John MacArthur’s “Mark Of The Beast” Statement!

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Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where the Bible and critical thinking meet to give you real

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Christian commentary about the things that matter. Thanks so much for watching, let's get into the video. So John MacArthur is the lead pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California.

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He also happens to be the founder of the Master's University and the Master's Seminary. I must confess, over the years

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I've become quite a fan of John MacArthur, and while I don't agree with him on everything, especially his dispensational eschatology, for the most part

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I do think he's one of the great men of God in this age of the modern church, and he truly stands up for what's right.

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People often say that I don't call out John MacArthur enough, because he's a Reformed Baptist just like me.

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They say that I'm playing inside baseball, that I have unequal weights and measures, that I'm giving John MacArthur a free pass to have unsound doctrine, because I'm a fan of his.

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And my response is always this. Well what exactly did John MacArthur say that you think is unbiblical?

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I'd be happy to talk about it, I just don't know what it is. And time and time again, people give me the same exact example.

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What he said about the Mark of the Beast. So I did some research and I thought I'd make a video about just that.

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The actual comment was given in a Q &A John did 41 years ago. So there's one reason

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I've probably never talked about it, because 41 years ago, folks, I was not born yet. In fact, it would be another 21 years until I was born.

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Really, there's just no way I would have naturally come across this little minute point in one of John MacArthur's Q &A sessions from 1980.

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But I digress. In the Q &A, John was asked if taking the Mark of the Beast was a sin that, if committed, made it impossible for you to be saved.

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John's response was to say that God can save someone from any sin, and there is one sin that God has decided to make unforgivable.

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But that sin is not taking the Mark of the Beast. So let me give you three biblical points that explain why

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I personally believe MacArthur's perspective here is entirely biblical. Number one, there is one unforgivable sin listed in Scripture, and that sin is not taking the

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Mark of the Beast. It's really that simple, folks. Matthew 12, 31 says, quote, Therefore I tell you, every sin and every blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the

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Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And last time I checked, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and taking the

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Mark of the Beast are two different things. So therefore, like it or not, John MacArthur is telling the biblical truth of the matter.

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There's only one sin that is unforgivable in the Bible, and he rightfully recognizes that taking the

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Mark of the Beast is not that sin. And therefore, if it is not the one and only unforgivable sin, then it is by definition part of the larger group of forgivable sins.

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And this brings me to point number two. In the passage referring to the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 14, it does not explicitly say that anyone who takes the

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Mark cannot be saved. Revelation 14, 9 through 10 says this, quote, If anyone worships the

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Beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the

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Lamb. My perspective biblically is that this verse is simply saying that these people are bound for hell if indeed they do not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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However, it is not saying that they are permanently unable to believe in that gospel as a result of these sins.

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Those are two very different claims. First Corinthians 6, 9 says, quote, Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?

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But Romans 3, 10 unfortunately says, None is righteous, no not one. So there you go, folks.

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It's an open and shut case. By the very same logic people are using to condemn John MacArthur, you'd also have to admit that no one can ever be saved.

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Because the Bible says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God, and it also says that no human being is righteous.

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Now, I don't believe this silly interpretation. I'm simply pointing out the inconsistency. The truth is that neither of these passages are saying that everyone who commits these sins will go to hell.

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Rather, they're saying that everyone who commits any sin like those, for instance, is bound for hell unless they believe in Jesus Christ.

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And that's a very important distinction. In other words, John MacArthur's comments may have upset some people.

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But that doesn't mean that they're unbiblical comments. In fact, they're entirely biblical. And I would suggest that his perspective is more aligned with Scripture than the alternative options.

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So number three, Why don't I make videos about John MacArthur that often? I mean, surely he is a flawed person who makes mistakes.

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So why do I choose to highlight the mistakes of other teachers rather than him on this channel?

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That's a really easy question to answer. It's because John's mistakes from the pulpit are small, accidental, and they happen very infrequently.

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When it comes to false teaching, there are people out there who are explicitly and intentionally leading people astray with horribly false doctrine.

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But I don't believe that John MacArthur is. Additionally, there are, of course, people who unintentionally preach things that are extremely dangerous.

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And unfortunately, unintentional or not, they must still be rebuked because these are important mistakes.

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But again, John MacArthur does not fit that bill. 2 Peter 2 .1 says, But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

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I would rather spend my time refuting the claims of actually dangerous false teachers, like 2

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Peter talks about here, rather than refuting the small errors made by a teacher who is largely doctrinally sound and biblical.

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Especially when these mistakes do not interfere with any central Christian doctrine and do not threaten the sanctification or eternal state of their audience.

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People like Stephen Furtick, Mike Todd, Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, the list could go on forever. They're preaching man -centered prosperity gospels and are setting horrible examples for thousands of Christians.

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Therefore, these explicit false teachers present a much greater threat to the Church than someone like John MacArthur does.

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And as a result, those are the people I talk about on this channel more often, because they're more dangerous.

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And as they say, folks, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. So please pray for John MacArthur, that his biblical efforts would be blessed, and that people would continue to be helped by his ministry.

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Thank you so much for watching. If you liked that video, please like, comment, share, subscribe, and hit the notification bell so that you never miss another one.

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If you didn't like that video for any reason, then I invite you to watch my Frequently Asked Questions video, link in description, where I deal with some common objections and define the purpose and goal of my channel using

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Scripture. This channel is funded by generous donations from my amazing patrons. If you'd like to help us put out more videos fighting for truth, hit the link in the description or go to patreon .com

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slash Colin A. Miller. You can donate to my ministry there and earn tons of rewards just like these.

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And until next time, fight for truth, never surrender, and keep your eyes open. Thank you, and God bless.