The Mark of the Beast
Notes
Transcript
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Introduction
Introduction
Oh boy! We are definitely in a passage of Scripture tonight that has caused more speculation than possibly any other.
For years and years, people have been trying to figure out what the Mark of the Beast is.
The work of the false prophet in making earth dwellers worship the beast is introduced in 13:12, then explained in 13:13–15. Similarly, the work of the false prophet enforcing idolatry is introduced in 13:15, then explained in 13:16–18.
The beast requires the mark of the beast in 13:16, 17, and then John hints at its meaning in 13:18.
So...
What Does The Bible Say About The Mark?
What Does The Bible Say About The Mark?
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This mark is personally associated and symbolic of the Antichrist…The Bible says that it is HIS MARK...
Revelation 13:17 (KJV 1900)
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
So, in short, the Bible tells us it is a mark…but our text tonight reveals a few more things about the mark...
It is an Ecumenical Mark
It is an Ecumenical Mark
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
Determined to coerce and enforce worship of the antichrist, the false prophet will engage in a global movement, a plan and program, to bring everyone into submission. All the various categories of humanity will receive some type of mark, some form of identification on their right hand or their forehead.
This is standard satanic procedure: counterfeit the work of God. In 7:3 the servants of God were sealed on their foreheads.
Now Satan wants his servants sealed.
Farther back than chapter 7 and the sealing of the saints, Moses said to Israel in Deuteronomy 6:8 that God’s word was to be bound as a sign on their hand and as frontlets between their eyes—they were to have God’s word on their hands and on their foreheads.
Satan wants his seal where only God’s word should be. If you have been sealed by God through the Holy Spirit, the way God intends to keep you is by the Spirit applying the Word of God, the Bible, to your thinking. If you are a believer, the Bible is the grid through which you are to see the world. If you don’t see things God’s way through the grid of the Bible, you will see things Satan’s way.
This mark may or may not be visible to the naked eye. It seems that what the antichrist is after though is a visible identifier. All are made to take it in the right hand or the forehead. The right hand is the hand of strength, the hand you use the most, and the forehead is the most conspicuous part of your body.
This word “mark” comes from a word that means, “a stamp, an imprint, something carved” - Whatever this mark is, it will reside in the flesh, and it will be permanent. People will not be able to alter it or counterfeit it. It will be placed where it can be easily seen.
It is an Economic Mark
It is an Economic Mark
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
How important is this mark? How essential is this mark? No person will be able to buy the world’s goods or sell the world goods without the mark.
■ No food for the hungry,
■ no clothes for the naked,
■ no heat in the winter,
■ no air-conditioner in the summer.
■ No gasoline for their vehicles,
■ no online purchases,
■ no yard sale finds,
■ no black market buys!
The Antichrist and the False Prophet will not only have the corner on the market, but they will own the market!
This mark will instantly divide the world into two camps. The Mark of the Beast will declare who worships the Antichrist and who does not.
The mindset will be, either worship the Antichrist and have this mark or die. There will be enormous pressure to be marked! Resisters are starved out. The message is simple, “No mark, no food!” Given the choice, what would you do? Believers will lose their jobs and possessions, but God will reward them for all that they have lost.
In W.A. Criswell’s sermon on this passage he quoted a man who lived under Bulgaria’s communist government. The man said,
“You cannot understand and you cannot know that the most terrible instrument of persecution ever devised is an innocent ration card. You cannot buy and you cannot sell except according to that little, innocent card. If they please, you can be starved to death, and if they please, you can be dispossessed of everything you have; for you cannot trade, and you cannot buy and you cannot sell, without permission.”
It is an Enumerated Mark
It is an Enumerated Mark
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
John interprets the mark of the beast and the number of his name in this verse...
The number is is 666. 6 is the number of man. There are three of them in a row. 3 is the number of the Trinity.
It stands of man’s attempt to be God in absolute defiance against God. But again, man falls short of God’s perfection and completeness, signified by the number 7.
Now, this number is specifically associated with the antichrist and his kingdom. We, as Christians, have nothing to fear about this number. Giving a waitress a tip of $6.66 will not make you lose your salvation!
The mark of the beast is not a social security number, a driver’s license number, a national ID number, a vaccine (yes, there are people out there that believe we are being given the mark through the COVID vaccine) - Let me just say, you cannot unknowingly take the mark of the beast…People are crazy!
It’s not a different number for different people. It’s the same mark, name, or number for everyone. It’s the mark, name, or number of the Antichrist.
Actually reading the Bible clears things up, but that doesn’t cause hysteria does it?
The mark of the beast is his number – it is a number that represents his name.
People have tried to use all sorts of math techniques to attach the number 666 to a person, but it’s all speculation, and they’ve all been wrong...
The bottom line is simple though. The Lord did not want to give this man’s name away until he made his claim to deity. At that time, according to verse 18, the insightful believer will be able, with wisdom, to confidently determine that the letters of his name do, in fact, equal 666.
It is an Eternal Mark
It is an Eternal Mark
Revelation 14:9-12 tells us that anyone who accepts the mark has received a one way ticket to Hell! They cannot be saved!
If anyone could solve the terrorist crises, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and bring peace to our troubled world, people would rush to worship such a person.
I cannot help but believe we are nearing that day. As Francis Schaffer said, “People will give up freedom to gain security.”
Oh, listen, my desire is not to make anyone mad, but haven’t we seen this over the past few years more than any other time?..People so willing to just fall in line and give up their freedom just to gain security…It’s not hard to see how the world will fall right in line with the end times…
I don’t like saying this, but the devil was so right in:
4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
For us who are believers, where will we be during all of this?
Watching from the banister of heaven, if we are watching at all. Why, because our freedom is found in the cross and our security is found in Christ.
What does the church do in the meantime? We allow prophecy to motivate our practical Christian living. Remember, we are not looking for the sensational, but for the Savior.
Even if we knew all the facts about the Tribulation, would it affect our soul- winning and Christian living today? What good is knowing all these facts and figures if we are not going to do what we can to stem the rising tide of universalism and Satanism in our world today?
Our commission remains the same – Tell people about Jesus!
What the world needs is Jesus Christ, not the Antichrist. If you have not received God’s Son, do so at once. Trust Him now for eternal life.