|
|
|
A Promise Fulfilled
As young people often tend to feel invincible, my daughter would be employed two and three places at a time. Being born flat-footed, her feet didn't always cooperate. In time, x-rays proved her bones had actually moved to where they were laying...
Israel Work History (Worldwide Church of God)
I first met Elder Mordakhai Joseph in Jerusalem during my first Feast of Tabernacles in 1980. Later, when I attended Sukkot /Tabernacles again with the Worldwide Church of God in 1982 in Jerusalem, I stayed on as a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat...
Revelations A Study. Section 13.
Revelations A Study. Section 13. Chapter 17:1 thru 19:3, The judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. The anti-christ, to try to defeat Jesus must take as many kingdoms as he can by force, to gain a great army. He also knows...
The Holy Land as a Human Shape
The Jewish people returned to its homeland in Israel after 2000 years of Diaspora, and after the holocaust. One of the holocaust lessons is that a strong Israeli state is a moral duty for the free world. But the borders of the Promised Land are not...
Where to Start
When God's thoughts were written in the Bible, they didn't have the same meaning as how we interpret words. Didn't He tell us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts,” Is. 55:8? Almost every word of significance, within the Bible, has its own...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
About "The Mark of the Beast"
What does "the mark of the beast" and 666 mean? The last few verses of Revelation 13 speak about a certain "mark" which man would receive on his right hand or forehead. This "mark," as well as the number 666, has caused no small stir among those desiring to interpret the Book of Revelation.
Theories and Their Error. As we would attempt to consider the meaning of the above, may we realize that a great number of theories on the subject have been advanced. Some have said that the mark of the beast was: the symbol of free masonry; the face that appears on the American dime; the observance of the sabbath on the first day of the week; the N.R.A. of the early 1930's; and, last and probably the most popular theory today, the "bar codes" for products, places and people. This last theory says that all people will have a final I.D. transaction card, and without it you'll not survive. What will be the next theory, only God knows.
As one views the Book of Revelation as a book filled with symbolism, I see an error in these theories. I see it because each theory interprets the "mark" as a single, individual, outward, visible sign that will appear on the forehead or hand of the wicked at one particular moment in history. But, the beast is constantly persecuting the church, and indicates every form of secular power that attempts to destroy believers in Christ. Thus, wherever and whenever the beast appears, you will find the mark of the beast.
The Language's Origin. In Bible times, the "branding" of cattle or slaves was common, and it was referred to as "the mark." Thus, it showed ownership.
Note in Revelation 14:9-11; 20:4, that the term "mark of the beast" seems to refer to worshiping the beast, as well as belonging to him and wearing his name. Thus, the "mark of the beast" is the God-opposing, church-persecuting spirit of the antichrist, wherever and whenever it manifests itself. The "antichrist" has been among us since the first century, even prior to the closing of the New Testament writings (I John 2:18; 4:3; II John 7). Thus, the "antichrist," or those against Christ, are not of a 20th Century origin.
The forehead symbolizes the mind, the thought-life, the philosophy of a person. The right hand indicates his deed, action, trade, industry, etc. (see Deuteronomy 6:8). Thus, receiving the "mark" indicates that the person so characterized belongs to the company of those who persecute the church in what he thinks, says, writes or what he constantly does.
The Trade Prohibition. In Revelation 13:17, the reference to man not being able to buy and sell without the "mark" has been a difficult passage. The marks of identification should not be misunderstood literally. Yet, in the days of the New Testament writing, the trade guilds (wool workers, linen workers, makers of outer garments,
dyers - as Lydia [Acts 16:14] - leather workers, tanners, potters, etc.) were popular. The trade guilds were associated with tutelary deities (protection, guardian), and each guild had its guardian god.
If you were in that guild, your membership implied that you worshipped its god. You were expected to attend the guild festivals and eat food offered to the tutelary god and also to take part in the immorality which always accompanied the feast and worship service. Thus, if one refused, he was out of the guild, which meant "out of work."
Also, the Roman Catholic Church on occasions has denied that heretics be traded with. One such occasion came during the reign of Pope Alexander III, when the Waldenses and the Albigenses were "under fire" by the papacy.
If the verse in question is taken symbolically, then one might see that only those "out of Christ" and "in Satan" might be the ones who are to direct the business affairs of the world. More importantly, that they would even direct the religious affairs of the world. Thus, we can understand why some religions do not want their members to think for themselves, but to listen only to the interpretations via their clergy.
The Number 666. In Revelation 13:18 the number "666" has had so many interpretations, one looses count quickly, as he starts through the history books which record them. Most of these have been made by adding the numerical values of the letters in the name of Nero, Mohammed, the Roman Catholic pope (papacy), Martin Luther, Napoleon, Trojan, and some of our generation have even seen Henry Kissinger fitting this number. Who or what is next?
Looking at the verse and seeing it as a number of MAN, we can see that the number six means "missing the mark" or failure. Man was created on the sixth day. Six is not seven, which is the number of perfection, victory. Now, note the number of the beast is six hundred and sixty-six; that is failure upon failure. It is the number of MAN, for the beast glories in man. Hence, he must fail.
May each of us, as a serious Bible student, be slow to accept every teaching on the Book of Revelation, or any Bible passage. Let us all study with an open mind and be constantly praying for God to enlighten us.
To obtain an enlightening adventure in the Book of Revelation, see More Than Conquerors by William Hendricksen, published by Baker Book House.
About the Author
Brother Hoyt W. Allen Jr. is a Restoration author, preacher and director of the KYOWVA Evangelistic Association in Ironton, Ohio. You may visit his website at www.kyowva.com.
Brother Allen's article is courtesy of the The Home Bible Study Institute - www.james1-22.org.
Permission to use is granted if attributed to author, his website and the website of The Home Bible Study Institute.
|
|
|
|
|
| Religion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Religion may be defined as the presence of a belief in the sacred or the holy. ... The development of religion is therefore the course of religions aligning ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| religion online |
| Full texts by religious scholars. Topics include Bible, Theology, Ethics, Church and Society, Communication, Cultural Studies, Homiletics, Missions, ... |
| www.religion-online.org |
|
| Religion and Spirituality in the Yahoo! Directory |
| Yahoo! reviewed these sites and found them related to Religion and Spirituality. |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| Yahoo! - Document Not Found |
| Document Not Found. The document you requested was not found. The category you are trying to reach may have moved. To find a relocated category, ... |
| dir.yahoo.com |
|
| Virtual Religion Index |
| has moved! It is now located at. http://virtualreligion.net/vri/. Note the change of domain & Please notify the source of the link that landed you here. ... |
| religion.rutgers.edu |
|
| Religious News and Information |
| The latest news and coverage from the world of religion. From across the globe to here in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Time covers the most pertinent news ... |
| www.latimes.com |
|
| World Religions Religion Statistics Geography Church Statistics |
| Resources for research into world religions, large and (very) small. Includes links to websites, research papers, statistics, and specialized search ... |
| www.adherents.com |
|
| BBC - Religion & Ethics |
| News, features and weekly summary about religion in the UK. Includes information about religions, ethics issues, and BBC religious TV and radio programming. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| BBC - Religion & Ethics - Religions |
| An introduction to many of the religions of the world. Includes Jainism, Shinto, Sikhism, Rastafari, Paganism, and many others. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| Open Directory - Society: Religion and Spirituality |
| Kids and Teens: People and Society: Religion and Spirituality (307) ... World Religions and 101 Cults - Contains descriptions and personal commentary of ... |
| dmoz.org |
|
| Google Directory - Society > Religion and Spirituality |
| Kids and Teens > People and Society > Religion and Spirituality (347) ... Contains descriptions and personal commentary of religions, cults, sects, ... |
| www.google.com |
|
| Promoting religious understanding, tolerance and freedom. |
| Conflicts, evolution, science & religion evaluating each other ... "Study of the world's religions will lead to an understanding of religious diversity; ... |
| www.religioustolerance.org |
|
| Religious Studies Page |
| Gene Thursby's extensive collection of information and links for the study and interpretation of religions. Categories include religious traditions, ... |
| www.clas.ufl.edu |
|
| Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Religion |
| Religion blog: DMN writers and editors explore issues of faith, spirituality and values ... Religion links: Alphabetical list of religious and spiritual ... |
| www.dallasnews.com |
|
| Free Religion Ecards, Religion Greeting Cards, Religion Greetings ... |
| More of Religion ... Home : Religion Greetings ... Food And Drink | Gifts | Invitations | Kids | Love | Music | Pets | Religion | Specials | Sports | Stay ... |
| cards.123greetings.com |
|
| Religion -- Philadelphia Inquirer |
| Most evangelicals now live in China, South Korea, India, Africa and Latin America, where they are transforming their religion. In various ways, they are ... |
| www.philly.com |
|
| Religion | The WWW Virtual Library |
| Religions and belief systems (ancient and contemporary), religious history, mythology, ethics and humanism. this resource in English is indexed under: ... |
| vlib.org |
|
| Religion - washingtonpost.com |
| We explore matters of faith and religion on the first Sunday of each month. ... Religion Online Chats. Thursday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m. ET: Faiths Condemn Gay Sex ... |
| www.washingtonpost.com |
|
| allAfrica.com: Religion |
| All over Africa, religion is big business. In East Africa, I am particularly impressed by the rate of its growth in Uganda. Uganda is also the country in ... |
| allafrica.com |
|
| Error: Invalid story key (C3,20061205,,612040318,AR). |
| Obituaries · -- Death Notices · Schools · Detroit History. Nation/World. Nation/World · Politics/Gov · -- Election · Health · Religion · Technology. Sports ... |
| detnews.com |
|
|