The Mark of the Beast (666) | Revelation 13:15-18 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (2/22/26)

Well, good afternoon, Maranatha Bible Church. It is a joy to be with you on this Lord's Day service. It is a joy to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords with you all here this afternoon. As we begin this service, I wanna read, what's a familiar passage to some Habakkuk chapter three, the last three verses. Habakkuk three seventeen through 19.

And as always, may the word of the Lord wash over us. May the word of the Lord turn our affections to God this afternoon. The prophet says in Habakkuk three seventeen, though the fig tree should not blossom nor fruit beyond the vines, The produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food. The flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls. In other words, there is no food in your refrigerator.

You have no job. We have no money. We have nothing. We're starving to death. We're afflicted.

We can't survive. Yet, verse 18. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. May that be our hearts today.

I pray that is all of our hearts today that trials and persecutions, we can look to God and say, you are my joy. I will rejoice in you. Yes. Your family might call you crazy. Your friends might call you crazy.

They will say, curse God and die. Where is your God? Yet, will I rejoice in the Lord. I will take joy in the God of my salvation. High places.

And lest we forget the very end of this, to the choir master with strings and with stringed instruments, this is our song. This is the song of God's people. God's new covenant people, the church. This is our song and it says to the choir master. Who's our choir master?

The head of the church? Jesus Christ. And he invites you into this song. No matter what you are going through in this life, Christ invites you, sing this song. Rest in the Lord today.

With an undivided heart, give your worship to the Lord today. And no joy, no peace, no celebration. Let's pray. Father, we thank you. Lord, we thank you for the rest that we have in you.

That you are our shield. You are our strength. And Lord, may now you be our song. May your people sing with an undivided heart with maximum focus. May we sing to you.

May we praise you and worship you from hearts overflowing with gratitude, not for what you give us, but for who you are and the salvation that belongs to you, that we are the beneficiaries of. Father, help us now. Incline our hearts to your testimonies and not to selfish gain. Teach us your way, oh, Lord, that we may walk in your truth. Unite our hearts to fear your name.

To you be the glory in the church and in the world. And to your people, we ask for your joy. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Church, will you please stand and give your song to the Lord?

Father, we thank you for this Lord's day. We've come to worship you. And yet, Lord, we can confess humbly that our hearts sometimes distract us and discourage us. And so, Lord, we pray that you would subdue anything in us that would rob you of the praise that you deserve. Please, Lord, we come to give you an offering, and we want it to be pure.

And, Lord, where we are, we give us strength so that we can do so. And, Lord, we also know that as we have come to worship you, you've also promised to bless us, and we need your blessing. Day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, we trust that you will meet us in this place. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We'll turn to someone and welcome to this Lord's Day service before you are seated. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Maranatha Bible Church. If you're here for the very first time, a special welcome to you. We're glad that you can be with us to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. And for those who call this place home, welcome to you as well.

We're gonna continue to worship in our giving now as the ushers come and assist us in that. And we never want to fail to say thank you for your partnership in this way, because we know that the Lord will bless it. He has used to bless it in the years prior, and he will continue to bless it as long as we keep his kingdom first. So thank you for that. As you as you do that with the ushers and in your own heart, maybe with the instructions on the screen, I want to provide some important announcements, things that you've already heard before.

What is most important is for today, February 22, you're here. You know that we have a member's meeting, almost right after the service. So it will be taking place right at 03:30. When I mean, like, right at three like, right at 03:30. And the reason for that is because we have a lot to cover, a lot of good stuff to cover.

So members, please note that there will be food downstairs. There'll be a brief time of fellowship. And if you're visiting with us, you can also join us for that time of fellowship downstairs, but don't be, too, spooked if you see a bunch of people just run out of the basement, close to 03:30 because we will be up here discussing some things. And if you're interested in becoming a member of this church, is that is that something the Lord's been moving on your heart and you've been praying about, you can always pursue that. You can take the next step.

Just our our website, you can visit, and you can look at the connect page and find all the instructions of how you can, potentially become a member here at MBC. Besides that, we also have next Saturday our seminar, a bible study seminar, and that is taking place on the twenty eighth. The check-in time is at 10AM. We have very few seats left, I think just a handful, and so the registration for that will close tonight. That's because we need a head count for the food for that day.

But if you're not aware of what's taking place next Saturday, we have a lecture type seminar for us to learn how to get deeper into our Bibles and so this will not be sermons or teachings necessarily. There will be slides and there will be questions and answers, and it would just be like going to school. So if you miss school, you can come to that Saturday bible study seminar because it's the greatest subject of all, the word of God. So we're looking forward to that. Small fee for the registration, it is required and, again, space is limited.

And because of that next Saturday seminar, we have our Friday bible study the night before, which is on the twenty seventh, canceled because we have so much for the next day. So if you are a regular here on Friday nights or you know somebody who comes here who does not attend here on Sundays, please let them know that there will be no Friday night Bible study on the twenty seventh. Lastly, just for the men to be aware of that on the March 21, we have our men's breakfast, which is also on a Saturday at 10AM. And we look forward for the men to gather together to sing and to hear testimonies, to eat, and to pray for one another. Well, we have a big text to look at today in Revelation.

We won't get there now. Instead, I wanna read to you just a couple of verses that moved me recently and, maybe somebody needs to hear this even before the main sermon. I love what Paul says in Romans chapter four. He's making a defense for justification by faith, and he asked this important question. And though it is tied to this context, I think it's a rule for every Christian.

I think it's a principle that we have to apply to all of life. Let me read it to you from Romans four verse one down to verse two. Three, what then shall we say gained by Abraham our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. And this is the question.

Look at the beginning of verse three. For what does the scriptures say? Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. Don't you love that question? For what does the scripture say?

What is Paul, this mighty apostle doing? He's appealing to the authority of the bible. And I believe, again, that's a question that we have to frame for everything. When you're counseling somebody, please take Paul's conviction here and apply it. What does the scripture say?

When you hear what's happening on the news, when you hear what's happening in our culture, and people are trying to come to conclusions or there's all these theories, what do we ask? What does the scripture say? When it comes to practices in the church or maybe different denominations or traditions that do certain things, Can I ask you a question? Do you ask this question? For what does the scripture say?

For what does the scripture say? Here's where it's really important. Do we come to church asking that question? What does the scripture say? Because that's what this meeting is ultimately about.

We've come here to hear what God says through the scriptures. Oh, I love this man, Paul, because I love what he said, because it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and I love how the Holy Spirit moves this man, Paul, to ask the question, what does the scripture say? Amen? We ask, Lord, that this would be something that we constantly use to determine our answers. And not just to determine our answers, but also to know more truth for our worship and our knowledge of you and what you call us to be conformed to.

Lord, we pray that we would leave here knowing more about what the scriptures have to say. And we pray that your voice would be loud and clear, but, Lord, we now, at this time, return with our voices to sing praises unto you. And as we sing these truths, we pray that you would prepare us to receive your voice. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand and worship the living God.

We thank you, Father, for this day to gather and to worship you and to be together as a church, as a body. Be and to be and to be and to be and to be and to be and to be and we want to be changed because we heard from you today. We ask that you would remove any fear, any doubt, anything in us, and we want to be filled with you, your spirit, your love, your true We give this day to you.

Amen. Few subjects in the bible have stirred as much curiosity and intrigue as the truth of the mark of the beast. It has not only sparked debate among Christians, but has even captured the fascination among some in the secular world, especially in recent years. But like many difficult teachings in the bible, there is much confusion generated from this truth than understanding. More speculation than insight, strange interpretations, and imaginative connections to modern or historical figures or events leaving many to be really hesitant to engage with this subject or to even come up with reasons why it's beneficial for us to know.

But we as believers who love the word of God have to understand that misguided teachings or unsupported conclusions should not deter us from approaching even a text like this with absolute confidence and assurance. With any part of God's word, we have to believe that God has something to say through it. That he wants to bless us, that he wants to inform us, that he wants to equip us. And that is no less true than with the truth that is before us today. And by God's grace, we're going to seek to unlock what seems to be a mystery for many, but before we can even do that, we have to remind ourselves of the context in which it is introduced.

And so you and I need our bibles. Right? So if you have a bible with you, let's turn to Revelation 13. And in the latter portion of this chapter, the Holy Spirit reveals that there is coming a dangerous duo. A duo that will be summoned and empowered by Satan himself with unparalleled authority and they will dominate the world.

Revelation 13 tells us that they are identified as two separate beasts. They have their own distinct kind of profiles yet they are working in tandem. The first beast, the spirit shows us, will be a political leader. He will be a world dominating figure. He will be brilliant, he will be persuasive, and he will indeed have his way.

He will actually bring to fruition what many have only theorized or dreamt about and that is a globalist regime. He will bring the nations together under one banner. But more than implementing a universal political system, this individual who is known as the first beast will demand worship. And this is where the second beast comes in. Because the second beast who is also a man will emerge on the scene and he too will be a persuasive voice.

And he will compel the world to give their homage and their devotion and their ultimate worship to the first beast. And he will even perform signs and wonders to win the trust of the masses. And over and over with his ability to communicate and the power behind his message, there will be a compelling case for the world to begin to bow the knee to the first beast. But there's gonna be more than just amazement and there's gonna be more than just deception at play here to win the allegiance of the nations. We're about to discover that there will be cruel implementations.

There will be certain protocols and systems that will be in place in order to pressure the people to surrender their hearts to this evil tyrant known as the Antichrist. And that is where we find ourselves here in Revelation 13. Our main text is in verse 15 down through verse 18, but we're gonna read from verse 11 to refresh our memory. Revelation 13 verse 11 reads, then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon.

It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast whose mortal wound was healed. It performs great signs even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. And by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth telling them to make an image for the the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. Also, it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or the forehead so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

This calls for wisdom. Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six six six. Let's pray. Lord, your word calls for wisdom in this portion of scripture and that's what we ask for. We ask for wisdom.

As we heard even earlier through Paul's words, what does the scripture say? Lord, no matter our presuppositions or our own ideas or our own conclusions, we pray that all things would bow to the truth. And that, Lord, you would clarify all confusion, that you would settle any heart that is troubled, and that Lord, we would see your wisdom in these verses for our worship and our love for you. We pray these things in the matchless name of your son who we believe to be alive and the soon coming king. Amen and amen.

So in my personal reading this week, I find myself in the book of Daniel, an amazing book for many reasons. And early in Daniel's story, you would know this if you've read the book, we see that King Nebuchadnezzar decides to build a massive golden statue of himself, and he threateningly commands all his subjects to worship it. And I just found myself earlier again this week being reminded that this is just one of many examples in biblical history of how humanity is capable of one, worshiping themselves, and two, worshiping idols in general. So it should not surprise us then that what we just read about the future is a man who will have others worship an image of himself. Now what's interesting about this image, however, is that it stands out from all other previous idols we see in the scriptures for one main reason.

This idol, this image, this structure of some kind, this object, we're not too sure what it will be, has been given life. It's animated. It's receiving breath and it comes off as though it is alive. Now if you've read the scriptures carefully, you would notice that the Holy Spirit repeatedly emphasizes the the foolishness of pictorial or physical idols. And the scorn that is offered, a holy scorn may I add, is that these idols, they have eyes but they do not see.

They have ears but they cannot hear. They have hands but they cannot move. They have feet but cannot walk. And they have mouths but cannot speak. So one example is from Psalm one fifteen four and five and you don't have to turn there but listen to these words.

Listen to what the psalmist says. Their idols are silver and gold. The work of human hands, they have mouths but do not speak, eyes but do not see. And that reverberates throughout the scripture even up to the book of Revelation. Do you remember how this holy contempt is offered towards idols under the sixth trumpet judgment?

If you forgot, you can now turn to Revelation nine and look at verse 20 for a moment. Revelation nine verse 20. John writes, the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor do they repent of their murders or the sorceries of their sexual morality or their thefts. So we know that idol worship is nothing new and we also know that it's not gonna grow old. It's gonna be prevalent even in the last days.

But interestingly, according to John, the image of the Antichrist, the first beast in Revelation 13, will in fact not be a lifeless structure. We're told that it will have the ability to speak and more than that, it will somehow possess the authority to kill those who do not worship it. Now you can imagine the difficulty of John's immediate audience in trying to make sense of how a mere object or idol can perform such acts. But with modern technology today, that difficulty no longer remains, does it? Now whether this image will be animated technologically or supernaturally is not entirely clear.

And whether this image will be mass produced and forced to be placed in people's homes or erected in key regions is not made known either. But if we concentrate on what is clear, we can have wonderful discussions of what this verse is conveying. Or we can talk about how the language here reminds us of one of the first acts that God performs in Genesis. In Genesis two seven, when he breathes into the man who was formed out of the dust and we're told there that he became a living creature. Telling us what?

That yet again in Revelation 13, we have the antichrist trying to imitate God. Or we can discuss how more specifically this is the second beast whom we learn to be a counterfeit Holy Spirit and we know that the Holy Spirit, one of his wonders is that he breathes life into the lifeless soul. Right? He regenerates us. He makes us born again.

And here we find again the anti Holy Spirit seeking to mimic the true Holy Spirit by bringing life to something that was once lifeless. Oh, there are so many things that we can speak about but allow me to focus on just one gripping thought. And it is how the incentive to worship the antichrist is so different from the draw to worship the true Christ. Look back again with me here. John tells us that anyone who refuses to worship the image of this beast will be executed the moment they resist.

They will be slain in John's word. Do you understand what that means? That this kind of worship for this kind of beast will be enforced. The people will be coerced and this will essentially promote a devotion driven entirely by terror. This is what this tyrant is going to produce.

And though it is true that there are consequences for those who refuse to worship and surrender to the true God, that kind of punishment is a manifestation of holy justice against those who have first made the decision to reject God's grace. Do you remember what Paul said in second Thessalonians one eight? Where early in that book, very short book, he describes the return of Christ, the true sense of Christ's return that he will inflict vengeance on those who do not obey God or the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Notice that the main crime that Christ will execute judgment for are against those who have made the decision to reject the gospel of our Lord Jesus. What's the gospel, the good news?

What's the good news about Jesus' grace? God's grace. So does our God judge? Yes. But for what?

Those who have swatted away his gift. Those who have denied him. Those who have blasphemed him. Those who have not received freely that gift of salvation. You see with the true Christ Christ judgment comes to those who have first denied his grace rest.

The antichrist gives no grace at all because Satan has no grace to offer. Think of it this way. The antichrist says, worship me or die. The true Christ says, worship me because I died. For you, you see the primary way our God wins the worship of sinners, wins our love, wins our loyalty is through his love.

It's through his indescribable sacrifice. No such thing exists in the world of worship with the antichrist. I mean, you can even see this in the resurrection type miracle that he will perform. Remember we studied that together earlier in this chapter? That there will be some kind of assassination attempt and he will bring this kind of stunt where he will make it seem as though he rose from the dead.

But notice the difference. That is clearly an imitation of what Christ has done. But the motive is far different. The antichrist will do this to try to flex his power, to try to impress the masses. It's deception.

But Christ didn't do what he did to try to impress us. He did it to pay for something. He did it for our behalf. He did it for something that we were lacking. He did it out of his love.

He didn't have to do it, he chose to do it. So even in the motive of the miracles that we see here between the true Christ and the antichrist are so different. And all in all, the kingdom of darkness weaponizes fear to win people's worship while the kingdom of God extends grace to to win sinners. In fact, have you ever considered how the book of Revelation ends? This book that is clearly dominated by future judgment, holy justice, cosmic chaos, all these things that at first may terrify us.

Have you ever wondered the last words of the book of Revelation? Well, let's turn there. Look at it. Revelation 22 verse 21. The signature verse to end this prophecy is what?

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Isn't that amazing? That after describing God's fiercest display of wrath against evil and evil doers, the last thought that he wants the reader to encounter before closing this prophecy is grace. You wanna know why?

Because that's God's disposition towards humanity. Forgiveness, restoration, redemption. So in the last verse of not just the book of Revelation, but of all the scriptures is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We serve a wonderful master. You know, the antichrist seems not to take any issue of getting worship no matter how he can get it.

And clearly, this is this is driven by dread. Some will be deceived, some will fall in love with this man, but in that same prophecy we read that others will have no other choice. At least they think they have no other choice. And Satan seems to take no issue with cold external mechanical devotion. Christ is not interested in that kind of worship.

He wants genuine heartfelt adoration and affection and the way that he draws that out of us is by pouring out his love first. He melts the hearts of those who have turned their backs on him. That's how he draws us. Oh, what it this should cause us to worship him. Imagine if Christ was like the antichrist.

He's not. Thanks be to God, he is not. But the extent of the antichrist slavish system is explained in the next verses. Let's look at it again. So we realize that he's gonna make this image.

It's a remarkable kind of achievement, but he has other things in mind. In verse sixteen, sixteen, we read also it causes all both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or the forehead. So that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. So the Antichrist in his totalitarian regime will not only promote man worship but will also administer a required universal marking system. Evidently, he's gonna impose this new arrangement of personal identification And what that ID is gonna reveal is gonna be the most important thing that one can know about an individual at that time.

Here it is. Are you for or are you against this new world leader? That's all that's gonna matter at this point. Are you marked for him or are you not marked for him? And John tells us that a person's allegiance or lack thereof will be known.

It will be very hard to hide. It's going to be apparent. It's gonna be plain. It's gonna be physical. Now there are two vital things that we have to try to understand in order to get clarification of what this mark is about.

And if you can remember these two things, you'll be a step ahead from a lot of people who are kind of in this state of confusion about what this prophecy really entails. Two things about this mark. The first thing is its spiritual significance and the second thing is its physical consequences. The spiritual significance is what we'll begin with. Remember, up to this point, we have seen how pathetically desperate Satan is to mirror God, to imitate God, to replace God.

And we see it even with this mark. Remember, we've studied this chapter by chapter, verse by verse. We've seen that this concept of a mark in terms of devotion has already appeared. Do you remember how the 144,000 Jews are distinguished in Revelation chapter seven? If you don't, go there for a moment and look at one verse with me.

In Revelation seven verse three, This is what the Holy Spirit says about this future group of people. Revelation seven three reads saying, do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. We know of course that this is primarily speaking about a spiritual stamp, a spirit spiritual designation but Satan, listen, wants to mock it. This is a parody. And more than that, if you notice in Revelation 13, he's very specific.

He wants to ensure that those who are committed to the antichrist are labeled in one of two places. One, the right hand, the other, the forehead. Why those two places? Well, if you and I know our old testament well, then we would we would ask this question, I think. Is there any place in the Old Testament that reveals the idea of the hand or the the head being connected to a form of devotion.

I see a lot of heads, ironically. Nodding, Deuteronomy six. Let's turn there. This is what is commonly known as the Shema. This is a central instruction for the Jewish people even to this day.

But notice what is mentioned in this set of instructions. Deuteronomy six beginning in verse four. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might, and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise.

Pause for a moment. Every time I read this, it moves me. Do you know why? Because it instructs families, especially parents, then when we seek to disciple our children, it should look more than just having a set devotional time. I'm not against those.

I think those are wonderful. But there's something more realistic here being presented. That when we wanna train our children concerning the things of God, it should be conversational. It should be casual. On our on our road trips, we should we should talk about biblical truths.

As we travel, we should be able to relate all of life to the things of God. I believe that's more effective than anything. You may disagree with me but I believe to be able to show our loved ones how we can include and we should connect all of life, all of our problems, all of our joys to what God has revealed about himself into us is so effective. It's not my idea. It's here in Deuteronomy six.

But notice what he goes on to say in verse eight. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Where's that? Here. You shall write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates.

What is this instruction all about? It's clear. The lobby on one's hand and between one's eyes is both symbolic and practical. All it's really saying is God's people should be in a place where they adopt everything that God has said to their thinking and to their doing. In essence, it speaks of the integration of God's voice in all of life, in our day to day, internally and externally.

In your thought life, in your heart life, in your actual life. And so this is really a picture of complete and absolute devotion. Now Jews today would actually take this literally and they have those small boxes with, you know, scriptures in them and they would tie it around their hands and tie it around their heads. What God's after really is that this would be obeyed, this would be lived out, this would be cherished, the truths of God. And what we find here in Revelation is that this ancient and holy call to consecration is now mimicked for an evil purpose.

Satan takes this and he now seeks to apply it to his own worship. So imagine how a Jewish audience especially would understand and interpret the mark of the beast. Immediately, they would primarily recognize this as an inversion and perversion of what God asked of them. This biblical tradition that all that you think up here and all that you do with this would be to the glory of God, would be instructed and inspired by God. And now I read of this evil regime that's asking to be marked on the hand and on the forehead, it's clear.

And they would also recognize the depth of the spiritual defiance of this. They would see that this is a lawless system intent on claiming what belongs to God alone. That is again complete devotion. So this is deeply disturbing because it carries spiritual significance. So listen, in you and I understanding what the mark of the beast is about, we have to first answer it in this way.

It carries spiritual significance. And what the mark of the beast seeks to do is twist what God asked since the beginning by taking that symbolic imagery and instruction and applying it here. However, we cannot discredit the physical implications of this mark which brings us to the second point, the physical consequences. Now you have some and it's becoming more popular believers who are very comfortable staying within the realm of symbolism when it comes to the mark of the beast. And you can make an argument for it being purely symbolic if you stick with verse 16 alone, but that becomes virtually impossible when you factor in verse 17 of Revelation 13.

Look at it again. The end of it or really all of it. So that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This is undeniable. The mark of the beast is more than just a token of loyalty.

It becomes an integral part, apparently, to economic survival. Or else, what do you do with this? Are you gonna symbolize this as well? You can't buy or sell unless you have this mark on two physical locations on your body. Again, as comfortable as you would want to be to keep it within the sphere of just this is really a spiritual picture.

It is. But it goes beyond that. At its core, it is spiritual. But in its manifestation, it's it's physical. And so understand, the Antichrist empire will have complete control of how the world conducts business, of how transactions are made and how people access basic necessities and supplies for daily life.

It seems as though cash and other forms of payment will no longer be relevant because the economic standards that we have always known will seem to disappear and be replaced by a controlled credit system. And this is what interests people, isn't it? But here's what we have to say first of all, the spirit of God tells us that mankind, regardless of the societal status, will be subject to this new type of organization. It's a new world order and it's inescapable. If if you want to be a part of this commerce, there's only one way and that is for you to pledge your allegiance to this man.

You wanna be a part of this economic system, you have to worship the one who controls it. We've seen minuscule manifestations of this throughout history in different forms of governments and regimes, but it's gonna have its full fledged manifestation here. And this is a type of persecution. It will be crushing. It will bring pressure to everybody on a level that humanity has never experienced.

And when you even factor in all the loss and all the devastation due to the disasters that we've been studying up to this point in the world during the tribulation period, that appeal becomes even stronger, that temptation is even heavier. That there will be one man who will contain all control over the stockpile of the nations and this will cause people to bow the knee. But there will be some who will refuse, namely Christians who will not give themselves over to this wickedness. Those who will be saved during the tribulation period would rather die than live to worship this wicked foe. I wanna I wanna consider a couple thoughts.

When you meditate on this vile methodology, there are some instruction in it. The first one to consider at least is that, again, you can see a difference between how Christ operates and how the Antichrist functions. Here's a man who immediately is willing to withhold basic goods for survival unless you are willing to give your heart to him. This is cruel. This is this is unimaginably devastating.

You gotta think about the children. You gotta think about wives. You gotta think about the difficult decision that fathers will have to make. And many will flock to the sign up sheet. Whatever that would look like to receive this mark in order to survive.

But I couldn't help but reflect on how God, even with those who hate him, does not treat them in such a way. You know where my mind went? When Paul was preaching to those idolaters in Lystra in Acts chapter 14, in a moment, because he performed a miracle in the name of Jesus, that crowd turned and began to worship him and his ministry team. And Paul begins to preach an impromptu sermon to repel this idolatry and he wants to point him to the true God. And in his spontaneous attempt to persuade their hearts that the true God alone is worthy of worship, Let me read to you what he says to describe him at least in one part.

In Acts 14 verse 16 to 17, Paul says, in past generations, he being God, in past generations he allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons satisfying your hearts with food and gladness. What a difference again. What a contrast. The tenderness of this God.

Infinitely more holy than all of us put together and yet, Paul is addressing a group of people who along with many nations have turned their backs on God and walked in their own ways. And how did God treat these nations that walked in their own ways? He gave them rain. And he gave them groceries. And he gave them memories.

And he gave them picnics. And he gave them vacations and he gave them promotions and he gave them fruit and a harvest. He gave them sales. He gave them savings. This is what the true God did.

This is what the true God still does today. To who? Those who have taken his mark? No. Those who are walking in their own way.

The reason why Paul is communicating this is so that they would get some kind of a taste of the mercy of God. This is how God treats us, though we do not deserve it. What does he have in store for those who do live for him and love him? And then you read about the antichrist. And what does he do?

You wanna eat? You wanna drink? You wanna feed your family? You wanna have dinner tonight? Take my mark.

Again, this should cause you and I to fall deeper in love with our God. But there's another thought to consider. This is a sobering reminder of the foolishness of humanity's worship then and today, then and today. Why will people worship the beast? Plain and simple for temporary gain.

Why do people worship what they worship today instead of the true God? For temporary gain. Different era, same disposition. And what people then in this prophecy and what people today fail to consider is that no matter what kind of reward you may inherit because of your allegiance to something apart from the true God, it will cost you and I eternally. Eternally.

And that is certainly the case for those here who will take the mark upon themselves. Fast forward to Revelation 14 and look at this in verse nine and ten. And another angel, a third, followed them saying with a loud voice, if anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger. And he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the lamb. More on that when we get to Revelation 14.

But focus on this truth with me for now. Isn't it sad that the same ones in Revelation 13 who took a mark so that they can be spared from the wrath of the Antichrist and that they can gain a little bit for a little bit of time will suffer eternally for it. And those who refuse to give themselves over to the antichrist will indeed suffer but will win forever. See, Revelation 13 reminds us that the world worships that which is temporary. But the righteous, they worship the eternal one who rewards eternally.

And that will be the grace that will stir the hearts of those during the tribulation period to refuse to extend their hand or to remove their hair so that they can have a few years of a comfortable life, they will understand that though you may kill the body, you cannot destroy the soul. And they will have even a greater reward awaiting them at the entrance of the shores of eternity. Now, I'm aware that some after hearing all this about the mark, especially what we just said now, might experience a little bit of fear in their hearts, especially when you consider the consequences of this mark. This is no joke. This is not a light thing.

This is not a little stamp that, you know, you put on if you want to go into some kind of event or concert or whatever you want to call it. This has permanent consequences. So you have people asking this, I what is this mark? I need to know. Give me as many details as you got.

How do I know if my loved ones don't know what the mark is and they will take it? How do I know if I have not already entertained a prototype of the mark or maybe the mark slipped into my life somehow? And if any of those kind of thoughts have ever entered into your mind, I wanna provide helpful clarification. Okay? The mark of the beast is not a vaccine.

Yeah, Yeah, it's catching on a little bit. Yeah? The mark of the beast is not a vaccine. The mark of the beast is not any type of Internet service. The mark of the beast is not a day of the week that you choose to worship on, namely Sunday.

Some will understand that maybe more than others. The mark of the beast is not any of these kind of mysterious, vague, ambiguous mediums or practices. The mark of the beast will be totally recognizable. The mark of the beast will be absolutely obvious. Do you know why?

Because it is inseparable from the worship of a man. Do we understand this? Whatever this mark is, it is a physical brand that signifies the adoration of a single person who's asking for it. In other words, to take this mark is to consciously participate in a new world religion. Let me put it more plainly.

You can't accidentally take the mark. You can't. That is scripturally impossible. Look again at the end of verse 17. He says that is, when he's describing the mark, the name of the beast.

The name of the beast or the number of its name. So this is, again, a labeling of some sort. There is going to be the name of this individual on this mark or a numbering system that stamps you as his possession. So there's all these wild theories out there and when you hear them, I I at least have never heard somebody properly interpret what this mark is all about. The key feature of it is that you are demonstrating that you are surrendering to a person.

I am living for this figure. I am giving myself over to this man. I see him as God. I see him as my savior. If you understand that, you virtually eliminate every theory that we've heard up to this point about the mark of the beast.

Because nothing has ever fit that profile. No demands have ever been made, at least on this scale. I'm not saying that the technology to implement it isn't potentially developing. I think in fact it is. I think the world is being obviously, if we believe this is prophecy, the world is being prepared for this man and this duo to step on the scene and do what the Bible says they will do.

Don't get the idea that the first piece and the second piece are just gonna appear and then put all these things into motion. I think it's gonna be much more subtle than that. Now we must not become sensational when it comes to these things. And the way you and I avoid getting into any kind of hysteria is by remaining grounded in the bible. Just stay in the text.

Doesn't matter what kind of dream this guy had on YouTube. I don't know who you are. I don't know what you believe. Who are you? Just because he speaks confidently, just because he seems persuasive, you just stick with the word of God, you will not be shaken.

And interestingly, a call for wisdom is exactly what comes next in this passage. Look again at verse 18, this calls for wisdom. But the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six six six. Arguably, no number has stirred the imagination of believers and unbelievers alike as this number. Six six six.

What do we do with six six six? Those digits have appeared in movies, music, conspiracy theories, now more than ever, and you have some who even tattoo it on themselves. I've seen it. I have no idea why you would do that, but they do. So it's not just a Christian cultural thing, it is becoming mainstream.

And there are so many things said about it that are erroneous. That being said, those who are more committed to understanding the significance of this number often appeal to a Jewish practice called gematria. And gematria is this interpretation method that seeks to assign numbers to letters, phrases, sentences, words in the Hebrew. But that's also a practice that you find in in history with the Greek and Latin as well. So you understand how this works.

Certain numbers or certain letters are assigned certain numbers and so you have to do kind of these renderings and a little bit of math to put these together and these letters equate to this number. And what that has led to throughout history is proposals of potential candidates of antichrists who have appeared, apparently. And all those have proven to be futile. Why? Because no matter what kind of historical figure you wanna point to and many have been pointed to, none of them fit the description of the career and the character of the Antichrist.

You may have seen previews of it, but not the full manifestation of it, not the actual fulfillment of it. It. And so there are again some who are at rest saying, well, you know, Nero was the antichrist or Napoleon was antichrist or this president is the antichrist and and they're there. And they'll do all these things and they'll show you a chart and they'll put, you know, lines together and say, you see? You see how this is 666?

Did you see what he said in this interview? And do you see what he did here and there? Okay. And my question is, you spend a lot of time on that, I can see. But when you go to the bible, does that person fit this description?

I mean it's very simple, isn't it? Okay. So then what do we do with six six six then? If it hasn't been historically fulfilled, if it's still yet future, what do we do with it? Well, this could very well be a case of something becoming clearer and more revealing to those living in the tribulation period.

Here's what I mean by that. It is likely that the full meaning of six six six will only be revealed once the Antichrist ascends to power and the world circumstances make it discernible. Do you remember what first Peter one verse ten and eleven says? When Peter was telling us about the prophets of old who were searching and inquiring carefully about the sufferings and about the subsequent glories of Christ, about the person of the Messiah and the timing of his arrival. Do you remember that?

Really proving to us that we are on the other side of what was a veiled mystery for even the prophets. I think there's something there in that truth for this prophecy. What do I mean? That in the same way that those prophets didn't have the full comprehension of the ministry, the the mission, and the man of the Messiah until that generation lived in the day of the Messiah, it could be said that we will not know what six six six is all about unless you're living in the days of the Antichrist who will make it much more obvious. Such is the nature of prophecy that there are some things that are more clear than others.

And in the same way that it was not as clear for some concerning the first advent of Christ, we can also say that it is not as clear for the second advent of Christ. However, there is a symbolic lesson here. So in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, there are numbers, a lot of numbers. There's a whole book called Numbers. But there are patterns with numbers that eventually show a message behind it.

That when it's applied to a certain person or event, there's a deeper meaning. And we'll talk more about this at the bible study seminar. So for example, in the book of Revelation alone, we have clearly seen that the number seven carries meaning. It speaks of completion. It speaks of perfection.

It actually speaks about God in many cases. That is equally true with the number six. And what number six highlights and points to is man. Man was created on the sixth day. Man was called to work for six days.

And there are other kind of patterns that you see especially in the old testament that make that truth more concrete. But beautifully, the fact that man is six and God's number is seven also communicates the thundering truth that man falls short. As six falls short of seven, man falls short of God's completion, his perfection, his standard. So when you keep that in mind, that six is imperfection whereas seven is perfection, wow, I come to Revelation. I don't just find six, I find triple six.

And what do you have with triple six? Well, an emphasis. The amplification of what? The fallenness of man. The shortcomings of man.

And more importantly, of amen. What did we learn together in this chapter? Couple people approached myself after one of the services and they were they were moved by this particular point of how when we see all the key characters in this new regime that is prophesied. You have the dragon who's the devil. You have the first beast who is a false messiah and you have the second beast who works as an anti holy spirit.

What does that look like? Unholy trinity. And now you have six six six. Emphasizing what? The unholy trinity at work again.

Bringing the height of depravity in their efforts. That what you see here, what we've been looking at is a man who seeks to replace God, who is holy, holy, holy. And he is going to try with a last effort to demand worship from the world before the true Christ returns. So symbolically, what does this number speak about? The manifestation, the pinnacle of man's rebellion through a man who will lead all men to defy God who is perfect and complete.

And here's what I'm most concerned about when it comes to discussing the mark of the beast. I've alluded to this already. If so many people caught up in seeing modern fulfillment and seeing was it gonna be this technology or is it gonna be AI? Is it listen. What the Bible wants to convey more than anything else is immediate reflection with this truth.

It is prophecy but all scriptures by God for our sanctification, our consecration, our transformation. Isn't it interesting and I rarely do this, but peek over to Revelation 14 for a moment. Look at verse one. John says, then I looked and behold on Mount Zion stood the lamb and with him a 144,000 who had his name and his father's name written on their foreheads. Right after we learn about the mark of the beast, we are reintroduced to God's mark.

Do you see what's happening here? Here's my question for you at the end of the service. Which mark do you bear? Do you have God's mark? You're saying, what is that?

Is it the same mark as the 144,000? We can debate. One thing is certain, there is a seal in this moment available to you. It's the Holy Spirit. And he is accessed through faith in Christ.

So my question for you today is, is your soul marked by God? That's more important than figuring out what this mark in revelation 13 is all about. It's if you're marked. And the only way you can have your soul sealed by God's grace and his future promise and his current protection and his fellowship is if you repent and you believe in the gospel. If you understand the extent of God's grace and mercy by dying on the cross on your behalf, that he is unlike any other God who laid down his life for your life, who paid for your sin, who shed his blood.

I find it amazing that there are millions today who are willing to die for a God who didn't do anything close to what Christ has done for us. And the invitation is now yours. And there is no call for you to extend your physical hand or to stretch out your forehead, your heart by faith. As you turn your eyes to heaven, you say, Oh Lord, I recognize though I may not have all the answers, I recognize just how accurate your word is. That even as we read through these verses, I can I can sense where our world today is headed?

And before anything else, I wanna ensure that I'm marked by you. If this is where everything is headed, I wanna make sure that I am ready for your return. If you leave with anything, leave with that. And so today I make that invitation. Give your life to Jesus Christ who made you, who died for you, and who is waiting for you to receive him now.

Would you do that? Let's pray. Father, we wanna thank you for giving us answers. Thank you for opening our minds, but Lord, we also thank you that you've used even a text like this to touch our hearts. And Lord, even in this we've realized that there is no God like you.

You are not an idol. You are not dumb. You are not speechless. You are not immobile. You even tell us that you're here right now and you see every heart in this place.

And Lord for the heart that doesn't know you, may they sense a personal call to give their hearts to you. And for the believers here, may our love for you be strengthened and may none of us ever be ashamed to bear the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ. To show that we belong to you and that you're the only hope for the world. So Lord, even with this truth about the mark of the beast, we worship you and we thank you for giving us your word. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Even as we sing, if you don't know Christ today, you can speak to the Lord in your own heart and God will hear you, and he can change you where you walk out of this room, in this building, a new creature. That's my prayer for you if you don't know Christ. Believers, you know him. You know the one in whom you believe. Let's stand and give him our love.

I love what Paul says in Galatians six verse 17. From now on, let no one cause me trouble for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. You know what he means by that? He's talking about physical marks. He's talking about real scars, real gashes, real broken bones, and he says, don't trouble me about this.

I gladly bear these marks. But more important than those external marks, as I said, is the mark on your heart by the Holy Spirit. If you don't know that you're a child of God, Romans eight tells us that the spirit of God bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, that there is this internal witness knowing I am Christ. I really belong to him. And you can know that assurance if you put your faith in Christ.

Believers, we have work to do. This world is racing toward what we're reading in the book of Revelation. Can't you see it? I just heard on the news somebody sent me a couple people sent me the clip of what they they're doing in England now where they're demanding digital ID. Did you see that?

It's it's all these things. I'm not saying make every headline and try to tuck it somewhere in Revelation, but you can't deny the obvious that all the places and all the pieces are being established for what we see in prophecy and this book is indeed remarkable. I'm not embarrassed about the book of Revelation. A lot of people are. A lot of people refuse to preach from it, but it's God's word, and it it shows just how accurate God is.

I mean, did you just did you understand what we just read? How specific is that? This is the God that we serve, and he wants us to be prepared. And so let's ask him for that. Lord, we pray.

Help us, Lord. Take every prophecy that we study to help us live for tomorrow. Live for eternity. Help us be united as a church, missional as a church. Lord, we pray even for our members meeting that it would only stimulate greater worship and that we would recognize all that you're doing in and through MBC and what you plan to do with us as a church.

Lord, for those who are visiting, bless them and the ministries that they represent and the the churches that they go to, lord, on a regular basis. May your church across the world rise up, shine the light, and do what you've called us to do. Lord, we love you. Go before us this week and reunite us should you tarry. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen and amen. The Lord Jesus Christ be with you. You have a time of fellowship, downstairs. And if you can come up here a little bit earlier, if you can make it here by 03:20, that would be even more fantastic. We'll we'll send one of our messengers downstairs to make a call.

Until then, enjoy time of fellowship. We'd love to greet you at the door. God bless you. We'll see you soon, members. Take care now.