Numbers are very useful to humans. They indicate who we
are, (for social, corporate and governmental purposes,) they tell us how fast
we can drive, they tell us how wealthy we are, they tell us how many friends or
followers we have, and in this case – they tell us who we follow.
Of all the things counterfeited by Satan, his employment
of the mark of the beast is the most sinister. If you remember, previously
144,000 witnesses of the tribes of Israel had been marked, or sealed by God. Revelation
14:1 tells us they were marked by having His (Jesus’) Father’s name written on
their foreheads.
An act of the will was necessary to allow this, and this
act of the will completely exposes these 144,000 witnesses to BE witnesses
whether they say anything or not. It is written on their faces. One thing you
cannot run from is your face.
Now along comes anti-Christ, and one of his first acts of
violence is to the souls of men. He forces a ‘voluntary’ act of compliance to
the name of Satan – the mark of the Beast. There is no way around this but to
accept death by defiance to the mark being placed, and the only means by which
this may be carried out is to, ‘not love your life to death.’ (Rev 12:11) Given
man’s keen interest in his own survival, this will place following God on an
altar unprecedented in the history of the world, known only by those martyrs
who have preceded us in history. Never on this scale has death been required to
follow Jesus.
Today is the day of salvation. Don’t let it pass. This is
the day of an easy mark. Soon and very soon, the day of your salvation will be
marked by death.
-Pastor Bill