Sermon #4 in the Revelation of Jesus Christ The Mark or the Seal

Family Resemblance

Family Resemblance Revelation 13 Sea Beast impersonates Jesus… Earth Beast impersonates Holy Spirit… Mark of the Beast, indicates a family resemblance to the beast and is the imposter of the seal of God.

The Mark Revelation 13:14b – “It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed…

The Mark 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name…

The Mark 18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.”

The Mark It results from false worship. It impacts people in every class. It is received in the right hand or forehead. Those that receive have economic freedom. It is the number of the beast and humanity.

The Mark The mark of the beast is received when a choice is made place trust in the beast power rather than the Creator God. While some type of external mark may be involved this mark is the result of an internal choice.

The Seal Revelation 7:2 – “Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

The Seal Revelation 9:4 – “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”

The Seal 2 Corinthians 1:21 - “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” See also John 6:27; Ephesians 1:13,14 and 4:30).

The Seal The seal of God is the Holy Spirit given to believers in Jesus Christ to keep them spiritually focused on Christ despite the deception brought on by the beast power. How does the Holy Spirit do this?

The Seal Holy Spirit empowers true worship (the theme of Revelation). True worship has two components “spirit and truth” (John 4:23). Spirit involves heartfelt relationship with Christ. “Hold to the testimony of Jesus” Revelation 12:17.

The Seal Truth involves Spirit empowered obedience to the commands of God. “Obey God’s commandments” (Revelation 12:17). The first four commandments involve true worship of God. (Exodus 20:1- 11).

The Story

The Story Dt. 17:14 - “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite…

The Story 16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”

The Story

The Story 1 Kings 10:14… 1 Kings 10:26-29… 1 Kings 11:1-6…

The Story Don’t Acquire many horses… 12,000 were acquired. Don’t go to Egypt for the horses… That’s where they got them. Don’t have many wives… Is 1,000 too many? Don’t have much gold… 25 tons too much?

The Story Slide from worship of God to worship of the beast power. Trust in wealth… Relationship with women over God… Joined the crowd…

The Story