What do you suppose is the mark of the beast?

[Gregory Thompson]

Nobody has seen the “Secret Mark” only a photograph copy. No way to check it’s age or anything

Yeah, as joking there.

 

[Timtofly]

Pretty easy, barely an inconvenience I look at Scripture for what it is and not what I want it to be. Scripture wasn't written to us it was written to Ancient peoples, it maybe for us but not to us. Futurist make the mistake thinking the Scriptures are written to them and taking everything out of it's historical and cultural context, so these wacky ideas are born because they think that current events and Scripture are the same.

Every time something happens people think it's the end and the Bible predicted it. Every pandemic and plague that struck in the past people thought it was the end and even the current one, every current thing that happens that people don't grasp becomes the end. Just like the Ancient ancient people who ascribe a god to everything, Christians ascribe the end times to everything they don't understand or misinterpret like Revelations where John says shortly, not in a thousand years when current events happen

There is only one thing left to happen and that is Acts 1:11

So God told us nothing past Acts 1:11. Paul was declaring the first coming and never mentioned the Second Coming?

 

[Taodeching]

So God told us nothing past Acts 1:11. Paul was declaring the first coming and never mentioned the Second Coming?

As @Hämmster said - First Century. So no I don't believe what you all believe

 

[Timtofly]

As @Hämmster said - First Century. So no I don't believe what you all believe

I believe I am the church walking around in a physical body. You do not believe that?

 

[Taodeching]

I believe I am the church walking around in a physical body. You do not believe that?

no

 

[Gottservant]

The mark of the beast, is like the mark of sin.

The difference is that you show no compassion for the mark of the beast.

People without compassion, behave in a beastly way.

 

[JulieB67]

John was in the spirit on the Lord's day. I know many believe that this is the sabbath or day of the week but all throughout the bible, this is clearly meant as the day of the Lord. If it meant Sabbath or day of the week I think it would have been stated that way.

So naturally some of the events leading up to the Lord's day, present in the Lord's day and future of the Lord's day would still be future to us in Revelation.

There's never been 2 witnesses that have arrived and died/ raised up, etc. Christ has not returned,, there's been no final judgement day, Lake of fire, etc. Revelation can't all be history.

As for the mark of the beast. I think it's a mental mark. In your hand means you are doing the work of the beast, in your mind means you clearly think Christ/messiah has returned and are worshipping him. He has horns like the lamb and spake as a dragon. That's why Paul says to have the full armour on to be able to fight and stand in that evil "day" and why he says Satan will be disguised as an angel of Light. He's playing savior. He will be here instead of Christ and the whole world will wonder after him by those miracles he performs. That's the ultimate deception and why people will be claiming "peace and safety" when the real Christ returns and then bam, destruction. That's why Christ says he comes at an hour most do not expect. Because many will think he's already returned. He prays that our flight will not be in winter. Meaning don't be taken out of season and first. We are to wait on the true Christ.

 

[Susan Borden]

[QUOTE

the mark in our minds and our hands is somewhat metaphorical. It is talking about our thoughts AND actions.

If you recall the bible text Matthew 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven"[/QUOTE]
-------------------

Looking at Rev 13:17 John wrote the word mark, as the Greek word for a "stamp, or an imprinted mark" such as the ones given to slaves showing ownership in past history.

STRONGS NT 5480: χάραγμα
χάραγμα, χαράγματος, τό (χαράσσω to engrave);
​

If you look up what the Apostle John wrote down for the word "mark" in the next verse Rev 13:18 -

it is the Greek word χξϛ (Strong's G5516) -
the transliteration is chxs written out as "chi xi sigma" - which is the abbreviation for the numeral 666.​

The abbreviation for this number 666 is composed of the 22nd and 14th letter of the Greek alphabet, plus a letter no longer in use today "a cross" (or stigma). The word stigma means an "imprint" or "brand on the skin". So John has told us two ways that the "mark" is a literal physical engraving or imprint on the body corresponding to the Beast's (who is a man) name. In today's technology, likely some sort of "healthcare" vaxx tatoo to save the world from pandemics, which most people would line up to get even today.

Rev 13:18 Here G5602 is G2076 wisdom. G4678 Let him that hath G2192 understanding G3563 count G5585 the G3588 number G706 of the G3588 beast: G2342 for G1063 it is G2076 the number G706 of a man; G444 and G2532 his G848 number G706 is Six hundred threescore and six. G5516​

 

[Brian Mcnamee]

If you take the interpretation the way John takes the interpretation, you must conclude, as he did, that he in fact meant "at the near time this was written".

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

One must completely disregard John's own interpretation, and the interpretation of all the apostles in over 100 corroborating NT passages, to conclude the opposite.

Can you name ANY other Biblical Teaching found in over 100 NT passages that you believe means the exact opposite of what it says? or is the nearness of timing the only teaching found in over 100 NT passages where you hold a polar opposite view to the text itself?

rapidly and quickly are not opposites; if you were on a jury this is exhibit A and you are asking the jury to conclude their case on this initial argument.
If your method was consistent then you would not need to interpret allegorically all of these passages.

The Mt of Olives splits in two when the LORD comes with his saints and flows two directions one of the them east which would take it into the dead sea. In Eze 47 we are told the dead sea is healed and becomes a prosperous fishing area at the time the 12 tribes also get their inheritance in the land.

Now I have had some say the river is what Jesus meant when he said fountains of living water will flow out of their innermost being. Yet the day this river flows is surrounded by details like Jerusalem being overrun and that at daytime it is dark and and night it is light and the LORD comes and melts the enemies. That day the LORD is king over all the earth. The nations which are left must now worship the king and keep the feast of Tabernacles or they get no rain. Now think of this all this happens on one day. Rapidly It is the line that before that day the LORD was not king over all the earth. The LORD had not slayed His enemies. Jerusalem has not been delivered. The reproach of Israel had not come. World peace had not come. That river did not flow and the valley associated also with the Mt of Olives splitting had not been formed.

I showed Luke 1 which says Jesus will take the throne of David and keep the promises, oaths and covenants to deliver Israel from their enemies and from that time on they will worship without fear and now is holiness all the days of their lives.

This literal scenario is not a historical fact yet it will be. This occurs rapidly and if you list all the promises, oaths and covenants fulfilled it is a magnificent list that was not achieved in the 1st century.

 

[Brian Mcnamee]

Pretty easy, barely an inconvenience I look at Scripture for what it is and not what I want it to be. Scripture wasn't written to us it was written to Ancient peoples, it maybe for us but not to us. Futurist make the mistake thinking the Scriptures are written to them and taking everything out of it's historical and cultural context, so these wacky ideas are born because they think that current events and Scripture are the same.

Every time something happens people think it's the end and the Bible predicted it. Every pandemic and plague that struck in the past people thought it was the end and even the current one, every current thing that happens that people don't grasp becomes the end. Just like the Ancient ancient people who ascribe a god to everything, Christians ascribe the end times to everything they don't understand or misinterpret like Revelations where John says shortly, not in a thousand years when current events happen

There is only one thing left to happen and that is Acts 1:11

This method of interpretation you have would make Isaiah 53 psalm 22 and all the other passages that were written centuries before irrelevant to prove Jesus was the Christ. The fact that the OT uses terms such as in the latter days and when you look at what is says you cannot mark these events as fulfilled. Hosea 3 for example. 4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.


In Jesus day that sacrifice was up and running and in fact had been for a long time. Now the children of Israel are said also to return and seek the LORD and David. This is tied to chapter 1 where it is noted that Israel is called not my people and no mercy and then the LORD declares in the place where they were called not my people (Jezreel) they shall be called sons of the living God. Now Jezreel is another name for Armageddon.

Jer 30 is along chapter and it is talking about the day of Jacobs trouble and again it notes that David is raised up in the latter days and makes many specific promises to Israel at this time. Read it and note all the latter day prophecies.

finally Ezekiel weighs in on this at teh time David is raised up.

21 “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
24 “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

This is not the new Jerusalem this is the land that their fathers dwelt and they are multiplied which in the Ressurection is not happening. This is consistent with LUKE one of what Jesus will do when He takes the throne of David.

 

[ViaCrucis]

There was a book written in 1977, I believe, that examined all of the “futurist” claimed made up to that point just in the 20th century. The point was that there had already been many claims made, using both scripture and current events for those times, and they never panned out. I’m sure a follow-up could be written for books produced since then, with the same conclusion. (My favorite title is 88 Reasons Christ will return in ‘88.)

So trying to say, “but look at what’s happening now” has been done ad nauseum. And it’s unnecessary.

Both the Olivet Discourse and Revelation are about the judgment to come on Israel, and that the judgement is meted out by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. This is what Christ warns about. “This generation” means just that. Warnings about what must soon take place, and the time is near had real implications for those who were going through tribulation with John.

So, I’ll stick with scripture, use scripture to interpret scripture, and keep the newspapers in the recycling bin.

Well sure, they were all obviously wrong, but my predictions? Well my predictions are 100% accurate. Just you wait and see.

...said every person who has made a prediction about the end, including otherwise highly respectable figures in the Church; as well as some not so respectable ones.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[pdudgeon]

Is the mark, on forehead and hand, that signifies the chosen of God also physical? If so, what would that look like?

It is. And you see it during Holy Week, Ash Wednesday, as the marking with ashes;
during baptism, the marking with holy oil,
And at burial, with the blessing of the corpse with the sprinkling of Holy Water over the casket by the priest and by the loved ones.
During Mass, you see this crossing repeated several times by the parishioners at the reading of the Gospels, at the communal prayers for forgiveness, at the reception of the bread and wine (body and blood of Christ), and during the benediction (dismissal from Mass) as the people go out into the World, armed with the Word of God.
All of these are done to remind us that we are sealed with the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In the same way, the World mocks these signs and sealings.
but they are very real and powerful protection against evil.
There is a new mockery going on now that many have bought into.
I may not name it, but it is both present and popular now.

 

[parousia70]

My favorite title is 88 Reasons Christ will return in ‘88.

My Favorite is Whisenant's not so successful follow up: '89 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1989"

 

[RaymondG]

It is. And you see it during Holy Week, Ash Wednesday, as the marking with ashes;
during baptism, the marking with holy oil,
And at burial, with the blessing of the corpse with the sprinkling of Holy Water over the casket by the priest and by the loved ones.
During Mass, you see this crossing repeated several times by the parishioners at the reading of the Gospels, at the communal prayers for forgiveness, at the reception of the bread and wine (body and blood of Christ), and during the benediction (dismissal from Mass) as the people go out into the World, armed with the Word of God.
All of these are done to remind us that we are sealed with the body and blood of Jesus Christ.
In the same way, the World mocks these signs and sealings.
but they are very real and powerful protection against evil.
There is a new mockery going on now that many have bought into.
I may not name it, but it is both present and popular now.

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

 

[PROPHECYKID]

I can imagine a huge futuristic computer being built in which they well call the beast.

And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. - Revelation 13:16-17

Soon we will not need billfolds, cards or passports but all of our swiping will be done using a mark on our body. I post this here to get some feedback from some technology minds...

Will we all have a tattoo that will look like this? Or a computer chip?

You cannot hope to know what the Mark of the Beast is without being confidence on who the beast is. Because the Mark of the Beast is the Mark ....... of the Beast