It was testimony night in the church.
A lady got up and said, "We are living in a wicked land where sin is on every hand. I have had a terrible fight with the old devil all week."
Where upon her husband, who was sitting glumly by her side said, "It’s not all my fault either; she’s tough to get along with."
I. The devil is up for a terrible fight.
We know I John 5:18 tells us that the “evil one cannot touch us”… but that doesn’t stop Satan from trying.
Rev. 12:10-12 tells us
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."
The story told here in Revelation, is that when Jesus established His kingdom (the church) Satan was thrown down. Now we overcome the devil by power of the blood & the word of our testimony. And Satan is filled with fury because he knows his time is short.
AND SO Revelation tells us Satan has a plan and Chapter 13 tells us what that plan is:
Satan will work thru two forces (symbolized here as two beasts).
The 1st beast comes up out of the sea: all the power of secular government.
The 2nd beast comes up out of earth and mimics Christianity (lamb) but speaks with the voice of the dragon.
Chapter 13 ends with the ominous threat that this 2nd beast will have the power to “brand” everyone with his mark the name of the beast and the number of his name.
WHO IS THIS BEAST and what does this number symbolize? That’s the $666 dollar question. Ever since Revelation was written there has been speculation about who this beast is and what this number means.
ILLUS: It is one of the peculiarities of Jewish and Greek writing, that names could be given certain numbers based on the numerical value of the letters found in those names. That’s because in the Greek and Hebrew languages, letters in their alphabets were assigned a number value.
For example: the numerical value of the name of Jesus in the Greek is "888."
Using that kind of reasoning, people have come up with a number of possibilities:
Early Christians, because they lived in the Roman empire, used lateinos or Latin (language of that day in Rome) and branded the Roman Emporers Nero, Caligula, and Trajan as the Beast because their names could be turned into the number 666.
Likewise, the Reformers of the Middle Ages experimented with numerology and often taught that the Catholic church & the various popes showed the value of 666.
The Catholic church fought back with numerical values of 666 for Martin Luther and John Calvin.
In more recent history, some have suggested the names of various world dictators: such as Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin.
Others have suggested the mark of the beast is the symbol of the Masonic Lodge, the face on the American dime and so on.
The most amusing suggestion I’ve heard lately is that 666 = Jack Van Impe.
QUOTE: I once had a Bible College Professor who taught us: “The less that scripture has to say on any given topic the more theories you’ll find on the subject.” And that appears to be what has happened with the number game behind 666.
Given the vast array of possibilities that scholars have given down thru the ages as to who or what 666 stood for, WHO AM I, that I should be able to tell you which one is right. What’s more – who are these “so called experts” who tell you they know to tell us "they know" what 666 stands for specifically. It’s all guess work.
II. Today’s sermon is not intended to tell you who the beast is.
That’s NOT my objective. My objective is to contend against the theology of fear that has been built around this passage by the followers of many popular Rapture teachrs. They have often declared various things to be the mark of the beast:
1. Social Security #’s
2. Bar Codes on products, places & people
3. VISA cards
4. Jack Van Impe once declared that the beast will be using a vast computer network because "computer" (in English)figures to be "666."
How many of you have heard of these scares. The end result of these teachings is a type of mass hysteria where people end up fighting Social Security numbers, bar codes, Visa cards and computer networking because they inherently believe - that by blocking Satan’s use of these tools - they can stop or delay the "tribulation."
III. Now there’s something wrong with that kind of reasoning.
Who is telling us that 666 is going to happen? I believe it is God isn’t it? Now, what that means is - it’s gonna happen. It’s part of His plan. You can’t stop it. You can’t delay it. It WILL happen.
If this event is future the only choice you’ll have will be whether or not you’ll decide to sell out your beliefs for financial security.
The problem is not with the mark. The problem is WHY people will wear the mark. Look again at Revelation 13:16-17 -
16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
They made their decision based on financial pressures. Jesus said “Where your treasure is…” So, if your treasure is tied up in the security of this world, Satan has you. His mark is on you even now.
There are two ways to determine if you bear this mark:
a. Look at your checkbook
b. And look at how do you vote - what criteria do you use to select a political candidate.
ILLUS: A man I once talked to was discussing a politician who favored homosexuality and abortion. I told him, as Christians, I couldn’t in good conscience vote for this man.
“Yes I know," he replied, "but I like his financial policies.”
The mark of the beast is never far from us.
IV. The last thing I want to cover before I close this message is the issue of persecution
Turn to I Peter 4:12
"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you."
Don’t be surprised! Persecution is part of being a Christian. Even now persecution is being suffered by many believers on our planet
ILLUS: R.Digest 8/97 “Never before have so many Christians been persecuted for their beliefs. An estimated 200 million to 250 million Christians are experiencing persecution - torture, enslavement, rape, imprisonment, forcible separation of children from parents."
Persecutions have dogged the church since its inception. Christians of the early church faced incredible (horrid) torture and death. They were placed on crosses, beheaded, stoned, fed to lions & ripped apart by gladiators. It’s said that one of the Roman Emperors tied Christians to stakes, poured flammable liquid on them and set them afire to be human torches to light his palace gardens at night.
AND SUCH PERSECUTION HAS CONTINUED UP TO THIS DAY.
Jesus intended to prepare us for that when He said: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you/ because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)
And it’s to a church that was encountering persecution that Peter wrote: vs 12
"Don’t be surprised… BUT REJOICE"
Why rejoice? Vs 13-16 tell us
13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
When we read that Satan intends to persecute the church and mark us with 666, we ought to be saying "ALL RIGHT!!! BRING IT ON."
CLOSE: Let me close with this excellent observation by William Hendrickson on the Mark of the Beast:
“The ‘Mark the Beast’ is the God opposing, Christ rejecting, church persecuting spirit of the antichrist, wherever and whenever it shows itself.
This mark is impressed on the forehead or right hand in Rev. 13. The forehead symbolizes the mind, the thought life, & philosophy of person. The right hand indicates his deeds, actions, trade, & industry
Therefore, the person receiving the mark of the beast… indicates the person who belongs to the company of those who persecute the church.
(BY CONTRAST) The believer receives a seal (Rev 14), the mark of God’s ownership and love - while the unbeliever only a mere mark.
Throughout this Christian age it has been true that those people who have not received the mark of the beast and have not worshipped his image have been thwarted in their business pursuits. They are the ones who are crowded out and oppressed. They are not allowed to buy or to sell as long as they remain loyal to their principles. As we approach the end, this opposition will increase.
NEVERTHELESS, let not the believer despair. Let him remember that the number of the beast is the number of man. Now, man was created on the 6th day.
Six, moreover, is not 7… and never reaches 7
It always fails to attain perfection…
Six means missing the mark, or failure.
The # of the beast is 666 = that is, failure upon failure, upon failure!!!!
Seven means perfection or victory.
REJOICE, O church of God! The victory is on your side.
