It came to my attention, in the thread about the West Virginia miner not using the biometric timeclock, That some of you have a pretty good grasp on Revelation 13. The crux of the matter being about the mark of the beast. I'm presenting this because I feel strongly compelled to do so. We are here to learn about survival, and the most precious part of us that needs to survive is our character and our relationship with God. If we lose that, we not only lose our life, but we will also lose out in eternity, and our chance to commune with the Lord Himself. Ever wonder what he talked to us about? Jeremiah 1:5 KJV "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto nations." I know, He was speaking to Jeremiah, but the first half holds true to all humans. I would like to ask him what we talked about before I was born. Rev 13:11 KJV "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." (For further reading look here: Daniel's Four Beasts | Bible Symbols in the Prophecy of Daniel ) So from this line of logic, the Beast with two horns that came up out of the Earth represents the United States. Horns represent laws; and we have the separation of church and state. Coming up out of the Earth is symbolic of the USA having grown from a wilderness. All the other beasts before it came up out of the sea- representing a large populace. The continent was sparsely populated and devoid of any organized nation or religion. Speaking like a dragon, is characteristic of our "if you're not with us you're against us" or "get them before they get you" mentality as of late. It really isn't supposed to be in our nature, as Americans, to be like this. A quick study of American history show us rich with provocation to war for gains. Rev 13:12 KJV "And he exerciseth all of the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." This part is quite difficult for a lot of people to swallow. Just remember, I'm not singling out any particular person, but the system of worship. The first beast was mentioned earlier in Rev 13: 1-8. It represents the Catholic church. Someday, this post will come up on somebody's computer and have me singled out for torture by the modern day inquisition team. I don't care, the Lord wants me to explain, so I will explain. The appearance of a deadly wound was when the Pope was removed from power by Napoleon. There are numerous ways to explain why this is so, if you want PM me and I will give you the references and texts to be able to back this up. Most people don't like this because it invalidates their belief system. They are trapped by the rituals of men (Mark 7: 6-8). The USA is going to be the strong arm for the Catholic church to subjugate the world. How is this possible, you might ask? The world will look like quite a different place when this occurs than it does at the present time. A lot of bad things are going to happen, and our view of reality is going to be turned upside-down. Rev 13: 13 KJV "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men," When the false profit comes, he will convince an awful lot of people to do things his way, and not the biblical way. Granted, it will be very close, but not close enough. People's hearts are not going to be in the right place. The "anti" in Antichrist doesn't mean against- it means "in place of" if you use the term as it was intended in the Greek language. Rev 13: 14 KJV "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had a wound by a sword, and did live." That's like saying "they must be right because they've been around the longest" or "has the most (x)" X= riches, people, land, etc. So you want to follow just because everyone else is doing it? sounds familiar? There are numerous texts in the bible about standing out for your beliefs. Just ask Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego when you get the chance! Most people keep blowing off the importance of the Old Testament, but the stories are there, and they parallel, and support, the New Testament. Of course, the deceiver is going to be pretty convincing. So convincing that he's going to take the great majority of the human population that's alive at the time with him into folly. Read Mark 13:5-27 for important survival tips. PM me if you are really interested, especially about Mark 13:24-25 where is most has ALREADY HAPPENED, with only a little left to go. Rev 13: 15 KJV "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." The deadly wound will heal because the catholic church will be in power (over the earth) once again. Again, I fully expect to be martyred, and will give the same statement as in Daniel 3:16-18. I will not comply. If the Lord still has use for me, he will save me. If my job is to tell you that you are doing wrong and why, than I'm finished. You can carry on and do what you are going to do, but it won't matter, because I stand with the Lord. Rev 13:16 KJV "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to recieve the mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:" Like in the other post, I described these marks as spiritual. Some of you differed and believed they meant and outward mark. The mark is spiritual because it deals with our choice to follow the beast, either willingly or unwantonly (go along to get along). This choice is the very crux of the survival of your character! If you decide to follow the beast you are lost. If you just go along without fighting, you are lost. If you decide to take a stand for the Lord, no matter the consequences, you are just. Read Ephesians 6:10-18 about the whole armor of God. Even children can and have to do this; as they are spiritual warriors for God just the same as you are, and can be just as effective for the Lord as you can be. Rev 13: 17 KJV "And that no man may buy or sell, save that he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Again, this may seem like they are talking about a literal mark. If you look at the situation closer, the battle is spiritual, but has obvious outward signs. Those that do not follow the beast, don't worship him on the specified day, and don't work when they are told to do so (rest on the Sabbath, the fourth commandment of God, still withstanding the millennium, and the only commandment that contains the seal of God), will be obvious to everyone left. The outward appearance of following the Lord will shine through the darkness like a beacon. Those of the end-times church will be known as a peculiar people: Deuteronomy 26: 16-18. Yes, this is an Old Testament verse, but the end-times church is spiritual Israel, not the literal Israel, and definitely applies as well. Rev13: 18 KJV "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six." From here: Revelation 13 Commentary This is from an organization that is affiliated with my church and what I believe. The logic is linear and doesn't jump around; it also uses the bible to check itself, as there are multiple references to everything in the bible. This is not new knowledge, but has been dated back to the early reformers.
I am thinking that the US could be the Beast. The US will recieve a near fatal financial blow and then by some miraculous event heal itself and become even more powerful than before. The US will speak of world peace and rain down havoc on any who oppose. Kind of like we are trying to do now.
There are a few other references in Revelations that elude to the US as the servant of Rome. The woman represents Christ's church, and during Rome's Papal dominance 538 AD to 1798 AD, killed over 50 Million people and forced Christian believers into sparsely populated areas. These groups were known as the Waldensies, Heugonots, Pilgrims, etc. They had to leave or get killed for their faith, and the Lord had a place for them ready to go. Throughout history, no matter how hard satan tried to kill off the Christians, the Lord provided refuge for them, and the sabbath was kept. It just so happens that one of these wildernesses was the continental US of A. Rev 12:6 KJV "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Also Rev 12:14 KJV "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." Of course, whatever the Lord sets up, satan makes a copy of. Using this copy, he infiltrates and turns like a malignant cancer. The US was set up on principles, but now is just the lapdog for TPTB (who are, ultimately, controlled by satan). Anybody following the news can see it. Heard of "World Police" anybody? No worries though, the Lord is in control, and in His time (very shortly now), He will route out the fiend and destroy him once and for all.
Appreciate that GB. Have tried not to get too far into symbolism/intrepretations and stick to the basics of life. All those prophecies will happen/have happened/are happening and there is nothing we can or should do about them. My concern is for myself and my own (family/friends) and that is all. God is in control, good times will come, bad things will happen, and time will march on till we ourselves pass through the veil of life. If I can remember whose I am and act accordingly then all will be well. If we are caught up in the persecutions then so be it--has happened before and will again. We are His children and God does not want to see His children suffering needlessly.
