Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Allen Wright.
God loves humility accompanied by love of self, so the devil counterfeits it as self-degradation and self-condemnation, and calls it religiously humility. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series, The Revelation, as presented at Reynolda Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It's a CD album or a digital download, your choice of the body you've always wanted, audio messages on what heaven is like. It can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.
That's 877-544-4860. More on that later in the program. But now, let's get started with today's teaching. Here is Allen Wright. He's the beast from the sea and he's the beast from the land. And it's like there is this unholy unity. The dragon, verse two, gave the beast his power and throne and great authority. Well, that's what God did, the Father did for the son, right? John chapter 17, Jesus lifted up his eyes, said, The hour has come, glorify your son, since you have given him authority over all flesh.
Jesus said this over and over, the Father and I are one and he's given me all authority in heaven and on earth. The devil's trying to imitate it. This is a story of unholy worship. They marveled, verse three, as they followed the beast. Verse four, they worshiped the beast saying, Who is like the beast?
He wants to be worshiped like God. But starting from the very beginning, the dawn of the Christian community and back to the roots of our delivered people, the people of God who, after the Passover, said in Exodus 15, 11, Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic and holiness, awesome and glorious deeds, doing wonders?
There's no one like our God. It's about a vision of an unholy resurrection. Verse three said, He seemed to have a mortal wound but was healed.
Entirety of everything we believe in, everything that's precious to us, is just what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scripture, was buried and was raised on the third day in accordance with the scripture. Let me tell you, there's only one resurrection and that's Jesus Christ. This beast that had these heads and one of them looked mortally wounded, but oh, but it looks like he's alive again. That's not a resurrection. That is just an allowance to continue a work of evil until Jesus comes again and throws him into the abyss. And Jesus reigns behold now and forevermore. Jesus is the one who was and is and is to come. And in other places in Revelation, the devil is referred to as the one who was and is not. There's an unholy worldwide appeal in this parody, Revelation 13 7.
Authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation. Well, that's what we just saw a few weeks ago in Revelation 7 9 as we marveled and looked with the great multitude. No one could number from every nation and tribe and people and language standing before the throne and before the lamb, clothes and white robes. This is a picture of unholy signs in one hand and in the other hand clothes and white robes. This is a picture of unholy signs and wonders. The beast, verse 13, performs great signs making fire come down in heaven, whatever that is referencing.
We're not sure, but it's always giving counterfeit signs. In Acts chapter 2, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst. He's the wonder worker. This parody has an unholy mark that causes both small and great, rich and poor, free and slaves, not a respecter, a person to be marked on the right hand of the forehead. So I'm running out of time, but this goes back to God saying to his people that his word is so precious, so powerful, so wonderful that it should be as though it's tied around your wrist and your forehead. So that conservative Jews would actually tie little boxes of scripture around their wrist and around there and it would be around the left wrist pointing to the heart and this is pointing to the right hand and to the head that gets the mark. It's symbolizing the hand, the right hand.
This is what you do with your life and the head is how you think about your life. It's suggesting that there is an imprinting and we in Christ, Revelation 14, 1 are amongst 144,000. Remember 12 is the number of the people of God and 12 times 12 is the epitome of the totality of the people of God, especially when multiplied by a thousand and they at Mount Zion, that's the picture of the kingdom of God, stood with the lamb. That's Jesus who was slain for us and raised for us and intercedes for us and we're with him and look what we have, his name and his father's name written on our foreheads. We're marked and the devil wants to counterfeit even that. An unholy number, this calls for wisdom, verse 18 of Revelation 13, let the one who is understanding calculate the number of the beast for it's the number of man and his number 666. What is this all about?
People fear this number and think that there might be you know some kind of specific imprint that might be made and so forth but let me tell you what I think this is about. This goes back to being a parody that started back in Genesis chapter 2 about the nature of our God. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them and on the seventh day God finished his work. The seventh day what did God do?
He finished his work. What's seven means? Seven means complete.
Perfect. It's God's number. The seventh day God finished his work that he'd done and he rested on the seventh day. What do you do on the seventh day? Rest. Rest.
Say that with me. Rest. Rest from your work. Rest from your labor. Rest because God has finished his work.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy because on it God rested from all his work. There's great speculation about this number 666. We don't have time to go into all of it but there is an ancient practice of symbolizing names through numbers because in ancient civilizations before there were numerals there were numbers that were attached to letters of the alphabet and this is famous in a piece of history that there would be names that would be associated with numbers. So if every letter has a number assigned to it and then you add up those numbers that are associated with those letters you'll get a number and so a lot of speculation has swirled around this because Nero Caesar in Hebrew is if you add the numbers together is 666. The problem with all of this spec and it could be that there's some reference there but the problem with all this speculation is that if you dig around and have a little fun with this you can find all kinds of things that add up to 666.
Some wit some years ago discovered that if you take Roman numerals assigned to letters of the alphabet that cute purple dinosaur adds up to 666. So they suggested maybe Barney was the antichrist. So I think there's something deeper than just merely trying to figure out who is the person. I'm not saying that it couldn't be referring to Nero or to some other person but I'm saying I don't think that's the intent and it certainly wouldn't have been any benefit to a first century Christian whose family member had been burned at one of Nero's garden parties to tell them about some figure that was going to be that was going to be 2025 years from then that they would have no idea who it was.
This is saying something bigger than that. Remember everything we've seen today the beast the dragon are all perverted parody of the Messiah. They are what they want to be what Jesus is but cannot be.
They can only imitate up to a point but never be yet. It's like Jesus is seven and all that the parody never could be would be six. If seven means complete then six means incomplete. If seven means perfect then six means imperfect. So in one sense 666 is to say incomplete incomplete incomplete incomplete. It is to say imperfect imperfect imperfect. It is to say never seven never seven never seven. Never Jesus never Jesus never Jesus trying to be trying to be trying to be but never never never will be.
666 is the symbol of the antichrist because God rested on the seventh day and we are told that Jesus has become for us our Sabbath. He is our Sabbath because if I try on my own to make my way of salvation I will die in exhaustion and I will die in eternity apart from God because it cannot be done. If we seek to accomplish our own salvation by our own works our own merits we will be weary and we will be worried and we will be exhausted and we will never reach heaven.
There is one way and it is Jesus Christ. He is the only way the truth and the life and he has finished the work for us. He hung on the cross. He took the sin of the world. He became my sin and your sin.
He paid the penalty that we should have paid and when he did he said tetelestai is finished. That's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. If you think heaven is a misty place where you float around on clouds and pluck angelic harps you're in for the surprise of your life. Our special product this month is all about the hope of heaven.
It's our gift to you when you support this month. Alan's CD album invites you to discover the body you've always wanted. A spiritual resurrected body. Be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world. He'll make all things new. Overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life.
You can have peace now. Pastor Alan Wright's hope-filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven according to the scriptures. They'll lead you into a bounding hope. So please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted.
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That's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastoralan.org. Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. So 666 is to say never Sabbath, never Sabbath, never Sabbath. Work of man, work of man, work of man, and never Christ.
Never rest, never rest, never rest, do more, do more, do more, perform, perform, perform, man, man, man, man, human, human, human. That's what 666 is. And Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. We rest in Him because He saved us.
Yes. I'm saying is that darkness is not so much a power as it is the blocking of light and the devil is a creature not a creator. I want you to understand this the devil is a creature not a creator and since he's not a creator all he can do is distort the good works of the creator. He doesn't make something on his own. He can't make something out of nothing.
He can only block the light. So God is love and the devil is a counterfeit called lust. All the lust of the world is just a counterfeit of people who need love.
Love what is good Paul said in Romans and hate what is evil. Hate lust. Hate it. Hate lust. Hate it. Hate lust. Hate it. It will ruin your life. It will ruin your life. And the society of ours is trying to make lust acceptable.
It is a river of lies out of the dragon's mouth that is coming masquerading as light. More people under age 30 today think it is a bigger sin to not recycle than it is to look at pornography. Hate what is evil. Even as you're tempted by it hate it. Hate it. It's hideous this counterfeit that masquerades like light. Hate it. Hate the works of the enemy.
I hate people that are confused and bound up by all these lies. Hate what is evil and love what is good and recognize the counterfeit. Desire is good and it comes from God and Satan turned it into covetousness. Why can't we just desire all that is good and desire more from God and desire to live fully in him without coveting what our neighbor has. It's a counterfeit. It's a parody. God gives discernment and the devil wants to turn it into judgment.
I wish I had time. Every spiritual gift has a counterfeit. God loves humility and the devil will turn it into self-degradation. God loves humility accompanied by love of self so the devil counterfeits it as self-degradation and self-condemnation and calls it religiously humility. Even fear is a perversion of faith because both are forms of a belief.
God builds faith for what builds faith for what his blessed future will be and fear is a form of belief of a doomed future. Christ our Sabbath. So that's all 6-6 means. 6-6-6. It just means never Christ, never Christ, never Christ. Humanism, humanism, humanism and it always fails and we in Christ will never be marked by 6-6-6. We are told plainly right here.
Let's set the record straight. The mark of the beast was for those whose names were not written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the earth. No Christian is going to have the mark of the beast. It's not going to be tattooed on you. It's not going to be a microchip implanted into you. It's not going to be injected into you. The mark of the beast is a symbol of all these false ideologies and all that comes up short of Christ but you beloved revelations 14-1 are part of the assembly of God standing in the midst of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ now and forever already seated with him in the heavenlies and one day reigning with him in a new heaven and a new earth and you instead of a mark of the beast have been sealed sealed with the name of Jesus and the name of the father not a literal tattoo but every part of your consciousness and every part of your identity is shaped by this you who are in Christ are sealed and you cannot be taken away from him the 666 is a parody it is a twisted attempt to mark people and get their allegiance but it is nothing compared to those that are sealed with the name of the Lord our God I'm telling you who knows what will happen what tribulations might come there may be more economic persecutions it might be you're a Christian and you can't get a good job anymore but maybe you need to remember Peter in Acts chapter 3 who said to the lame man I have no silver or gold but what I do have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ get up and walk I've got the name don't have any money right now but I have the name remember what Paul said first Corinthians 6 and such are some of you but you were washed and you're sanctified and you're justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ you may not have everything but you've got the name and so you're sanctified and justified and washed in the blood the name proverb says the name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run into it and they're safe the disciples even before Pentecost came back and the 72 returned with joy saying Lord even the demons are subject to us in your name do you see what I'm saying is that you have the name of Jesus all of the authority of the father was given to Jesus and then Jesus shared his name with you and there is no power of hell no beast from the sea no beast from the land no dragon on the shore no false ideology no wicked empire that ever could compare to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ he's a strong tower you're justified by that name you're sanctified by that name you can heal by that name you can deliver the oppressed and the power of that name in fact Jesus said in John 14 whatever you ask in my name this I will do you ask anything in my name I will do it this is the name Paul said that is above every other name the name unto which one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord you have not the mark of the beast you've got the name of Christ sealed on your life and that is the gospel Alan Wright our good news message from the series the revelation it's the mark of the beast and the seal of Christ and Pastor Alan is back joining me in the studio for a parting good news thought for the day in just a moment if you think heaven is a misty place where you float around on clouds and pluck angelic harps you're in for the surprise of your life our special product this month is all about the hope of heaven it's our gift to you when you support this month Alan's CD album invites you to discover the body you've always wanted a spiritual resurrected body be assured that God isn't going to scrap you or the world he'll make all things new overcome the gnawing anxiety about the end of your life you can have peace now Pastor Alan Wright's hope-filled messages will lead you into more than a joyous revelation of heaven according to the scriptures they'll lead you into a bounding hope so please help us stay on the radio in your area by making a generous gift today and we'll be happy to send you the body you've always wanted the CD album that is when you make your gift to Alan Wright Ministries today we'll send you Pastor Alan's messages in an attractive CD album or through digital download as our way of saying thanks for your partnership now these are the final days this offer is being made available to you this month call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastor alan.org back here now with Pastor Alan and of course closing out with the name of Jesus the name of Christ that's a pretty good thought for the day so the contrast is that those that reject Christ and want to instead follow the power of evil follow the devil as minions follow that beast out of the land that is symbolized by a mark but it's not a literal mark I don't believe it is a little I think it's a symbol to say it's one less than seven one less than less than Sabbath less than Sabbath never Jesus never Jesus never Jesus but in contrast the Christian has been sealed with the very name of Christ and these rich images that John said are meant for our assurance I want to just say this as we conclude to make sure every Christian you understand this you don't need to be afraid of inadvertently being stricken with the mark of the beast and the mark of the beast is something that is a symbol and it's chosen as a way of thinking it's chosen as an ideology it's chosen as a rejection of Christ it's chosen as a following of the Antichrist and so as a Christian you don't have that you are instead sealed in the name of Jesus Christ today's good news message is a listener-supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.
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