The Genesis Parable

In our last video, we considered the following passages from Revelation 13 which correlate with the mark which God set on Cain as recorded in Genesis 4:15.

 

Revelation 13:16-18 (ESV)
16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

 

Again, in our last video, we identified our entity in these passages as the collective “false prophet,” signifying any collective joined by a “spirit of error”; see Revelation 16, verse 13, 19, verse 20, 20, verse 10, and 1st John 4, verse 6. As we see, this “false prophet” is responsible for causing all “to be marked on the right hand or forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark.” Our reference to “buy or sell” aligns perfectly with the following from 1st John, Chapter 2.

 

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world--the cravings (desires) of sinful man, the lust (desires) of his eyes and THE BOASTING OF WHAT HE HAS AND DOES--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 

Folks, I don’t believe the reference to “buy or sell” is literal. Rather, it refers to the third element found in our passages from 1st John 2, i.e. “the boasting” of WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT WE DO, what the King James renders as “pride of life,” the Strong’s Concordance defines as, “Braggadocio,” and what I define as “an exaggerated sense of self.” What we have equates to “buying” while what we do equates to “selling,” buying and selling suggesting an exchange. So it is that Jesus taught the following.

 

Matthew 16:24-26 (NKJV)
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life (soul) will lose it, but whoever loses his life (soul) for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in EXCHANGE for his soul?

 

The New King James renders “soul” as “life,” then changes to “soul” in verse 26, however, the same word is used throughout. What does the Lord ask? What will we give in exchange for our soul or life? Our word “exchange” is defined as, “An equivalent or ransom,” telling us quite plainly that, while in this life, each and every one of us are challenged as to what we will give as an “equivalent” for our time here on earth. So, what are our priorities? What is it we wish to identify with? Where do we invest our time and energy? To whom or what are we loyal to? As believers, Jesus told us in no uncertain terms, “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and He will add to us those things we need (Matt. 6:33; NKJV).

 

Coming back to 1st John 2, I must emphasize the point that desire is perfectly normal UNTIL the element of pride or “boasting” enters in, provoking us to desire what is forbidden or more than we should; see Proverbs 27:20. No doubt, this is the carnal man’s essence in all of us. So it is that we read in Revelation 13:18, “Let the one who has understanding calculate the NUMBER of the beast, for it is THE NUMBER OF A MAN, and his NUMBER is 666.”

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Google defines “number” as, “An arithmetical value, expressed by a word, symbol, or figure, representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations and for showing order in a series or for IDENTIFICATION.” Here we have it friends, IDENTIFICATION, so this “number” if you will, IDENTIFIES a “MAN,” for it is the “NUMBER OF a MAN, and his NUMBER is 666.” Let me emphasize this; the “mark” regards “the NUMBER of a MAN,” not some individual person but rather the essence and characteristics of the “man of sin” and “son of perdition” which Paul described in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3. Since the “number” of the “beast” IS the “number of a MAN,” this shows that the term “beast” used in Revelation, Chapter 13, refers to “man” or humankind. Remember, our word “beast” in Revelation 13 means, “A dangerous animal,” and when we are raw and honest about it, man is definitely the most dangerous animal on this planet.

 

So what is this “number”? Three sixes. In his book, Number in Scripture, consider what E.W. Bullinger wrote about the spiritual meaning of six. “Six is either 4 plus 2, i.e., MAN’S world (4) with MAN’S enmity to God (2) brought in: or it is 5 plus 1, the grace of God made of none effect by MAN’S addition to it, or perversion, or corruption of it: or it is 7 minus 1, i.e., MAN’S coming short of spiritual perfection. In any case, therefore, IT HAS TO DO WITH MAN; it is the number of imperfection; the human number; THE NUMBER OF MAN as destitute of God, without God, without Christ.” As for our number three? In his book, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty, Stephen Jones tells us that “three” is the number of “a complete witness.” So in three sixes we see the “complete witness” of man in his “enmity to God.”

 

When we add our three sixes together, we have 18. Again, from his book, The Biblical Meaning of Numbers from One to Forty, Stephen Jones wrote the following.

 

“To write eighteen in Hebrew, they wrote two Hebrew letters: yod-chet (yode-chet). These signify the hand (outworking) of a fence (prison), which brings men into bondage or oppression.

 

“Eighteen is the number of oppression or bondage. The 18th time Abram is mentioned is in Gen. 12:18, where his wife was in the house of Pharaoh (bondage). After Abraham is mentioned for the 18th time in Gen. 18:19, the Lord speaks of Sodom and Gomorrah who were in bondage to sin.

 

“The 18th time Israel is mentioned is found in Gen. 46:8, at the beginning of their Egyptian bondage:

 

“Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt…

 

“The 18th time Jesus is mentioned in the gospel of Luke is in Luke 5:19, where a man oppressed by paralysis was trying to come to Jesus for healing. Luke 13:16 also says,

 

“And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

 

As we see, eighteen or “three sixes,” is the number of oppression or bondage, and when we think of this in light of the struggle all of us have with our own carnality, there’s no doubt this is true. With our number 18 in mind, let me share the following from Galatians, Chapter 5.

 

Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV)
19 Now the WORKS OF THE FLESH ARE EVIDENT, which are: adultery (1), fornication (2), uncleanness (3), lewdness (4), 20 idolatry (5), sorcery (6), hatred (7), contentions (8), jealousies (9), outbursts of wrath (10), selfish ambitions (11), dissensions (12), heresies (13), 21 envy (14), murders (15), drunkenness (16), revelries (17), and the like (18); of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Do you see it? When listing the “works of the flesh,” Paul enumerated 18 things. Coincidence? I don’t think so, for its easy enough to see that the “works of the flesh” are the evidence and manifestation of a carnal mind or “exaggerated sense of self.” Now, consider the following in 2nd Timothy.

 

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJV)
1 But know this, that IN THE LAST DAYS PERILOUS TIMES WILL COME: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves (1), lovers of money (2), boasters (3), proud (4), blasphemers (5), disobedient to parents (6), unthankful (7), unholy (8), 3 unloving (9), unforgiving (10), slanderers (11), without self-control (12), brutal (13), despisers of good (14), 4 traitors (15), headstrong (16), haughty (17), lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (18), 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

 

When Paul referred to the “last days,” he also listed 18 things. Is this another coincidence? I don’t think so. And let me share a little secret with you. In our passages from Galatians 5, Paul describes the “man of sin,” however, in our passages from 2nd Timothy, Paul describes the “son of perdition.” What makes the “man of sin” a “son of perdition” is our phrase “having A FORM OF GODLINESS but denying its power.” Beloved, there is no darkness greater than religious darkness; see Matthew 6:23. Let’s return to our passages from Revelation 13.

 

Revelation 13:16-18 (ESV)
16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

 

As we know, these passages refer to the “beast rising out of the earth.” Our phrase “rising up” is rendered “coming up” in the King James, defined by Strong’s as, “To go up (literal or figurative),” translated many times as “ascend” or “ascended.” When we compare this to the “man of sin” and “son of perdition” in 2nd Thessalonians 2:4 and the idea of “opposes and exalts himself,” we have a match. What did Paul say about the “first man Adam”? “The FIRST MAN was FROM THE EARTH, a man of dust” (1st Cor. 15:47; ESV), so here we see that the “beast” or “dangerous animal” that rises out of our “earth” or “heart” denotes the “first man Adam” or Adamic nature in every one. And even though we may seek to clothe him in “sheep’s clothing,” he is still the carnal man, incapable of pleasing God. This is why this entity is called a “false prophet,” for John said, “They,” i.e. false prophets, “are OF THE WORLD. Therefore they speak AS OF THE WORLD, and the WORLD HEARS THEM” (1st John 4:5; NKJV). Beloved, Jesus clearly said, “My kingdom IS NOT of THIS WORLD” (John 18:36; KJV). To be “of the world” means we embrace the “spirit of the world” which stands in opposition to the principles of the kingdom of God.

 

There is another way to “calculate” the number of the beast, which is 6 x 6 x 6. This equals 216. At his website, Biblenumbersforlife.com, Mark Lane cites this number as meaning “brotherly love gone.” This would agree perfectly with 1st John 2:9-10 where John wrote, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.”

 

Perhaps the best way of describing buying and selling is found in our universal principle of SOWING AND REAPING, where “sowing” equates to “selling” or WHAT WE DO and “reaping” equates to “buying” or WHAT WE HAVE or receive back. Remember, buying and selling is an “exchange,” and in sowing and reaping this is clearly evident in the fact that when a “seed” is sown, it returns something back. When viewed in the light of our words or what we say, Proverbs 18:21 tells us it’s returns either the “fruits” of “death” or of “life.”

 

What did John write? “NO ONE,” meaning no exceptions, “can BUY or SELL unless he has the MARK.” And what is the “mark”? Again, God’s Law, which sets the boundaries regarding what we sow and reap. In agreement, we read in Romans 3:19, “Now we know that WHATEVER THE LAW SAYS it speaks to those WHO ARE UNDER THE LAW, so that EVERY MOUTH may be stopped, and the WHOLE WORLD may be held accountable to God.” Beloved, the “whole world” is under the law of God whether they acknowledge it or not, for it exists in all of us as our conscience, our own sense of right or wrong, good or evil.

 

So, how does the “mark” or law of God align with the “number of a man”? Paul explains this for us in Romans, Chapter 7, verses 7 through 25, where we see that the “mark” actually provokes sin within us. It is this which Christ came to deliver us from.

 

Finally, I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that we have three sixes, and in the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Christ, we see the obvious challenge which all of us face against appetite (6), avarice (6), and ambition (6).

 

Friends, it is a trick of the imagination for us to think in such fantastical terms as to believe that the mark of the beast is some literal mark given by some individual who will rise up in such power as to cause everyone to take it. Despite our carnal mind’s desire to contrive such a foolish idea, the reality is simply this; all of us are even now contending with this inward carnal essence which, through pride, seeks to exalt the “self” above everything else. Our true enemy is within; the “self” which Jesus said “deny.” So it is that Paul wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” (2nd Cor. 10:4-6; NKJV). Beloved, “arguments,” “knowledge,” and “thought” refer to what’s in the heart and mind.

 

We are, each and every one of us, flesh and spirit, and so it is that the Two Covenants of God were established to “govern” the “night” or soul and “day” or spirit of our internal essence. “Do not be deceived,” Paul said, “God is not mocked.” When our priority is the temporary abode of this human form, and all that we do is to identify with and satisfy its temporal longings, we set ourselves up for ruin and loss. This was the mindset of Cain, who was a type of the carnal man or mind of the flesh which placed SELF as God in His temple. Beloved, 666 is the “number of a man,” the carnal man, the “old man,” the “outward man,” the “man of sin” and “son of perdition,” and it is this which is challenged by the spiritual principles and process of the kingdom of God. Let me close today’s study with the following from Proverbs, Chapter 4.

 

Proverbs 4:14-27 (ESV)
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. 15 Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. 19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. 20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. 24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.