Chapter 1
HOW WILL WE RECOGNIZE THE MARK?
In this chapter
we will try to logically and objectively examine a wide variety of
interpretations that agree with prophecy.
We cannot yet prove what the mark is, but there are solid clues that
cannot be dismissed. Too
many of you are stuck on preconceptions that may blind you to the truth.
God put
prophecies in the Bible for someone who has an ear to hear.
Yes, there has always been wild speculation about Bible prophecy.
There have been many interpretations that cannot be supported by
scripture. And there are many
interpretations that agree with scripture that will turn out to be wrong.
Only time will tell. If
your very salvation is in jeopardy, a prudent person will not dismiss
anything that agrees with prophecy.
No prophecy of
the scripture is of any private interpretation, 2nd Peter 1:20
.
The word “Revelation” (the Greek word is “Apocalypse”)
means “revealing.” It is
not a hiding. Despise not
prophesyings, 1st Thessalonians 5:20
.
Genesis 40:8
interpretations belong to God.
Christ himself
tells us why prophecy is important. It
is there so that you might believe. In
John 14:29
he
said:
“And now I have
told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might
believe.”
Revelation 13 has
many points of identification that we may rely upon to recognize the mark.
We cannot add or subtract from prophecy.
Revelation
13:
{1} Then I
stood on the sand of the sea. And
I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,
and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
Comments: Verse 12 calls this beast “the first
beast”. A second beast
introduced in verse 11 will cause all to receive the mark in verse 16,
whereas this first beast is not the beast associated with the mark.
According to DIVINE interpretation, from an angel, in Rev 17:15
, the sea refers to people, multitudes, nations and tongues. According to
DIVINE interpretation, from an angel, in Daniel 7:23
beasts symbolize kingdoms, not kings. Perhaps John the revelator saw a ruling power rise up from
the multitudes. According to
DIVINE interpretation in Daniel 7:24
, Daniel 8:20
and in Revelation 17:12
the 10 horns symbolize 10 kings that came out of the beast
kingdom, possibly successive kings. Some
people jump to the conclusion that the beast heads also represent kings, not
just kingdoms, because in Revelation 17:9
&10 the seven beast heads are the seven hills which happens to match the
count of kings. It has been
argued that horns can also symbolize dynasties or perhaps personified
governments. Until we have
further divine revelation we cannot know for sure who the kings or kingdoms
are. Time will tell. On
his head is a blasphemous name (the original King James version has a margin
note that this could be plural names).
Blasphemy is “The act of claiming for oneself the attributes and
rights of God.”
Since the sea refers to multitudes, nations and
tongues, some have interpreted this as a beast coming from a densely
populated Europe, or that this is a “universal” beast, or simply any
ruling power that comes from a multitude.
To avoid jumping to conclusions we cannot dismiss any blasphemous
democracy, even if we cannot yet identify ten specific horns.
{2} Now the
beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear,
and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
Comment: This is a composite of the most notable
features of each beast mentioned in Daniel 7.
DIVINE interpretation of Daniel 7:12&23 says that the ten horned
beast will take away the dominion of, and devour the leopard, bear, lion
kingdoms. Here in Revelation 13
this beast has assimilated all the nations of Daniel 7 into a confederacy of
beast powers. Some people claim
that this is the Roman Empire because divine interpretation of
Nebuchadnezzar’s image of a fourth iron kingdom (Dan 2:40
) fits chronologically with the Roman Empire.
And indeed, history has shown that the Roman Empire took away the
dominion of, and devoured other beast kingdoms.
A prudent person will not dismiss any kingdom rising up out of a
multitude that claims its authority from the Roman Empire.
The second sentence of verse 2 states that the dragon
gave him his power, throne and authority.
Therefore the dragon cannot be the beast. Perhaps there is a connection to the red dragon of Revelation
12:3
, which also has 7 heads and 10 horns, and will hunt down Christians
(12:17), and seems to have influenced Herod to kill the Christ child.
Shouldn’t a democracy (ruling power rising from a multitude) that
speaks blasphemy, and is now targeting Christians, be suspicious?
Especially if it is patterned after Roman Civil Law?
The red dragon of Revelation chapter 12 has 7 crowns,
whereas this first beast of Revelation chapter 13 has 10 crowns.
Since the dragon gave the beast “his power, his throne and great
authority” we might speculate that a delegation of authority (or
coronation) moved all 7 crowns from dragon heads to beast horns.
Perhaps the beast already had three crowns of its own, or conversely,
three kings have counterfeit crowns. All
we really know is that horns symbolize kings of the beast kingdom, possibly
successive kings, and that DIVINE interpretation in Revelation 17:9
says these heads “are seven hills on which the woman
sits.” Perhaps this has
already become history. (Hint:
Rome has 7 hills).
{3} And I saw
one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound
was healed. And all the world
marveled and followed the beast.
Point of identification: look for worship (per verse
12) of a confederation of beast powers that was once thought of as dead.
There have been many speculations about this.
UNTIL we have further divine revelation, ANYTHING in history that
agrees with scripture cannot be ruled out.
Some have claimed that the capture of the Pope by Napoleon’s
General Berthier in 1798 was the mortal wound.
Some claim that the seventh head was wounded to death when the
barbarians overran the Roman Empire in AD 476.
As for me, the decline and fall of the Roman Empire is sufficient,
and I marvel that the Treaty of Paris
explicitly mentions that “the
Arch Treasurer and Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire” gives the
United States the authority to exist.
Point of identification: Last sentence of verse 3, and
in verse 7 we see that this first beast has world wide influence.
Not necessarily a worldwide government.
Verse 3 does NOT say a sword wounded this beast.
Therefore we cannot positively conclude that this is the beast of
verse 14. However, if this is
the beast of Revelation 14, and if sword refers to the word of God, as in
Ephesians 6:17
and Hebrews 4:12
and Matthew 10:34
, then we should be looking for a military power resembling a confederation
of Daniel’s beast powers, supported by the multitudes, that was wounded by
the word of God. Hints: Pilate
was executed for executing Christ, and the Protestant reformation certainly
wounded the Holy Roman Empire.
{4} So they
worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the
beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with
him?"
Comment: Again
we see that this beast is not the dragon.
Perhaps the dragon is the red dragon that is mentioned in Revelation
12. I want to suggest that this
is the same type of today’s government powers that wait to devour
Christian children at birth as is indicated by Rev 12:17
. The dragon is an associate, per Revelation 12:9
, of a serpent devil, and Satan.
Who can make war with the Beast? This beast apparently has war powers. Or, alternatively, perhaps this is a challenge by beast
worshipers to surrender peacefully to Roman powers. Let’s briefly examine war powers. Daniel 7 used the term “exceedingly dreadful” in verse
19, and “shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break
it in pieces” verse 23. And
take away the dominion of the other beasts per verse 12.
Both Daniel 7:21
and Revelation 13:7
say the beast will make war
with the saints, and Revelation 13:10
speaks of killing with a sword while saints remain patient.
The Catholic Church has never had military power, but Roman Emperors
certainly have.
Point of identification: look for worship of a
confederation of military beast powers that was once thought of as dead.
A salute is a form of worship, and a salute would also fit into the
military flavor of this prophecy.
{5} And he was given a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
The first beast, which is not the beast that causeth
all to receive a mark, continues in power for 42 months. Months could be literal months.
But there is another possibility.
Yearlong days are used in Numbers 14:34
and Ezekiel 4:6
. In the next chapter, I will
show that the historical Protestant position is that the 42 months has
already occurred.
The original King James has a margin note that this
could be translated “to make war forty-two months”.
{6} Then he
opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His
tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Point of identification: look for worship of an
authority of beast powers, once thought of as dead, that exercises worldwide
military influence, speaking against God.
{7} It was
granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.
And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
Point of identification: look for worship (caused by
the second beast in verse 12) of an authority of beast powers once thought
of as dead (resembling Daniel 7’s final iron beast after it took away
dominion of the other beasts), that has military power, worldwide influence,
speaks against God, rises up from the multitudes and overcomes saints.
I don’t think you need to look far.
{8} All who
dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in
the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Comment: Bible believers will not worship (Greek proskuneo
= prostrate oneself in homage to) the first Beast.
Notice that the verb “worship” refers to a body motion, later I
will show that the US Supreme Court has acknowledged that a salute is
worship. It is the assuming of a body position, initiated by the
inferior toward the superior. Even
today, a courtroom perjury oath is given with the right hand raised.
Do you worship a beast power when you sign a perjury oath on a
government form?
Last half of verse 8: Christians will not worship the
ten horned confederation of beast powers.
{9} If anyone
has an ear, let him hear.
Comment: Verses 9 and 10 changed the subject.
These two verses address you, the reader.
If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
The Revelation 13 message will be difficult to understand by those
who do not want to understand. If
you want to hear, then you cannot reject anything that agrees with prophecy.
{10} He who
leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword
must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Comment: The NIV translation says “If anyone is to go
into captivity, into captivity he will go.”
The original King James added a note that this referred to Matthew
26:52
. Sword might refer to the military. Sword can also refer to the word of God as in Matt 10:34,
Ephesians 6:17
, Hebrews 4:12
. Saints (that’s you) will patiently endure this captivity.
If sword is military, saints will endure the sword.
If sword is spiritual, saints will kill and be killed spiritually.
{11} Then I
saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a
lamb and spoke like a dragon.
Comment: This
second beast will cause all to receive a mark in verse 16. “Out of the earth” is contrasted with the first beast’s
“rising up out of the sea” in verse 1.
Horns symbolize kings according to DIVINE interpretation in Daniel
7:24
and in Revelation 17:12
. [Although some have argued that horns represent dynasties or kingdoms or
personified governments]. As
was my comment for verse 4, it is possible that the dragon can symbolize the
control of the Roman Empire, as well as for Satan.
Speaking like a dragon is not necessarily speaking blasphemy.
Speaking like a dragon can mean speaking deception.
{12} And he
exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes
the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly
wound was healed.
Comment: The second beast is an agent of the first
beast. Beware of any form of
worship of the first beast confederation, the one with military power, that
speaks blasphemy and overcomes saints and was once thought of as dead.
A salute is a form of worship, as is a perjury oath.
{13} He
performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on
the earth in the sight of men.
Comment: Fire from heaven is a capability of the second
beast. It is either a literal
fire or a symbolic fire. If
literal: We are living in a time where military can make fire come down from
heaven in the sight of men. If
symbolic: light from heaven could symbolize the glory of a counterfeit god. “In sight of” is used in the Bible more than 150 times.
It can mean “on behalf of” as in verse 14, or it can mean “in
defiance of” or “in the witness of”.
Until we have divine revelation, we can only speculate what this is.
Time will tell.
We know from Revelation 19:20
that the false prophet will use miracles to deceive those that
[already] had the mark, and we presume that this fire from the sky miracle
will be used to deceive men into making an image to the first beast.
But it doesn’t explicitly state that the miracles cause people to
get the mark. All the other
indications of war lead me to believe that fire from heaven is military
fire. But there are other
possibilities for you to consider. If
you want to insist that fire from heaven cause people to get the mark, you
have to consider that brightness from heaven signifies God’s glory.
As in Luke 2:9, Acts 22:6, Acts 26:13, 2nd Corinthians
4:4&6, Hebrews 1:3, and in Revelation 21:23.
(Glory means very apparent)
Perhaps this performance of a great sign is referring to the glory of a
counterfeit God in the sight of men. Were
you induced by the glory of a counterfeit god to get a number so you could
sell your labor? If so, then
you cannot dismiss this as a “great sign.”
The glory of their counterfeit gods is depicted on the ceiling of the
US Capitol rotunda. Is this a
“great sign”?
Another possibility is that John is referring to fire
from heaven similar to the great sign from heaven that influenced those at
Pentecost. Such supernatural
signs (real or simulated) could deceive people that they have divine
approval.
Another possibility that cannot be ruled out: Would the
fiery destruction from the sky of the world trade center influence public
opinion (a democracy power rising from the multitudes) to demand that you
worship (with a perjury oath signature) on a Homeland Security ID card
(engraved and symbolically in your right hand and forehead), the logo of the
Department of Justice (graven image of the eagle that follows the goddess
Justitia, from Roman mythology once thought of as dead), forced on you by
military power with worldwide influence, that speaks against God, and
overcomes saints? Are you sure?
And yes, it is international: I will prove later that the US Attorney
General is forced to take orders from INTERPOL whether he likes it or not.
{14} And he
deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to
do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make
an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
Point of identification: Deception is involved.
Beast #2 simply tells earthlings to make an image.
There is no hint of force, only deception.
Perhaps just a hidden agenda. These
signs are different than those in verse 13; these are done in the sight of
the Beast whereas verse 13 was in the sight of men.
The two-horned second beast kingdom deceptively, perhaps even
politely, asks the people of the earth to make an image (Greek icon
= profile, representation, resemblance, depiction) to, not of, another
beast, possibly the first beast. Blasphemy
is not mentioned as the authority. War
is not mentioned. Religion is
not mentioned. Until we have
further divine revelation, anything that fits these prophecies cannot be
flippantly dismissed.
Point of identification: This image of a beast is (or
was, or will eventually be) worshipped and has a voice according to verse
15.
The book of Revelation is very symbolic.
AN IMAGE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE AN INANIMATE OBJECT.
If you are looking for symbolic, non-physical, images I suggest you
start by remembering that mankind was made in the image of God. Perhaps the
societies (and all their institutions) created by godless men are based on
the image of godless men. Don’t
worship them.
The book of Revelation is very symbolic, but even if
you are looking for physical images: a coin has an image (the very same
Greek word icon), as in Mark 12:16
. Could a monument to Pharaoh on the Great Seal of The United
States be dismissed? How about
the UN flag or the INTERPOL globe with a dagger through it (I will prove
later that the Secretary of the Treasury that issues SS cards is forced to
take orders from INTERPOL, as is the Attorney General)?
How about the statue atop the Capitol Building or the painting of
Roman gods on the rotunda ceiling? How
about the obelisk in Washington District of Columbia (or perhaps a statue of
the goddess Columbia herself), which is an image of the obelisk at the
Vatican? Or an eagle with his
talons in a globe that symbolize the bar association’s takeover of the
world?
Another possibility was once articulately put to me,
and I’ll try to convey the meaning. You
must control whatever you create. If
we create a government to enforce God’s laws, it is up to us to control it
and keep it subservient to the lawful chain of command. Our civil servants did not like being subservient.
They did not like the chain of command we created so they used
deception to create, for their control, a false authority, a mirror image of
the actual authority. Their
chain of command is the mirror image that you salute.
{15} He was
granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of
the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image
of the beast to be killed.
Comment: the second beast kingdom is granted (the word power
is not in the original Greek) to breathe life into the
image-icon-representation that we were previously asked to fabricate in
verse 14. The word translated
as “killed” is the Greek word apokteino
that can also be translated as “abolish.”
Has the recent doctrine of “separation of church and state”
abolished Christianity from the state governments that were founded by
Christianity? I have devoted
another chapter to this topic. This
will eventually involve executions according to Revelation 20:4
, but until then, the “abolish” interpretation can satisfy this
prophecy.
This two-horned second beast that will issue the mark
in verse 16, asked us, in verse 14, to fabricate an image to the first
beast. Most people assume that
this must be some manmade physical image such as a flag, emblem, logo,
statue or other golden calf to bow down to.
I want you to consider other more likely possibilities.
I want you to consider images that both speak and punish (to cause as
many as would not worship the image of the beast to be abolished). Here in verse 15, the image is given a voice and commands
worship.
Have we created a graven image to worship, an image
that both speaks and punishes?
An image does not have to be an inanimate object.
Example: mankind was created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27)
The first three words of the US Constitution, which are
in bold letters, introduce the authors.
The word authority comes
from the root word author.
WE THE PEOPLE wrote the Constitution.
(I am using the US as an example.
All nations that have a national debt have the same problem.)
The Declaration of Independence says that all men are
created equal and that we are endowed by our Creator with unalienable
rights.
An oath is always a form of worship (see my appendix E)
including perjury oaths on forms. People,
instead of taking their vows to God, now swear oaths to superiors (as in
Hebrews 6:16
). Once they submit themselves
to a superior they are subject to the laws of the superior.
How then, did We The People, if we are created equal,
create a superior to be worshiped? How
could you create any plural group (corporation, trust, association, team,
body politic, municipality, State, or whatever) and then delegate to your
representatives an authority that you yourself do not have?
Answer: You cannot delegate an authority that you yourself do not
have. You can’t create a superior. And
you did not create a superior.
As I said earlier, divine revelation in Daniel 7:23
tells us that Beasts are kingdoms. Is there any possibility that artificial entities, such as
State and municipal governments as well as federal corporations, are a
manmade fabrication (graven image) of a Beast kingdom that has a voice and
commands worship and has abolished Christianity?
The answer seems so obvious to me.
Even the US Supreme Court in Chisolm
v. Georgia
said that States are
corporations. The law even
calls them artificial entities. How
can you exclude as a beast power any manmade artificial entities, fabricated
by man (=graven) based on Roman Civil Law, that speak Latin and demand
worship? Do you salute a
manmade image of a Beast kingdom that demands worship, provides for you and
judges you?
I will explain later that contempt of court is a life
sentence without a trial for refusing to worship this beast image that you
created. Anyone who refuses to
swear oaths will be severely punished.
(Christians are prohibited from swearing oaths: First commandment,
Matt 5:34
, James 5:12
). If you did not create a superior, then explain how your civil
servants, whose office you created, got the authority to punish Christians
for obedience to God?
How did your civil servants, whose office you created,
get the authority to shed innocent blood?
How did they get the authority to forcibly cancel someone’s vows to
God in their divorce courts? Or
tax people who sell their labor? Or
promote sodomy, or seize property. They
could not have gotten these authorities from you, because you never had the
authority yourself. Answer: you
turned your back on God by allowing usury, then you declared bankruptcy and
turned the nation over to ungodly foreign creditors who run the bankruptcy
receivership. Then you forced
people to worship (with their perjury oaths on “government” forms -
which subjects them to the foreign “actions, regulations, rules, licenses,
orders and proclamations heretofore or hereafter taken...” per 12 U.S.C.
§95b
), the ungodly creditors who run (breathe life into) the graven image you
created.
{16} He causes
all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark
on their right hand or on their foreheads,
Comments:
According to DIVINE interpretation, Beasts symbolize
kingdoms, not kings. Horns
symbolize kings. The personal
pronoun “he” in verses 11 through 16 refers to the two-horned beast, not
a horn. Those of the antichrist
theory say that this pronoun “he” refers to a future individual man, not
a beast kingdom, yet they admit the he/his/him in verses 1 through 8 can not
refer to one individual man.
There is a theory that the mark will be a physical
mark, such as an implant or tattoo. Although
this theory remains a possibility, it must ignore the symbolism of right
hand or forehead. Nowhere in
the Bible do other marks in the hand and forehead refer to physical marks.
I have devoted an entire chapter on this topic.
If you want to insist that the mark can only be a physical mark, you
should state a reason for bible believers to ignore the five other Bible
references to tokens, signs and seals that are in the hand and forehead.
The original King James had a margin note that the word
to receive could mean to
give. And indeed, the Greek word didomi
is NOWHERE ELSE translated receive.
It means to give.
Throughout this essay I will continue to quote the familiar phrase
“receive a mark” but remember that the original means, “give a
mark.”
{17} and that
no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name.
Comment: it is the mark of the beast, just like it
says. It is not the mark of an
antichrist. Transactions are
authorized by a mark, name or number. Nowhere
does it say that a number will be in an identically same format in all
countries. As I will show in
the next chapter, it is the number of its name, not the number of his
name. The deliberate
mistranslation “his” is due to the Catholic influence on the King James
translators during the Counter Reformation.
More about this, later. If
you are a Protestant who was never told that you were protesting something,
go to any encyclopedia and look up counter
reformation.
The NIV translation says “... the mark, WHICH IS 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 it is the number of a
man: His number is 666.
Comments:
The phrase “Here is wisdom.
Let him who has understanding...” certainly sounds as if the
meaning is hidden. I don’t
claim to have this wisdom.
As for the “number of a man” - I will show in the
next chapter that the King James translators were forced to mimic the
Catholic doctrine that the antichrist is to be a future man, to divert
attention away from Martin Luther’s accusations.
There is nothing in the original scripture to suggest that the beast
is an individual man. Carelessly
repeating anti-Protestant fables will not help you understand prophecy that
is unfolding right in front of you.
Throughout Revelation, Christians are branded with a
name, not a number. 3:12, 2:17,
14:1, 22:4. Nowhere is anyone
branded with a number. Yet this
number is something that you must overcome in order to avoid God’s wrath.
15:2.
There has been much wild speculation on the number 666,
but I’m not one who has the understanding to calculate it.
The most scholarly commentary that I’ve read on this topic is John
Edward Clark’s Notes on Revelation 13, found in Clarke’s Commentary The
New Testament, Volume 8: 1 Thess. Through Revelation.
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