12—Revelationʼs Mark of the Beast Exposed Revelation of Hope · ·...

12—Revelationʼs Mark of the Beast Exposed

Revelation of Hope North American English 1

Revelation of Hope

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Our topic tonight is Revelationʼs Mark of the Beast Exposed.

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When you mention the subject of the Mark of the Beast, it brings up many different images in peopleʼs minds.

When I announce a series on the Book of Revelation, the Mark of the Beast and the Mysterious Number 666 is the one topic people want to hear about.

Most people have the idea that Revelation is largely about the Beast and its Mark.

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They do not realize Revelation is mostly about the Lamb of God – Jesus – and His triumph over all the forces of evil. So, whatever the Mark of the Beast is, it must have to do with the great controversy between good and evil.

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It must have to do with the universal struggle between Christ and Satan. It must have to do with something significant, if an entire chapter in the Bible, Revelation 13, is devoted to it.

Many people are extremely confused about the Mark of the Beast.

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Some people wonder, “Is it a government identification number?”

They begin to look at social security cards, and they ask, “Does the number on social security cards have something to do with the Mark of the Beast?”

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Other people are concerned about barcodes on packages at the grocery store. Theyʼve heard that Revelation 13 talks about the number of the beast, and says those who donʼt accept the Mark of the Beast are not able to buy or sell. So they ask, “Is the Mark of the Beast a bar code on the label on a can?”

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And they see the scanners at the grocery store. They see the cans going though these electronic devices and they say, “This must be it, the Mark of the Beast.”

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There are other people who say, “We are headed for a cashless society.” And the Mark of the Beast is a number on a credit card. They believe one day weʼll have no cash. We will need to have the number 666 to buy or sell.

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Who is the Beast? The Bible says, “No scripture is of any private interpretation” (1 Peter 1:20, 21). The Mark of the Beast isnʼt something we need to guess about. The Book of Revelation clearly unfolds who the beast is. It identifies the Mark of the Beast and how to avoid receiving it. It answers our questions.

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Sometimes people have asked, “Is the Beast a person?” In fact, many have thought, “Well, the Beast was Adolph Hitler.”

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If you take Adolph Hitlerʼs name they say it can add up to 666, and he was such a ruthless individual who killed 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. He must be the beast.

Others have thought the beast might be some political leader alive today.

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Some people have even suggested that the beast is a child born in the Middle East who will rule the world.

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Some have played with numbers and names and suggested such things as different presidents of the United States.

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Another question which some people ask is, “Is the Beast an organization?”

And if so, is it a political or a religious organization? How do you decide what it is?

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How do you decipher the number 666? How does the Bible explain its meaning?

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Then there is another question. If there is a Beast, and if the Beast has a mark, how can I avoid the Mark of the Beast, 666?

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What does it mean that the Mark of the Beast is in the forehead, or in the right hand? Iʼve had people say, “Iʼm not letting anybody put that tattoo of 666 on my forehead!

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Iʼm not letting anybody put any imprint of 666 on me.” What is all of that about?

The book of Revelation clearly reveals answers to these questions. Now, this is the Revelation of whom? Of Jesus Christ. When we study the Mark of the Beast, we are studying a Revelation of Jesus. Just as the Beast has a mark, a sign, or a symbol, Jesus has a mark, a sign, or a symbol.

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The book of Revelation does two things. It reveals truth and it exposes error. Revelation talks about a struggle; about a battle, a universal conflict between good and evil. And in light of this final battle between Christ and Satan, there is a struggle between true and false worship. This final crisis centers around the beastʼs mark and Godʼs seal.

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Letʼs go directly to Revelation 13:1, 2 “Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea,

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having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.

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Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard,

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his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.”

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So the Bible describes a dreadful beast which comes up out of the sea. It talks about this beast as a mighty power.

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Bible prophecy often uses symbols to describe world powers and events.

It was the Chinese philosopher Confucius who said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So God gives word-pictures.

The reason He does this is so that His Word is preserved from enemies that might want to destroy it. They donʼt know how to decode the symbols.

And if these symbols condemn political or religious powers, Godʼs Word cloaks them in mystery to preserve His truth. His people can unlock the mystery and understand it.

Since the meaning is hidden the tyrants against Godʼs Word wonʼt destroy it.

This beast comes up out of the sea. What does this mean?

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Revelation 17:15

“The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”

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So waters represent people in Bible prophecy.

When the beast comes up out of the sea, it comes up out of a populated area of this earth. It comes up among the peopled areas, that is among nations.

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Now the Bible talks about this beast in Revelation 13 as being like 4 beasts.

It says itʼs like a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon.

What do beasts represent in Bible prophecy? Daniel 7:23 says—

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“Thus he said: ʻThe fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth. . .ʼ”

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It is clear - the Beast represents a kingdom. The Beast represents a political power. Many people are misled. They think the beast is an evil person. The Bible describes it not as a person, but as a power. They are thinking of a single person who must be mischievous and evil. But the Bible says these four beasts are four kingdoms.

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The Beast represents a political or religious power. According to the Bible it does NOT represent a person. These powers can be political or religious. As the Bible describes this Beast of Revelation 13, it goes on and it says, in verse 2—

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“The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.”

Whoever the Beast power is, he gets his authority or the seat of his government from the dragon-like beast.

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Remember in Daniel 7, the Bible talks about a lion and it says that the lion, the king of the beasts, represents what? It represents Babylon.

It talks about a bear representing Medo-Persia. It talks about Greece as a leopard-like beast. It talks about pagan Rome as this dragon-like beast.

Now remember, in Bible prophecy, God uses animals to describe nations.

Do we sometimes do that today? In fact, we use animals to describe political parties in the United States.

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If I mention an elephant, you think of what? Republicans. If I say donkey, you think? Democrats.

What about nations today?

If you think of America, what animal do you think of to represent America?

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The eagle. If you think about Great Britain, what animal do you think about?

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A lion is the symbol of Great Britain today.

One of the great mistakes that many Bible commentators make is to try to take animals from today and apply them to Bible times. We need to discover not what animal symbolizes what nation today but what animal symbolizes what nations in Bible times.

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In Bible times, Babylon was represented by a lion with eaglesʼ wings. You find it on the walls of Babylon. In Bible times a bear represented Medo-Persia. In Bible times Greece was described as a leopard. The dragon was a symbol of ancient pagan Rome.

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Now, look at Revelation 12:4 “. . . And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth,

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to devour her Child as soon as it was born.” Who was this child that was to be born to rule all nations with a rod of iron that the dragon was going to destroy? Jesus.

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In the Bible the dragon represents Satan.

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In Revelation 12, Satan works through pagan Rome to destroy Jesus.

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It was a Roman official, Herod, who passed a decree that all male children be killed. The Roman ruler attempted to do away with Jesus.

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You remember it was a Roman governor who sentenced Christ to death.

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A Roman executioner crucified Jesus.

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A Roman emblem sealed Jesusʼ tomb, and Roman soldiers guarded it.

In Revelation 13, the dragon, pagan Rome, would give this new power the seat of his government.

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Who did the dragon, Pagan Rome, give its power, throne and great authority to?

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There are 6 identifying characteristics describing this political, religious system mentioned in Revelation 13.

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The first clue which helps us identify who this power is: It is a power that received the seat of its government or authority from ancient pagan Rome. Letʼs go to one of the most learned professors of all of Roman history. Professor Labianca taught history for many years at the University of Rome. He made this observation:

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“To the succession of the Caesars came the succession of the Pontiffs in Rome.

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When Constantine left Rome he gave his seat to the Pontiff.” Now what does the Bible say? The dragon gave him his what? Seat, power and great authority.

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The Roman Empire was falling apart. It was crumbling. Constantine recognized that soon his empire would be overthrown by the Germanic invasions from the north. Europe was being carved up by these invading armies. It was being divided.

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So Constantine decided to move his capital from Rome to modern day Turkey. He created a new city that he called Constantinople, the city of Constantine.

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Rather than leaving Rome vacant, he then gave the seat of his governmental authority to the Popes of Rome. In fact, look at Stanleyʼs History, p. 40—

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“The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors of Rome, inheriting their power, prestige, and titles from paganism . . .

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The papacy is but the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon its grave.”

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Tonight we will look at the clear teachings of the Bible. The Bible makes the identification of the Beast power plain and history verifies it.

In our lecture series it is NOT our desire in any way to offend or hurt any individual. There are many fine people in the Roman church who love Jesus. They are committed Christians.

There are many priests who are studying the Bible. The Beast is NOT a person.

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The “Beast” of Revelation 13 describes a religious political system that grew up out of Rome.

It would gradually compromise the truth of Godʼs Word. Traditions would slip into the Christian church and Protestant communions would accept those traditions.

Letʼs notice these clues. Letʼs look at the facts of Revelation 13. Letʼs look at the evidence objectively.

We are going to consider the facts of history, and then ask God, “What do you want me to do with these facts?” We already saw the first clue, that the dragon, pagan Rome, would give its seat of government to another power.

The Beast is a religious, political system that would grow up out of Rome after the demise of the pagan Roman empire.

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Here is a second characteristic in Revelation 13:8 “All who dwell on the earth will worship him . . .”

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#2 Eventually, this power would become a world-wide religious system. The third characteristic, Revelation 13:5, says—

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“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies.”

Most of the time when we think of blasphemy we think of someone openly cursing God. We think of somebody denying the existence of God.

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The Bible defines blasphemy quite differently.

In scripture blasphemy occurs when an individual declares that he is Godʼs equal or has Godʼs privileges, such as forgiving sin.

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Jesus Christ is our only Savior. There is no one else that can forgive our sins except Jesus.

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The Bible says, 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

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In Hebrews 7:25, the Bible says “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him,

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since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

I can never approach a holy God unless I have a priest. I need a priest and I have a priest. He is Jesus, my intercessor.

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Now, letʼs look at what the Bible says about blasphemy. Jesus was actually accused of being a blasphemer. Why?

John 10:33 “The Jews answered Him, saying, ʻFor a good work we do not stone You,

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but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.ʼ”

Why did the Jews want to stone Jesus? Because He claimed to be God. Was Jesus God? Yes!

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Jesus had the privileges and prerogatives of God. He had the authority to forgive sins.

He was not a blasphemer because His claim to be equal with the Father was true.

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The Jews attempted to stone Jesus when He claimed to be God. Because of unbelief they did not acknowledge that He was God.

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Does the Roman church make that claim? Letʼs see. Here are the Encyclical Letters directly from the papacy of Leo the 13th, and he says—

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“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”

The history of the Roman church speaks for itself. Now, look at another aspect of blasphemy,

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Mark 2:7

“Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

They say, Christ is a blasphemer because He claims to forgive sins. Could Jesus forgive sins? Yes! Why could He forgive sins? Because He had the privilege and prerogatives of God. But ladies and gentlemen, here is a book called “Dignity and Duties of the Priests,” Vol. 12, p.2, by Antonio Ligouian. Each priest reads this book to understand his duties. It says—

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“God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priest, and either not to pardon or to pardon,

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according as they refuse or give absolution . . . The sentence of the priest precedes, and God subscribes to it.

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Acts 4:12 says,

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” None except Jesus.

1 John 1:9 adds, “If we confess our sins, He (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive our sins.”

There is only one way to forgiveness, ladies and gentlemen. And that way is the way of the cross.

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That way is the way of the man with the bloody hands. That way is the way of Jesus Christ.

There is only one priest that the Bible talks about and that is Jesus who stands before the throne of God. The main theme of Revelation is not some bar code on a can of peas or some number on your credit card. The main theme of Revelation is Jesus! Jesus is our only Savior. Jesus is our only Redeemer. Revelation is leading us back to Jesus, not to a man-made system of religion filled with human traditions.

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The third identifying characteristic: Claims equality with God—which is blasphemy! The fourth characteristic is found in Revelation 13:7—

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“It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.”

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This power would lead to a union of church and state, and a time period called the Dark Ages, Bible believing Christians would be condemned to death for their beliefs.

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Now you ask any church historian, “Did church and state unite under Rome and persecute those who did not go along with its teachings?” Look at the “Western Watchman”, written by our Roman Catholic friends, the Dec. 23, 1908 edition says—

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“The Church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will deny that.” The word tyro means “one uninformed.” Only one uninformed in church history. Now this is very fascinating. It is from—

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Public Ecclesiastical Law, Vol. 2, p.142

“The church may by divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons and condemn them to the flames . . .”

The church believes that the most serious crime is heresy. And therefore, heresy can be punishable by inflicting civil punishments according to the church.

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The fourth characteristic: It would be a Persecuting Power

The Bible is very, very plain. You see this is the issue that God is dealing with, true worship.

He is leading us to Christ. He is leading us back to His Word.

He is leading us to exalt Jesus in our own lives, in ways that so many havenʼt understood. Remember what we read earlier,

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Revelation 13:5 “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies,

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and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.”

Now what is all this about? Authority. You know, some have said that mathematics is an exact science.

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Notice these two mathematical proofs of the identity of the Beastʼs power. What about 42 months?

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In Bible prophecy, one prophetic day equals one literal year. Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34

Ezekiel 4:6 says, “I have given you a day for a year.” Numbers 14:34 says, “I have appointed a day for a year.”

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If we are talking about 42 prophetic months, there are 30 days in a biblical prophetic month. 30x42=1260 prophetic days.

But if a prophetic day equals a literal year, the time period mentioned here would be 1260 years.

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The prophecy declares that this power would exist for 1260 years then suffer a deadly wound. Notice, there was Babylon, then Medo-Persia, then Greece, then Rome. Did Rome have supremacy in Europe for 1260 years? The pagan Roman Empire fell apart from AD 356 to about AD 476. After AD 476, in exactly AD 538, the last of the tribes battling against papal Rome were defeated. The prophecy of the 1260 years begins in AD 538, when the Roman Emperor Justinian gave to the pope of Rome religious and civil authority. The papacy was to last for 1260 years and then receive a deadly wound. This brings us to the year 1798. What happened in 1798?

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Who was the great leader in Europe and the political head of France in 1798? Who was that?

Napoleon. Napoleon looked south. He felt challenged by the Pope of Rome. He sent his general, Berthier down to Rome to take the Pope captive.

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Berthier entered Rome in 1798 exactly as the prophecy predicted.

He took the Pope captive and brought him back to France. The Pope died in captivity in France.

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What does history tell us about these remarkable events? Here is “Church History”, p. 24—

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“The murder of a Frenchman in Rome in 1798 gave the French an excuse for occupying the Eternal City and putting an end to the Papal temporal power.

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The aged Pontiff himself was carried off into exile to Valence . . . The enemies of the Church rejoiced. The last pope, they declared had resigned.”

As the prophecy accurately predicted, the papacy received a deadly wound when the pope died in captivity in 1798.

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What does the Bible say? Here it is in Revelation 13:3—

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“And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded,

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and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.”

The Bible says, the Beastʼs power would reign for 1260 years, A.D. 538 – 1798. Indeed it did.

In 1798, it would suffer a deadly wound. The prophecy was filled precisely.

Sometime in the future the deadly wound would be healed.

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Notice this incredible statement in the 1929 “San Francisco Chronicle,”

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“The Roman question tonight was a thing of the past and the Vatican was at peace with Italy…

Mussolini, that is the Italian leader, and Gasparri, that is the Catholic Cardinal, signed a historic Roman pact!

And notice the language:

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In affixing the autographs to the memorable document healing the wound . . . extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides.” The Bible says that the deadly wound would be healed. And here the “San Francisco Chronicle” uses the same language. The prophecy was fulfilled exactly. And after 1798 around 1929, the deadly wound was healed.

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#5 Reigns for 1260 years The Bible goes on, it says, Revelation 13:18—

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“Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast,

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for it is the number of a man: His number is six hundred and sixty-six.”

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Now, in the Bible, numbers have significance. The number 7 always indicates perfection.

The number 6 on the other hand indicates apostasy or rebellion.

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The Babylonian counterfeit image of Daniel 3 had dimensions of 60 and 6.

Three 6ʼs indicate a union of rebellion. It indicates the opposite of perfection.

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Revelation 13:18 says— “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast,

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for it is the number of a man: His number is six hundred and sixty-six.

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One of the official titles of the papacy is Vicarius Filii Dei or Vicar of the Son of God.

I should explain this title a little bit to you. The title Vicarius Filii Dei is in Latin. It means, Vicar, the son of God or a vice-god on earth. The scripture says, “Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, and it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” The number has to be linked to the head of the organization as part of his official title. An official title is Vicarius Filii Dei. If itʼs a Roman power, then it would seem that you would need to use Roman numerals to discover its meaning. Roman numerals give you numerical calculations for letters.

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In Roman numerals you have the value for each letter of the name as shown here: If you add 112 + 53 + 50 - that adds up exactly to 666.

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This power that would grow out of Rome would first get its authority from pagan Rome—the papacy did. Secondly, it would be a worldwide power of worship. The Roman church is. Third, its leaders would claim equality with God and the ability to forgive sin. The Roman churches and priests and prelates do exactly that. Fourth, at times the church would persecute. History records thatʼs exactly what they did. Fifth, it would be a power that would reign for 1260 years, then receive a deadly wound.

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Then the wound would be healed. Again, this prophecy has been fulfilled.

Sixth, its most exalted title would be 6-6-6. Then the Bible says this in Revelation 13:16, 17—

“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave,

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to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads,

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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.” This then leads us to a question.

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What is this Mark of the Beast? How do you describe it? Whatever the Mark of the Beast is, it is opposite of Godʼs sign. We are talking about an organization that arises which has a mark or a sign of its authority.

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For every counterfeit there is a genuine. For everything false, there is something true. So, opposite this Mark of the Beast there must be a genuine sign, mark, or seal of God.

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To understand the Mark of the Beast, we must first understand God's sign, seal, or mark.

The issues we are studying are of enormous importance. They have to do with the final battle between good and evil on our planet. It is a crisis of global proportions. Revelation 7:2,3 says—

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“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. On one hand we have the Mark of the Beast. And on the other hand we have the seal of the living God.

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And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea,

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saying, ʻDo not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.ʼ”

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Now notice the Mark of the Beast can be received in the forehead or in the hand. But Godʼs people only receive His seal in their forehead. Whatʼs the difference?

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The Mark of the Beast in the forehead indicates that people have been deceived to choose the beastsʼ way. They have been misled. They have accepted falsehoods rather than truth. The Mark of the Beast in the hand indicates that they have been forced to do something against their will even if they donʼt intellectually believe it.

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They have yielded to the pressure. They have been coerced.

Since God never forces us, and only says, “whosoever will.” Godʼs people only receive His seal in their mind. They accept His sign freely. What does the Bible mean by “sign” and “seal”?

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Romans 4:11

“And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness. . .”

So in the Bible a sign or seal or a mark is the same thing. Where is Godʼs seal found?

Itʼs found in Godʼs legal document, the Ten Commandments.

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Isaiah 8:16

“Seal the law among my disciples.”

What is Godʼs seal? Godʼs sign? What is Godʼs mark?

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Here it is, Ezekiel 20:12 says— “Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me . . .”

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So Godʼs sign of loyalty is the seventh-day Sabbath which exalts God as creator of heaven and earth.

The Sabbath is Godʼs sign. The Sabbath is Godʼs seal. The Sabbath is Godʼs mark. The Sabbath symbolizes worship of the God who created heaven and earth.

It reveals our allegiance to this Creator.

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666 is opposite to this. It indicates manʼs rebellion in changing Godʼs law, in the changing of His seal.

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Now there is something else about a seal that is very significant. Every seal makes a document legal. A seal authenticates a document.

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Every authentic seal has 3 things. It has the name of the one sealing, the title of the one sealing, and the domain of the one sealing. For example, if you wanted an official seal of the United States Government, in the days of Abraham Lincoln it would say, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States.

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Every seal, if itʼs going to authenticate a document and make it legal, has to answer three questions: Whose seal is it? What authority does he have? And, what territory does he preside over?

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God has a seal, and Godʼs seal contains the three things that make documents legal. God said in Exodus 20:8—

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“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

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Exodus 20:11

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.

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Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

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In the heart of Godʼs law, Godʼs Sabbath commandment authenticates the entire Ten Commandments.

When the commandments say, “Thou shall not kill.” You could say, “Why not, who says I shouldnʼt kill?”

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“Thou shall not steal.” Who says that? What do you mean I canʼt steal?

The Lord, thatʼs His name. Maker, Creator, thatʼs His title. Heaven and earth, the sea and fountains of water, that is His domain.

So the Sabbath commandment contains Godʼs name, His title and His territory. It “seals” the law, makes it binding on all.

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Thatʼs why God says in Ezekiel 20:20—

“Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.”

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The Sabbath is Godʼs sign of loyalty or faithfulness to the Creator.

The Sabbath is Godʼs mark. It is His symbol that we may know that He is our Lord.

He is the Creator and we worship Him. His domain is heaven and earth, the sea and fountains of waters.

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The central issue regarding the Mark of the Beast is worship.

The issues are true worship on the one hand or false worship on the other. Notice how the Bible describes it.

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Revelation 14:6, 7 “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel

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to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—

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ʻFear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come;

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and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.ʼ”

Here is a call to worship the Creator of heaven and earth. It is a call to true worship. The issue is over worship.

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Revelation 14:9, 10 says— “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,

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ʻIf anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand,

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he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God . . .ʼ”

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Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

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Letʼs summarize. Revelation 14:7 is a call to true worship - worshipping the Creator. Revelation 14:9 is a warning against false worship. Revelation 14:12 presents the true followers of God. What are they doing? The issue is worship. God will have a group of people who worship Him as Creator and Lord by keeping all His commandments. If the Sabbath is the sign of worshipping the Creator, what is the beastʼs sign or mark?

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What does the Roman Catholic church claim is the sign of its authority?

Itʼs only fair to look at what the church says of itself. Notice, the “Catholic Record”, Sept. 1, 1923—

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“Sunday is our mark of authority . . . The Church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.”

Ladies and gentlemen, you can discover these quotations yourself in clear historical references.

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Godʼs mark is the Sabbath. The Roman church claims that the mark of its authority is worship on the first day of the week —Sunday.

Here is a statement from the rectory at St. Catherineʼs Church.

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Itʼs from the Church newsletter, May 21, 1995—

“Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did happened in the first century.

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The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. . . not from any directions noted in the Scriptures,

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but from the Churchʼs sense of its own power. . . People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority,

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should logically become Seventh Day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy.”

Isnʼt that amazing? Coming from the Rectory? Ladies and gentlemen, the question might be asked, and I want to make this very plain tonight, “What about Bible believing Christians that love Jesus and worship on the first day of the week, do they have the Mark of the Beast?” The answer is, “No they do not”.

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Here is what the Bible teaches. There are many Christians who love Jesus and do not understand the central issues that we have been talking about in this lecture series.

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They are faithful Christians. They are committed to their Lord. In their hearts they want to serve Christ but they do not fully understand that there is a church system that has changed Godʼs law – Sabbath to Sunday.

They do not understand that this church system claims the mark of its authority is to place tradition above the Bible. Before Jesus returns, He will make these issues clear to all mankind.

Before the coming of Christ, every honest-hearted man or woman will have an opportunity to understand.

Do you remember that in the days of Daniel, church and state united and a decree was passed enforcing worship?

An image was erected. The entire state was forced to bow down and worship. This was contrary to the commandments of God.

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In the future church and state will again unite. It is at this point when the issues are clear that the Mark of the Beast will be enforced.

At this point men and women must make their decision. God is calling you, God is speaking to you, and God is inviting you.

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In the future, the final issue of loyalty will center around worship.

Many of you are facing a decision tonight. You are facing a decision between truth and tradition. You are facing the same decision that many others have faced in their journey with Jesus Christ. These decisions and issues are about worship. They are about eternity. Truth was tainted, and error came into the church.

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There is something called Godʼs mark, Godʼs seal, Godʼs sign, the Sabbath.

And there is a mark of another power– the first day of the week– that claims tradition is above scripture.

God is calling us from the mark of the Roman power. God is calling us back to the Bible. God is calling us to take a stand. God is calling us to follow His truth.

In every age God has called men and women.

In the days of Noah, God invited His people to take a stand. And tonight God is inviting you to take a stand.

It was not popular in Noahʼs day and it may not be popular today, but God is inviting you to take a stand.

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In the days of Daniel, God invited His people to take a stand.

It was not popular in Danielʼs day and it may not be popular today, but God is inviting you to take a stand.

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In the days of Jesus, God invited His people to take a stand.

It was not popular in Jesusʼ day to follow Christ. People thought that the followers of Jesus were wild-eyed fanatics. The large popular way has never been the way. The Bible says, “Narrow is the way that leads unto eternal life.”

God calls men and women to take a stand. God calls husbands, wives, and children to take stand.

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In the days of the early Christians, God invited His people to take a stand.

And for them, it meant at times martyrdom; it meant being burned at the stake.

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In the dark ages, God invited His people to take a stand. Faithful, Bible believing Christians have taken a stand down through the ages.

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In the last days, God invites His people to take a stand.

God is calling you in your family, God is calling you in your neighborhood,

God is calling you to take a stand. If you know what God wants you to do and you hesitate because it is unpopular, how can you expect to influence your family and friends for Godʼs truth.

If you are so weak and you compromise, and you believe it, but you donʼt do it, why should THEY?

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God is inviting you to take a stand. Jesus is inviting you to take stand. The Holy Spirit is inviting you to take a stand.

Will you say to Jesus right now, Lord, I see the issues. Tradition on this side, the Bible on the other. The teaching of men on this side, the teaching of Godʼs Word on the other.

Christ on this side, and popular religious leaders on the other. I see the issue, itʼs more than a matter of days, itʼs a matter of masters.

I hear the Creator God of the entire universe inviting me to take a stand. Just now, choose Jesus. Will you make that decision as we pray?

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