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The World to Come. The Restored Church of God presents David C. Pack. Answering life’s
greatest questions straight from the Bible, and announcing the wonderful good news of
the World to Come.
Few things could be more important to your life than the understanding presented in this
7-part series about the Beast of Revelation. This is Part 6. The viewer who has watched
all previous parts knows that plain answers have been given to the greatest questions
about this subject, and all other subjects related to it. This includes explaining the
Beast’s number 666, the identity of the Great *** of Revelation 17, where the False
Prophet who works alongside the Beast will come from, what is the image of the Beast,
and how a final martyrdom of lukewarm saints is foretold---among others.
Soon, God’s terrible anger, described as His wrath, will come to the full after 6,000
years of watching a sinning mankind reject His Law---choosing ever worse behavior, and
on a worldwide scale. This punishment is described in the Bible as the year-long Day of the Lord.
This time follows the two and a half years of the prophesied Great Tribulation, and falls
on those who have taken the Beast’s Mark. We have seen that the Great Tribulation is
Satan’s wrath on the modern nations that have descended from the 12 tribes of ancient
Israel. God permits this as a special punishment, upon countless millions, because of the widespread
and awful national sins of these nations. So then, what IS the Mark of the Beast---exactly?
There is a tremendous amount to learn---and all of it is critical. Nothing can be skipped
in order to gain the full---and correct---picture, presented in these last two segments of the
series.
We have not yet identified the exact nature of the Mark of the Beast. But we will soon
learn it has something to do with obedience---whether we will obey “God or man.”
The answers to biblical questions always lie in the Bible, never anywhere else. And you
have seen answers about the Beast have come straight from your own Bible. It is my job
to make things plain---to speak the truth no matter what others may say or think. This
means letting the Bible---God!---continue to answer the great questions about the Beast
of Revelation and all subjects related to it. We must also let God fill in the details
since He is the one who recorded them in His Word.
So many unqualified, self-appointed religious commentators and preachers spew ignorant opinions
regarding things about which they have no idea. No wonder they disagree. On matters
of prophecy, they bring much unnecessary confusion. Of course, God will be their judge. But they
just do not know how to properly put together the complex, jigsaw puzzle of great prophecies,
including who, what, where, when and in what sequence events occur. Whenever necessary,
so many simply recut pieces of the puzzle to fit open spaces---or they just throw out
the pieces that do not fit their picture. Make no mistake. I speak with authority because
I know the right answers. And those answers all harmonize with each other---and with the
Bible. And they accommodate all the details given in God’s Word.
As we have seen, the New Testament describes 2 very different churches. The true Church
that Jesus built is the bride of Christ, and it forsakes involvements with this world and
its customs in order to be pure when He comes to marry her.
Throughout the New Testament are warnings that false teachers would creep in (read Jude
3-4, II Thes. 2:3-11 and II Cor. 11:13-14). These deceivers would seek to gain control
of the Church organization, forcing faithful Christians to flee their original congregations
to continue obeying God. True Christians were foretold to remain a “little flock,” often
scattered, never having political power in this world.
Despite continual persecution---even during periods of horrible martyrdom---by the large
popular churches that have continually sought to destroy it---a determined remnant has always
remained throughout the last nearly 2,000 years.
The world has kept little track of this small, scattered Church, but Jesus promised He would
never leave or forsake it, and that “the gates of hell [the grave] shall not prevail
against it.” Though it has periodically been forced to flee for its life---read Acts
8:1 and Dan. 12:7---Jesus has faithfully kept His promise to remain with it, empowering
and strengthening it through His Spirit. Understand this before continuing. His Church---the
true Church---is loyal and obedient to His government structure, and no other! This has
much---in fact, we will see everything!---to do with the Mark of the Beast.
Immediately after the third angel’s warning in Revelation 14:9-10, is a description of
God’s servants who will not take the Mark. Remember, there are only two categories of
people---those who take the Mark and those who do not. God declares, “Here is the patience
of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
In a disobedient world that has followed a system in rebellion against God, there are
relatively few commandment-keepers. God’s little Church
has always been willing---and determined---to obey Him.
This verse explains that only the “faith of Jesus” (not merely faith IN Jesus) gives
them the strength to resist receiving the Mark. Shallow human faith will be of no value
in avoiding it! As we continue from this point, I will move
slowly and carefully. You should want---and demand---PROOF about the Mark. You will soon
not lack for such proof. When approached by a young man seeking salvation,
Jesus was asked, “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” His
answer? “If you will enter into life, keep the commandments.”
It has always been this plain for all who would serve God! The commandments of God---ALL
of them---must be kept. Regarding obedience to His Law, God has always
had but one standard: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not
kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of
the law.” Christians keep all the laws of God. They
make no exceptions! Get this! The above scriptures reveal that
God’s people refuse the Mark, keep His commandments and obey His government. Also get this! Those
of the world receive the Mark, obey something else, and thereby disobey God and reject His
rule over them. Here now is a description of those who have
triumphed over Satan’s Mark: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire:
and them that had gotten the victory over the Beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Your ways, You
King of saints.” God likens those who have achieved victory
to those who escaped Egypt and Pharaoh’s rule. Recall that, under Moses’ leadership,
Israel escaped the plagues that fell on Egypt, which was a forerunner and type of the plagues
to fall on those who received the Mark. Paul spoke of how Old Testament examples “are
written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
God’s saints are shown to “sing the song of Moses” standing on a sea of glass before
God, just as Israel stood on the shore of the Red Sea having been delivered from oppression
in Egypt. They sing Moses’ song because Moses reflects God’s commandments. They
sing the song of the Lamb (Christ) because---through the faith of Christ---they have conquered
sin, and received salvation. Now back to Revelation 12 and key events happening
to God’s Church at the very end. Satan is angry, and directs his wrath against
God’s people. But this is contrasted to great joy in heaven because of God’s final
victory through His servants. Notice: “Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in
them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down
unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” The last
phrase reveals why the devil is angry. Verses 13-16 explain that a very select few
of God’s completely faithful servants will be protected in what is called the Church’s
“place” for three and a half years (also see Rev. 3:10-11). But those who are less
vigilant, less convicted and lukewarm, and who have accepted certain doctrines of the
Revelation 17 Great ***, while remaining generally faithful in keeping the commandments,
will not be protected. This group was explained in Part 5.
Here is what Satan does to this lukewarm group next. Read it carefully as further proof that
God’s people keep the commandments---and suffer Satan’s wrath as a result.
Continue with the final verse of chapter 12: “And the dragon was wroth with the woman
[God’s true Church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Christians are commandment-keepers, and the testimony of Jesus Christ is God’s Word---the
Bible. The “testimony of Jesus Christ” is also referred to as the “spirit of prophecy.”
God’s servants understand the basic framework of His overall prophetic timetable and plan.
They are not confused about “what happens next,” once certain prophecies begin to
take place. However, just as God knows His servants, and
they are marked by obedience to Him, so Satan knows his servants, and marks them as his
own, so that they may be protected from his wrath---the Tribulation!
Understand this in the following way: Satan marks his servants and protects them from
his wrath, while persecuting and martyring those who will not take his Mark. On the other
hand, God protects His most faithful servants (again, Rev. 3:10-11 and 12:13-16), because
they will not take the Mark, or in any manner compromise His way, but pours His wrath on
those who do take Satan’s Mark. (But even those who are lukewarm can, through death,
triumph over the Mark in the Tribulation and receive salvation.)
Get this picture absolutely clear in your mind!
There are other plain New Testament scriptures that tell us exactly why God pours out His
wrath on certain people. We will examine them shortly.
We must first examine what God says sin is, for His plagues will be poured out on a sinning
humanity. Once we understand how God defines sin, we can better understand how Satan marks
all his servants. Here is sin, defined by God: “Whosoever
commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
In plain words, just as the faithful are commandment-keepers, those who sin are commandment-breakers.
Now let’s examine for specific understanding about exactly what brings the wrath of God.
Notice this: “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which
things’ sake the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.” Let me repeat:
“the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.”
There it is! God pours out His wrath on those who DISOBEY Him! There is no misunderstanding
the plain meaning here. Let’s compare another: “But fornication,
and all uncleanness, or covetousness...filthiness...For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean
person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom...Let no
man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the [here it is] wrath
of God upon the children of disobedience.” Once again, it is most plain regarding why,
and upon whom, God pours His wrath! And the next verse shows what Christians are instructed
not to do with those who practice what Paul describes: “Be not you therefore partakers
with them.” Those who “partake” of this conduct, or
who fraternize “with them”---the world and its ways---will partake of God’s plagues
on a rebellious mankind. May this sober you!
The prophet Zephaniah speaks most bluntly of this terrible day when God’s wrath is
poured out. Notice: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastens greatly,
even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That
day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet
and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress
upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the
Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.”
Now let’s summarize. The Mark of the Beast directly involves commandment-breaking,
and he that breaks one breaks them all. Remember, the Mark is of the Roman Empire---the Beast---not
the woman who rides it. And recall, the false woman church caused the masses to receive
the Mark through deception. The human government through which Satan deceives the world---the
revived Roman Empire---receives its power, its seat and authority from him. Holding a
job and engaging in commerce---buying or selling---is impossible for those without the Mark. Martyrdoms,
past and future, occur because some refuse the Mark, and keep the commandments of God
instead. So, the Mark is something the apostate church enforces, which is directly contrary
to God’s Law, and has a direct relationship to earning a living---holding a job.
Since Satan has “deceived the whole world,” how has he accomplished this? On what point
has he seized, which he can most naturally replace with a counterfeit. Let’s ask: What
command would Satan most easily change, and then expect carnal human reasoning to conclude
is merely an innocent adjustment? Understand. The carnal mind is “enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Human beings are
most agreeable to sin in all of its forms. People are perfectly willing to break every
one of God’s commandments. Whether idolatry, stealing, adultery, ***, dishonoring of
parents, coveting or lying, people willingly---and almost eagerly---do these things. And, of
course, Satan has certainly led people into all of these practices.
But none of these represent, in any particular way, a test that directly connects to how
one might earn a living or hold a job---to whether or how one could or could not “buy
and sell.” And Satan must select a commandment, which affects THIS ABILITY of those who will
not compromise God’s Law. There is only one commandment that Satan would
see as a candidate for such a test. It is one God has always said is a sign between
Him and His people. We will soon learn it. But first we should ask, “What is a mark,
brand or sign?” What do these terms signify---what do they mean?
In practical application, ranchers brand their cattle to signify ownership. In many cases,
retailers hang a sign above their establishment to show whose hardware store, restaurant or
shop it is. In Genesis 4, after Cain killed Abel, he received a “mark,” signifying
he had sinned. This was also a kind of brand or sign telling those who met Cain who and
what he was. The famous novel The Scarlet Letter is the story of a woman who committed
adultery and had to wear a large “A” on the front of her clothing to signify what
she had done. It is no different with a church. God does
not force anyone to obey Him. But Satan, through his church, does force his brand on his people
in the same way ranchers force their brand on cattle.
Now what is the sign that God says identifies His people? What point of obedience tells
God that we are His people? In Genesis 2, immediately after God had made
man, He finished the week with one final creation: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished,
and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made;
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed
the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work
which God created and made.” From creation, God established, blessed and
sanctified (meaning, set apart) the 7th day of the week as a day of rest. He never established
any other day---and confirmed that this was His Law “forever.” He told ancient Israel
to “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...the seventh day is the sabbath of the
Lord your God.” After a few generations in Egypt, God’s
people, the ancient Israelites, had lost all knowledge of His Law. God had to teach it
to them again. After freeing them from slavery, the first great law He gave them was the command
to keep the Sabbath. The Sabbath originated before the Old Covenant
was established. The Ten Commandments were not given as part of the Old Covenant. They
had been in force since creation. In Exodus 31:12-17, God made a special covenant
with Israel regarding His Sabbath: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying...Verily
My sabbaths you shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations;
that you may know that I am the Lord that does sanctify you. You shall keep the sabbath...the
seventh [day] is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord...Wherefore the children of Israel
shall keep the sabbath...for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of
Israel FOREVER: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He
rested...” This last phrase proves the Sabbath was established
from the creation week---over 2,000 years before Exodus 31.
The Sabbath “sanctifies” those who keep it. They are set apart as belonging to God---as
being owned by Him. Christians are told “you are bought with a price; be not you the servants
of men” and “you are bought with a price: therefore glorify God...”
Those who observe the Sabbath are signified as God’s people---and that He owns them.
They are also publicly identified as people who keep the commandments. Civil laws require
people to keep several of the other commandments (against stealing, ***, lying [or perjury],
etc.), so obedience to most or all of the other commandments, which the world at least
generally acknowledges, in one form or another, does not identify one as a commandment-keeper!
The SABBATH does! It is a sign that people are of God, since no one would ever think
or choose to keep this law without it having been revealed by God.
Notice that God established the Sabbath as a “perpetual covenant” to be kept “throughout
your generations”---and “forever.” This is ironclad! God’s command is for all time.
The Sabbath was to be kept forever! Doing this kept people in touch with the true God.
It was the way God intended people never lose sight of who He was (their God)---and who
they were (His people)! If all peoples and nations kept the Sabbath, as Israel was commanded
to do, no one would have ever fallen into idolatry and the worship of other gods---which
has happened to all nations who have not kept the Fourth Commandment.
Now we must ask: Which commandment would the devil choose to overthrow? Which one would
he most hate---and why? Which commandment signifies that those who obey it do not belong
to him? The only commandment signifying that a person
belongs to God---and the only commandment that directly points to the true God of creation,
thus displacing Satan, is the SABBATH! Satan most hates the Fourth Commandment! There
is no way to get around whether one does or does not literally observe the 7th day of
the week as the Sabbath. You either do or do not! God and Satan are not confused on
this point. They know what is at stake---and the world can readily see whether one keeps
the Sabbath or not. Ancient Israel would not keep God’s Sabbath
for any length of time. They would at times temporarily observe it, but they always fell
back into the practices of the nations around them. The following summarizes how God says
Sabbath-breaking brought His wrath on disobedient Israel: “In the day when I chose Israel...saying,
I am the Lord your God...I gave them My sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they
might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. But...Israel rebelled against Me...My
sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out My fury [God’s wrath] upon
them in the wilderness, to consume them...Nevertheless Mine eye spared them from destroying...But
I said unto their children...hallow My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you...Notwithstanding
the children rebelled against Me...they polluted My sabbaths: then I said, I would pour out
My fury [His wrath] upon them, to accomplish My anger [His wrath].”
Because of their repeated disobedience and rebellion against His authority, God eventually
sent Israel into captivity (by the Assyrians) and the Jews (by the Babylonians).
Of course, some will naturally say, “Well, the Sabbath was only made for the Jews and
Israel.” Jesus answers, “The Sabbath was made for man...therefore the Son of man is
Lord also of the Sabbath.” Yes, Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, not the
Lord of Sunday! The Sabbath was not made for the Jews or Israel only, it was made for MAN.
It was made for all humanity---but humanity has rejected it!
There is much more to learn, but this is all we have time for in this broadcast. Next time
we will look much more closely at where Sunday-keeping came from---how it is that so many millions
of people observe a day nowhere commanded in the Bible. But we will also look at a second
aspect of obedience directly related to the Beast’s Mark, and to Sunday observance.
I realize these have been incredible statements. I also realize no one else is making them.
But they are all true nevertheless. Be sure you watch the final part in this vital
series. In the meantime, I urge you yet again to read
this thorough booklet, Who or What Is the Beast of Revelation? Believe me, it is unlike
any other you could ever read on the subject of the Beast and everything related to it.
Until next time, this is David C. Pack saying, “Goodbye, friends.”
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