His Voice Today

The Mark of the Beast is Coming

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Steve Wohlberg

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Series Code: HVT

Program Code: HVT000025A


00:08 What does the Bible really teach about the mark of the beast?
00:12 You're about to find out on His Voice Today.
00:18 Welcome to another His Voice Today with Steve Wohlberg.
00:26 I grew up in Los Angeles, and I know that there is a nagging
00:30 fear among people that live in the area that someday
00:33 the big one will strike.
00:35 And what I mean by that is a big earthquake.
00:38 And the fear is valid, because the state of California has a
00:43 a fault line that runs right through Los Angeles,
00:47 and it's the San Andreas Fault Line.
00:49 And so the fears are real that the big one, someday,
00:53 will hit that city.
00:54 When it comes to Bible prophecy, there is a big one that
00:59 the book of Revelation predicts will one day hit this world.
01:03 And it's the biggest and the most controversial
01:06 issue in Revelation; and it is the issue of the
01:10 mark of the beast.
01:11 Now we don't know exactly when people will watch these
01:14 recordings, and it's very possible that as you watch this
01:17 right now, our world might be in the middle of the
01:20 mark of the beast crisis.
01:21 And if that's true, then the information that I'm going to
01:25 share with you is exactly what you need.
01:27 And if it's still coming, and if you're watching this before the
01:30 mark hits, then the information is still what you need,
01:33 because it will help you to understand what the big issues
01:36 are when they finally come upon planet Earth.
01:39 So we're going to go through fifteen facts
01:42 from the book of Revelation.
01:43 The mark of the beast is mentioned eight
01:45 times in Revelation.
01:46 There is a lot of speculation out there concerning this topic.
01:50 There's a lot of wild ideas, and strange and crazy theories.
01:54 But I'm not interested in any of these theories.
01:56 I'm interested in only what the facts are from the book.
01:59 And so I'm going to give you fifteen facts from Revelation
02:03 about the mark of the beast.
02:06 Fact 1. We're going to start with chapter 13 verses 16, 17.
02:12 Fact 1. is that the mark of the beast is going to come upon
02:15 the whole world, whether people live in China, or Russia,
02:19 or New Zealand, or LA.
02:21 It's a global event.
02:23 Revelation 13:16 says,
02:43 The word all shows this is global.
02:46 Fact 2. is that the mark of the beast will involve force.
02:50 And that is brought out by the word causes.
02:54 He causes, he forces all, all around
02:57 the world to get this mark.
02:59 And this is going to come to America as well.
03:02 The land of the free, and the home of the brave.
03:04 The mark is going to be enforced upon all during a time of great
03:09 final global crisis.
03:12 And that crisis is either coming, or we're in that crisis
03:16 right now as you're watching this.
03:18 I don't know, but I know I know that we're not far away
03:23 from these big events that are predicted in Scripture.
03:27 Fact 3. Fact 3. is that the mark of the beast is somehow tied
03:36 in to the economy, to global economic issues.
03:41 Because the Bible says in verse 16 and 17, that eventually no
03:46 man will be able to buy or sell unless he has the mark.
03:51 So buying and selling has to do with the world's economy,
03:55 with money issues, and how people survive, how people live,
04:01 how people pay for their food, how people get along
04:04 in this world of sin.
04:07 And so that's issue 3.
04:10 Fact 3. is the mark of the beast will involve the economy.
04:13 Fact 4. which is pretty obvious, but one that must be stressed,
04:17 is that the mark, whatever it is, has something
04:21 to do with the beast.
04:23 It comes from the beast.
04:32 Who is this beast?
04:36 Well, we'll put that ahead for a future program.
04:40 But we have one program coming called, Identifying the Beast,
04:44 and we'll get to that.
04:45 But at this point lets just notice that the mark
04:49 comes from the beast.
04:50 And it's important for us to know who that beast is.
04:54 So that's Point 4, Fact 4.
04:56 The next fact, verse 16, says that people will receive a mark
05:04 in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
05:07 The mark of the beast is enforced in two places:
05:10 here or here. And we'll discuss that, and go into great detail
05:13 about that in the days ahead.
05:16 Fact 6. is found in Revelation 14:9. The Bible says:
05:33 Fact 6. is that God has a special distinct warning
05:38 message for the whole world about the mark of the beast,
05:41 and it is the third angel's message.
05:44 It's the third angel that warns the world with a loud voice,
05:48 which means that God's message is going to be
05:51 very clear, very distinct.
05:52 It's not going to be difficult to understand.
05:54 It's going to be something that people around the world
05:56 can hear, and grasp, and then make a decision either for
06:01 the beast or for God.
06:03 And so that is a very important point.
06:05 6. Is that we need to be directed to the third angel's
06:09 message to try to understand what this mark is about.
06:12 And the third angel actually goes down through verse 12.
06:15 And we'll be looking at more of this as we go along.
06:17 So that's Fact 6. 7. is very clear, and very important,
06:23 and that is that the mark of the beast is a life or death issue.
06:28 As you keep reading, it says in verse 10,
06:32 that those who get the mark...
06:49 Now you can read from Genesis to Revelation and you will never
06:52 find a more solemn warning than Revelation 14:9, 10, & 11,
06:59 the warning about the mark of the beast.
07:01 If you get the mark of the beast, or if I get the mark
07:03 of the beast, we're lost.
07:06 Eternity is gone, as far as living forever with Jesus.
07:13 It's just not going to happen.
07:14 So we've got to make sure, what ever this mark of the beast is,
07:18 that if we're on earth when it strikes,
07:23 that we definitely don't get it.
07:25 So that is Fact 7.
07:31 Fact 8. is often overlooked, but it's right there in the Bible
07:36 that whatever the mark of the beast is, it has to do with a
07:39 sin against God Himself.
07:41 Verse 10 says, those who get the mark...
07:48 The wrath of God, which means that the mark of the beast
07:52 has something to do with going against Him;
07:55 going against the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
07:58 So it has a deeply spiritual component.
08:02 It's not just a surface issue that God looks down,
08:06 and says, Oh yep, sorry, you've got the mark and so you're lost.
08:10 No, the mark of the beast has something to do with a deep
08:14 rebellion against the Lord Himself.
08:16 And that is something that we've got to understand,
08:20 the spiritual dimension to this subject.
08:23 So that is Point 8.
08:25 Point 9. is that those who get the mark will drink
08:31 a mixture that is in a cup.
08:34 And we're going to study this more a little bit later.
08:38 Verse 10 says:
08:47 When you study the New Testament there are actually three cups
08:51 that are described in Revelation and in Matthew.
08:54 The first cup we see right here is the cup of the wine
08:58 of the wrath of God.
08:59 That's a cup we don't want to drink.
09:01 That's a mixture we definitely don't want going into our souls.
09:04 And then the second cup is found in Revelation 17,
09:08 which we're not going to really elaborate on right now,
09:10 but it's the cup of the wine of Babylon, of Babylon's false
09:12 of Babylon's false teaching.
09:14 Revelation 17:4, 5 talks about this mysterious woman holding
09:19 a cup, and inside that cup is her brew, her wine,
09:23 which represents the false doctrines of Babylon.
09:25 So ultimately those who continue to drink the wine of Babylon
09:29 will then eventually drink the wine of the wrath of God.
09:33 So both of those cups are cups that we want to avoid for sure.
09:38 And then there's a third cup that Jesus offered His disciples
09:43 the night before He died when He said, Take this cup;
09:46 drink this cup, for this is the cup of My blood, which is shed
09:50 for many for the forgiveness of sins.
09:53 We want to avoid the cup of the wrath of God.
09:55 We want to avoid the cup of the wine of Babylon.
09:57 And we want to drink the cup of salvation that Jesus offers
10:01 His people freely, and without price, by the gift of His grace,
10:07 to those who choose Him instead of the beast.
10:14 Fact 10. If you look inside that cup carefully, there is a brew
10:24 that the Scriptures says is without any mixture.
10:29 Verse 10 says: The same shall drink the wine of the wrath
10:33 of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup
10:38 of His indignation.
10:40 Now we're going to talk about this cup,
10:42 especially in the next meeting, where this is actually a little
10:44 mini series within the regular His Voice Today programs,
10:49 where we're going to be going into great detail about this
10:52 mark; this is the mark section of His Voice Today.
10:57 So there we have inside the cup is wine, the wine of the wrath
11:03 of God without any mixture.
11:05 And I'll explain that, because there's a very deep,
11:08 powerful truth that we need to understand as we go
11:13 very carefully into an analysis of what
11:18 Revelation is talking about.
11:19 Okay, the next point, Fact 11, is a mega point.
11:27 It is extremely important, and it's found in the second part
11:31 of verse 10. It talks about those who get the mark,
11:34 that person will be...
11:43 Now I've studied this topic for years.
11:46 I'm not an expert in a lot of things.
11:48 I'm not a mechanic.
11:50 I don't know that much about what's under the hood of a car.
11:53 I'm not an expert in computers, although I use
11:56 my computer regularly.
11:58 I'm trying to improve as a father, and as a husband;
12:02 to be a better expert in marriage.
12:05 The Lord has blessed my marriage, and He's blessed my
12:07 children tremendously.
12:09 But I don't consider myself an expert in a lot of areas.
12:12 But when it comes to prophecy, when it comes to Revelation,
12:16 when it comes to the topic of the mark of the beast,
12:18 this is something that I have studied
12:20 for years, years, and years.
12:22 And I'm trying to share these facts with you.
12:25 And it's very clear to me as I look at verse 10,
12:29 and compare it with verse 9, when it says that those who
12:33 get the mark will suffer...
12:36 Now the word Lamb is a word, it's a word that is a symbol
12:42 not for a literal animal, but it's a symbol of Jesus Christ.
12:45 Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
12:49 We find that in John 1:29, we find that throughout the
12:53 book of Revelation.
12:54 And what this is trying to tell us, when Revelation surfaces
12:59 this message for us to think about and understand,
13:02 is that the final issue has to do with the beast on one side,
13:06 the mark of the beast, and on the other side it's the Lamb
13:10 the beast and the Lamb, or the Lamb, the beast or the Lamb.
13:13 So ultimately when the mark of the beast hits, people have to
13:17 make a choice between the beast or Jesus Christ.
13:21 Jesus is at the center of this issue.
13:24 The mark of the beast, those who get it are ultimately
13:28 going against Christ, and they're also going against
13:31 His sacrifice, because the word Lamb has to do with His
13:34 sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.
13:38 And so these are issues that are just vital.
13:43 And just like we can know what the word Lamb means,
13:48 meaning that it points to a person, Jesus Christ,
13:51 we will find out in future programs that when the Bible
13:55 talks about the beast, we can also know who the beast is.
14:00 It just makes sense that we've got to be able to know who the
14:04 two sides are, so we can make the right decision,
14:06 and be on the Lord's side.
14:08 So that is Fact 11, that the mark of the beast,
14:14 whatever it is, has something to do with choosing
14:18 the beast above Jesus.
14:20 And I'm sure that when people are suffering in the presence
14:24 of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb,
14:26 that Jesus is not going to be happy.
14:28 He's going to be weeping, because that's the kind of
14:31 person that He is.
14:33 He loves the world, and He doesn't want anybody
14:35 to get the mark of the beast.
14:36 And so that's why He gives us this fiery message,
14:40 in verses 9, 10, 11, because as a loving parent,
14:44 who is concerned about His kids, He's warning us,
14:48 Don't go that way!
14:49 Don't get the mark!
14:50 Don't follow the beast!
14:52 Follow Me, Jesus, the Lamb who loves you.
14:54 That's what this message is all about.
14:57 So that is Fact 11.
15:00 Fact 12 takes us to the next verse.
15:05 Verse 11 says that for those who get the mark,
15:24 When we follow God, and choose Jesus, and do what's right,
15:28 follow His Word, the result is a blessed rest of soul.
15:33 It's a rest, it's a peace that we're on God's side,
15:37 and that we're doing the right thing.
15:40 In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, Come to Me,
15:42 and I will give you rest.
15:44 Those who follow the beast, and get the mark deep inside their
15:49 souls, they know that they're going in the wrong direction.
15:53 It's an inner battle, you know, part of them, I think,
15:57 I got to do this; this is the right thing,
16:00 because they're deceived.
16:01 But as they go in that direction, deep, deep, deep,
16:05 deep inside their conscience they don't have any real rest,
16:10 and any real peace, because they're going the wrong way.
16:15 So that is Point 12.
16:19 There is no rest for those who get the mark.
16:23 Point 13. At the end of verse 11 it talks about whoever receives
16:29 the mark of his name.
16:31 And then verse 12, which is the conclusion of the message
16:35 of the third angel, Verse 12 says:
16:47 Point 13 is that God is going to have a people,
16:53 a special people in this world who don't get
16:58 the mark of the beast.
16:59 They look at the issues, they look at the beast,
17:01 they look at the image, they look at the mark, and they have
17:05 made a very firm and intelligent decision: No way!
17:08 They're not going that way.
17:10 They're going to be on God's side.
17:11 Verse 11 describes those who get the mark,
17:14 and verse 12 describes those who don't:
17:16 a group of people called saints.
17:19 And I want to be among those saints, don't you?
17:22 There's no doubt in my mind.
17:24 I don't want the beast, I want the Lord.
17:26 And that's why we're doing this program; is to share this
17:28 information with you right from God's book.
17:31 So that is Point 13.
17:34 Point 14. is that these saints have very
17:40 distinct characteristics.
17:41 They are described as people. It says, Here are they that...
17:46 They do two fundamental things. It says that:
17:54 They keep God's commandments, so the issue of the commandments
17:58 of God surfaces in the middle of this issue about the mark.
18:03 Those that get the mark break the commandments of God,
18:06 and those who don't get the mark, those who are part
18:09 of the saints, they are keeping the commandments of God
18:12 and, the Bible says, and also the faith of Jesus.
18:20 Faith of Jesus; so they're not just,
18:22 they're not one or the other. They do both.
18:27 The word Jesus, the name Jesus, is the last word before the
18:33 period at the conclusion of the third angel's message.
18:35 So Jesus is the center of the focus of the saints.
18:42 They love Jesus. They have faith in Jesus.
18:44 They know they're saved by the grace of Jesus.
18:46 They're trusting Jesus.
18:48 They're following Him 100%, but they do something else through
18:54 His grace, and through His power.
18:56 They also become commandment keepers.
19:00 And as I look at verse 10, it talks about the wine
19:03 of the wrath of God.
19:04 And then I look at verse 12.
19:06 It talks about the saints who keep the commandments of God.
19:09 The way to avoid the wrath of God, is to keep the commandments
19:13 of God, because we have faith in Jesus Christ,
19:16 and we love Jesus Christ.
19:17 So the... Just like there's no mixture in the cup that falls
19:24 upon those who get the mark, so there is a divine, holy
19:28 mixture in the hearts of the final saints.
19:32 And that mixture is that they are followers of Jesus Christ.
19:36 They have faith in Jesus Christ, but their faith in Christ leads
19:41 them to make a strong moral stand for the
19:46 commandments of God.
19:47 They follow God. They keep His law in the midst
19:51 of the mark of the beast crisis.
19:53 So we're going to unravel these things more as we go along.
19:57 But these are very, very important issues,
20:00 and we don't want to be Biblically illiterate concerning
20:03 what the Bible actually says concerning
20:05 the facts about the mark.
20:07 So the last fact, Point 15, is that all of these issues will
20:12 hit the world with blinding speed right before
20:19 the return of Jesus Christ.
20:21 The Third Angel's Message concludes in verse 12.
20:25 And then in verse 14, right on the heels of
20:27 verse 12, the Bible says:
20:40 So that's Fact 15 that the mark of the beast hits this world
20:44 right before the return of Jesus Christ.
20:48 And the Bible says that when Jesus comes, He is described
20:53 as coming with a sickle, a sharp sickle.
20:56 Now a sickle is an instrument that used to be used;
20:59 not so much as in this modern world.
21:02 Farmers now use big machines and combines.
21:04 But a sharp sickle is a sickle that used to be used in
21:08 Bible days to harvest crops, to harvest grain.
21:13 And the fact that it's sharp shows that Jesus, when He comes,
21:18 He's going to separate the two groups.
21:20 He's going to separate those who follow the beast,
21:22 and follow the Lamb.
21:24 He's going to separate those that are on His side,
21:25 and those who are on the side of the Devil.
21:27 Those who follow error as compared to
21:30 those who follow truth.
21:31 It's going to be very distinct: those who follow the beast,
21:35 and get the mark, and those who keep the commandments of God
21:37 and the faith of Jesus; a very clear distinction
21:40 between both groups.
21:42 And we definitely want to be on the side of the Lord,
21:46 Jesus Christ, and not on the side of the beast,
21:49 and we for sure don't want to get that mark.
21:53 I heard a story once about a man that belonged to a church,
21:57 and his pastor had a reputation that whenever his church members
22:00 had problems that he would council with them.
22:03 And he would say, after listening to their problems,
22:05 he would say, You know, that's pretty bad,
22:07 but it could be worse.
22:08 It could be worse.
22:09 Well one night one of his church members went to
22:12 bed and had a dream.
22:13 And this dream was amazing.
22:14 He dreamed that the final day of the Lord had come.
22:17 He dreamed that it was the day of the second coming.
22:19 He looked up and he saw the sky crack open.
22:21 He saw Jesus come down with billions of angels.
22:24 And as the trumpet sounded, and the dead were raised all around
22:28 him, and he looked up and he saw Jesus and the angels,
22:30 all of a sudden he had this horrible conviction that he
22:33 wasn't ready, he wasn't ready.
22:35 And so he woke up in a cold sweat.
22:37 And the next day he went to church, and he found his pastor,
22:41 and he said, Pastor, I've got to talk to you.
22:42 So he brought the pastor, or the pastor brought him into the
22:45 pastor's office, and the Pastor said, What's going on?
22:48 And so the man told him his dream.
22:49 He said, Last night, Pastor, I had an amazing dream.
22:51 It was a horrible dream.
22:52 I saw Jesus coming, and I realized when He came down,
22:57 when the sky cracked open, and the mountains sank,
23:00 and the islands disappeared, and it was the great day of God,
23:03 Pastor I realized that I, I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready.
23:09 I was lost! I was a lost man.
23:11 And he said, Pastor, what council can you give me?
23:17 And the Pastor leaned back, and he thought about that.
23:21 Wow! And then he leaned forward and looked at this church member
23:27 in the eye, and you know what he said?
23:28 He said, he said, Thank God, it could be worse.
23:34 It could be worse.
23:36 And the man was shocked by that.
23:38 He thought, Pastor, I know you have a reputation for saying
23:42 this, but what could be worse than seeing the Lord come,
23:46 and realizing that I'm not ready?
23:47 And that Pastor, he was a wise man, a wise man.
23:51 And then he put his arm around his parishioner, and he gave him
23:55 a hug, and then he said to him, he said, It would be worse
24:00 if it wasn't a dream.
24:03 And then he said, Thank God!
24:05 You still have an opportunity today to give your heart
24:09 fully to Jesus, and so that when Jesus does come,
24:12 that you will be ready to go to heaven, and you won't be
24:16 on the wrong side.
24:20 Friend, thank God that we still have time.
24:24 I don't know at what time period in Earth's history that you'll
24:27 be watching this, but I believe, by faith, hopefully,
24:32 the doors are still open for you.
24:33 Hopefully, it's not beyond the mark of the beast crisis,
24:36 and that you've already made the choice to get the mark.
24:38 No, hopefully, you still have time, you still have a chance,
24:42 you still have an open door in heaven where Jesus is talking
24:47 to you right now, and urging you to give your life to Him,
24:50 to trust Him fully, to trust His grace, His salvation,
24:54 His free forgiveness, and to build up your soul with a firm
25:00 decision that when the mark comes that you're going to be
25:04 on God's side. That nothing's going to move you,
25:07 nothing will shake you, nothing will, even if you can't
25:09 buy or sell, nothing will move you.
25:12 You're going to be one of the saints of God who is
25:17 prepared for heaven.
25:18 Revelation 14:9. The Bible says,
25:29 God's message must be clear during the final moments
25:34 of Earth's history.
26:15 Verse 12.
26:28 My friend, you have just heard,
26:32 without a doubt, His voice today.
26:38 We hope you've enjoyed this timely message from
26:40 Pastor Steve Wohlberg, and we want you to know that
26:43 White Horse Media is deeply committed to bringing you
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Revised 2016-06-20