(1-3) Passover |
(4-5) Wavesheaf |
(6-7) Pentecost |
8-10 Trumpets |
| Day of Atonement |
(16)
 |
Tabernacles (14, 20-22) |
10 |
11 |
12-13 |
14-15 |
Lamb | Church |
Accepted |
Seals | Sealing |
Judgment | Remnant |
Legal Case |
Satan Rules |
Warning |
Destruction |
Rescued |
Lamb |
Shepherd |
Priest |
King |
Judge |
Lawyer |
Prosecutor |
Witness |
Angel |
Executioner |
Groom |
Lamb of God (Seed) |
Holy Spirit (Water) Comes |
Growing |
Children of God named |
Barley Harvest |
Rain |
Wheat and Grape Harvest |
Rain |
Fruit Harvest |
Exodus |
Law Given |
Judgment in the wilderness |
Census |
Law Repeated |
Jerusalem |
Symbols.
Revelation 13 shows Jesus as the judge. Here we see the final evidence of His case against Satan.
Satan is exiled from heaven, so he builds an empire and a false sanctuary on earth to rival God.
He plans to murder the people of God just as he murdered Christ.
The symbols used involve the covenant and the first four commandments.
It is the struggle of a false god who erects an immoral empire on earth by corrupting and occupying the temple of God.
Satan recruits the most powerful political, religious and financial organizations on earth in this fight against God.
Background.
So far we have learned that after the 1260 year persecution that the beast would be wounded and that this wound would be healed.
We then see the final powers at the end of time.
The dragon transfers power to the beast, then to the lamb beast and then to the image to the beast.
At this point they issue a global mark under the threat of persecution.
The Mark Of The Beast
John describes this lamb beast's last deception. It attracts people by miracles and inflicts brutality by popular consent.
Evil Miracles.
And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceives those who live on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
Image Of The Beast. saying to them that live on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak,
Punishment. and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell,
The Mark Of The Beast - Name Of The Beast - Number Of His Name. save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
666 is Calculated.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty six.
(Revelation 13: 13-18)
- The Image.
They worship the beast and his image. This must refer to the first beast (papal Rome) because the image was made for him.
In the time when God is recreating His final people and giving life to them, we find the beast is also trying to give life to its little spawn and demanding universal worship.
This image must be the final Antichrist who is the final enemy of God that tries to demand worship for itself.
It is made in the image of the beast, not in the image of God.
- The Mark. This mark is a group of signs that is received in either the right hand or the forehead. The right hand is a symbol of our source of power.
- A Mark. An external identification.
- The Name of the Beast. Identified with the family of the beast.
- The Number of His Name. It is also called the number of the beast.
It is very obvious that an identification system will be used to impose economic sanctions on a group of people who will not submit to idolatry.
- What Could It Be?
We will demonstrate the possible nature of this mark from the sanctuary in several ways.
- The Seal Of God. The mark is the opposite of the seal of God.
- The Corruption Of The Sanctuary. It is issued by the man of sin who raided and corrupted the sanctuary. 666 is a sign of this abomination.
- Attack On The law. We will show how this beast attacks the first four commandments and, by a process of elimination, how the mark is related.
- The Census And Evaluation. It is a number that is counted. We will look at the census and evaluation process in the sanctuary
- The Number Of His Name. We will look at the concept behind applying a number to a name.
The Midianite Apostasy. We will look at a similar apostasy just before they entered the Promised Land.
- Six Hundred And Sixty Six (666). It is one of the many characteristics that identifies the persecuting beast.
- The Punishment. As with Daniel, there is severe punishment for not worshipping the beast.
- Death Penalty. This is for all who do not worship the image to the beast of Babylon the Great.
- Economic Sanction. This is for those without the mark of the beast, the name of the beast or the number of his name.
They will not be allowed to buy or sell.
The Head and Hands of Dagon |
There is another old testament story that tells the importance of the forehead and the hands.
The Philistines had captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed it in their temple next to the
idol of the false god Dagon.
They had dared to mix their false worship with the true.
God punished both the people and the idol. He gave the people a plague of sores and the head and hands of the idol were cut off by God. (1 Samuel 5: 1-7).
This is exactly what happens in the end.
The false religion captures the law of God. The people involved in idolatrous worship receive a mark on their head and hands and they will suffer with sores in the seven last plagues before they are cut off forever.
In this final apostasy, both the people and the false god experience the fate of Dagon.
Interestingly, the fish god Dagon survived in Babylonian worship.
The Roman clergy wears the same fishhead mitre of the priests of Dagon.
Leviathan is also described as a monster with the head of a fish.
|
|
The Location That Is Marked.
The mark is placed in the right hand and the forehead.
The beast wants external signs of loyalty and devotion to his commandments.
In Israel, this is the exact place where the faithful Jew was supposed to place the external reminders
about keeping the laws of God. This request was strictly to remember the first four commandments.
God wanted them to be internal (in the heart) and he wanted external signs (on the hand and the forehead).
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
These words which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be between your eyes on your forehead.
(Deuteronomy 6: 5, 6, 8)
In Revelation 7, 14 and 15, we see that those who are victorious have the following characteristics:
- Pure. Revelation 14: 4. They were not defiled by the harlot. They were loyal to God.
- Name of God. Revelation 14: 1. They have the name of the Lamb and the Father written on their foreheads instead of the mark of the beast.
They did not worship the beast and his image.
- Law keepers. Revelation 14: 12. They keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus Christ.
The law has not been repealed by the new covenant.
- Sabbath Song. Revelation 14: 2; 15: 3-4. They sang the Sabbath song from Psalm 92.
Conclusion.
The mark of the beast involves those who do not submit to the authority of God.
The Mark Of The Beast And The Seal
The question still remains. What is the mark of the beast, and how do we avoid it?
In Revelation 14: 9-11, the Bible describes the terrible fate of those who receive the Mark of the Beast. In stark contrast, Revelation 14: 12 describes those with the seal who stand victorious with Jesus on Mount Zion:
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. (Revelation 14: 12)
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. (Isaiah 8: 16)
Therefore, our conclusion is that the seal of God is contained in His law.
The Bible teaches that the final issue will be over the seal of God as opposed to the mark of the beast.
In Revelation 7: 1-3 an angel ascends from the east with the seal of the living God. This angel comes down from heaven and puts a seal on people's foreheads. Two classes are represented:
- Wicked. Those who receive the mark of the beast and eventually receive the plagues.
- Righteous. Those who keep the commandments of God, who are sealed, and do not receive the plagues.
The Characteristics Of A Seal.
There are about six essential elements in a seal needed to authenticate a document.
The first three are generally stamped on the physical seal. The last three are the power behind the authorization.
The covenant is the document that contains the seal.
- The General Characteristics of a Seal.
Let us use the Seal of The United States of America as an example.
- Name. (It must state who is sealing it). George Washington.
- Title. (It must state the person's office or authority). President.
- Dominion and Territory. (Must state the realm). United States.
- Authorizer. (It must state who gave the sealer the authorization). The people of the United States.
- Duration. (It must state how long the authorization lasts). Time in office (four years).
- Number. (It must state the number or quantity ruled). All the people.
- The Seal Of God. God's seal also contains his name, his title, and his territory.
There is only one law that contains these characteristics. We can find the seal of God in the fourth commandment.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: ...for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is , and rested the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(Exodus 20: 8-11)
Notice the six elements.
- God's Name. "The Lord your God."
- God's Title. "Creator", this is why He is worthy of worship.
- God's Territory. "Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is."
- Authorizer. God is His own authority.
- Duration. One day. The entire time belongs to God.
- Number. The seventh day belongs to God.
- The Seal Of The People Of God.
The people of God receive the seal in their foreheads (Revelation 7: 3).
Notice what is written on them.
Then I looked and behold a lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty four thousand having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
(Revelation 14: 1)
- Name. The name of God and Christ is written on their forehead (Revelation 14: 1; 3: 12).
- Title. Priests of God (Revelation 20: 6; 7: 15). They reign with Christ as kings and sons of God. It does not say where it is written, but this is their title.
- Dominion and Territory. The name of the New Jerusalem is written on them. From the context, it must be the forehead (Revelation 3: 12).
- Authorizer. The Lamb.
- Duration. As long as we tabernacle with God and have rest with God. This is forever.
- Number. 144,000
- A Seal In The Name of The Beast.
The Mark Of The Beast |
The Mark | God | Beast |
Name |
Name | LORD God | Babylon the Great |
Title | Creator | Mother of Harlots |
Territory | Heaven and Earth | Abominations of the Earth |
Authorizer | God | Dragon |
Number of name | 144,000 | 666 |
Number of Men | 12 Tribes | One Man |
Mark On Head | Head Tefillin | Blasphemies |
Mark On Hand | Arm Tefillin | Abomination cup |
|
The name of the beast revealed in chapter 17 also contains these features.
and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth".
(Revelation 17: 5).
When the beast gives his mark he is also giving his seal.
and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
(Revelation 13: 17)
- Name. Babylon the Great.
... and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. (Revelation 13: 1)
- Title. Mother of Harlots. Notice that this is also a creative title. She creates by giving birth to other prostitutes.
They worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast ... (Revelation 13: 4)
- Dominion and Territory. Abominations of the earth. Notice that her territory is also global. Over all nations of the earth.
However, she has jurisdiction over sin not righteousness. She spreads lawlessness and idolatry throughout the earth.
... and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. (Revelation 13: 7)
- Authorizer. Revelation 13: 4 also reveals that the Dragon gave authority to the beast.
- Duration. ... And authority to act for forty two months was given to him. (Revelation 13: 5)
- Number. 666. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man, and his number is six hundred and sixty six. (Revelation 13: 18)
Judging The Corrupted Sanctuary
Judgment. There was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said,
"Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.
Corrupted. Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations;
and they will tread under foot the Holy City for forty two months."
(Revelation 11: 1-2)
It is obvious that the wicked corrupts the temple of God and God abandons a portion and leaves it to them.
Ezekiel also describes a temple that will be measured and judged.
It is the temple that exists between the resurrection of Christ and the Second Coming.
It describes a people that are still not perfect interacting with a sanctuary system administered by a perfect High Priest.
Just like the temples before it, this temple will also be trampled.
Unlike the previous temples, there is no building. The people are the temple.
- The Temple Will Be Judged.
We get the measurements of this temple from Ezekiel.
We will compare the measurements of this temporary temple to the permanent one in Revelation 21-22 just as we compared the seal of God and the mark of the beast.
» The Temple of Ezekiel. It represents the temple between the crucifixion and second coming.
- Outer Border. The border was 600 by 600 cubits.
- Gates. There were six gates (three pairs) on each of three sides that were 60 cubits high. Each had 6 guard rooms that were 6x6 cubits with a 6 cubit threshold. It is a reflection of the six boards on three sides of the Most Holy Place in the portable sanctuary.
- Walls. They were 6 cubits wide and 6 cubits high.
- Grain Offerings. One sixth of an ephah.
- Number of Names ("People"). 666. (From Revelation 13)
» The Temple in the New Jerusalem.
- Outer Border. It is a cube (12000 stadia). Which is 1500 miles or 4,800,000 cubits. [1 stadia is 600 feet]
- Gates. There were twelve pearl gates. Three gates on four sides.
- Walls. 144 cubits (72 yards).
- Number of Names ("People"). 144,000. 12,000 from twelve tribes.
It is very obvious that the measurements of the city are related to the number of people. There are 144,000 names from 12 tribes in this temple.
It is equally obvious that the beast takes over the temple described by Ezekiel. That corrupted temple is measured by the numbers six hundred, sixty and six.
- The Temple and the Law Will Be Corrupted.
Once the temple has been breached, the abomination takes the copies of the law and disposes of them.
- The People and Altar will be Judged. In the end the man of sin distributes the number 666.
They said in their heart, "Let us completely subdue them." They have burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
(Psalm 74: 8)
The Mark Of God And The Abominations In The Ancient Temple.
Ezekiel had a vision in chapters 8 to 11 of the abominations in the temple of God.
There were idols, carved images, creeping things, weeping for Tammuz and sun worship. They were breaking the first four commandments. This evoked the wrath of God.
Then God sent six executioners, one of them marked the people of God and the others killed the rest.
He had this vision in the sixth year, sixth month and the fifth day of their exile. (Ezekiel 8: 1).
The day after his vision would have been year six, month six, day six.
Is that the day, he started warning the exiles? (Ezekiel 11: 24-25). Every single issue in this one vision copies all the issues in the
Mark of the Beast! According to chapter 8, their sin was breaking the first four commandments.
- One God. They worshiped an idol of jealousy.
- Carved Images. They prayed to carved images of idols, beasts and creeping things in the temple.
- Name of the Lord. They were weeping for Tammuz instead of calling on the Name of the Lord.
- Sabbath. They worshipped the Sun.
What is interesting is that God said that each abomination was worse than the previous. So in this event, sun worship and ignoring the Sabbath was somehow worse than idolatry. Why?
They had rejected their sign of rest. Jesus said that certain types of blasphemy can be forgiven but not others.
Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
(Matthew 12: 31)
The Holy Spirit is the method of rest from sin and the Sabbath is the sign of this rest. You must obey Him.
The Mark Of Uzziah For The Abominations In The Temple.
King Uzziah dared to usurp the office of the priests by entering into the sanctuary and burning insense and leprosy broke out on his forehead after he became angry with the priests.
He combined the office of priest and king.
Pride Of Uzziah.
But when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.
Warning To Uzziah.
Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the Lord, valiant men.
They opposed Uzziah the king and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron who are consecrated to burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful and will have no honor from the Lord God."
Wrath Of Uzziah.
But Uzziah, with a censer in his hand for burning incense, was enraged; and while he was enraged with the priests, the leprosy broke out on his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, beside the altar of incense.
Plague Of Leprosy On The Forehead.
Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous on his forehead; and they hurried him out of there, and he himself also hastened to get out because the Lord had smitten him.
King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death; and he lived in a separate house, being a leper, for he was cut off from the house of the Lord. And Jotham his son was over the king’s house judging the people of the land.
(2 Chronicles 26: 16-21)
The mark is given to those who usurp the authority of God and defile the temple.
Judging The Corruption Of The Law
Psalm 74 is a prophecy about this time. Babylon, Rome and Babylon the Great all became abominations in the temple.
Turn Your footsteps toward the perpetual ruins. The enemy has damaged everything within the sanctuary.
It seems as if one had lifted up his axe in a forest of trees.
And now all its carved work they smash with hatchet and hammers.
They have burned Your sanctuary to the ground. They have defiled the dwelling place of Your name.
(Psalm 74: 3, 5-7)
The Antichrist corrupts the temple by attacking the commandments of God.
The first four commandments demonstrate our love and duties to God.
Their focus is not the basis of civil law - the last six commandments.
They focus on those commandments in which God described how He is to be honored if we love Him.
So the Antichrist shows that he is God by changing the commandments about God so that he is worshipped instead of YHWH.
- False Gods ("First Commandment"). He takes over the church of God and demands the worship of God.
Worship the Dragon and the Beast.
They worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast,
and they worshiped the beast saying, "Who is like the beast and who is able to wage war with him?"
(Revelation 13: 4)
Worship The Man of Sin. 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; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
(2 Thessalonians 2: 3-4)
So they worship Satan through his representative on earth.
- Idol Worship ("Second Commandment"). The people will also be asked to worship an image.
Worship the Image to the Beast.
... telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
And it was given him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
(Revelation 13: 14-15)
» The False Trinity.
The apostasy eventually creates a false Trinity.
There are three entities which want to be worshipped and they exhibit characteristics like god.
- The Dragon And His Authority. Like the heavenly father, he gives authority to his representative (verse 4).
- The Beast With The Fatal Wound Is Resurrected. Like Christ, the beast was dead and then resurrected. (verse 12, 14).
- The Image To The Beast And The Breath Of Life.
(verse 15). He mimics the power of the Holy Spirit. The image of the beast came to life because the breath of life was breathed in him.
This mimics the activities of creation on the sixth day when God breathed the breath or His Spirit into man and made man in His image.
» The False Prophet. The second beast from the earth enforces this worship (13: 14). In his role, this beast acts like a false prophet
and is described by this term in Revelation 20: 10 and 16: 13.
This role duplicates the hierarchy of leadership in Israel : God and a representative on earth.
According to Revelation 13, as a false prophet it does the following:
- Performs Signs and Miracles. Like a real prophet (Verse 14).
- Appears to Give Life. Like Jesus Christ and the disciples with the gift of the Holy Spirit (Verse 15).
- Leads the People to a False God. Like the ancient leaders of Israel led them to God (Verse 12, 14).
- Causes Idolatry. Tells the world to create the image. (Verse 15).
- Name of God Blasphemed ("Third Commandment"). They did not call on the name of the Lord but cursed Him instead.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
(Revelation 13: 6)
- Changed the Signs ("Fourth Commandment"). They changed the signs. The Sabbath is a sign.
Your adversaries have roared in the midst of Your meeting place; They have set up their own standards for signs.
We do not see our signs; There is no longer any prophet, nor is there any among us who knows how long.
(Psalm 74: 4, 9)
The purpose of the signs were to help the people to remember God and the covenant and the law.
The purpose of the prophet is to point people towards the signs and to bring them back from disobedience.
★ Individual Signs. These signs are voluntary and require our devotion. They are all signs of the Messiah.
- SHEMA: Wear Signs to Remember the Covenant.
And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand and their forehead.
(Revelation 13: 16)
The Jews had five external signs that were in their control. Most were copies of the law.
★ Tefillin (Phylactery). They wore one on the hand (arm) and one on the forehead (Exodus 13: 16).
★ Mezuzah. They put this sign on their doors.
★ Tzizit. They wore signs on their clothes to remember the law (Numbers 15: 39).
★ Circumcision. The men cut the sign of the covenant in their flesh (Genesis 17: 11).
- Passover: Sign in the Hand and Forehead.
And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
Therefore, you shall keep this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.
(Exodus 13: 9-10)
How did Passover become a sign in His hand and forehead? He fulfilled the five signs of the SHEMA on the cross.
The word of God became a sharp sword or arrows that pierced Him in the form of nails in His hands, thorns on His forehead and a sword through His heart.
He also had the law of God in His mouth as our High Priest.
» Prays for Forgiveness. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23: 34)
» Redemption. Truly, I say to you today. you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23: 43)
» Place Prepared For Us. Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son". Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother. (John 19: 26)
» Sins Forsaken My God, Why have You Forsaken Me? (Matthew 27: 46, Mark 15: 34)
» Promise of the Holy Spirit (Water of Life). I Thirst. (John 19: 28)
» Re-Creation Complete. It is Finished! (John 19: 30)
» Resurrection Promised. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 23: 46)
Easter.
The fabricated rituals of Easter cannot substitute for the rich heritage that we have in the symbols of the Passover Seder.
When you understand what was traded, you will realize that this cheap fraud is idolatry.
Passover is one of the signs that God will use in the last days to bring the Jews back to Him.
This Jewish exodus is the sign that will lead the rest of the Gentiles.
These signs are in the hand and forehead and heart where the beast wants to place his mark.
All of these signs had a copy of the law written on paper and bound to the hand, forehead, gate and house.
They are an external sign of the work of the Holy Spirit.
★ Miraculous Signs. These signs are demonstrated by an agent of God for the purpose of authenticating the message of this agent.
However, this agent must not contradict other signs or the law or the covenant.
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, "Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,"
you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
(Deuteronomy 13: 1-3)
- Prophet: Remember the Covenant.
When the people strayed from God, the purpose of the prophet was to guide them back with warnings and teaching them the law and the covenant.
- Miracles: Respect God. These signs remind us that God is powerful.
The beast uses this type of sign to gain loyalty.
The beast promotes idolatry by miraculous signs.
★ Universal Signs.
These signs are global and God is in charge of displaying them.
However, we can ignore the signs.
- Sabbath: Sign of Sanctification.
Also I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. (Ezekiel 20: 12)
The Sabbath reminded them that God was their creator and that He would recreate or sanctify them and give them rest from sin.
It is the only universal sign that is regular, frequent and it is not under our control.
Sunday.
Sabbath has been substituted for Sunday. The change is used as a sign of their authority to change the laws of God.
The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed ... the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.
Canon and Tradition, page 263
- Rainbow: Sign of the Covenant of Peace.
I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
(Genesis 9: 13)
This is another universal sign, but it is irregular.
- Holy Spirit: Sign of the Covenant of Peace Fulfilled.
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to earth in the presence of men.
(Revelation 13: 13)
He is the fire from heaven who came to be with us permanently to help us to keep the law.
He is the sign that came after the great outpouring of rain from heaven to wash away our sins.
Although the Holy Spirit and the Sabbath are universal signs, we must take steps to put them on and accept them like the individual signs.
He writes a permanent copy of the law into our hearts.
Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the sign that gives us the seal of God.
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
(Ephesians 4: 30)
Unclean Spirits. The dragon, beast and false prophet are filled with unclean spirits, not the Holy Spirit.
And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
(Revelation 16: 13-14)
Now we see a picture of the evil strategy. The beast changes the universal signs. It provides a false prophet to use miraculous signs to lure us into idolatry.
Then it forces us to change the individual signs.
Conclusion.
The mark of the beast involves those who will be judged because they have corrupted the sanctuary and religion of God by creating their own corrupt sanctuary and system of religion and changing the laws of God.
The Little Horn Changes Laws.
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time, times and the dividing of a time.
(Daniel 7: 25)
Instead, the people under the jurisdiction of the beast will be lawless, will change the Sabbath, will be possessed with the spirit of demons and they will be guided by a false prophet.
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.
(Revelation 19: 20)
Judging The People: The Magnificent Price Of Jesus
When Jesus was crucified, there were several ways that they treated Him like an evil man.
We discuss all of them in another lesson but we discuss the final example here.
Judas was paid 30 shekels for Jesus.
I said to them, "If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!" So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages.
Then the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them." So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD.
(Zechariah 11: 12-13)
- 600 Gerahs ("Evaluation Price"). The 30 shekels was equivalent to 600 gerahs.
If a person made a difficult vow, they can pay based on the age or gender.
A thirty year old man was valued at 50 shekels. If it is an animal or other property and you wish to redeem it then the cost is one fifth above the value that is estimated.
So, in this case if Jesus, the Lamb of God was valued at 50 shekels, His redemption price would be 60 shekels.
Valued by the Priest.
But if he is poorer than your valuation, then he shall be placed before the priest and the priest shall value him; according to the means of the one who vowed, the priest shall value him.
(Leviticus 27: 8)
If the person is too poor, then the priests set the value. They valued Jesus at 30 shekels.
Now that they undervalued Him, let us see what He can purchase.
- 60 ("Ransomed"). 30 shekels was only enough to ransom sixty people counted in the census.
Ransom or Atonement Money. When you take a census of the sons of Israel to number them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, so that there will be no plague among them when you number them.
This is what everyone who is numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the LORD.
(Exodus 30: 12-13)
- 6 ("Firstborn"). 30 shekels was only enough to redeem six firstborns.
Redemption of the first born
you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary ( the shekel is twenty gerahs).
(Numbers 3: 47)
So Jesus could redeem 66 people with a fair price or 60 people with the price with which He was valued. This sounds strangely like the 66 descendants of Israel who had to come to Egypt, the land of sin, and then redeemed.
He could redeem twelve firstborn with a fair price, this is the twelve tribes. But He was valued at the cost of six.
» Israel Ransomed. After all this speculation we conclude that Jesus made the substitute for everyone in the Garden of Gethsemane with His blood.
He even substituted Himself for us at the cross by submitting to the Satan, giving His life as the price for our release from bondage.
However, there was no substitute for Him. He must be bought for a king's ransom and they undervalued Him. Since He was now Israel of the promise, the price was enough to pay for twelve sons, including one firstborn.
The Census.
Since the value was obtained by a counting and a census we will look at one judgment pattern that involves a counting and measurement.
In Jewish tradition judgment is done in three stages on Tishri 1, 10 and 21. These are the same pattern applied at the fall of Babylon when God did the evaluation and rendered judgment.
- Judgment Called: Mene, Mene ("Counted, Counted"). The sealing and counting is done between Tishri 1 and 10 when the census of the righteous was taken.
Why were there two counts?
- Two Groups. It was counted into two piles which represents the separation of the wicked and righteous.
Technically, only the righteous are counted. But by default the pile that remains is the wicked.
- Two Chances. Among any group two chances were always given. Each chance had a period of five cycles before a major judgment occurred.
Sixty is probably five chances given to twelve tribes.
The word "mene is supposed to be the same as maneh (60 shekels). So each pile was sixty shekels according to the righteous judgment.
- Judgment Rendered: Tekel ("Weighed").
A shekel and tekel were the same thing, both are units of weight.
On Tishri 10, Yom Kippur, sentence was passed. Judgment was sealed and the final decision was made.
Each pile was weighed and they each weighed sixty shekels (the value of a maneh). But 30 shekels were weighed for Jesus and he was found deficient like Belshazzar. With an unfair price, Jesus was judged as deficient.
- Judgment Delivered: Upharsin ("Divided"). Judgment was delivered on Tishri 21. Jesus was divided or cut off.
The two groups were separated. Each was worth sixty shekels. This is what the judgment can purchase.
- Redemption of 12 Firstborn. This is the twelve tribes or twelve disciples.
- Ransom of 120 Sons of Israel.
This is just speculation, but perhaps 120 people were resurrected with Him, ten from each tribe.
Conclusion.
The mark of the beast involves people who have been rejected by God because they are deficient.
Calculating The Number Of His Name
and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
(Revelation 13: 17-18)
The book of Numbers has the only reference to counting the number of names.
It is a task in which only certain members of a family were counted during a census.
The number was assigned to the name of the head of the family.
Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' households according to the number of names, every male, head by head
from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel, you and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
With you, moreover, there shall be a man of each tribe, each one head of his father's household.
Leaders of Thousands.
These are they who were called of the congregation, the leaders of their fathers' tribes, they were the heads of thousands of Israel.
(Numbers 1: 2-4, 16)
The leaders were supposed to command a minimum of thousands. Even in this the beast is deficient. He has less than one thousand.
Marriage And The Naming Ceremony
We find other evidence that a naming ceremony occurs before or during a marriage.
The Second Coming is known as the wedding of Christ to His church. At this time He also numbers us and gives us a new name.
We see that during this final time, the beast also tries to brand people with his name and number.
Where does this ceremony originate? Look at the time Adam named the animals.
The recognition that Adam is alone (18). Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make him a helper suitable for him".
The Naming of the Animals (19-20). Out of the ground God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them;
And whatever the man called a living creature that was his name.
The man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
The Creation of Eve (21-22). So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and he slept. Then He took one of the ribs and closed up the flesh in that place.
Then God fashioned into a woman, the rib which He had taken from the man.
(Genesis 2: 18-22)
After God said that Adam should not be alone, He asked Adam to name the animals.
Adam did not find anyone suitable for him, then God created Eve.
Conclusion.
On the sixth day God made man in His own image. At the end of time, the beast makes a man that is in his own image.
This parallel symbolism of God and the false God making an image on the sixth day is a direct link to the activities of this day of creation.
The number of the man who causes the mark of the beast is given to the man who is head of the household of the Antichrist.
He creates his house by first giving in to marriage so that he gives them his name and spawns evil seed in his own image.
Calculating God's Portion (The Midianite Apostasy)
God's Portion |
Portion | Recipient | Fraction | People | Amount |
Tithe | God | 1/10 | 6000 | 600 |
War Tax | Levites | 1/50 | 3000 | 60 |
Priest | 1/500 | 3000 | 6 |
Total | 666 |
|
The book of Numbers 31 records how to distribute people and treasure captured in war.
A very interesting coincidence occurs when the formula for the distribution of the tithe and the portion given to the Levites and High priest is applied to the number 6,000.
This story is also interesting because it occurs just before Israel took possession of the Promised Land.
12,000 soldiers of Israel took vengeance on the Midianites because they tricked Israel into committing sins (Numbers 31).
The story has a bizarre similarity to the issues of Revelation 13 in reverse.
- Idolatry. Israel worshipped Baal at Peor. This is the same crime of the beast.
- Plague. A plague killed 24,000 Israelites (Numbers 25: 9). The seven last plagues will be poured out.
- Numbered. Israel was numbered in preparation for receiving their inheritance.
- Promised Land. They were just about to enter the Promised Land.
- Economic Gain. Israel took revenge and divided the booty according to a specific formula.
The division of the spoils of war was also according to the judgment formula: (count and divide).
If you apply this formula, including the tithe to the number 6000, then you will get 666 in tithe and taxes for God.
- Census (Verse 26). They counted the booty of captured animals and people.
- Divide (Verse 27). They distributed half to the people and half to the soldiers.
- Tax the Soldiers (Verse 28). One in 500 belongs to God and goes to the high priest.
- Tax Israel (Verse 30). One in 50 belongs to the Levites.
Why choose 6000?
When we compared the temple in the New Jerusalem to the corrupted temple of Ezekiel we noticed that the number of people is directly related to the size of the walls.
In the new Jerusalem the walls are 144 cubits and the number of names is 144,000.
In Ezekiel's temple the walls are 6 cubits so the population is 6000.
We assumed that the missing tribe of Dan now belongs to the beast and 6000 or 12000 may be their population.
In the last days, Israel is faithful.
They are about to enter the Promised Land.
They do not worship the beast and his image.
They do not get the plagues.
They are punished economically.
If this is an accurate assessment, it means that the beast of Revelation 13 steals everything that is set aside for God.
- The First Four Commandments. He breaks the commandments and substitutes his own.
- God's Treasures. He takes one of the tribes just as God reserves one tribe for Himself to be His priests.
He takes the portion that is set aside for God. But He begins another priesthood using Dan, the tribe that is judged as a serpent. How appropriate!
He also begins a process of numbering his people.
Why? Satan intends to take God's property and distribute it among his people and disinherit the true children of God.
What Is The Mark Of The Beast?
It is any sign that shows that the authority of God has been taken away.
Practically speaking, the mark of the beast will appear as any law or attempt to force the people to disobey the first four commandments in order to honor the counterfeit commandments of the beast.
Let us apply the condemnation of Ezekiel 8 to modern times.
The prophet saw corruption in the temple brought in by the leaders.
As we survey the modern times we will look at how the theory of evolution fits into this end time abomination.
- Multiple Gods ("Ridicules YHWH"). This is an attempt to honor others as God. We see this now in the movement to declare all gods the same. Generally, these groups mock the Judeo-Christian God.
God Of Jealousy.
When the leaders of the church teach that God created through evolution and ignore the power of God and the timeline stated in Genesis 1 and effectively say that the text cannot be taken as fact it is an insult to the Creator.
We have taken His great work and assigned it to the gods of atheism.
A False God In The Temple.
Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
(Ezekiel 8: 5)
One God.
I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
(Exodus 20: 2-3)
There is only one God who rescues us from slavery to sin.
Evolutionists tell us to remain in our sins because this is natural and we are the masters of our fate.
- Worship An Image To The Beast ("Idolatry"). Churches and public places will be filled with idols and ceremonies honoring human gods.
Idols In The Sanctuary.
This perfectly describes what the theory of evolution taught in church is doing.
We have ascribed our origins to a pool of slime, bugs, creeping and crawling creatures, abominable things and four-footed beasts.
When the church said that evolution made the world and "God gave the ape a soul" it is ascribing one made in the image of God to one made in the image of slime, worms and beasts.
Idols Of Evolution.
And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
(Ezekiel 8: 9-10)
Do Not Make A God From Nature.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
(Exodus 20: 4-5)
It has been over four generations since atheism formally stained the creation with the theory of evolution with the release of Darwin's book "On The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection Or The Preservation Of Favoured Races In The Struggle For Life" 160 years ago in 1859.
That is an average of 40 years per generation.
Their iniquity has been visited on the planet in the form the decadent 60's and of Nazi Eugenics, a theory proposed by Darwin's cousin Francis Galton.
It has been 63 years since the dynasty of self-proclaimed representatives of God and leader of the churches has embraced this blasphemy by endorsing the concept of the evolved ape with the soul in 1950.
- A False Sanctuary ("Dishonor The Name Of The Lord").
The concept of the name of the Lord and the purpose of the sanctuary are tightly linked.
A Meeting Place.
But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for a dwelling, and there you shall come.
(Deuteronomy 12: 5)
A Place of Fellowship.
You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where He chooses to establish His name.
(Deuteronomy 14: 23)
So this mark involves both the High Priest and His sanctuary. Any attempt to use a human mediator or set up a religious system that usurps the role of the High Priest dishonors the Lord God.
In Revelation 11, the temple, people and the altar of the righteous were judged, but the wicked were not judged.
Now it is time to judge and measure the wicked.
Describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them.
(Ezekiel 43: 10-11)
- Measuring The Temple. They had corrupted the temple and it exits and entrances and design which had the measurements 600, 60 and 6.
- Measuring The People. The people belonged to a man whose census was 600, 60 and 6.
- Measuring The Altar. The people have no advocate. They chose to be judged by their own works.
» The Woman In The Ephah. An ephah is enough for 6 offerings. In Zechariah 5: 5-11, the wicked woman is judged in the temple in Babylon. She is sitting in the vessel that is used to measure the grain offering.
Honoring A False God Of Babylon.
The women (churches) weep over the dead Tammuz.
When the theory of evolution is challenged scientifically from the Bible, it may be the churches that try to hang on to this failed theory because along with proof of science in the Bible is the obvious conclusion that all of God's laws cannot be violated because even the unbreakable laws of science are encapsulated in the sanctuary.
Respecting Tammuz.
Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
(Ezekiel 8: 14)
Respect God.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
(Exodus 20: 7)
- National Sunday Law ("Dishonors the True Sabbath"). There will be an attempt to force people to go to church on Sunday coupled with an attempt to make Saturday the only day in which certain business can be accomplished because working class people are too busy during the week.
Europe already has such laws.
The previous three laws are basically private acts. Church attendance is a public event and so it will be seen as the primary method through which the beast can monitor compliance.
It is also possible that an act of idolatry could be used as a public test to control access to buying or selling.
Any international emergency, such as a gas crisis, could make it expedient to allow shopping during week day working hours and on Sabbath. Similarly, church attendance could be used as a vehicle to distribute tokens that allow buying or selling.
The Greatest Abomination.
Ezekiel says that each abomination is greater than the previous.
How could any abomination be greater than making a substitute for God?
Sun Worship.
Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
(Ezekiel 8: 15-16)
A Day To Remember God.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
I Am The Creator. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
(Exodus 20: 8-11)
Sabbath breaking is the greatest abomination because it is the day we gather to honor God through keeping of all four commandments.
We acknowledge that He is Go and forsake all others to gather for worship.
We honor His name by praises, hymns and public testimonies.
In contrast, the sun worshippers turn their backs on the sanctuary to honor the resurrection of the sun. They worship what was created on a day dedicated to it by Pagans of old, Sunday - the day of the sun.
- Opposes The Mark Of God ("Tefillin"). The mark of God shows the man of righteousness. The tefillin is a box placed on the head and arm (hand). Inside is a copy of the SHEMA, symbolizing that the law in the heart and in practice is the mark of a righteous man.
In righteousness we reflect the image of God.
The man of sin also marks the wicked as being lawless people. They think and do wickedness, living by the law of the jungle because they believe that they are descended from apes.
What The Mark Of The Beast Is Not.
The mark of the beast cannot be a tattoo, barcode on the skin or a microchip underneath the skin or a financial card or a bumper sticker if it is not accepted as a token of false worship.
However, the enforcement of the mark could use any of these technologies to guarantee money, services or credit.
We should look for legislation that enforces religious worship with a penalty and distributes favor on condition of accepting this worship.
When we trade obedience for economics that transaction is the mark of the beast, whatever symbol is used to signify acceptance of that agreement.
The Location Of The Mark.
Just as the Sabbath is the sign or seal of God, Sunday will be the sign or mark of the beast.
The Attack on God |
All of the first four commandments are attacked by the beast in the end.
The Mark of the beast is just one of the four areas where the beast will claim authority over the one True and Living God.
He will demand worship by demanding loyalty to his name, his image and his false Sabbath.
Like Daniel, I plan to resist. I refuse to hide my allegiance to the true Sabbath.
I intend to do exactly what I have been doing in past.
|
|
The Mark |
Mark of the Beast | Location | Mark of God |
Name of the beast | Forehead | Name in our forehead (14: 1) |
Number of the beast (666) | Right hand | Number of God (144,000) |
|
The mark is placed in the same two external spots that Israel was told to place the law of God.
They cannot see the heart of man so they cannot legislate that worship.
However, they can enforce external signs that show where your loyalties are.
The first two commandments tell us what we should not do if we accept God.
The third and fourth tell us what we should do to acknowledge our relationship to God.
It is these visible signs that are used as a test to see if we will break the first two.
- The Name In The Forehead. Revelation 14: 1 shows that we will be taking the name of God.
This is a reference to the third commandment. We should take the name of God, but with the proper understanding and respect.
Even now there is a politically correct movement which attempts to say that all gods are the same despite what we choose to call him or her.
- The Sabbath Rest And The Work Of The Hand. Spend time with God on the day that He has made holy.
It controls what we do publicly, and it is the most successful attempt of the papacy to change the laws of God.
It is the only commandment that has an economic component. We cannot buy or sell on Sabbath.
The beast will make it impossible to do necessary trade unless we do business on Sabbath.
Even now, all secular activity is being forced on to the Sabbath as Sunday is becoming the only guaranteed week day of rest by businesses.
and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell,
except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
(Revelation 13: 17)
In a broad sense, all of the first four commandments are attacked and claimed by the beast. The most important is the first commandment.
Like ancient civilizations, they will set up a counterfeit for YHWH and could force us to bow down to idols. But the final apostasy must appeal to modern men, including the religious and agnostic.
So, the most visible sign of disloyalty will be to attack the fourth commandment.
That is why it will be the central focus.
The Number Of A Man
Letter | Value |
V | 5 |
I | 1 |
C | 100 |
A | 0 |
R | 0 |
I | 1 |
U ( V ) | 5 |
S | 0 |
F | 0 |
I | 1 |
L | 50 |
I | 1 |
I | 1 |
D | 500 |
E | 0 |
I | 1 |
Total | 666 |
|
The record is clear. 666 ultimately belongs to a man. Who is he?
... for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred three score and six.
(Revelation 13: 18)
All other evidence points to only one religious and political leader who has changed the law of God and describes himself as sitting in the place of God on earth.
But we will discuss one last sign which is important because it might be a local sign.
Gematria.
If we use the ancient process of Gematria which was done in ancient Rome, we can calculate this number from a title of the pope in the language of Rome, Latin.
In Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic weekly printed in Huntington, Indiana, on November 15, 1915, we read:
The title of the Pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei. This was inscribed on his miter.
Using the Roman Numeral System, and assigning the value of the letters that have numeral equivalents (and "0" for the others), we get the following:
5 + 1 + 100 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 50 + 1 + 1 + 500 + 1 = 666.
This usage was probably first described in 1612 by the rector of Berlin, Andreas Helwig [or Helwich] (1572-1643) in his book "Antichristus Romanus". (Sheifler).
Conclusion.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
(1 Corinthians 6: 19)
The number 666 belongs to the man who is the head of the temple whose dimensions are 600, 60 and 6.
Catholic Apologetics
Some Catholic writers have made the following charges about the title "Vicarivs Filii Dei".
- Vicarius Filii Dei, or "Vicar of the Son of God," is not now, nor has it ever been, a title of the bishop of Rome.
Critics go on to imply that it is a false statement engineered by Protestants.
We will now look at some historical documents that contradict this assertion. All these documents use this title.
- Donation of Constantine. This book is now considered to be a forgery by the church, but for over 600 years it was considered to be genuine by ten popes.
They are fictitious letters alleged to be from early popes of 100 to 600 AD.
Even after they were declared to be forgeries, the church continued to treat them as genuine as late as 1580 AD in the "Corpus Juris".
By 1592, their position was reversed.
However, quotes from this forgery and the disputed title still appeared in publication until the nineteenth century.
This title appeared in this document as early as 752-774 and was used by at least nine popes over seven centuries as genuine. (Uriah Smith, pages 621-622).
So the usage was by the Catholic Hierarchy hundreds of years before the Protestant revolution.
- "Our Sunday Visitor", November 15, 1914.
In this issue, the writer asked if the words in Revelation refer to the pope.
In their response, the magazine did not deny this title. Instead, they stated that the names of many prominent people can be twisted to add up to this number.
- "Our Sunday Visitor", April 18, 1915, Volume 3, Number 51. This copy has been removed from the archives because of this quotation.
The only existing copies are in private hands. The response was to the following question.
What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope's crown, and what do they signify, if anything?
'The letters inscribed on the pope's mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is Latin for, Vicar of the Son of God'.
Catholics hold that the church which is a visible society must have a visible head. Christ, before His ascension into heaven, appointed St. Peter to act as His representative. Upon the death of Peter the man who succeeded to the office of Peter as Bishop of Rome, was recognized as the head of the Church. Hence to the Bishop of Rome, as head of the Church, was given the title "Vicar of Christ."
( page 3)."
The question and response prove that as late as 1915 at least someone on the staff believed that such a crown existed
and that it was inscribed with these words.
Later retractions claim that this was an error. Subsequently, all approved titles of the pope have been sanitized so that they do not add up to 666.
Although it is possible, I find it hard to believe that such an error was made about such a specific item as this diamond studded crown with this inscription.
From the response we can also see that the term "Vicar of Christ" was also used. It is acknowledged as one of the official titles.
However, the term may have originated as a shortened form of the longer term "Vicarius Filii Dei".
- There is supposed to be a diamond inscribed tiara with this title, but it can no longer be proved, except through their own admission in
the expunged 1915 copy of "Our Sunday Visitor".
The official position of the church is that there is no such item and there has never been.
However, there is "eyewitness testimony" that Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846) wore the inscribed tiara during the Easter Mass of 1845.
- Prompta Bibliotheca, 1858 Paris edition by Lucius Ferraris.
A Catholic theological encyclopedia, in which the title VICARIUS FILII DEI appears in volume 5, column 1828, under "PAPA" (Pope), "Article II."
Prompta Bibliotheca, according to the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, is "a veritable encyclopedia of religious knowledge" and "will ever remain a precious mine of information" and is quoted frequently as an authoritative Catholic source.
- Concordia Discordantium Canonum. These are the published Catholic Canon Law from three writers, Anselm, Cardinal Deusdedit, and Gratian.
From the version known as "Decretum of Gratian" which was published in 1148 we read.
'Beatus Petrus in terris vicarious Filii Dei videtur esse consitutus.'
Translated into English, it means,
"Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of the Son of God on earth."
- There is no official document that uses this title. It is an invention, a fabrication by anti-Catholics.
However, the documents like the "Donation of Constantine" used by Protestants to document the usage of the term were
official Catholic documents at one time. The apologetics keep redefining the barriers, sanitizing history and destroying their own documents so that at some point in the future it might appear to be true to declare
that there are no official documents, no pope ever said it, or no pope ever used this title.
However, the evidence shows that the title was used by a Catholic document in which the Catholic writer believed that the information was authentic.
It was not invented by Protestants. It was in use by the twelfth century.
Even if this document is a forgery, it does not mean that the titles used were a forgery or that they were not commonly known.
I would argue that because the information appeared to be so genuine, it was able to be passed on by church scholars as being authentic for centuries.
So, there seems to be an effort to expunge all Catholic publications of this reference.
So that hundreds of years from now they can claim, more forcefully, that it is a lie and a forgery and a Protestant invention.
- As of now, they are admitting that all archived records of the article in "Our Sunday Visitor" were destroyed.
The honest thing to do would be to keep the issue and stand by their retraction that this was an error.
However, Rome thinks in terms of hundreds of years in the future. Therefore, it will stall and expunge until it changes history.
- They claim that all the early references to the title was from a forged document.
However, they themselves once believed that this forgery was authentic.
Tattoos And Microchips: The Economic Test?
Total Information Awareness Total Economic Control |
The new Homeland Security government database named "Total Information Awareness" (TIA),
gives a great capability to the country that is identified as one of the powers of the beast system that will enforce the mark.
It will be tied into the credit system and to INTERPOL, probably giving and receiving real time information to the credit bureaus.
Since the government database will hold other non-financial information about each citizen, they are preparing themselves to be
the trigger that notifies the credit agencies to instantly deny a transaction.
Although it is not their current intention, they have the laws and they are building the perfect system for enforcing the
future mark of the beast.
|
|
This mark of the beast is the subject of much speculation in many books.
Many have the idea that the number 666 will be literally placed on the hand or forehead.
In our age of technology, the only possibilities that could allow the mark to be used as an economic
tool would be to have a barcode or a microchip in those two places.
While I do not see many people agreeing to this self mutilation, I have to look at teenagers and wonder.
Biometrics.
Implants are a great leap forward for the field of biometric identification.
Your identification can never be lost or stolen. When combined with finger print and other body identification techniques,
it becomes an excellent credit verification system.
But, by itself, can this be the source of the biblical condemnation? No.
The receipt of these methods of identification for that purpose cannot be a sin.
No commandment is broken.
The sin against God must be related to what the recipient of a physical mark agrees to do or to believe before they accept this mark.
Owning or receiving a credit card is not a sin.
As of this date, one only has to promise to pay the bills and answer all questions honestly on the application before receiving this card.
You are never required to do anything against your conscience.
Therefore, the mark in the forehead must be total personal allegiance and loyalty to the system.
The mark in the hand must be a willingness to cooperate and to externally do what is necessary to appear to be in agreement.
God condemns both attitudes. You must openly take sides in this final struggle with evil.
The Courage of Daniel.
Only those who meet these patriotic requirements will be allowed to participate in the economic system.
Therefore, at a minimum, our credit verification systems must be involved.
After he knew about the new law, Daniel still prayed at an open window as was his custom, even though the law pronounced the death sentence for his actions (Daniel 6: 10).
He could have closed his window and prayed to God in secret. He did not. At some point we must openly show our allegiance as an example.
We will be killed, but we must not fear death.
A Lesson From History.
During the Spanish Inquisition, the atmosphere was similar to our present situation.
Back then, the enemy to hunt was the Sabbath keeping Jew.
Many Jews had pretended to convert to avoid persecution. They were called conversos. We cannot do this in the end.
The aim of the inquisition was to rid the Spanish empire of these "conversos" and other Jews.
Here are some of the tactics of the inquisition.
- Citizens Spied on Each Other. People were told to watch for certain behaviors and activities.
We have currently set up the Citizen Corp, to look for suspicious activities in each others homes.
The important issue here is not the justification for such action, but the fact that we are developing
a network that can be immediately turned against any group that the government has determined to be a threat or a liability.
Nazi Germany had the "SS", we have the "CC".
- Sabbath Behavior. Watch what your neighbor does on Friday night or on Saturday?
- Diet. Do they eat pork? Stop by with a ham casserole garnished with shrimp and see what they do.
Better yet, invite them to a meal that would make any faithful Jew faint and see what they avoid.
If they claim to be vegetarian sprinkle the salad with shrimp. Give them liquor to drink.
- Allegiance to Mary and her Images. When questioned, people had to say they believed that the virgin Mary or her statue
could do miraculous things. Imagine a little statue at every checkout counter or just at the grocery store. Everyone has to eat.
Credit card please! And by the way, kiss this statue of the blessed virgin as a sign that you affirm that she is the only hope of the human race.
Sounds ridiculous? Well it is similar to what has happened before!
This time, the new Israel cannot save herself by pretending to be conversos.
This is the condemnation of receiving the mark in the hand. We do not mentally agree, but our outward physical behavior says that we do.
The Catholic church is looking for a global sign in the near future.
The result of this will be that all governments will turn to him for guidance and this guidance will involve looking to Mary as our only hope.
What Is The Image Of The Beast?
The beast is recognized by a mark, a number and an image.
An image looks like the original but it is actually the reverse or opposite.
The Antichrist is the image to the beast because it usurps the role of Christ, standing in opposition to Him.
An analysis of the character of God, revealed in His law will help us to identify the characteristics of the Antichrist.
The Mark Of God | Satan | The Antichrist | The Image |
1 | One God | God | Wants to be God | Acts as god | Atheism, hedonism |
Redemption | Slaves of Sin | Man of sin | Condones slavery, sinful |
Temple | Corrupts his temple | Sits in the temple as god | Takes over Jerusalem |
Priest | Accuser of the brethren | Human intercessors | Immoral clergy |
Torah | Despises the law | Not literal, burn and ban | Allegory, myths, obsolete |
Image of God | Evolved from animals | Evolved from apes | Made in the image of apes |
2 | Idolatry | Creature Gods | Evolution from lower animals | Men as gods | Worship demons |
False Gods | Creates many false gods | Venerates Idols, Saints | Spirit possession |
Spirits | Foul, unclean spirits | Dead saints | Occult, seance |
3 | Name Of God | Name | Polytheism | Many saints | Name of the beast |
Reputation | Blaspheme | Blaspheme, eternal hell | Blaspheme, torture |
4 | Sabbath | Creator | Evolution theories | Theistic evolution | Evolution |
Saturday | Any day except Saturday | Sunday | Forced worship, secular |
People | Secular activities | Sunday sacredness | Commercial activities |
Land | Global disregard of Sabbath | National worship | Church-State union |
Sign | No rest | Salvation by works | Slavery to addictions |
5 | Honor Parents | Leaders | Mutiny | Usurps authority | Disrespects religion |
Authority | Sows discord | Human authority | Rebellious, Stubborn |
6 | Kill | Murder | Murderer from the beginning | War with the saints | Kill those without the mark |
Hate | Persecute God's people | Persecutes saints, torture | Hatred of Christians |
7 | Adultery | Fornication | Perversion | Prostitute | Sexual immorality, Sodom |
Marriage | Perverts the image of God | Polysexuality, Sodomy | Pedophelia, bestiality |
Unfaithful | Breaks up families | Church-State unions | Divorce, immoral unions |
8 | Steal | Honest | Thief | Greedy, prosperity ministry | Lust for money |
Business | Trafficking and trade | Business and commerce | Stops buying and selling |
9 | Lie | Liar | Liar from the beginning | Makes laws to persecute | Lies to persecute |
False Report | Maligned God's character | Claims God does not hear | False arrests |
10 | Covet | Wife | Kidnapped the bride | Persecutes the church | Ridicules the church |
Property | Covets Mt. Zion | Covets power | Economic boycott |
The image to the beast must be all systems that reflect the works and character of Satan and the Antichrist, especially those that work against the character of God which is revealed in the ten commandments.
Based on the key events in other prophecies, the image must do the following.
- Deny The Creator (Theory Of Evolution).
Based on the first angel's message, the beast must be conducting a successful campaign to convince the world that there is no Creator God.
The theory of evolution and "scientific" thinking is at the front and center of the final battle.
So it is not surprising that the Catholic church has endorsed this theory under "theistic evolution" and cast dispersions on the integrity of the Bible.
- Attack The Sabbath. One commandment to attack in this evolution campaign is the Sabbath commandment which reminds us of the creator.
- Attack The Bible. The word of God must be discredited.
- Persecute. The followers of God are persecuted. Even now, those who believe in creationism are ridiculed by the secular media, education institutions and almost everybody.
The common notion is that if scientists claim something is true then it must be true.
- Commercial. The image is involved in commercial ventures, even in the church.
- Immorality. Gross immorality fluorishes under this system.
The Creation Of Beasts And Man On The Sixth Day
The process of creation on the sixth day gives our best and most comprehensive characteristics of the mark of the beast.
We are living in the early part of the sixth day of our recreation where the beasts are dominant.
The creation of man in God's image shows us the mark of God.
When an alternate design replaces the plans of God for man with the design of beasts we have the mark of the beast.
Commandments | (1) One God |
(2) Make No Images | (3) Name Of God | (4) Sabbath |
Two Marks | Mark Of God | God |
Image Of God | Dominion | Marriage | Sabbath |
Mark Of The Beast | Man |
Image Of Beasts | Name Of The Beast | Immorality | Sunday |
Atheism |
Image Of Apes (Evolution) | The Fittest Survive | Polysexuality | Secular |
- Beasts. Early on the sixth day God made the land beasts. In the sixth millennium the theory of evolution emerged.
- Mark Of God (The Image of God).
Later on the sixth day God created man in His own image and gave man privileges that reflect this design.
God created certain institutions for humanity at the end of creation which were designed to foster order, life and relationships. These are dominion, marriage and Sabbath.
The mark of the beast corrupts the image of God.
Paul, Peter and Jude describe the results of this corruption.
2 Peter 2 and Jude lists three examples showing how we are like brute beasts when we revert to "natural behavior". So in this sense the mark of the beast is the system that encourages us to go back to the state of animals and not to the nature of God.
Ignorant Theories.
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
(Jude 1: 8, 10)
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
(2 Peter 2: 12)
- Beasts And Man.
The picture of man "made in the image of God" has been replaced with the lineage of man from slime to creeping things to beasts and apes by the theory of evolution.
Speak Evil Of Dignities [Heavenly Authority]. The secular culture mocks the 4000 year old Book and council of God, declaring them irrelevant and hateful.
No Excuses.
For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
The Image Of God Removed
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
(Romans 1: 20-21, 24-25)
Science (The Theory Of Evolution).
Evolution tells us that we evolved from apes and are made in the image of beasts. God says we were hand-made in the image of God.
The Beast Honored.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
(Romans 1: 22-23)
So if they want to behave like wild animals, they will remove God's image.
Religious (Ape Man). The pope agrees with evolution but claims God gave the ape a "soul".
In all this, science and the church call God a liar as they cast dispersion and doubt on the Bible, calling it a book of myths and fables as the church claims that it should not be taken literally.
- Dominion.
This was the root cause of Satan's rebellion. He wanted to do what he wanted without answering to any authority.
However, the government of God is based on a hierarchical structure and God subjects Himself to His own rules and designed the world in this order.
Both Named Adam.
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
(Genesis 5: 1-2)
Both Had Dominion.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
(Genesis 1: 26, 28)
Both were named Adam and both had dominion.
It was only as a curse that wives were told to submit to their husbands (Genesis 3: 16).
Children are supposed to submit to parents (Exodus 20: 12), establishing the law of respect for elders (Colossians 3: 18-22).
Husbands and wives are to submit to each other (Ephesians 5: 21-33). All submit to God (Romans 10: 3), even His enemies (Psalm 66: 3).
Despise Dominion.
The family got hit simultaneously with two social pressures, World War 2 and the sexual revolution.
Women began working and stayed in the work force after the war until it is now a necessity to have two incomes in the family.
With television and less home structure children were let loose just as "the pill" and rock and roll invaded the culture.
Children are disobedient. Wives are rebelling because of 6000 years of brutal subjugation.
The angels were dissatisfied with their position and wanted to take the throne of God and succeeded in taking the dominion of humans.
Angels Despised Dominion.
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
(Jude 1: 6)
Science (Authority).
Science has now taken the lead as our source of authority and morality.
Television and Hollywood baby sits and instructs our children according to the theories of men and Darwin.
God
 |
Loose | Compromise | Harsh |
Religious (Submission).
Among humans it seems that power is the greatest asset sought and it is no accident that from the beginning this implementation of power was distorted.
Our errors in dominion are seated in opposite ends of the spectrum and it seems that the middle point of compromise does not reflect the intentions of God either because it does not take God's will into account, but consults only the two extremes of the human argument.
The typical position is absolute control over women and children by men who have no control over their immoral natures.
The backlash in the western world leads to women in control who do not understand the awesome statement that God makes by asking them to submit to their husbands, even the harsh, overbearing ones because we are modeling the submission of Christ that saved the world.
- Marriage And Family.
From the level of the atom, the design of nature reflects this design of two opposites being joined together by a strong force, but kept apart at the optimum distance to host life.
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
(Matthew 19: 5-6)
Defile The Flesh. A divorce rate of over 50%, same-sex marriages, serial fornication, serial adultery and homosexuality are signs that do not reflect the design. When this is the dominant culture and it is being coerced we have the mark of the beast.
Unnatural Affection.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
(Romans 1: 26-27)
Strange Flesh.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
(Jude 1: 7)
» The Reprobate Mind.
Their minds revert to the mind of the beasts.
Reprobate Minds.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1: 28-32)
Science (Abortion, Condoms And Antibiotics).
Since scientists invented the birth control pill in 1960, the era of promiscuous "free love" began.
By 1973 the politics of science prevailed when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality as a mental disorder through a three year effort of intimidation rather than "scientific" investigation.
Now with various "scientific studies" casting dispersions on monogamy and the wisdom of dispensing birth control to minors and sexual education to kindergarten children, science has thrown its hat in the ring of promiscuity promising a scientific solution to the disasters of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases by abortion, prophylactics and antibiotics.
Science (Artificial Wombs And Artificial Parents And Engineered Societies).
Australian scientists have been successful in creating an artificial uterus that nourished the wobbegong shark embryos. Further experimentation may allow them to host younger embryos.
With the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF), exchanging genetic material and artificial wombs scientists are on the verge of a new societal design in which the concept of "parent" and "family" will change.
The designer embryo can be manufactured from the genes of several parents or any set of parents and then incubated in the laboratory to term.
Sex is therefore for recreation, not procreation.
They also envision a future modeled after the bonobo instead of the chimpanzee.
Ruled by females it is a more peaceful society. However, sex is used as the currency for reward and punishment and the society is filled will all sorts of deviant and promiscuous sexual behavior.
Truly this is a reprobate society which thinks that reverting to the behavior of beasts is an ideal to accomplish.
Nothing Impossible.
And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
(Genesis 11: 6)
At the tower of Babel God had to stop the combined efforts of men to thwart the purpose of God. This was the first Babylon.
The final generation has been called Babylon the Great for a reason.
Religious (Lawless).
As more religions do away with the law of God in order to do away with the Sabbath, promiscuity has grown in the church so that the divorce rates, promiscuity and unbelief are the same as the world.
The changing culture should not change our beliefs. They are not our beliefs they are God's character and His commandments.
An Unchanging Faith.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
(Jude 1: 3)
Unbelievers.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
(Jude 1: 4-5)
- Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man.
And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
(Mark 2: 27-28)
In their authority man extends this privilege to those under him so that animals also rest.
At the end of time there will be a multi-pronged approach to disrupting the Sabbath.
Secular Day.
All the activities of the popular culture have made Sabbath the most secular day. It is filled with entertainment, household chores, sports and shopping. Even when some demand that Sunday be guaranteed as a day of rest by law, it places a burden on the Sabbath as the only day to take care of secular and social activities.
Science (French Revolutionary Calendar).
During the French Revolution, the French academy of sciences was tasked with eliminating religion by changing time.
They devised a new metric system creating a new calendar which made time based on the number ten. The week was now ten days in a month of 30 days.
This disrupted both Sabbath and Sunday.
Religious (Lunar Sabbath).
Could we possibly have more than an effort to force us to worship on a particular day, but a disruption so profound that it disrupts the weekly cycle.
The brand new phenomenon of a lunar sabbath clearly does this.
- Covenant. Christ died to keep the covenant, but the Antichrist is a covenant breaker on a massive scale.
Under the rule of the beast and the Antichrist, every covenant of God will be destroyed until God has to return to face those who are destroying the earth.
Under the rule of science there is no rest for the creation especially when it involves maximizing profit.
As the end of the world approaches, these systems face jeopardy.
- Land Sabbath. God made a covenant with the land for rest but our technology gives the land no rest. Eventually we are finding that we are substituting temporary higher yield for a disastrous fundamental change in the structure of the environment.
- Seed And Harvest.
Right now seed time and harvest is under the global control of businessmen.
Companies now patent and own the unchanged genetic material God made, claiming it by right of discovery. Through this legal tactic they can stop us from using what God gave us so that they can force us to buy the genetically modified seeds (GMO) that they create. They even dare to change the genes by mixing material from several species.
As big industry takes over small farms, weak countries and regulate the right to grow and distribute food, our planet is being forced under a new agricultural business model.
In this model we do not have the right to grow and share or sell food. We cannot store seeds for replanting but must buy both seed, fertilizer and insecticide from the agricultural Antichrists.
This model will collapse at the end of time causing sudden and immediate famine with no remedy in sight that can delay starvation.
- Water. It is a commodity that is becoming scarce and greedy businessmen are trying to own it, even declaring that people have no right to water.
- Atmosphere. Soon businessmen will decide that we have no right to air and we will be taxed for this as careless business practices continue to contaminate the environment.
- Reliable Weather (Summer And Winter). God promised reliable changes in season, but global warming threatens to overturn these basic systems.
- Time (Day And Night). God established a fixed order of the movement of the heavenly bodies to establish the rotations that measure time. When the covenant with day and night is broken so that the fixed order changes then God has the right to remove His righteous nation from the earth.
This final act seems like it could only be in the power of God, but there may be a scientist planning to move the moon out of its orbit, if there is profit involved.
Repetition and Enlargement
1. Bible References To 666
In the Bible, there are other references to 666 or 66, which might give a clue to the meaning of this term.
Measurements |
Do not be dismayed about the apparently broad use of this number in several types of measurements.
If we look at the numbers 40 and 42, we see that God applied it to several units of measurement in symbols, but they all had the same meaning.
Measurements. The curtain length.
Age. Good kings reigned 40 years.
Time. The beast reigns 42 months.
Count. 42 Levite cities.
|
|
- 6. An imperfect number. Man's number. This is the day man and beasts were created. It can be contrasted to seven, which is God's perfect time.
If the number was meant to be compared to the number seven of God's time, then it might represent man's imperfect Sabbath.
The triple representation is the false Sabbath of the false trinity.
Honestly, in my opinion this is a human construct. I could accept this reasoning if the numbers 1 to 5 were also based on the creation events.
- The Sons of Adonikam1, 666 . Ezra 2: 13 numbered the people who came from the Babylonian captivity. This is the only reference we have to 666 and a name.
Adonikam means "my Lord is risen". It refers to the resurrection.
The beast was wounded and then lived. It was referred to as the beast that "was, is not and yet is". Therefore, it was alive, dead and resurrected.
The beast has a resurrection phase, it is in this phase that it begins the final persecution that enforces the mark of the beast.
- 66 cubits. Daniel 3: 1. It is the size of the image that Nebuchadnezzar ordered the people to worship.
Here we see an image, and forced worship by Babylon. It has all the elements of the persecution account by the new Babylon in Revelation 13.
But the larger number in Revelation 13 might refer to the greater magnitude of the coming persecution.
In reality, the mathematics applied is strange. The image is sixty cubits high and 6 cubits wide.
Therefore, we should probably best think of the numbers as two separate numbers.
So the 666 should be thought of as three separate numbers of three dimensions: 600, 60 and 6.
In this light, we find these amazing stories in the Bible that almost fit the problems in the end.
- The Idolatry of the Tribe of Dan.
This tribe is missing from the New Jerusalem. They were not counted among the 144,000 and they will not receive an inheritance.
There is a story in Judges 18 about the idolatry that Dan practiced when they went to receive their inheritance.
They used 600 soldiers and 6 leaders to take the land. Five leaders were spies who were sent to the land. There they met a Levite who was practicing idolatry and they convinced him to become the priest of their tribe with his idols.
- The Abomination in the Temple. Ezekiel had a vision of corruption in the temple that involved breaking the first four commandments.
The punishment was associated with the number six.
- 66. Leviticus 12. A woman was unclean for 33 days after the birth of a son, but
she was unclean for 66 days after the birth of a daughter.
We have the elements of an unclean woman (church) which is one of the symbols of this apostate religion.
This woman tries to usurp the throne of the son (Christ).
666 is the number of the man who actually belongs to an unclean woman (church) who has given birth to prostituting daughters. (Babylon is the mother of Harlots).
Unlike the true Christ who could make the woman (church) clean after 33 years, this man cannot make the church clean and his daughters never become clean.
- 66 Descendants of Jacob. Genesis 46: 26 - 66 direct descendants of 11 sons of Jacob went to Egypt. This usage does not seem significant.
One could make the argument that these are the disobedient sons, each having an average of six children. An imperfect set.
There were seventy people when the family of Joseph was added.
- 6-6-6 Most Holy Place. Read the amazing prophecy about the pollution of the sanctuary by the carbon group.
The portable sanctuary has a dimension of three sets of six board on the three sides of the Most Holy place.
From the external view, the three walls with six boards each appear to be the construction of the Most Holy Place.
Since the crime of the beast or the Antichrist is to set up worship that competes with God, it is not surprising that he sets up a similar Holy Place.
Since the entrance into the Most Holy Place represents the time when we have Sabbath Rest with God, the construction of a similar room
means that the beast is trying to construct his own sanctuary, throne, authority and rest.
In the study of the seven last plagues, you will see how God destroys this false sanctuary room by room and furniture by furniture.
Revelation 13 prophecies about the construction of the Most Holy Place portion of the false sanctuary.
» The Temple of Ezekiel. This temple is filled with measurements based on the number six.
It represents our interaction with the sanctuary in heaven. This is the sanctuary that the beast will attempt to corrupt.
- 666 talents of Gold. 1 Kings 10: 14, 2 Chronicles 9: 13 - Solomon received this gold in one year. This usage does not seem significant.
- Calculating the Number. There are stories that involve calculating for a judgment.
- Calculating the Offering. There is a very interesting story from the revenge against Midian for luring Israel into idolatry.
The details are discussed here.
- The Numbering of Babylon. The mark is called the name of the beast and the number of his name.
In the story of the fall of Babylon, we find in the judgment written by the bloodless hand these words.
"MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN".
The word "MENE" meant that the kingdom is numbered or counted and found deficient.
In context, Israel was numbered to receive her inheritance. The beast is numbered to receive his judgment.
- David Kills Goliath. In Daniel 2 a stone from heaven strikes the feet of iron and clay and destroys a giant image at the end of time and rescues Israel. A beast was attempting to place a mark in their foreheads or hands.
David kills Goliath, a giant dressed in metal, with a stone in his forehead and saves Israel.
6 Cubits Height. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
600 Shekels Of Iron. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
(1 Samuel 17: 4-7)
2 Samuel 21: 20 describes a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. We do both know if this was true of Goliath.
Conclusion: Identification of The Beast
These four points describe the people of YHWH God and those rules by the Antichrist.
- Name. One has the name of God and the other belongs to the beast. This a self-made god worshipping the creature not the Creator.
- Image. One is made in the image of God (Genesis 1: 27) or the image of beasts (evolution).
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1: 27)
- Theistic Evolution (1950). Catholic church then Protestant churches and institutions began to teach this.
- Churches Uniting. This is based on a point in common to influence the state to sustain their institution.
So, uniting on the basis of Sunday they appealed to the courts in 2015 on the issue of forced homosexual marriages in the churches.
- Financial Laws. Since all churches are enmeshed in financial laws with the government we are in danger of losing institutions based on moral beliefs.
The result will be persecution. They will force us to teach evolution, perform homosexual marriages and to stop preaching anything in the Bible that denies this.
Most of this is already happenning. All of it is.
Sunday worship is the final institution. Europe is already forcing Sunday.
- Mark. One has the seal or mark of God (Sabbath) one has the mark of the beast (Sunday).
- Number of The Name. One is numbered in the flock of God and the other is numbered for the beast (666).
Pagan References To 666
This number appears in pagan beliefs.
If this usage is valid, I would tend to place them in the category of local fulfillment.
Because the evidence strongly suggests that the symbols of prophecy must ultimately find their
deepest spiritual fulfillment and meaning within the Hebrew culture and in the sanctuary.
- Gematria.
In ancient languages that use alphabets as numbers, a practice developed where one would add the letters in your name that are equivalent to numbers.
There have been many valid and invalid applications of this practice and many are listed here.
- Sun Worship.
References to 666 were known in ancient Babylon in pagan sun worship.
The magic squares were based on the 36 constellations. Each constellation was represented by an amulet.
The numbers one to thirty-six were incorporated in tables on the back of amulets which honored the sun gods by honoring the sun, moon and stars.
There were six rows and columns, each row, diagonal and column added up to 111.
One amulet even had the total "666" inscribed on it.
The apostle John should have known of this practice. Therefore, in making reference to the power in Revelation as "Mystery Babylon", he might be alluding to their sun worship.
The disciples even referred to the city of Rome as Babylon (1 Peter 5: 13).
Sunday, was the day the ancients dedicated to honoring the sun as their God.
As they adopted Christianity, this appeared to be one big concession that church fathers made with
the Roman government in their attempts to merge the people into one religion.
In the near future, another attempt will be made to merge all people into one faith.
Again, Sunday worship will be the vehicle of choice.
6 | 32 | 3 | 34 | 35 | 1 |
7 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 8 | 30 |
19 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 23 | 24 |
18 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 13 |
25 | 29 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 12 |
36 | 5 | 33 | 9 | 2 | 31 |
Table 1. |
|
|
1 | 32 | 34 | 3 | 35 | 6 |
30 | 8 | 27 | 28 | 11 | 7 |
20 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 23 |
19 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 18 | 14 |
10 | 26 | 12 | 9 | 29 | 25 |
31 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 5 | 36 |
Table 2. |
|
666 in Other Languages |
Latin:
Roman:
Greek: cxV
Arabic:
Hebrew:
|
|
Table 1 is known as the magic square of the Sun. It is inscribed on a solar seal, honoring the star Basilisco.
It shows the conjunction of the Sun, Moon and the star Regulus in the constellation of Leo the Lion that occurred on August 19, 1705.
|
So John is essentially saying this, just as 666 is the number of the sun god,
666 is also the number of the man who wants to be worshipped as god.
This man has already conquered the sun god and he is now trying to conquer YHWH.
The number of this man is equal to 100 + 10 + 1 sixes or 111 x 6.
Since all rival pagan systems were set up by Satan to take worship away from YHWH, the number six
might be related to a perversion of something close to YHWH.
The one symbol that we know has been around from the beginning is the number six from creation.
The 111 might be a reference to the Trinity or to three dimensions.
Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2: 15
|
Time: 140 minutes Print: 22 pages |
Copyright
Updated : February 4, 2005, 2008.
Credits:
Mike Scheifler's Bible Light on Catholic Apologetics regarding the number 666 and the title "Vicarious Filii Dei". URL: http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/666.htm.
He has a very good rebuttal to the "Pope Fiction" book and television series.
The 666 pagan tables were quoted by Scheifler from Unfolding the Revelation (Revised) by Roy Allan Anderson, pages 125-127.
1. See our reference page for more sources.
Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (February 2008)
|