Participants: Steve Wohlberg
Series Code: HVT
Program Code: HVT000025A
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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 26:46 many more simple messages, straight from the Bible, 26:49 designed to educate the mind, inspire the heart, 26:52 and help bring our viewers, and their families, closer to God. 26:56 To learn more about White Horse Media, or to watch more of 26:59 Pastor Steve's television programs online, including his 27:02 powerful new series of two minute talks, visit 27:10 If you have any prayer requests you can e-mail them to us at 27:16 If you would like a free copy of Steve Wohlberg's audio CD, 27:20 Behold the White Horse, you can call us at 1-800-78BIBLE. That's 27:28 We hope you will join us next time for another inspiring 27:32 His Voice Today presentation with Steve Wohlberg. 27:35 Today we have a special offer called, 27:39 This offer is for pocket books, 1 DVD titled 27:43 Earth's Final Crisis, and the classic Great Controversy. 27:46 Don't miss this opportunity to get these resources today. 27:50 To order your information packet call 27:55 or write to: 28:02 or order online at White Horse Media. com. |
Revised 2016-06-20