Religion – Page 2 – THE EXILE OBSERVER

Ecclesiastes & Corinthians

Ecclesiastes 9:11 “I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”

1 Corinthians 1:26 “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29 That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

Resurrection versus Insurrection

Mark 15:7 “And there was one named Barabbas, which lay bound with them that had made insurrection with him, who had committed murder in the insurrection.”

Barabbas is a portrait of antichrist. He was in prison–like the beast in the bottomless pit (Rev 17:8). Barabbas was brought out of that pit & he was set in counter-distinction to our Lord Jesus Christ. Pilate gave the Jews the choice of which of two that he should release (Matt 27:17).

The main idea of this article is to focus on Barabbas & his insurrection versus the Lord Jesus Christ & His bodily resurrection. The words resurrection & insurrection are close words in English & Greek.

Insurrection–Greek: stasis (G4714) “Standing”

Resurrection–Greek: anastasis (G386) “Standing up again”

A pastor named John A. Stormer wrote a book called None Dare Call it Treason. In his book there is a fantastic chapter about how the communists (called democrats in the modern US) infiltrated Christian seminaries beginning in the late 19th Century. He highlighted their altering of scripture via Biblical revisions & their doctrine.

The doctrine of the communist infiltrators weighs entirely on socialism & social justice–then they place Jesus (no titles) like a cherry on top of their agenda. The communists always preach a communist revolution, more properly, an insurrection (stasis). The communist mode is to promote anything they can as an alleged injustice perpetuated by a national government. Once they receive the desired change on one hot issue–they immediately move on to another (usually manufactured) crisis. They never cease complaining about a government; they never rest (Isaiah 57:20).

1 Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

The communist goal is to have insurrections & overthrows of national governments. They want a communist, no border’s, worldwide government. That is their deficient version of heaven (utopia) & it is all about this world.

Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”

The resurrection focusses on the after-life of this world. If one is a declared Christian; yet, they never see it fit in the course of their doctrine to mention the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ–alarm bells should be ringing. I do not speak of a psychological, philosophical or metaphorical resurrection–the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only did the Lord give us a litmus test for doctrine (1 John 4:1-3), but the importance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be overstated & if that fact is never mentioned in one’s doctrine?

1 Corinthians 15:13 “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

By no means do I claim that any mention of politics in preaching is wrong. However, is that the consistent primary topic of one’s is preaching? Instead of the word of God is it always about painting foreign opportunists as refugees or climate change or healthcare–basically the Democratic Party platform? If you go to Church, is the preaching constantly in line with the hot topics propagated on MSNBC, CNN or Fox News? Is the preaching the result of an unction from the Holy Spirit or is it an unction from human media?

Thus, the focus is doctrine. Is the preaching all about fomenting insurrection against a current government? The counter-distinction between Barabbas (a picture of the beast) & our Lord Jesus Christ includes insurrection versus resurrection.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

The Global Religion Preached by Corporations

Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

“But man seeks to worship what is established beyond dispute, so that all men would agree at once to worship it. For these pitiful creatures are concerned not only to find something that all would believe in and worship; what is essential is that all may be together in it. This craving for community of worship is the chief misery of every man individually and of all humanity from the beginning of time.”

–The Brothers Karamzov (The Grand Inquisitor) by Fydor Dostoyevksy

“It is better to be divided by truth than to be united in error. It is better to speak the truth that hurts and then heals, than falsehood that comforts and then kills.”

–Pastor Adrian Rogers

One the greatest cheerleaders for universal religion is global corporations. This fact is proved by the universalists most important religious ceremony–the Super Bowl or Super Ba’al as I call it. Many of the commercials during Super Ba’al are not even advertisements for their products; instead, they preach a hollow religion & mention their company or product in passing.

The corporate sponsored Super Ba’al half time shows culminate with crowd produced ambiguous messages such as believe in love or one love. The messages are meaningless in themselves. People can love money (1 Tim 6:10) or love darkness (John 3:19). Nothing about the global corporate religious messages indicate, “Oh–don’t believe in that love.” Also, one love is about as superficial as a message could be. What or who is the object of that one love?

The corporation driven religion is all about togetherness. Yes, the globalists grand religion is lead by the likes of Disney, Nike, Coca Cola, Gillette… Togetherness is not love. A crime syndicate could not only have togetherness, but all involved could have the same goal. Is that love? No. In order to have that false kinship, togetherness, their universal religion must be a general & empty thing– as broad & as wide as possible.

Matthew 7:3 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

Zacchaeus: The Fruit of the Sycomore Tree

Amos 7:12 “Also Amaziah said unto Amos, O thou seer, go, flee thee away into the land of Judah, and there eat bread, and prophesy there: 13 But prophesy not again any more at Bethel: for it is the king’s chapel, and it is the king’s court. 14 Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: 15 And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.”

There are several prophecies concerning the Lord Jesus Christ (according to the scriptures) in the provided portion from the book of Amos. I heard a saying, this will not be an exact rendition, but I agree with it: “The Bible is shallow enough for a toddler to drink from & deep enough for scholar to swim & never touch the bottom.” Even the punctuation marks are not idle when it comes to the word of God.

That being the case, let us shift our focus to one thing–the sycomore fruit in Amos 7:14. I believe this prophesy was fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ with Zacchaeus. In Luke 19, the Lord is not ambiguous in respect to the kind of tree that Zacchaeus climbed. When he climbed the sycomore tree, he became it’s de facto fruit. It was a delightful blessing from the Lord this morning. Many times, like many other Christians, I read the passage concerning Zacchaeus & never had a second thought about the kind of tree he climbed. Even the traditional hymn Zacchaeus Was a Wee Little Man mentions the kind of tree. Thus, God tells us the kind of tree & if God says it–it is important:

Luke 19:1 “And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. 4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Modern “Peace” and “Toxicity.”

I have noted a trend that when many say “peace,” they mean, “avoid or flee.” Often they must flee “toxic” or “negative” people to preserve their convenience. The first problem with that method is the person automatically assumes only everybody else can be “toxic” or “negative.” So the individual is allegedly in a perfect state of peace, unless someone disrupts their fantasy existence in any way. This modern peace is complete selfishness.

The purveyors of the toxic people theories apparently cannot discern the difference between positive & negative versus good & evil. They are mutually exclusive concepts. To ask someone not use opoids is a negative request, but good. You will notice that the toxic investigators are inconsistent. It is all right to be negative when it concerns something they do not agree with; however, any negative proposition towards something they find agreeable–that is when the other person is allegedly being negative or toxic.

Thus, the sum total of that faux version of peace equals: the successful elimination of anything or anyone contrary to one’s personal agenda. If the other person accrues enough bad checkmarks on their toxic checklists–elimination. Strikingly, consider the fact that if one refers to a toxic people checklist to determine who should or should not be in their lives–that is a demand that everyone must obey their standard or else. Is not manipulation suppose to be a toxic behaviour?

One of the most wicked things about the toxic people theory is that truth is meaningless to these people. The truth can be positive or negative, but they only want what they consider the positive truths in their vicinity. Anything negative, even if it is the truth, must not be allowed to abide in their own personal Garden of Eden.

I am sure all of our social media news feeds are full of empty memes that speak of avoiding negativity, avoiding drama, rising above, endless memes about how to achieve love & peace. The exhaustive mentions of such subjects can be a display that the person is compensating for the lack of it in their own hearts.

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Peace will not result from anything the world has to offer–that includes modern psychology. So following the latest checklist from the latest trendy journal is not going to work. For that peace in our hearts, we need to abide in the true vine (John 15:1)–the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). It is either produced by that or it is not produced in the heart at all; regardless of any fluffy language that proceeds from a person’s mouth. Also it cannot be broken down nor understood by psychologists.

Philippians 4:27 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Moving on to peace with others. It is not a bad thing to regularly avoid confrontation, but fleeing all confrontations will not lead to peace. Sometimes confrontations produce good results. Perhaps there were unknown extenuating circumstances in a conflict with another? After that revelation, two people might have peace with each other, but they would never have peace by avoiding that confrontation. They would never know the truth of the matter; they would never know the other person did _________ because of ________.

So because the toxic investigators are not interested in truth, they are not interested peace. Only subjective truth can preserve their selfish bubbles. Their self-absorbed, no-drama behaviour often prevents true peace.

Being judgmental is also toxic behaviour–yet you are supposed to refer to a checklist created by a psychologist to judge if other people are worthy of your presence? Toxic people checklists could serve a better purpose by judging whether one is a human being or a cyborg. No bad checkmarks = robot.

No one is going to find peace by demanding that everyone else in their life must walk on eggshells around them. Trying to control others with arbitrary checklist will not fix one’s own bitter heart. These insane checklists will not only drive toxic people out of their life, they will eventually drive everyone out of their life. There is something known as forgiveness.

The Time of Jezebel: a Microcosm of the End

1 Kings 21:23 “And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.”

Revelations 17:16 “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”

The time of Jezebel in Israel is a microcosm of end times. Hopefully the reader is familiar with the events surrounding Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21) and can relate it to the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matt 21:33-43) delivered by the Lord Jesus Christ.

I will point out this involves progressive revelation. The situation with Naboth is a real event and a prophecy concerning Jesus Christ. The orders Jezebel gave in order to seize Naboth’s vineyard align with the Jews accusations concerning Jesus Christ:

1 Kings 21:10 “And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.”

Matthew 26:65 “Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.”

Luke 23:2 “And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”

The builders rejected the chief corner stone (Jesus Christ). Throughout the Jezebel saga there are many items that correlate to the 1st and coming advent of the Lord Jesus. I believe the full scope of the prophecy eventually encompasses the whole world. Everyone who is not a Christian will worship the beast and the harlot rides the beast. The ten horns on the heads of the beast are ten kings (Rev 17:12) and they hate the harlot.

Jezebel was a Zidonian, the daughter of a king named Ethbaal (1 Kings 16:31). During the microcosm, Jezebel controlled the religion of Israel. She cut off the prophets of the LORD, brought in Baal worship & witchcraft. Note: some of the prophets were hidden from her.

During the course of Ahab & Jezebel there were two prophets–Elijah & Elisha. Some teach that when Elijah was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind in front of Elijah, that this represents the rapture of end times believers. I do not disagree, but I will display more. The Lord Jesus Christ was in the heart of the Earth for three days, rose from the dead and after 40 days ascended into heaven. Before this the Lord Jesus said:

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

In this comparison I believe the succession event from Elijah to Elisha is a portrait of the Lord Jesus Christ ascending & sending the Holy spirit:

2 Kings 2:9 “And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.”

2 Kings 2:15 “And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”

1 Kings 2:17 “And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.”

In the last the verse provided, the prophets wanted to look for Elijah just in case he ended up on a mountainside. At first Elisha refused, but after they urged he allowed them to go. So in the provided OT verses, Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, it happened and the prophets searched for Elijah three days. All that correlates to the Lord Jesus Christ. Ah…you ask about the double portion:

John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

King Ahab died (1 Kings 22) before Jezebel. His son Joram (aka Jehoram 2 Chronicles 22:6) became king of Israel, but Jezebel was still in Jezreel. Elisha sent a prophet to anoint Jehu as king of Israel. Joram was recovering from a wound at Jezreel and Ahaziah king of Judah was visiting him. Jehu rode to Jezreel and Joram & Ahaziah rode out to meet him. Jehu slew them. When Jehu reached the compound Jezebel readied herself:

2 Kings 9:20 “And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.”

Revelation 18:7 “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”

The aforementioned verses correlate well. Here is the end of the exchange between Jezebel (who stood at a window) and Jehu (who was on horseback on the ground):

2 Kings 9:32 “And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.”

Revelation 18:21 “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.”

Not only does the first part of Rev 21 correlate with the event, but also the last phrase. Jehu went inside the compound and dined. He told his servants to go outside and bury Jezebel. Just like Babylon shall be find no more, Jezebel’s remains:

2 Kings 9:35 “And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.”

After the fall of Jezebel (Babylon), Jehu destroyed the temple, altars & worshippers of Baal & the rest of Ahab’s kin:

2 Kings 9:7 “And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.”

Revelation 19:2 “For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.”

There are more correlation’s for the events. Earlier in the saga, Elijah was on the run because Jezebel threatened to kill him. There is more to that story, but Elijah thought he was the last of the true worshippers. Notice the correlation between the worship of an image of a false god:

Romans 11:3 “Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4 But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”

Revelation 13:15 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

There are more correlations from 1 & 2 Kings that relate to either the 1st or coming advent of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this article provides quite a bit. From my reading Babylon falls first (via the ten kings) & then the Lord Jesus returns (Rev 19:11)–the battle of Armageddon occurs.

From my reading, Babylon falls during the wrath of God (the vials of wrath). There are saints that are overcome by the beast (Rev 11:7) prior to that. So believers do face tribulation, but concerning the wrath of God:

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Christians & Greek philosophers

The truth and logic are mutually exclusive. Something can be logical, but not true. Something can be true, but not logical. For instance, give them an inch and they will take a mile is a slippery slope argument. Ask Neville Chamberlin about the consequences of choosing logic in that comparison.

Why do Christian institutions place Aristotle & his logic or science on a pedestal?

1 Corinthians 1:20 “Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

I do not need anyone to point out that by man’s standard my faith is illogical. I am not interested in logic, I am interested in the truth.

Colossians 2:2 “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

I have not located anything in the Bible that refers Christians to also seek Greek philosophers for some other wisdom or knowledge. The verse says “all.” In fact we receive a warning a few verses later:

Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”

Interpretations of the Bible are not found outside the word of God. The works of Plato & Aristotle are not a supplement to the Bible. Aristotle’s unmoved mover, his apathetic god is the complete opposite of Christianity:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Plato does not believe revelation, but instead apprehension–which is something more akin to the Prometheus story, which itself is akin to glorifying the devil. Also, avoid the silly claim that Plato or Aristotle influenced the Apostle Paul because the letters to the Corinthians & the Colossians were from him (and I believe what he wrote came from God).

I am not stating that studying Greek philosophy is evil, but what do they have to do with Christianity? Nothing. When it comes to God, the sum total of Greek philosophy is ignorance:

Acts 17:23 “For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

Did the Apostle Paul apprehend his message? No.

Galatians 1:11 “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Some of the Greek philosophers are interesting, but let’s not synthesize their precepts with theology. The result is that people think they have found an alleged God Particle. Notice that some aspect of their scientific god is always beneath man somehow?

Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Attitudes on the End of the World

For Bible believers, we know that the governments & eventually a government of men will never build the kingdom of Heaven on Earth. It will be the exact opposite–there will be a one-world kingdom of darkness before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ:

Revelation 13:7 “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

In the aforementioned verse “him” speaks of the beast from the sea. It is for this reason that many Christians adopt a laissez-faire attitude about things going on in their nation & world; it is going to happen anyway so why do anything about anything? The error with that attitude is that we do not know if it is the end of the world. There are signs that tell us it is near (Matt 24:33), but in the same chapter take note:

Matthew 24:8 “All these are the beginning of sorrows.”

The sorrows are akin to a birth pangs. Generally the frequency & intensity of the pangs increase as the birth draws closer. Items from Matthew 24 can be applied to the rise & fall of many civilizations. The larger the civilization, the larger the fall. Many saints of yesteryear were convinced that the fall of Rome was the apocalypse. Consider the frequency & intensity when considering the scale of Rome. We do not know if this is the last civilization, but while the cycles follow Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus was speaking of the end of the world in Matthew 24:

Matthew 24:30 “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

In Matthew 24 the claim that the Lord Jesus was speaking of the fall of Jerusalem & simultaneously speaking of the end of the world can be correct. Matthew 24 can be the model for the fall of civilizations and the final one-world civilization.

The main point of this article is that Christians should not let their country descend into a communist, atheistic state of darkness because they think it is the end of the world. It might not be and Christians may simply let their country transform into a miniature hell on Earth without a peep. Also, is that fair to our children?

I do believe that when the end does come, it will be undeniable for Bible-believing Christians. No prophecy in scripture will need to be worked or forced into a framework of a personal theory:

2 Thessalonians 2:1 “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

I can say that there has been a great falling away in the U.S. Even many professed Christians propagate a “Jesus” that is contrary to or not found in scripture. Their “Jesus” is molded solely by popular morality & politics. Many professed Christians seemingly do not believe the Bible at all. They take the attitude that men authored the Bible and that men at that time did not understand the science that we know today. Make no mistake, Aristotle’s science had already been around for centuries before the letter to Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:10 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:”

But again, the fall of the US is not necessarily the end of the world. I do not believe Christians should willfully let a free society where the Gospel of Jesus Christ can openly be preached descend into a society where we are persecuted for it. We are to preach it anyway, but why let those conditions develop if they can be avoided?

Thoughts on the Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

2 Peter 1:20 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”

I will be forthright with my readers, this article is not a revelation of the name of the beast. The main idea is common subjects, verses that can be related and a demonstration that God has has provided Bible-believers with protection even if we do not know the name of the beast (yet). Do not skip over the scripture provided in this article or you will get lost.

If one were to attempt to count the number of the beast, per 2 Peter 1:20–Gemmatria is ruled out. Their secret number decoding system is not found in scripture. Numbers are important, but not a numerical system separate from scripture. A private interpretation is an interpretation apart from the word of God. Granted people can utilize scripture & misinterpret prophecy, but again the misinterpretation relies on a factor apart from the Bible. I do not know what to count in the Bible, but the number of the beast is in the Bible. Perhaps the name of the beast will not be revealed to believers until the beast is revealed:

2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”

There are like terms and events to end times, but that does not necessarily represent the name of the beast. It does not rule the names out, nor does it confirm it. The only other instance the phrase son of perdition is mentioned in the word of God is in reference to Judas Iscariot:

John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

I will state I do not if the verse refers only to Judas or the entrance of Satan in the flesh:

Luke 22:3 “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.”

John 13:37 “And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.”

Also I do not know how the number six hundred three score & six relates to Judas. The only chapter & verse 6:66 I could locate in the Bible does mention in different terms a falling away–just like 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (provided earlier):

John 6:66 “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

There is another six hundred three score and six found in the Bible and I speak of exact words (because there is a six hundred sixty and six written (Ezra 2:13), but may be written in that manner to avoid confusion):

1 Kings 10:14 “Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,”

I often wondered if that meant the beast was Solomon. His heart was turned away from God by outlandish women (1 Kings 11:4, Neh 13:26). I do not know if his name is an important relational factor, but the the gold or money certainly is:

John 12:4 “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Revelation 13:17 “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

Thus, I do not know the name, but we know the mark of the beast is related to buying & selling. From this point in the article I will transition to the claim that the mark of the beast can be a physical visible mark. How could men identify whether one could buy or sell based on an allegorical mark? Did God give us a protective warning concerning a visible, fleshly mark?

Leviticus 19:28 “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.”

God wants his people to be separate to be Holy. Often as the full interpretation of Lev 19:28 many will include the prior statement (which is true) and point out He did not want the Israelites to adopt any of the practices of the surrounding population that currently inhabited the promised land (also true). However, I read the Old Testament in the light of the New Testament. If God’s people are not to print any marks upon them–that can be protective warning to NT believers against a possibly visible, fleshly mark of the beast.

Regardless of when the rapture occurs (pre, mid or post), nothing in the Bible rules out that their will be groups of people that call themselves Christians during or after that time. A professed Christian separated from the Bible is like a baseball player without a uniform, bat or glove. There might be people who call themselves Christians around at that time who promote accepting the mark of the beast via deception. But if we stick with the Bible–God would not tell us Lev 19:28 and then turn around and promote a visible print mark on the flesh.

Revelation 17:11 “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.”

The antichrist is a substitute for Christ Jesus, the real one. Think of the event where Pilate offered to release Barabbas (a notable prisoner, political revolutionary, thief & murderer–John 18:40 Mark 15:7 Matt 27:16) or Jesus Christ. The jews were given a choice & called for Barabbas to be released–a substitute. Take note that the bottomless pit is like a prison & requires a key to be opened (Rev 9:1-2), and the beast ascends out of the bottomless pit (Rev 17:8).

I do not ignore that in Rev 17:15 the many waters where the whore sits are peoples, multitudes, nations & tongues. However, have you ever considered that the beast rises up out of the sea & ascends out of the bottomless pit? The bottomless pit can be related to a sea or the deep:

Genesis 7:11 “In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.”

Luke 8:30 “And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.”

This not a claim that sea represents a densely populated area and the earth represents a sparsely populated area are wrong. Kingdoms & individual kings are involved in the prophecy. Note that after the bottomless pit is opened in Rev 9 that chimeras flood out of it & there is king over them; the beast itself is a chimera (Rev 13:1-2):

Revelation 9:11 “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.”

I do not claim to know the entire interpretation, but I do know many verses are related. Often Bible believers reach a point where they force an interpretation of the beast or mark of the beast. This does not mean they are unbelievers–we are men and we error. I have seen many teachers promote the mark of the beast is directly related to breaking the 4th Commandment & only the 4th Commandment. I have couple issues with that interpretation:

James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”

The second point I raise is that in Rev 13:17 that people cannot buy or sell at all if they do not have the mark of the beast. There is no contextual mention of the days of the week or prohibiting buying or selling on a different day. We can witness that society is moving towards all exchanges involving an embedded microchip, digital tattoo or a device in the skin. It is already being promoted. When that day comes will those who promote the 4th Commandment interpretation tell people that it is okay to accept that physical, visual method of buying or selling? I am not taking that chance & recommend no one else does either. Again I caution, an incorrect interpretation does not mean a person is not a Christian. A zeal to study end times can come from belief–we just may not understand it at the time. We believers can get over-zealous. We error, but there is no error in the Bible.

We need to look out for the false prophet as well. The false prophet causes people to worship the beast who had a deadly wound & healed. He performs miracles and causes people to worship the beast that came up out of the sea. He is a false substitute for a real prophet like Elijah or John the Baptist:

Matthew 11:12 “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.”

There are two points of fact comparing & contrasting the false prophet to the John the Baptist & Elijah. First is that he performs a miracle that sounds similar to what occurred when Elijah had the showdown with the priests of Ba’al.

Revelation 13:13 “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,”

1 Kings 18:38 “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”

The second point is that the false prophet performs miracles when John the Baptist did not:

Revelation 13:14 “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

John 10:41 “And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.”

I spoke of the false prophet, but there were & are many false prophets. Let’s relate the concept:

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”

The spirits & false prophets are linked together. If they do not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh that de facto includes everything He did when He physically walked the Earth. For instance if the false prophet does not confess the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus–I conclude that is related to the warning in 1 John 4:1-3. If one refers to Jesus only as a great mortal teacher or political figure–they are speaking of another Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”

Everything is in vain if Christ be not risen. So a message such as, “It does not matter what you believe about Christ–just love your neighbor”–is vain, empty, meaningless! That is building a building without its chief corner stone (Eph 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6). This is important to mention concerning false prophets because there are many who attempt to substitute Bible Christianity with governmental socialism.

Many unbelieving socialists promote a “Jesus” that is an abstract concept or allegory. They may subscribe to the myth that the Bible is akin to Plato’s noble lie (the term is a contradiction in itself). Most things are allegedly interpreted via psychology and the likes. For instance “peace amidst the storm”–folks, the Lord Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:39). It was a real storm and I submit the main focus is not about our inner peace. Do not confuse allegory with a fable. Do not blow by the fact that the Lord Jesus calmed the storm. Do not ignore that the disciples were afraid during the storm, but feared even more after the Lord Jesus calmed the storm. Here is interesting scripture with scripture:

Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

Mark 4:41 “And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

The Lord can give us peace (storm or no storm), but is that always the priority concerning Mark 4:35-41 or is about fearing God and the identity of the Lord Jesus Christ? The Bible is not a fable and should not be reduced to a supplement for precepts in secular psychology. Scripture is of all importance, especially concerning the antichrist & false prophet. Remember there will be miracles, but is the truth in miracle performer’s message?

Remember the concept of a substitute or another Jesus, another spirit, another gospel:

2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

Notice later in the same chapter:

2 Corinthians 11:13 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

The ultimate question in reference to the mark of the beast may concern how much a person is willing to sacrifice to a government or its leader? The mark is related to money and if the government transitions to an embedded or tattooed digital device to control all buying & selling; this device is total sacrifice of human freedom. The device can monitor all transactions, personal movements, listen to all conversations & future devices could include vision. This is an attempt by the government to be omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and individuals willfully submit. Such an attempt is even against the US government’s own laws (4th Amendment among other things). Only God has true omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. So it may be a situation where one can choose buying or selling (a mark related to currency) or God and consequently, freedom.

Luke 20:25 “And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.”

We have traveled through much scripture and many concepts; here are my current conclusions concerning thoughts on the mark of the beast:

We should not rely on interpretations apart from scripture.
The beast may be named in scripture–but we may have to wait to understand.
Even Bible believers can force incorrect interpretations–we must have humility.
The number of the beast is related to currency in the Old Testament.
Do not rule out that the mark of the beast is a visible mark.
Enough scripture is provided for a believers’ protection beforehand.
A claim that Jesus Christ is not come in the flesh includes all His 1st Advent works.
It is not about miracles, it is about the truth (false prophet vs John the Baptist)
Worldly influences on scriptural interpretation
The antichrist may be akin to a counterfeit Christ, deceit vs open opposition.
No matter what happens–stick with the Bible.

I am always open for comment and correction via scripture.

The Molten Calf

Exodus 32:1 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”

2 Peter 2:3 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

Many men have grown weary of waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ to return to Earth. Many lifetimes have passed during this wait. When Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, the Israelites surmised that he may never return. They convinced the high priest Aaron to make them an idol–the molten calf.

I view modern political systems much like the molten calf. I pay attention to politics because there are groups who would label my King James Bible as hate speech & introduce legal consequences for even owning it. I will not let that happen without a peep. However, I understand that we men & our political systems will not build the kingdom of Heaven on Earth.

Many Christians have been drawn away by socialism (communism). Do they believe we will build the kingdom of Heaven and then the Lord Jesus will descend to rule? Is their goal a Karl Marx sort of heaven? What a lousy heaven, I have much higher expectations. The communists/socialists only use for the Bible is to find choice fragments that support their political system. They do not believe the Bible at all–it is only a tool to draw Christians to chase after their molten calf. Their “Jesus” is never given the titles of Lord or Christ. His mention is more akin to Lenin, Stalin or Mao.

There will not be a building, but rather a falling away first (2 Thess 2:3) before the Lord Jesus returns–just like before Moses came down from the mountain. Love thy neighbour is good, but that is half the story. What about the first and great commandment? The communist often reduce everything to love your neighbor, but their love is based off democratic moral relativism. Communists have completely altered what is preached in many Churches nowadays. Climate Change, healthcare, psychology or obsessively preaching about racism or sexism. We are bombarded by those issues by every secular institution & media. The ad nauseam doctrine of the world is not going to help a soul who has hit rock bottom. We need the word of God.

Many professed Christians I have met do not believe the Bible. They treat me like I am crazy for believing the events were real. They have a molten calf of their own, the theory of evolution (amongst other things) & love your neighbor. I am not sure if this is only western civilization’s falling away or the final falling away? I expect things to become much worse. That is not a prophecy, that is observing the trend. Either way the patience of the saints is mentioned in the book of Revelation (Rev 13:10, 14:12).

Moses came down from the mountain & the Lord Jesus Christ will return. Keep reading the Bible and do not lose the faith.