Mark of Cain - Rumor notes 117

 Revelation 13

16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; 17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.

He causes all... to be given marks

This concept of a mark first shows up in the story of Cain which is significant because it involves separation from God by those who come to despise and persecute those who remain loyal to Him.

Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field." And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" And the LORD said, "What have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me."

Then the LORD said to him, "Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:8-16 NRSV)

I believe this story holds the key to understanding the nature of this mark associated with the beast and its cohorts. While there has been endless speculation as to what this mark of Cain might have been, I believe the context of the story itself holds the key, for this mark is not a physical one but rather a disposition, a mindset of intense rebellion against the design of heaven for humanity to live in love.

Some time ago I was impressed to explore the story of Cain where I discovered many fascinating insights that often go unnoticed. We don't have time to look at the entire story which could be helpful for context, but I believe it will be very useful to at least consider some of the key phrases in this story and their implications as we explore the potential meaning of this most important symbol. The story of Cain and his brother Abel is almost a synopsis of the entire history of the war and in many ways parallels the tension between the two covering cherubs from the very outset of the great rebellion.

It was his own brother that Cain killed out of jealousy, bitterness, resentment and anger.

When questioned by God, Cain lies by denying any knowledge of his brother's death.

The blood of Abel is said to be crying out to God from the ground.

He deceives those who dwell on the earth (Rev. 13:14)

The ground itself will no longer give its strength to Cain.

Cain blames God as being the one driving him away from the soil he has loved.

I shall be hidden from Your face. (Why is Cain is afraid of losing sight of God's face?)

I shall be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.

This repeats what God said would be the curse Cain brought onto himself.

Anyone who meets me may kill me. (God had said nothing about this. This is purely fear.)

Whoever kills Cain will suffer sevenfold vengeance. (This is not a threat by God but a prediction of the ferocity that would take over Cain's disposition as a result of defacing the image of God in himself.)

This began a sequence of 7's representing the nature of sin that craves retaliation.

Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me. If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times." [or 7 x 70 times] (Genesis 4:23-24)

Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. (Daniel 9:24)

Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven." (Matthew 18:21-22)

Who is being told to forgive using this specific number, and why? It is those who choose to follow the Lamb wherever He goes. They participate in His anointing to fulfill the work of the most holy One, the Messiah who brings an end to disobedience, makes an end of sins (retaliation, settling scores, balancing scales of psuedo-justice), makes reconciliation for iniquity and brings in everlasting righteousness. The key to accomplish all of this is unconditional forgiveness.

The mark on Cain inhibited anyone from killing him.

"Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

This is the disposition of all who wonder and follow after the beast and its image.

Cain choose to leave the presence of Yahweh, despite his fear of being hidden from His face.

Judas left the presence of Jesus in the upper room and the inner result was darkness.

The mark of the beast then is possibly very similar to the mark of Cain, because it involves both a disposition as well as a practice opposite forgiveness, kindness, compassion and agape love. It is the mindset of compulsion, justice through violence to balance imaginary scales that we worship as God. It really represents the entire counterfeit system invented by Satan including rule by artificial law, the earning/deserving system along with enforced hierarchy. This mark is actually a sign of allegiance to this system as our version of what God has to be like before we will view Him as worthy of our worship and allegiance.

Throughout the next few chapters we will see references to the results of embracing this mark played out in the lives of those rejecting the mercy and kindness of God as displayed by the Lamb hero of this book. This mark becomes the defining identity of all who either out of fear of punishment or actual belief, embrace and comply with the perspectives of the dragon, the beasts and the image/false prophet who all insist that any god worth serving must enforce our system of scales-based justice. Yet in doing so they are spurning the Son of God and leave His presence to go into outer darkness.

This narrative of a mark identifying all who consent to the demands of the image to worship it and the beast, strangely parallels a passage found in Ezekiel.

Then he cried in my ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause you them that have charge over the city to draw near, every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. Behold, six men came from the way of the upper gate, which lies toward the north, every man with his slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man in the midst of them clothed in linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side. They went in, and stood beside the bronze altar.

The glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon it was, to the threshold of the house: and he called to the man clothed in linen, who had the writer's inkhorn by his side. Yahweh said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark on the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry over all the abominations that are done in the midst of it. To the others he said in my hearing, Go you through the city after him, and strike: don't let your eye spare, neither have you pity; kill utterly the old man, the young man and the virgin, and little children and women; but don't come near any man on whom is the mark: and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the old men that were before the house. (Ezekiel 9:1-6)

There is another mark connection I would like to mention here. It is a word not usually translated as mark, but it actually means a mark. It is the word we have been using in this study as one of the two criteria relied on to interpret this book and is in the first verse. In the KJV it is translated as signified, but it means a mark. This is interesting when compared to the use of a mark in this chapter. Here the mark is used as an identifier of compliance to demands of the enemies of the true God of heaven. In contrast, a different kind of mark directs how we are to view this entire book as symbolic.

Written words are what we use as marks which symbolize words. Words and language in turn are also symbols of concepts, ideas, things, places, people and even thoughts and feelings. Thus marks are symbols of ideas, and this was how this book was put together using symbols to represent spiritual realities that, together with the Word of God, bring out the revelation of Jesus Christ who is the truth. The One who is the Truth, the Way and the Life, here alerts us about things soon to take place in these last days, and all this is presented for anyone willing to read or listen so they may receive the blessing of being brought into harmony with God by the Lamb. On the other hand, the kind of mark being imposed on the whole world by this image of the beast, involves a sign of slavery, forced conformity relying on the threat of death which is the very opposite of the disposition of the Lamb and how He relates to us.

This mark is often contrasted with the seal of God, and rightly so. Many insist that this seal is identified in the first angel's message in the next chapter, though the word seal is not mentioned. I want to touch on this as it is important to maintain perspective and allow the Bible to explain itself.

Clearly here this mandatory mark involves forced worship and compliance with demands of the beasts and their image. Many insist it refers to an enforcement of Sunday observance as the final test of allegiance in defiance of the true seventh-day Sabbath which is a sign of allegiance to the Creator. They point to the first angel's message as describing this seal and especially note how the authority given as the reason to worship the God of heaven is because He is Creator of everything in this world. Many others deny this line of reasoning, finding it unimaginable that such a scenario of compulsive worship could ever play out in modern society (ignoring the fact that Sunday rest enforcement is already gaining great momentum and popularity in many places around the world even now).

My personal review of the evidence here in this book and throughout Scripture leads me to see no problem with believing that a titanic clash between Sunday sacredness enforcement and genuine Sabbath observance could soon become a central issue in the intensifying war against all freedom of conscience, and it may happen sooner than many imagine. At the same time I have great concern about what I see as a serious deficiency in the simplistic logic of many promoting this view who rely on tradition rather than personal investigation of evidence. What I mean is that I fear many imagine they have all the truth, and their only intention is to cling tenaciously to observance of the seventh-day Sabbath as the right day to worship God while ignoring far more important principles. This sets many up as highly susceptible to insidious tactics of the enemy, even similar to how Balaam outwardly spoke the words of God while under inspiration, yet continually resisted in his heart reflecting the disposition of the very God who had entrusted him with the gift of prophecy.

I believe this narrative in Revelation has close ties to the story of Balaam and Balak, and we would do well to contemplate that carefully and allow the Spirit of God to bring conviction in order to expose the subtle infection of selfishness, pride and greed from sabotaging our resistance to this mark of the beast. We must come to understand that this mark is far more than simply activities we do on which day of the week. Those are merely surface symptoms that in the end simply reflect what is deep in the mind and heart. Thus this mark that competes with the true seal of God is not merely about our outward activity as much as it is a barometer of the condition of our heart and mind and how we posture our relationship with God, and especially our view of His disposition towards us.

Hear, you mountains, Yahweh's controversy, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for Yahweh has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me! For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage.

I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of Yahweh."

How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:2-8)

I have come to believe that this war over whether we receive the mark of the beast or remain loyal to God and receive His seal and name in our forehead, will not merely involve what day we go to church on as our test of loyalty. There is enormous importance in true worship, but worship is about who we reflect from our heart, what motivates us and who we allow to shape our identity that in turn defines how we act like ourselves.

The mark of the beast as we have come to see, is about disposition, intent, motivation and methods used to achieve conformity, compliance and unity in the name of God for the common good of humanity. Do I believe enforced Sunday observance could be a part of that? Absolutely! Yet having said that, compliance to laws compelling worship on Sunday for the good of the world goes much deeper and involves how we perceive God's disposition towards those who oppose Him. This is why what day one rests and worships God on is merely the tip of the iceberg, not the underlying issue of contention. It is merely a signal, an outward sign of what one really believes about God more than merely keeping the right day to prove one is loyal so God will reward us for keeping the right day. In other words, rather than focusing on merely keeping the right day of the week as Sabbath, we need to examine our heart and allow the Spirit of the Lamb to expose hidden dark opinions we retain about God like those described in Micah we just read, even while seeking to live in alignment with God's commandments. Heart work has to be a far higher priority than managing the externals.

When Micah asks the question about how we are to come before God and bow before Him in worship, the succeeding verses relate to motives and perceptions of what God wants from sinners who are seeking to come into alignment with His will. The following list involves increasing levels of expense as related to offerings that clearly are intended to satisfy or change God's disposition towards us so we can be accepted and saved by Him. Yet any attempts to change God's thinking about us or to manipulate Him to accept us or release blessings into our lives, are all infected by a similar spirit to what motivated both Balak and Balaam. They attempted to manipulate or even bribe God to bring a curse upon a people they saw as a threat to their own well being. This chapter in Micah begins with God telling Micah that He had a controversy with His people, and that involved how they perceived His disposition along with how they were trying to manipulate and even bribe Him to do what they want without regard to the condition of their own hearts.

If we will be honest and willing to humble ourselves to seek to know God as He truly is, revealed clearly through the violently slaughtered Lamb who alone exposes the truth about God's disposition towards His enemies, we will discover that many of our ideas about worship are also infected with the slander of His arch-enemy. Many are not actually resting in His love, because we imagine God to be more like us or like Satan rather than like His Son that He sent to reconcile us to His heart. What must become clear here is that any notion of appeasement required to reconcile God to us, whether attempted on our part through sacrifices and good works, or even by trusting in meritorious works of Christ or accepting His death on the cross as a payment expensive enough to buy appeasement of God's wrath towards sinners – anything of this line of reasoning is riddled with dark views of God's heart. Such religion makes it impossible for us to enter into His rest, the true evidence involving the seventh-day Sabbath kind of rest.

Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn't profit them, because it wasn't mixed with faith by those who heard. (Hebrews 4:1-2)

There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For he who has entered into his rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:11)

The reason why those who receive the mark of the identity of the beast can never experience rest day nor night, is not because God refuses to allow them to rest, but rather they are trapped in the lie that God must be paid off sufficiently before He will accept and love or save them.

Fully developed, this mark of the beast very likely will involve Sunday observance enforced by law. Yet the problem with this is not the day itself but the means employed that reflect lies believed about what is required to have salvation. The problem with Sunday enforcement is the reliance on force, compulsion, violence and ostracism as the means by which it will be imposed. These methods reveal that the god(s) being worshiped endorse these methods as the way in which unity in worship can be achieved. This involves the root lie of Satan who is the instigator of all such worship, his lie that God is demanding and does not value freedom of choice for everyone.

Too many today cling to their Sabbath observance as their assurance of receiving an eternal reward, yet they harbor dark views of God's disposition. This sets them up to succumb to the pressure of fear in the end, because fear is the fuel relied on by the enemy of God. Merely maintaining allegiance to a day of worship is not the same as reflecting the true disposition of the God of heaven. They are motivated by fear of punishment or hope of reward for good behavior and right obedience. Many diligently keep the right Sabbath while their heart motives contradict the revelation of God in His Christ, the hero of this war. Unless they come to repent and turn away from all such dark views of God, their hearts cannot be put right with God even if they stubbornly cling to practicing the external sign of allegiance to Him. This is why many will be deceived in the end, even while firmly believing they are remaining loyal to God. The believe they deserve to have a place in His kingdom based on outward obedience, yet they are more intent on being right than on letting the Spirit of God transform them to reflect His selfless love even toward their enemies.

Many will tell me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?'

Then I will tell them, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.' (Matthew 7:22-23)

What does it mean that Jesus doesn't know them? This is not superficial knowledge or awareness of their existence, but rather it is entirely about mutual intimacy from much time spent together opening up honestly about what is deep inside. These people have focused on the form of godliness while missing the real power of it which is receiving and giving love ever flowing from the heart of God.

I don't think it would violate the intent of Jesus here to add a few other things to this list, all things we do in His name, imagining that in doing them we are earning a place in His kingdom.

We carefully kept the right Sabbath day of worship in your name.

We obeyed every detail of the Torah in your name.

We meticulously paid every tithe we owed in your name, and sometimes a double tithe.

We learned to say your name exactly the way it is pronounced in Hebrew, your sacred language.

We brought our offerings and trusted in the most expensive sacrifice that could be offered to you, the death of the Son of God himself that was killed to purchase your pardon and forgiveness for us.

We believed that the name of Jesus/Yashua/(fill in the blank with your pronunciation) was the way to release your power in our lives, so we preached His name faithfully.

You see, we have been more loyal to you more than all these other worse sinners out here behind us.

Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' [I keep the right Sabbath on the seventh day every week without deviation.]

But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 18:10-14)

This is the main difference between those who in the end are found to be true followers of the Lamb, and those who end up displaying the disposition of the beast version of God. Just doggedly making sure we know the right day of the week upon which we are to worship is no assurance that our heart is right before God and we are connected to Him intimately. Salvation is experienced not by maintaining rigid allegiance to outward signs, but rather as our heart is transformed through experiencing the power of true love that radically challenges all our previous assumptions about God, ourselves and reality in general.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, just like I have loved you; that you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35)

Mark of the Beast - Rumor notes 116

 Revelation 13

16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; 17 and that no one would be able to buy or to sell, unless he has that mark, the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.

He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave

This causing action is the very same word we expanded on in verse twelve.

He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. (Revelation 13:12)

However, I would like to contrast this nature of the beast and its reflecting image with the causal activity of the Lamb.

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you shall keep my ordinances, and do them. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you. (Ezekiel 36:25-29)

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (Psalms 23:2-3)

This highlights the stark contrast between God's methods of love and the enemy's reliance on coercive control. This is one of the main themes of this book, and until we appreciate the radical difference, we are in danger of remaining under the spell of the deceiver, clinging to views of God instigated by the great oppressor of God's people, the original accuser.

So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputes, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world. (Philippians 2:12-15)

small and the great

The nations were angry, and your wrath came, as did the time for the dead to be judged, and to give your bondservants the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints, and those who fear your name, to the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth." (Revelation 11:18)

A voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, the small and the great!" (Revelation 19:5)

I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great." (Revelation 19:17-18)

I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Revelation 20:12)

You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it. (Deuteronomy 1:17)

For from the least of them even to the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. (Jeremiah 6:13)

Therefore will I give their wives to others, and their fields to those who shall possess them: for everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest every one deals falsely. (Jeremiah 8:10)

I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine; they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; and they shall be an object of horror, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. (Jeremiah 44:12)

The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. The news reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and took off his royal robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. (Jonah 3:5-6)

But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who used to practice sorcery in the city, and amazed the people of Samaria, making himself out to be some great one, to whom they all listened, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is that great power of God." (Acts 8:9-10)

and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

They will not teach every man his fellow citizen, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all will know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. (Hebrews 8:11)

Gideon said to him, Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt? but now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. Yahweh looked at him, and said, Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent you? He said to him, Oh, Lord, with which shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. Yahweh said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. (Judges 6:13-16)

Saul answered, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? why then speak you to me after this manner? (1 Samuel 9:21)

Samuel said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over Israel; (1 Samuel 15:17)

They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13)

Yahweh remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear Yahweh, both small and great. May Yahweh increase you more and more, you and your children. (Psalms 115:12-14)

Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would happen, how the Christ must suffer, and how, by the resurrection of the dead, he would be first to proclaim light both to these people and to the Gentiles." (Acts 26:22-23)

For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. (Luke 7:28)

But Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 20:25-26)

Jesus summoned them, and said to them, "You know that they who are recognized as rulers over the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you, but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant." (Mark 10:42-43)

He said to them, "The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who have authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves. For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn't it he who sits at the table? But I am in the midst of you as one who serves." (Luke 22:25-27)

Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. (Matthew 23:9-11)

rich and the poor

Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exults in Yahweh! My horn is exalted in Yahweh. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.

Yahweh makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up. (1 Samuel 2:1,7)

Who doesn't respect the persons of princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor; for they all are the work of his hands. (Job 34:19)

The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of them all. (Proverbs 22:2)

Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together. (Psalms 49:1-2)

The poor plead for mercy, but the rich answer harshly. (Proverbs 18:23)

The rich rule over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender. (Proverbs 22:7)

Whoever oppresses the poor for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty. (Proverbs 22:16)

But you have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts? (James 2:6)

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you. Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies. You have lived delicately on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn't resist you. (James 5:1-6)

The rich man is wise in his own eyes; but the poor who has understanding sees through him. (Proverbs 28:11)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

free and the slave

The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island were moved out of their places. The kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. (Revelation 6:14-15)

I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, "Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, and small and great." (Revelation 19:17-18)

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free. (Ephesians 6:5-8)

Don't lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator, where there can't be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:9-11)

be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads

Some versions translate this as receive, and the original word can be rendered either way. But I believe that given conveys more accurately the spirit of these compelling creatures more than receive. The word receive implies more freedom of choice, while given denotes the spirit of coercion that marks the disposition of all of these surrogates of the dragon. Yet the will of each is still involved.

Now we come to potentially one of the most controversial and dreaded words in this entire book, the ominous Mark. We will examine this more closely later, but for now I want to focus on the symbolism of the right hand or on the forehead. Having said that, it will be helpful to summarize the nature of this mark and then explore where this symbol originates as we examine it later.

This Mark is associated with the disposition of force. Those who have this mark have no rest. It is in contrast to Seal of God which does bring rest and peace. This could be a counterfeit of the marks Jesus received from His sacrifice of love. It could include the mark from being branded by a hot iron that destroys the capacity of the conscience to synchronize with heaven.

But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

A mark can be an identifier indicating ownership, or a result of an experience such as a scar.

If someone asks him, 'What are these wounds on your body?' he will answer, 'The wounds I was given at the house of my friends.' (Zechariah 13:6 NIV)

Psuedo Human - Rumor notes 115

Revelation 13

14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. 15 It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn't worship the image of the beast to be killed.

He deceives [my own] people who dwell on the earth

The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:9)

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)

because of the signs he was granted to do

We have explored this in depth previously, and the last verse quoted above includes a similar message.

in front of the beast

He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. (Revelation 13:12-13)

saying to those who dwell on the earth

We have explored this extensively a number of times beginning with Revelation 3:10.

they should make an image to the beast

This is worth paying close attention to here. Notice in particular who is being instructed to form this image to the beast. It is the people who dwell on the earth, not the powers seeking domination. That resonates with what we call democracy or making collective decisions that in turn are bound upon everyone through majority vote. In essence the beast strongly urges the masses to formulate something that closely resembles or emulates the beast. What might that look like in our day?

It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn't worship the image of the beast to be killed. (Revelation 13:15)

Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11)

I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God's wrath is finished. I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (Revelation 15:1-2)

The first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and it became a harmful and evil sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image. (Revelation 16:2)

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn't worship the beast nor his image, and didn't receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived, and reigned with Christ for the thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Adam lived one hundred thirty years, and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. (Genesis 5:3)

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and the breadth of it six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. (Daniel 3:1)

who had the sword wound and lived

Again we defer to the extended study we had on this back in verse 3.

It was given to him to give breath to it, to the image of the beast

It was given to him has been a recurring theme we have discussed, especially in this chapter.

The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2)

A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. (Revelation 13:5)

It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. (Revelation 13:7)

He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. (Revelation 13:14)

He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads; (Revelation 13:16)

And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:2)

Another came forth, a red horse. To him who sat on it was given power to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. There was given to him a great sword. (Revelation 6:4)

And behold, a pale horse, and he who sat on it, his name was Death. Hades followed with him. Authority over one fourth of the earth, to kill with the sword, with famine, with death, and by the wild animals of the earth was given to him. (Revelation 6:8)

The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. (Revelation 9:1)

Then out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. (Revelation 9:3)

They were given power not to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a person. (Revelation 9:5)

Leave out the court which is outside of the temple, and don't measure it, for it has been given to the nations. They will tread the holy city under foot for forty-two months. (Revelation 11:2)

The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire. (Revelation 16:8)

Jesus answered, "You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin." (John 19:11)

give breath to it, to the image

Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they don't speak. They have eyes, but they don't see. They have ears, but they don't hear. They have noses, but they don't smell. They have hands, but they don't feel. They have feet, but they don't walk, neither do they speak through their throat. Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalms 115:4-8)

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they can't speak. They have eyes, but they can't see. They have ears, but they can't hear; neither is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them. (Psalms 135:15-18)

They don't know, neither do they consider: for he has shut their eyes, that they can't see; and their hearts, that they can't understand. No one thinks, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, "I have burned part of it in the fire. Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals. I have roasted meat and eaten it. Shall I make the rest of it into an abomination? Shall I bow down to a tree trunk?" He feeds on ashes. A deceived heart has turned him aside; and he can't deliver his soul, nor say, "Isn't there a lie in my right hand?" (Isaiah 44:18-20)

Every man is become brutish and is without knowledge; every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. (Jeremiah 10:14)

What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols? Woe to him who says to the wood, 'Awake!' or to the mute stone, 'Arise!' Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. (Habakkuk 2:18-19)

Now concerning spiritual things, brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led. (1 Corinthians 12:1-2)

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:26)

What comes next seems to be in direct contradiction to nearly everything God says about images and idols. Satan is determined to refute the truth, so in these last days he arranges to have an image breathed into with his own diabolical spirit so that he can prove God wrong, bringing to life an image that can speak and act with apparent understanding and intelligence.

that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause

The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:2)

A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. (Revelation 13:5)

It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. (Revelation 13:7)

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'" (Genesis 3:1)

This was Satan's declaration of war on the first saints who ever lived on this planet. The war involved making God out as the problem, their obstruction to peace and happiness and fulfillment, the one whose words should not be trusted. By taking on the form of a created physical being, Satan could speak through a physical serpent so as to make it appear that miraculous possibilities were available to all who would accept his assertions about God and join him in his pursuit of happiness independent of God. He began by psychological manipulation of how our mind is designed to function, because whatever we hear, our subconscious expects it to be true.

We were not designed to live in a confused atmosphere of truth and lies bringing chaos in our lives. We were created to live in the rarified atmosphere of simple vulnerability free of exploitation that would make us afraid, free of doubt about God's passionate love for us, free of all fear, for mature love expels all fear. Yet by starting out with an emphatic and obvious contradiction to what God had said without trying to even hide the discrepancy, the very idea that God's disposition might be opposite to that of selfless love was slipped into the vulnerable soil of her heart, and the war was initiated as the devil manipulated the mind of Eve encouraging her to depend more on her own understanding rather than choose to lean solely on God as her primary source of truth.

The war primarily transpires in the realm of words. Physical wars are merely outgrowths of verbal wars spun out of control. This follows the same sequence as the fall of Satan in heaven, and is the same sequence he uses to incite people to commit violence against others, even in the name of God. Thus we can be ascertain that the speaking of this image at the behest of the beast whose power and authority originated from the dragon, that ancient serpent seen in Eden who initiated the takeover with Eve, involves lies intended to seduce all who dwell on the earth to conform to the agenda of the dragon accompanied by the two beasts and now an animated and apparently living image mimicking and enforcing that agenda.

You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

There came forth a spirit, and stood before Yahweh, and said, 'I will entice him.' Yahweh said to him, 'How?' He said, 'I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' He said, 'You shall entice him, and shall prevail also: go forth, and do so.' Now therefore, behold, Yahweh has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets; and Yahweh has spoken evil concerning you." (2 Chronicles 18:20-22)

This story by Micaiah to Ahab was designed to fit the way Ahab saw God as both good and evil.

The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, (2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 NRSV)

Satan answered Yahweh, and said, "Skin for skin. Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But put forth your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce you to your face." Yahweh said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand. Only spare his life." (Job 2:4-6)

This backstory transpiring in the book of Job exposes the true nature of the war being played out we are studying here in Revelation 13. Satan insists that obedience is always motivated by profit and loss, not on loyalty out of a heart appreciation of God's nature of compassion and unconditional love. Satan and all who reflect his sentiments such as this image, are inspired with the very spirit of Satan. They insist that given enough fear, threats and intimidation, everyone has a price at which they will sell out their integrity in order to preserve their own life. Skin for skin is short-hand for the system of trading, the alternate operating system that was installed into humanity at the fall. All who choose to remain under the spell of Satan's view of how reality operates will have their break-point, when the cost of integrity reaches a point where they will capitulate to intimidation. From the very outset of the rebellion in heaven all the way to the very end of the rebellion at the day of full revelation, the war rages over what motivates people to follow the direction set by the leader they choose to believe. There are only two options: the dragon's system or the vulnerable Lamb who uses only love.

Now the feast of unleavened bread, which is called the Passover, drew near. The chief priests and the scribes sought how they might put him to death, for they feared the people. Satan entered into Judas, who was surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered with the twelve. He went away, and talked with the chief priests and captains about how he might deliver him to them. They were glad, and agreed to give him money. He consented, and sought an opportunity to deliver him to them in the absence of the multitude. (Luke 22:1-6)

Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, and said to him, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks." He, leaning back, as he was, on Jesus' breast, asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus therefore answered, "It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. After the piece of bread, then Satan entered into him. Then Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly." Now no man at the table knew why he said this to him. For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus said to him, "Buy what things we need for the feast," or that he should give something to the poor. Therefore, having received that morsel, he went out immediately. It was night. When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him immediately. (John 13:24-32)

Note that Satan gained access to enter into Judas at least twice. What might this imply?

But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3)

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ's apostles. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)

But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3)

cause as many as wouldn't worship the image

12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

13 He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people.

14 He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast; saying to those who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived.

16 He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands, or on their foreheads;

Make/exercise/cause: from poieo in the Greek. This is the same word translated as exercises at the start of verse 12 as well as makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast. This is an key thread running through these verses. It means to cause, avenge, band together, execute, lay wait, ordain, secure, transgress the law, work. Verses 13-17 list some of the methods of how this is done.

The serpent spewed water out of his mouth after the woman like a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the stream. (Revelation 12:15)

Another, a second angel, followed, saying, "Babylon the great has fallen, which has made all the nations to drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality." (Revelation 14:8)

that whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up; and whoever doesn't fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:5-6)

as many as wouldn't worship the image of the beast to be killed

What is clear here is the war between the clear commands of God and the commands of the dragon and his accomplices. God consistently warns against making and worshiping idols and images, but here image worship becomes compulsory by penalty of death for any non-compliance.

You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, (Exodus 20:4-5)

You shall make for yourselves no idols, neither shall you raise up an engraved image or a pillar, neither shall you place any figured stone in your land, to bow down to it: for I am Yahweh your God. (Leviticus 26:1)

Now if you are ready whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music to fall down and worship the image which I have made, well: but if you don't worship, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Revelation 14:9-11)

I heard a loud voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God on the earth!" The first went, and poured out his bowl into the earth, and it became a harmful and evil sore on the people who had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image. (Revelation 16:1-2)

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their pants, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. (Daniel 3:19-23)

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste: he spoke and said to his counselors, Didn't we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered the king, True, O king. He answered, Look, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace: he spoke and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came forth out of the midst of the fire. The satraps, the deputies, and the governors, and the king's counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power on their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their pants changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them. (Daniel 3:24-27)

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as didn't worship the beast nor his image, and didn't receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived, and reigned with Christ for the thousand years. (Revelation 20:4)

The parallels here must not be overlooked. The disposition of these three Hebrews will be found in the lives of all who refuse in the last days to worship anyone or anything other than their Creator, the Lamb that they follow wherever He goes. Regardless of whether they are physically rescued from death or not, that is almost irrelevant just as it was to the three Hebrews loyal to God regardless of the outcome of their encounter with a super-heated smelting kiln. What is important to note is the connection with Christ. The three Hebrews surrendered their bodies to be burned alive and did not resist an evil person just as Jesus teaches us to do. The result was that they were thrown alive into the fire. The same thing happens to the beast and the false prophet who have served the agenda of the dragon to deceive and compel everyone to worship them.

So what might we take away from comparing these two stories? Evidently everyone may likely end up in fire, meaning that we need to come to view fire outside our natural reaction of fear that can cause us to make tragic choices if we try to avoid the pain and suffering it threatens to bring to us. The three Hebrews chose the fire rather than compliance to the laws of kings and rulers of this world. They had no assurance they would survive that fire, but they had confidence in God's heart that He was good, so that whatever the outcome might be, His name would be glorified if they would remain entirely loyal to Him alone. In their case they ended up enjoying a time of fellowship with Christ in the fire, for in a sense they reigned with Christ (maybe for a thousand minutes?) and experienced joy and freedom from fear. They had chosen to renounce fear of suffering and death and to trust the heart of the loving God they served, and as a result they experienced the presence and fellowship that Christ promises to all who receive Him.

While God did not save them from the fire, He joined them in the fire. And the power of His superior fire overcame the power of the evil super-heated fire that was meant to destroy them. This is the amazing power of God that is available to all who choose to serve and remain loyal to Him, not assurance of escape from pain or death, but the power of trust and praise and gratitude to defeat all the power of the enemy brought against us. In this story the result was a breakthrough for a king who started out in tune with the counterfeit system of Satan that relies on force, compulsion and intimidation to induce allegiance and worship. What was meant to reinforce the dictates of Satan's evil empire was transformed to become a confession of God's faithfulness and superiority and eventually after some years and further encounters accomplished the full conversion of this heathen king

Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. (Daniel 3:28)

We witness the progression of perceptions about how God relates to evil even through the flow of Revelation itself. Those loyal to God need to have their perspective transformed from the old patterns of supposed justice until full maturity finally exposes a generation willing to fully follow the Lamb.

They cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, Master, the holy and true, until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" A long white robe was given to each of them. They were told that they should rest yet for a while, until their fellow servants and their brothers, who would also be killed even as they were, should complete their course. (Revelation 6:10-11)

I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. (Revelation 17:6)

The light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived. In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth." (Revelation 18:23-24)

The dragon and all who subscribe to his motives and methods, rely on fear of death and threats of pain and deprivation to compel worship and allegiance to themselves. The Lamb in sharp contrast, leaves all free to embrace His revelation of God's heart, or give preference to the lies of the enemy about God leaving their heart vacant of love and ready to do any wickedness in the name of God. This war is over identity and what kind of character will be formed around what we believe about God, which directly affects what reflection we give and dictates whose likeness we absorb. This part of Revelation exposes both the tactics of the enemies of God as well as contrast with the truth about God increasingly intensifying as we move closer to the end of the book.

The compulsion used by the beasts and then the image formed in the likeness of the first beast, betrays their likeness to the dragon who is the originator of all violence and evil. His intent has long been to defeat the government of God that he claims is too weak to withstand chaos and will collapse in the face of raw power and violence and fear. This is where we find ourselves right now, for the influence of the subtle deceptions circulating in our thinking have to be fully exposed and replaced with the pure milk of the word of God so that our reflection of God's heart containing only light with no darkness at all in Him becomes pure and free of all contamination. This is the work of the Spirit of God whom Jesus sends to all who surrender fully to heaven's agenda for our salvation.

These chapters portray how this plays out, even as we see these things taking shape all around us in the world. The principles outlined here are witnessed in the methods and motives of rulers and religious leaders alike everywhere we look and cannot be ignored easily. Deception is increasing exponentially, but so too is the light of the glorious truth being perceived by millions as the Holy Spirit moves to bring the glory of the angel in Revelation 18 to every person on earth in order to make a decision as to which side they will align with for this last showdown.

Will we allow fear and demands for compliance to dictates by sinister powers of darkness to manipulate our will, or do we choose to trust the heart of our loving Father regardless of the cost to ourselves and even our lives? We are facing a time of polarization where every person on earth will have to choose one side or the other, for pressure is quickly increasing to compel everyone to worship (receive their identity from) the beast or worship his image, yet in so doing they end up ultimately worshiping the dragon, for they all are simply variations of the same thing.

Keep in mind that whether we choose to be faithful and loyal to the Lamb and leave the outcome entirely in God's hands, or whether we succumb to threats that increasingly impinge on our conscience and allow ourselves to be squeezed into the world's mold, everyone will sooner or later find themselves in the fire. So it would be better to soberly seek the truth of God's heart earnestly now while it is called Today, so that if our time comes to be displayed in a super-heated situation, we may be found trustworthy as faithful reflectors of the Lamb and enjoy His presence in the fire with us.

In the next chapter we will find that the idea of presence is tightly connected to the fires that everyone is destined to encounter. All through this chapter we are reminded that these satanic reflectors operate in the presence of the hierarchy of demonic influence. In the next chapter we find those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes and do not love their lives unto the death. We also learn that those who reject the Lamb as their model and origin of identity and choose instead to be molded into conformity with the image of the beast and dragon, experience the presence of the Lamb and the holy loyal angels with Him to be nothing but torture from them. It is now that we have time to choose which fire we will align ourselves with. We can allow fear to drive us to become more and more like the enemy of love and truth until we are transformed into the demonic likeness of the beast who makes war on saints of God, or we can allow the Spirit of Truth and freedom to transform us so completely that the presence of the Lamb and holy angels only produces joy without torment.

Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you waver between the two sides? If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." (1 Kings 18:21)

If it seem evil to you to serve Yahweh, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve Yahweh. (Joshua 24:15)