Mark of the Beast

[stevehut]

Obviously, you should be studying your Bible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do, everyday. And isn't that something that every Christian is supposed to be doing already? But that wasn't my question.

My question was, having been armed with the identity of the beast and the timing of the End, what should I then do differently?

[Trust & Obey]

OK.  I compared Exodus 20 and Deut. 5 and the commandments are much the same, a little different wording.

We must remember that the Jewish people were in captivity in Egypt for a long, long time.  (Was it around 300 yrs.? I'm not sure of the exact duration.)  They had forgotten about God's Sabbaths, and ceremonial laws, and many Jewish practices.

They were in the wilderness and complaining against Moses and Aaron.  They thought that they would die of starvation.  So the Lord gave them bread from heaven.  The Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.  And people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not."

So Moses instructed the people as the Lord told him, "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none."

"Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none.  And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?'  Exodus 16:27.

So we have a group of people who are being disobedient to God.  These are God's people that were led out of captivity.  There were to be a shining example for all other people.  They are to be God's chosen people.    I would guess when they first came out of captivity they were a rough group.  Would God tolerate their acts of disobedience?  He needed to shape them up, train them, instruct them in His laws, they were to be a holy people.  So I believe that is why in Exodus 31:15, we see the Lord telling Moses that whoever does not observe the Sabbath would be put to death.  He had to deal harshly with them to remove disobedience and establish His laws.

But, God said it was a "perpetual (continually ongoing) covenant." Notice how God says it 4 times in 3 short verses. Part of the perpetual covenant is the putting to death of those that violate it. There is no hint of this only applying to a one group of Israelites, or even to a single generation. It is a perpetual covenant.

Exo 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

Exo 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.

Exo 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

If you believe we are to stone those who do not keep the Sabbath in order to follow the ten commandments, do you also believe we should stone those who commit adultery?  Should we also stone someone who murders?

My dear Caroline, I don't recall being the one who was holding the law over people's heads, but thank you for asking. My whole point is that we cannot keep the law, no matter how hard we try. Murdering isn't just the physical act of killing someone in anger. Jesus said it was unjustified anger, itself, that was murder (Matt 5:22).

Adultery is the mere lusting for a woman/man in your heart (Matt 5:28). The 10 commandments, and yea the whole law of God, deal with the inward attitude/heart, not just the outward actions.

A kitchen knife can be a wonderful tool when you're preparing a meal. But, if you use it for a purpose not intended (e.g. stabbing someone in the face) it can then become a nightmare... a real problem that was never intended by the manufacturer of the knife.

The same is true with the law and the 10 commandments. If you use it skillfully as it was intended it is a schoolmaster to convict you of sin and lead you to Christ. But, if you take it out of its intended context, it then becomes a curse (Gal 3:10).

It is when we step out of a relationship with God that is according to the law, legalism, that we can then step into a stable and loving relationship with God according to His grace.

Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Amen!

[CarolineS]

Greetings,

I did not mean to be legalistic. I believe that we can keep the Ten Commandments. I also believe in grace. There has to be a balance between the two.

"With God all things are possible." Matt. 19:26

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil. 4:13

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ." 2Cor. 2:14.

"He that abideth in me, and I in him,....bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing." John 15:5

None of us can obey in our own power, but through Christ we can and must. Satan, in order to make God's commandments appear unreasonable, invented the falsehood that obedience is impossible.

Those who refuse to obey God will end up believing a lie and thus think they are saved when instead they are lost.

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." Matt. 7:21

In Christ,

CarolineS

[visionary]

Obviously, you should be studying your Bible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do, everyday. And isn't that something that every Christian is supposed to be doing already? But that wasn't my question.

My question was, having been armed with the identity of the beast and the timing of the End, what should I then do differently?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Warn others.... find ways of preparing for the end without buying and selling in the NWO system that is coming. Pray that the Lord prepares you for what is ahead... and that you are prepared to do His will under the worse circumstances.

Those are a few thoughts...

[stevehut]

Obviously, you should be studying your Bible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do, everyday. And isn't that something that every Christian is supposed to be doing already? But that wasn't my question.

My question was, having been armed with the identity of the beast and the timing of the End, what should I then do differently?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Anyone??

[Pilgrim7]

The people of Israel when they came out of Egypt were a theocracy, a nation governed by God through priests and prophets. As a theocracy they we given the authority and responsibility to carry out God's Law. It was God who commanded them to stone the unrepentant sinner. It was a symbol of judgment day when God will slay unrepentant sinners. There was still the opportunity of repentance and forgiveness. The penalty for breaking God's law has always been death. It is still death. The wages of sin is death.

In the old testament they could bring a Lamb and confess their sin over the lamb and slay it and have their sins forgiven. This showed their faith in the promised Messiah. If they refused, then they were stoned. All those in the New Covenant who don't repent and forsake sin will be slain when Jesus Comes back. True Israel, those who follow the lamb, New Covenant Israel, is no longer a theocracy, therefore they can not kill anyone who sins. This is the time of sowing, warning and preparing, not judging.

God requires obedience to His Will, whether it be in laws, commands or instructions. Whe word of God tells us His will. It has not changed. He told Adam and Eve that they were to obey Him, but they refused and brought the penalty of sin and death upon the whole human race. Thus god granted the world a chance to repent and turn from disobedience to obedience. Now some say that we can't keep the will of God, ie. the commandments. That is true for the natural man, who has not been born again. Yet the reborn Christian has been infused with the Holy Spirit who loves God's law and hates sin. He now has Jesus within who loves obedience and hates sin. His old man who can't keep the commandments is dead.

It seems to me we have a lot of people who want to say they are born again, when they don't have the love of God and His law planted within which is the essence of the New Covenant. The things I used to love, sin and disobedience, I now hate, and the things I used to hate, God and his law and commandments, I now Love. Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith.

2COR 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Under His wings,

Dennis

[Shimshon]

Obviously, you should be studying your Bible.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I do, everyday. And isn't that something that every Christian is supposed to be doing already? But that wasn't my question.

My question was, having been armed with the identity of the beast and the timing of the End, what should I then do differently?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Anyone??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe you could define"do differently" more? We know the situation states that we "know something that we did not know before" (having been armed).

We know the identity of the beast and the timing of the end. But, what is it that you "were" doing?

What should you do differently, as opposed to what?

What were you doing before you were 'armed' as opposed to what you think you 'should' be doing after you have been 'armed' with this info.

What wern't we doing before we were armed that we would want to now change, now that we have been armed?

Can you give us an example maybe?

Edited June 10, 2005 by Shimshon

[Shimshon]

Right on Dennis

Way to go Pilgrim

[stevehut]

Maybe you could define"do differently" more?  We know the situation states that we "know something that we did not know before" (having been armed).

I know that I should live righteously as a Christian. Love God, serve others, go to church, read my Bible, etc.

But when people warn me to be ready for the second coming, they never tell me how.

So in addition to my regular Christian lifestyle, what more should I be doing to prepare for the end?

[Guest Bon22]

Here is an interesting article, which is the way I am tending to lean in my belief on what the "Mark of the Beast" is.

http://www.avoiceinthewilderness.org/prophecy/sermon28.html

Shalom from Bon