14 Friday Nov 2014
Posted in Uncategorized
Recently a video hit the internet and a good friend of mine wrote a short overview of why these kinds of videos hurt our walk with God rather than enhance it. As he did a brilliant job, I just figure I would share it as a link. If you’re interested in spiritual things please take a moment and read it.
Monster Energy Drink Is Anti-Christ: A Case Study In Occult Epistemology
06 Tuesday May 2014
Posted in Inspiration, Spirituality
Tags
Angels, God, Jesus Christ, mark of the beast, Prophecy, Revelation, Sabbath, Satan
In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.
What happens when we worship something? We become who we worship. If we choose to worship the beast, we will become like the beast, we will manifest his character; we will receive his mark.
Some are very adamant that the mark of the beast has to do with what day you worship on. Specifically some say that worshipping on Sunday, instead of on God’s Sabbath, will lead to being marked by the beast. Is that true?
Remember how we receive the mark – it’s about who we worship. Worshipping God leads to sealing. Worshipping the beast leads to marking; a false sealing. Words that end in “ship” are talking about a way of life. Worship is an everyday event. If you only worship one day a week for a hour or so – be it Sabbath or Sunday – your spiritual life is will be empty and lack the power of God.
On the other hand, “Sunday sacredness” is distinctly different than “worship on Sunday” and it’s a problem. Sabbath was established on the seventh day by God. God made it special time and it is overflowing with meaning. It points back to creation and God as creator. It points back to freedom from slavery and God as the bondage breaker. It points back to the cross and God as our righteous redeemer. It points forward to our complete restoration and reunion with God once the war is over.
Sunday sacredness is the replacement of Sabbath and it’s meaning.
It was not established by God but by men.
Sunday sacredness is not found anywhere in scripture.
It’s not a memorial for anything; there is nothing that it points back to.
Sunday sacredness was never set apart as special time.
It’s not commanded as a rest day by God; it’s commanded to be a work day like the other five days of the week.
Sunday sacredness ignores God as creator, undermines his word and his commandments, and ultimately is grounded in man’s desire to save himself rather than let God be his savior. For all these reasons, Sunday sacredness separates a person from God and makes it easier for the the beast to manifest his character – his mark – in the heart.
Sabbath worship won’t protect you from the mark of the beast, his name, or ensure you are sealed with God’s name. There are those who worship on Sabbath who are very beast-like. However, honouring Sabbath sacredness will protect against the mark of the beast because true Sabbath experience brings one closer to God, helps us discover the riches of his grace. Embracing Sabbath drives home our need for God; it teaches us that we cannot save ourselves; that everything we are, is found in Christ.
Would you be willing to try experiencing Sabbath sacredness?
15 Tuesday Apr 2014
Posted in Inspiration, Spirituality
Tags
Angels, Bible, God, Jesus, mark of the beast, Revelation, Satan
I apologize in advance for this being a longer than normal post.
In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.
I would like to draw your attention to verses 9-11: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Do you see the repetition concerning worship of the beast and receiving the mark of the beast? This is parallelism – saying the same thing twice for emphasis. These statements are like bookends and in the middle, we see the consequences for that way of life. So then, what is the mark of the beast?
Back in Revelation 13:15-17 we see the first mention of the mark and it says the same thing: those who worship the beast will receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that mark is the name of the beast.
The beast’s mark is the beast’s name. What’s the significance of that?
If we were to keep reading past the end of chapter 13 and into chapter 14, we see the a group standing in stark contrast to those who worship the beast. Check out Revelation 14:1. We don’t have time to go into it today but the 144000 is John’s symbolic way of talking about the redeemed; the rescued, those that know God and are known by God.
What do the redeemed have written on their foreheads? God’s name. Repeatedly, John sees that those who love God with God’s name – his seal – on their foreheads.
In other words, those that are tight with God will have his name and those that are tight with the Beast will have his name.
This runs to the very core of who we are and what direction our life is taking.
13 Thursday Mar 2014
Posted in Inspiration, Spirituality
Tags
Angels, Beast, God, Jesus, mark of the beast, Revelation, Satan
In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth;” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – but it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies. I apologize in advance for this being a longer than normal post.
Revelation 14:9-10a proclaims: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God… The last part of this warning message reveals the terrible consequences that come from worshipping the beast so it makes sense to consider who or what this beast is.
The clearest picture we have of the beast is in Revelation 13:1-10. I encourage you to read it but for now, here’s a summary. Remember this is saturated with symbolic imagery.
The beast is called up by the dragon who gives the beast power, a throne, and great authority. (The dragon is symbolic for Satan – see Revelation 12:9.)
Comes up from the sea.
Has seven heads and ten horns.
On his horns are ten crowns and on his heads a blasphemous name.
Looks like a leopard with bear feet and a lion mouth.
It receives a mortal wound but that wound is healed.
When someone worships the beast they are actually worshipping the dragon.
Speaks great things and blasphemies – against God, God’s name (character), his tabernacle, those who dwell in heaven.
Dominates the world as they understood it for forty-two months (3.5 years or 1260 days – a symbolic time period).
Makes war with the saints (saints is the Bible’s way of talking about those who love God).
Those who are not in an intimate relationship with Jesus the lamb will worship the beast – it’s an unavoidable consequence.
Even though the beast seems unstoppable, the proverb at the end in verse 10 tells us to have hope – this power will come to an end.
A few key things you need to know. Revelation 12-13 reveal a anti*-trinity – dragon, sea beast aka the beast, land beast aka false prophet. Each symbolic creature seeks to counterfeit the work of one of the Godhead family. The dragon takes on the role of the Father, the false prophet takes the role of the Holy Spirit and the beast… the Son. When you put all the pieces together, the shocking surprise, is that the beast a power that looks, talks, and acts Christ-like or Christian but is really a creation of and leads people back to the dragon.
*anti means “instead of.”
25 Tuesday Feb 2014
Posted in Inspiration, Spirituality
Tags
Angels, christ, counterfeit, God, Jesus, mark of the beast, Satan, trinity, Worship, Wrath
In the last letter of the Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, God sends a last message of warning to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is given by three angels to “those who dwell on the earth,” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a serious message – the consequences are life and death – and it’s a message given in great love because God is willing to go to the uttermost to reach even his most aggressive enemies.
Revelation 14:9-11 proclaims: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation is all about worship. The book begins with the worship of Jesus and then it’s revealed in Revelation 12-13 that there is a counterfeit trinity that also wants to be worshipped. What is worship?
It’s the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for someone or something. What does that mean? Words that help us understand worship: veneration, glorification, glory, exaltation, admiration, adulation, idolization.
Worship is powerful and affects us to the core of who we are – we become or reflect what we worship. The last part of this warning message reveals the terrible consequences that come from worshipping the beast. The repeating of the warning stresses how important it is to hear it.
Wouldn’t it make sense to take time to understand who the beast is?
