Herbert W. Armstrong died thirty years ago today.  In some ways the time has gone by quickly.  And in other ways we’ve seen so much change in the world and in the Church.  The mark of the beast will soon be everywhere.

Mr. Armstrong taught that the Bible is basically a spiritual book, and that the mark of the beast will be something with strong spiritual overtones.  He believed that whatever the mark was, it would be something that will be a contrast to the sign that Christians carry about them, the Sabbath.  And so the mark, he said, will include the veneration of Sunday as the official day of worship and freedom from normal workaday pursuits.  And so one of the things we can look for is the observance of Sunday, regardless of whether it is done by people from a religious standpoint or not, they will bear "the mark of the beast."  But spiritually, the total picture goes much deeper.  In today’s sermon we will examine what the Scriptures say about the mark of the beast.

“And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”  (Revelation 13:14-15)   

God is most serious about our identifying and avoiding the mark.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand…, And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.”  (Revelation 14:9, 11)

The Bride of Christ will not have the mark of the beast.

“I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”  (Revelation 15:2)

I am personally appalled at the irreligious conduct and lack of character of our President and his staff on down.  They have all remained silent – except in their admiration of the perpetrators of this impious crime.  And our news services and press corps have sold their hypocritical souls in their allegiance to the Beast by refusing to acknowledge the nasty religious abuse heaped on one female member of our 10 American sailors.  She had a filthy garment thrown over her head by Iranian loyalists in total violation of her sacred rights.  Can you imagine the outcry if we had captured an Iranian woman and abused her in the same exact way by removal of her hijad?  We would never hear the end of it.  That immoral conduct by the news media is symbolic of the mark of the beast—a total deference to all things evil.

“The first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”  (Revelation 16:2)

“The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”  (Revelation 19:20)

Look how important it is to avoid that mark—and reign with Christ!

“I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”  (Revelation 20:4)

Notice how one year of God’s wrath follows 2˝ years of Satan’s wrath during the Tribulation.

“And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.  And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”  (Revelation 16:1-2)

All who will rule and reign with Jesus for 1000 years, will have rejected the Mark of the Beast.

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Sermon:

"666 - Ubiquitous Mark of the Beast"