I've gone to church since I was big enought to get on a church bus. Something was drawing me. My siblings rarely went, and my parents never went....at least until I became a pastor of my own church.
One question that seems to eat on the minds of men is the subject of the mark of the beast. In my lifetime, I've lived through all the classics. Credit cards are the mark, social security cards are the mark, barcodes are the mark, and mosrt recently, microchips are the mark.
All these things have one thing in common, numbers. It seems that every specialist has discovered exactly who the anti-christ is and the why his number makes him such. The sad new is, everyone is looking at the wrong things in the bible, and asking the wrong questions. I've discovered, if you want the right answers to your questions, you have to ask the right questions, and you have to ask them the right way. You cannot ask a general question, and get a specific answer. You have to ask specific questions to get specific answers. If you ask questions from a religious standpoint, you will get religious answers. One thing we must understand, God is not a god of religion, and he will not deal with us from a religious level. We have to get on his level in order to understand his word. We have to rise above the level of religion to get the correct answers.
The first thing people think about when they consider the mark of the beast is, those who don not take it cannot buy sell or trade. This places fear in the hearts of men, for they cannot forsee how they will survive the tribulation without buying selling or trading. This is where we need to understand what the mark is, and why it is going to have such an impact on humanity.
Now let us consider buying and trading. How does this impact humans all over the earth? In America, it would be difficult to survive without being able to go to a store for supplies, unless you are one of those who are dependant on God to feed and clothe you, or one of those who believe in the rapture. The rapture is a lie, but don't get angry, please read on if you want to know about the mark of the beast.
The same holds true in European countries. North and South Americas, the Asian nations, and the middle east. The middle east has been at war forever, and those people can survive on modest food and supplies.
The one thing that has bothered me is, how can a person be made to take the mark, especially when it comes to eating and survival.
Let us consider African tribes people, and the Austrailian Aboriginees. These people have lived off the land for centuries, they catch their own food, make their own tools, and have no need of outside influence, especially food, weapons, tools and such.
Now what is commonly taught, these tribes will be given a choice to take the mark, or be beheaded. When these people are threated that they cannot buy, sell, or trade if they don't take the mark, do you think they will be the least concerned? How could they?
I've pondered these questions, and these people, and could never figure it out. When I run into a brick wall, I try to find a way around it or through it.
One day I was wondering...What is it that all the people on this earth have in common that could cause
In order to get answers to these questions, we have to know the definition of words. Let's tak a look at the word mark.
Strong's concordance says the word mark means "Badge of servitude." To put this in words for everyone to understand, a badge that a sherrif wears shows he is a sevant of the law, to protect the citizens. He is a sevant of the law, and his badge is a mark. This is a physical mark, and this is what preachers are teaching the mark of the beast is. They are looking in the wrong direction.
A badge of servitude is also invisible. When two people get married, they wear a physical mark (rings), that show their service to one another, but it is the vows they make that are the most important invisible mark (badge of servitude). This is where things start to get interesting.
The bible teaches that we are the sevant of whom we serve. Preachers explain this as we are either serving god or satan. That's not bad, but it goes deeper. When we serve religion, we are the servant of religion. When we are a servant of religion, then religion is our master. When religion is our master, we are required to be obedient to our master...religion. If you think I am blowing smoke, consider this. A person is only allowed to be part of a church until he does something that the church does not allow. If a person starts seeing the bible in a different view that his church, it is not long until the church will expell him and his family.
When a Baptist discover that he should be baptized in Jesus name, the Baptists will reject him, and the Pentecostals will accept him with open arms. So a man can change masters, and can do so many times in his life.
The funny thing about this is, a man can be a Baptist for 40 years, and all during that time, he believes anyone who does not believe the way of Baptists, they are going to hell. When he changes over to become a Pentecostal, or any other religion, he thanks and praises god that he was delivered out of his Baptist blindness, and didn't die in his lost condition. Now he believes anyone who doesn't believe the way his new religion does is going to hell. Now the Baptists he used to be a part of is going to hell, and he feels sorry for them and their blindness. This happens all the time with all religions.
So, what is it that all the people on the earth have in common. They are all religious!!! Come on, take a long look at people all over the world. Most of the worlds population is Christian, even though America is considered the only Christian nation. Catholicism is christian, they invented christianity, they are the mother of all christian churches, and as a matter of fact, the mother of all religions. I will write more about that subject later.
You might think that Atheists are not religious, but you are wrong. Their religion is evolution. Next----------->