That brings us to the “Name”. We’ve already seen the relationship to the name of
Allah and the name of Muhammad.
Revelation says in 13:1 that the names on the beast are names of blasphemy. The
“Name” is a name of blasphemy, the “Mark” is a mark of blasphemy. The god that Islam
prays to is not the name of the God of Israel, the God of Creation, the Father of
Jesus, the Name used in Scripture for God.
An historical study shows that the name Islam uses for God is actually pre-Islamic; it
existed before Muhammad ever started the religion;
it was in fact a form of the name of a moon deity that was worshipped by most of the Arab tribesmen and therefore easily incorporated
by Muhammad because they were all familiar with it.
What does God say about His Name ~ His Name is Holy, you don’t take His Name in
vain, you don’t have any other god before you; in Jewish Law, if you blasphemed the Name of God you were stoned. Jesus received
the death penalty because he was accused ~ though wrongly accused ~ of blaspheming the Name of God.
So understand, if you take the
“Mark”, if you worship the beast, the image of the beast and the religion that goes along with this; you are condemned forever according
to the Word of God. We read this in Revelation.
The question is: Why would God condemn someone to eternal damnation because
they take a political/social mark? Why would God condemn someone to eternal damnation without the possibility of salvation because
they follow another religion? People from other religions, including Islam, convert to Christianity now and are forgiven. What is the difference?
The next letter, xi is a squiggly mark kind of like a very
elaborate, fancy E. A former Pakistani Muslim ~ Simon Altaf;
tried to discredit Christianity and spent hundreds of hours in
research and on the internet doing this and instead was converted to Christianity; partly because he noticed something about
these letters/symbols here in Revelation. Another former Islamic terrorist from Bethlehem ~ Walid Shoebat; also tried to discredit
Christianity and was converted to Christianity. He was studying this passage in Revelation in the original Greek and realized
something about these letters/symbols. It is reported that this was one of the main reasons that he was converted to Christianity.
Both
these former Muslims realized that this letter was an Islamic symbol ~ not that it was Islamic in John’s day, Islam didn’t even exist
when John wrote this. But remember, this passage was not for John’s day; this passage was for the “End of Days”.
They realized
that the same shape and form of all three of these letters were Islamic. They noted that the symbol of the first letter Chi that we
talked about was used on the Saudi Emblem; but this second one, they had seen the form of this all their lives.
The form of this letter is the original symbol of a
cross. The Greek for Christ begins with this letter ~
Chi ~ Chi rho ~ Greek for Christ; and in the early
Roman Empire these two letters represented Christ and the Church.
If you look at the modern stationary of Saudi Arabia, the emblem of
Saudi Arabia contains two swords crossed in the form of an X.
Where did Muhammad come from? ~ Saudi Arabia; where are the
two most holy cities of Islam located? ~ Mecca and Medina are in
Saudi Arabia!
The Shiite Muslims in Iraq who Celebrate the memory of the birthday of Imam Ali, the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and the
first infallible Imam for Shiite Muslims; take swords or knives and cut an X in their foreheads as they march in Karbala. They put
a mark in their foreheads.
So, if we look at this first letter in light of modern Islam, we can see a connection.
The other thing
we can see as we look at this letter as a symbol, is that it represents the Anti-Christ; the cross a symbol of Christ is set here
as the original cross to represent the Anti-Christ ~ the man who puts himself up as the Christ here during the “End of Days”.
We are now ready to begin this final episode in the “Chronicles of the Beast”.
Once again we may challenge your understanding
of prophecy teaching and what has been traditionally put forth about the name of the Beast, the number of the Beast, the mark of the
Beast, and the False Prophet of Revelation.
You don’t have to accept it; you don’t have to believe it. I simply present to you
what Holy Spirit has quickened in my spirit to bring to you.
We are living in the “End of Days”; Prophecy is being fulfilled all around
us ~ we are living in and experiencing Prophecy Now!!
We need to know what is happening in the world today and how this affects us
as the “Bride of Christ”; we need to be establishing our legacy now for those who will be left to endure what we’ve been talking about;
we need to know and understand what will come so that we can increase the effectiveness and urgency of our witness to a lost and dying
world ~ especially to those who we love and are part of our family.
Here in the middle of the Book of Revelation, we are in the middle of the Tribulation Period. We already talked about what was
happening leading up to this time; basically the world is in utter chaos, the Anti-Christ is consolidating his power over the nations
and as we enter the middle of the 7 year tribulation time; Israel has rebuilt her temple; the two witnesses have overseen the construction
and preached the Gospel of Jesus, trained and sent out 144,000 Jewish evangelist to the people of God in Israel, were killed and rose
from the dead; the Anti-Christ enters into Jerusalem and begins to take over the city and nation of Israel.
Now, in Revelation Chapter 13 we see the Anti-Christ go from just a social/political/military leader to the supreme being in all the
earth ~ social ~ political ~ militarily ~ and Religious.
Revelation Chapter 13:
And the dragon {this is Satan} stood on the sand of the seashore.
Luke 4:5-8 NASB
And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said
to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. “Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘ YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD
YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ ”
So apparently the Anti-Christ has submitted to worshipping Satan, putting Satan up as his god in place the Almighty God of the Bible. This is how the Anti-Christ is able to take control of the world here at the middle of the Tribulation Period. It’s not just
about worshipping Satan; it’s not just about acknowledging Satan as his god; it’s about worshipping and proclaiming Satan as THE GOD
~ Creator and Almighty God; Satan doesn’t just want to be worshipped, he wants to be put in God’s place as God. {Isaiah 14:13-14}
Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; that the Anti-Christ even sets himself up in the temple as God.
Let no one in any way
deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying
himself as being God.
Let’s continue on in Revelation 13:
And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;
they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast {in other words, they believe that the dragon is God and worship
him as The God, The Creator of the Universe}; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “ Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage
war with him?” There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was
given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell
in heaven.
See the shift in emphasis here??? We are now entering into the one world religion phase of the Tribulation. The dragon
has become their god, the Anti-Christ has become their god. Let’s keep going................
All this here, in the middle of the Tribulation is happening over a short period of time ~ a few weeks? Maybe a few months ~ but all
within a relatively short time. The take over of Jerusalem is swift and decisive. We just mentioned the “Beast” and we’ve
talked about him in the previous Episodes ~ this beast, the Anti-Christ, I believe, and I believe that the evidence supports this;
is the “Mahdi” of Islam.
This beast is later on in the Book of Revelation identified as the “False Prophet”.
As we look at this second beast, this false
prophet, we see some rather interesting things. Unlike the first beast, he is never mentioned in the Old Testament, at least
not that I could find; and he is portrayed as a lamb with two horns.
I believe that this beast comes representing himself as
Jesus, even saying that he is Jesus; not Jesus the Messiah, not Jesus the Christ, the Savior of the World, not Jesus the Son of God
~ but Jesus the Prophet. He’s not mentioned in the Old Testament because Christianity wasn’t around yet; not until Jesus came
the first time. This False Prophet is portrayed as a lamb and the only other person ever portrayed as a lamb is Jesus! No other place is there a lamb represented as anything but Jesus; except here in these verses. So this lamb, this false prophet, represents
himself as “Jesus”.
But notice, he speaks like a dragon! Who’s the dragon? Satan’s the dragon ~ this lamb speaks
the things that Satan speaks; just like Jesus spoke the things that God spoke.
This “Jesus” doesn’t just come telling
people to worship the first beast; he makes the people worship the first beast!
Now, we have a second beast; Revelation 13:11
Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb
and he spoke as a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those
who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
Understand, Islam proclaims that Jesus the son of Mary was a great prophet, not the son of God for God has no son, was never crucified,
and is returning again with the Mahdi in Jerusalem at the End of Days.
Jesus Will Return (Book)
Jesus (Messenger of Allah) Will Return ~ Detailed Description:
This brief book of ninety five pages deals
with the certainty about the return of Jesus (peace be upon him). The book is based on the following Quranic references. Another thought
provoking book by Harun Yahya, the famous writer of several books.
These Messengers: We favored some of them over others. Allah spoke
directly to some of them and raised up some of them in rank. We gave Clear Signs to Jesus, son of Maryam, and reinforced him with
the Holy Spirit (Baqara:253)
When Allah said, "Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me and purify you of those who
are disbelievers. And I will place the people who follow you above those who are disbelievers until the Day of Rising. Then you will
all return to Me, and I will judge between you regarding the things about which you differed." (Imran:55)
(And on account of) their
saying, "We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Maryam, Messenger of Allah." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him but
it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture.
But they certainly did not kill him. Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Nisa:157-158)
Here are some excerpts from the Quran:
And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam
(Mary), the Messenger of Allah," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Iesa (Jesus) was put over another
man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing
but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not (i.e. Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) ):
( ???? ?????? , An-Nisa,
Chapter #4, Verse #157)
And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), but must believe in him (Iesa
(Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allah and a human being), before his (Iesa (Jesus) or a Jews or a Christians)
death (at the time of the appearance of the angel of death). And on the Day of Resurrection, he (Iesa (Jesus)) will be a witness against
them.
( ???? ?????? , An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #159)
O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth.
The Messiah Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word, ("Be!" - and he was) which He
bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: "Three (trinity)!"
Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allah is (the only) One Ilah (God), Glory be to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To
Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is AllSufficient as a Disposer of affairs.
( ???? ?????? , An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #171
It befits not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son (this refers
to the slander of Christians against Allah, by saying that Iesa (Jesus) is the son of Allah). Glorified (and Exalted be He above all
that they associate with Him). When He decrees a thing, He only says to it, "Be!" and it is.
( ???? ???? , Maryam,
Chapter #19, Verse #35)
Remember the spirit of the Anti-Christ is that which denies the relationship and divinity of Jesus as the Son of God.
Here’s
more from the Hadiths; these are the sayings of Muhammad as recorded by some of his followers:
Allah's Apostle said, "By
Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims) as a just ruler and will break
the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government).
Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts. (Book #34, Hadith #425) {This is referring
to Jesus when he returns to Jerusalem in the last days with the Mahdi, he will tear down the crosses off the churches and kill the
Jews ~ whom they call pigs}
'And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him
(i.e Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness Against them."
(4.159) (See Fateh Al Bari, Page 302 Vol 7) (Book #55, Hadith #657)
Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son
of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Fateh-ul
Bari page 304 and 305 Vol 7) (Book #55, Hadith #658) {remember we talked about the Mahdi initiating Sharia Law; the Anti-Christ
changing the law in the Book of Daniel}
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He said: What do you discuss
about? They (the Companions) said. We are discussing about the Last Hour. Thereupon he said: It will not come until you see ten signs
before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent
of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), the Gog and Magog, and land-slidings in three places, one in the east, one in the
west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly.
(Book #041, Hadith #6931)
Islam believes that Jesus will return in the last days, that he will come into Jerusalem and
deny that he is the Son of God, deny the “Trinity”, tear down the crosses off of the Churches, kill the Jews and anyone else who will
not convert to Islam, require that all men bow down before the Mahdi, worship the god of Islam thus blaspheming the God of the Bible,
and submit to Islamic rule. Sounds just like what we’re reading in Revelation to me.
Here’s some more:
The Holy Prophet Muhammad has prophesied about several events that will occur just before the advent of the
day of judgment. Among these, Rasulullah has foretold the advent of one of his descendants, Al Mahdi (the guided one), which
will materialize when the believers are severely oppressed in every corner of the world. He will fight the oppressors, unite
the Muslims, bring peace and justice to the world, rule over the Arabs, and lead a prayer in Mekkah at which Isa (Jesus) will be present.
It is not as you say. Mahdi is a person behind whom Jesus will offer his prayers.
(Ibn Tawus, Kitab al-malahim wa al-fitan, P. 179
{In
other words, Jesus is subordinate to the Mahdi}
So the false prophet, this second beast, comes in the middle of the Tribulation and causes the initiation of the “Beastly Worship”,
the one world religion. And, I believe, claims to be Jesus.
Many believe that this one world religion is basically
a combination of all religions of the world, all faiths and beliefs are accepted under the mantle of the Anti-Christ and his prophet. After all, isn’t that what the world is starting to promote today? Isn’t that what even some Christian Churches and Denominations
are beginning to promote today? Tolerance and acceptance of all faiths; there’s more than one way to God, eternal peace, and
salvation..............But let’s examine this false prophet and his “Beastly Worship” a little closer.
Revelation 13:11 says that this lamb has two horns. Remember; horns of a kingdom, empire, or governmental system represent the
power and authority of that government. So what do these horns represent on this religious beast? They represent the power
and authority of the religious system of this lamb.
So how hard will it be for those so-called Christian who were left behind to accept someone coming as “Jesus” who does what this false
prophet does here in the Book of Revelation; which coincides with what Islam says that “Jesus” will do when he comes at the “End of
Days”? How hard will it be for these so-called Christians who have already compromised the truth for a worldly tolerance and
understanding to accept Islam as the true path to salvation when they see “Jesus” doing what Revelation says this false prophet will
do?
This false prophet will do miracles that will prove to people that he is “Jesus”!
Revelation 13:13 ~ NASB
13 He performs great
signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. {This false prophet makes fire
come down from heaven; one of the Islamic teachings about the Mahdi is that he will be able to produce fire and light from his hands.}14 And
he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast,
telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life. 15 And
it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as
do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor,
and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17 and he provides that no one
will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here
is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six
hundred and sixty-six.
This word “image” here in verse 14 is the Greek word “eikon” from where we get our word “icon” which means a representation of something. So the false prophet causes an icon to be made of the beast and then causes the icon to breathe and live ~ the Greek implies that
a blast of breath enters the icon and it is given a spirit; which could be human, angelic, or.........demonic. It appears alive!
As
we look at our world today, we can see that we are truly setting ourselves up to be totally deceived, intrigued, and taken in by this
sort of thing.
That’s not all; we see throughout the world at different times religious icons ~ statues, pictures, even imagined images; crying,
bleeding, or something and people flock to see and worship there at that icon. An image of Jesus appears in window dirt or cobweb
or frost and people flock to see and worship at that image. And it’s not just religious images! Pic 36-44
Even if an image
of a well know man appears in a window, in a paint smudge, in a potato, on a tree, or such ~ people flock to see and idolize that
image.
Can you see how we’re being set up and conditioned to accept an icon of the Anti-Christ that comes to life and actually
speaks! Well, not us, we’ll be raptured out before this happens, but what about a world that has been conditioned to accept
this sort of thing and has been through three and a half years of literally “hell on earth”! They are offered a solution, redemption,
salvation in the midst of tribulation; why wouldn’t they accept it?
These people have not
accepted the truth of
the Gospel of Jesus, they
are not hearing it
preached during this time
and someone claiming to be Jesus comes up and performs miracles supposedly greater than any recorded miracle of Jesus in the
Bible ~ I mean, Jesus never caused an inanimate object to come to life; at least not in our Bible. Islam does record that Jesus
took a clay pigeon and made it come to life................precedence???
They are going to think “Jesus” has appeared and they are going to believe what “Jesus” says ~ worship the beast, convert to Islam,
worship Allah as the true God or be killed!! The Greek here in verse 15 where the false prophet causes all who do not worship
the beast to be killed; means to kill outright, to destroy. No recourse; worship or die!
Daniel talks about this image;
referred to as the “abomination that makes desolation”. In Hebrew, it tells us that this “abomination” is set up on the “wing
of the Temple”. So a temple has to be built; set up on the wing of the Temple on the Temple Mount, it could be seen from all
of Jerusalem. This is what causes the Jews to flee Jerusalem and go to Petra, as most Bible scholars believe, here in the middle
of the Tribulation {Rev. 12}.
Also during this time, the Anti-Christ sets his throne up in the Holy of Holies in the Temple of
God.
The Great Miracle : The Story of Prophet Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him (Iqbal Ahmad Azami)
Look at Matt. 24:15 ~ NASB
This is Jesus talking about the “End of Days”:
“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which
was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must
flee to the mountains.
The “abomination” is the icon, the image set up on the Temple; Judea becomes desolate because the Jews
flee the land.
Why??? Jews do not worship images; they do not even allow pictures in the synagogues for fear someone will start
worshipping it. In 2 Kings, it even tells that Hezekiah destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness at
the command of God to heal the people who had repented. If they were bitten by a fiery serpent and looked upon the bronze serpent
Moses held, they were healed. This bronze serpent was kept in the Ark of the Covenant for hundreds of years; people started
worshipping it and God had Hezekiah destroy it.
When the Jews hear the testimony of the Two Witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, and then see this image set up on the Temple;
then they will understand what Jesus and Daniel had been talking about. I believe that those who flee believe and receive salvation
as a result of the Two Witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish evangelists, and seeing this prophecy come true. They will know that
this miracle is not from God and flee Jerusalem ~ Rev. 12.
If you don’t worship this image, you will be killed; so the Jews flee. The Two Witnesses have already been slain and I believe
that the 144,000 Jewish evangelists are killed at this time for not worshipping the image and the beast or are raptured out when the
two witnesses are raised from the dead; because we next hear of them in Revelation chapter 14 standing on the Heavenly Mount Zion
with Jesus as the “first fruits”, the first martyrs of the Tribulation.
Let’s continue on in Chapter 13:
We’re coming to the “Mark”. Look again at verse 16:
And he causes all, the small and the great,
and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
This is important; who are we talking about? Who is this “HE” that causes all to take the mark? Most people, by teaching or by assumption based on teachings; believe that the Anti-Christ issues the “Mark”. If we look at this and understand basic concepts of grammar; we know that when a pronoun is used in a sentence, it refers to the subject that immediately precedes it ~ in this case “and he causes all” it means the false prophet causes all; not the Anti-Christ ~ this passage of scripture isn’t even talking about the Anti-Christ doing anything; it’s talking about the false prophet doing things:
He ~ the false prophet, causes all
to worship the beast;
He ~ the false prophet, performs miracles and causes fire
to come down;
He ~ the false prophet, deceives the world;
He ~ the false prophet, causes them to create the icon;
He ~ the false prophet, causes them to worship the
image;
He ~ the false prophet, causes them to be killed who do
not worship the image; and
He ~ the false prophet, is the one who issues the
“MARK”
Yes, it is the “Mark of the Beast”, but it is the false prophet who issues the mark.
Remember, the false prophet is depicted as a lamb with two horns; a religious leader. Meaning that the mark he issues is a religious
mark; the whole subject and emphasis of this selection of scripture is on worship! Fake Religious Worship! False Worship! Blasphemous
Worship that will damn a man to hell for eternity. That’s why if you take the mark, you cannot be saved!
2 Thess. 2:9 NASB
that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as
to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order
that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.
They believe the lying signs and
wonders, and believed not the truth of the Gospel and so are deceived to believe a lie and worship a false god as the true God. The whole subject from verse 11 to the end of this chapter {including the “mark”} is on worship, fake worship, blasphemous worship;
a false prophet who issues a religious mark.
Here again we have Satan trying to emulate what God does in order to set himself
up as God! “to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,” Last part of verse 16 in Revelation 13.
Exodus 13:9 ~“And it shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth;
for with a powerful hand the LORD brought you out of Egypt.
Exodus 13:16 ~ “So it shall serve as a sign on your hand and
as phylacteries on your forehead, for with a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 6:8 ~ “You shall bind
them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.”
All these scriptures are about worshipping God,
obeying His commandments, and remembering His Grace and Mercy.
In the same way, the “Mark of the Beast” is about worship,
obedience, and following the religion of Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet.
And in order to buy and sell during this time of the Tribulation you must convert to the religion of the Beast as promoted by
the false prophet. Look what it says in verse 17:
Verse 17 NASB:
and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell,
except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
The “Mark” is given in conjunction
with worshipping the image or be killed. If all that we’ve been studying is true, then in order to buy and sell you must convert
to Islam and the “Mark” then must some how be connected to the religion of Islam!
Here’s something else to think about..........
In the middle of the Tribulation; with all the supernatural happenings around the world, with the Anti-Christ assuming military dominance
of the world, people dying and being killed, everything that has happened since the beginning of the Tribulation; what on earth are
people going to be wanting to buy and sell??????? They’re not going to be concerned about purchasing a new car or the latest
electronic gadget; people are going to be wanting food and water!
One third of the earth, seas, and drinking water has been destroyed and polluted; earthquakes and war have devastated the world; a third of mankind that was left alive after all of this has been killed. People are only going to be interested in survival and food and water
are necessities of survival.
Remember we talked about all the relief aid of food and drinking water that
is being sent out across the world because of the natural disasters today; and how much of that is not making it to the people in
need? We suggested that maybe it is being horded up! For what purpose? Maybe to control the masses at such a time
as this here in the middle of the Tribulation.
Even now world headlines talk about countries being more concerned about the food shortage and storing up food. There’s even
a seed vault in the arctic established by Norway that is stockpiling seeds from all the known crops around the world.
The Svalbard
Global Seed Vault, which is established in the permafrost in the mountains of Svalbard, is designed to store duplicates of seeds
from seed collections from around the globe. Many of these collections from developing countries are in developing countries. If seeds
are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters, war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be reestablished using
seeds from Svalbard.
This quote is from the NY Times: April 10, 2008
Most Americans take food for granted. Even the poorest fifth of households in the United
States spend only 16 percent of their budget on food. In many other countries, it is less of a given. Nigerian families spend 73 percent
of their budgets to eat, Vietnamese 65 percent, Indonesians half. They are in trouble
This headline from ABC News: April 30, 2008
So here in the middle of the Tribulation, the Anti-Christ will control the food
supply and in order to buy or sell food, you will have to have the “Mark of the Beast”; the religious mark of the False Prophet. ISLAM!!!
Now, let’s go a little deeper:
What is this “Mark”? For years Christians have wondered about this; we’ve come up with several
ideas about what the mark is:
· Social Security numbers
· Bar codes
· Universal ID’s
· Chip implants
These are just some of the more recent ones. The chip implants is probably
the most widely accepted one in this modern age. If this is the mark, what about all those places around the world that don’t
have access to computers: places in Africa, India, Australia, South America; just to name a few ~ there are places so remote that
they don’t have computers, and whose to say that computers will still work everywhere after all the devastation that has occurred
up to this point.
Besides, these are all social/political concepts......what about the worship/religious aspect that scripture seems to indicate is linked to
this “Mark”?
And what about the scripture here in verse 17 that says you cannot buy or sell without the mark of
the beast, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name???? It’s not just the mark; you can buy or sell if you have the
name or the number of his name!
Hey!!! That’s not we’ve been taught over the years! It’s always been said that you need
to have the mark in order to buy or sell; don’t take the mark; but what about the name of the beast? What about the number of his
name? What about worshipping the beast?
If we look through Revelation, we find that any place it talks about the “Mark of the Beast”; it always talks about worshipping the
beast!
Rev. 14:9 ~ NASB
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image,
and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in
the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the
Lamb. “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image,
and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Rev. 20:4 ~ NASB
Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand;
and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand
years.
Rev. 19:20 ~ NASB
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who
had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire
which burns with brimstone.
Rev. 16:2 ~ NASB
So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth; and it became a loathsome and malignant sore on the people who
had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
So if we read the scripture, we understand that this all revolves around worship. The “Mark”, the “Name”, the “Number” ~ are
all related to a false worship of a false god. It’s not just the “Mark” that will damn a soul to the lake of fire for all eternity;
it’s the worship of someone other than the Lord God Almighty as Creator and Lord!!
Ready for more?????
We have three things here relating to the
beast; his “Mark”, his “Name”, and the
“Number of his Name”; and what we want
to see is how this ties in with Islam and the
Mahdi.
In order to understand the “Mark” and the “Name”, we need to first understand the “Number of his Name”. How
do I know this?? John gives us a clue in the very next verse, the last verse in Chapter 13 ~ verse 18:
Here is wisdom. Let him
who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
First,
John says here is wisdom, let him who has understanding: What kind of wisdom and understanding is John talking about? Human wisdom? Worldly understanding? Of course not!!! John is in the Spirit; caught up in the Spirit of God whose very
essence is Godly Wisdom! John is telling us to use our spiritual wisdom and understanding to influence our minds to comprehend
spiritual things.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16:
but just as it is written,
“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND whichHAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;
for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit
of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not
the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which
things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritualwords.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them,
because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
As we look at this last verse
in Rev. 13; we need to approach it with a spiritual understanding of the Holy Spirit, not our human spirit.
So, what does conventional interpretation of this passage of scripture tell us?
John intends for this to be understood; Jesus
intends for this to be understood; but for centuries, no one has really understood what this passage was all about. What is
this number: 666; what does it mean, who does it stand for, where did it come from???????
First, John tells us it is a number
of a man; the Greek word used here: anthropos means “a human being”; could mean mankind; but definitely to distinguish man from other
forms of beings such and animals, or God, or Christ, or angels.
John is telling us that the Anti-Christ is a man, he’s not a
god, not an angel, not a supernatural being, certainly not Christ. He is a man. Six is the Biblical number for man. John is saying ~ he’s a man, just a man, and nothing but a man!
Basically you use a numerical value system to interpret meanings of certain scriptures. This is the concept that many Bible
scholars have applied to this verse since the very beginning of the Church.
What am I saying? John did not write this passage
saying that the number of the name is 666; nor did he write out the number of the name as six hundred sixty six; nor did he write
out six hundred three score and six. These are what the most common translations have used.
{chi xi stigma pic ~ 5} pic
69
In the oldest Greek manuscripts, John wrote “and his number is “Chi xi stigma”. Three Greek letters which in fact do have
a numerical value of 666/six hundred sixty six. But, he did not write out the number. It actually wasn’t until after the
invention of the printing press in the 1500’s, that Bibles began to write out six hundred sixty six; hand written manuscripts of the
verse still wrote Chi xi stigma prior to this. In fact, some studies show that it wasn’t until the 1800’s that the language
was changed to the writing out of six hundred sixty six.
In their effort to be considered “wise” and have understanding, early Church leaders and scholars tried to decipher what John meant
and used “Gematria” to explain this passage. Throughout the history of the Church, they have tried to do the same thing and
be considered “wise” by attempting to name the AntiChrist using this system of adding up the value of names to coincide with six hundred
sixty six. They would even convert the names to Hebrew and use Hebrew Gematria instead of the Greek.
One of the
first so-called Anti-Christ’s was Nero Caesar. They believed that he either didn’t really die or that he was going to return
from the dead. Well, he didn’t.
There have been many over the years who have been designated as the Anti-Christ only to fall by the wayside; including several other Roman Emperors. Some of the more well known whose names added up to 666; either in Greek or in Hebrew; are Napoleon, Hitler, Henry Kissinger, and even Bill Clinton. Although some of these may have been a type of Anti-Christ, a fore-runner of the Anti-Christ; none in fact are the Anti-Christ. Hey, even Muhammad, which can be spelled two different ways; when spelled one way adds
up to 666. No, he’s not the Anti-Christ
either ~ he’s long dead and buried.
The truth is that over the centuries there have been and still
are today, thousands of people whose names when converted to Greek or Hebrew will add up to 666.
One early Church father concluded that the Anti-Christ would come from Rome because the Romans spoke Latin, not Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. When he took the Greek form
of the word “Latin”, the numerical value was six hundred
sixty six. This
is where the first teaching came from that the Anti-Christ would come from the Roman Empire; a teaching which is still acknowledged
by most Prophecy Teachers today.
Later, after the Reformation, Protestant scholars began to apply this concept to the Catholic Church
and to several Popes over the years; leading to the belief that the Anti-Christ will come out of the Catholic Church; another teaching
that is still promoted by many Prophecy Teachers today.
So where does this lead us? I still go back to the Scripture in 1 Corinthians; this must be Spiritually discerned with the wisdom
of the Holy Spirit, not with the understanding of man.
It seems to me that a great deal of our teaching that we have accepted
over the years was founded in the early Church’s controversy with certain entities and persons; established through a carnal understanding
and study.
Does that make them wrong??? Not entirely.
I do believe that the name of the Anti-Christ
will add up to six hundred sixty six; I believe that this scripture does tell us this ~ but.......it may not be his proper name, it
may be a name that represents him; and I don’t believe that we as “True Believers” will know it.
Remember what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 ~ talking about the Anti-Christ:
Do you not remember that while I was still with you,
I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the
mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that
lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;
The “He” who restrains evil from taking over is the Holy Spirit in this world. We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit; the Church of the First Born, the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, True Believers, Born Again ~ Spirit Filled Body of Christ.
{1 Corinthians 3:16 & 6:19}
When we go, the Holy Spirit goes! Then the Anti-Christ will be revealed.
What about the Anti-Christ coming out of Rome ~ the Roman Empire? I believe that he will come out of the area of the Roman Empire,
but not the Western Roman Empire as some believe; rather out of the Eastern Roman Empire ~ the other leg of Rome { remember the statue
of Nebuchadnezzar?} ; the one that became Islamic!!!!
And what about the
Catholic Church link
to the Anti-Christ?
I know that there are
some, if not many, that believe that
the Catholic Church will foster the one world religious system, even that the Anti-Christ will be the Pope.
Understand this ~ John tells us in his writings that the Anti-Christ will deny the deity and Sonship of Jesus. No matter what
you might feel or believe about the Catholic Church; they still believe in salvation through Jesus Christ and that Jesus is the Son
of God; part of the God-Head therefore Divine.
After the “Rapture” of the Church; after the “True Believers” are taken out of this world, there will still be those ~ both Protestant and Catholic ~ who remain because they were deceived into believing a lie that there is more than one way to Salvation other than through the
shed blood of Jesus and the Cross of Calvary. From this “Apostate Christianity” will come one of the horns
of the lamb who is the False Prophet and who will unite this Apostate Church and Islam together as a world wide Islamic religion.
Now, back to the number of his name. Is there more to this than simply adding up the value of the three Greek letters ~ Chi,
xi, stigma? I believe there is.
Let’s go back to Scripture: here in verse 18, when John says to count; that Greek word
means to calculate, compute, reckon. So instead of adding up the numbers, is it possible that John intended us to Spiritually
consider the meaning of the three letters that he wrote; to reckon what he meant by these three letters?
Here in the Ozarks,
we understand what it means to reckon! “I reckon I’ll head into town”; “you reckon?”; “I reckon so” ~ in other words ~ my thought
process is that I’ll probably go into town; does your thinking go along the lines of what is being said?; my thought process is that
whatever was said is probably true.
John wants us to apply Spiritual discernment and think about what he is saying about the
number of the name of the beast.
What are numbers? Aren’t they just symbols, representations of a certain amount? Could it be that when John wrote these three letters, he intended them to be symbols of something, to represent something? He
was, after all, just writing what he was told, what he saw.
Here we are in the midst of the Tribulation, talking about worshipping the beast and his image; following after and worshipping the
dragon ~ it’s all been about worship! John doesn’t change gears until the next chapter. These last verses of Chapter 13
are all related to the previous verses and it’s all about worship.
So is it possible that these three letters have something
to do with this religion of the False Prophet and the Anti-Christ; which I believe to be Islam?
Remember, John wrote what he
saw and was told to write; and one of these Greek letters ~ stigma ~ is no longer a Greek letter, it is no longer used. It was
at the time of John a legitimate letter, but no longer used in modern Greek. So why would John be told to write a letter that
God knew; and He does know everything ~ past, present, and future; would no longer be a valid letter during the “End of Days”?
The
Word of God is full of symbols; Revelation is full of symbols. Could these three Greek letters also be symbols of something
related to the “End of Days”; symbols related to Islam; an Islamic connection symbolically representing the “Name of the Beast”?
Let’s see.............
So as we put all this together and see this from the Islamic perspective, it begins to make sense. If these letters represent
symbols relating to the “End of Days” in addition to the numbers, we have an Islamic connection.
Understand, we are approaching this
from the religious side of the “Number of his Name”; not just strictly from the Anti-Christ’s social/political side.
Based on this, we can look at this scripture from a completely different perspective and from a modern analogy; it comes out like
this:
“Here is spiritual wisdom, let him who has spiritual understanding discern and calculate the symbolism of the name of the
beast who is just a man; the Anti-Christ ~ the false Christ who comes in the Name of Allah whose prophet is Muhammad.”
Now, as
I have said; you don’t have to accept this, you don’t have to believe this. I’m just presenting to you what I have believe that
the Holy Spirit has given me to understand and I am convinced that the evidence based on modern “End of Days” events and knowledge,
that as Daniel the Prophet said would increase in these last days, supports this concept.
We’re not finished, there’s more...........
What about the “Mark”? Yes, as I have said; it could very well be some sort
of political mark, some chip implant; but consider this from the Religious viewpoint:
Have you ever noticed that in every Jihad, they
wear a headband across their forehead and on that banner is the Name of Allah plus the group that they are with and their plans.
We talked about the Shiite Muslims in Iraq who mark their heads with an X to show how devoted they are.
Don’t forget, Satan’s
goal and desire is to be God. He does everything he can; twisted though it may be; to emulate what God does in order to replace
God’s Plan with his own. We talked about the Scriptures where God tells the Children of Israel to put His commandments and Law
on their foreheads and in their right hand. The devout Jews even went so far as to make little boxes with God’s Torah written
down and placed in them; strapped them on their foreheads and on their right arms.
Yes, it could be a chip in their forehead or right hand; it could also be a brand in their forehead or right hand ~ one of the letter/symbols
of verse 18 in Revelation.
But here’s another consideration; all Muslims who are pure Muslims have to use prayer beads ~ similar
to the Catholic Rosary; the Hindu prayer beads; or even the Buddhist prayer beads. These prayer beads of the Muslims have the
99 names of Allah on them and are held in the right hand. So in order to buy and sell; they might have to show that the “Mark
of the Beast” is their prayer beads honoring and signifying their devoutness to Allah.
Mark 3:28-29; Matt. 12:31-32; Luke 12:10 NASB
“ Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever
blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
“ Therefore
I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. “ Whoever speaks
a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
either in this age or in the age to come.
“ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he
who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
Here’s the final tie to Islam; the Anti-Christ; the False Prophet; and the Name, the Number, and the Mark.
>Islam claims that
Allah is God; the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet proclaim another is God other than the God of Scripture.
>Islam claims that
Jesus is not the Son of God; the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet also deny that Jesus is not the Son of God.
>Islam claims that you must worship Allah and those who do not worship Allah as the true God are subject to death; the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet demand that you worship and follow their religion or you will be put to death.
To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable
sin according to scripture. How do we blaspheme the Holy Spirit ~ by claiming and attributing the nature, the character, the
holiness, the love, the person of God, the very essence of God; as represented by the Holy Spirit {according to Isaiah Chapter 11}
to Satan or any other entity other than God Almighty.
We now exist under the “Age of Grace” through the Blood of Jesus and the
Impartation of the Holy Spirit into our lives. When the Holy Spirit is taken out of this earth with the Church, the Body of
Christ; the “Age of Grace” is over and the Judgment begins.
If you worship the beast, his image, the dragon, take his mark of
worship, his name of worship, the number of his name for worship; even just faking it, or just to get by; you are condemned.
When
we’re gone, there will be no more “True Believers”; no more real Christians and the predominate religion on earth will be Islam and
their god is Allah. They will not convert to any other religion! They are adamant now about their religion ~ it is the
only true religion in their eyes and they are willing to engage “Jihad” in order to bring the entire world under their domination. How much more will they be advocating Islam when millions of Christians are gone and there is no one to resist them!
You can choose to believe this or not; the choice is yours. Look to the world today, how much more do we know about Islam than
we did 10 or 15 years ago?
Shall the blind continue leading the blind? Or do we open our eyes and see what the Holy Spirit is telling
us in these “End of Days”.
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and
he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself
is appraised by no one. 16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
“And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”
10 5 6 5
The Name of God = 26
The original
Temple Mount was 26 acres ~ the place where God chose to put His Name: Deut. 12:11
