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THE MARK OF THE BEAST

There is much superstition today in the Church about the mark of the beast. Carefulness is exercised in credit cards to social security numbers . Some even claim it is the day one worships on. The reason this all fails logically and biblically is the penalty for receiving either the mark or worshipping the image. Killing is a moral command that no matter when it is broken it is forgivable, if one repents. However the taking of the mark is unforgiveable, there is no repentance available for anyone who accepts it. Just as the sin of blasphemy for Israel at the time of Christ is unforgivable, this too at the end of time cannot be forgiven. So if it is worshipping on Sunday as some claim there is no way out.  Rev.13:16 “He causes (forces by demand) all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, “the word on is epi within the context of Gr. It says “the hand of them, the right one or upon the forehead of them(the bible uses the word hand for anything from the forearm to the fingers. It says Jesus showed the nail prints in his hand yet we know this was in his wrist not the palm. In the head means literally on the actual forehead 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”(this is a personal mans name arithmos  anthropou) 18 This calls for wisdom. ( not speculation) If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number, His number is 666.” If one cannot buy or sell I hardly think this would mean the day they go to church. considering our interconnected society today for one to have free ability to do commerce it must be something numerical or else how would we allow it. Vs.18 the number we notice is a number of a man, not just a title, a role or a system. It is either the name Which is the name of the beast referring to a man. also in gr. the number is a mans number, literally “is a man” and “the number of him” is hexa kosioi hexakonta hex .These are words of numerals which are in 3 groups = 600 ,6-10’s=60, and 6. Food for thought, there may be significance that this is written out this way.  Its not a card, its not a an empire, its not a day, its the number of a man. The beast is a man! That man has a name! His name has a numerical equivalent! Rev.13 warns of 3 things in relation to this, the mark which is some type of symbol. the name of the beast or the numerical value of his name.

We are expected to count the number of this man’s name to identify him!  Robertsons greek words says “The stamp (the mark) may bear either the name or the number of the beast. The name and the number are the same. They could write the name in numerals, for numbers were given by letters. Swete suggests that it was “according to a sort of Gematria known to the apocalyptist and his Asian readers, but not generally intelligible.” In other words one would probably have to be Jewish or know the Hebrew alphabet and number system. Its not in Latin nor Greek but Hebrew that always had a numerical value to its letters.  Right now we can know who the beast is not, until he is on the scene we cannot know who he is . There’s been a lot of speculations over the years which I don’t think we can take too seriously except to have some fun.  I’m waiting for someone to figure this number in with Y2K, This you can be sure of by popular prophecy decoders.
The UPC bar codes are generally divided into two parts by three bars, one at the beginning, one at the end, and one in the middle. These bars may be longer than the numbers, but they may look the same as one of the codes for the number six. Some bar codes do have the number 666 built into it.  This may or may not be significant sometime in our future since no one may buy or sell without the number. Time will tell on this one, lets not make it happen before it really does.

The European Union headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium,which has a huge computer system they call “the Beast”. Is an acronym for the Belgian Electronic Accounting Surveillance Terminal. The Beast of the scripture is a person not a machine, no upgrading on this one.  The issue in this future story is that of worship of a creature, not God.  People must vow their devotion to one whose ministry is greater than any of the other false Christs. Those ministries which are marked with signs and wonders that lie, his will be greater so people will allow either his name, or the number to be placed on them as a symbol of their allegiance.  So what exactly is the Mark , It is the badge of the followers of Antichrist, stamped on the forehead or right hand. The same as a scratch or etching, it is an engraving an impress a stamped image, an exact copy .  Robertsons Greek words says” A Mark means to engrave, used in Acts 17:29 of idolatrous images, but in Rev. it is the brand of the beast on the right hand or on the forehead or on both. the ancient official business documents in papyri often have the same name and image of the Emperor, with the date as the official stamp or seal and with the charagma as the name of this seal. Animals and slaves were often branded with the owners name, as Paul (Gal.6:17) bore the stigmata of Christ. Ptolemy Philadelphus compelled some Alexandrian Jews to receive the mark of Dionysus as his devotees (3 Maccabess 3:29)

Strong’s Concordance GR. charagma, “a stamp” or “imprinted mark.” From the root word charrasso (to sharpen to a point; related to the idea of scratching); a stake, taw, “mark” Ezek 9:4,6. In Ezekiel’s vision of the destruction of the wicked, the mark to be set upon the forehead of the righteous, at Yahweh’s command, the man clothed in linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side, was told to mark upon their foreheads those whom God would save from judgment by His sheltering grace. Taw also appears as a”signature made to a document,” The equivalent Hebrew letter taw (“t”) in the Phoenician alphabet and on the coins of the Maccabees had the form of a cross (T). In oriental synods the T was used as a signature by bishops who could not write. The cross, as a sign of ownership, was burnt upon the necks or thighs of horses and camels. It may have been the “mark” set upon the forehead of the righteous in Ezekiel’s vision.
Ezek. 9:3-7 “Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it (here we see the mark is written by the man with ink).”

John seems to get his metaphor from the Tephillim (phylacteries) which the Jews wore on his hand and forehead. This “mark of the beast” is necessary for life and all social business relations. On the right hand, that is plain in sight. Upon their forehead (epi ton metapon).”Deut 6:5-9”You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6”And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.7”You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.8”You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes (on the forehead) 9”You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This tells us about the Jews who made phylacteries, little boxes with scriptures inside which they would bind on their foreheads and on their hands, where people could see, and where they themselves could never forget it was Gods authority they were under.That they were to obey his word having it always before them. These  little boxes had a piece of Scripture in them, and are still displayed outside their homes today. This practice is called a mezuzah where they kiss their hand and touch it as they go in and out of the house.

Instead of the word of God written on ones hand or forehead it will be the name or the numerical value of the beast .Clearly a challenge to Gods word.  Interesting that Bible says when people receive the Mark of The Beast they will be allowed to buy and sell so the mark is not present in our system yet ,without a prohibition first. But the mark itself is a sign of allegiance, an act of worship of Antichrist ( false Messiah). Its similarity to wearing phylacteries in the Old Testament and Ezekiels inkhorn cannot be overlooked. It will be an admission that the wearer is under the authority of Antichrist, and gives his allegiance to his cause.  We know as far back as the ancient Egyptians have marked their bodies with tattoos, cut marks into their skin, which is pagan ritualistic worship.  The Torah teaches against such things, as the Lord specified to Moses in the law, Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks upon you: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:27-28). Deuteronomy 14:1 further warns against cutting the body. Elijah confronted the 450 false prophets of Baal who performed this cutting of the skin as worship as they decided whose God was more powerful.  Considering the O.T. warnings on cutting oneself or prohibitions of tatooing, The tatooing all over ones body today is preparing us for the marks acceptance. Its no longer strange to think that one would take the mark on their body. Seeing how open we are today to cut ourselves and put pierced jewelry and rings in different parts of the body.  Today their are all kinds of tatoos accepted and even in fashion, some quite hedious. Iv’e seen people put them on their hands and in the middle of their forehead. We wear hats with names on them for teams, we were T-shirts, even our cars have emblems. Christians have worn a cross to show who they follow, as well as T-shirts so this has become engrained in our culture. So it is not hard to make a leap to having some kind of computerized or engraved tatoo that will be a sign of allegiance to the new world orders new leader, the Devils substitute.  This is something that is visible that is on the outside not on the inside, once taken their is no turning back. This will be something so evident that someone would literally have to climb over Jesus’ command to receive it. Rev 16:2 “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” They will be literally tortured for doing this. Can anyone actually think this has taken place already.

In 1983, 6,000 Swedes participated in testing an  invisible laser identification mark on the back of their hand. With today’s computers and scanners, it’s easy to do. “Pay Point” debit cards are already very common in the U.S. eventually it will be easier to just scan your hand.  What of bar codes stamped on people forehead as we had seen on the cover of time mag. Although numbers might even be tattooed on or implanted in us, the number that will be displayed on the hand or forehead will not be our individual number, but the Antichrist’s.  Whats more interesting is the mark on the forehead is relative to the third eye of illumination in the new age movement. Marilyn Fugueson has 666 intertwined on the cover of her book the Aquarian conspiracy—personal and social transformation in the 1980’s. Some new agers actually invoke 666 to come in their meditations.  As the mark will definitely be issued one day, Scripture declares, the eternal fate of all who receive that mark will also be sealed! To take this mark will prove you are not in the kingdom of God, written in the lambs book of life . Those who do will suffer eternal torment over this single act of disobedience, according to Scripture! The specific generation at the end will be tested like no other.  The outcome Rev.19:20 “But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur”.
The saved those whose names are written in the lambs book of life will be with Jesus forever and see all the wonders God has in store for them throughout eternity. The time to make a decision for Christ is now before it becomes a test of giving your life and find yourself in the tribulation period.

The Rolling Stones sang a song” time is on my side”, have you seen how they look lately. Time is not on their side! The bible says today is the day of salvation, the Devil always says tomorrow.Time is not on our side and it is rushing to its inevitable outcome in the future.  As Jeremiah writes in 12:5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you run with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?
If one cannot see their need for being rescued from sin and make a decision to follow Christ in the time we live now , how will they decide when the whole world is going the other way .In the tribulation period they literally will have to give their life.  Today is the day of salvation.
The Tribulation, the Antichrist and the Church The Mark of the Beast
As in the Days of Noah
Prophets of the 2nd Advent Anti Christ and the Spirit of anti Christ
The Tribulation and the Rapture