Gospel Dynamite with J. Allen Mashburn

The Mark of the Beast | Revelation 13:16-18 | J. Allen Mashburn

We have arrived at a passage of Scripture that has caused more speculation that possibly any other. For centuries people have been trying to decipher the Mark of the Beast. People actually fear the number 666.
Several years ago, I was in a store making a purchase, and the total of my purchases came to $6.66. This has happened on more than one occasion. Nearly every time, the clerk has tried to get me to buy something else so she won’t have to ring up $6.66. I always pay the $6.66 and sometimes use the opportunity to witness to the clerk, and to give a brief explanation of the Mark of the Beast. It can be a wonderful witnessing opportunity.
There is a lot of speculation concerning what the Mark of the Beast is all about. There is much misinformation concerning this subject as well. These verses give us some of the information we need to understand just what the Mark of the Beast is. We won’t learn everything we would like to know, but we will learn enough to know that no Christian in this room needs to be afraid of the Mark of the Beast.
So, let’s look at these three verses today. Let’s see if we can dispel some of the mystery surrounding the Mark of the Beast. 

The Beast from the Earth | Revelation 13:11-15 | J. Allen Mashburn

For the past few weeks we have been treading unholy ground. We have spent a lot of time talking about the devil and his activities during the Tribulation. I would just remind you today that Satan is an imitator. He hasn't had an original thought in over six thousand years.
As we all know, there is a Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is comprised of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is these three individuals Who are one God. Satan has a trinity too. His trinity, however, is anything but holy.
The unholy trinity is composed of Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. 
Each member of the Holy Trinity has a specific purpose. God the Father receives the worship of His people through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the facilitator of this holy worship. He stirs up the heart of the believer and causes him or her to worship God.
Remember, Satan is an imitator. His trinity functions exactly the same way. In Satan's unholy trinity, Satan receives the worship through the person of the Antichrist and the False Prophet facilitates this worship.
We have already considered the first two members of the unholy trinity. We have looked extensively at Satan and at the Antichrist. In this message we will look at these verses and get a glimpse of the False Prophet. 
He is the person who will guide the world's religion during the Tribulation Period. Let's look into these verses together and notice the insights the Bible gives us concerning The Beast From The Earth.

The Beast Out of the Sea | Revelation 13:1-10 | J. Allen Mashburn

In our last study we met the Antichrist. We tried to consider what the Bible says about this coming world ruler who is called the "Man of Sin"; the "Son of Perdition". The Antichrist gives us an opportunity to see how Satan operates. The devil is an imitator. He takes what God does and he tries to duplicate it.
You see, Jesus, the real Christ, is a revelation of God the Father. In John 1, there are three verses that are worthy of note, John 1:1, 14, 18. These verses teach us the truth that Jesus is a living, breathing revelation of God the Father. The verse 18, the word "declared' translates the Greek word that gives us our English word "exegesis". The word means "to narrate, to explain, to lead out, to draw out'. It speaks of "an explanation, or a narration".
In preaching, we use exegesis to "lead out and explain" the truths contained in the text. When Jesus came, He came to "explain, to lead out, to narrate" God. In other words, Jesus Christ was and is God in the flesh. He was able to say, "I and my Father are one," John 10:30. He was also able to say, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father," John 14:9. Jesus is God incarnate; He is God in the flesh!
In the Antichrist, Satan attempts to duplicate this relationship between Jesus Christ and God the Father. The Antichrist will be a living, breathing revelation of the devil. He will be the devil incarnate; he will be the devil in the flesh.
We know that our God is a triune Being. He is one God Who manifests Himself in the Persons. He is Father, Son and Holy Ghost. All three are One God, yet each is an individual Person. They come together to make up the Holy Trinity.
In Revelation 12-13, we are introduced to the Satanic Trinity. Satan imitates God the Father. The Antichrist imitates God the Son. The False Prophet, who we will meet in our next study, imitates God the Holy Spirit.
Let's give our attention once again to this man who will be known as the Antichrist. These verses give us some important details concerning his mission, his methods and his miracles.

The Great Dragon is Cast Out | Revelation 12:7-17 | J. Allen Mashburn

The chapter we are studying here in Revelation is a chapter wrapped in conflict. In our last study we witnessed war between the nation of Israel, symbolized by pregnant woman, and Satan, symbolized by a great red dragon. As we read our text today, you may have noticed that these verses continue the image of conflict. In fact, verse 7 is quite a shock to the system.
When we read of war in Heaven it kind of takes us back. We do not think of Heaven as being a place where wars are fought. If the Bible announced a war on earth, we would not be shocked. Our world has a long history of bloody warfare.
According to one statistician, in the 5,560 years of recorded human history there have been some 14,531 wars. Many of history's wars were conflicts between two nations, or two factions within a nation. But, in World War II war was taken to new and devastating heights. By the time the war reached its zenith only twelve nations were not involved in the conflict on at least some level. In the year 2,000 there were at least forty armed conflicts being fought on the soil of thirty-six different nations.' Our world is a world of warfare!
Yet, when we read of warfare in Heaven, we are taken aback. This war will settle a conflict that has been raging since before there was a world. As we discovered in our last study, Lucifer, who seems to have been the chief among God's angels sinned against God. He led one-third of the angels of Heaven away from God in this rebellion and he and they were removed from God's presence. Lucifer became Satan and he has done everything in his power to disrupt the eternal plan of God to redeem His elect people and His ruined creation. Since that time, as we will discover, Satan has had limited access to Heaven. This chapter tells us about the final battle in this ages old war. In this battle, Satan, the great dragon, is forever cast out of Heaven.
While there are details here that are confusing, these verses are a blessing to the children of God. They tell us of a day when Satan will finally and eternally be cast out of Heaven. Let's look at these verses and examine a few more of the participants of the Tribulation Period.

Great Wonders in Heaven | Revelation 12::1-6 | J. Allen Mashburn

We are moving into the second half of the book of Revelation today. This second portion opens with an amazing vision of some great wonders on the heavens.
Let me remind you that the book of Revelation is not written in chronological order. Chapters 4-9 take us all the way through the end of the Tribulation Period. Chapters 10-11 are passages that stand as like a parenthesis in the action. They reveal some of the “behind the scenes” activities of the Lord. Chapter 11 takes us to the very edge of eternity. It closes with the Lord Jesus claiming His rightful dominion over this universe and it reveals as the inhabitants of that glorious land praise their King. Chapters 12-19 take us back through the Tribulation once again.
While chapters 4-9 deal with the timeline or the plan of the Tribulation, chapters 12-19 deal with the characters, or the people of the Tribulation. We are introduced to some of the individuals who will figure greatly during that period of time.
So, we are going to tread once again on ground we have already visited. As one writer said, “In Revelation 4-9 we see the events of the Tribulation through a telescope; in Revelation 12-19 we see things through a microscope.” In other words, we are about to get a more detailed look at the events of this period.
What is said in chapter 12 is essential to a proper understanding of what is going to be said in the rest of the book. If we misinterpret things here, we are going to be off tract the rest of the way through Revelation.

Heavenly Rejoicing on the Edge of Eternity | Revelation 11:15-19 | J. Allen Mashburn

This message brings us to the half way point of the book of Revelation. It also brings us to the end of a very long section that began back in Rev. 10:1. In this passage, the seventh trumpet, which was announced in Rev. 10:7, is about to sound. When it is sounded, this trumpet will unleash God’s final acts of judgments upon the earth.
 
The seventh trumpet will bring about a devastating wave of judgment. It will fulfill the ancient prophecies of Joel 2:1-2, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; (2) A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.” When it is sounds, the seven bowl judgments are revealed. 
These bowls contain the final, awesome, awful judgments of God, Rev. 15:1. The sound of the seventh trumpet alerts the world that King Jesus is about to reclaim everything that belongs to Him.
Now, the seventh trumpet is sounded here in Rev. 11:1, but the events it brings to pass are not recorded until we get to Rev 15. Chapters 12-14 are a retelling of the Tribulation story from a different perspective. In Rev. 6-11, the focus has been on the Lord Jesus. We have learned about the process He uses to take possession of this earth. Rev. 12-14 takes the focus off the Lord and places in on the Antichrist. We have been observing the Tribulation from God’s perspective. For the next few chapters we will observe that awful period of time fro Satan’s perspective.
      This passage takes us forward in time to the very edge of eternity. We are transported ahead to the end of the age to a time when Jesus has taken possession of the world and judged sin and sinners. As we look ahead to that blessed day, we find Heaven in a state of rejoicing.
      Today, we want to look into these verses, and by virtue into Heaven itself. In doing so, we are allowed to witness Heaven’s reaction to the reign of the Lord Jesus. I want to show you the great reasons why we see worship, praise and excitement in Heaven as time comes to an end. The words “great voices” translate the Greek words “mega” and “phonay”. We get the word “megaphone” from these words. It refers to shouting and loud speech. 
This is a picture of loud, vigorous praise in glory, v. 15-16!

The Two Witnesses from Another World | Revelation 11:1-14 | J. Allen Mashburn

We are still in a parenthetical of Scripture. God is describing a break in the action of the Tribulation as He takes care of some heavenly business. As I mentioned in our last study, this is one of the most difficult passages in the Revelation to interpret.
      There are two facts to keep in mind as we study these verses.
1.  We are on Jewish ground – The images and words used are Jewish in nature.
2.  We are dealing with events related to the future – The book of Revelation details future events. Any other interpretation destroys its meaning and purpose.
      In verses 1-2 we discovered that a new Jewish temple will be built in Jerusalem. The Jews will consecrate a priesthood and they will offer animal sacrifices as prescribed in the Law of Moses. They will worship God under the old covenant, not recognizing the fact that Jesus shed His precious blood once for all to save the souls of humanity.
      The next vision we are given is of two special witnesses. God sends two ambassadors from Heaven to preach His Gospel message to the people in Jerusalem. It is these men and their ministry that we want to consider today.

The Tribulation Temple | Revelation 11:1-2 | J. Allen Mashburn

We are still in the midst of a parenthetical passage that began in chapter 10. We are in the midst of a pause in the actions and activities of the Tribulation Period judgments. As we come to Revelation 11, we have arrived at one of the most difficult passages in the book of the Revelation. It is hard to understand, but keeping two thoughts in mind will help us as we study these verses.
1. We are on Jewish ground – The images and terminology are Jewish in nature. These verses deal with the future of the people of Israel.
2. We are dealing with future events – Some theologians take these verses and try to make them fit the past. Some even try to make them fit into the present. It seems to me that they will only fit into the future.
      What we are going to study today is a prophecy concerning the future Temple in Jerusalem. I thought it would be good if we just took our time in this chapter and considered these matters in some detail. So, with that in mind, let’s examine John’s words concerning the future Temple. I want you to see that this prophecy contains some very specific visions of the future of the Jewish people. So, let’s study together The Tribulation Temple.