Revelation 13:16-18
16 He causes all, both
small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on
their right hand or on their foreheads,
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.
18 Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for
it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (NKJ)
The decision to reject
the mark of the beast is an eternal decision. It will take great courage,
not of yourself, to declare your faith when faced with the question,
"will you accept the mark, or not?" Take note that you will know whether
you are taking the mark or the number of his name by understanding that
you can not buy or sell without it. You do not have to take the mark
or number of his name but listen to what happened to some that did not.
Revelation
20:4
4 And I saw thrones,
and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw
the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus
and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image,
and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands.
And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (NKJ)
Rather than face certain
death, many will flee to the hills and valleys and hide among the rocks
to avoid the persecution that is about to occur. Daniel, in his vision,
listens to a question regarding the timing of these events. Notice the
precision of God's answer.
Daniel 12:4-13
4 "But you, Daniel,
shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
5 Then I, Daniel, looked;
and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that
riverbank.
6 And one said to the
man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long
shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?"
7 Then I heard the
man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he
held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him
who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time;
and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered,
all these things shall be finished.
8 Although I heard,
I did not understand. Then I said, "My lord, what shall be the end of
these things?"
9 And he said, "Go
your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time
of the end.
10 "Many shall be purified,
made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none
of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.
11 "And from the time
that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation
is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 "Blessed is he who
waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will
arise to your inheritance at the end of the days. " (NKJ)
First, the precision
of 1,290 days is stated as the length of time the persecution will last.
The persecution will begin when the "daily sacrifice is taken away."
Of course, to be taken away, it would have commenced coincident with
the rebuilding of the Temple. Thousands of years ago Daniel was told
that the Temple would be rebuilt and sacrifices would commence. When
it happens it will be yet another prophecy fulfilled before your eyes.
What will it take to humble yourself before God, repent and serve Him?
More evidence? No, a changed heart, a will to worship Him and acknowledge
Him in every way is what it takes.
Notice also that in
Daniel's vision he is told to "seal the book until the time of the end;
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." Has knowledge
ever increased at a faster rate? Has the vision of Daniel been sealed
to the end? For instance, have you understood this vision before this
time?
But, who is the beast?
Revelation
13:3
3 And I saw one of
his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was
healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. (NKJ)
Practically every noted
commentator who writes on this verse introduces the fall of Rome and
the ascension of the Papacy as representations of the wound that was
healed. Their observations may be correct. But perhaps a simple sign
we should look for is that the beast will be a leader who has recovered
from a mortal wound. The "leader" could be a political entity and not
a person, but the Scriptures lead you to feel that it is an individual.
Perhaps the "wound" will not be physical. One can speculate in any direction,
but the beast will, by some measure, have recovered from a "wound," whether physical, social or political.
If in fact the beast
actually has recovered from a physical and mortal wound, I should think
his identity would be unquestionable.
Revelation
13:4-5
4 So they worshiped
the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast,
saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"
5 And he was given
a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority
to continue for forty-two months. (NKJ)
Here the beast is respected
and worshipped. The beast will speak "great things," thus be an
orator who is able to sway the masses, but the beast will not honor
God. He will lead the nations into "peace and safety" but not as a man
of God. Listen.
1 Thessalonians
5:2-3
2 For you yourselves
know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say,
"Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor
pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. (NKJ)
The time leading up
to the "ending of the sacrifices" will be considered good times. The
beast will speak great things and peace and safety will be evident.
But when the sacrifices are stopped in the Temple, understand, in advance,
that the next 42 months are going to be times of extreme persecution.
You will have to decide whether to worship the beast and take the mark
of the beast or not. Listen.
Revelation
13:6-8
6 Then he opened his
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle,
and those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was granted to
him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority
was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
8 All who dwell on
the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the
Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (NKJ)
This last verse should
help you understand that the name of every redeemed soul is already
known to God and is written in the Book of Life. Yes, you have volition.
You choose and you decide. But God, who knows the Alpha from the Omega,
who knows all things, also knows who will choose Him. You whom He knows
are the Elect. Your names are already in the Book of Life. God also
knows who will reject Him. God knows the beginning from the end. He
knows all your decisions, thoughts, and actions. This truth exceeds
our understanding but does not exceed our ability to believe it, by
faith.
When the beast makes
"war with the saints," the saints will not prevail, in these 42
months. Several times I have mentioned the rapture of the Church, that
event when believers will be caught up in the clouds. Two sentences
make the rapture "before the tribulation," a little less certain
than we believers might hope. First in Daniel 12:7 "...when the power
of the holy people has been completely shattered" and again in Revelation 13:7 "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to
overcome them" we find holy people and saints being persecuted
during the last 3 1/2 years of the tribulation. I do not care to focus
on the debate of pre and post tribulation positions, but I would strongly
suggest that "being ready" is far more important than being correct.
If you are ready it will not matter which of these scenarios is correct.
Whether you believe that the Church will be raptured before the tribulation
or at the end of the tribulation has no bearing on your personal salvation.
Being ready is the primary issue.
Those who are purified by their faith
granted by the grace of God, in that time period will be those who have
made or who are going to make a commitment to the Lord. They will refuse
the mark of the beast, the mark that permits men to buy and sell. This
will require great resolve in the face of very strong persecution. Those
acquaintances of yours who consort with the beast will become your enemies.
You are going to understand what it means to be a "remnant." Read
on concerning key prophecy regarding the beast also called the Antichrist
and the dragon, Satan.
Revelation
13:9-15
9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
10 He who leads into
captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must
be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the
saints.
11 Then I saw another
beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and
spoke like a dragon.
12 And he exercises
all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the
earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly
wound was healed.
13 He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth
in the sight of men.
14 And he deceives
those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to
do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to
make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power
to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast
should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of
the beast to be killed. (NKJ)
The "other beast"
who "spoke like a dragon," exhibits great power and does
wondrous things such as commanding fire to come down from heaven. During
these times Satan, the one who gave power to the beast, will have
great power, to deceive if possible, even the elect. He gives power
and "breath" to the beast to kill those who will not accept the mark
of the beast on their right hand or foreheads. No mark, no transactions.
No mark and your death shall be decreed.
If you must have the
mark of the beast to buy or sell and you refuse the mark, how will you
survive? Recall that the "Church," the Body of Believers, is promised
that they are not "appointed to wrath." At least the "pre tribulation"
argument is that the body of believers will be caught up in the clouds
with Christ and avoid the wrath of the tribulation. But the question
isn't whether they will avoid the wrath of God, but when?
Will it be before the tribulation period or after. Does the wrath from
which men are to be protected specifically refer to the wrath of God
and not the wrath of man? Perhaps, but understand that just as
Nebuchadnezzar dished out "wrath" to God's people, saints and sinners,
so might the Antichrist. No "wrath" is served up by man, absent the
consent of the Lord and not all wrath leads to bad results.
Listen to the Word.
Job 1:6-12
6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves
before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said
to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said,
"From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth
on it."
8 Then the LORD said
to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like
him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and
shuns evil?"
9 So Satan answered
the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 "Have You not made
a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has
on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions
have increased in the land.
11 "But now, stretch
out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You
to Your face!"
12 So the LORD said
to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay
a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (NKJ)
Here God permitted
one of His saints to be tested. Job passed the test. He remained faithful
even though all that he had was destroyed including his children. But
Satan wasn't through in his effort to break Job's faith. Listen.
Job 2:1-6
1 Again there was a
day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,
and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
2 And the LORD said
to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said,
"From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth
on it."
3 Then the LORD said
to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like
him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and
shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited
Me against him, to destroy him without cause."
4 So Satan answered
the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give
for his life.
5 "But stretch out
Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely
curse You to Your face!"
6 And the LORD said
to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." (NKJ)
You need to read the
entire account of Job's experiences to grasp the many truths it presents,
but here was the outcome:
Job 42:12
12 Now the LORD blessed the latter
days of Job more than his beginning... because Job remained faithful.
The wrath Job experienced
was permitted but God foreknew the entire circumstance and used Satan's
evil intent to glorify Himself and to demonstrate the faith of Job to
the world, forever. You must read the book of Job carefully if you want
to grasp the power of Satan, whose power is limited by God, but who
nevertheless seeks to destroy your faith and mine.
Job, after being restored, doubly,
then went on to die "full of days." His flesh did die and his spirit
did live for redemption, to be housed in a body that will be eternal.
Listen to the fate of Job and those who love God.
1 Thessalonians
4:13-18
13 But I do not want
you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep,
lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe
that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those
who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say
to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until
the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel,
and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort
one another with these words. (NKJ)
This prophecy covers
all those who are "dead in Christ" as well as "alive in Christ,"
and this is the rapture event. Its exact timing is in question. We
are warned many times to be ready, but not to "predict" the time of
the rapture.
A careful reader may
have wondered aloud, "where did it ever say that Job believed that Jesus
Christ was his Redeemer?" It did not say Jesus was the One in whom Job
had faith. Job's life, as well as the lives of Noah, Moses, and Abraham
all preceded the birth of Christ. One could ask, how were they saved
if their Redeemer had not yet been born? The answer is provided in the
Word. They had faith and it was accounted to them for righteousness.
But what is faith? Listen.
Hebrews 11:1-3
1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders
obtained a good testimony.
3 By faith we understand
that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which
are seen were not made of things which are visible. (NKJ)
Heb 11:7-10
7 By faith Noah, being
divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared
an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world
and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
8 By faith Abraham
obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive
as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he dwelt
in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with
Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;
10 for he waited for
the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (NKJ)
Heb 11:32-34
32 And what more shall
I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson
and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
33 who through faith
subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions,
34 quenched the violence
of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong,
became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (NKJ)
Job's faith and the
faith of all God's children, before the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus
Christ, was accounted to them for righteousness. But let's return to
the primary focus of this topic. Was it God's intent that His chosen
people, his saints, is appointed to wrath? Listen.
1 Thessalonians
5:9
9 For God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJ)
You may have some problems
with the imagery of the beast, but most agree that the beasts are Satan
and his servant, the Antichrist. The specifics of the identity of the
beast should not escape your attention. It is a precise prophecy.
Accepting the mark
of the Beast, in order that "one may buy or sell" may take several forms
but I believe you know that implanted "chips" already exist as a means
of identification. Each implanted chip will have all of your personal
data imbedded in a scanable format, and the day will come when all transactions
will be based on the data on the chip or some other form of scanable
identification. This may seem to be a little far fetched, but technologically,
we are already there. Doesn't it get your attention to know that the
technology to have this be true is very recent? This prophecy
was written thousands of years ago and readers over the centuries must
have wondered how these things could be true. These are "end time signs,"
not to be missed!
Now listen to the fate
of those who accept the mark of the beast, as well as the promise to
those who do not.
Revelation
14:9-13
9 … "If anyone worships
the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on
his hand,
10 "he himself shall
also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full
strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with
fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence
of the Lamb.
11 "And the smoke of
their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or
night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the
mark of his name."
12 Here is the patience
of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the
faith of Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice
from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the
Lord from now on.' " "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest
from their labors, and their works follow them." (NKJ)
In these verses you
are told that the wrath of God will be poured out "full strength" to
those who accept the mark of the beast. But the saints, those, who keep
the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, will be blessed. Your
choice is made crystal clear. Do not accept the mark!
The scriptures indicate
that the return of the Messiah will occur when the "fullness
of the Gentiles has come in." In other words, the period of the
great tribulation, the last segment of time prior to the establishment
of the Kingdom on earth, will not commence until this occurs.
I heard one commentator
say recently that there is not one single event unfulfilled regarding
the moment in time in which the Church is to be raptured. Yet there
is one. There must be one more soul, at least, to be saved. When the
last "believer" has been added to the Church, as a result of their confession
of faith, bathed in the Grace of God, then the rapture will occur. God
knows who will turn to Him and love Him and His hand is extended still
but there will be a time in which time runs out. Are you that soul for
whom the door is being help open?
The "blindness of Israel"
we spoke of earlier, refers to Israel's lack of recognition of Jesus
Christ as their personal Savior and Messiah. The statement refers to
Israel but Israel is both a country and a people.
The individual Jews,
and there of course are some, who claim Jesus as the Messiah and their
personal Savior, have removed themselves from the uncertainty of the
events that will occur during the tribulation, a period in which Israel
will eventually undergo the worst persecution ever.
I say uncertainty,
because some Jews will survive the persecution of the tribulation period
with their faith in God, in tact. As to whether you personally have
the resolve and inner strength that will be required when you are forced
to accept the mark of the beast and to obey the Antichrist or to die,
time will tell. Perhaps the primary point of this book is to tell
you that there is a way to prepare yourself and to replace the uncertainty
of your response to a death sentence with the certainty of your salvation,
now. I do not say that to frighten you, but if that is what it takes…
As much as I would
like to think that this presentation will "persuade" you, nothing could
be further from the truth. The Holy Spirit calls you, not a man. Your
faith and belief in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit redeem you, not
some external advocate. It is your belief that the Lord exists and loves
you and that you are willing to come before him in all humility and
with heartfelt contrition that saves you. Even reading the Word daily
can not save you. It takes a new heart, one sustainable and available
only by the power of the Holy Spirit in you. We who seek to serve sometimes
get overly excited about our sense of mission, but it is His mission
in you and His message to you that matters.
Go in all humility
and contrition to the Word, go in prayer to God, declare your belief
and faith in the atoning act of Jesus Christ. Repent; be baptized in
the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Go beyond the limitations
of your flesh. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God knows whether
you will respond or not and may He have mercy on those who fail to seek
and obey.
Listen to the fate
of those who accepted the mark of the beast. I know I have quoted these
verses in another topic, but honestly, you will learn something new
every day that you read the Scriptures, over and over again. The Word
is alive and active. It is dynamic. It witnesses to you more powerfully
than any man.
Revelation
16:1-21
1 Then I heard a loud
voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the
bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."
2 So the first 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.
3 Then the second angel
poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man;
and every living creature in the sea died.
4 Then the third angel
poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became
blood.
5 And I heard the angel
of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and
who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things.
6 For they have shed
the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink.
For it is their just due."
7 And I heard another
from the altar saying, "Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous
are Your judgments."
8 Then the fourth angel
poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch
men with fire.
9 And men were scorched
with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over
these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
10 Then the fifth angel
poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became
full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
11 They blasphemed
the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and did not
repent of their deeds.
12 Then the sixth angel
poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was
dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three
unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out
of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are spirits
of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth
and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day
of God Almighty.
15 "Behold, I am coming
as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest
he walk naked and they see his shame."
16 And they gathered
them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.
17 Then the seventh
angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of
the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, "It is done!"
18 And there were noises
and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such
a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on
the earth.
19 Now the great city
was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And
great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the
wine of the fierceness of His wrath.
20 Then every island
fled away, and the mountains were not found.
21 And great hail from
heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent. Men
blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague
was exceedingly great. (NKJ)
There are those who
will recoil from the thought of such awful judgment. Let's agree that
the scriptures say that those who refuse the mark of the beast will
suffer at the hands of the Antichrist, some unto death. One thing appears
certain. If you are here for the Great Tribulation, you are going to
be tested as never before. Listen to the circumstance of those who refuse the mark of the beast.
Revelation
15:2-4
2 And I saw something
like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory
over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number
of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.
3 They sing the song
of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: "Great
and marvelous are Your works, lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your
ways, O King of the saints!
4 Who shall not fear
You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all
nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been
manifested." (NKJ)
Those who sing the
song of Moses and the song of the Lamb will be in a situation where
"all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have
been manifested." This, in my opinion, is a Millenium experience
and this joy will follow the judgment of the Antichrist and all who
have accepted the mark of the Beast.
Consider yourself warned,
many times over, if you have read these scriptures before, and choose
life, eternal life, now. The scriptures make many references to the
"remnant" but check the references provided here which make the following
point: The gate is narrow that leads to life and there are few that
find it!
Luke 13:23-30
23 Then one said to
Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them,
24 "Strive to enter
through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter
and will not be able.
25 "When once the Master
of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand
outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and
He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,'
26 "then you will begin
to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'
27 "But He will say,
'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all
you workers of iniquity.'
28 "There will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and
all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.
29 "They will come
from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down
in the kingdom of God.
30 "And indeed there
are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." (NKJ)
Matthew 7:13-14
13 "Enter by the narrow
gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and there are many who go in by it.
14 "Because narrow
is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there
are few who find it. (NKJ)
Matthew 16:24-26
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 will lose it, but whoever loses his life 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? (NKJ)
Acts 14:22
22 …"We must through
many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." (NKJ)
I know that neither
you nor I have been able to keep the whole Law and I know that the sacrifices
and offerings that we have made are insufficient. There is only one
sacrifice that can cleanse us of our sins, only One who can deliver
us to the Father, as if we had never sinned. You do not have to go through
the tribulation, absent the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, and if
you choose to do so it appears few will be faithful unto death.
Choose life, eternal
life, now. Go to God's Holy Word as one dying of thirst. He will give
you Rivers of Living Water; He will give you His peace now and forever.
Relax in His love and His caring Hands. Commit your resources, of every
imaginable kind to His service. Know that resources represent an opportunity and a liability and that "to whom much is given, much is required." The only asset that will survive is your soul, your spiritual self.
Every other asset will perish. The poet has asked, "How can we cherish
that which will perish?" Childish prose, to be sure, but an almost universal
error in judgment.
As an aside, if you
believe evil spirits exist, how can you not believe the Spirit of God
exists? There are even those who "worship" Satan, therefore acknowledging
evil spirits. Those who "worship" the stars which God created, or inanimate
objects (gods?) that must be transported about and which are made of
perishable material, are missing the greatest possible blessing. God
loves every person He created, including "worshippers" of false gods.
God will forgive, welcome you back and rejoice that a "lost child" has
returned home.
Doesn't that kind of
parental affection, that depth of forgiveness and mercy, humble you?
God will not remain angry at your sin if you stop sinning! Turn to the
only God that is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient that exists.
Turn to the only God that has sent a Messiah; One who is able to erase
your sins from the sight and the memory of God; One who, when he was
rejected by man, then reached out, again and forever, saying "Forgive
them Father, for they do not know what they are doing." That is
our God, completely different than any god contrived by man. The reason
that accepting the mark of the beast is such a fatal error is that it
is an act of allegiance and obedience to a false god.
We could continue in
discussing the details concerning the tribulation and all of the scriptures
in the Old and New Testament that point to it as a crucial event, but
suffice it to say that it is one of the final events before the battle
of Armageddon, where the enemies of God will be slain by God. Those
who are led to understand that they must choose to resist the beast
(by refusing to accept the mark) will find that they either must die
or flee to survive.
In the wake of the
event September 11, 2001, secure identity cards are now being widely
discussed. These cards perform a narrow function compared to the purpose
of the mark of the beast. However, the speed with which identity cards
are being considered should simply help you understand that it is a
small step to implant a data chip, if that is indeed what will be considered,
in order to buy and sell. Prophecy fulfilled is at hand!
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