Turn your Bibles to Mark chapter number 13. We've been journeying with the Lord Jesus through the Gospel of Mark. And we've come to the end of His life. When you come to Mark chapter number 13, you are three days before Calvary. It's here that the Lord Jesus on the side of the Mount of Olives gives one of the most important prophetic passages found anywhere in the Bible. It is the blueprint of the end times, the master plan, so to speak. When a person understands the chronology of the Olivet Discourse, it opens up the book of the Revelation, the prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel. It gives us a greater understanding. All of those other prophecies are not chronological. in their context, all right? But we're gonna find the Lord Jesus' end time message was, I call it the end times according to Jesus. We're in verse number 14 of chapter 13. And if you didn't get the first messages, can I encourage you to go on to our website and you can listen to those free of charging order and from us have to pay for them. But if you go on to the website, you get them for free, isn't that a blessing? And you can listen to them there and off of our church app. And I want to encourage you to catch up because we're right in the middle of what the Bible calls the tribulation period. And we want to understand some truth today. Today's a little technical. We're going to have to really stay tuned in, alright? And we're going to learn some things this morning. that I believe are extremely important. Let's look at verse number 14. If you don't have a Bible, the text verses are on the screen. Notice that Lord Jesus says, but. That is a transition. He's getting ready to make a transition in verse 14 because we're at the middle point of the tribulation period. Notice he said, but when ye shall see. It's something that the people alive on the earth during this time will actually see with their physical eyes. But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation. Would you underline that in your Bible? The abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. That's a key. It helps us understand. If we're going to understand what this abomination of desolation is, we're going to have to go look at Daniel because the Lord referenced Daniel's prophecy. Watch this next phrase, "...standing where it ought not." That means it's in a place that it shouldn't be. "...Let him that readeth understand." Do you realize the disciples aren't reading, we are today, but the disciples weren't. They were listening. The Lord was speaking this for the very first time and they're hearing His words. The Lord said there's going to come a group of people, they're going to read this. Do you realize that there's going to be a group of people on planet earth during this time that will read these words and see this event take place in real time? It will be a marker, a road sign, so to speak, that will help them to understand where they are in God's prophetic agenda. Alright? Notice he goes on to say, then. Once they see this, then something needs to happen. Let them that be in Judea. That is a geographical location. At this point, he's not talking to everybody in the world. He's talking to those in Judea that will see this thing take place, there's something they need to do. Then let them that be in Judea flee to the mountains. He said you need to run, you need to flee, you need to leave Jerusalem. Verse 15. And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein to take anything out of his house. When you see this happen, don't pack up anything. You immediately leave Jerusalem. Look at verse 16. And let him that is in the field, if this takes place while you're out working in the field, don't turn back again. for to take up his garment. Don't go back and try to get anything. From that moment, you drop whatever you're doing, and you run, you flee. That's what he says. Verse 17, But woe to them that are with child, that are mothers that have children, and to them that give suck. These are nursing mothers that have infants. In those days, it's going to be a very difficult time of flight for the Jewish people. Verse 18, And pray you that your flight be not in the winter that would make it traversing the Judean mountains even more difficult. Look at verse 19, For in those days shall be affliction. Would you circle or underline that word affliction? such as was not from the beginning of creation, which God created in this time, neither shall be." He's talking about not just affliction or trial or trouble in general. He's talking about a specific time in the earth's future. He's talking about a time during the tribulation period. You can write beside that word affliction, hard labor. And I'm going to explain that in just a moment in a little more detail. Hard labor. Such as was not from the beginning. Nothing's ever happened from the point of creation to this time. And after it's over, it'll never be like this again. It's going to be a time of trial and difficulty and judgment like the earth has never experienced. Verse 20. and accept that the Lord had shortened those days. Now he's talking about all of humanity. No flesh should be saved. That means they wouldn't survive it. But for the elect's sake, those who know the Lord, whom He had chosen, He has shortened the days. And then if any man shall say to you, lo, here is Christ, here is Messiah, or lo, He is there, believe him not. Don't listen to him. Verse 22. For false Christ and false prophets shall rise and shall show signs and wonders to seduce or deceive. If it were possible, even the elect, those who know the Lord. Verse 23. But take ye heed. That's the third time that phrase is used in the verses, the chapter we've been studying. Pay attention! Be alert! Behold, I have foretold you all things." He said, I'm telling you what is going to happen. Do you know that's what's on everybody's mind today? Preacher, what in the world is going to happen? Our world is disintegrating around us. We look at the news, we read the headlines, we see what's going on around us. Where is our world headed? The Lord's telling you. And friend, can I tell you, you think this is something, it's nothing like what that day's going to be. Friend, can I tell you, I can promise you, when this day comes, you don't want to be here this morning. We're going to begin our first look at the great tribulation period. Let's pray together and ask God to help us. Father, we thank You for Your Word today. We thank You for the truth of Your Word. I'm glad, Lord, that You have not left Your people in the dark. Lord, we don't have to wonder where our world is headed. We know. You've given us insight and understanding. You did not give it to the world. Lord, You gave it to us. Lord, the world can understand it. They can learn it if they come to know You. But Lord, otherwise, they're in the dark. God, thank You for giving us hope today. Thank You, Lord, for giving us understanding. Lord, we're in a very technical portion of Scripture that You gave. And Lord, we need the Spirit's illumination. We need His understanding today. Lord, enlighten our eyes and minds to understand truth. and help us to respond to it. Lord, there may be someone here today without Christ, and Lord, You want them to be saved. You want their sins to be gone. And I pray, Lord, they'll come to know You. And Lord, we're going to thank You for what You do. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Well, the Bible says that there's going to come a day of hard labor or great Tribulation. That's the phrase that Matthew used to describe this time. That word affliction in verse number 19 speaks of an intense anguish that's descriptive of the distress that a woman experiences in hard labor. Matthew in his parallel verse to this, Matthew 24-21, do you realize that in your Bible you'll have little verses beside verses? These are what we call cross-references where you can reference other places in the Bible, and this would be a cross-reference. Matthew 24-21, it's a parallel. It's Matthew's account of the same message. And Matthew put it this way, he said, For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Now here's where I want you to gather with me. We're studying the tribulation period. It is seven years in length. We understand that. We're going to look at the prophecy today, where that number comes from. We're going to understand how we've arrived at that seven years. You're going to find the tribulation period, this future time of the earth's history, will divide in the middle. It will be three and a half years and three and a half years, okay? And there is an event that's going to take place that will mark that turning point when you're going to lead the first three and a half years, and enter into that last part, the hard labor of the great tribulation period. You remember the Lord Jesus is using a woman in childbirth to picture what this time is going to be like. He uses it as an imagery. Now listen, you and I both know that when real labor begins in a woman's life, when that starts, when that starts, we know there's an arrival coming. You get the first paint, You know, bags are packed, and you're like, okay, is it it? I think it's it. How far apart? We're timing them. And then you know, and some of our folks recently went through this, You know that you start timing the intensity of it, the frequency of it, and when they start getting closer together, the pains are a little bit rougher, you know, boy, something's getting ready to happen. But when they start, friend, an arrival's coming, a baby's going to be born. Here's what God said. The earth, so to speak, is going to go into a time like labor. That means it's going to be intense pain, difficulty, hardship, tribulation, judgment of God. Out of that, and we know it's going to start off mild, but it's going to intensify as we work through those seven years. The first three and a half years, the Bible calls the beginning of sorrows. Look at verse 8 of Mark 13. Look back at Mark 13 verse 8. Remember, we looked at this over the last couple of weeks. He says, verse 8, Nations are wise against nations. Kingdom against kingdom. We described all of that and expounded on it. Earthquakes, famines, troubles. These are the beginning of Sars. That's the first three and one half years. Alright? But then wait a minute. We know that's not the end. There's another three and a half years left. That's what Jesus calls in verse 19, Affliction, Matthew 24, Great Tribulation, this is the hard labor, this is the intensity, the frequency picking up, and Jesus said it's so awful, so terrible, that there's never been anything like it before. There'll never be anything like after it's over with. But here's the bright spot. Here's the silver lining. Just as birth pains announce an arrival, so when the earth goes into this time of tribulation, it's going to announce an arrival for when somebody's going to arrive, and His name is Jesus, it's the second coming of Christ. We'll see that in a future message. Alright? And we're going to get there. But this morning we're looking at the Great Tribulation period. And the first thing I want you to see in your Bible this morning is the perversion of the Antichrist. Now listen. Y'all remember last week I was sick. I may have a cough and fit. I'll get past it and we'll go back at it, okay? I'm trying to hold it back right now, alright? Y'all pray for me, alright? So anyway, the perversion and the antichrist. Remember, we're looking for the Lord's Christ. We believe that Jesus that went to heaven is coming back to heaven, amen? He's coming back, alright? But do you realize before He comes back, the devil's going to have his man? And He's going to arrive on the scene during this time, and the Bible calls Him the Antichrist. Anti- meaning not only opposed to, but instead of. Watch this. Are you with me this morning? The world that has rejected God's Christ will receive the devil's Antichrist. They will. Jesus said to them in His day, He said, Him. He said, Me you haven't received, but Him you'll receive. You haven't received the true Christ, but you'll receive the false one. So we find that we're going to see his perversion. Look at verse 14. Are you ready? Here we go. But, here's that transitional conjunction. Here's the hinge that turns the entire passage we're going to move out of the beginning of sorrows into the great tribulation period. He said, but when? You shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not. Let him that readeth understand. Then let him that be in Judea flee to the mountains. There it is, the abomination of desolation. What in the world is that? Well, let's define the two words. Are you ready? Abomination. Don't you want to know what God says? Amen. I do too. So we need to dive into the passage and understand what God says. Abomination. It means something that is detestable. Something that is blasphemous. It's foul. It's immoral. It's ungodly. It's abominable to the God of heaven. Can I tell you, when you go to the Old Testament, this word is connected. It has to do with everything connected with idolatry. Do you realize that God hates idolatry? because it is putting something in the place of God. You know what we ought to guard? We ought to guard having idols in our life. God said that's abominable to Him. I'm not talking about maybe sometimes little images. I've been preached in places where they do have those and they worship those. I've been places like that in America. We don't have them. We have other kinds of gods like entertainment and possessions and all kinds of stuff that gets in front of God in our lives. Y'all following me? But that's not what he's talking about here. This is a specific abomination to God. The word desolation has the idea of making something unclean or useless. The key is where he says, standing where it ought not. That tells me that whatever this abomination is that brings about a desolation, a defilement, to the point that something is useless is going to be standing in a place it shouldn't be standing. When you look at Matthew's parallel account, he will tell you what that place is. It's the holy place. It's the temple. It's the holy of holies in Jerusalem. Let me ask you a question. Is there a temple in Jerusalem right now? No, there's not. Do you know if you go to the Temple Mount right now in Jerusalem there on Mount Zion, do you know what's there? There's the third most Muslim holy site. I probably didn't say that correctly right. My English is probably terrible today. But anyway, it's the third most It is the third holiest site for Muslims in the world. We got it out. It's called the Dome of the Rock. It's setting where the temple in Jerusalem will one day sit. At some point, that Muslim temple will go down and a Jewish temple is going to go up. And they're going to resume the sacrifices like they did in the Old Testament. I believe it'll be in conjunction with the peace treaty that Antichrist will make with the nation of Israel during the tribulation period. But there's going to be a temple there. And that temple is going to be desecrated by an individual. By something that's abominable and detested by God. Alright? So Daniel's going to talk about it. Three times Daniel talks about this abomination of desolation. Three times in his prophecy. Daniel 9.27, 11.31, and chapter 12 and verse number 11. Let's go to Daniel 9 and understand what this... What are they going to see, preacher? What is getting ready to happen? When you go to Daniel chapter 9, and this is something we don't normally do, we're going to put this passage on the screen because it's this important. If you don't have a Bible, I want you to follow me today. Because we're going to look at one of the major prophecies of the Old Testament. This is where we understand the seven-year tribulation period. This is what we know as the prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks or the 70 weeks of Daniel. How many have heard of the 70 weeks of Daniel? You've heard what I'm talking about. Okay, there we go. And we're going to look at that. And let's look at it real quick. Look at verse 24 of Daniel chapter number 9. You don't have a Bible, it will be on the screen. 70 weeks are determined upon thy people. Who's Daniel's people? The nation of Israel. So we're talking about the nation of Israel, and God said 70 weeks are determined upon them and upon thy holy city. That's Jerusalem. And there's going to be some reasons why. To finish the transgression. To make an end of sins. And so what he's saying is, God's going to sum it all up. and to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, that means all prophecy will be fulfilled, and to anoint the Most Holy, that means Messiah will be crowned as King in Jerusalem. Seventy weeks. Now these seventy weeks we know to be prophetic weeks. Alright? We know them to be weeks of years. Seventy times seven is 490. So 490 prophetic years. Do you realize that 483 are fulfilled? Of the 70 weeks, 69 are fulfilled. We're waiting on the final week or the last seven years of prophecy that will fulfill and finish up everything God's determined for the nation of Israel and for this world. Alright? What Daniel doesn't tell you is the 2,000 intervening years where God set Israel aside, didn't cast them off, set them aside while the gospel was being preached to the Gentile world so people like you and me could be saved. Isn't that wonderful? But there's going to come a time when God's going to finish up what He's doing right now and He's going to turn back to what He told Daniel about and He's going to finish what He started with the Jewish people. If there is one proof of the Bible, somebody said, prove the Bible, preacher! Look in the land of Israel and you'll see it. A nation that for almost 2,000 years was not in existence. God had scattered them amongst the nations. And in order for God to fulfill prophecy, they had to be in their land. And they weren't in their land. From 70 A.D. to 1948, out of the Holocaust, Israel realized, if we're going to survive, we've got to have a homeland. And they began to go back to their homeland. They're there today. You know what? They're awaiting the fulfillment of the promises that God made to Abraham. And aren't you glad that God keeps His promises? Amen? Alright, let's pick back up. You ready? Look at verse 25. Know. Boy, aren't you glad you know something. Know. Certain. You can know this. Therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, that's the Lord Jesus, shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks, 69 weeks, 483 years. This is the starting point of Daniel's prophecy, of that 490 years of prophecy, those 70 weeks. Here's where the clock started ticking. The streets shall be built again, and the wall even in troublous times. Do you know God's recorded that time in His Word? It's in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, right in the margin of your Bible, in your notes, 445 B.C. That's when God started the clock. Okay? The prophetic clock. We know the clock's been paused for over 2,000 years. But that clock will tick again. It will. Because God's not finished. Alright? So the wall's been rebuilt. This is the second temple. The city's been rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity. The Jews are back in their land after 483 years. Look at verse 26. And after three score and two weeks. He's given further information about these first 483 years or 69 weeks. Shall Messiah be cut off? So in that 483 years, Messiah will die. Jesus fulfilled that on the cross of Calvary. That prophecy right there is fulfilled. The street and wall was rebuilt. That was fulfilled in the Lord's day. And prior to it, beginning in 445 B.C., when the Jews went back to their homeland the first time. And notice this next phrase, but not for himself. Do you know Jesus didn't die for his sins? He died for your and my sins. and the people of the prince that shall come." Will you underline that phrase right there? Circle that word prince with the little p. Do you know who that is? That's the Antichrist. If I had one of those pens like on Monday Night Football, And they circle stuff. I'd circle that in verse number 26, that little word prince, and I'd write out beside of it, Antichrist. Because that's who this is. The people of the prince that shall come. He's not come yet. He still hasn't come yet. Shall destroy the city. So it's going to be destroyed again, Daniel. That took place 70 A.D. under Titus and the Romans. You know what that tells me? The Antichrist is not a Jew. He's a Gentile. And he'll come out of the western nations. Do you know what America is? It's a Western nation. Will he be an American? I don't know, but I know he's going to come out of that group of people. and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and at the end of the war desolations are determined." And what he's saying is that the sanctuary, the city is going to be destroyed and until God's ready to start doing something again, the land's going to be desolate. It's going to be empty. Now he's going to pick up verse 27. The clock ticks again. Are you ready? We're going to pick up the 70th week, that last seven years that's still hanging out there in Bible prophecy. That starts in verse 27. And He, that's the Antichrist, circle that right, Antichrist, shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. There's our week we get the seven-year tribulation period from. Do you see it? Alright? And so it begins not with the rapture of the church, but a peace treaty that Antichrist will make with the nation of Israel. Alright? So this one week. Now what's going to happen? We're getting ready to come to the Lord's prophecy, what we read in Mark 13, 14. And in the midst of the week, in the middle of that seven years, He, talking about the Antichrist, there He is again, shall cause the sacrifice. There's going to be another temple. The city's going to be rebuilt. We know it's there today. There's going to be a temple that will be rebuilt. There are going to resume sacrifices. And He'll cause the sacrifice and the oblation, the worship of God, to cease, to stop. Why? For the overspreading of abominations, He shall make it desolate. He's going to go into that newly rebuilt temple where all of these sacrifices have been taking place in the first half of the tribulation period, and He's going to stop it, and He's going to defile it, and He's going to desecrate it where they can't even use it. There's something detestable that He does. even unto the consummation, that means the completion, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." So you know what that last phrase says? The one that's making it desolate, God's going to make him desolate when it's all over. You know what? You're not going to throw your fist in the face of God and get by. An antichrist who hates God is not going to throw his fist in the face of the God of heaven and get by. God said, you're going to desolate My temple, but in the end I'm going to desolate you. That's pretty powerful, isn't it? Alright, so we've understood what Daniel's saying. What is this abomination of desolation? Well, I think the Bible's going to give us a clue. You see, there's some idolatry. There's an idol that he's going to set up in a temple. But it's not going to be an idol of some false god. It's going to be an image, an idol of himself. So the Antichrist is going to make a seven-year peace treaty with the nation of Israel. That's when the clock ticks, this last week, this tribulation period. Middle part of it, Jesus said, He's going to enter into the temple and He's going to desecrate my house. Through His abominable act of perversion, He's going to make it desolate. That's what is going to happen. Do you realize that God's already set the clock on how long this guy is going to stay in power? Three and a half years. Because he's going to rise to power and then he'll be taken out of power. God's going to take him down hard. You say, Preacher, what happens to him? Well, when you read the book of Revelation, he's cast alive into the lake of fire. He's going to go where his father is going, the devil. That's pretty powerful, isn't it? Let's look at this blasphemous lie. Would you jot down in your notes 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 4? I should have threw this on the screen but I didn't. We don't have time to turn there or I'm going to preach all day and I don't want to do that either. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 4. Here's what Paul says the Antichrist is going to do. Are you listening? Here we go. who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped." Here's a man who's going to become so drunk with his own power, his own importance, he's going to create a religion, but he's not going to create a false god. He himself is going to be the god in his mind that the people worship. Church, listen to me. What has Satan always wanted? To be worshipped like God. That's not happened yet. Do you realize in the tribulation period, that middle part? He's going to go into God's temple through His Son, the Antichrist, who's going to set up an image, and He's going to receive worship from the world through that man, His man, the Antichrist. And the world's going to worship Him. You say, Preacher, I can't believe that would happen. Friend, let me just tell you something. God said, I'm going to send strong delusion that they're going to believe the lie. When a person rejects God's truth, the only thing they have left is the devil's lie. And when the world rejects God's Christ, they're going to receive the devil's antichrist. Let's go to the last book of the Bible. Would you do that? Revelation 13. I believe the light's getting ready to click on for us. When you come to Revelation 13, there's going to be two beasts that you're going to read about. One of them, the first one is the Antichrist. The second one is his minister of propaganda called the False Prophet that's going to oversee his religion. We know he's going to be a world dictator and he's also going to set up a world religion, a world system of worship, but it's the worship of himself. The Bible said, He's going to exalt Himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, Paul says, 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 4, so that He as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing Himself that He is God. He's going to claim to be God. But there's going to be a reason why He does that. Look at Revelation chapter 13 and let's find verse number 3. Here's the Antichrist talking about this first beast. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death." Understand he's a political ruler, he's a world dictator, and his deadly wound was healed. Do you realize the Antichrist, there will be an assassination attempt made on his life. The world will think he's dead. It'll be so vivid, so real, the world will think he's dead. But remember, Satan is a counterfeiter, right? So what's Satan going to counterfeit? the resurrection. Look what happens. And all the world wondered after the beast. His deadly wound was healed. Deadly. That means it was terminal. Okay? It's going to have the picture of an assassination where the world will think he is dead. And before the world, I believe, he's going to rise up out of a casket, so to speak. and He's going to step to a microphone and He's going to proclaim Himself to be God. And the world will wonder after the beast. Who, they say, can make war with somebody that dies and is alive again? No wonder Jesus said that signs and wonders will be done to the point that He will deceive, if it were possible, even those who were saved. But He can't. Because saved people know the difference between what's fake and what's real. They know the difference between the one that's faking death and resurrection and the one who really died and rose again. And he's going to become so drunk with his own power and his own self-importance and his own worship Notice verse 4. And they worshipped the dragon. You know who the dragon is? That's Satan. Which gave power, authority unto the beast. And they worshipped the beast saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Now let's look down at verse number 13. Would you look over there? And he, this is talking about the false prophet. Oh, let's look at verse 12. And he, this false prophet, exercised all the authority, all the power of the first beast, this is the man of sin, the Antichrist before him, and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed. and he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire to come down from heaven on earth, and the sight of men is going to wow men with his miracles. Verse 14, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles. Do you realize that not every miracle comes from God? which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image..." Whoa, here we go. "...they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." And Jesus tells us this image is going to be placed in that temple, and it's going at that moment abominable, in an abominable way. desecrate His house, stop His worship, and the Antichrist is going to demand the world worship Him. Jesus said, when you see that happen, you need to flee. That's what He's saying to them. And you know at that moment you just entered into the great tribulation period, the final three and one-half years. Let's keep reading. which had the womb by sword, and he had power to give life into the image of the beast. Do you know that this idol of the Antichrist will be lifelike? It will. I don't know. I don't understand it. I don't know what it's going to be like. The people in that day will know because they're going to see it in real time. But there's going to be an idolatrous image set in the temple and that image is going to come to life. I tell you what reminded me of it, and I know this is a little bit lame, but you know, when my kids were little, I'm trying to remember the name of that pizza place that we went to. You know, huh? Oh yeah, Chuck E. Cheese. You can tell how long it's been since my kids were little. How many of you go to Chuck E. Cheese? When I was there, first time I ever came and saw one of those kind of... I don't know what it was. It looked like my wife's preaching for me down here. She's helping me. She's helping me with her lips because she knows my mind right now. I had one of these, some kind of... animal-like image, you know. And, you know, suddenly that thing started playing a guitar and singing and moving around, you know, stuff like that. And, you know, my kids are having a good time. I'm thinking, man, that looks like something that the Antichrist would do. That's what happens when you're a preacher. I mean, you can't even have fun. I mean, you know, you're sitting there looking at that thing. Boy, I wonder if the Antichrist will do that, you know. My kids, you're, hey kids, y'all think the Antichrist would do that? What's the Antichrist, Dad? You know, we're just trying to eat pizza and have fun. I've never been to Disney World, but I hear they have stuff even more lifelike there. I don't know what it's going to be like, but here's what I know. At that point, that image is going to come to life in some form, some fashion. I don't know. Could it be cloning? I don't know. I have no idea. Nobody else knows, but the people in that day will know. And notice what's going to happen. and he had power to give life into the image. God's going to let him. He had power. That means God gave it to him. God's going to allow it to happen that the image of the beast should both speak, it's going to talk, and cause it as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Now, you know what? There's a little caveat here. You say, Preacher, what is it? The Antichrist has to have an image of himself to be in two places at one time, but not Jesus. He can live in my heart, your heart, and everybody else's heart that will trust Him. All at the same time, isn't that a blessing? Our God is not limited. But the Antichrist is. Do you see the difference there? Aren't you glad that we know the Christ? Wow! Alright, let's keep reading. We're almost finished. And look at verse 16, "...and causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," doesn't matter who you are, what's your rank, what's your wealth, how important you may seem to be or how insignificant you may seem to be, "...to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads." Now here's what I believe. A lot of people believe this is some kind of chip. I don't. Why? Because you can see it. It's visible. what that mark is. Now could they put a chip in so that you can buy and sell with the chip? Sure! But I believe there will be a visible mark that shows allegiance to the Antichrist. And listen, it's not a mark that people are going to hide. It's a mark that they will proudly display. Do you know that Roman legions proudly tattooed on their body marks of their allegiance to Rome so that you knew visibly where their allegiance lay. Did you know in Hitler's day that if you were a part of the SS and you were a part of that group, that elite group of the SS in his day, you had a mark that you put on your body? And USGIs and Marines could look on their neck and they would see the mark that showed their allegiance to Hitler. Did you know that? I believe there will be a visible mark of some kind that will show the world's allegiance to the Antichrist. And notice what the Bible says without that mark. Notice what He says, verse 17. But this mark's not going to be on the neck. It's going to be on the forehead or the right hand. It's a place of prominence. It's conspicuous. You can see it. They're proud! Verse 17. And that no man might buy or sell, save, except he had the mark or the name of the beast, the Antichrist, or the number, of His name. Verse 18, here's wisdom. God said, let me give you some wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. Would you underline that phrase, the number of a man? And his number is 603 score and 6666. Now Hollywood's done a whole lot with that 666. People are scared of 666. I was 18 years old. I had come to know the Lord as Savior the year before, and I was working my second job, and I remember I got a raise, and guess how much I made? Six dollars and 66 cents an hour. I remember them telling me, you say, Preacher, when you got that first check, what did you do with it? I took it to the bank and cashed it. That's what I did. People are afraid of that number. Can I explain that God just told you to have some wisdom? And He told me to have some wisdom. He's going to tell you something about this mark. He said it's the number of a man. In Bible prophecy, six is the number of man. What day was man created on? Six. What day did God rest? Guess what number is God's number in Bible prophecy? 7, 6, 6, 6. The world is going to hail this man as a superman. They're going to hail him as Savior and the answer to all the world's problems. They're going to look on him as Messiah. He's the one we've been waiting on to take the world and make everything that's wrong right and let's everyone worship and give allegiance to this man. But God said, as great as he will be in the eyes of a man, six, six, six. Here's what God said, I want you to always remember, a six will always be a six. He might want to be God, but a six will never be a seven. That's what God just told you. That's powerful. I don't mean to keep saying that, but it is, isn't it? I like that. This blasphemous, perverse, wicked individual will launch the world into the terrible three and a half years known as the Great Tribulation Period that Jesus speaks of when He walks into the temple and proclaims Himself to be God. Can you give me five minutes and I'm done? Not only is there the coming of the Antichrist, there is the conquest of the Christ. You remember that Daniel said that the one who made the temple desolate, God's going to make him desolate? Here's what you always want to learn about the Antichrist when you study him in Bible prophecy. God will never mention the Antichrist without talking about his destruction. That God always has His number. When you look at the chronology of Mark 13, would you go back there because we're going to finish up in Mark 13 and we're just about done. Because when we finish next week the rest of what I read today, and you don't want to miss it, you want to be here for what I've got to say, we're going to go back and delve into another chapter in Revelation next week. along with what Jesus is saying. You remember we've been going back and forth now for several weeks. And we're going to go back there and look at another passage that relates to the nation of Israel. But we're going to fast forward. We're going to fast forward from this point, verse 14, where this man looks like the Superman of the world. He looks like the answer, but they don't realize that they've been deceived and he's going to put the world into a concentration camp. He's going to demand all the world to worship him. He's going to blaspheme God. He's going to seem like his power that he's invincible. And God said, let me let you in on something, my people. I just flipped the page in my Bible and I keep reading from verse 23 and I come to verse 24, but in those days, these are the same days, He's talking about the end of them, after that tribulation, and He talks about some signs and then look at verse 26. And they shall see, just as they saw the antichrist and his image with their visible eye, this same group, are going to see with their visible eye the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth in power and in glory. Look what he says. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. You think the Antichrist has power. Let me tell you, he has great power. You think the Antichrist is creating some kind of glory. Friend, can I tell you, he's glorious. They thought the Antichrist was the answer. Thank God we know that Jesus Christ is the answer. He will set the wrongs of this world right. He will, as I said in the 830 service, put the final period to the last sentence of the last paragraph of the last chapter of human history. Friend, listen, He's the one that all the world's waiting on. He's the answer today. And can I tell you, He's the answer in your life right now. He'll be the answer to this world in that day. But thank God He's my answer right now. I'm glad that I can go to Him. Aren't you? I'm glad that God who'll keep His Word to Israel keeps His Word to me. And when I'm hurt, or when I'm discouraged, and when I'm confused, and I don't know where to turn, and I don't know how I'm going to go on, and I don't know how I'm going to make it, friend, I can bow to the One in Heaven that has everything that I need. Thank God He's enough today. He'll be enough in that day and He's enough in our day. And dear friend, He wants you to know Him. He wants you to know Him. He wants your sins to be gone. Can I tell you when Jesus comes a second time, He's not going to come to save this world. He's going to come to judge it. He stood before men the first time He came and that day men's going to stand before Him. And friend, listen, one day you're going to meet Him. How are you going to meet Him? How? How important it is to know your sins are forgiven. Amen? Let's bow our heads in prayer.