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Amazing Facts

Doug Batchelor

The Deadly Mark

This presentation is brought to you by the Friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry.

What do you think of when you hear the number 666?

Perhaps it conjures up ominous images of occult ceremonies and the evil powers mentioned in Bible prophecy.

Some people have even refused phone numbers, license plates, and credit cards that might contain the number 666 because of their fearful superstitions.

While we don't need to be afraid of the number 666, it is interesting to note that mathematically 666 is a very unique number.

It's the sum of the first 36 natural numbers, meaning if you add 1 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 on up to 36, it adds up to 666.

And that would mean if you add up all the numbers on a roulette wheel, it comes to 666.

It's also the sum of the squares of the first 7 prime numbers.

Furthermore, if you add together the first 6 Roman numerals, the total is, you guessed it, 666.

Even organic molecules are based on carbon-12, with 6 protons, 6 neutrons, in the nucleus surrounded by 6 electrons.

Revelation 13 speaks of a beast and a man whose number is 666.

Obviously it helps us to identify a power that is opposed to God.

But what exactly is this power and how can we avoid receiving its deadly mark?

Join me now as we explore the Bible facts about the mark of the beast.

We're going to be talking tonight about the deadly mark, Talking about the mark of the beast.

We're going to be talking also about the seal of God.

And you've been waiting for this presentation.

The Bible tells us in the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had 2 sons.

We alluded to this story a little earlier.

You read in Genesis 4, verse 2, Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground, sort of like Jacob and Esau.

1 took care of sheep and the other was a hunter.

The Bible doesn't tell us Cain and Abel were twins.

You see, the Lord established the sacrificial system right after Adam and Eve sinned.

They tried to cover their sin with fig leaves, and God said, that will not do.

God explained that the death of these lambs were a symbol for when his son would come as the Lamb of God.

And the sacrificial system was established.

They would bring their sacrifices to the gates of the Garden of Eden.

But when the time came for them to make an offering to the Lord, Cain, as a tiller of the land, he said, look, Abel, you keep sheep.

That makes sense for you to offer a lamb.

I'm going to offer fruit." And Abel said with his brother, he said, but that's not what God told us to do.

We got into this problem because we didn't obey God.

And it kind of aggravated him that his younger brother was telling him what to do.

And eventually it says that now Cain talked with Abel, his brother, and Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

Here you have the first murder in the universe.

You've got 2 brothers ostensibly worshipping the same God.

He made a sacrifice, but he's doing it his own way.

The Bible says Abel's offering was accepted.

That bothered Cain when he saw fire come from God and accept Abel's offering, but it didn't accept his offering, and he became so angry that he killed him.

Did he kill Abel for his badness or because of his goodness?

Why were the religious leaders so angry at Jesus?

Or because his goodness made their badness stand out?

If you have light in you, it will reveal the darkness in others, and it will either convert them or really bother them.

And the Bible says because of Cain's awful sin, it says the Lord set a mark on Cain lest anyone finding him should kill him.

And so you have here worship, persecution, and a mark is placed on 1 group.

I'm gonna read a passage to you that explains why this subject is so important in Revelation chapter 14, verse 9.

And a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If anyone worships the beast in his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself will also drink of the wine of the wrath of God that is poured out full strength into the cup of his indignation.

He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

And the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever, and they have no rest, no rest, day or night, who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.

And it contrasts that with, here are those that keep, here's the patience of the saints, here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

So when we're talking about this very important subject, the reason we cover it is the Lord is making the very strongest possible arguments in the last days, and he's saying, do not worship the beast.

Turn with me, please, now to Revelation chapter 14, and this will set the stage, and then we'll go from there into the slide program.

After these things, I saw 4 angels standing at the 4 corners of the earth, "'holding the 4 winds of the earth.'" Now, everyone realizes these angels are symbols of the 4 directions of the earth, north, south, east, and west.

"'That no wind should blow upon the earth or on the sea or any tree, those winds or storms, he's talking about trouble.

They saw an angel ascend from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the 4 angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea saying, do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their 4 heads.

Question number 1, with that background, I think we can move along and it'll make more sense.

Who is protected through the 7 last plagues?

So before these angels release the grip on the storm, and that storm is the plagues, what has to happen?

It says in Revelation 7-3, Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.

Now with the mark of the beast it says hand and forehead.

With the seal of God it just says forehead.

You know instead of focusing on the mark you don't want, let's talk about the seal you do want.

What is this seal that the righteous have in their foreheads?

Well, you know, the Bible tells us 2 or 3 places.

Everybody that has the mark of the beast has got the spirit of the devil.

Everybody that has the seal of God has the spirit of God.

You're not going to find anybody with the seal of God that doesn't also have the spirit of God.

So that's the inner essence of that seal.

Grieve not the Holy Spirit, we're with you, our seal for the day of redemption, Paul tells us.

But there's something more that's more specific.

You look in Isaiah chapter 8, verse 16, bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

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The Deadly Mark

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