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Revelation 14:9-10 (12/23/20)

Whose Mark Do You Have?

December 23, 2020

* As believers, we don’t have to worry about getting “a mark” that disqualifies us from eternal life. * Backstory: * Satan sets up a counterfeit kingdom - it’s the opposite of God’s, but similar in form. * Father, Son, Holy Spirit is copied as Satan, Antichrist, False Prophet. * The Son testifies about God, the Spirit testifies about the Son. * Antichrist testifies about Satan, the Prophet testifies about Antichrist. * In Revelation, the Dragon represents Satan; the Beast represents the Antichrist; the second beast represents the False Prophet. * The City of God is contrasted with Babylon, and the Pure Bride (the church) is contrasted with the Harlot. * Babylon is the world system of the beast - it includes the political, cultural, and economic systems of the world that try to control peoples’ minds (every age has a Babylon). * The Harlot is the religious system of Babylon - it’s what props up the Babylon’s evil agenda. * On this foundation, we learn of “the mark of the beast.” * Vs 14:9-10 - this isn’t about accepting new technology - the Jews knew this. * Deuteronomy 6:4-9 gives the foundation for the Israelite religion: * “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” * A Jew knew this physical act was a reminder that God’s Word should control your thoughts (forehead) and your actions (hands). * In Revelation, Christians in the 1st Century would have known what this meant - they knew it was about ALLEGIANCE and OBEDIENCE! * They could decide between Christ or AntiChrist. * ** As believers, you already have the mark of Christ. * Scrolls in ancient times were marked with a seal and bore the image or mark of the one who sent it. * Paul refers to this in 2 Corinthians 1:22: * “Christ has “set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” * And in Ephesians 1:13-14: * “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” * God marks His people and Satan marks his. * The warning of Revelation is warning Christians not to be seduced by the world’s morals, values, or political and economic philosophies. * Revelation 17:1-5 - the religious system (harlot) had the mark of the beast. * The mark of the beast is pleading your ALLEGIANCE and OBEDIENCE to Satan rather than God. * You already have a mark - the question is, which do you have?