The greatest of all selling techniques in all of capitalism is fear. If the seller can make the intended purchaser fearful of something that the product will fix, the buyers will line up around the street for the cure. This is what the Futurist do. They make up the story of a coming future political antichrist, with seven years of hell on earth, and the flock lines up for books, tape, CDs, DVDs etc. on how to escape in a fabricated Rapture.

They are nothing more than predatory liars. Preying on the fears so as to make money on their books, CDs, DVDs, and charts etc.

They tell of the “mark of the beast” as if it is the evil banking system, SS#, UPC#, the Federal Reserve, credit and or debit cards, and maybe future national ID card or now a microchip chip ID. Or they imply some group like the Illuminate, Trilateral Commission, or the Freemasons etc. are planning to take over the world. These groups may be dangerously involved in paganism, but they cannot take over the world for Scripture stand against them.[Dan 2:43]

These same teachers do not live by the panic they teach. They personally have Social Security numbers and pay their income taxes, they buy products that have UPC symbols. They do not live off the grid, themselves. They do not can their own fruit and veggies or raise their own meat. They take your Federal Reserve notes as payment for their information or they will run your credit or debit cards. Why do Christians listen to them?

The book of the Revelation was not written to 22nd century North Americans, the rules of hermeneutics guild us to consider who a book was written to. We need to stop thinking that this was written to us, about us, or even for us. That is egocentric hermeneutics and is always considered invalid. The book of The Revelation is addressed to seven congregations in the first century Asia minor. This area just happened to be the historic center of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. There are two themes that run through the book, 1) that it is always Yom Kippur before the Throne, and 2) the earth is ruled by the Mystery Religions.

Marks

Physical Marks in the Torah

Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him. Gen. 4:15

No one knows what this mark looked like, or for that matter if it was a physical mark. Artist over the centuries have made it a “C” in his forehead, however, that is unlikely as they were not using an English alphabet.

His name was Cain. The first letter is a koph.

It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes; for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.” Ex. 13:16

The Jews took this one literally and made Phylacteries that they bind to there foreheads and on their arms. The point was to remember that the firstborn of Egypt was taken and therefore the children of Israel should set aside their first born.

You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks upon you: I am the LORD. Lev. 19:28

God does not want His people to take any physical mark. We are created in His image and nothing should deface that image.

Boundary Markers

“This shall be your northern boundary: from the Great Sea you shall mark out your line to Mount Hor; Num. 34:7  . . . from Mount Hor you shall mark it out to the entrance of Hamath, and the end of the boundary shall be at Zeded; Num. 34:8 “You shall mark out your eastern boundary from Hazar-enan to Shepham; Num. 34:10  . . . when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, Prov. 8:29 The LORD determined to lay in ruins the wall of the daughter of Zion; he marked it off by the line; he restrained not his hand from destroying; he caused rampart and wall to lament, they languish together. Lam. 2:8

Symbolic Marks

This is the only “marks” in a prophetic book except for The Revelation.

Ezek. 9:4 And the LORD said to him, “Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”  Ezek. 9:6 slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.” So they began with the elders who were before the house. 

Ezekiel is shown the coming destruction of Jerusalem from a completely spiritual point of view. He sees six men ready to slaughter the city, where we know that historically the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar took the city. These six men are told to wait until a man clothed in linen “marks” those that are not to be slaughtered.

We know from history that the good and the bad were slaughtered when Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem. These people were not saved from the physical destruction, rather it was their souls that were marked out a safe from the wrath of God.

13 It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men;  14 and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived;  15 and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.  16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead,  17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. Rev 13:13-17

The “it” here is the Beast Out Of The Earth, which is a symbolic reference to the pagan god who’s duty or job it is to interpret for the worshipers what the other gods want from their worshipers. Almost all systems of paganism have such a god. He is represented as a lamb like deity that is born from the earth, or a furrow, or a cave. To the Etrurians he was Tages, in Babylon he was Nebo, in Egypt he was Khnum, Num, or Nub and in Rome, he was Numa or Numa Pompilius. It was said that it was he that made the images wink, weep, laugh, and cause the lamps of the temples to spontaneously light, just as the priest of Rome do today.

It is illogical to think that a symbolic beast that symbolically claims to speak for God would make a literal mark for general commerce. It cannot be a credit or debit card, it cannot be the UPC on all products, for it essentially has to do with worship. The buying and selling must be of a spiritual nature.

There must have been a general abandonment of the Mediator Messiah for this false mediator to have stepped into the very body of the Congregation of the Lord i.e. the church. Indulgences, simony, the worship of Mary and the saints, false miracles, all are examples of this buying and selling of what is supposed to be in God’s favor.

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, Rev. 14:9   And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Rev. 14:11 So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Rev. 16:2 

Their End

And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. Rev. 19:20 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Rev. 20:4