Post by neural on Aug 12, 2019 4:02:25 GMT -6
I've often questioned how the mark of the beast would work in regards to people who come to know Jesus during the tribulation. The Bible is quite clear that anyone who takes the mark and worships the beast will be condemned to hell.
It's pretty strong language, and it is commonly taught that it is basically a way in which someone would lose their salvation.
I have several problems with this.
I will preface with several verses that are related to what I believe is going on.
Romans 6:10
I Peter 3:18
I John 2:2
John 3:16-17
All of the above verses make it clear, in my opinion, that Jesus died for the sins of all humanity. Past, present, and future. In no place does it say "Jesus died once for all, except the people in the tribulation because they have special status".
With that in mind, it is my personal belief that "once saved, always saved" applies throughout history (yes, it's complex in regards to what happened *before* Jesus came), including our time and the future (perhaps even the millennium).
It can be noted also that the Bible does not say "Jesus died once for all who choose to believe in Him". There are many verses which use the word "All".
If you are invited to a BBQ event, and you have a nice invitation stating the time and place, and that there's a choice meal set aside just for you, and a chair with your name on it, the party is going to happen whether you decide to go or not. The food will be cooked, but if you do not go and eat the food, you do not gain sustenance from said food. Before Christ, the nation of Israel had to deal with sin by making sacrifices which, if you read the Bible plainly, had both a serious side, as well as a celebratory side. The animals were killed in a specific manner, but a lot of folks miss the part about how they were then cooked and consumed. It is no stretch of the imagination that people might be of good cheer when eating said food as it represented their sins being forgiven.
But... if a member of a family chose not to participate, the sins would not be forgiven in the same way that the food would not give him sustenance. You have to accept the gift of Grace through Jesus in order to benefit from it, but EVERYONE is offered the gift. EVERYONE has had all of their sins forgiven. Faith is how one claims their gift of salvation. It is how we say "Yes Lord! The sacrifice You made was for my sin, and I need that sacrifice to cover my sins!"
My point here in this part is that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, including everyone from that gentle old woman down the street, to the most ruthless killers (Stalin, and similar individuals included).
Now, why the focus on Christ dying once for all? There have been many studies done in regards to what the "unforgivable sin" is. The one thing Jesus said was a one way ticket to judgement. I have read and studied this for many years, and the conclusion there is that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is simply the act of rejecting God, rejecting the sacrifice Jesus made, and rejecting the call of the Holy Spirit. Outright refusal to accept the gift.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
There is no way to cut it up and make something new of it. ALL have sinned. ALL face condemnation without a sacrifice. Acceptance of that sacrifice and placing your faith in God brings upon you God's Grace. Grace that is vast beyond comprehension. I get really tired of hearing people try and categorize sins in a manner that allows them to spit on what Jesus did by giving others this idea that "you're saved, but if you do this one thing.. boy you'd better look out!"
Sin is sin is sin is sin is sin is sin people. It doesn't matter if you stole a candy bar, or have your picture in the dictionary next to the word Promiscuous. Jesus died for those sins and through God's gift of Grace we are forgiven EVEN IF WE SIN AFTER WE ARE SAVED. Yes, as a Christian, we still have to follow the laws of this world. The distinction here is very important! If you go out and kill someone, it doesn't matter if you are a Christian, you have done something wrong that the laws of this world will see you punished for.
That's not what God's Grace is! God's Grace is very simple for those who believe: No matter what you do, or when, God accepts the sacrifice of His Son as payment for those sins, and will not condemn you to hell for eternity for what you did. You may face earthly consequences, but by placing your faith in Jesus, you will not face eternal damnation for anything you do. Whether it be promiscuity, theft, murder, and oh look at that, did you know the ten commandments are covered by Grace? I know I will catch all sorts of fire over this, but the Grace gifted to us by God even covers the sin of not loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. It covers coveting. It covers not loving your neighbor as yourself. And yes, it covers getting a chip implanted in your head and bowing before the anti-Christ and praising him as god.
Go ahead, throw things, call upon God to curse me, whatever you want.
Done? Ok, now let's talk about the post subject. The mark of the beast.
"And he causeth 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, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
Much discussion has been done about the use of the word "in" where it speaks of the mark being "in their right hand". We all know that the devil knows the Bible. I'm sure he's got it memorized by now in order to deceive people. He knows what is in prophecy. Not only that, but a lot of evil human beings know what is there as well. Do you think there would not be a special force of individuals created during the tribulation to specifically hunt down Christians and *force* them to take the mark? Do you think there would be none who would have their child sedated and have the mark put in while they were unable to protest? Did Jesus die once for ALL, but not those individuals? Did He die to forgive ALL sin, but not that one sin that isn't blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Food for thought can be found in Deuteronomy. Specifically Deuteronomy 6:8 "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes". In context, God is speaking to Israel about the commandments, and about faith/belief in Him. Does it sound familiar?
I pose the following: The mark of the beast is not a physical mark. "in their right hand, or in their foreheads" uses the word "in", because it is talking about people being "marked" by their worship of the beast in both word (forehead covering thought and speech) and deed (actions of the hand, noting specifically the right hand which has been historically used to confirm agreements, etc.).
I believe this because it aligns with all the various verses about Christ dying once for all, and for all the sins of the world. As well as with the scriptures about Grace. About the unforgivable sin. And it also clearly shows how people would not be able to be *forced* to be marked. Remember, scripture says "he causeth". I've seen this translated as "he forces", but I believe that without other scripture to support it, that this is a deception.
Do you realize how many people have been "caused" to learn how to use computers in order to keep up with the world? How many people have huge corporations "caused" to move, purchase cars, etc. (all for a job).
It has been news more than a few times this past year that individuals who do not hold the proper political/social views have had their sources of income shut off. Up to and including banks simply closing peoples bank accounts. All because they don't have the right words, thoughts, or deeds according to someone else. It is easy to see how this might play out in regards to the anti-Christ "causing" people to change their words, thoughts, and deeds in order to be part of the "in crowd". With the level of privacy intrusion we have today, it will become very difficult for people to pretend they are marked. Frankly, with what I've seen this past few years, I don't know of any Christians who would "bite the bullet" and even pretend to believe the disgusting things that are common now.
That's my take on the "mark of the beast", and honestly if you look around you at the world today, it sort of makes sense. People are divided more than ever on politics, religion, and so on. And the people who carry what might be a precursor to the mark, are getting easier to spot all the time by their words and deeds.
It's pretty strong language, and it is commonly taught that it is basically a way in which someone would lose their salvation.
I have several problems with this.
I will preface with several verses that are related to what I believe is going on.
Romans 6:10
I Peter 3:18
I John 2:2
John 3:16-17
All of the above verses make it clear, in my opinion, that Jesus died for the sins of all humanity. Past, present, and future. In no place does it say "Jesus died once for all, except the people in the tribulation because they have special status".
With that in mind, it is my personal belief that "once saved, always saved" applies throughout history (yes, it's complex in regards to what happened *before* Jesus came), including our time and the future (perhaps even the millennium).
It can be noted also that the Bible does not say "Jesus died once for all who choose to believe in Him". There are many verses which use the word "All".
If you are invited to a BBQ event, and you have a nice invitation stating the time and place, and that there's a choice meal set aside just for you, and a chair with your name on it, the party is going to happen whether you decide to go or not. The food will be cooked, but if you do not go and eat the food, you do not gain sustenance from said food. Before Christ, the nation of Israel had to deal with sin by making sacrifices which, if you read the Bible plainly, had both a serious side, as well as a celebratory side. The animals were killed in a specific manner, but a lot of folks miss the part about how they were then cooked and consumed. It is no stretch of the imagination that people might be of good cheer when eating said food as it represented their sins being forgiven.
But... if a member of a family chose not to participate, the sins would not be forgiven in the same way that the food would not give him sustenance. You have to accept the gift of Grace through Jesus in order to benefit from it, but EVERYONE is offered the gift. EVERYONE has had all of their sins forgiven. Faith is how one claims their gift of salvation. It is how we say "Yes Lord! The sacrifice You made was for my sin, and I need that sacrifice to cover my sins!"
My point here in this part is that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, including everyone from that gentle old woman down the street, to the most ruthless killers (Stalin, and similar individuals included).
Now, why the focus on Christ dying once for all? There have been many studies done in regards to what the "unforgivable sin" is. The one thing Jesus said was a one way ticket to judgement. I have read and studied this for many years, and the conclusion there is that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is simply the act of rejecting God, rejecting the sacrifice Jesus made, and rejecting the call of the Holy Spirit. Outright refusal to accept the gift.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
There is no way to cut it up and make something new of it. ALL have sinned. ALL face condemnation without a sacrifice. Acceptance of that sacrifice and placing your faith in God brings upon you God's Grace. Grace that is vast beyond comprehension. I get really tired of hearing people try and categorize sins in a manner that allows them to spit on what Jesus did by giving others this idea that "you're saved, but if you do this one thing.. boy you'd better look out!"
Sin is sin is sin is sin is sin is sin people. It doesn't matter if you stole a candy bar, or have your picture in the dictionary next to the word Promiscuous. Jesus died for those sins and through God's gift of Grace we are forgiven EVEN IF WE SIN AFTER WE ARE SAVED. Yes, as a Christian, we still have to follow the laws of this world. The distinction here is very important! If you go out and kill someone, it doesn't matter if you are a Christian, you have done something wrong that the laws of this world will see you punished for.
That's not what God's Grace is! God's Grace is very simple for those who believe: No matter what you do, or when, God accepts the sacrifice of His Son as payment for those sins, and will not condemn you to hell for eternity for what you did. You may face earthly consequences, but by placing your faith in Jesus, you will not face eternal damnation for anything you do. Whether it be promiscuity, theft, murder, and oh look at that, did you know the ten commandments are covered by Grace? I know I will catch all sorts of fire over this, but the Grace gifted to us by God even covers the sin of not loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. It covers coveting. It covers not loving your neighbor as yourself. And yes, it covers getting a chip implanted in your head and bowing before the anti-Christ and praising him as god.
Go ahead, throw things, call upon God to curse me, whatever you want.
Done? Ok, now let's talk about the post subject. The mark of the beast."And he causeth 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, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
Much discussion has been done about the use of the word "in" where it speaks of the mark being "in their right hand". We all know that the devil knows the Bible. I'm sure he's got it memorized by now in order to deceive people. He knows what is in prophecy. Not only that, but a lot of evil human beings know what is there as well. Do you think there would not be a special force of individuals created during the tribulation to specifically hunt down Christians and *force* them to take the mark? Do you think there would be none who would have their child sedated and have the mark put in while they were unable to protest? Did Jesus die once for ALL, but not those individuals? Did He die to forgive ALL sin, but not that one sin that isn't blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
Food for thought can be found in Deuteronomy. Specifically Deuteronomy 6:8 "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes". In context, God is speaking to Israel about the commandments, and about faith/belief in Him. Does it sound familiar?
I pose the following: The mark of the beast is not a physical mark. "in their right hand, or in their foreheads" uses the word "in", because it is talking about people being "marked" by their worship of the beast in both word (forehead covering thought and speech) and deed (actions of the hand, noting specifically the right hand which has been historically used to confirm agreements, etc.).
I believe this because it aligns with all the various verses about Christ dying once for all, and for all the sins of the world. As well as with the scriptures about Grace. About the unforgivable sin. And it also clearly shows how people would not be able to be *forced* to be marked. Remember, scripture says "he causeth". I've seen this translated as "he forces", but I believe that without other scripture to support it, that this is a deception.
Do you realize how many people have been "caused" to learn how to use computers in order to keep up with the world? How many people have huge corporations "caused" to move, purchase cars, etc. (all for a job).
It has been news more than a few times this past year that individuals who do not hold the proper political/social views have had their sources of income shut off. Up to and including banks simply closing peoples bank accounts. All because they don't have the right words, thoughts, or deeds according to someone else. It is easy to see how this might play out in regards to the anti-Christ "causing" people to change their words, thoughts, and deeds in order to be part of the "in crowd". With the level of privacy intrusion we have today, it will become very difficult for people to pretend they are marked. Frankly, with what I've seen this past few years, I don't know of any Christians who would "bite the bullet" and even pretend to believe the disgusting things that are common now.
That's my take on the "mark of the beast", and honestly if you look around you at the world today, it sort of makes sense. People are divided more than ever on politics, religion, and so on. And the people who carry what might be a precursor to the mark, are getting easier to spot all the time by their words and deeds.
