My Sheep
Hear My Voice- Rev. 13:16
Before
Jesus was crucified He told the disciples to watch and pray,
something so simple, but
they let their physical bodies take over and they fell back asleep.
In these last hours of time you need to hear His voice. When He tells
you something, it is very important, but most ignore my voice or just
discuss it and go on with what they were doing. You will see many
things start to happen shortly and if you do not hear and obey His
voice,... it will mean death for some of you....Jesus has only your
best interest in mind. Christ knows you heart, and if you are truly
His you will hear His voice. He awakes many of you at 3am on the
dot, but most will roll over and go back to sleep. There are a few
who will get up and pray. Your day is filled with so many things and
Jesus is the last thing many of you give your time to. But Christ
needs to talk to you,... to fellowship with you and only when you are
still and quite (3am) can you hear Him,... the rest of your day is so
busy you do not have time for Him,... but you need to make time, for
time is short and the Lord has instructions for you.
The
Beast Out of the Earth
The
Second 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: Rev
13:16
all,
both small... Extent
of Antichrist’s Reign
Fifteen
proofs Antichrist will not reign over America or be a worldwide
dictator:
1.
Four statements in Rev.
13:1-18 have led some to believe that
Antichrist will literally rule the whole world and cause every man on
earth to take a mark or be killed. They are:
(1)
Power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations (Rev.
13:7)
(2)
All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (except Christians,
(Rev.
13:8)
(3)
He causeth all, both small and great ... to receive a mark (Rev.
13:16)
(4)
No man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, name, or number
(Rev.
13:17)
On
the surface it might seem that these statements prove Antichrist will
be a world ruler, killing all on earth who do not take his mark,
name, or number. But, the contrary is true because "all" in
these passages is simply a figure of speech—synecdoche—in which a
whole is put for a part, as we would say, "Everyone in town,"
or "the whole country." If the United States would make a
law that "all men" of all nations, and tongues must
register on a certain day or be killed, we would naturally understand
the law to apply only to all people of all nations and tongues who
are under the government of the United States, not to the people of
these nations and tongues who are under other governments. The word
"all" is used in a limited sense hundreds of times in
Scriptures (Gen.
6:17; Jos. 6:21-25; 2Sa. 6:5, 6:15; 1Ki. 11:16-17; Mat. 3:5-6; Luke
2:1-3; Rom. 1:8; 10:18; Col. 1:23;
etc.).
2.
Such terms as in Rev.
13:1-18 have been used of other rulers
and kingdoms who did not literally rule the whole world. It was said
of Nebuchadnezzar—Wheresoever the children of men dwell ... hath
made thee ruler over them ALL (Dan.
2:38). Of Greece—Which shall bear
rule over ALL the earth (Dan.
2:39). Of Rome—Shall devour the
WHOLE earth (Dan.
7:23-24). None of these kingdoms ruled
the whole world.
3.
Rev.
13:1-18 itself limits the kingdom of
Antichrist to the 10 kingdoms that are yet to be formed inside the
old Roman Empire territory (Dan.
7:23-24). The beast has only 10 horns,
not 65, plainly teaching that a limited part of the earth will be
under Antichrist (Rev.
13:1; 17:12-17).
4.
Rev.
17:8-17 also limits the kingdom of
Antichrist to the 10 kingdoms—the 10 horns ... are 10 kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet, but received power as kings with the
beast ... these shall give their kingdom unto the beast.
5.
In Dan.
7:7-8, 7:23-24
we have the definite location of the future 10 kingdoms. They are to
be inside (out of), not outside the old Roman Empire territory.
America and many other lands were never a part of the old Roman
Empire, so they will not be a part of the 10 kingdoms to be formed in
the last days inside that empire. No country outside the 10 kingdoms
will be ruled by Antichrist and no mark of the beast will be forced
upon any man outside the kingdom of Antichrist.
6.
In Dan.
9:27; 11:40-45
Antichrist breaks his 7-year covenant with Israel and takes over
Israel and many other countries, "but these shall escape out of
his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of
Ammon," which would be modern Jordan and Arabia. If these
countries escape Antichrist, these on the border of Israel which does
not escape him, then it is surely conceivable that many countries
across the vast oceans will also escape him.
7.
The nation of Israel escapes the Antichrist arriving safe in the
wilderness of Edom and Moab where they are protected of God for 3 1/2
years, or during the time the whole world is supposed to be taking
the mark of the beast.
8.
In Dan.
11:44-45 it is stated that the
countries north and east of the 10 kingdoms under Antichrist will
make war on him. These countries too, then, are not ruled by him and
are and are not therefore forced to take the mark.
9.
In Rev.
16:13-16 we have 3 unclean spirits
like frogs going forth working miracles through ambassadors thus
seeking the cooperation of many nations to help Antichrist against
Jesus Christ at Armageddon. These will not have been conquered by him
or be under him or they would not have to be persuaded to help him at
Armageddon. If he ruled them and they loved him enough to worship him
and take his mark, such demonic ministries would be unnecessary.
10.
In Rev.
13:4 we have proof that there are
nations whom the Antichrist has not conquered. If there were no
nations who were not under him it would be foolish to raise the
question about who can conquer him.
11.
In Rev.
14:9-11 it is stated that every man
who does take the mark of the beast, or his name, or the number of
his name, will be sent to eternal hell without exception. If, as some
teach today, Antichrist will kill every man who does not take the
mark of the beast, and if, as stated here, every man who does take it
will be sent to eternal hell, there will not be one person left on
earth to populate it in the Millennium and the New Earth. Thus, such
a doctrine as Antichrist killing all on earth who do not take his
mark and worship him is literally untrue.
12.
The truth is that Antichrist will make a law that all in his 10
kingdoms must worship him and take his mark, but the law will not and
cannot be literally enforced in such a vast territory in as short a
time as 3 1/2 years. It would be impossible for one human Antichrist
to contact every man in the whole world and to see that every man is
killed who does not take his mark. To say that, he could be virtually
teaching that one man can do more in 3 1/2 years than what God,
Christ, the Holy Spirit, angels, and all the redeemed people of over
1,900 years have been able to do. The gospel has been preached that
long and still multiplied millions of people on earth have never
heard the name of Jesus Christ. How could a new doctrine and a new
religion of the beast be made known to all the world in 3 1/2 years?
One
reason why Antichrist cannot enforce such a law even inside the Roman
Empire territory in 3 1/2 years is because of the wars between his 10
kingdoms and the many nations north and east of his empire (Dan.
11:44). These wars will keep him so
occupied that he will not be able to pay full attention to the
enforcement of his religious laws. Then, too, there will no doubt be
ways of avoiding such laws in certain localities as there are
concerning any other manmade law. Local officials, money, bribery,
and many other things will enable some in his kingdom to escape
literal compliance to such a law. Guerrilla warfare against
Antichrist can be carried on in all parts of his kingdom, making it
impossible to enforce such a law literally.
Antichrist
will come and go without millions of people in various parts of the
earth knowing that he ever existed. This is true of Jesus Christ, and
it will be true of Antichrist. Many peoples in the interior of
certain lands do not yet know that there have been two world wars in
a generation. Many do not know we have automobiles, airplanes, etc.
The
Bible teaches that in the Millennium Christ will be reigning in
Jerusalem for some time before His agents contact certain peoples on
earth and seek to bring them under His government (Isa.
2:2-4; 40:9; 52:7; 61:6; 66:18-21; Zec. 8:23; 14:16-21).
So it will be in the days of Antichrist.
13.
In Zec.
14:16-21 it is clear that many from
every nation, even those that are under Antichrist, will be left
alive on the earth in the Millennium. These will not take the mark of
the beast. If so, they would be sent to eternal hell by Christ at His
second coming. Since they are left to enter the Millennium, it is
proof that every man on earth will not take the mark or be killed.
For example, Egypt is spoken of in Dan.
11:40-45 as not escaping the
Antichrist, but we find Egyptians left to enter the Milennium in Zec.
14:16-21. So it will be with many
people of all the nations under Antichrist. Some will not take the
mark or obey his law and yet escape death by him. Multitudes will be
killed, but not all (Rev.
7:9-11; 14:13; 15:2-4; 16:2; 20:4-6).
14.
In Mat.
25:31-46 we read of many of all
nations that are called blessed of My Father who will inherit the
millennial and eternal kingdom. These people will not take the mark
of the beast or they would be sent to eternal hell, as stated in Rev.
14:9-11. The basis of the judgment of
the nations here is their treatment of Israel. Such kind treatment of
Israel could not be possible on the part of any nation if all were
directly controlled by Antichrist.
15.
The remnant of the woman in Rev.
12:17 escape the mark of the beast and
the worship of Antichrist. This is made possible by new wars in the
north and east of his kingdom, forcing him to let them alone for the
time being so as to conquer these new enemies. The ministry of the
two witnesses helps protect them the last 3 1/2 years. Then when
Antichrist conquers his enemies after nearly 3 1/2 years of war he
gathers his forces against the Jews to destroy them. He is defeated
by Jesus Christ at Armageddon before he even takes all of Jerusalem,
which by some means has been suddenly delivered from Antichrist and
is back in Jewish hands (Zec.
14:14-15).
Thus,
we conclude that Antichrist will not rule America or be a worldwide
dictator; that his kingdom will be limited to the old Roman Empire
territory during the time he seeks to enforce the new beast worship;
that he will be in constant wars with other nations during the whole
7 years he is here (Dan.
7:23-24; 9:27; 11:36-45); that
multitudes of all nations will escape the mark of the beast and his
worship; and that Antichrist will be defeated by Christ before he
conquers all of Asia, Europe, Africa, the Americas, and all other
parts of the world.
receive
a mark... In the Roman Empire, this was a normal identifying symbol,
or brand, that slaves and soldiers bore on their bodies. Some of the
ancient mystical cults delighted in such tattoos, which identified
members with a form of worship. Antichrist will have a similar
requirement, one that will need to be visible on the hand or
forehead.
This
is the Mark of the Beast," one of the most often quoted and
least understood end time prophecies of the Bible. The word
translated "Mark" means, literally, "graven." It
conveys the sense of being "branded."The custom of the Hebrews, when they took a slave for life, was to mark them by driving an awl through their ear (see Exodus 21:6).
In John's day, slaves were branded by their owners in a similar fashion. Accepting the mark of the Beast means you are sold into slavery to Satan.
It really will not matter how wealthy you are; you will still have to have the mark before you can purchase. Remember, though, if you receive this mark in your head or right hand, you will seal your doom with God. Our security is not in this world or it's system, if we belong to God. Our security is in Jesus Christ our Lord.
There
has been much speculation on the insignia or “mark” of the beast,
but it could be any of several kinds of identification. Countless
attempts have been made to interpret the number 666, usually using
the numerical equivalents of letters in the Hebrew, Greek, or other
alphabets. As there probably have been hundreds of explanations
continuing down to the present day, it is obvious that if the number
refers to an individual it is not clear to whom it refers.
Probably
the best interpretation is that the number six is one less than the
perfect number seven, and the threefold repetition of the six would
indicate that for all their pretentions to deity, Satan and the two
beasts were just creatures and not the Creator. That six is man’s
number is illustrated in many instances in the Bible, including the
fact that man should work six days and rest the seventh.
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