Be Clear About The Mark of The Beast

http://billrandles.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/be-clear-about-the-mark-rev-14/ ^ | 12-06-13 | Bill Randles

[pastorbillrandles]

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(2 Thess 2:11-12)

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 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 ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.(Revelation 14:9-11)

A few days ago, in a blog article I commented upon the trend among many among Evangelicals and Pentecostals of succumbing to evil in so many current controversial issues. If these religious leaders can find ways to unite with Islam (Chrislam) and can seek to be reconciled with unrepentant and practicing Sodomites, (N.A.L.T.) in the face of the clear New Testament warnings, What else remains of the Christian faith is there to deny?

I then posited that the next thing we knew there would be those among us who would rise up to assure Christians that it would be alright to take the Mark of the Beast.

I am appalled to have to report to you that in the responses to my last article, I was informed that this is already happening, there are already prominent Christian teachers on record who do advise that it is possible to take the Mark of the Beast and yet to be saved after having done so!

Here is a Link to a discussion between Brannon Howse, Jimmy Deyoung, about a teaching Q/A by John MacArthur, in which all agree that it is possible to take the Mark of the Beast and still be saved! Outrage;John MacArthur

I have long respected MacArthur, and hope that he will soon retract his rash and irresponsible teaching on this point. It is shocking that a minister who is otherwise so well-known for his respectful treatment of scripture and his bold stand for Jesus would be teaching this!* MacArthur has long taught through scripture and his Grace to You program has been a source of feeding for hundreds of thousands of God’s sheep.

To be fair to MacArthur, he isn’t cavalier about taking the Mark. He merely denies that taking the Mark is an irrevocable and unforgivable action. Here is GTY’s official response to those who object to MacArthur’s teaching on the Mark,

Unforgivable? by Phil Johnson

Several years ago in a live Q&A session, someone asked John MacArthur if taking the mark of the Beast during the Great Tribulation would be an unpardonable sin. His answer, in short, was no. Though there is a stern warning against taking the mark of the Beast in Revelation 14, the sin is not categorically said to be unpardonable. (That would contradict Matthew 12:31.) The point of the severe language in Revelation 14 is to make clear what an utterly reprehensible sin it will be to swear an oath of willful loyalty to Antichrist… (click link for the rest of the statement).

What are we to make of this confusion about something so seemingly so clearly taught in scripture?

* We must be very near the time of the test warned of in Revelation 13, the imposition of the Religio/Political/Economic system which will impose on all, the Mark of the Beast.

This is what christians have been conditioned for in the countless accommodations by so many leaders to other things clearly rejected in scripture, such as union with false religion and accommodation by the church of sexual perversions, or they dare to lead congregations to reject things emphatically taught in scripture, such as Hell and final judgment..

But bold pseudo leaders leaders rise up and decide (for all of us) that the time for our (the church’s) ignorance, and prejudice is over, it is time to be responsible and for the church to get with the times, and accommodate what scripture clearly forbids.

Acceptance of the Mark of the Beast is just the last in a long line of this kind of leadership.

* We need to be clear about the Mark of the Beast, we can’t afford to allow any confusion about it.

God so wants us to be aware of the danger of accepting the Mark, He will commission Angels in the last days, to warn people of the eternal and irrevocable danger to all who would take the Mark of the Beast.

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 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 ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.( Revelation 14:9-11)

How could God be any clearer? There will be astonishing pressures upon people; buying and selling in the conventional way will become impossible without the Mark, therefore people will look about for any kind of justification for violating this clear Word of scripture, just as some churches found ways to justify rejecting the Biblical teachings on Hell, Homosexuality, and prohibitions of interfaith unity.

Perhaps this is why the Lord resorts to such etra-ordinary means, Angelic Heralds flying through the sky , warning of the everlasting punishment on all those who took the Mark of the Beast.

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.(Revelation 20:4)

*The Mark of the Beast is something to Overcome…

And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.(Revelation 15:2)

Prepare now to reject the Mark with all of your being! There are some things worse than death, such as everlasting judgment.

The scripture talks about “receiving the Mark”, thus it is not imposed on anyone, all are given a clear choice to accept or reject it. The Mark of the Beast is the final watershed, man’s last chance to take God’s side or the devil’s. I hope and pray this encourages much conversation and prayer.

[CynicalBear]

>> I should be ashamed that I said “I’ve never convinced a mid or post-trib believer” instead of trying!<<

My dad always said to us kids when he would start some long “instruction on life” that he wouldn’t have to answer for what we kids did with the information he gave us but he sure would answer for what information he gave us”.

[OneWingedShark]

The rapture happens at the same time Christ returns. No one is going to escape the tribulation where we’re faced with agreeing with or denying the beast.

That may be, it may also be (I certainly hope that pre-trib is true, so I won't have to go through it) — but, at the end of the day, the real question is this:
Jesus has the power to save, and has said he will save those who believe on him, so do you believe that he can and will do what he says?

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

-- John 3:17-18

This doesn't mean that you need blind [irrational] faith, believing-as-an-act-of-will; because God is rational, and he is reasonable too, he's not going to cast someone away just because they sometimes doubt; look at Thomas:

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

-- John 20:24-29

Indeed, even Paul gave a reply that deals with the idea of if the resurrection were a lie:

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.[b] 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;

-- 1 Cor. 15:17-20

and Jesus did not send away the man who expressed doubt:

And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!”

After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand.

-- Mark 9:20-27

Heck, even denying Jesus isn't unforgivable, look at Peter.

[OneWingedShark]

>> “receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand”;
>
> IN the forehead, meaning no knowledge of the beast because of not researching Scripture’s warnings??—(or following weak pastors/teachers??)

How can a lack of something be put in [recieved]?
I think you’re reaching.

[OneWingedShark]

Taking the mark as a sin would in and of itself be forgivable with sincere repentance and asking forgiveness of God

If nothing else, one could take Jesus's words as literal:

If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.

-- Matthew 18:8

[StormPrepper]

It's not referring to actual mark. It's referring to having the thoughts of the beast in your head and raising your hand to agree to the beast.

Look around today and ask yourself what evil design is keeping people from buying and selling?

Here ya go

It's only going to get worse. Unless you agree with it, you won't be able to trade.

[M-cubed]

Thank You!...”small points” are how we build logic for “our” day of reckoning..

[delchiante]

From my studying and revelation, God’s calendar is truly different from the Gregorian calendar... His calendar as scripture detailed was using both the moon and the sun... the calendars today only use the sun.... if you can’t find the start of His months, you can’t find his sabbath.... or the feast days...

His calendar is not a five day work week and two days off..

If you follow His timekeeepng, days like thanksgiving and Christmas and easter are holy days that have been man made,... and it is now easier to buy and sell on eastter and thanksgiving but hard on Christmas... it may be a future time when all things will be closed so no one can buy and sell less you buy into these days .....

Life altering to say the least when I was studying passion week and Leviticus 23 and moses and the wilderness....

Someone wanting to observe His calendar has to use vacation days for His sabbath as His calendar doesn’t tie into the Gregorian..that calendar floats into His.... new moon and month same word in scripture in a number of passage... and you cont from then... He never named days, He numbered them...
Spiritual mark is a calendar, maybe time itself as a counterfeit to God’s timekeeping... who doesn’t use it? More confirmation when I studied Jericho and the seven day march and he fact they didn’t violate a sabbath.someday the world may call on one sabbath universal or maybe take three day off where you can’t buy or sell.. I know again, it is difficult to buy or sell on Christmas... and before this study and prayer, I thought Christmas should have stuff closed... not anymore.. the more things open, the better...

[Jeremiah Jr]

Gird up your loins... Department

Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

‎7 dinars equal 10 dirhams

The Importance of Paying Zakat with Dinar & Dirham ... of the Khalif Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the weight of 10 dirhams was equivalent to 7 dinars (mithqals).

...and 666 years after the crucifixion (30 CE) Abd al Malik standardized Islamic currency. Count the number like you count the omer.

In the year 75 (695 CE) the Khalifah Abdalmalik ordered Al-Hajjaj to mint the first dirhams, thus he established officially the standard of Umar Ibn al-Khattab. In the next year he ordered the dirhams to be minted in all the regions of the Dar al-Islam. He ordered that the coins be stamped with the sentence: "Allah is Unique, Allah is Eternal". He ordered the removal of human figures and animals from the coins and that they be replaced with letters.
www.islamicmint.com/dinar_dirham/

He ordered that the coins be stamped with the sentence: "Allah is Unique, Allah is Eternal".
...and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Here are their plans…

White Paper on Islamic Bimetallic Currency
Gold and silver restore social equilibrium
The dinar and the dirham can be the world currency of all free people
http://www.sharelynx.com/papers/WhitePaperonIslamicBimetallicCurrency.php

Clip: Change of all paper notes for newly minted dinars and dirhams, and abolition of all paper-money privileges.

Did you get that? This is the mint (mark) in the hand, the mark in the forehead comes from bowing to Mecca.

Quran Al Fatah 48
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah ; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers - so that Allah may enrage by them the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.
http://quran.com/

The mark in the hand is paying the Jizya Tax, in the Quran you pay with the right hand, cause and effect.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/10/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-convert-islam-or-pay-jiz/

http://www.islammonitor.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2456&Itemid=96

[RoosterRedux]

I hadn't really of the zabiba/zebiba as being the mark on the forehead...but it makes a lot of sense.

Of course, this doesn't identify the Beast, but it does provide a huge clue (if true) as to the Mark itself.

Look at Post 41 (above) for some addition evidence re: this point...

[SisterK]

There is a very good youtube discussion, Rapture or Rupture with Steve Quayle. I highly recommend listening.

[Vision]

bm