C.H. Spurgeon

Sinners, let me address you with words of life; Jesus wants nothing from you, nothing whatsoever, nothing done, nothing felt; he gives both work and feeling. Ragged, penniless, just as you are, lost, forsaken, desolate, with no good feelings, and no good hopes, still Jesus comes to you, and in these words of pity he addresses you, "Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."

Comment Policy: No profanity or blasphemy will be posted. You do not have to agree, but if you would like your comment posted, you will have to adhere to the policy.


Friday, January 11, 2008

Mark of the Beast Confusion

Sent to me, by a friend of mine, was a news article from FOXNews.com about a young man who had apparently “believed he bore the "mark of the beast" [and] used a circular saw to cut off one hand, [and] then he cooked it in the microwave and called 911, authorities said.”

There has been discussion concerning “mental health” in these articles, but they all seem to leave a lot to be desired as to fully understand the context of what may have transpired for this man to do such. The article truly falls short when it comes to much of the story, but I noticed they made sure to include the Scripture references of Revelation and Matthew. They are as follows:

Revelation 14:
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Matthew 5:
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

First off, these two references quoted are two totally different contexts. Revelation is speaking of prophecy of the Tribulation period, concerning the Antichrist and end times, whereas Matthew is speaking of the Sermon on the Mount, concerning what the things of God really mean (concerning our daily lives) verses what the Pharisees claimed they meant.

Second, when it comes to the mark of the beast, it will not be “thy right hand offend thee”, but the heart and depravity of the individuals which “worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand” instead of placing faith in the One True Holy Almighty God.

They will be deceived by the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet, whereby they will setup a system that only those which receive the mark may partake, but shall be cast into the lake of fire by God, along with Satan and all those who take the mark and reject Christ.

Repent and put faith in Jesus Christ, and He will forever keep you from taking the mark, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

3 comments:

BEAST FCD said...

Check out my latest post on exorcism.

Beast

Matt said...

What do you think about the Nero myth that was well known in the first century and how that can fit with the beast and the numerology of it all?

Splinters of Silver said...

Hey Matt,

If you would like you can check out my post, "“New” Millennium, Where Are You".

One of the problems I find with the Nero aspect is as follows:

amillennial viewpoint—including most Reformed theology and the teaching of many scholars throughout church history—the Millennium isn’t a literal thousand years, nor is it a future state. Rather, the events depicted in Revelation 20:3-7 are happening right now as Christ’s church reigns with him over the earth, in victorious triumph empowered by his death and resurrection. The saints rule over the earth from the intermediate Heaven, where they dwell with Christ.

I find fault with this view in conjunction with: Revelation 20:3, And cast him [Satan] into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.


It appears to me that the nations have been and still are being deceived by Satan before, during, and after the crucifixion even up till today. I don’t see a time in history where Satan has been supposedly bound for any amount of time, nor do I believe we are currently in the “little season”.

John Bunyan

To be saved is to be preserved in the faith to the end. 'He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.' (Mt. 24:13) Not that perseverance is an accident in Christianity, or a thing performed by human industry; they that are saved 'are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.' (1 Pet. 1: 3-6) But perseverance is absolutely necessary to the complete saving of the soul…. He that goeth to sea with a purpose to arrive at Spain, cannot arrive there if he be drowned by the way; wherefore perseverance is absolutely necessary to the saving of the soul.