St. Paul's Sarver
Coffee Talk 9.24.23
Session 3: Signs or Why It's Okay to Use Universal Product Codes...
In February 7th, 2013 a Tennessee man quits his job after receiving a W-2 tax form stamped with the number 666. "If you accept that number, you sell your soul to the devil," he said.
In 1989, the Regans moved into their new home in Bel-Air at 666 St. Cloud Road. They subsequently changed it to 668 St. Cloud Road.
In 1974, a packet of gum was purchased in an Ohio supermarket. What made this purchase significant is that it was the first item to use the Universal Product Code (UPC) or what we call the barcode. Several years later, Mary Stewart Relfe would write a book entitled, “The New Money System 666” that claimed the codes hid the number 666. Many Christians followed suite.
What ties these three stories together?
Other than the Mark of the Beast, what are some other “signs” that you’ve heard talked about in popular culture or by late night televangelists? What could be a negative effect of such preaching and teaching?
Why Signs?
Before we get to specifics, why do you think the Bible gives us signs of the end?
Luke 21:28 “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Matthew 24:12–13 “12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him… 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed…”
In short, signs are given to incite us to _____________________, prayer, holiness, endurance, and hope rather than speculation. In fact, the Bible explicitly forbids the ladder:
Matthew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”
Acts 1:6–7 “6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”
Does any of this surprise you?
What are the Signs?
a) Signs in nature. -See Luke 21:25-26
b) Signs in the realm of human activity and life: warfare, hatred against the Church, pestilences, famines, general distress, & great wickedness. -See Matthew 24:5-14, 37-39
c) Signs in the Church: False teachers and prophets, messianic pretenders, apostacy, Antichrists and the Antichrist, and sever persecution. -See Luke 21:8-18, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 2 Peter 3:3, 1 John 2:18
The Antichrist, Mark of the Beast, etc…
For $1, what book of the Bible mentions “the antichrist?”
______________ “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”
______________ “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
From ____________ testimony we may conclude that: 1) the “end times” extended from his day to ours, 2) throughout these end times the spirit of the Antichrist leads people to deny Jesus Christ, 3) the Antichrist is still to come. Does anything surprise you about this portrayal of the Antichrist?
The Antichrist in Paul’s writings
Although Paul doesn’t mention the term “Antichrist,” he speaks of “__________________________” who will emerge.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, we discover that immediately before Christ returns this person will lead a rebellion against God and his people, he will do the work of Satan, will perform counterfeit miracles that will deceive many, and in the end will be destroyed.
The Antichrist in Revelation
In Revelation, the antichrist is pictured symbolically in the second beast: Read Revelation 13:11-18 noting the symbolism.
As it is hinted in other parts of Scripture, in Revelation we discover that ultimately the Antichrist is literally a false or counterfeit Christ. He’s Satan’s agent masquerading as the Savior. Jesus performed miracles to point to the truth, he performs miracles to deceive. God places a mark upon his people to show that they belong to them (Rev 7:3), the beast forces a mark to be placed on his followers and causes economic hardship to all who refuse. Jesus is described as a horned Lamb in Revelation 5, the beast is described as have two horns like a Lamb.
When you combine this with the purpose of signs, everything comes together! The Holy Spirit is saying through the Apostles, “When you see these things happening, don’t be dupped! Be watchful, pray, and endure to the end.”