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Armageddon Countdown Earth’S End-Time Crisis Unlocking Prophecy Program 5

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Armageddon Countdown Earth’S End-Time Crisis Unlocking Prophecy Program 5 Armageddon Countdown Earth’s End-time Crisis Unlocking Prophecy Program 5 1 GOD’S END-TIME MESSAGE In Revelation 14, three angels are depicted as flying in the midst of heaven with a special message for the world. These messages call special attention to the war between Christ and Satan. The first angel’s message calls people everywhere to worship God (verse 7), and second and third angels’ messages warn people against Satan’s deceptions (verses 8- 11). In the first angel’s message, the call to worship God is based on the fact that He is our Creator—He made “heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (verse 7). 1.1 THE SEAL OF GOD God has given us a sign of His authority as our Creator. In Exodus 20:8-11, we are told to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” The Sabbath points us back to Creation. Genesis 2:1-3 show us that after God had created the earth in six days, He rested on the seventh day; blessed the seventh day; and sanctified it, or made it holy, setting it aside for rest. That’s why God told His people, “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17). The Sabbath is a sign of God’s power to create. But the Sabbath not only points us to creation; it also points us to salvation and redemption, because it takes the same creative power used in the creation of the world to recreate and transform our sinful hearts. That’s why 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The Sabbath is a sign of God’s power to recreate. The Sabbath plays a key role in the end-time conflict between Christ and Satan. In Revelation 7, just before earth’s end-time events begin, God’s people receive the “Seal of God.” According to what we have seen above, the seventh-day Sabbath is that seal. It reminds us of God’s power to create and recreate. 1 1.2 THE MARK OF THE BEAST But Satan also has his own “seal,” or mark, in earth’s end-time conflict. It is referred to in the book of Revelation as the “Mark of the Beast.” In order to understand what the Mark of the Beast is, we must first understand who or what the beast is. We see this beast described in Revelation 13:1-8. After reading the description of the beast, you will realize that its nature and actions are strikingly similar to those of the little horn in Daniel 7. THE BEAST OF REVELATION 13 THE LITTLE HORN OF DANIEL 7 Receives power from the dragon (Rome) Rises up out of Rome Promotes man’s way over God’s way Promotes man’s way over God’s way Is a religious power demanding worship Differs from the other European powers Persecutes the saints Eliminates all opposition Continues 1260 days (years) Continues 1260 days (years) The little horn power of Daniel 7 and the beast power of Revelation 13 obviously represent the same power—the corrupt Christian church of medieval times. So then, the Mark of the Beast must be connected in some way to this medieval Christian church. The Mark of the Beast is the opposite of the Seal of God; if this is the case, then the Mark of the Beast must have something to do with the day of worship. It is interesting to note that the Roman Catholic Church, the ruling Christian entity during the Middle Ages, claims to have changed the day of worship from the seventh-day of the week to the first day, Sunday. Furthermore, the Church claims that it is her mark of authority in spiritual matters. Therefore, the Seal of God is the recognition of God’s authority, while the Mark of the Beast is the recognition of man’s authority. 2 THE END-TIME CONFLICT The Bible makes it clear that the issue of man’s way vs. God’s way will spark earth’s end- time conflict. A distorted form of Christianity will one day be again backed by government power and enforce teachings that are never even found in Scripture—including the first day of the week as a day of worship. Only then will the keeping of Sunday be considered the Mark of the Beast; therefore, no one today has the Mark of the Beast. In Revelation 16, the battle between God’s way and man’s way is referred to as the Battle of Armageddon—a battle that God will ultimately win when He returns to rescue His own. We will one day be called to take a stand for truth, in a time when it seems that everyone else is embracing falsehood. Like Daniel and his three friends (Daniel chapters 1, 3, and 6), we will have to choose to be faithful to God regardless of the outcome. The only way to remain faithful to God at that time is to learn to be faithful to Him today (see Jeremiah 12:5). 2 .
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