Mark of the Beast

End Times
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focusedman
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Mark of the Beast

Post by focusedman » Tue Dec 17, 2019 8:35 am

Sunday is our MARK of authority . . . the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance [from Saturday to Sunday] is her act. And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power and authority in religious matters”.— C. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. Sunday observance is the mark of the beast. The United States shall make an image to the first beast by supporting The Papacy and ENFORCING WORSHIP when The United States passes The National Sunday Law. Thus if you insist on keeping God’s Sabbath day holy, you will neither be able to buy nor to sell. The Roman Papacy is not really a church. It is a country consisting of 108 acres in the middle of the city of Rome. The Catholic religion is a strange combination of the old pagan religions with a Christian facade. And when the papacy takes over there will be bloodshed. America simply has no idea of the terrible trouble and persecution that is coming soon at the hands of the papacy. The people of America have forgotten the cruelty and unrestrained butchery this unholy power demonstrated during the Dark Ages when it slaughtered over 150 million Christians because they wanted to worship God according to the Bible. The number "666" isn't the mark of the beast. The Bible describes the number 666 in Revelation 13:18, and it specifically says that it is the number of a man. The official title of the pope is Vicarius Filii Dei; translated from Latin this is Vicar of the Son of God. A vicar is a substitute in office. The values of the letters of this name, Vicarius Filii Dei, add up to 666 in the Roman numeral numbering system exactly as predicted in Revelation 13:18! Revelation 13:16 says people will receive the mark of the beast in the forehead or in the hand. The forehead represents the mind (Hebrews 10:16). A person will be marked in the forehead by a decision to keep Sunday as a holy day. The hand is a symbol of work (Ecclesiastes 9:10). A person will be marked in the hand by working on God’s holy Sabbath or by going along with Sunday laws for practical reasons (job, family, etc.). The sign, or mark, for either God or the beast will be invisible to people. You will, in essence, mark yourself by accepting either God’s mark—the Sabbath—or the beast’s mark—Sunday. Though invisible to men, God will know who has which mark.
Last edited by focusedman on Wed Dec 18, 2019 1:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

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backwoodsman
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by backwoodsman » Tue Dec 17, 2019 12:10 pm

Focusedman, this looks to me like more or less standard Seventh Day Adventist beliefs. If you were interested in discussing those points in light of the Bible, I'm sure you'd find some good discussion here. But looking over your past posts, it's pretty clear you're just here to preach your views, and you're not interested in interacting, or learning where you may be mistaken. That's not what this forum is for; your misuse of it for that is an unwelcome imposition on those who are here for better reasons, and unprofitable for both you and others.

Have you considered starting a blog? That would suit your purposes much better than a forum like this one. There you could say whatever you like in an appropriate place, without taking advantage of or imposing on others where it's unwelcome and inappropriate.

focusedman
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by focusedman » Tue Dec 17, 2019 2:49 pm

Backdoorman, This is a bible discussion. We are all here to discuss the Bible and share what we believe. You say that I'm not here to interact or learn where I may be mistaken. But the fact remains that we all here to share our opinion. You certainly shared your opinion on my last post.
The Bible isn't about us, it's about Jesus. It's not a self-help book, and God is not a self-help guru.
I don't agree with that at all but I'm not going to say that you should leave this forum and start your own blog because I don't agree with your opinion. The Bible isn't just some nice fairy tale or folk lore. The Bible is of course when interpreted correctly the greatest book of positive self image psychology. "Let the weak say I am strong" I believe the difference is that I see the power in the Bible and you just want to discuss it like its some sort of lecture. I read the Bible to grow Spiritually and it sounds like you just read it to discuss and debate. You are certainly welcome to comment on my post but telling me that I should leave is unwelcomed and inappropriate.

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steve
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by steve » Tue Dec 17, 2019 6:21 pm

"Let the weak say 'I am strong'." (Joel 3:10)

This verse has nothing to do with self-image. It is a call to battle. It is encouraging those who think themselves unfit for battle ("weak") to ignore this fact and to rise up to the challenge as if they were strong.

I find it surprising that anyone could suggest that the Bible is a self-image enhancer, when virtually everything it says about mankind (a few righteous individuals excepted) is pretty negative.

Focusedman, your repetition of the Seventh-Day Adventist talking points about Sunday being the mark of the beast seem to lack any exegetical basis or support. The identification of the papacy with the beast is interesting, but not compelling.

About 138 AD, Justin Martyr wrote:

On the day named after the sun, we hold a meeting in one place for all who live in the cities or the country nearby. The Memoirs of the Apostles or the Writings of the Prophets are read as long as time permits. When the reader has finished, the overseer gives a talk urging and inviting us to imitate all these good examples. Then we all stand up together and send up our prayers. As said before, bread is brought and wine and water after we have finished our prayer. The overseer likewise sends up prayers and thanksgivings with all his might. The people give their consent by saying, “Amen.” Now the distribution takes place, and each one receives what has been accepted with thanksgiving. Those who are absent receive their share through the table stewards [deacons].
—First Apology 65-67

The fact that Christians met for Sunday morning worship long before there were any popes to expostulate on the range of the sabbath would seem to rule out the popes as the founders of this practice.

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Homer
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by Homer » Tue Dec 17, 2019 6:40 pm

Focusedman,

Could you show from the scriptures where the Old Covenant, which included the Ten Commandments, was ever an obligation upon anyone other than the children of Israel to whom it was given? Can you cite any passage in scripture where any gentile was chastised for not keeping the Law of Moses or the Sabbath?

focusedman
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by focusedman » Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:40 pm

I find it surprising that anyone could suggest that the Bible is a self-image enhancer, when virtually everything it says about mankind (a few righteous individuals excepted) is pretty negative.
I interpret the Bible psychologically, rather than theologically. When you see and say about yourself the way God see and says about you, you change your circumstances by changing, your self-image, by changing your self-definition. The Bible says, “Let the weak say, I AM strong.” This is re-defining oneself. Let the weak one re-define himself as strong. Let the poor one re-define himself as rich. "...yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich". Let the sick say, I AM well.” "with his stripes we ARE healed". You have to learn to use these precious promises of God to heal yourself, to bless yourself, and to prosper yourself. You see Jesus never claimed to be God’s only son. The theologians gave us that idea. Divine Sonship is not exclusive to the person Jesus, but it is inclusive to each individual that has the faith to take God at his word. I've been to boring theologian cemetery, I mean seminary. They just pass on information and not interested in learning the real power of the Bible. This let's me known who the real sons of God are and who are the modern day Pharisees.
any gentile was chastised for not keeping the Law of Moses or the Sabbath?
"he shall think himself able to change times and laws of God" Revelation 13:8 says that ”all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are NOT written” in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is the just penalty due for worshiping the Beast.

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Homer
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by Homer » Wed Dec 18, 2019 5:13 pm

focusedman,

You Wrote:
Divine Sonship is not exclusive to the person Jesus, but it is inclusive to each individual that has the faith to take God at his word.
Could you elaborate on this statement? Do you believe Jesus is not God's sui generis Son? Do you see no difference in our adopted
status and His status by birth?

focusedman
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by focusedman » Wed Dec 18, 2019 9:49 pm

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name". God is a spirit. God see you as a spirit. God relates to you in the spirit. As children of God we have many promises from our father. It is with our spirit man that we believe and receive the promises of God.

“For truly I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he said shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he said”.
First we must find through the scripture the promise we are believing for. Then we must believe with the heart. When Jesus referenced the heart I don't believe he was talking about the physical heart that pumps blood through our body, but the spirit. The focal, central, or most important part of us is our spirit. Believing with the heart is simply believing with our inner man. We have to use all our spirit man “senses” to have a real experience to be fully convinced that we actually have whatever it is that we are believing. Visualizing with our mind's eye is how we SEE and believe the promises of God. Prayer or affirmations through repetition is how we hear,” for faith comes by hearing”. We then feel through emotion to make the experience as real as possible to become fully convinced that we have what God has promised. If someone was in the same room as you and you weren't able to see, hear, and feel them, the experience with them wouldn't be realistic at all. We have to see, hear, and feel with our inner man to believe with the heart. Second, we must SAY. Whatever we have believed and have become convinced of in your inner man must be verbalized into words. God believed in his heart and then said “let there be light” Saying brings into manifestation whatever we believe in our hearts. The word “confession” is not an admittance of guilt but actually an agreement with God. It is saying the same thing about our situation that God has said. You must first find the promises of God that you are believing for. You then see and believe and not doubt in your heart. Finally speak the Word out and keep your mouth from saying anything contrary to the Word.

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Homer
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Re: Mark of the Beast

Post by Homer » Wed Dec 18, 2019 10:15 pm

Focusedman,

But you did not answer my question. You only quoted a scripture without exegeting it and then veered off into irrelevance to my request. Again, how is our sonship comparable or different than the sonship of Jesus?

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