THE MARK OF THE BEAST (5 OF 8)
Scripture: Revelation 13:1-18, Revelation 14:1-20
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The Mark of the Beast (5 of 8)
Series: The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Dave Gustavsen
Revelation 13-14
Okay-we are taking a few months to walk through the book of Revelation-the very last book in the Bible. And the section we’re going to look at today is probably the most sensationalized part of the entire book. Because we’re going to be talking about the Antichrist, and the mark of the beast, and the number 666. Some of you are thinking, ‘‘Ooh-we’re finally getting to the good stuff.’’ But you’re probably not going to like what I say today.
Because remember what we’ve been saying every week: the book of Revelation is not primarily intended for us to set dates, or match up current events with biblical prophecy, or guess who the Antichrist might be. Revelation is actually a letter written by John the Apostle to a group of churches around 95AD. If I had to summarize the message of this letter, here’s how I’d say it: The world is getting darker. Opposition to Christ and his church is getting stronger. But God is in control, and in the end God wins. So stand firm in your faith. That was the message they needed to hear back then, and it’s exactly the message we need to hear today. Because it’s getting dark out there, isn’t it?
Now, I want to say something about today’s passage: if you are brand new to church, and you’ve never heard any of this stuff before, you’d probably think we’re crazy. Because today’s passage is going to talk about dragons and beasts and all kinds of crazy stuff. So if you just walked in here today for the first time, you would say, ‘‘These guys are insane.’’ So here’s what you need to know: the book of Revelation is a kind of literature called ‘‘apocalyptic literature.’’ And what that means is that it uses imagery and symbols to convey spiritual reality. In other words, no-we don’t believe there’s an actual dragon and a beast. And that’s not what the Bible is teaching. But it uses those symbols as a graphic way to explain spiritual t ...
Series: The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Dave Gustavsen
Revelation 13-14
Okay-we are taking a few months to walk through the book of Revelation-the very last book in the Bible. And the section we’re going to look at today is probably the most sensationalized part of the entire book. Because we’re going to be talking about the Antichrist, and the mark of the beast, and the number 666. Some of you are thinking, ‘‘Ooh-we’re finally getting to the good stuff.’’ But you’re probably not going to like what I say today.
Because remember what we’ve been saying every week: the book of Revelation is not primarily intended for us to set dates, or match up current events with biblical prophecy, or guess who the Antichrist might be. Revelation is actually a letter written by John the Apostle to a group of churches around 95AD. If I had to summarize the message of this letter, here’s how I’d say it: The world is getting darker. Opposition to Christ and his church is getting stronger. But God is in control, and in the end God wins. So stand firm in your faith. That was the message they needed to hear back then, and it’s exactly the message we need to hear today. Because it’s getting dark out there, isn’t it?
Now, I want to say something about today’s passage: if you are brand new to church, and you’ve never heard any of this stuff before, you’d probably think we’re crazy. Because today’s passage is going to talk about dragons and beasts and all kinds of crazy stuff. So if you just walked in here today for the first time, you would say, ‘‘These guys are insane.’’ So here’s what you need to know: the book of Revelation is a kind of literature called ‘‘apocalyptic literature.’’ And what that means is that it uses imagery and symbols to convey spiritual reality. In other words, no-we don’t believe there’s an actual dragon and a beast. And that’s not what the Bible is teaching. But it uses those symbols as a graphic way to explain spiritual t ...
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