666 - The Mark of the Beast

Introduction

Bryan Johnson is a very rich man who’s mission in life is to not die.

He subjects his body to constant exercise, healthy eating, extreme supplements, and many other things - all with a goal to not die.

He truly believes that he will achieve perfection in the areas of fitness and health - such that he will not die.

Somehow we seem to be obsessed with the idea of perfection - a perfect body, a perfect career, a perfect life, perfect looks, etc.

No, I am not encouraging irresponsibility with our health, bodies, life, finances, etc.

The problem is not with being responsible - the problem is thinking that if we work hard enough we will achieve absolutely perfect results.

...keep this in mind because it will be important later on.

What comes to mind when you see the numbers 666.

I’ve heard people react in different ways - oh my, ewwwww, creepy.

We tend to associate 666 with something evil, bad, devilish.

...and we should for this is the number of the beast that we read about in Revelation 13.

Revelation 13:16–18 ESV

16 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, 17 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. 18 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 666.

The Bible says that the false prophet will require his followers to have this mark upon their forheads or their right hand.

Now, it’s not a physicial / actual mark.

John uses these ideas from the ancient world where slaves were usually branded with a mark to identify their owners.

Also, in order to sell or buy in the public market - people would have to obtain a certificate / ticket to enter after offering worship to a false god thaat was honored in a certain market.

Christians would not offer such worship and were not allowed to sell or buy and would face significant financial hardship.

Now, in this short message I don’t have enough time to explain all the details behind the number of the beast - but I do want to explain its meaning - why is it 666?

Notice that the BIble says it is the number of a man. This does not mean that the number 666 should be used to identify a specific name.

So if you can figure out - out of all the names in the world, which one equals 666, then you’ve found your guy.

Rather, it refers to the sixth day of creation - when man was created.

Even though he was created in a perfect world, at some point the sermon came to mankind and deceived both Adam and Eve such that they ate from the forbidden tree and sin entered this world.

Then, why are there three 6s?

Well, in Revelation 13 we see the dragon (Satan), the first beast (the antichrist), and the second beast (the false prophet).

So, we have an unholy Trinity - each of them being represented by one of those 6s.

But, take a moment to think about what comes after 6?

Obviously that is 7.

In the Bible we are taught that 7 is the number of perfection.

God rested on the seventh day.

In mathematics it is a prime number because it cannot be divided by 2, 3, or 5 - it is self sufficient.

There are seven colors in the rainbow.

So in the ancient world 7 represented perfection and fullness.

We also know there is a Holy Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - one God revealed in three persons.

So, if we were to represent the perfect God revealed in three persons, we could say 777 is a good representation of God.

So at the end of the day, what does 666 represent? Why is it associated with the unholy trinity and those who worship false gods?

They are always trying to be perfect but will always fall short.

They pretend to be good, holy, all knowing, powerful, but always fail.

They can do all they want to reach perfection - but will never succeed int heir attempts.

They will always be 666 - imperfect, not quite there, falling short of the goal of perfection.

God - on the otherhand is perfect, holy, all powerful.

And even in these numbers we can see the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We fail in our attempts, we are sinful fallen human beings, we cannot save ourselves - we are caught in the dominion of 666.

But God demands that we be perfect just as he is perfect.

But...we cannot be perfect - we have been sealed with the mark of imperfection at our birth.

But God, through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, covers us with his goodness, his righteousness, such that we are forgiven, justified, our guilt is removed, we are made to be sons and daughters of God, so that we will live without sin and misery, free from the power and dominion of darkness.

.The sad part is that people continue to live their lives thinking that if they try hard enough they will be perfect.

Some do it through academics.

Other through exercise and supplements.

Others through science.

...but everyone will fail at their attempts.

Something within us drives us to desire perfection - peak performance - but this can only be found in Christ.

We strive for perfection and think we can attain it ourselves.

God’s plan for humanity is to believe in him so that one day we will live in eternity free from guilt, free from imperfection, free from all the consequences of sin in this world - and this can be our experience if we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Eric Liddel was an Olympic runner who refused to run on Sunday because it is the Lord’s Day.

So he forfeited his race on Sunday so that he could participate in the worship if God.

...but then the following day he ran the men’s 400 meters and won a gold mdeal.

He knew what it was like to believe in God and God honored him by granting him peak performance.

He is famous for saying - When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.

Notice, how he prioritized his faith in God and experienced God’s empowering grace in his life to live his life to the fullest in the service of God.