This is a continuation of the Mark of the Beast:
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The book of Revelation states that the Beast has been here since mankind was created. If this is so, we should be able to find this Beast elsewhere in the Bible. (The Qur’an, if you care to discover, gives example-after-example of the Mark of the Beast amongst mankind.)
An excellent place to start would be with the original “beast example” as shown in the Bible. That would be Nebuchadnezzar (in the book of Daniel). God gave Nebuchadnezzar dreams:
This is NOT what many refer to as the “beast of Daniel,” but all of Daniel’s visions begin with this story. No . . . this story is more important. All of God’s lessons to Daniel begin with this story. Learn the difference! Learn, for the first time, the importance of God’s lessons to this world! Learn God’s lesson here and you shall truly learn of the Beast.
Daniel 2:1 And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Daniel 2:2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
These dreams, one in particular, disturbed the king greatly; so he gathered all of his magicians and soothsayers for an explanation. They answered the king:
Daniel 2:11 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Daniel 2:12 For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.
The king was angry and vowed to put all magicians and soothsayers to death. This is where Daniel enters the story:
Daniel 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
Daniel 2:24 Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.
Daniel 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
Daniel 2:29 As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass.
Daniel 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
Daniel 2:32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
Daniel 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Daniel 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Daniel 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
Daniel proceeds to explain the nature of the image the king saw in his dreams. The king was very relieved and was no longer disturbed by the dreams God sent to him.
Daniel 2:46 Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an oblation and sweet odours unto him.
Daniel 2:47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
Daniel 2:48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:49 Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon: but Daniel sat in the gate of the king.
The king was truly a believer now, by all accounts in the Bible. But sometime later, the king stopped believing and reverted to his former ways. What ways? Follow the story of Daniel, in the next verse:
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
This image was 90 feet high, probably made of wood, and was entirely overlaid with gold! (Equal to a nine-story building.) The king had reverted back to the dream God gave him and decided to declare his wealth and power to the world! The king decided he would rather worship gold, mankind’s pursuit of wealth, and his own vanities; than to worship God. This is the Mark of the Beast, using the very source of the image detailed in the book of Revelation.
A CRITICAL SIDE NOTE:
Religious scholars have forever misunderstood this story of Daniel. They have concentrated on just “who” the parts of Daniel’s beasts represent. It is as if, when they guess correctly, they have earned some sort of credit with God; it is as if, when they guess correctly, they have learned a great lesson of God! Nonsense to all of this!
God’s lesson in all of this is not “who” these nations were (or might be) . . . but “how” each of these great, and wonderful, nations (represented by the image) FAILED because of the different ways they abused their wealth. God explains this entire lesson (of Daniel) in His Qur’an. Oh, Satan can truly appoint leaders and kings; but only God can destroy a nation. For however great (or rich) these nations became, it was a simple stone (Christ’s second coming) that destroyed the image mankind built (wealth). Christians, please learn that your understanding of “who” those nations of Nebuchadnezzer’s image gains you “nothing of value” here in this world. It does not earn you extra-credit for God. The lesson of Nebuchadnezzer’s image is how wealth has, and always will, destroy mankind: at the national level and at the personal level! The Qur’an teaches this very lesson and gives many more lessons (and names of nations) who failed from wealth. The Qur’an also teaches exactly why God sends wealth to this, or that, nation. It is a test. Abraham passed this test and God teaches this entire world how, and why, Abraham did so. However, no nation (known to this author) has ever passed this test of God. But God does present this magnificent lesson in all of the various Scriptures that He sends down to this world.
Daniel 2:45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Honestly, the only sin these wealthy nations are accused of (by God) was their worshiping wealth: thereby setting God aside. The pursuit of wealth can, and does, truly cause people to reject God, and His Teachings. Nebuchadnezzar was the perfect example, used by God, in demonstrating this. What was Nebuchadnezzar’s edict regarding this nine-story tall image that he built?
Daniel 3:6 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
The fabled beast of Daniel, indeed, comes later. But one must always remember that the lesson above is the foundation for everything Daniel wrote. Once we understand Nebuchadnezzar, and his failed relationship with God, we can then understand God’s vital lesson regarding our pursuits in this life. We can either pursue God or we can pursue the things of this world. This lesson, of Daniel, teaches that we cannot pursue both: regardless of what our vanities scream at us.
Christ taught this very lesson:
Matthew 6:24: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The Qur’an teaches this lesson repeatedly: and does so using a great many peoples (nations) upon this earth! Just one example. The seventh book of the Qur’an has a story about people in heaven (the Heights) speaking to people in hell:
The Qur’an 7:48 And the people of the Heights call out to those (in Hell) they recognize by their marks, “What did your great numbers and all that which you took pride in, gain you? (Words in parentheses were added by this author.)
CHRISTIANS . . . if you choose to hate all Muslims, then you are free to do so. God has given you this right. (But God has also told you that you are to love all others, as He has so loved you: no matter your faults!) But Christians: never, ever, BUT EVER, hate the words of Christ, anywhere upon this Earth. It was Christ who sent His Word down to Muhammad. It was Christ who wrote the Qur’an. It was Christ who used the name of Allah for a little while, just as He used the name of Jesus for a little while. Christians! Christ is telling you that it is He who places the mark on people. Christ is telling you that “wealth” is the Beast. Wealth is that which rich folks took pride in chasing, while they lived their lives here. Our pursuit of wealth ALWAYS puts God in second place within our lives. THIS is exactly why Christ taught that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And yes, every Christian will find this same camel-and-needle lesson in Christ’s Qur’an also!
CHRISTIANS! WESTERNERS! Please, please read verse 7:48 from the Qur’an, above . . . just one more time.
Returning to the story of Daniel:
Daniel taught this same lesson to the king who replaced Nebuchadnezzar, but this king failed in exactly the same way. Daniel then taught this same lesson to a third king also, but the third king failed in exactly the same way. All three kings rejecting God in order to pursue (and worship) wealth. My friend, no matter what you are told, know that there is only one story to be found in the book of Daniel. By way of three different kings, Daniel told the exact same story THREE TIMES. Only then, did Daniel teach about his visions of the beasts. Most people, today, spend their time trying to determine what nation belongs to what part of the beast: thereby missing the entire lesson that the parts of the beast are various aspects of wealth (shown through various nations of this world, all of whom have/will take their turn at possessing great wealth).
The entire story of Daniel is that God shall destroy any nation (great or small) that pursues wealth, more so than they pursue God and God’s Ways!
The entire story of Daniel is that God shall destroy any person (great or small) that pursues wealth, more so than they pursue God and God’s Ways!
Same lesson . . . taught two different ways: here in the book of Daniel.
The Qur’an . . . teaches this same lesson in the same two ways: and does so repeatedly! And names these various nations/peoples throughout our history!
Mankind continually “frets” over who these people were, who these people are today, and who these people might be in the end-time. In doing so, mankind completely misses the story God is attempting to teach through these verses. Please understand that God does not care about the people of these stories: God cares about the lessons He is teaching here!
The people of these stories will one day stand before God and explain the lives they lived and what they pursued in this world.
You . . . and this author . . . shall do the same. There is no escaping this Truth of God.
Now, there are other examples of this beast in the Bible also. Go back to when the Tribes of Israel departed from Egypt:
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Exodus 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
Exodus 32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
God was very angry. The sin of Israel was not just worshiping this calf; they could have made this calf out of wood or stone. They placed the highest value on gold and then worshiped it. This sin was a two-fold grievance against God.
Exodus 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
WAIT! WHAT?
A book? What book? God keeps a book on us in the Torah also? This is God’s Book of Life, described by John in his book of Revelation. All those who worship the Beast (wealth, or the pursuit of wealth) receive the Mark of the Beast and are not found in God’s Book of Life. No person will find their self in Heaven unless their name is in the Book of Life.
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As a side note: God taught about this Book in the Qur’an also!
The Qur’an 34:3 Disbelievers say, “The Last Hour will never fall upon us.” Muhammad, tell them: “No, it will come to all, by God, who sees everything. Not one speck of dust, large or small, escapes God, in heaven or the earth. All is recorded in a Book. (The literal translation is “a Record.”)
The Qur’an 36:12 Only God brings the dead back to life and God records every person’s life; to be reckoned in their second life. All deeds are kept, by God, in a clear Book. (Again, the literal translation is “a clear Record.”)
God teaches us (in the Qur’an again) how we see those, in this world TODAY, who possess the mark of the Beast:
The Qur’an 47:29 Do those with a corrupt heart think that God will not show the world of their hidden hatreds?
The Qur’an 47:30 If We desired, We could show them to you (Muhammad), so you would know them by their marks. But you will always know them by the way they speak.
Christians! Remember, learn, and then learn-how-to-use this underlined teaching from God! A GREAT CLUE!
A BRIEF COMMENT BY jpw – In the Qur’an, God/Christ frequently refers to Himself as We, Our, or Us. This is no different from the language that God/Christ spoke to Moses, in Genesis, regarding His Creation Week:
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea . . .
For today’s world, if you learn nothing else from the Qur’an, learn these last two sentences! And do learn about the “mark” because the Book of Revelation is very much about this “mark” (concerning this final generation of mankind). Clearly, the mark of the beast has much to do with “hidden hatreds” and “the way people speak.” This matches, exactly, Christ’s words: “A new commandment I give unto you; That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” For you see, the easiest way to tell if some person truly loves all others, as God has loved them, is to listen to how they speak, regarding all others! Their speech is always a dead-giveaway. And so is your speech, likewise, a dead-giveaway to others in your life! No person can hide from the sins of their tongue.
God’s lessons repeat . . . God’s lessons always repeat! Indeed, His lessons repeat throughout ALL SCRIPTURES SENT DOWN TO THIS EARTH.
A further side note: the Hindus and Buddhists are taught about each person being shown (or facing) their deeds, also, after death: in order to discover their “assigned” position in the Hereafter. Do not be “too quick” in dismissing God’s teachings to other people in this world. (This being yet another lesson from God’s Qur’an. Hindus and Buddhists in the Qur’an? Yes! After you stop hating them, ask any Muslim if this is true.)
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Now, there are still more examples of this beast in the Bible. Go back to when the northern ten Tribes of Israel separated from the Jews in Jerusalem:
Now, just one generation after Solomon died, the Ten Tribes left Judah, Benjamin, and Levi (called the Jews, hereafter, in the Bible). The king of these Ten Tribes (called the Tribes of Israel, hereafter, in the Bible) needed, urgently, to sever all ties to God’s Holy place down south, in Jerusalem. This king sought to change what the people worshiped. He chose their vanities: and acted accordingly.
1 Kings 12:27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam (king of Judah), and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
1 Kings 12:28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
1 Kings 12:29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.
This very deed was repeated, later, by King Hoshea, of the Ten Tribes of Israel:
2 Kings 17:16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
Yes, worshiping anything other than God is bad. We all know this. Honestly, it is easy to cast aside all other gods, other than the one God, and claim to worship one God. But the Truth of God does not end here! The Truth of God is perfect: and it cuts deep. Much of mankind has always worshiped wealth: and this particular worship is hard to cast aside. God knows us. If God was only concerned with us worshiping Him, he would have carved His face in the Moon, for all of us to see: this would have been easy for Him. If God was only concerned with us worshiping Him, he would have created only one faith (and one people) on this Earth. There are other things we worship, in this world, besides God today. (A higher paying job, a bigger house, a better car.) This is what God sees, this is what God understands, and this is what we cannot hide from God: try as we may.
We absolutely cannot pursue God and Mammon (Earthly things) at the same time in this life. Oh, we might think that we can, but Christ, Himself, said that it is impossible! THIS! This is exactly what we are expected to grow out of, sometime before we leave this world. And when will we leave this world? That is a good question.
My dearest friend, God’s Book of Life is where you want your name to be found. All faiths teach of this primary goal of life, here upon this earth. If all faiths teach this simple fact, but few faiths agree on God’s Truth; then obviously, our faith has nothing to do with God’s Book of Life. Oh, our faith here can absolutely make our journey easier, but do remember the priorities that God’s Truth teaches to mankind. Our time here is so short! We can work on our one-hundred, or so, years here in this life; or we can work on our next billion, or so, years of eternity!
The Mark of the Beast is a death sentence! Know your enemy and know him well. Defeat your enemy because your enemy is truly found within yourself! Satan has had thousands of years to convince mankind that this “mark” shall come from outside of us (and against our will). No, indeed, God teaches that this mark shall come from within!
Either use your faith to help your way-of-life here (meaning your deeds) or cast your faith aside! God’s Book of Life is not a book of faith, nor is it a book of treasures-gathered. God can see our faith through the LIVES WE DECIDED TO LIVE HERE. (We are not too good at this, but God certainly is.) God’s Book of Life is a recording of every decision you made during your time here. God’s Book of Life is a record of the path you freely chose during the short time you were given here. We all shall one day explain the decisions we made (meaning our deeds) in the short time we were given here. For you see, it is so easy to claim to have faith and claim to believe Christ: it is entirely a different matter to demonstrate our possession of faith through the deeds of our lives.
Cast our faith aside? Well, if it saves your life, THEN YES! Speaking of those who think they believe correctly, but do not, Paul wrote:
Romans 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Romans 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
This is NOT a free ticket to Heaven . . . it is God’s Mercy directed ONLY at any mistakes we might have made in our worship of Him. We will always answer for our deeds of this life.
Clearly, no person should cast their faith aside, but Paul absolutely teaches that ALL PEOPLE should examine the “foundations of their faith:” because, thanks to the vanities of mankind, they could be wrong. The book of Revelation teaches that nearly all faiths, at the end of this world, are wrong! Every religion today teaches their followers that they are “exempt” from any “Truths of God” found in the book of Revelation. Well, what the book of Revelation actually teaches: is that “every person” today shall experience the “Truths of God” found in the book of Revelation! (With about 144,000 exceptions!) So, just how lucky do you feel?
2 + 2 = 4? No! Not in this letter!
The book of Revelation teaches us to examine the first “2”
Paul’s letter to the Romans teaches us to always examine (and then re-examine!) the second “2”
Because maybe, if you misunderstood anything above, you might not be standing on the number “4”!
God says . . . 2 + 2 = EXAMINE YOUR FAITH!
You can only examine your faith by returning to that Word of God which you call your own. Not your religious leaders’ words and not this author’s words. Never allow any other person to guard your life! Guard your own life!
Then . . . guard your own life as if it might end tomorrow! Christ taught this! Find the teachings of God in this world and learn how to live your life: FROM GOD! For God is the best author and He has kept His Words true.
Funny! How everything found in this letter was originally taught by Daniel, some 2,500 years ago!
And it was then taught to a later generation who thought they understood . . . but did not!
So then God, Himself, had to come to this earth (as one of us!) . . . to show how they
HAD NEVER . . . FULLY UNDERSTOOD . . . HIS WORD!
Might there just be a lesson from God, here?
A lesson for today???
My friend, the best thing we can do in life is to re-examine our faith in God. Our faith in God? Well honestly, all we really possess is the Word which He has sent down to us. God has seen to it that His Scripture is sufficient.
The second best thing we can do in this life is to re-examine the life that we live. Really? The life we live? Well honestly, if any person were to look at this life from God’s point-of-view, they would quickly realize that the life we live is a mirror-image of “that faith which we have in God.” (Let’s put that another way: The life we lived shall one day be our explanation to God of “that faith” which we had in Him, while we were here for that little while.)
The life Christ lived (and showed this world) taught this! And it taught nothing else!
This pathetic author has placed three letters before you: regarding The Mark and The Beast. Why? Because the book of Daniel (and Ezekiel) teaches that this is the most important issue of today. The book of Revelation teaches that this is the most important issue of today. The Qur’an teaches that this is the most important issue of today. The book of Enoch (God’s first Scripture to this world) teaches that this is the most important issue of today.
All religions . . . today . . . teach that “this is not an issue . . . today.”
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My friend, go with God . . . or go with mankind.
No! I’m sorry! That last statement was oh, so wrong.
Follow the Ways of God . . . or follow the ways of mankind.
And while you are at it . . . learn the difference!