Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 15

 See the flip there? We talked about this last week. (The false gospel of

the flesh) We went from little lamb, causing, performing,

deceiving…, to being granted, and then…, to killing. That little lamb

turned out to be a dragon!! Sin and the flesh would do so much less

damage in our lives if today we would stop getting to the point where

it is “granted” in our lives!!!

 Paul spoke about this pivot of the power of the Antichrist in 1

Thessalonians 5:1-3, “Now, brothers and sisters, about times and

dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the

day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are

saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly,

as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

 This word for “killed” in the Greek means, “to kill in any way

whatever.” So, it very well could be that the world (under the control

and the authoritative reign of the Antichrist) is given license to carry

out this demonic decree at will. That anyone who doesn’t take the

mark (which we will see in a second) can be killed by anyone at

anytime, anywhere.

 The beast has the ability to give breath/pneuma/spirit to the image.

There very well could be some sort of technology involved here. The

word for image in the Greek is eikon, where we get our word icon.

Perhaps it’s a a hologram, or some sort of other technology…,

perhaps even an app? The image not only speaks and proliferates the

message of the Anti-Christ but notice the image can perceive

somehow if the folks aren’t worshipping the Anti-Christ and if not, the

image, (or enforcers of the image), have the power to kill.

 How could this image know? Well, how about this… On the way

home today, say the phrase, “I want to take a cruise,” and see how

many adds, emails, maybe even spam calls you get about cruises over

the next month! Oh, you didn’t read the Apple or the Facebook terms

and conditions!? Your pocket enabler, the newest iPhone, has four

cameras and four “studio quality” microphones! And it is ALWAYS

on! (We used to turn them off) The tech is already right here!!

 And so TOTAL control at this point. Absolute control of the people,

of their praises, of their homes and families, even their resources,

money and possessions as we’ll see in just a moment. Precisely the

mold the enemy is fashioning folks into even now through the

deceitfulness of sin. Total control. The enemy, that’s his aim! God’s

aim? To give you total freedom! John 8:36, “If the Son has set you

free, you will be free indeed!”

 I love that we live in the “The land of the free,” or so we call

ourselves. Our constitution reads, “We the people of the United States,

in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure

domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the

general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves, do ordain

and establish this constitution for the United States of America.” We

think we know freedom…and the common thought of the common

man is that freedom means we make our own decisions and choose

our own path in life, to do whatever we want to do, whenever we

want to do it… But you know, you already perceive, no doubt…there

are significant issues with that.

 That is not true freedom. Here’s the wake-up call! The absolute mind

and life shocker!! Freedom is not the right, true real freedom…what

we all are after…after it all…freedom is not the right to be

independent and do what we want! True freedom is having the

ability to do what we ought to do!

 Be independent…walk in your independence…do whatever you want,

whenever you want…and you will find yourself ruined. Why?

Because the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked

(Jeremiah 17:9).

 My heart, my wants, my yearnings on their own…walking in

independence…will lead me repeatedly into sin. Why? Self-service.

Self-service above all else…that’s the call of my flesh and what we

grasp for in complete error when we hunger for freedom…but the

wages of sin is death! Jesus educated us in John 8:34, “Most

assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin.” So,

serving self, choosing my own path, doing exclusively what is

pleasurable and right in my own eyes…that delivers the opposite of

freedom, because it will lead you to being under total control of the

consequences of sin…total control.

 The truth is… Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty

by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with

the yoke of bondage.” The freedom this world actually needs and the

freedom gap/need/hurt missing piece that is fashioned on every

heart of every human being made in the perfect image of God, that

freedom is actually found in trusting, obeying and faithfully following

Jesus Christ! Test me in this…PLEASE, test that in your own life!

 Do the things that don’t serve primarily yourself, but serve the Lord…,

see if joy doesn’t spring up in your heart! See if the sense of freedom

to live and ability to find yourself and walk in the sweetness of

confidence and a sense of wonder don’t begin to show up in your life.

What’s happened? You’re growing up into the image of your

design…into the image of the Son of man…you’re finally on the path

that God has had for you your entire life and you’ve been looking for

entirely incorrectly! Jesus brings FREEDOM!

Revelation Chapter 13 Verses 16 – 18

 Look how far this has gone. People line up to take the mark of

allegiance to a man that demands that he is god! All of this started

with the word, “performs…,” giving a leaning towards pleasure,

wonder, entertainment…, then, “deceives.” And here the depth that

this has taken them. They would have never done this…this is the

picture of being completely lost (and this can happen even to Spirit-

filled Christians because each one of us still have free will). If you

don’t right your ship through turning to the Lord, you’ll find yourself

being a person and doing things you never ever ever ever thought

you’d do…

 This verse set implies much more than just a mark, a tattoo or some

sort of technology. It implies world unity. John says here everyone,

great and small, rich and poor, free and slave…, everyone is bought

into this system. Under the authority of this economic order in which

now the currency of the entire world, the economy of the entire world,

is unified into one…, designated by a mark.

 John wrote this book during a period in history when the highest form

of technology was a mule and the world’s economy was based on

bartering. And so, what makes this passage so absolutely intriguing is

that John is not describing anything that he could have known or

imagined but in contrast he describes precisely what is upon us today!

 For centuries past, this scripture confused Bible scholars. While they

knew it to be true, exactly how was beyond their understanding. But

for us, this is no big deal at all! We are accustomed to buying and

selling without trading, without currency…, simply numerically.

 This mark will introduce an answer to the world’s economical, social,

demographical and political issues with cash. What do you mean all

those issues with cash? Remember, the second beast will appear as a

little lamb man. I believe people will have ah-ha moments regarding

the mark and welcome it! Think about it…, every business check

written costs The Bank of America between $4 and $20 to process.

Bank tellers, cash transactions…deposits and withdrawals…cost the

banking industry billions and billions across the globe each year! If

it’s all numbers and marks…, banks can be totally digital/online!

 How about bank owners and business owners who lose millions each

year from employees stealing cash from the ‘til? That goes away with

a cashless currency! Bank robberies? For what? No cash…

 Think about taxing organizations such as the IRS. Across the globe

governments lose trillions each year in the “underground” economy.

Folks being paid “under the table” to avoid a paper trail that would

require them to be taxed. That goes away with a cashless currency.

 Crime plummets! Can’t pick pocket someone when their pockets

are empty. The drug game, counterfeit market, prostitution, even local

markets…that all takes a substantial blow…when cash goes

away…can’t get cocaine on a credit card! HA. The most effective

way to curb drug traffic would be to get rid of cash! AND, one more

world pestilence outbreak and it could easily swivel the world to shun

any type of touch system currency which cash is!

 So why is cash still around then? Not due to a lack of technology but

rather cash is still around due to a phobia of technology. Folks that

were born before 1970ish, before ATMs, credit cards and Nintendo’s

are rather reluctant to embrace technology… Pew Research Center

released a report that concluded that the user community of the

internet is predominantly younger to middle-aged citizens…why?

Because those born prior to the internet…don’t trust it…but even

now that is changing…

 Check this out, this same research report found that in June of 1995,

14% of American people regularly used the internet…in January

2011…78%! Today, 95% of American’s are online! The phobia is

subsiding…, dying off (literally). The kids who grew up with

Gameboys are not intimidated by technology…most don’t ever carry

cash already now! The mentality is already in place…someone just

needs to introduce the system and then preach the gospel according

to man’s wordly security (flesh). But just like sin and just like the

enemy, the gospel of pleasure and peace will be preached but death

and domination will be delivered. Those who take the mark, are

doomed…

 John says “here is wisdom.” Some believe the number of the beast is a

type of UPC code or a translation of letters to numbers and those

numbers add to 666. (If you are a Preterist, you believe this mark was

the number of the name Nero) Let’s try using the Bible to explain the

Bible…

 In Genesis we find a man who dominated another. The first murderer.

Born a brother, ended an enemy. The man who brought the works of

his own hands to God as “good enough” and because of all this he

was banished to outer wilderness, and the Bible says a mark was

placed on him…

 Genesis 4:15, “Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who

found him would kill him.” That mark was so that no one would kill

him. Eerily similar to this mark here in Revelation.

 What does this have to do with me? Everything! You see the number

of the first beast, 6. The number of the second beast, 6. The number of

the dragon, 6. Triple 6. And the number of man? 6. Throughout

scripture, 6 is the number of the flesh. The fleshly mentality that

rules and reigns in our members because of sin which will rise up in

you if you’re not deliberate in your relationship with God! How?

By saying the same as Cain said…., “The sweat I pour out, the good I

do, the things I accomplish are going to be more impressive than just

the killing of the lamb. Through my energy, my initiative, my efforts, I

will impress God! Or, I can figure this out…I will make my own path.”

 There are only two religions on this earth. The religion of Cain and the

religion of Able. “I don’t need to pray, I don’t need to spend time

every day in the Word of God. I don’t need to live my life for the Lord,

to go to church to heed the Word of God. I can figure out my career on

my own, I can figure out my marriage on my own. I know what’s best

for me.”

 You see right now, each of us in this room are in one of two

categories. Here is wisdom. We either have the spirit of Cain saying,

“I’m a hard worker, I’m a creative thinker, I’m a good person, I have

to be good enough in and of myself,” or of Abel who was humble,

broken and dependent upon God. Which are you? You’re one or the

other…and the way of Cain is the way of the mark…and that mark is

the mark of the beast comprised of the number of man.

 Here is wisdom, calculate this equation if you can for yourself…, it’s

one of those dreaded word problems (remember those in math class?).

Don’t be deceived by the gospel of sin…, be freed by the Gospel of

Jesus Christ.