the mark of the beast
Lots of food for thought in this thread.
The take-down of the USA has been in the elite's plans for a very long time. The big pig in the pen needs to be knocked down so as to be the example for the rest of the world i.e. to be the nation that leads the rest of the world into their one-world construct. America was designed from the onset for the express purpose of being that example. America will continue to exist, but not in the manner in which the majority are accustomed. The rot had long ago begun, and it's now clearly coming into our view.
The people responsible are bloodlined families - they are all kin. They don't marry for love, they marry for genetics i.e. they want to maintain a certain genetic structure, if you will. Thus, they are the original bigots/racists. It's no mystery who they are. They are who The Bible says they are i.e. the merchants, the rich men of the earth who love money (and ultimately the power it can buy) more than they love you or me. We are mere meal tickets to them, a means to an end.
It appears that the next pretext on their patter may well be a one-world currency (electronic). Presently, 90% of all transactions are electronic, only 10% are cash (they hardwired the world's computers together - that's what the y2k pretext was all about). Take cash out of circulaton, and they determine your entire fnancial standing and future. You won't be able to give an old couch to your inlaws without the bankers getting a piece of it.
The Lord moved my family and I out of the USA not long ago, and I can't say I miss the USA. Brother Richard has the following to say about the mark.
The Mark of The Beast, like all scripture, is given so that we may understand God and how to serve Him better. The Mark of The Beast teaches us that the Lord demands uncompromising obedience and unswerving dedication. The Beast represents the archetype of the tyrannical state, which is opposed to God’s Word and God’s Law.
In scripture, the Beast is defined as kings (Daniel 7:17, Revelation 17:10-12), and man-made kingdoms (Daniel 7:18,23, Revelation 16:10) that have power to make war and kill (Revelation 11:7; 17:14). The Beast is the government, with rulers and armies, that are against God and his servants (Revelation 19:19). Jesus said, "He that is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30, Luke 11:23). So rulers that enforce laws contrary to God’s Law, are the Beast.
Followers of the Beast receive his mark of ownership; submission to ungodly, anti-Christian law. The mark in Revelation is an allusion to the Old Testament symbol of man’s total obedience to God, and stands as a warning that a society’s God (whether the true God or the state) demands complete commitment in all areas of life. Christians cannot compromise (2 Cor.6:14-18). The state is not absolute, it’s under authority of Christ (Psalm 2, Matthew 28:18); it’s an instrument of God (Romans 13:1-7). It has no license to do whatever it likes. It's ordained purpose is for a rod of correction; to speak the Word of God, to punish evil, and to reward good (Romans 13:4, 1 Peter 2:14, Hebrews 13:7). That is its only authorized purpose.
Who gives power to the Beast? The dragon (Revelation 13:2,4). Who is the dragon? This dragon is the spirit of satan (Revelation 12:9). Those who have the spirit of satan make war with those who "...keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 12:17). The Lord God has revealed Himself as God, but the spirit of satan is the god and prince of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4 John 12:31).
Revelation 13:16 says the Mark will be placed in the "right hand." Again, this is a symbolic term used to denote a position of power. The Lord is said to be at one's "right hand" (Psalm 16:8; 73:23; 121:5, Isaiah 41:13; 45:1; 63:12, Acts 2:25), so the right hand is symbolic for who your Lord is, who you obey. The "right hand" denotes the power of the Lord (Exo.15:6,12, Psalm 16:11; 17:7; 18:35; 20:6; 48:10; 60:5; 63:8; 77:10; 98:1; 118:15-16; 139:10, Isaiah 41:10; 48:13; 62:8, Eze.21:22, Hab.2:16, Acts 5:31), and the power of Jesus Christ (Mat.26:64, Mark 14:62). Jesus is at the "right hand" of the Father (Psalm 110:1,5, Mat.22:44, Mark 12:36; 16:19, Luke 20:42; 22:69, Acts 2:33-34; 7:55-56, Rom.8:34, Eph.1:20, Col.3:1, Heb.1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2, 1Pet.3:22).
The "right hand" also denotes work (Psalm 78:54; 80:15), and the power of man (Psalm 45:9; 89:13). The "right hand" could be an adversary of the Lord (Psalm 21:8; 89:42, Lam.2:4, Zech.3:1). A right hand denoted falsehood (Psalm 144:8,11). A wise man's heart is at his right hand (Ecc.10:2), and whatever you embrace with the "right hand" is where your heart is (Sol.2:6; 8:3). Similarly to how Jesus places the things he values on his right hand, and the things he despises on his left (Mat.25:33-34), the right hand is symbolic for the things we value more than other things. Is your right hand the mark of obedience to God Law, or to man's law?
What is sin? Sin is a conscious, willful, intentional act or thought of breaking God's Law. Things, in and of themselves, are not a sin. For example, is accepting a sword a sin? No. It is what you willfully do with the sword that constitutes a sin or not. Is a neighbor's wife sin? No, only the act or thought of adultery with that wife is a sin. If John is in a store, and Mugsy takes a watch from a shelf, and placed that watch in John's pocket without his knowledge, and John walks out of the store with that watch, did John commit a sin by stealing that watch? No, because the watch was forced upon him without his knowing it. Is that watch itself a sin? No. Only acts or thoughts are a sin. Not things. The Bible clearly teaches this. If anyone teaches a verse in the Bible that contradicts this, and teaches that a thing is a sin, and that a Christian can burn in hell for doing something unwillfully, unintentionally, and unconsciously, then that verse in the Bible must be studied, for the Bible does not contradict itself.
Those who say that the Mark of the Beast is literal, and that if anyone takes a mark in their hand or forehead they commit sin, is saying that a thing, the mark itself, is sin. They are saying when this mark is forced upon people, even if they take this mark unconsciously, unwillfully, or unintentionally, then it is still a sin. This contradicts the entire teaching of sin in the Bible. They say, "It does not matter what one does in thought or deed with this mark, because this mark, this thing itself, is sin". They are saying it is no longer what you do with this mark, if you accept this mark, because you are automatically guilty. This is not the teaching of God and his principles.
Now, to make a clarification, if the government does force people to accept a literal mark in their hand or forehead, it will be wrong to accept this mark, but not for the reason that the mark itself is a sin. There is no difference between a literal mark issued by the government, or a license issued by the government. They both force you to enter into a legal "contract" with the government to place man's law above God's Law. In other words, if there is a conflict between a man made law and a Law of God, the government says you must obey man rather than God, whereas God says we must obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). This is the reason why it is wrong to accept anything from the government. If you accept a license, benefit, privilege, certificate, etc. from the government, you are legally bound to obey all of their rules, regulations, ordinances, statutes, and laws, no matter how anti-Christian their laws may be.
