Adrian Rogers - Biography of the Beast
Take your Bibles, find Revelation chapter 13, and in a moment we're going to study this book of prophecy. And may I tell you, only God can prophesy. In 1870, a bishop of the church was told by someone who made this prophecy. He said, "In 50 years, men will fly through the air like birds". When this bishop heard that, he said, "You'd better not make that statement again," and here's what he said in his own words, "Flight is reserved for the angels, and I beg you not to repeat your statement, lest you be guilty of blasphemy". Well, that was in 1870. Just 33 years later, that bishop's two sons, Wilbur and Orville Wright, launched their powered aircraft. And that was a blunder by the bishop.
Now let me tell you another blunder. Thomas Watson, who was Chairman of IBM, said in 1943, "I think there may be a world market for maybe 5 computers". Ken Olson, who is President and Chairman and Founder of Digital Equipment, said in 1977, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home". Alright, here was a Western Union internal memo in 1876. "This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us". Well, that just tells us that people don't know the future, right? Now only God knows the future. Here's a great verse, even before we get into Revelation chapter 13. It's found in Isaiah chapter 46, beginning in verse 9, "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there's none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done".
Only God can prophesy. The devil doesn't know the future, did you know that? The devil's a knucklehead, he really is. He is hideously beautiful, brilliantly stupid. He doesn't know the future; to think that he could overcome God. Now, thank God that we have in this Bible a more sure word of prophecy, and we need to study it today, because no Christian living in these times can afford to be ignorant. The sands of time are running low for our generation and history as we know it is headed for a climax. Standing in the shadows of history is a man known as the antichrist, the beast, the man of sin, the son of perdition, and we're going to be talking about him.
Now, the evolutionist says that we came from the beast, we sprang from the beast. No, we didn't come from the beast; we're headed to the beast. It all began with the sin of man; it's going to end up with the man of sin. Now this beast has many aliases. Again, he's called the beast, he's called the antichrist, he is called the man of sin, he's called the son of perdition, he is called the little horn, but in spite of all of his aliases, he has one heart and one motive. So there're five things we're going to learn today as we study the biography of the beast. I want you to jot them down. First of all, I want you to see what I'm going to call the social agitation that delivers the beast.
Now look if you will, please, in Revelation 13 verse 1, "And I stood," John is the I referred to here, "and I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy". Now this beast comes up out of the sea. Now what does the sea represent? The sea represents and is symbolic of evil and wicked people. Here are two verses I want to give you. First of all, Isaiah chapter 57 verses 20 and 21, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt". Now the other is in the book of the Revelation itself, and Revelation will interpret Revelation often, and put down in your margin Revelation chapter 17 and verse 15, "And he saith unto me, 'The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.'"
The sea, the waters, represent people, multitudes, nations, and tongues or languages. And so, here we see a roiling, seething sea. We see here social agitation, the peoples of this world in turmoil like the troubled sea. And out of this troubled sea there comes up out of this sea, out of this agitation, a beast, a beast. Now we look around at the situation today and see how the waters of society are agitated and troubled. Think of the former Soviet Union. Is Soviet Russia still dangerous to the United States? Or think about Red China. We read in the book of the Revelation of an army of two hundred million across the Euphrates. Red China has boasted that she can field an army of two hundred million, and this red dragon is getting ready to breathe its fiery breath to scorch the earth.
And then, think of Europe. Think of what's happening in Europe. Europe is hollow, spiritually, filled with New Ageism and occultism. But Europe is being unified into an awesome power. The Bible predicts that the old Roman Empire is going to be reunified, and we see that happening before our very eyes. And then think of the nation Israel as the Lion of Judah is sharpening her claws, and Israel is beleaguered. But, may I tell you that Israel's powerful. And Israel has the bomb and may well be prepared to use it, and, in my estimation, will use it, if provoked enough. And then think of the terrorism that has come to the shores of the United States and is worldwide. And then, think of famines and natural disasters and political intrigue. All of these things tell us that perilous times are here and the nations and the peoples of this world are like the sea that is seething and roiling and boiling. And out of that sea, out of that agitation, will arise a beast.
Let me tell you what the historian Arnold Toynbee said; very provocative. Now I don't think he said that in the light of Revelation chapter 13. He just said it. But I want you to hear what Toynbee said. Quote, "By forcing on mankind more and more lethal weapons, and at the same time making the world more and more interdependent, economically, technology has brought mankind to such a degree of distress that we are ripe for the deifying of any new Caesar who might succeed in giving the world unity and peace". That's what Toynbee said. Toynbee said we're in such a mess, technologically and economically, that when a man comes on the scene, and he calls him very interestingly a "new Caesar," he said we'll deify him. We'll make a god of him. That sounds like it came right out of the book of the Revelation.
Another European statesman said this, "If the devil could offer a panacea for the problems of the world, I would gladly follow the devil". Well, that's going to happen, that's going to happen. We're talking about the social agitation that delivers the beast. Okay, he comes up out of the sea. Now, secondly, let's think about the satanic attributes that describe this beast. What is this beast going to be like? What kind of attributes does he have? Well, first of all, let's notice his father. Notice in chapter 13 again verse 1, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea," now notice how he's described, "having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the names of blasphemy".
Does that remind you of anything you've already seen or read in the book of the Revelation? Well, just go back to chapter 12 and look in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 3, "And there appeared another wonder in Heaven; and, behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads". Now here's the dragon in chapter 12, and now here's the beast in chapter 13. Well, who is the dragon? Well, we don't have to guess who the dragon is. Look in Revelation chapter 12 verse 9, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan". The dragon is the Devil and Satan. Now we see him described in chapter 12, and now in chapter 13 we see his offspring, who is the beast, described the same way. We say it today, don't we? "Like father, like son".
I looked in the mirror the other day and saw my daddy. It's an interesting thing. Like father, now like son. Here is the beast who has the attributes of his father. And the Bible teaches that when the beast comes, he's going to have all of the power of Satan in him. Here's a key verse. Put it down, Second Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 9. It speaks of the antichrist and it says, "Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders". When Jesus walked on this earth, Jesus could say, "He that hath seen Me hath seen My Father. He that hath seen Me hath seen My Father". We find that in the Gospel of John chapter 14 and verse 9. When the devil enters into the antichrist, the antichrist would be able to say, "He that hath seen me hath seen my father".
All of the attributes of Satan will be in this man of sin. His father is the devil, and the lusts and the works of his father he will do. He will be a consummate liar. Now we're talking here about the attributes that describe the beast, and we're talking about his father; "Like father, like son". Think not only about his father, but think about his family. This beast also has a family heritage. Look again now in Revelation chapter 13 verse 2, "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat," the word seat means throne, "and his authority".
Now what is this, a lion and a bear and a leopard? Well, you'd have to go back to the book of Daniel chapter 7 to understand this. By the way, you won't understand Daniel without understanding Revelation; you won't understand Revelation without understanding Daniel. In Daniel chapter 7, Daniel gives the empires of the world. There've only been four great empires. There's been the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and the Roman Empire; only four. And Daniel delineates these in the book of Daniel chapter 7. And he describes them symbolically as beasts. For example, Babylon is described as a lion in the book of Daniel. And now we see this beast in the book of the Revelation is like a lion.
Now the rulers of Babylon were very regal like the lion. The lion is the king of beasts, and he's a very regal and very royal, but he has a ravenous appetite and incredible strength. He's able to terrify. And so Babylon, the first of these great world empires that the world has even known, is described in the book of Daniel as a lion. And then the next world empire was MedoPersia, described in the book of the Revelation as a bear. The bear is strong, and the bear has massive strength in its claws to grasp and to hold and to crush. And that's the way Medo-Persia was. And then Daniel looked and he saw the next world empire. First of all, Babylon, then Medo-Persia, and then Greece. And the Greeks conquered the known world, and Daniel prophesied that the Greeks would do that. And Greece was characterized and described as a leopard because of its rapid movement and with rapidity; the Grecian Empire conquered the world.
Alexander the Great conquered the known world, wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. And so, these ancient civilizations represented there by the lion, by the bear, and by the leopard are described right here. What is this saying? This is saying that this antichrist is going to be the last of these world rulers. Daniel saw one more kingdom coming, and that is the kingdom over which antichrist is going to rule and to reign. There's coming one more world empire before Jesus comes and that is the world empire of the antichrist. But when the antichrist comes, when the beast comes, he's going to have this lineage. He's going to have this history behind him. He's going to have all of the strength of Babylon and all of the attributes of Medo-Persia, and all of the abilities of an Alexander the Great. And he's going to be the Napoleons, he's going to be the Caesars, he's going to be the Charlemagnes, he's going to be the Hitlers of this world, all combined into one man!
This is his family legacy. We've talked here about his father. We've talked about his family. Let's talk a little bit about his fortune. Let's find out what this man is going to be like, this man that is coming. Notice the last part of Revelation 13 verse 2, "And the dragon," that is Satan, "gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority". This man is going to receive from Satan power, a throne, and authority. Does Satan have it to give? Indeed he does. Indeed he does. Do you remember reading in the Bible where Satan tempted Jesus to follow him, and Satan wanted Jesus to bow down to him? And he took Jesus up to a great mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Jesus, "See these kingdoms? You see all this power, this glory, this authority? I'll give it to You if You will just bow down and worship me".
You see, Satan's always wanted to be worshipped. Jesus said, "You've got to be kidding". He didn't say it that way but, "You got to be kidding. I'm not going to worship you". The Bible says in Deuteronomy 6:13, "Thou shalt worship the Lord God and Him only". Jesus is God. Thou shalt worship the Lord God. But Jesus didn't say, "Satan, you can't give it to me". Jesus never disputed Satan's right to give it to him, because Satan had taken that dominion from Adam. Satan, the original con artist, had taken that dominion from Adam and Satan said to Jesus, "It's all been delivered unto me". And Satan was right. Adam gave it to him. Jesus took it back from Satan not by worshipping Satan, but by overcoming Satan on the cross. But I don't want to get down too deep in that except to say that this antichrist is going to receive the offer from the devil.
The devil offered the kingdoms to Jesus; Jesus wouldn't take them. But there's coming a man, Satan's superman, there is coming a false Messiah, there's coming a man of sin so diabolically wicked that he will give his heart, mind, soul, everything to the devil. Satan will enter into him, and he will have power and a throne and authority. It will be given him of the devil. And this antichrist can say, "He that hath seen me hath seen my father". Now this is the way this man is described here in this passage of Scripture. Jesus said, and here's a key verse, in John chapter 5 verse 43, "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive". That was a prophecy that one of these days those who would not receive the Lord Jesus Christ will receive the antichrist, and he's coming in this great power.
Now here's the third thing. You ready for the third thing? Say, "Uh, huh". Okay, here's the third thing. I want you to notice the seductive appeal that disguises the beast. Look now if you will in Revelation 13 verses 3 and 4 of this chapter. "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like unto the beast and who is able to make war with him?'"
Now listen, he's going to have worldwide appeal. He's going to come as a very appealing person in the eyes of the world. When the Bible describes him as a beast, the Bible is not describing his appearance; the Bible is describing his character. Now we know that Satan is wicked, but doesn't he sometimes appear as an angel of light? See, he's not talking here that the beast is going to be hideous. He's only going to be hideous in his character. He's going to be handsome. He's going to be charming. He's going to be clever. He's going to be greatly intelligent. He's going to be a global charmer. And the whole world will wonder after the beast. They will say, "Who is like him? Who's able to make war against him"? And one of the ways he's going to do this is by a counterfeit resurrection.
Somehow, someway, this beast is going to be wounded. He's going to receive a wound in his head. They won't even take him to the hospital; they'll take him right to the morgue. DOA, dead on arrival, most likely. Something's happened. He's just dead. Already all the world is going to be mourning after this one. And then, suddenly, he comes back to life. Now, you see, the devil has always wanted to imitate God. He's always said, "I will be like the Most High". Everything that God has, Satan has a counterfeit. There are counterfeit Christians; we call them hypocrites. There's a counterfeit church; the Bible calls it the synagogue of Satan. There is a counterfeit trinity. What is the Holy Trinity? God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. What is the counterfeit trinity? The dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The anti-god, the antichrist, and the anti-spirit.
You see, the devil is a fake, a fraud, a counterfeiter. He's going to counterfeit the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But it will be so amazing that the world will follow after him. It will be the masterstroke of Satan. Satan does have the power to do miracles. We're going to see that later when we get to chapter 16. But Satan's propaganda machine will churn out the fact that the beast is alive. He's come back from the dead. What a marvel he will seem to be, and it will seem like the devil's millennium is at hand. And so, he's going to have a very seductive appeal. People are going to be seduced by the devil. The Bible speaks of seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. And Jesus said, "If it were possible, he would deceive the very elect".
Number four: I want you to see what I'm going to call the sinister ambitions that drive the beast. What makes this beast what he is? Now let me give you some of his ambitions, and we're going to list these. First of all, he wants to deify Satan. He wants people to worship Satan. Satan has always wanted to be worshipped. Look in verse Revelation 13:4, "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast". Just as God the Father receives worship through God the Son, the devil, the dragon, will receive worship through this antichrist. And remember that Satan has always wanted to be worshipped. So he's coming to deify Satan. Number two: He's coming to defy the Savior.
Ah, Look if you will next, in verse 5 and 6 of this thirteenth chapter. "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell therein". He is a blasphemer. He cannot touch God Himself, so he's reduced now to name-calling. And, like filthy lava, blasphemy will belch from his mouth, as he takes everything good and pure and holy and blasphemes that. And with burning eloquence he's going to turn people away from Jesus Christ to himself. He wants to defy the Savior as he deifies Satan.
Again, I want to remind you that the devil is one who would deceive, if possible, the very elect. The ultimate in blasphemy is when he comes to the temple of God, sits in the temple of God, and shows himself that he is god. He defies the Savior. Remember the term antichrist. Now we don't find it in Revelation. We find it in, with the apostle John, in his epistles. The word "anti" means two things: it means "against" and it means "instead of". He is the anti-christ. He comes instead of Christ. And he comes against Christ by being instead of Christ.
Now here's the third thing he wants to do. Not only to deify Satan, not only to defy the Savior, but to destroy saints. Look if you will now in Revelation 13 verse 7, "And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations". What he wants to do is to stamp out every belief in the true God, and he hates those who love God. You're going to find in the Great Tribulation, and I hope you're not here during that time, but believers, true believers are going to face firing squads, gas chambers, concentration camps, torture, terror, the guillotine. They're going to be beheaded for the cause of Christ. It will be the devil's last fling, and he, the beast, is going to drink his fill of the martyrs' blood. He wants to destroy saints.
Next, he wants to dominate society. Look in the last part of verse 7, "And power was given to him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations". There's coming a time when this beast will have global control. We're moving right now into a one worldism and globalism, and we're headed there quickly. How will the devil get global control? Well, he will intimidate and browbeat some. He will bedazzle others that they want to follow him. Either by persecution or by reward, he will eventually have global control of all of this world.
Now number five: He wants to delude sinners. Notice Revelation 13 verses 8 through 10, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear". Are you listening? Say, Amen. Alright. "If any man hath an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity". That is, the devil who's done all this himself is gonna be taken captive. "He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword". What is that sword? That's the sword that goes out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon. "Here is the patience and the faith of saints". Just keep on believing. Put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He cannot fail.
Now the closer we get to the end of time, we're going to see more and more Satan worship, more demonism, more occultism, more witchcraft. And this antichrist is going to be the devil's messiah. He's going to be the christ of the cults. And he's the one who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he as god, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is god. Remember this about the devil. The devil doesn't want casualties; he wants converts. He wants people to worship him. And so, we see in these Scriptures here the sinister ambitions of the beast. These are the five things that he will do, according to Revelation chapter 13. You got it? Say got it. Okay.
Now, let's move on to the fifth and final thing here. And I want you to notice the supporting agent who declares the beast. You see, he has an agent who is going to declare him to the world. Now let's begin reading in verse 11, and we're going to read through the rest of the chapter. The reason I'm talking so fast is I'm trying to get through this chapter. Jesus will be here before we finish the book of the Revelation if we don't do it.
And so, let's begin reading here in Revelation 13 verse 11 through 18, "And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from Heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying unto them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast, should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three-score and six".
As you know, that is 666, which is the mark of the beast. Now this beast, this antichrist, is going to have a supporting agent. He's going to have someone who is going to declare him. He's going to have someone who is going to be the one who is his person to make him popular and known to the world. A propaganda agent is the word I'm looking for. Now the first beast comes out of the sea, but the second beast comes out of the earth. And the word "earth" may be translated "land". And when the Bible speaks here in prophecy of the sea, it's speaking primarily of the Mediterranean, and because this first beast is going to come out of that old Roman Empire that surrounded the Mediterranean. When the Bible speaks of the land, most likely it's speaking of Israel.
And so this second beast, I believe, is going to come out of Israel, because the first beast is going to make a league with Israel. The antichrist is going to make a league with Israel. Now this second beast, he may look like a lamb but he has horns. Now lambs don't have horns. And he has a voice, and it's not the voice of a lamb; it is the voice of a dragon. Notice again in this passage of Scripture here. And look again in verse Revelation 13:11, ah, "And he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon".
Now who is this second beast? Well, the dragon is the anti-god. Ah, the beast is the antichrist. This is the anti-holy spirit, the anti-spirit. What is the office work of the dear Holy Spirit of God? What does He do in my heart? He causes me to love and to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I do love with all of my heart. And what is this anti-spirit going to do? He's going to cause people to worship the beast. And he's going to control the world, the minds and the wills of people, by three major methods. And we see these already beginning in the world today. First of all, by deceiving wonders.
Look if you will in Revelation 13 verses 13 and 14, "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from Heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying unto them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had a wound by the sword, and did live". He's able to do mighty miracles. He's able to do deceiving wonders. Does the devil have power to do miracles? Indeed he does. You read in chapter 16 of three unclean spirits like frogs. These are the spirits of demons, devils, working miracles. Read in the book of the Exodus where Pharaoh's magicians cause sticks to become serpents. How did that happen? Well, there is a dark, devilish, diabolical power.
Friend, don't be led astray by miracles. Don't put your eyes on miracles. I wrote a book called, "Believe in Miracles, but Trust in Jesus". You'd better put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Word of God. If you find some charlatan, some faker, who's able to do miracles, he may be anointed and appointed by the devil to do these miracles. One of the miracles that he's going to do, he's going to set the Heavens ablaze. I don't know what that will be, but somehow he makes fire to come down out of Heaven. It may be worldwide. It may be an atomic explosion in the atmosphere. I don't know what it's going to be, but from pole to pole you're going to see this, this great dazzling display of glory.
Well, that doesn't mean that it's of God. It can be of the devil, and one of the ways that this false prophet is going to cause men to worship the antichrist is by deceiving miracles. And then, number two, by enforced worship. Deceiving wonders and enforced worship. Look in Revelation 13 verses 14 and 15. And the Bible says that he's going to make an image to the beast. Do you see that, the last part of verse 14? "That they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed".
Now what is the image of the beast? Is it some talking statue done by animatronics? Well, to me, I think the simplest explanation of the image of the beast is just simply television. Now when John was writing, people had no idea about television. But, friend, you can tune on any channel you want and see somebody talking, some living, breathing person who is talking. Now if this beast has been dead and resurrected or resuscitated, whichever, we'll find out one of these days, and there he appears on television, worldwide. He's talking. There is an image of the beast that is talking, living, breathing in the living rooms of all of the world.
Now it could be some computer wedded to the television, but we're moving more and more to what is called virtual reality, and it's coming very quickly. How, how is he going to do this? Number one: by deceiving wonders. Number two: by enforced worship. Everybody's going to be forced to worship this antichrist. And number three: by controlled wealth, by controlled wealth. Look now in Revelation 13 verses 16 to 18, "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, that no man might buy or sell, save," or except, "he that hath the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred three-score and six".
Now, there's coming a time when this false prophet, who causes men to worship the beast, is going to control the commerce and the wealth of this world. And if you are not sealed by the Holy Spirit and you go into the Great Tribulation, you will be branded by the beast. The only way that you'll be able to go to the grocery store and get any groceries is to show a mark. The only way that you will be able to get any medicine is to show a mark. The only way that you would make your house payments is to show a mark. The only way that you would get any gasoline is to show the mark.
We're moving toward a cashless society and even if you didn't know Bible prophecy, just pick up and read and you'll find out that we're moving toward a cashless society. And we're moving toward a regimentation of people by the computer. And it's going to seem so reasonable. It's going to seem so necessary. It's going to seem so simple. It's going to seem so efficient. If you want to buy something, just show your mark. It's going to be fast. There can't be any cheating. There won't be any books to balance.
Now what is this mark? 666. Six, you know, is the number of a man. Man was created on the sixth day. Seven is the number of perfection. Man is a sinner. He's not a 7; he's a 6. But this is 666, three 6's. What is the divine number? 3. Why 666? This is man showing himself that he is god. You remember the antichrist sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is god. But he is not a 777; he is a 666. But this is his mark, and people must have this mark in order to buy or to sell. It is the number of a man. But no mark, no merchandise.
Now, folks, I'm telling you that our society, we can see it happening right now, deceiving wonders, enforced worship, and controlled wealth. Did you know that everybody today doesn't like anybody who says there's one way to Heaven and that way is the Lord Jesus Christ? What we want to do today is to homogenize society, put everybody together into one great, big world church, one great, big world system, and we're headed toward that very quickly and very rapidly. So we've talked about the biography of beast. Next time we get together we're going to be talking about the brand of the beast. We're going to be talking about the mark of the beast, what it is. And I'm telling you it is coming on so, so fast, it is almost inconceivable. But what a blessing as you see everything fitting into the sockets of prophecy.
Now, you've got a choice today: the beast or the lamb. Amen? The lamb of God who says in Matthew 11:28, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give you rest," or this beast, out of the sea, that's going to come out of the broiling, boiling, writhing sea of humanity, and he, listen, if the rapture is near, and it may be, if the rapture is near, the beast is alive and well today on planet Earth, waiting in the shadows, waiting to step onto the stage. Now, if the trumpet were to sound today, and it may, and we heard a voice from Heaven saying, "Come up hither," and we may; if Jesus were to step out of the glory today to receive His own, would you be ready? Are you saved? Do you know that you're saved? Are you absolutely ready for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ? Are you?
I would not go without Jesus Christ, listen, I would not go without Jesus Christ 24 hours for anything you could offer me. You could stack this building, from floor to ceiling, with thousand dollar bills and say, "All that is yours if you'll go without Jesus for 24 hours". I wouldn't do that. You say, "Yes, you would". No, I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't. I know I wouldn't. God is listening. Not for 24 hours. Not if I could lay Jesus aside for 24 hours and then pick Him up again at the end of those 24 hours. I wouldn't even have to think about it.
There's nothing you can offer me. Why? I might die in those 24 hours, or Jesus might come during that period of time. But even if I were to live and Jesus didn't come, I wouldn't sell Jesus for anything, for anything! I wouldn't betray Him for anything. Well, if that is true, and it is true, why would you go 24 hours without Him when you could be saved today? Why would you go one day without the Lord Jesus Christ? People say, "Well, get right with God; you may die". Friend, get right with God, you may live. I mean, to live with Jesus, to know the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? Would you bow your heads in prayer?
Heads are bowed, and eyes are closed. And if you know that you know Jesus, would you begin to intercede and pray for precious souls? There're souls that are but a heartbeat from Hell. And there are many, if they died today, or if Jesus were to come today, would be eternally lost. Would you begin to pray for them sincerely? And, friend, if you don't know Jesus, I'm going to lead you in a prayer. And in this prayer, you can give your heart to Him. Would you pray this prayer?
Dear God, I'm a sinner, and I'm lost. And I need to be saved. And I want to be saved. Thank You, Jesus, that You shed Your blood on the cross for my sins. Thank You that You died to save me and promised to save me if I would trust You. I do trust You, Jesus. Right now, this moment, come into my heart and save me. Thank You for doing it. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for doing it. I don't deserve it. I just receive it by faith. Thank You for forgiving my sin and for saving me. In Your name I pray, Amen.