving you rains from heaven 478 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:17,400 and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and 479 00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:21,600 gladness. What a difference. 480 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,400 Again, what a contrast, the tenderness of this guy, 481 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:27,920 infinitely more holy than all of us put together. 482 00:31:27,920 --> 00:31:33,120 And yet Paul is addressing a group of people who, along with 483 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:37,240 many nations, have turned their backs on God and walked in their 484 00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:38,560 own ways. And how did God treat these 485 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:39,800 nations that walked in their own ways? 486 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:45,720 He gave them rain and He gave them groceries, and He gave them 487 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,040 memories and He gave them picnics and He gave them 488 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:52,680 vacations and He gave them promotions and He gave them 489 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:58,160 fruit and a harvest. He gave them sales, He gave them 490 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:01,680 savings. This is what the true God did. 491 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:03,880 This is what the true God still does today. 492 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:06,160 To who? Those who have taken His mark? 493 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:07,920 No, those who are walking in their own way. 494 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,400 The reason why Paul is communicating this is so that 495 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:16,160 they would get some kind of a taste of the mercy of God, that 496 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:19,480 this is how God treats us, though we do not deserve it. 497 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:22,760 What does He have in store for those who do live for Him and 498 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,520 love Him? And then you read about the 499 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:30,200 Antichrist, and what does he do? You want to eat, You want to 500 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,320 drink. You want to feed your family? 501 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:36,960 You want to have dinner tonight? Take my mark again. 502 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,200 This should cause you and I to fall deeper in love with our 503 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:45,120 God. But there's another thought to 504 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:49,720 consider. This is a sobering reminder of 505 00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:55,400 the foolishness of humanity's worship then and today, then and 506 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,680 today. Why will people worship the 507 00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:01,680 beast, plain and simple, for temporary gain? 508 00:33:03,080 --> 00:33:06,520 Why do people worship what they worship today instead of the 509 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:13,320 true God for temporary gain? Different era, same disposition. 510 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:18,840 And what people then in this prophecy and what people today 511 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:21,960 failed to consider is that no matter what kind of reward you 512 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:24,280 may inherit because of your allegiance to something apart 513 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:29,440 from the true God, it will cost you and I eternally, eternally. 514 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:33,880 And that is certainly the case for those here who will take the 515 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,080 mark upon themselves. Fast forward to Revelation 14 516 00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:45,080 and look at this and verse 9 and 10 And another Angel 1/3 517 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,840 followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships 518 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:54,480 the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead 519 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,880 or on his hand. He also will drink the wine of 520 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:03,560 God's wrath poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and 521 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:07,320 he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of 522 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:09,880 the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 523 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:15,159 More on that when we get to Revelation 14, but focus on this 524 00:34:15,159 --> 00:34:20,920 truth with me for now. Isn't it sad that the same ones 525 00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:25,480 in Revelation 13 who took a mark so that they can be spared from 526 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:28,600 the wrath of the Antichrist, and that they can gain a little bit 527 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:33,679 for a little bit of time, will suffer eternally for it? 528 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,679 And those who refuse to give themselves over to the 529 00:34:38,679 --> 00:34:43,080 Antichrist will indeed suffer, but will win forever? 530 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,760 See, Revelation 13 reminds us that the world worships that 531 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,880 which is temporary, but the righteous they worship the 532 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:55,840 eternal One who rewards eternally. 533 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:03,200 And that will be the grace that will stir the hearts of those 534 00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:09,920 during the tribulation period to refuse to extend their hand or 535 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:13,960 to remove their hair so that they can have a few years of a 536 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:19,240 comfortable life. They will understand that though 537 00:35:19,240 --> 00:35:22,200 you may kill the body, you cannot destroy the soul. 538 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,840 And they will have even a greater reward awaiting them at 539 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:29,840 the entrance of the shores of Eternity. 540 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:33,720 Now, I'm aware that some after hearing all this about the mark, 541 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:37,040 especially what we just said, now might experience a little 542 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:42,480 bit of fear in their hearts, especially when you consider the 543 00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:46,120 consequences of this mark. This is no joke. 544 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:50,600 This is not a light thing. This is not a little stamp that 545 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:53,400 you know you put on if you want to go into some kind of event or 546 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:54,840 concert or whatever you want to call it. 547 00:35:56,160 --> 00:36:01,960 This has permanent consequences. So you have people asking this 548 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:06,480 I, what is this mark? I need to know? 549 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:08,240 Give me as many details as you got. 550 00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:12,800 How do I know if my loved ones don't know what the mark is and 551 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,400 they will take it? How do I know if I have not 552 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:16,880 already entertained a prototype of the mark or maybe the mark 553 00:36:16,880 --> 00:36:19,600 slipped into my life somehow? And if any of those kind of 554 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,520 thoughts have ever entered into your mind, I want to provide 555 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:23,000 helpful clarification. OK. 556 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:26,320 The mark of the beast is not a vaccine. 557 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:31,720 Yeah, it's catching on a little bit. 558 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:34,080 Yeah. The mark of the beast is not a 559 00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,120 vaccine. The Mark of the Beast is not any 560 00:36:37,120 --> 00:36:41,600 type of Internet service. The Mark of the Beast is not a 561 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:44,920 day of the week that you choose to worship on, namely Sunday. 562 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,360 Some will understand that, maybe more than others. 563 00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:56,440 The Mark of the Beast is not any of these kind of mysterious, 564 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:01,000 vague, ambiguous mediums or practices. 565 00:37:02,720 --> 00:37:05,200 The Mark of the Beast will be totally recognizable. 566 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,880 The Mark of the Beast will be absolutely obvious. 567 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:13,280 Do you know why? Because it is inseparable from 568 00:37:13,280 --> 00:37:18,600 the worship of a man. Do we understand this? 569 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,840 Whatever this mark is, it is a physical brand that signifies 570 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,680 the adoration of a single person who's asking for it. 571 00:37:27,720 --> 00:37:30,760 In other words, to take this mark is to consciously 572 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:34,680 participate in a new world religion. 573 00:37:36,680 --> 00:37:40,000 Let me put it more plainly. You can't accidentally take the 574 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,080 mark. You can't. 575 00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:47,200 That is scripturally impossible. Look again at the end of verse 576 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:49,880 17. He says that is when he's 577 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:54,200 describing the mark, the name of the beast, the name of the 578 00:37:54,200 --> 00:37:56,120 beast, or the number of its name. 579 00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:59,640 So this is again, a labeling of some sort. 580 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:04,880 There is going to be the name of this individual on this mark or 581 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:08,000 a numbering system that stamps you as his possession. 582 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:13,120 So there's all these wild theories out there and when you 583 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:17,440 hear them, I, I, at least I've never heard somebody properly 584 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:19,560 interpret what this mark is all about. 585 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:25,840 The key feature of it is that you are demonstrating that you 586 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:32,480 are surrendering to a person. I am living for this figure. 587 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:34,960 I am giving myself over to this man. 588 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:38,760 I see him as God. I see him as my Savior. 589 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,440 If you understand that, you've virtually eliminated every 590 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,680 theory that we've heard up to this point about the mark of the 591 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:48,520 beast, because nothing has ever fit that profile. 592 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:53,560 No demands have ever been made, at least on this scale. 593 00:38:57,040 --> 00:38:59,640 I'm not saying that the technology to implement it isn't 594 00:38:59,640 --> 00:39:02,200 potentially developing. I think in fact it is. 595 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:04,800 I think the world is being, obviously, if we believe this is 596 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:10,840 prophecy, the world is being prepared for this man and this 597 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:14,200 duo to step on the scene and do what the Bible says they will 598 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,120 do. Don't get the idea that the 599 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,000 first beast and the second beast are just going to appear and 600 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,160 then put all these things into motion. 601 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:24,440 I think it's going to be much more subtle than that. 602 00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:32,320 Now, we must not become sensational when it comes to 603 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,200 these things. And the way you and I avoid 604 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:37,680 getting into any kind of hysteria is by remaining 605 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:41,880 grounded in the Bible. Just stay in the text. 606 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:45,840 Doesn't matter what kind of dream this guy had on YouTube. 607 00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,920 I don't know who you are. I don't know what you believe. 608 00:39:50,320 --> 00:39:53,720 Who are you? Just because he speaks 609 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:59,680 confidently, just because he seems persuasive, you just stick 610 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:02,720 with the Word of God. You will not be shaken. 611 00:40:02,720 --> 00:40:08,160 And interestingly, a call for wisdom is exactly what comes 612 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,920 next in this passage. Look again in verse 18. 613 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:14,800 This calls for wisdom. But the one who has 614 00:40:14,800 --> 00:40:16,920 understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is 615 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,320 the number of a man, and his number is 666. 616 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,280 Arguably, no number has stirred the imagination of believers and 617 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:28,760 unbelievers alike as this number 666. 618 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:34,080 What do we do with 666? Those digits have appeared in 619 00:40:34,080 --> 00:40:40,520 movies, music, conspiracy theories now more than ever. 620 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:43,560 And you have some who even tattooed on themselves. 621 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,440 I've seen it. I have no idea why you would do 622 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:50,800 that, but they do. So it's not just a Christian 623 00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:55,560 cultural thing. It is becoming mainstream, and 624 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:58,520 there's so many things said about it that are erroneous. 625 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:02,720 That being said, those who are more committed to understanding 626 00:41:02,720 --> 00:41:06,320 the significance of this number often appeal to a Jewish 627 00:41:06,320 --> 00:41:13,160 practice called gematria. And gematria is this 628 00:41:14,720 --> 00:41:19,600 interpretation method that seeks to assign numbers to letters, 629 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:24,440 phrases, sentences, words in the Hebrew. 630 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:28,240 But that's also a practice that you find in in history with the 631 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:32,680 Greek and Latin as well. So you understand how this 632 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:35,280 works. Certain numbers or certain 633 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:37,240 letters are assigned certain numbers. 634 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,000 And so you have to do kind of these renderings and a little 635 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,200 bit of math to put these together. 636 00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:43,960 And these letters equate to this number. 637 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:48,360 And what that has led to throughout history is proposals 638 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,920 of potential candidates of Antichrist who have appeared 639 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:57,000 apparently, and all those have proven to be futile. 640 00:41:57,000 --> 00:41:58,880 Why? Because no matter what kind of 641 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:02,640 historical figure you want to point to, and many have been 642 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:06,680 pointed to, none of them fit the description of the career and 643 00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:10,240 the character of the Antichrist. You may have seen previews of 644 00:42:10,240 --> 00:42:13,880 it, but not the full manifestation of it, not the 645 00:42:14,040 --> 00:42:19,040 actual fulfillment of it. And so there are, again, some 646 00:42:19,440 --> 00:42:23,880 who are at rest saying, well, you know, Nero was the 647 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:28,560 Antichrist or Napoleon was Antichrist or this president is 648 00:42:28,560 --> 00:42:32,480 the Antichrist. And, and they're there, and 649 00:42:32,480 --> 00:42:34,840 they'll do all these things. And they'll show you a chart and 650 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:37,440 they'll put, you know, lines together and say, you see, you 651 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:39,920 see how this is 666. Did you see what he said in this 652 00:42:39,920 --> 00:42:41,440 interview? And do you see what he did here 653 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:42,360 and there? OK. 654 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:46,200 And my question is, you spend a lot of time on that. 655 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:50,480 I can see. But when you go to the Bible, 656 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:54,040 does that person fit this description? 657 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:55,440 I mean, it's very simple, isn't it? 658 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:00,720 OK, so then what do we do with 666 then? 659 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:04,400 If it hasn't been historically fulfilled, If it's still yet 660 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:10,560 future, what do we do with it? Well, this could very well be a 661 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:14,080 case of something becoming clearer and more revealing to 662 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:15,720 those living in the Tribulation period. 663 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,400 Here's what I mean by that. It is likely that the full 664 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:24,560 meaning of 666 will only be revealed once the Antichrist 665 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:29,440 ascends to power and the world circumstances make it 666 00:43:29,520 --> 00:43:35,000 discernible. Do you remember what first Peter 667 00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:40,840 one verse 10 and 11 says when Peter was telling us about the 668 00:43:40,840 --> 00:43:45,360 prophets of old who are searching and inquiring 669 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:51,480 carefully about the sufferings and about the subsequent glories 670 00:43:51,480 --> 00:43:55,480 of Christ, about the person of the Messiah and the timing of 671 00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:58,680 His arrival? Do you remember that really 672 00:43:58,680 --> 00:44:02,480 proving to us that we are on the other side of what was a veiled 673 00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:07,360 mystery for even the prophets? I think there's something there 674 00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:10,280 in that truth for this prophecy. What do I mean? 675 00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:13,280 That in the same way that those prophets didn't have the full 676 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:17,240 comprehension of the ministry, the the mission and the man of 677 00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:21,000 the Messiah until that generation lived in the day of 678 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:25,040 the Messiah. It could be said that we will 679 00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:30,560 not know what 666 is all about unless you're living in the days 680 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:32,880 of the Antichrist. We'll make it much more obvious, 681 00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:38,160 such as the nature of prophecy, that there are some things that 682 00:44:38,160 --> 00:44:42,440 are more clear than others. And in the same way that it was 683 00:44:42,440 --> 00:44:47,440 not as clear for some concerning the first advent of Christ, we 684 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:51,560 can also say that it is not as clear for the second advent of 685 00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:56,920 Christ. However, there is a symbolic 686 00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,920 lesson here. So in the Bible, from Genesis to 687 00:45:00,920 --> 00:45:03,800 Revelation, there are numbers, a lot of numbers. 688 00:45:03,800 --> 00:45:08,560 There's a whole book called Numbers, but there are patterns 689 00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:13,320 with numbers that eventually show a message behind it that 690 00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,080 when it's applied to a certain person or event, there's a 691 00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:17,960 deeper meaning. And we'll talk more about this 692 00:45:17,960 --> 00:45:22,720 at the Bible Study seminar. So for example, in the Book of 693 00:45:22,720 --> 00:45:25,840 Revelation alone, we have clearly seen that the number 7 694 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:29,120 carries meaning. It speaks of completion, it 695 00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:32,080 speaks of perfection. It actually speaks about God in 696 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:35,880 many cases. That is equally true with the 697 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:40,560 number six. And what number six highlights 698 00:45:41,000 --> 00:45:44,800 and points to is man. Man was created on the 6th day. 699 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:48,600 Man was called to work for six days. 700 00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:51,000 And there are other kind of patterns that you see, 701 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:53,440 especially in the Old Testament, that make that truth more 702 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:56,880 concrete. But beautifully, the fact that 703 00:45:56,880 --> 00:46:00,880 man is 6 and God's number is 7 also communicates the thundering 704 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:06,080 truth that man falls short as 6 falls short as seven. 705 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:10,360 Man falls short of God's completion, his perfection, his 706 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:13,240 standard. So when you keep that in mind, 707 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:17,360 that 6 is imperfection, whereas 7 is perfection. 708 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:18,960 Wow. I come to Revelation. 709 00:46:18,960 --> 00:46:25,080 I don't just find 6, I find 666. And what do you have with 666? 710 00:46:25,360 --> 00:46:28,920 Well, an emphasis the amplification of what? 711 00:46:28,920 --> 00:46:33,600 The fallenness of man, the shortcomings of man, and more 712 00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:37,440 importantly of Amen. What did we learn together in 713 00:46:37,440 --> 00:46:40,520 this chapter? A couple people approached 714 00:46:40,520 --> 00:46:43,640 myself after one of the services and they were they were moved by 715 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:46,280 this particular point of how when we see all the key 716 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:50,440 characters in this new regime that is prophesied. 717 00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:51,640 You have the dragon who's the devil. 718 00:46:51,640 --> 00:46:54,080 You have the first beast who is the false Messiah and you have 719 00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:56,240 the second beast who works as an anti Holy Spirit. 720 00:46:56,240 --> 00:46:59,400 What does that look like? Unholy Trinity. 721 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:10,640 And now you have 666 emphasizing what the unholy Trinity at work 722 00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:17,760 again, bringing the height of depravity in their efforts that 723 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:21,240 what you see here and what we've been looking at is a man who 724 00:47:21,240 --> 00:47:26,040 seeks to replace God, who is holy, holy, holy. 725 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:32,080 And he is going to try with a last effort to demand worship 726 00:47:32,080 --> 00:47:34,720 from the world before the true Christ returns. 727 00:47:35,920 --> 00:47:39,840 So symbolically, what does this number speak about The 728 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:44,600 manifestation, the pinnacle of man's rebellion through a man 729 00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:49,440 who will lead all men to defy God, who is perfect and 730 00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:54,160 complete. And here's what I'm most 731 00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:56,360 concerned about when it comes to discussing the mark of the 732 00:47:56,360 --> 00:47:59,520 beast. I've alluded to this already 733 00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:02,480 have so many people caught up and seeing modern fulfillment 734 00:48:02,760 --> 00:48:06,000 and seeing was it going to be this technology or is it going 735 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:07,520 to be AI? Is it? 736 00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:12,200 Listen, what the Bible wants to convey more than anything else 737 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:15,040 is immediate reflection with this truth. 738 00:48:15,040 --> 00:48:18,800 It is prophecy, but all Scriptures by God for our 739 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:20,720 sanctification, our consecration, our 740 00:48:20,720 --> 00:48:22,640 transformation. Isn't it interesting? 741 00:48:22,640 --> 00:48:25,360 And I rarely do this, but peek over to Revelation 14 for a 742 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,120 moment. Look at verse 1. 743 00:48:27,560 --> 00:48:29,360 John says. Then I looked and behold, on 744 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:34,200 Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with them 144,000, who had His 745 00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:38,400 name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 746 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:41,440 Right after we learn about the mark of the beast, we are 747 00:48:41,440 --> 00:48:45,280 reintroduced to God's mark. Do you see what's happening 748 00:48:45,280 --> 00:48:46,760 here? Here's my question for you. 749 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:49,680 At the end of the service, which mark do you bear? 750 00:48:52,040 --> 00:48:55,360 Do you have God's mark? You're saying what is that? 751 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:59,640 Is it the same mark as 144,000? We can debate. 752 00:48:59,800 --> 00:49:03,440 One thing is certain, there is a seal in this moment available to 753 00:49:03,440 --> 00:49:05,960 you. It's the Holy Spirit, and He is 754 00:49:06,000 --> 00:49:08,760 accessed through faith in Christ. 755 00:49:09,160 --> 00:49:14,160 So my question for you today is, is your soul marked by God? 756 00:49:15,480 --> 00:49:19,640 That's more important than figuring out what this mark in 757 00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:22,120 Revelation, Revelation 13 is all about. 758 00:49:22,560 --> 00:49:27,760 It's if you're marked and the only way you can have your soul 759 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:32,360 sealed by God's grace and his future promise and His current 760 00:49:32,360 --> 00:49:37,800 protection and His fellowship is if you repent and you believe in 761 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,800 the gospel. If you understand the extent of 762 00:49:40,800 --> 00:49:44,080 God's grace and mercy by dying on the cross on your behalf. 763 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:49,160 That he is unlike any other God who laid down his life for your 764 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:53,320 life, who paid for your sin, who shed his blood. 765 00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:58,920 I find it amazing that there are 1,000,000 today who are willing 766 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:02,480 to die for a God who didn't do anything close to what Christ 767 00:50:02,480 --> 00:50:08,320 has done for us. And the invitation is now yours, 768 00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:14,920 and there is no call for you to extend your physical hand or to 769 00:50:14,920 --> 00:50:23,040 stretch out your forehead, your heart, by faith, as you turn 770 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:26,920 your eyes to heaven. You say, Oh Lord, I recognize 771 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:29,400 though I may not have all the answers, I recognize just how 772 00:50:29,400 --> 00:50:32,800 accurate your word is that even as we read through these verses, 773 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:36,480 I can, I can sense where our world today is headed. 774 00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:41,280 And before anything else, I want to ensure that I'm marked by 775 00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:44,880 you. If this is where everything is 776 00:50:44,880 --> 00:50:48,200 headed, I want to make sure that I am ready for your return. 777 00:50:50,080 --> 00:50:51,760 If you leave with anything, leave with that. 778 00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:54,400 And so today I make that invitation. 779 00:50:54,800 --> 00:51:01,400 Give your life to Jesus Christ who made you, who died for you, 780 00:51:02,440 --> 00:51:05,160 and who is waiting for you to receive him now. 781 00:51:05,160 --> 00:51:07,000 Would you do that? Let's pray. 782 00:51:28,860 --> 00:51:31,900 Father, we want to thank you for giving us answers. 783 00:51:34,500 --> 00:51:37,340 Thank you for opening our minds. But Lord, we also thank you that 784 00:51:37,340 --> 00:51:40,100 you've used even a text like this to touch our hearts. 785 00:51:42,100 --> 00:51:44,460 And Lord, even in this, we've realized that there is no God 786 00:51:44,460 --> 00:51:50,240 like you. You are not an idol. 787 00:51:51,840 --> 00:51:57,400 You are not dumb, you are not speechless, You are not 788 00:51:58,160 --> 00:52:02,880 immobile. You even tell us that you're 789 00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:07,560 here right now and you see every heart in this place. 790 00:52:09,240 --> 00:52:11,480 And Lord, for the heart that doesn't know you made a sense. 791 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:16,800 A personal call to give their hearts to you and for the 792 00:52:16,800 --> 00:52:23,280 believers here, May our love for you be strengthened, and may 793 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:27,720 none of us ever be ashamed to bear the marks of the Lord Jesus 794 00:52:27,720 --> 00:52:32,960 Christ to show that we belong to You and that you're the only 795 00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:36,760 hope for the world. So Lord, even with this truth 796 00:52:36,760 --> 00:52:41,720 about the mark of the beast, we worship you and we thank you for 797 00:52:41,720 --> 00:52:45,440 giving us your word. In Jesus name we pray, Amen, 798 00:52:48,440 --> 00:52:50,720 even as we sing. If you don't know Christ today, 799 00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:54,600 you can speak to the Lord in your own heart and God will hear 800 00:52:54,600 --> 00:52:58,920 you and he can change you where you walk out of this room in 801 00:52:58,920 --> 00:53:01,640 this building a new creature. That's my prayer for you. 802 00:53:01,640 --> 00:53:05,120 If you don't know Christ, believers, you know him, you 803 00:53:05,120 --> 00:53:06,440 know the one in whom you believe. 804 00:53:06,640 --> 00:53:07,920 Let's stand and give him our love.