"And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond
"to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark
"or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:16-17)
"Could I end up taking the Mark of the Beast?"
This is a question Christians will find challenging
but it's the type of question every believer should ask themselves.
Doubting ourselves is a sign of sincerity and spiritual maturity.
However, very few Christians want to do this
because the "faith" promoted in church circles is based more on religious pride than on genuine faith in God.
Paradoxically, the more we doubt ourselves and recognise our own weakness and fallibility
the more this should lead us to place our faith and confidence in God.
Doubting ourselves will also increase the chance that we will refuse the Mark in future
because it will lead us to think through the implications of it.
What will be the consequences if we refuse or accept it?
What adjustments do we need to make right now in order to properly prepare?
And is it possible that most people who end up refusing it won't even profess to be Christian
but will be so in tune with their conscience and the Spirit of God
that they will end up bypassing the Church world into the Kingdom of God?
In this video we will look at FOUR reasons
why pretty much every professing Christian will end up taking the Mark of the Beast.
We will also look at how we can prepare for its reality, to enable us to overcome.
(1) STATISTICS
The first reason we know that professing Christians will end up taking the Mark
is down to predictions Jesus made.
These contradict the current statistics relating to the number of professing Christians alive today
in these last days.
A recent study by the Pew Research Center of over 200 countries
reveals that there are about 2.3 billion classified Christians around the world...
a figure representing nearly a third of the world's population.
However, the prophecy about the Mark of the Beast
predicts that pretty much all of the world's population will end up accepting it.
And that must include professing Christians.
This echoes what Jesus said about relatively few people making it, spiritually.
He described the road to life being narrow with few people finding it
while the road to destruction is broad with many people walking it.
He even questioned whether there would be any faith left on Earth when he returns.
We need a way to explain the discrepancy between over 2 billion supposed Christians being alive today
and Jesus saying that only relatively few people will make it.
Either most of these so-called 2 billion Christians are not genuine Christians
or many real Christians will end up falling away and taking the Mark in future...
which we'll address in the next point... or it's possibly a mixture of both.
Either way, this should serve as a sobering warning to us.
Are we just "fans" or are we genuine followers of Christ?
Even if we are following Christ now
can we say with 100% certainty that we will overcome whatever circumstances get thrown at us in future
including the Mark of the Beast?
Some healthy doubt over whether we could end up siding with all those professing Christians
who take the Mark may be just what we need
to increase the chance of us being one of the few who find life.
(2) BELIEVERS REJECTING JESUS
The second reason why professing Christians will end up taking the Mark is due to the "Great Apostasy"
or "falling away" predicted to happen in the last days.
This will lead to a corresponding lack of obedience and love.
"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith."
"Many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another."
"And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold."
Jesus made it clear that if we love him, we will obey his commands.
Without this love and obedience, we will end up the taking the Mark.
This is because what Jesus taught in the gospels deals precisely with how to refuse it.
Jesus said we need to count the cost of following him by forsaking everything tying us to the system.
He said we need to choose between working for money or serving God and living by faith in Him.
And he said that we need to pick up our cross, embrace the persecution that follows
and be willing to lay down our lives in love.
The Mark of the Beast will force people to do this through circumstances.
It is inevitable that without the love and obedience that allows us to be disciplined by the teachings of Jesus
we will fall away.
But where is this message being preached and practised today?
In Christian circles everywhere, people claim Jesus as their "Lord"
while stubbornly refusing to follow his instructions.
In the famous Sermon on the Mount
Jesus predicted this very scenario when he talked about a wise man building his house on the rock
and a foolish man building his house on the sand.
He explained that the rock is his teaching
and it is only by basing our lives on this solid foundation that we stand any chance
of enduring the storms of life.
The Mark of the Beast will be the "perfect storm" to test our faith, obedience and love
whether we call ourselves Christians or not.
(3) CONFUSION & DECEPTION
The third reason why professing Christians will end up taking the Mark is due to mass confusion and deception.
Some of this confusion has been caused by false prophets
setting dates and making predictions that don't come true.
This discredits the Christian movement and turns believers off a sincere study and application of prophecy
which is the right response to this predicament, rather than avoiding the subject altogether.
In Paul's epistle to Timothy
one reason he gives for why believers lose their faith in the End Times
is a result of them devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.
A widely held belief, likely to lead many professing Christians to take the Mark
is the "Pre-Trib" or "Secret Rapture" doctrine
that says Jesus will return for them before any serious troubles begin.
This seems to fit with what Jesus said about people being led astray by false teachers
who proclaim that he has returned in the "wilderness" or in "secret places".
Jesus made it clear, however, that people everywhere would know when he returns
and that this event will be immediately after the Great Tribulation.
It's easy to imagine how Christians who convince themselves
that Jesus returns for them before any serious troubles begin
will be devastated and disillusioned when this doesn't happen.
This will increase the chance of them being led astray by false teachers
telling people that Jesus has returned when he has not.
At least some of the great "falling away" of faith predicted to occur during this period
is likely to stem from this.
The "Secret Rapture" belief is not based on faith or a balanced, honest evaluation of Scripture.
It's based on wishful thinking...a desire to avoid discomfort or suffering
and a deception that excuses people from confronting the reality of the Mark of the Beast prophecy.
Another popular deception is that the Mark of the Beast has to do with worshiping God on Sundays.
This conveniently discounts what the prophecy actually says
about the Mark having everything to do with buying and selling, and our attitude towards money.
Other doctrines have been devised to say that the Mark is purely "symbolic" or "spiritual"
and won't be a physical device.
What these false doctrines end up doing
is steering people away from needing to do anything significant or practical in order to prepare...
like forsaking all, choosing to work for God instead of money, and following the Lamb in obedience.
This is the mark of a true Christian, rather than what label we attach to ourselves.
If we're not willing to do these things today
we're probably just kidding ourselves that we are genuine believers
and that we'll start following Jesus sincerely when the Mark comes in.
(4) MATERIALISM & GREED
The fourth reason why professing Christians will end up taking the Mark
is because of their materialism and greed.
The purpose of the Mark of the Beast is to enable people to buy and sell.
This should prompt a sincere believer to examine their relationship to the monetary system.
Is our faith really in God to put the food on our table
or is it in the paycheck we receive at the end of each week or month?
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus gives a stern rebuke to the last of the seven churches...
the Church of Laodicea.
He says, "So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth.
"For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing
"not realising that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire."
The Mark of the Beast is the ultimate way to refine believers' faith in this area.
Either we are "hot" for Christ by refusing the Mark and forsaking all attachments to the monetary system.
Or we are "cold" for Christ by taking the Mark and becoming full-on money worshipers.
Of course, Christians with access to Bibles are able to read what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24 right now...
that it is impossible to work for God and money at the same time
and that we need to make a clear choice about who our Boss is.
If someone is unwilling to take a stand now, what makes them think anything will be different in future
when the Mark comes in?
No more middle ground or lukewarmness will be permitted then.
Anything we refuse to forsake is likely to be responsible for us taking the Mark.
This could include our religious denominations or doctrines (like the "Secret Rapture" teaching).
It could include our reputation, our friends, our family, or our spouse.
And it could include our jobs, comfort or wealth. Anything!
What Jesus said about the road to life being narrow
is almost identical to what he said about it being easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.
In response to Jesus' statement, his disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?"
This question links directly back to what Jesus said about few people finding the road to life.
The sad truth is that it is the exception rather than the rule
for a professing Christian to take Jesus at face value
when he said that we need to forsake everything in order to be one of his followers.
There may be 2.3 billion people who call themselves "Christian" today
but hardly any of them have bothered to actually read and observe Jesus' definition
for what it means to be a Christian.
In light of this, it's no surprise that God allows the Mark of the Beast
to test who is willing to walk through the needle's eye by refusing it...
to separate genuine followers from phoney ones.
It's not our theology or what we call ourselves that is going to save us
but our sincerity in whether we choose to walk this narrow path.
The sooner we choose to heed the call to come out of the Babylon system in these times, the better.
Doing so means we won't be left with any doubts or uncertainties
over whether we'll have the strength to forsake all in future when the Mark comes in
because we would have already chosen to reject the Mark... right now.
Sadly, there appears to be little more than a handful of people
who seem willing to leave the comforts of the system, and this includes professing Christians.
If we don't wish to fall into this category, we need to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves.
Are we actively preparing for the Mark of the Beast, or are we carrying on as if it won't happen?
As I've said, professing Christians will take the Mark because they end up losing their faith
or they never had genuine faith to begin with.
Professing Christians will also take the Mark because they don't believe that loving Jesus
requires us to obey His instructions...the best preparation for how to refuse the Mark.
Many professing Christians will take the Mark due to deception
including falling for the lie of the "Secret Rapture" doctrine.
This justifies disobedience, but more on the basis that people don't need to do anything to prepare
because they're magically taken out of the way before the Mark comes in.
The biggest reason why professing Christians will end up taking the Mark
is because they have refused to confront the root of all evil in their lives, which the Mark represents.
This is at the heart of the other reasons as well, and at the heart of Jesus' message.
Furthermore, this isn't something professing Christians want to hear
but the majority of those who choose to refuse the Mark (and make it spiritually)
are more than likely going to be people of conscience...
people who don't necessarily profess to be Christian
but who follow Jesus in spirit, having dealt with the root of all evil in their lives.
What is certain is that accepting the Mark of the Beast will take people to hell.
This is the broad way, paved with good intentions
but also lined with false prophets and teachers...
people whose faith is in money rather than God, and lukewarm Christians
who pretty much make up those "2.3 billion Christians" alive on the planet today.
When you think about it, there are NO Christians who will take the Mark.
Once that line has been crossed, those who have received it are simply not Christians
whether they claim they are or not.
Are you willing to be "hot" for Christ by giving up your lukewarm Christianity?
Are you willing to come out of an apostate Church
rotten to the core through disobedience to Jesus and headed for hell?
If you would like to get in touch with a community of believers who have taken these steps
and who are looking honestly at these issues and making the necessary adjustments
please write to the email address that appears on the screen now.
Thank you for listening.