Thank you. I do love that song. Excellent, excellent words. Let's
go to Revelation chapter 16. Again this morning, Revelation
chapter 16. A subject is marked or sealed. Are you marked or are you sealed? That is, do you have the mark
of the beast? Sounds scary, doesn't it? And
well, it should be. Do you bear the mark of the beast?
Or are you in fact sealed by our God? Verses 1 and 2 of Revelation
chapter 16. And I heard a great voice. The great voice is the voice
of Christ Jesus. I heard a great voice out of
the temple. And we know the temple is the
people of God, the church of Christ. This great voice says
to the seven angels, to the seven messengers, to these seven who
have the golden vials of wrath, go your ways and pour out the
vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. The first went and
poured out his vial upon the earth. There fell a noisome,
a bad, a destructive, and grievous sore. Grievous means
very hurtful, very painful, And this noisome and grievous sore
fell upon the men who had the mark of the beast. That is, it fell on them which
worshipped his image. So my subject is marked or sealed. Let me endeavor to ask you a
few questions about this mark of the beast, and I'll see if
I can answer. First question is, who is the
beast? Who is the beast? Well, he's
the false prophet. He is the spirit of Antichrist. As I look through the New Testament,
especially the writings of John, who was led to write, of course,
by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, I have come to this conclusion. I don't believe Antichrist is
one individual that will rise up. But I believe Antichrist is any
and all religions that are against the message of God's salvation
by grace through the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus. There is a spirit of Antichrist
that still remains to this day. It's when men believe salvation
by works, salvation by the deeds of the flesh, salvation by man's worthiness,
salvation by man's will, Salvation by something that man must do. That is the spirit of Antichrist. A few years ago, I was watching
one of the very few channels on TV that I watch, the Golf
Channel. It relaxes me. You can get a
nap and you haven't missed much. But I was watching it and they
did a documentary on a famous golfer who has since died. This particular golfer of many
years ago He won more golf tournaments in one year than any man has
ever won. He won 18 tournaments, 11 in
a row. And he had a wonderful reputation
as being a very kind individual, very generous, very charitable
man. In fact, he was being interviewed,
and of course he's since passed away, but they showed an interview
that was done with him. And the guy who was interviewing
him said, you've been such a wonderful man and example to others. You're so considerate. You're
so thoughtful of people. The interviewer said, I don't
know if anybody's been more generous than you've been to people who
are less fortunate than yourself. And I think it's a wonderful
thing, the life that you've lived. And this golfer said, well, I
tell you, when you die, you're going to go to one of two places.
And I want to go to the right one. In essence, what he was saying
was, the reason I do all the good things that I do is because
I want to go to heaven when I die. That is the religion of the beast. That's right. That is exactly
the religion of the beast. It is this idea that salvation
and everlasting life and heaven, acceptance with God, forgiveness
of all of your transgressions, that they're all based on something
you must do as an individual. You see, the mark of the beast. Don't listen to all the junk
that comes out of so many religious organizations today. Preachers
spend tons of money, they're on television, talking about
the mark of the beast, 666, that just means failure, failure,
failure. That's man's number. Now listen,
any idea of salvation by something you do is going to end in failure. You're not going to arrive at
your desired destination. The mark of the beast, as set
forth in the Word of God, the mark of the beast is this idea
that there's something you must do, there's some contribution
you must make, be it your works, be it your will, or be it your
worth. There's something you've got
to do in order to get God to receive you into his heaven when
you die. The mark of the beast is therefore
to have your mind and your understanding and your heart stamped with that falsehood with that
lie, that ultimately, you will decide your salvation. That is the mark of the beast. You see, the Word of God, the
Word of God says, in words that we can understand, in words that
we can grasp, the Book of God says salvation is of the Lord. We read in Romans 9, it is not
of him that willeth. Why would anybody say it's up
to your will when the Bible says it is not of him that willeth? Do words in the Bible mean anything
anymore? I was watching the news this
morning and I was telling somebody earlier, the editors of a magazine, GQ
magazine. They come out and they've said,
the Bible is a useless book. It's a useless book. Well, we'll see about that. We'll see who has the final word
on that. But the Word of God says the
salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. It's of the Lord. It's of the Lord in its purpose. He's the one who designed salvation. before Adam ever fell. In fact,
before Adam was ever created out of the dust of the ground.
Before God ever made the heaven and the earth. Before God ever
created what we call as time. Back in what I call old eternity,
when there was nothing and no one but God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit, He designed salvation. It's of the Lord and it's purpose.
It's the Lord who chose a people unto salvation in Jesus Christ. It's the Lord who predestinated
these people unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto
Himself. It's the Lord who gave these
people unto His Son to be their everlasting surety. He is the
surety of the everlasting covenant of grace. and salvations of the Lord, not
only in its purpose, but in its purchase. Our Lord Jesus, He
purchased our redemption with His own blood. Did you have a
part in the payment of that price? Well, of course not. You didn't
render any satisfaction to the justice of God. You didn't satisfy
the law of God. You're a lawbreaker. So am I.
The justice of God is rightly angry with the wicked every day. If we're to be saved, if we're
to be out of debt to God, if our account is to be settled,
another one's got to settle it. Another one's got to pay all
that we do. We can't pay anything. How would
you begin to pay? What is a holy God going to accept? He's not going to accept the
best you can do because the best you can do is stained with sin.
It's polluted. God demands a perfect sacrifice. His justice said the soul that
sinneth shall die. And our Lord Jesus came down
as the representative of those people the Father gave Him in
the covenant of grace as our substitute. And He bore the wrath of God
in our stead on the cross, when all the iniquities of all of
God's people were made to meet on Him. And then He died bearing
our sins in His own body on the tree, and He washed our sins
away in the great blood of His bloody death. And He arose again. Salvation is by God's purpose,
it's by Christ's purchase. He arose again because He did
the job. Just like you didn't have anything
with the purpose of salvation, you don't have anything to do
with the purchase of salvation. And then, there is the performance
of salvation. And you don't have anything to
do with that either. Because you've got to be raised from
the dead. There has to be regeneration. There has to be the new birth.
Did not the Lord Jesus say in John chapter 3, you must be born
again? Isn't that what He said? You
must be born again. Well, how is that going to happen?
What are you going to do to cause yourself to be born again? Well,
there is nothing you can do. And for those who say, believe
on the Lord Jesus and become born again, they just betray
their ignorance of the Scriptures when they say that. Because one who is dead in trespasses
and sins has no spiritual life. And no spiritual abilities. So we are quickened from the
dead. Made alive. And then we're given the gifts
of repentance and faith. A little baby is born. You deal
with young ones. Lots of moms in here, little
baby is born. And when our two were born, I
wasn't in there. I wasn't in to see it. Our grandchildren were born.
I was invited in to watch that happen. And I said, I know my
place. It's out here in the waiting
room. So all I know about it is I've
seen on television. And they smack that baby in the
behind. I don't know whether they do
that or not. Anyhow. I'll tell you what, when that
baby comes out of the womb, he begins to cry. Cry. Is that what gives him life?
Is that cry what gives him life? Well, no. That's the evidence
of life. And you see when we cry out to
God, Oh God, show me mercy. Oh God, give me grace. Oh God,
I need the Savior. I need His pardoning blood. I
need His righteousness. That cry out to God is not the
reason you have life, it's the result of life. That's what it
is. Because salvation is of the Lord.
Purpose, purchase. in its performance, and then
it's of the Lord in its preservation. Who keeps you saved? He does. It's his work. You see, if one of the Lord's
sheep could ever be lost, that'd be bad for the sheep, but it'd
be worse for the shepherd, wouldn't it? Because He'd lose all credibility. He would lose His glory. That's
never gonna happen. So we're preserved. He watches
over us. He keeps us. While there's a
roaring lion out there, He goes about seeking whom He may devour.
But thank God, our Savior's the lion of the tribe of Judah! And
He has conquered! He is our David who brought down
the lion that went against his people. And salvation of the
Lord in his perfection. In his perfection. So the beast is the false prophet. It's the spirit of antichrist
that is already at work. in the world. Go back to 1 John
chapter 2. Let me see if I can perhaps help
you a little bit on this. 1 John chapter 2. Look at verse 18. 1 John chapter 2
and verse 18. Little children, it is the last
time. You think the last time is yet
to come? John said, we're in it now. That was about 1,900
years ago, give or take. Little children, it is the last
time. And as ye have heard, that Antichrist
shall come. And that's what we hear a lot
of today. You know Antichrist is going to come? Really? He says, even now. Even now are
there many antichrists. What does that mean, antichrists? Against Christ. Against the Christ
of the gospel. Against the Christ of God. He said, whereby we know that
it is the last time. This is how we know. Because
there are many antichrists. He said they went out from us.
But they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they
would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that
they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." Now
John is not talking about people who, you know, okay, well we're
going to leave this church and perhaps they go to another gospel
church or sometimes difference of opinions happen. That's not
what he's talking about. He's talking about when people
go out from us because they don't believe this gospel. They get
mad. They get mad about this message. And the reason they leave us
is because they're not one of us. They're not one of us in
truth, in believing the same gospel. But he says in the next
verse, look at verse 20, But you have an unction from the
Holy One and you know all things. In other words, you have the
anointing of the Holy Spirit. You're endowed with the Holy
Spirit so that you know all things that are necessary unto salvation. He's not saying you know all
things that there is to know because nobody knows all things.
that there is to know. But you know all things that
are necessary unto salvation. God's people are not ignorant
people. We know a few things. We're not theologians. I'm not
saying that at all. But we've got an idea. We've
got some understanding of who God is. And the Spirit of God has opened
our eyes to see what we are. Rotten. Destitute of good. And we know who Christ Jesus
is and what He did because we read it in the Word of God and
we rejoice in His great work of redemption. You know all things. He said, I have not written unto
you because you know not the truth, but because you know the
truth. And that no lie is of the truth. He said there are many antichrists.
Go over to chapter four. Look at chapter 4. He says this
in chapter 4, verse 1, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
test or try the spirits whether they are of God. And do it for
this reason. because many false prophets,
not true prophets, but false prophets are gone out into the
world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God. In every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And
this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come, even now already it's in the world. It's not going
to come, it's here already, John said. And I would say to all
these people who say that they're prophecy majors, well you know
Antichrist is going to come. You're wrong! Antichrist is here
already! It's everybody who's opposed
to the gospel of God's salvation in, through, and by Christ Jesus.
That's the spirit of Antichrist. So who is the beast? He's the false prophet, the spirit
of Antichrist. Second question, what is the
mark of the beast? Well, the word mark means a badge
of servitude, a brand, a stamp. Those people who have the mark of the beast
are unknowingly the slaves of, and they have the ownership of, or
they're owned by, I should say, the beast. He owns them. They have received such a strong
delusion Such strong deception that they
believe a lie. Do you know we're so susceptible
to being deceived? Do you know that our mother Eve was deceived? It's what the scripture
says. 1 Timothy 2.14, Adam was not
deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. We're easily deceived. It's evidence
of our depravity. It's evidence of our sinfulness. In fact, were so susceptible
to being deceived by Satan, to being deceived by religious lies,
the scripture says, if it were possible, due to the miracles
and signs and wonders of false prophets in the last days, if
it were possible, they would deceive the very intellect. Thank
God it's not possible. Because you and I, we can be
led astray. Oh yeah. We can be led astray. Thank God
He keeps us. He keeps us in the truth. He
keeps us in grace. He keeps us in Christ Jesus.
He keeps us looking to the Savior, who's the author and the finisher
of our faith. The mark of the beast is a stamp. It's a brand that Antichrist
has on all of his followers. These are mine. These are mine. You know what our brand shows?
Ownership. Go out to these big cattle ranches
out in Texas or wherever. Of course, all those cows, they
got brand on them. What does it show? Ownership. Ownership. And there are multitudes that
have the brand, the stamp, the mark of the beast. He owns them. He's got them. They said these
are his property. And they unwillingly do his bidding. Did you know every lost man and
woman is an unwilling and unknowing servant and slave of Satan? Well,
that's right. That's right. But thank God there's a seal. I know there's the mark of the
beast, but there's also the seal of God's elect. Go over to Revelation
chapter 7. The subject of Revelation chapter
7, the subject of the entire chapter
is the salvation of God's people. You know, a lot of times I'll
read a chapter and I'm reading it so as to get an understanding
of what is this chapter about. And then I'll write over chapter
7, as in this case, It's about salvation of the Lord. That's
what this whole chapter is about. It's about the salvation of the
Lord. The salvation of the people of God. And in chapter 7 it says,
verse 1, After these things I saw four angels standing on the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth,
that the wind, that is the wind of judgment, should not blow
on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another
angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living
God. And he cried with a loud voice
to the four angels." Now this is the angel of the covenant.
This is Christ Jesus. He cried with a loud voice to
the four angels to whom he was given to hurt the earth and the
sea. And this is what he says, don't hurt the earth. This is
Christ Jesus speaking, the sovereign king, hurt not the earth, neither
the sea nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads. I'm telling you, everybody's
either marked or sealed. That's right. Everybody has the
mark of the beast or the seal of our God. And I heard the number of them
which were sealed. And were sealed in 144,000 of
all the tribes of the children of Israel. A specific number,
a nice round number to indicate a multitude which cannot be numbered. You see, while the deceived ones
have the mark, the engraving, the brand of the beast, the people
of God have a seal. It's a seal of ownership. We're owned by the Lord. We're acknowledged by our God
as being His. This word seal is used of our
Savior. Look at John 6.27. Let's just
take the time to look at this. John 6.27. It's the word that
is used concerning our Savior. John 6.27. And I think I wrote down the
wrong reference. And I did. So, but I know the
verse, for him hath the Father sealed. What does that mean? I'll find the reference for you
later and give it to you tonight, perhaps, if I think about it.
Stop looking. I hear you turning the pages.
I know what you're trying to do. I'll find it for him because
he's not smart enough to find it. When you're right about one
thing, I'm not smart enough to find it. But I don't want you
to take your time to find it right now. We'll find it a little
bit later and I promise I'll give it to you. But our Lord
Jesus, He is sealed by the Father. That is, the Father has His stamp
on Him. He is owned by God. He is God's
own Son. Him hath the Father sealed, sealed
and approved of and acknowledged to be God's own Son. Now, how
did God acknowledge Him to be His own Son? How did God seal
Him? Two ways. By the works that He
did. and by His resurrection from
the dead. That's how God sealed Him. That's how God showed ownership. This is my beloved Son. The works
that He did, they showed He's God's own Son, and then when
He died, God raised Him from the dead. How does God show that
we have His seal? You know what He does? He raises
us from the dead. That's what He does. He raises
us from the dead. Read Ephesians chapter 1. The same energy, the same divine
energy that raised up our Lord Jesus from the dead raised us
up! We have the seal of God's elect.
We're sealed by the Father. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 it talks
about that. We're sealed by the Father. He
has acknowledged us to be His own and He's put His mark on us.
It's not just a brand that you would put on a cattle or upon
a sheep or something like that. Oh no, no. It's a mark of His
grace. It's the mark of His love. It's
the mark of His salvation. We've been sealed by the Father,
sealed by the Son of God. And we're sealed by that Holy
Spirit of promise. We're sealed by the Lord. So
here's one people that have the mark of the beast. Here's another
people sealed by our God. And the Lord says, back over
there in Revelation chapter 7, judgment can't come till all
of His people are sealed. Sealed. In Ephesians 1, we're
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. We're sealed by His
grace that shows we belong to the Lord. Now, one more question. Go back
to the text. Go back to the text and I'll
get this and I'll try to be as brief as I can. What do people do who have the
mark, the stamp, the engraving of the beast? What do they do? In the end of verse 2, they worship
the image of the beast. They worship the image of the
beast. What is an image? A representation
of God. That's what an image is. It's a representation of God.
It can either be a literal image. Remember when Moses was up in
the mountain receiving the law of God? And the Israelites down
below? And they said to Aaron, Make us gods. Make us gods. He said, okay. I need your jewelry
though. So he gave him, here's all this
gold. He melts it down, he makes a
molten calf. He molds a calf, a golden calf. And he says to Israel, these
be thy gods, O Israel. And the people said, oh boy,
now we got us a god we can see. Moses is up in the mountain.
He hears a bunch of stuff going on, a bunch of noise going on.
Joshua said, I believe they're going to war. And Moses said,
no, it don't sound like a war to me. It sounds like a party.
It sounds like a very festive atmosphere. And it was because
Aaron said to the people, tomorrow we'll have a feast unto the Lord. That's what he said. Lord. That was an image of Jehovah. Because the Israelites, they
weren't satisfied to have the God of heaven and earth, His
Spirit to be with them. A pillar of fire by night, a
pillar of cloud by day. They weren't content with that
great God. They wanted a visible representation
of God, so they got them one. They insisted upon one as idolatrous. And we know how
that turned out. But they're not only literal
representations of God. There's also figurative representations
of God. And the image of the beast that
is set forth as being God, the image of the beast. In other
words, the beast sets forth an image of God. Hey, don't think
that the beast is non-religious. Now I know, let me make sure
you understand this. I know open wickedness, vileness,
it destroys millions of people. There's no question about that,
okay? We're clear on that, you know
that. But false religion destroys a
whole lot more people than just open wickedness and violence. Just false religion does. It's
like what the people said about Saul. Saul, he's killed his thousands. David, his ten thousands. And
I'll say open wickedness, it's killing the thousands. But religion, the spirit of Antichrist, It's
killing tens of thousands every day. And the image of God that the
beast sets forth is a being who is dependent ultimately upon
men. That's the image of God that
the beast projects. It's a God who loves everybody,
who hates nobody. It's a God who died for everybody
without exception. Wants everybody to be saved.
Wants everybody to go to heaven and be with Him someday. It's
a God that says, I want you to believe on Jesus and I'll be
disappointed if you don't. That's the God of the beast. And it's a false God. A false
God. All of us in here today, we've
kind of got a stamp on us. I can't see it in your forehead.
It's not literal. But you either have the mind
of Christ Jesus, or you have the mind of the Antichrist. You have a mind, you have an
understanding, you have a heart that's been You're blessed by
grace. You worship Christ Jesus. Just
a poor old sinner and you're nothing at all, but Christ Jesus
has been made to you. You're all in all. That's the
seal of God upon you. But those who are seeking to
get to heaven, to get to God, seeking for acceptance some other
way, can be baptism, Tears, doing good, anything and everything. That's the mark of the beast. Oh God, seal us. Seal us as being
Your own by Your free grace for Your glory. Well, let's sing
a closing song.