In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the consequences of sin and the importance of loving God. He highlights how people who engage in sinful behavior and worship false gods are blinded by the devil. The preacher also discusses the need to guard one's heart and mouth, as idle words and complaints show a lack of love for God. He compares the carefulness of a bride preparing for her wedding to the carelessness of believers towards their spiritual garments. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the power of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, which brings believers out of darkness, death, and sin into righteousness and freedom.

Let's read something about it. And I looked, and, lo, a lamb stood on the mount Sinai. O dear lamb of God. We had just read about the beast in the preceding chapter, and we found out how that the whole world worships the beast, takes his mark in their forehead or in their hands, and falls down before him. But there's a group that refuses at the cost of their lives to take the mark of the beast. They follow the lamb of God. They've heard that sweet voice that calls them and cries from the cross of Christ, Come now, let us reason together, though your sins be as scarlet. After all, that is the mark of the beast, it's the sin. It's enmity against God. And that beast that rises out of the sea has a great mouth, and that mouth is filled with curses and with unbelief and with blasphemy against God and against them that dwell in heaven. And he makes war with the saints, and he overcomes many of them. But here, thank God, is the lamb of God on Mount Zion, and he has a following too, praise the Lord. A wonderful following. Oh, this la-re-bi-a-hi-go-ja-lam-ba-ha-non-go-lo-so-ne-go-ra-ja-lo-vo-go. Do you know that somebody's after you tonight? Do you know that somebody loves you so deeply that he will not give up until you give up? He will pursue you. They say love makes the world go round, and faint heart never won fair lady. Well, that may be the truth. Here we see the lamb of God, and he stood on the Mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand. Oh, poor lamb of God, is that all you've got? Out of the great multitude of followers of the beast, worshippers of the beast, how many do you think the lamb of God finds today in the churches that are today celebrating Lenten, and after a while going to celebrate Easter? Not many. But thank God there are some, some, and he's going to win them. And love found a way, and he took the almighty love of God to find a way, because he's not satisfied just to have them on Mount Zion. He is after their hearts. He's after their lives. He's after their whole being, your whole spirit and soul and body. Be preserved blameless and be sanctified. That means be made his everlasting possession. And thank God here the lamb of God won the fight, and with him a hundred and forty four thousand, and instead of the mark of the beast on their foreheads, they have their father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunders, and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps like we do, and they sang as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts and the elders, and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are they which follow the lamb, whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the lamb, and in their mouths was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God. Would you like to belong to that company? He gives us here a description of the mark of the beast. He shows us what it consists of. First of all, an unholy tongue. If any among you seemest to be religious and bridleth not his mouth, his tongue. Well, did you ever find anybody that bridles his tongue? Now honest to goodness did you. You know you can go to a Buick sales room and walk away with two thousand two hundred and twenty three dollars if you happen to be a lucky winner, but you can walk into a meeting like this, and you can get something far greater than that. If any among you seemest to be religious, we all seem to be religious and we like to be religious, but oh that mouth of ours that defiles the whole man, the whole body and is set on fire of hell. What does it mean? It means that the devil uses it. If God Almighty doesn't control my tongue, then the beast controls it. That's what it is. I've always told people when they ask me what is the mark of the beast, read the story of Red Riding Hood. Our twins learned it. One day I came home and the grandmother had taught it to them. They were tiny little tots and they said, Uncle Hans, why you got such big eyes? They were all taken up. And I said one time when I visited a top-notch saint, an old lady, an old saint, and for a half an hour she had done nothing but complained about the preacher and the preacher's wife and everybody in church. I said, Grandma, what have you got such a big mouth for? Why, little Red Riding Hood knew that isn't Grandma. That was the wolf and he said to eat you up. And beloved, today there are thousands of people that call themselves saints and they speak in tongues and their tongues is a tinkling cymbal and a sounding brass. They do not follow the lamb whithersoever he goeth because in his mouth was found no guile and when he was reproved, he answered not. He didn't sing with his tongue. And he says if any among you seems to be religious and bright, that's not his tongue. That man's religion is vain. There's one great word of the Lamb of God, but thank God he's got at least 144,000 that did not bow to the beast. They did not take the mark of the beast. They guarded themselves. I know that all kinds of books are written about the mark of the beast. Listen, you don't need to be afraid of any of them if you guard your tongue and if you bridle your tongue and if you learn this one thing, to give your tongue to Jesus Christ and let your tongue and your mouth be a fountain of living water. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Where are our sons and our daughters? Well, here are 144,000 and in their mouth was found no guile. Who was looking for it? I tell you, when the enemy comes along, it doesn't take a long time at all to find guile. It doesn't take a long time to make our tongues offend. All he has to do is touch us a little bit, step on our toe, and how quickly that tongue offends and our garment which was washed in the blood of the Lamb is defiled. Beloved, it is a tremendously serious matter. Sometimes during funeral services, I've read from this chapter, he tells us here that the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever. And whose smoke? Why, he says, they that worship the beast and his image and receive his mark in their forehead and in their hands, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever. And they have no rest, day nor night. Why did they take the mark of the beast? Ya rabba kabbadi alayka bozolobo. Why don't we guard our mouth? Why don't we guard our heart with all diligence? Why is it that idle words proceed out of our mouth? Why is it that we raise our voice and we complain and we murmur and we forget that in the desert, in the wilderness, they that murmured were perishing 23,000 in one day because they murmured they found fault with God. Why do we do that? I tell you what, we don't love the Lamb sufficiently. We don't love his ways sufficiently. We're careless about our garment. Watch a bride when she gets ready for the wedding. Oh, how careful that bridal gown has to be. Immaculate. I like, I have a set of pictures of our young couples whose not I was permitted to time. And oh, how immaculate they look. Some of them I don't recognize anymore. They look so sweet. He looked into her eyes, talking wise, telling lies. I don't mean you, of course. I don't mean that. But how careful is a bride of her garment, of her veil, of her outfit. Don't blame her. Everything has to be perfect. Beloved, I'm going to obey you. The Lamb of God is after you. He's after the 144,000 who will not bow to the beast, but who will bow to the Lamb of God. And oh, how persistently he has been after us. And he began this pursuit of his tribe before the foundation of the world. We read this morning that before the world was made, he foresaw us. And he prepared for us the works that will make us perfect in the sight of God. And these works are his works. He was ordained before the foundation of the world unto our glory. Oh, Rabbi Angela Moseley Bagelow, how clear, how clear is the picture. You cannot be mistaken. You can't. And today we talk about religion and we think that a man that has a pretty clear view of religion and has a pretty fundamental grasp of the gospel, he's a good preacher. We put them in the pulpit. We let them preach. Oh, they can preach eloquent sermons. Nothing's wrong with their sermons. And people are taught in the Bible classes all the fundamentals of Christianity and of salvation. If they believe they're saved and so on and so on. And they can argue with unbelievers. And, of course, they feel very superior to other churches and other denominations. But, beloved, God is after Christlikeness, thank God. Purity of heart. We don't know what that means when he says they're not defiled with women. But, beloved, today sexology is so rotten and it is driving all of humanity into the pit of hell. Isn't it a wonderful thing that God has not appointed us unto uncleanness but unto holiness? Don't you like it? Young man, tell me, don't you like to be called unto holiness? Look round about you. And you girls, look round about you. Can you admire? Can you respect? These girls that have smutty things in their mouth, no, nobody, they can't respect themselves. They're ashamed of themselves. But to belong, you've got to do it. You've got to take the mark of the beast or you don't belong. But don't you like the Lamb of God? There was no guile found in his mouth. And these 144,000, they were pure. Their bodies were clean and pure. They were a living sacrifice and God Almighty came down from heaven and dwelt in their bodies and made their bodies to be the very members of the body of Christ. Beloved, that's the living hope to which we are born again. A living hope. And the Bible speaks of it. Today, scientists, and some of you scientists up there may know about it, they are finding out that they didn't know anything that they thought they knew last year. They find out new mysteries of creation every day. Now they don't know what they knew yesterday. And they find out marvels of creation. Did you hear about antiprotons and antimatter? I did. I don't know a beans about it at all. Know nothing about it. But I'm so glad that it gives them a headache. I'm really glad for that. I'm glad because we find out that the unspeakable wisdom of God and the unspeakable power of God is manifested unto them. They have no excuse, thank God. And many of them are true believers, thank God. And I believe a true scientist will automatically become a believer. But here is the true science is the word of the cross by which the Lamb of God has taken away our sin. The mark of the beast has been put away by the mark of the Lamb of God, by the blood of the Lamb. And all that blood of the Lamb is honored in heaven. I always think of Mrs. Foxy, colored woman in Waukegan. When she couldn't walk anymore, she started out to sing, John saw him in heaven. And she talks about how they praised the Lamb of God. And then, one, two, three, she's up dancing. Even though she can't walk, she can dance. The glory of God fills her soul. Oh dear, la-ba-ra-ga-bo-bo. Ra-ja-ka-la-ma-ha-la-i-ga-lo-bo-ya-ri-ba-ta-la-ba-so-lo-fo-ro-jo-lo. Do you know how close we are to heaven tonight? Because heaven is here. Somebody's after you. Somebody loves you. Somebody has seen you down the corridors of eternity and has seen you running into the pit of hell and is after you, not just to save you from hell, but to make you pure as He is pure. Oh, I thank God because love, His love was taught me when I was a sinner, when I was an enemy of God, when I was defiled, when I cursed my God. Thank God. Then He loved me. For His great love, He loved us when we were dead in sins. Oh, rabbi-angelo, geisha-angelo, salangelo. And beloved, that's only the first step and some people get stuck there. They never go beyond that first step. But what does it say? We are members of His body. The fullness of Him that filleth all in all. And this is the mystery that the angels desire to look into. He doesn't come after you with a motorcycle, but He comes after you with seven Holy Spirits. The seven Spirits of God. That's the only way He can really reach those whom He wants. Not just by word of mouth, but by the sword of the Spirit that becomes the discerner of the thoughts and of the intents of the heart. Oh, what a lover. What a marvelous lover who comes to me with nail-pierced hands and knocks at my door and... What do we do? Oh, we're rich. We're increased with goods. We belong to Pentecost. And if we don't, we belong to the rich with Pentecostal church. You know, we're a little different than others. And we bear the mark of the beast. Grandmother, why have you got such a big mouth? Oh, my lord and my, you'll never get rid of it until you follow the Lamb. Until the Lamb of God on Mount Zion. That's what that means. I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Your heart is that holy hill of Zion. There's no other hill. It's your heart. It's the heart of the redeemed. That's where Jesus Christ takes His great power. That's where He reigns. Supreme, thank God. And they that receive abundance of grace, do you want it? And of the gift of righteousness, they shall reign in life. It means they're not overcome by the world and the flesh and the dead. Their tongue is kept with a bridle. The Holy Ghost has hold of that tongue. It belongs to Jesus Christ only. And their body belongs to Jesus Christ. That was clear to me when I was saved. When God came into my heart, that settled all the questions of sex, of courtship, of lovemaking. It just settled it. And I was happy and I entered into the rest of Jehovah. And I said, now Lord, His spirit, soul, and body forever and forever. And He's taken care of me wonderfully. Don't you like Him? Don't you like Jesus? Tell me. Don't you love Him? Don't you love the Lamb of God? And don't you wonder at His great love that is after you? When He says 144,000, that's of course a prophetic number. It may be 144 million, I hope so. But it shows that it's a select company. It is those that have gotten the victory over the beast and over His name. The number of His name. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth. Why? Because they're not dead. Now they enter into life. Why on the other side be the smoke of their torment to send it up forever and forever. Forever and forever you play with sin. You take the mark of the beast. You fall down before these gods of hell. That's what men do. The God of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not. That's what's the matter. Among whom also, we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh, didn't we? Obeying the desires of the flesh and of the mind, didn't we? And we were children of wrath even as others. But thank God for His great love wherewith He loved us. Beloved, love found a way. Love. Love, it took the love of God to find a way to my sinful heart. But He found a way right into the depth of my being. Right into the very depth of my soul. Thank God. And He is seeking that place tonight. And if you open your heart to Him, it'll mean that you'll let Him come in. Not something about Him. Not some doctrine about Jesus that'll satisfy you and make you think you're rich and increased with goods. But O Christ, that Lamb in the midst of the throne will be in the midst of your life. And the mark upon your forehead will be His Father's name because He says, Hey, that loveth me shall be loved of my Father. And we will come unto Him and make our abode with Him. I marvel at these. Yesterday I was in a chair with Dr. Pulatucki. And, I mean, the dentist, you know. And he brought a minister to me, introduced the minister to me. And the minister was glad to see me, of course. Or, at least he pretended to. And he said, Did you hear about the modern theology that says God is dead? Well, of course, everything's dead to those that are dead. What do you expect? I saw a dead cow in India. Didn't bother about the heat nor the cold. He was dead or she was dead. And these theologians are dead. They say God's dead. No, God says they are dead. They're dead in trespasses and sins. But listen, don't you rabbiang elebuzaragelo want Jesus Christ. Oh, beloved, it takes time. Jesus Christ gives you all his time. Oh, that is the wonderful thing about the gospel of Jesus Christ. It doesn't leave you in the dark. It gives you a very clear road straight as a dime. Thank God. Out of darkness into his marvelous light, out of death into life and out of sin and defilement into his righteousness, into his purity. Glory to God and from underneath the slavery of sin and the world and the devil into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.