22 Mark of the Beast
Discovering Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 16 viewsNotes
Transcript
Question 1: Are you saying that only Seventh-day Adventist will go to heaven?
Absolutely not. Here’s a comparison to what I’m saying. Back in Jesus’ day there were Israelites who rejected Him, and assisted Satan and the beast — which was the Roman empire at the time—in putting Jesus on the cross. And there was a remnant of people, the disciples and others, who followed the lamb and carried on His mission. He told that small group of people to take the gospel to the world. They followed the lamb, and they had a mission. As a result of that small group of people, the gospel went to the world in the lifetime of the apostles, and thousands began to know Jesus.
At every moment of history there has been a group of people who follow the lamb, and the Bible predicts that at the end of time there will still be a group of people who follow the lamb and have a mission.
Following the lamb means loving Him, it means obeying him, and it means carrying on His mission. Which, according to Revelation 14 is to tell the world that judgment has come, and remind them to worship the creator of the heavens and the earth, and to stop following the beast.
You get to see the impact of the work of these people who follow the lamb when you read Revelation 7. After John HEARS about these people who follow the lamb and carry out this mission to take the gospel to the world, he turns and he sees something wonderful:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
The people that follow the lamb make a huge impact in the world, and a great multitude that no one can number ends up being the fruit of their labor. They are told to take the message to every nation, tribe, people, language, and they are rewarded by seeing people from every nation, tribe, people and language standing before God, clothed in Jesus’ righteousness and praising the Father.
Clearly the issue isn’t about a denomination. It’s about following the lamb in love, obedience and mission. But when I look around the world there is only one group of people passionately pursuing these biblical truths. One group is pointing to the creator God in the way that God asked, by remembering the Sabbath to keep it holy. While the rest of Christians seem satisfied with celebrating a day of worship instituted by man. One group of Christians is proclaiming the soon coming of Jesus in an unmistakably biblical way, while other Christians ignore the implications of Bible prophecy and tell stories about God that just aren’t true.
In Jesus’ time He said “other sheep I have that are not of this fold.” And what was true then is true now. God doesn’t not save people based on their denomination. Being a Seventh-day Adventist won’t save you. I’m sure many Seventh-day Adventist will reject God in the end because their hearts are filled with pride and selfishness and they refuse to submit themselves to God. And many who never even knew the denomination of Seventh-day Adventists—even some who never heard the name of Jesus—will be in heaven, because at every opportunity that they were given, they followed the lamb.
But I am convicted that God has called me to be a Seventh-day Adventist because God has called me to share the messages of those three angels in Revelation 14, and I can’t find any other group of people that is taking the pure and simple gospel of Jesus to all the world. I can’t find another group of people who, as a group, follow the lamb, and keep the commandments, and have the testimony of Jesus.
Question 2: In Romans 14:10, 11 it says that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and the Lord says “Every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God.” When does this Happen?
There seem to be at least three judgments in the end-time scenario the Bible presents.
The judgment of Daniel 7:9-10, 22, and Daniel 8:14 which began at the end of the 2,300 day/year period in 1844. This is what some call the “investigative judgment.” The reason for that name is that in every instance where God executed justice in big ways such as the flood or the tower of Babel, or Sodom and Gomorra, or even Nineveh which was spared from judgment, God first came down to judge, and God always included messages of warning from his prophets during this investigation period. The same seems to be happening at the end of time. At the end of this investigative period, the righteous are given the reward of heaven at Jesus’ 2nd coming. You could think of this investigative phase as the trial period where the case is presented.
The second judgment is the judgement by the saints in 1 Cor 6:3 and Revelation 20:4-5 which has resurrected believers judging the wicked dead and the wicked angels in another form of investigative judgment. This seems to be an opportunity for peers to examine the records of the wicked and affirm God’s ruling on the wicked. You might think of this phase as the jury deliberation phase.
The final judgment is the execution phase of the judgment of the wicked which happens at the end of the 1,000 years. You can find this judgment in Revelation 20:7-15 which clearly delineates the process — after the 1,000 years Satan is “released” from his prison of isolation on the earth and the wicked dead are raised back to life to face the throne of God. Just before this time Jesus will have returned to the earth with the New Jerusalem, the angels and the living saints who have been in heaven for the last 1,000 years. According to these verses it seems that there is a moment where Satan, the wicked angels, and the wicked people who have recently been raised from the dead will all face the great white throne of God’s judgment and according to scripture, they will bow down and recognize God’s justice as true and righteous. And then they will rise up and attempt to take the city. And in that moment God will cleanse the earth of all the results of evil and all evildoers. This phase of the judgment would be called the executive stage, because the determined judgment of the death penalty is executed on the wicked.
After this 3rd, executive phase, the Bible says in Revelation 21 that God remakes the earth and the heavens and there is no more sin, or suffering, or death, or sickness, or even tears. God will make everything new again.
Upcoming Topics
Our subject tonight - the “Mark of the Beast.” Over the last few subjects, we’ve really been stepping back and looking at big-picture issues. Tonight is another one of those nights where all the study we’ve done together over the last few weeks is really going to pay off.
Then on Sabbath morning at 10:45, we’re going to look at a peculiar phrase that shows up several times in the Bible. Revelation 12 describes God’s last-day people as the ones “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And on Sabbath, we’re going to unpack that just a little bit - and in the process, we’ll look at another curious prophecy from the book of Joel - it says that in the last days, there will be dreams and visions.
I don’t think you’re going to want to miss that!
Then on Sabbath night, we’ll be talking about “The Last Night on Earth.” God has a plan for your eternal well-being but what about tomorrow? What about next month? Is God involved in your life? I’m going to tell you a little bit of my story and explore a more intimate side of the story of salvation.
You won’t want to miss that one, either!
Bible study opportunities
Now, we’re going to be doing a few things over the next few weeks that I think you’ll really enjoy. Starting Tuesday, June 8 at 6 pm at the Community Thrift Center, Jeff Pownall is going to be hosting a weekly Bible study that explores the books of Daniel and Revelation in the context of the sanctuary. It’s an amazing study that Jeff has led before, and I think you’ll get a lot from it. That will be a small group format in a little cozier environment than we’ve been having.
On Sabbath mornings at 9:30, I’ll be leading a special class for people who are new to our community. If you want to explore the Bible and get any question you’re curious about answered, and figure out the whole Christian experience, or find out how God’s spirit has gifted you for ministry, then this will be a fantastic experience.
There are also other study opportunities. Brent Moots runs a mail-in Bible school where you can receive a Bible study by mail. And I’m even willing to come to your home to do one-on-one Bible studies, if you need me to. So, if you want to study the Bible in more depth, there will be lots of opportunities going forward.
Tonight is going to be a special evening. Like some previous nights, I’m going to present you with a card by the end of the evening, and that’s going to be your chance to respond to the voice of God as it’s presented in the Bible.
As you know, you can’t just read the Bible for factual information, or you’re really missing the point. The Bible is a living, breathing document, and even though it was written many centuries ago, it is still the voice of God to our hearts, and every time we read it, God expects us to respond.
So tonight, I’m going to give you another opportunity to do just that, and we’re going to pray together before the evening is over.
Out of all the prophecies in the Bible, the mark of the beast is probably the one that scares people the most - and that’s mostly because our generation has long forgotten the essential principles of Bible study, and we tend to get ideas about last-day events from Hollywood blockbusters.
And if there’s one idea that Hollywood has milked - if there’s one idea that shows up again and again in horror films - it’s the mark of the beast. But tonight, we’re going to push the movie industry to one side and see what God actually says in the pages of the Bible. And like other nights, I think you’re going to discover that God has a way of speaking very clearly. Let’s pray.
Prayer
If you walk into a Christian bookstore and look for books about Bible prophecy, it’s amazing how much variety there really is. One book says one thing about Revelation, and another book says something completely different. Buy 100 books, and you’ll get 100 opinions.
And what’s really strange about that is the fact that for hundreds and hundreds of years, there was actually widespread agreement on Bible prophecy. Go back in history, and you’ll see it.
For example, a church father by the name of Irenaeus, who lived in the second century, said that the beast of Revelation 13 would grow out of the Roman Empire. Even though it hadn’t happened yet, there was still a high degree of clarity over what the book of Revelation meant.
In the 1100s, Joachim (pronounced “wa-KEEM”) of Fiore (“FEEOR-ay”) was still saying pretty much the same thing. In fact, by his time, he was able to say what you and I have been saying: the beast power that crawls up out of the sea is really a picture of Dark Ages Christianity gone bad.
The archbishop of Regensberg said the same thing very publicly in the 1200s. Luther said it - Calvin said it - Zwingli said it - Wesley said it - Charles Spurgeon said it - Dwight L. Moody said it - up until about 150 or so years ago, there was widespread agreement.
In fact, it was so widely understood that the Counter-Reformation in the 1500s actually had to address the issue, because everybody realized that Revelation 13 was pointing the finger directly at the Christian church.
So a couple of Counter-Reformation scholars by the names of Ribera and Alcazar came up with alternate theories about the Second Coming - theories that deliberately took people’s attention off of the church.
Alcazar (if you remember) came up with a theory we now call “preterism,” which said that almost everything in the book of Revelation happened in the distant past, so it couldn’t possibly be talking about the church. And to this day, you’ll still come across that theory in some Christian circles, but it’s not really very popular.
Ribera’s theory, on the other hand, eventually became VERY popular, especially in the 20th century. He said that Bible prophecy would mostly happen in the distant future - in the last few years of human history. Today, we call that theory “futurism” and even though the first 1800 years of Christianity wouldn’t have agreed with it at all, it has now become one of the most popular theories in the world.
In one of its more popular forms, it teaches that the beast power appears AFTER the Christians are quietly taken to heaven - which, of course, would mean that the beast power couldn’t possibly be the Christian church.
Now, at first, those new theories really didn’t gain much ground, except among Counter-Reformation types who needed them. But then, in the 1800s, futurism (in particular) suddenly went mainstream, and it became popular enough that most people stopped preaching what the Christian church has always known.
And it turns out that THAT development was also a part of the prophetic scenario. Tonight, let’s pick up the story (one more time) in Revelation chapter 12:
Revelation 12:13–14 (NKJV)
13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two
wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time,
from the presence of the serpent.
This is a passage that we’ve already studied in detail. The pure church - God’s people - had to go into hiding because there was an impure woman sitting on the throne of Western Europe. The church had married the state, and the results were disastrous.
So all across the Western world, key groups of Christians had to go into hiding - groups like the Waldensians, the Ethiopian Christians, the Celts up in Britain, the Huguenots in France - there were key groups of believers who were not particularly welcome in the Holy Roman Empire, and they had to hide themselves in the wilderness for “a time and times and half a time.”
Or, in some passages, 1,260 days - and in other passages, 42 months. This is the period of time many people refer to as the Dark Ages.
It begins in 538 AD, when the authority granted to the bishop of Rome by the emperor Justinian becomes a reality. If you remember, there were three tribes who stood in the way, and by 538 AD, the last of them was destroyed, and now the power of the Roman bishop in the Western Empire became supreme.
Then, exactly 1,260 years later, in 1798, one of Napoleon’s generals marches into the city of Rome and takes Pius VI off the throne, and the pope dies in captivity. This is the year that the beast receives a deadly wound.
And during this time - between 538 and 1798 - the impure woman is on the throne of Europe, and she persecutes the pure woman of Revelation 12. And the Bible says the persecution would become very bad:
15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
The Bible predicted that the dragon would turn up the heat. It would pour on the persecution like a flood coming out of the serpent’s mouth . . . And remember that water in Bible prophecy is people, so this flood was a flood of people—an army. And sure enough, the church organized the crusades which first fought off Islam, but then turned to fight anyone who would dare to lift up the pure word of God in contradiction to the traditions of the church. ...but Satan fails to stomp out biblical Christianity.
Why?
Because even though the persecution was really fierce, and living a biblical faith became nearly impossible, God suddenly opened a way to escape. He gives His people a way out - and now you really need to pay careful attention:
Revelation 12:16 (NKJV)
16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
At some point in history, the earth suddenly opens up to give God’s people a place to run - a way to flee from the persecution. It’s as if the planet suddenly gets bigger, and God’s people suddenly have a new place to go.
So let me ask you a question tonight, because you and I have the benefit of hindsight: where did the persecuted masses of Europe go to get away from persecution? Where did people go to find religious liberty?
They came right here - to the New World! There’s an old statement that is sometimes attributed to James Madison, even though we’re not entirely sure he’s the one who said it. But the founding fathers of the American republic understood - very clearly - exactly what they were building. They were building a place where persecuted people could finally be free - and they did NOT want a repeat of what happened in Europe:
“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.”
The founding fathers of America knew exactly what the problem was, and they knew exactly who the culprit was. So they designed a place where people of faith could be absolutely free - a place where the church could never seize the reins of government like it did in the Western Roman Empire.
America gave the world absolute freedom from religious persecution. It offered us the freedom to live according to the dictates of our conscience. People were free to worship God however they wanted - and they were also free to NOT worship God if THAT’S what they wanted.
Because America was designed to be free. The government couldn’t kill you for your opinion. And even though our freedom has definitely been eroding in the last few years, this is still a free country.
I love those powerful words that are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty - that poem by Emma Lazarus:
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
It almost sounds like something Jesus would say, doesn’t it? “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden.”
In the beginning, America was a Christlike country. Not because they were building a theocracy, where the church runs the nation, but because people were free to serve God as their King if that’s what they chose, and there were no human intermediaries - like a pope or a king.
If you follow the history, you discover that the principles that gave us the American Constitution can be traced all the way back to the days of the Reformers - and those were people who wanted the freedom for individuals to worship God the way the Bible asks.
And really, one of the most amazing things about the American republic is the timing of its appearance. Even though people had already been fleeing to the New World for a long time, the republic was founded in 1776, just as the 1,260 days were drawing to a close.
Napoleon’s general marches into the city of Rome in 1798, and the American republic is founded in 1776. Those two events are happening almost together - and America begins rising to power just as the beast power receives its deadly wound.
Coincidence? Not even close. Let’s go back to Revelation 13, because I want to show you something really amazing:
Revelation 13:3 (NKJV)
3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
The first two verses of Revelation 13 are already in the past, but verse three - this verse - is the part that our generation needs to worry about. The Bible says there will be a revival of the beast.
Did the beast receive a deadly wound? Yes, it did - in 1798, and after Pius VI was removed from his throne, and the church lost possession of its lands, it looked as if the beast was dead.
But the Bible says it will come back to life, and the deadly wound WILL be healed. Now here’s the question we need to contemplate tonight: is there any evidence that this might already be happening?
The answer is YES. In 1929 - about the same time that America is becoming a global superpower - something really amazing suddenly happens in the city of Rome.
On February 11, Benito Mussolini and Cardinal Gasparri suddenly sign a deal that restores power, land, and self-government to the Vatican. It was a HUGE story that made international headlines, because the autonomy of the pope was being restored.
They gave everything back.
And it might be a coincidence, but do you know what the headlines in the United States said that day?
“Heal Wound of Many Years.”
Now is that a coincidence? Yes, it probably is - but it’s a very INTERESTING coincidence, wouldn’t you say?
If you go back and read the newspapers from 1929, you’ll see that the whole world thought this was a VERY big deal. Let me show you an article from the Catholic Advocate that came out a few weeks later:
It is noon on Monday, the fateful February 11, and we are standing by the obelisk at the north door of the Mother of the Churches of the World, St. John’s. We have watched first Cardinal Gasparri and the Premier Mussolini drive
into Lateran Palace, and they are now sealing the accord between the Holy See and Italy… I do not deny it—I am in a tremble at the pregnant greatness of the moment, for my mind is dwelling not only in the piazza, or on the
scene behind the Palace windows. My thoughts are shooting like the shuttle of the loom out from Rome to the four corners of the globe, weaving a fabric of the reverberations which this freeing of the Pope will awaken in every country...
What does it say happened that day? The freeing of the pope!
And now the Roman Church is suddenly free to start reclaiming her global influence. And the question you and I need to ask is whether or not it’s already happening. Is Rome taking back what she lost?
The answer is absolutely YES, and you can find it in the headlines almost every single day - but the world isn’t really paying attention, because the world is no longer conversant in the prophecies of the Bible.
In the last few years, the Church of Rome has been actively reasserting almost every single doctrine it taught at the height of its power in the Dark Ages.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II was getting ready for the millennium, and he issued a papal bull called Incarnationis mysterium - and in that document, he reaffirmed the practice of indulgences . . . one of the very issues that sparked the Reformation in the first place.
Also in 1998, John Paul II issued an affirmation of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. That’s a very old institution, and it used to go by another name. Do you know what it used to be called? The Holy Office of the Inquisition.
It’s the organization responsible for enforcing doctrinal purity and the unity of the Roman Church all over the world.
Then, in the year 2000, the Vatican published a very interesting document:
It was a document about Christian unity, specifically calling people to unify behind the movement you and I find in Revelation 13. They were calling people back to Rome. Listen to this very carefully:
…the church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that ‘outside her structure, many elements
can be found of sanctification and truth,’ that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.
Now let me ask you: why did it say “not yet”? It’s because there’s a clear agenda - a plan to restore absolutely everything that was lost. There’s a plan to bring us all back under the same umbrella.
Follow me very carefully tonight: the wound is already healing - and all over the world, Christians who have forgotten the history are starting to go back - even though not one single key doctrine has changed since the Council of Trent in the Middle Ages.
NOT ONE.
And the revival is building much faster than you think. Just listen to this story from the Guardian back in 2007:
Protestant churches yesterday reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by Pope Benedict XVI (16th) insisting they were mere ‘ecclesial communities’ and their ministers effectively phonies with no right to give
communion. Coming just four days after the reinstatement of the Latin mass, yesterday’s document left no doubt about the Pope’s eagerness to back traditional Roman Catholic practices and attitudes...
Did you catch that? Even the Latin Mass is being reinstituted. There has been a definite push for the Roman Church to reclaim the past and go back to the old ways. And here’s the amazing thing: eventually, as the Roman Church rebuilds, Bible prophecy says that she’s going to have some help from a very powerful ally:
Revelation 13:11 (NKJV)
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
Now who, exactly, is this second beast?
The Bible says it comes up from the “earth” - from the very place God’s people escaped to - from the place that opened up to help the woman.
This beast LOOKS like a lamb, and a Lamb is who? Jesus Christ. It’s a beast - a political power - that looks Christlike - but eventually, when it opens its mouth, it speaks like a dragon.
This is another mix of Christianity and the dragon . . . just like Rome.
And I know that some of you have already figured this out, because there is only one thing in human history that matches this - but let’s keep reading:
Revelation 13:12 (NKJV)
12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth
and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
The second beast is going to drive the earth back towards the first beast. The Bible says it plays a supportive role, and helps restore the power and authority of the first beast.
So who exactly is it? We have lots of evidence to go on:
The Bible says the second beast comes up from the earth - from the very place where God’s people escape to.
It is also lamb-like - it puts on the appearance of being a Christian power.
And you’ll notice that it has no crowns on its horns. The first beast had a crown on every horn, but this beast has none - and that’s because this is a political power without a king.
So who is this? There’s only one thing in the history of the world that fits. Tonight, you tell me: what powerful Christian nation - remote from Europe - a home for the persecuted - in the New World - has no king?
This is the United States of America. Just consider the evidence:
America begins to rise on the world stage in conjunction with the revolutionary movements that take place in the 18th century - France is pulling Pius VI off his throne, and the American republic is established at about the same time.
America has been calling itself, since the middle of the 20th century, “one nation under God.”
It is still a refuge for the persecuted masses of the world, and it is most definitely a powerful republic that has no king.
Does America fit the description of the second beast? It fits like a glove. So does that mean that America is going to change?
Yes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed - but in recent decades, the whole attitude of America has been shifting - the NSA has been spying on world leaders and its own citizens - we have been witnessing the slow erosion of religious freedom, including recent attacks on religious freedom under the guise of public health concerns - and when you begin to look at it through the lens of Bible prophecy, it all begins to make sense.
Something strange is definitely happening.
Bible prophecy predicts an alliance between the United States of America and the bishop of Rome.
I know: it sounds impossible - and I used to think that maybe it was. But then I started to read 20th century history very carefully.
Back in 1991, Father Malachi Martin published a book about the political ambitions of the Vatican. He was a professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute at the Vatican, and his book had a really long title:
The Keys of This Blood: Pope John Paul II Versus Russia and the West for Control of the New World Order.
It was a book that really rattled some officials at the Vatican, because it put all the cards on the table, so to speak. It pulled back the curtain and showed us Rome’s agenda. Listen to this:
…the goal is a geopolitical structure for the society of nations designed and maintained according to the ethical plans and doctrinal outlines of Christianity
as taught by the Roman Pontiff as the earthly Vicar of Christ.
He was telling us that John Paul II had a very clear agenda. He wanted to provide a political structure that unified the WHOLE WORLD and gave it religious guidance.
There were just two obstacles standing in the way:
Over in the Soviet Union, the world communist agenda was standing in his way - and of course, here in the West, the principles of religious liberty were going to prevent any unity of church and state and discourage people from supporting any kind of world government.
Now you’ll notice: one of these obstacles is already gone - because the Soviet Union collapsed, almost overnight, back in 1989. And the question you and I need to ponder is: how did communism fall?
Was it really just hard economic times? Not quite.
The Vatican knew they couldn’t topple Russia all by themselves, because the pope doesn’t have an army at the moment. What they needed was a really good ally - so John Paul II went out looking for one.
And what he noticed, here in the West, is that Americans ALSO don’t like communism - and Ronald Reagan REALLY hated communism. Do you remember? “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Reagan was the perfect ally!
Now watch what happens next. Reader’s Digest told the whole story back in 1990, after the Soviet Union collapsed:
In 1981, the communist bloc got another shock. A new American President, Ronald Reagan, began fulfilling his promise to challenge the Soviets, not
placate them. Over the next few years, he accelerated the military buildup and announced the Strategic Defense Initiative… The soviets’
confidence was shaken… Military pressure from America and its Western Allies had caused the Soviets to flinch.
John Paul II looks at Ronald Reagan and says, “This is my guy! This is the perfect ally - and he just happens to be the most powerful man on earth!”
So Washington gets a phone call from the bishop of Rome, and together, John Paul II and Ronald Reagan developed a plan:
In July of 1982, they met to discuss a strategy for bringing down the Soviet Union. They decided they needed an insider - someone on the inside of the Soviet Union - to help them. And they found that man in the pope’s home country of Poland - a man by the name of . . .
Lech Wałęsa. (Pronounced “lek vuh-WEN-suh”) He was the leader of Poland’s Solidarity movement. So Reagan and the pope contacted him, and they gave him all the support he needed: cash, phone lines, moral support, fax machines, you name it.
Of course, the Soviets saw what was happening and they tried to shut it down. They threatened to send troops into Poland and squash the Solidarity movement - and that’s when John Paul II said HE would go in person and stand in front of those tanks if that’s what it took to stop the Russians.
It was one of the biggest high-stakes political games in modern history. Here’s the story again, from Reader’s Digest:
With the Pope’s support, Solidarity was formed, and John Paul II sent word to Moscow that if Soviet forces crushed Solidarity, he would go to Poland and stand with his people. The
Soviets were so alarmed they hatched a plot to kill him… When the communist government fell, the impact on Eastern Europe was electrifying.
Let me ask you again: how did Soviet communism really fall? The first and second beasts worked together to make it happen - and that’s historical fact. Maybe you remember the headlines from 1992, when Time magazine finally spilled the whole story . . .
The headline on February 24, 1992:
“HOLY ALLIANCE: How Reagan and the Pope conspired to assist Poland’s Solidarity movement and hasten the demise of Communism.”
Now think about this carefully: almost 200 years ago, the book of Revelation said there would be an alliance, and back in 1980, nobody would have believed it. But prophecy was absolutely right - and that means the alliance is already here.
It also means that the Vatican’s first obstacle - the Soviet Union - is already gone.
And what was the other obstacle?
It’s us. It’s the separation of church and state here in the West. And as long as the wall between church and state remains - as long as Americans resist world government and they fight for religious liberty, Rome can’t have everything she wants.
Now, obviously, the bishop of Rome can’t fight America on the battlefield . . . but he doesn’t really have to. All he has to do is change our minds. All he has to do is influence the way we think.
And that’s been going on now for YEARS. Do you think it’s a coincidence that every time we’ve had an election in recent history, the pope’s opinion really seems to matter to the American public?
Not at all. And if you listen carefully, you will notice that in recent decades, there have been strong religious voices calling for the end of the separation of church and state. In fact, there are surprising voices trying to convince us that there never WAS a separation. I hear those voices every day.
But those voices are wrong. Just listen to the words of Thomas Jefferson:
Believing… that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the
legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared
that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’
thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.
When the American republic was born, it was a country that did NOT want the problems that Europe had. That was the whole point of the nation. But amazingly, in recent decades, there have been loud voices calling for the removal of that wall:
Richard McMunn, the editor of Columbia magazine, led the charge back in February of 1989.
If Thomas Jefferson were alive today, I believe he would not only lead the struggle to sale the ‘wall of separation’… but that he would also provide the ladders.
Now ask yourself: why would prominent Roman Catholic voices want the wall of separation banished?
The American cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua said:
The time has come to restore the vital relationship between the church and the state, between religion and law...
Now ask yourself again: why would the cardinal want to build a “vital relationship” between church and state? Why would the wall of separation be a problem?
Towards the end of the 20th century, more and more voices called for the uniting of church and state - and they weren’t just Roman Catholic voices. Even the president of the Southern Baptists (W. A. Criswell) said, “I believe this notion of the separation of church and state was the figment of some infidel’s imagination!”
There are more and more voices calling for the abolition of the wall of separation. And to be honest, I can understand why: there has been so much moral decay in America that many Christians are eager to do something about it - but we can never forget WHY we kept the hands of the church off the state in the first place.
And I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t run for public office - I wish more of them would. And you can see the impact of Christians in politics when the evangelical churches voted as a block to put Donal Trump into the presidency because they believed he would be sympathetic to their agenda. But listen carefully as the winds of change blow through American politics and American religion. We’ve actually come to the point where Christians are saying the Reformation was a mistake - a misunderstanding.
This statement came from the head of one of the biggest evangelical TV networks in the world. (Paul Crouch)
I’m eradicating the word “protestant” even out of my vocabulary… I’m not protesting anything… it’s time for Catholics and non-Catholics to come together as one in the Spirit and one in the Lord.
Now let me ask you - should Christians be united? Yes, we SHOULD be united - but not through compromise. The only way for Christians to find REAL unity is by standing on the truths of God’s Word!
Here’s another surprising quote, again from a prominent Christian leader...
This came from one of the most popular TV preachers in the world. (Robert Schuller)
It’s time for Protestants to go to the shepherd and say, “What do we have to do to come home?”
The “shepherd” being referred to here is the bishop of Rome - and he was saying that we should apologize for the stand we took on the Bible 500 years ago.
Just a few years ago now, at a HUGE gathering of evangelical Christians that went viral on YouTube - there was a video invitation from Pope Francis inviting people to come back home. He compared himself to Joseph and called us the brothers who betrayed him. “But I’ll take you back,” he said - and unbelievably, one of the most famous Christian preachers in America (Kenneth Copeland) stood up and accepted the invitation.
Listen to me carefully: something remarkable is happening. We’ve forgotten the long history of where we’ve come from, and we’ve stopped living by the principles taught in the Word of God.
The Bible says that the second beast will convince the earth to return to the worship of the first beast:
Revelation 13:15–17 (NKJV)
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause
as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
What is the real issue in the last days, just before Jesus comes? It’s WORSHIP. It’s the same issue it’s always been: a fallen angel wants the worship that belongs to the Creator. And he’ll do whatever it takes - he’ll tell whatever lies he needs to in order to secure our allegiance.
And if deception fails, he’s going to turn to his other key tool - the use of force:
Revelation 13:16–17 (NKJV)
16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or
on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name.
So there is it: the mark of the beast. And where does the Bible say that it goes? On the forehead or on the hand.
And that should sound somewhat familiar to students of Bible prophecy, because the Bible tells us God ALSO puts something on our foreheads. Do you remember?
Revelation 14 told us that those who follow the Lamb in the last days have the Father’s NAME on their foreheads. They have God’s character etched in their minds and in their hearts.
And that’s the part of the story nobody ever seems to talk about. Everybody talks about the mark of the beast - everybody talks about the mark on your forehead or on your hand - but if you read the WHOLE THING, you’ll see that God marks HIS people, too - on the forehead.
And why does the mark go on your forehead? It’s because that’s where your mind is - that’s where you make your decisions. Paul wrote, in Romans 7:25, “With the mind I myself serve the law of God.” The forehead is a symbol for your mind.
So why does the Mark of the Beast go on the hand? It’s because a hand represents your actions:
Ecclesiastes 9:10 (NKJV)
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might...
According to the Bible, both God AND the beast have a mark. They have a sign - they have a seal of their authority. Both of them have a mark of THEIR claim on YOUR life.
And believe me, you WANT to make sure you KNOW which mark you’ve got.
So what is the MARK OF THE BEAST?
This is really very simple. All you have to do is look at the people who DO NOT have the mark of the beast in Revelation chapter 14:
Revelation 14:9–10 (NKJV)
9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image,
and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God…
Now I want you to notice: these people do NOT have the mark - and they’re warning the whole world not to get it. So who are these people? It spells it out in the next few words:
12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Folks, this really isn’t complicated. These people keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus - and the Bible says they do NOT have the mark.
So what does that mean? The people who DO have the mark of the beast do NOT keep the commandments of God and they do NOT have the faith of Jesus.
It’s really THAT simple!
But then the Bible gets far more specific - because it talks about the mark of the beast AND it talks about the seal of God - a mark that God puts on our foreheads:
Revelation 7:2–3 (NKJV)
2 Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to
harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Where does the Bible say that we are sealed? On our foreheads. Here’s another passage that says the same thing:
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads.
What does the Bible say is written on our foreheads? The Father’s name. That’s how we are sealed - with the Father’s name - and of course, as we’ve already studied, the Father’s name is His character. That’s what he told Moses in Exodus 34.
And in Hebrews chapter 8 and Hebrews chapter 10, the Bible says that God is writing His LAW in our hearts - and again, the law is a picture of His character.
Now let me show you something REALLY INTERESTING . . .
Listen to what Moses says right after he reminds the children of Israel of the 10 commandments in Deuteronomy chapter 5 and 6:
Deuteronomy 6:8 (NKJV)
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
Do you see that word “sign”? It’s the Hebrew word 'owth (pronounced “OATH”). It’s the same word used in Genesis chapter 4, when the Bible says that God placed a “mark” on Cain. It’s a sign - a seal - a mark. Those are usually interchangeable words.
And what does Moses say about the Ten Commandments? They’re a sign - a mark - that God’s people put on their hands and between their eyes - or on their foreheads!
How many of you have ever heard of “tefillin” or “phylacteries”?
It’s a practice among some of our Jewish friends that stems from a literal reading of Deuteronomy chapter 6. The phylactery is a little box you place on your hand and on your forehead - and inside that box is a copy of God’s law.
There is no question what the Bible is talking about when it talks about the forehead and the hand - it’s talking about the law of God!
Listen again to what the Bible says in the book of Hebrews:
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”
God’s people are sealed by God’s law - that’s why the Father’s name, or character, is written on their foreheads! And there is one law in particular that the Bible considers a special sign, or seal, between God and His people:
20 hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’
Again, do you see that word, “sign”? It’s 'owth - like the “mark” that God put on Cain.
The fourth commandment is the mark of God’s authority. The fourth commandment is how God’s people publicly display their trust in His government. The Sabbath is how we publicly display our loyalty to the Creator. It’s the only command of God that identifies Him out of any false God that we could claim—He is the creator.
And that’s the reason the devil hates the fourth commandment.
The big picture in Bible prophecy is absolutely amazing . . . the SABBATH is God’s sign of authority, and that’s why God’s people place such a high value on it.
But the BEAST has a sign of HER authority, too. And what does the beast power say is the sign of its authority? It’s the fact that it changed the Sabbath.
Remember the words of James Cardinal Gibbons:
Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act… And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters.
Don’t forget: the biggest ISSUE in the universe is worship. And the focal point of THAT issue for the human race is the fourth commandment - the Sabbath.
What is the mark of the beast’s authority? It tampered with God’s times and laws, and it told the world that it had the authority to change the Sabbath. Listen to the words of Father T. Enright:
The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” The Catholic Church says, “No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.”
And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.
Let me ask you tonight, in the light of Bible prophecy: where do YOU offer your reverent obedience?
From Monseigneur Louis-Gaston de Ségur:
It was the Catholic Church which… has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Thus the observance
of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Church.
The Catholic Record, 1923:
Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible; and this transference of Sabbath observance... is proof positive of that fact.
Folks, the beast power openly brags about it. Rome says that she changed God’s times and laws, and the whole Christian world listens.
The issue tonight is WORSHIP. The issue tonight is LOYALTY. And right now, the question comes to you: where is YOUR loyalty? Are you following the dragon or the Lamb?
Tonight, you’ve got to make up your mind, because things are happening faster than you could ever dream possible. We are literally running out of time. In 1998, Rome published an astonishing encyclical letter titled Dies domini - “The Day of the Lord” . . .
Here’s what it said:
…Christians will naturally strive to ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy.
Now was that just a random, off-the-cuff statement? Not a chance. Right now, there is a massive effort to force the world to toe the line with the bishop of Rome - and it’s unbelievable that so many people are missing it.
Back in 2007, Benedict XVI made an amazing demand while visiting the country of Austria. “Pope Demands Respect for Sundays,” the headlines said.
In 2009, there was a massive push for a Sunday observance law all across Europe, and it was an initiative that actually went to the floor of the European Parliament.
Here’s what it said:
The European Parliament… calls on member states and the EU institutions to protect Sunday, as a weekly rest day, in forthcoming national and EU working-time legislation...
It went to a vote - and it failed - by a very narrow margin. And why did it fail? The Eastern European countries said, “No. We just got rid of the Nazis and the Communists, and we don’t want Rome telling us what to do.”
Then, in the fall, Pope Benedict told the world - in his encyclical Caritas in veritate - that the world needs a one-world economy governed by someone who is NOT a political superpower. He told the world it needs a religious authority that has been granted global power.
And then, in 2013, Pope Francis said this:
…it is not possible to find Jesus outside the Church… And the Mother Church that gives us Jesus gives us our identity that is not only a seal, it is a belonging.
In other words, if you don’t join Rome, you can’t find Jesus.
Let me ask you tonight: where do you stand? What is written on YOUR forehead?
Revelation 15:2 (NKJV)
2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the
beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
Let me ask you: have you ever read a Bible story and said, “I wish I could take a stand like that! I wish I could be like Daniel. I wish I could be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego - and refuse to bow to the image.”
“I wish I could be like the early Christians, who refused to offer a pinch of incense to the Caesar! I wish I could take a stand for Jesus like they did.”
Tonight, you have your chance. It’s not a statue on the plains of Dura, and it’s not a tiny pinch of incense offered to the Caesar - it’s your worship. It’s the fourth commandment. It’s your decision to follow the Lamb wherever He leads you.
And right at this moment, you get to take your stand.
I’m going to ask the ushers to bring you a very important card - maybe the most important one I’ve handed out so far. And tonight, it’s time to take your stand.
I want you to look at this card with me.
The first line says, “I surrender my life completely to Jesus and the truth.”
The second line says, “I reject the beast and the mark of its authority.”
The third line says, “I love Jesus and will honor Him by keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, Saturday, the seal of God’s authority.
and lastly, the last line says, “I would lek to be baptized soon.”
Then ask them to write their names on the card so you can pray for them by name.
Tonight, I want to do something very special. I know that you’ve filled in your cards, but if you are going to follow the Lamb tonight - if your heart belongs to Jesus alone - if you refuse the mark of the beast’s authority and you will worship ONLY God - if you can see that the Sabbath is God’s special sign in a world that has turned its back on Him - then come on down to the front, and I want to have a special time of prayer. I want to give you an opportunity to publicly declare your allegiance to Jesus.
Continue the song as people come. Close with prayer that celebrates the decisions of those who came forward.
Thanks for coming, folks: and remember, tomorrow morning’s subject is “The Testimony of Jesus.” - see you there!
Good night, and God bless!