eschatology

[jonno]

Hello bros and sisters in Christ
How do you reconcile the imminent return of christ with your prophecies on the future implementation of the mark of the beast( ie enforced sunday worship)
love
jonno

 

[SassySDA]

Hello bros and sisters in Christ
How do you reconcile the imminent return of christ with your prophecies on the future implementation of the mark of the beast( ie enforced sunday worship)
love
jonno

Does this mean that you think we believe that the "mark of the beast" is going to be attending church on Sunday?

The mark of the beast is going to be NOT having God's seal.

I'm sorry, jonno, I don't really understand your question.

 

[jonno]

Is it not a clear teaching that obeying enforced sunday worship is 'taking the mark of the beast"

 

[SassySDA]

Is it not a clear teaching that obeying enforced sunday worship is 'taking the mark of the beast"

Yes, it would be...but so would many other things. I was just curious if you thought we believed that to be THE mark of the beast, is all.

It's more important to know what the seal of God is, and to make sure you have it.

 

[jonno]

The Holy the Spirit indwelling the believer.......right?

 

[SassySDA]

The Holy the Spirit indwelling the believer.......right?

Yes

 

[TrustAndObey]

The Holy the Spirit indwelling the believer.......right?

Actually the Holy Spirit does the sealing, but the seal itself is having God's name written IN your forehead.

 

[StormyOne]

Written in one's forehead is an analogy for having it imprinted in the believers mind. It is not a visible seal. The bible says "Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus..." The Holy Spirit is the one who makes that happen, so we can say that the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit will seal us.... The seal then would be Christ's mind and character in us..... that's my story, I'm stickin with it....

 

[TrustAndObey]

Written in one's forehead is an analogy for having it imprinted in the believers mind. It is not a visible seal.

Amen, I've never said otherwise.

Let's not mistake an action or Someone doing the action for the actual seal itself.

 

[StormyOne]

Amen, I've never said otherwise.

Let's not mistake an action or Someone doing the action for the actual seal itself.

and I am not suggesting you did.... I was just explaining it as I understand it... sort of a sharing with you all while i think out loud...... although growing up we were taught that the "seal" was sabbath observance...but I digress....

 

[PaleHorse]

Hello bros and sisters in Christ
How do you reconcile the imminent return of christ with your prophecies on the future implementation of the mark of the beast( ie enforced sunday worship)
love
jonno

I really could write you an answer on this but I would need the space of a good sized book to go into all the explaination thereof.

As SassySDA pointed out, we view Sunday observance (as opposed to Sabbath worship) as being an image of the beast. Any teaching that stems from the teachings of Babylon is an image of the beast. This gets into a rather complicated study as you can imagine, for we have to trace these teachings, and their variations, through history in order to know for sure what all the images of the beast are. We, as Christians, must look at the beliefs and practices of our society, our churches, and our government today and see where those practices and belief really come from. You'd be astonished at just how many pagan & specifically Babylonian teachings/beliefs/holidays/practices are still with us today.

 

[smooze]

ii grew up not celebrating holidays. We had communion near EAster.

 

[Cliff2]

and I am not suggesting you did.... I was just explaining it as I understand it... sort of a sharing with you all while i think out loud...... although growing up we were taught that the "seal" was sabbath observance...but I digress....

If the mark of the beast involves worship on the first day of the week then God's seal is associated with the opposite of the mark of the beast.

Wouldn't that then suggest that God's seal is associated with worship also, that being worship on the 7th day of the week.

Now I know in the New Testament it talks of the Holy Spirit and the sealing.

This is not the sealing that "the seal of God" refers to in Revelation.

This seal in Revelation has to do with worship as does the mark of the beast has to do with worship.

 

[jonno]

Is it not about whom you worship than when you worship?

 

[jonno]

This seal in Revelation has to do with worship as does the mark of the beast has to do with worship.[/QUOTE]

that it has to do with worship i agree, but is it not whom we worship rather than when we worship

 

[Cliff2]

This seal in Revelation has to do with worship as does the mark of the beast has to do with worship.

that it has to do with worship i agree, but is it not whom we worship rather than when we worship[/QUOTE]

Actually it is both, who we worship and when we worship.

Although one is determined by the other. If we fall into line and get the mark of the beats we will be then worshiping on Sunday and worhiping the dragon, Satan.

 

[Cliff2]

Click here for info on the Seal of God

"In this sense the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the law of God (and is to be distinguished from the seal of redemption discussed in our last study). By placing his seal within this commandment Jesus is saying, "I am your Creator and Lord, and by keeping my Sabbath you show your willingness to worship and obey me as both Saviour and Lord." That is, the Sabbath is the sign that Christ has chosen, by which we acknowledge our love, loyalty and obedience to Him as the Lord of our lives."


Click here for the sealing of God's people.

"The Sealing of God's People. As the beast performs wonderful miracles through a counterfeit outpouring of a satanic spirit (Revelation 16:13, 14), God's people will be filled with all the fulness of God through the genuine latter rain and will sound the final warning message. Thus the attention of the whole world will be focussed on the issues involved in the final great spiritual conflict. God will be seen to be absolutely fair in giving all a chance to choose between the true and the false. Those who refuse the mark of the beast and choose Jesus Christ will also receive the benefits of the latter rain and final atonement. When all have made their final decision, a seal of redemption and protection will be placed on those who have received the benefits of the final atonement and latter rain. "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" (Revelation 7:1-3)."

 

[TrustAndObey]

Is it not about whom you worship than when you worship?

It's absolutely all about God, amen. But I have to ask, can one truly worship Him when they aren't worshipping Him the way He commanded them to? He commanded us to rest and give him one full day of our week, the day He calls HIS holy day.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "God doesn't care what day we worship Him on, as long as we worship Him!" The first thing I point out is that we're to worship Him EVERY day, but we are commanded to rest and keep the seventh day holy. And if it's true that He doesn't care "which" day we rest on or keep holy, why did He command a specific day in the first place?

I don't think a lot of people realize what it means to have a Lord. The Bible refers to a Lord as a boss, basically. Your Master. He calls the shots and we are to obey (and we all know what happened to those in the BIble that didn't obey). If your boss told you to be somewhere for a meeting on Tuesday, you certainly wouldn't disregard that and try to show up on Wednesday, right?

Here's a couple of good verses:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Job 28:28 - And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Psalms 111:10 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:29 - For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

There are too many verses like these to post. We have a loving, patient God but He is our Master and we are to do His will, not our own. I fear His wrath and I want to please Him, not myself.

In short, to worship Him is to obey Him. There is a lot of love in His commandments, and just imagine this planet if everyone obeyed them.

1 John 5:2 - By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1 John 2:4 - He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (ouch, really strong words there).

I also hear a lot of people say it's impossible to keep the commandments. Without Christ, you can't. (Although I have to say, the Sabbath commandment is an easy one to keep and it's quite a blessing). The beauty of being a Christian is you can stumble, but Christ will always pick you up.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

God told us the seventh day is a day to remember creation and a sign between Him and HIS people. Sin is breaking God's law. Why break His commandment to rest and spend time with Him? I just don't get it I guess.

Hebrews 5:9 - And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him

 

[TrustAndObey]

i grew up not celebrating holidays

You were very lucky Jonathan. I didn't know December 25th wasn't Christ's true birthday until I was in my 30s. What a shocker.

 

[statrei]

If the mark of the beast involves worship on the first day of the week then God's seal is associated with the opposite of the mark of the beast.

You must first prove the former before you can claim the latter.