Number of a Man - Rumor notes 121

 

Revelation 13

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.

it is the number of a man

From earliest times and even today, for young children calculation usually begins with use of their fingers as they learn how to count and then move on to simple math. Might this have something to do with this mark being located on the hand where calculation often starts? What about having the number of the name? Name is likely associated with the identity or disposition of the beast and its image along with their source the dragon. What else might we discover beyond even this?

Calculating not only involves hands and fingers but also takes place primarily in the left brain where logic, reason and language skills are based. This might infer one of the distortions of sin, for the first part of the Tree representing Satan's kingdom on earth is the word Knowledge. A common distortion of the enemy is that given enough time and acquired knowledge, we will be able to figure out how to save ourselves, how to extricate ourselves successfully from the problem of sin. This is embedded in most all religions so deeply that many become addicted to the pursuit of knowledge through ever higher education in hopes that if they can just develop enough intellectual prowess they will be able to figure out the right answers and can at last achieve success or even overcome the problems of evil in the world.

This line of reasoning is part of the strategy of the beast, for the dragon's tactics involve more than just intimidation. The counterfeit system relies on strong appeals to reason, logic and manipulation of facts as the right way to solve all our problems. This is embodied in the serpent's words to Eve, and through this two-pronged approach he captures the attention of people today just as he did with Eve. We imagine that knowledge combined with power can save us or even get us right with God so He will save us. Yet while knowledge is certainly important, giving it higher priority than living in humble, intimate relationship at the heart level with our Creator will prove tragic.

Given this danger, it is no surprise that the beginning of this verse alerts us to our need for heavenly wisdom before attempting to calculate the number of the beast. Wisdom is not the equivalent of knowledge, and to receive this kind of wisdom requires a humble heart willing to connect and listen with both our heart and head to the ultimate Source of Wisdom. That Source is the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth that alone comes from God.

There are other potential options to consider relating to this specific number.

According to the Genesis creation account, humans (or man generically) were created on the 6^th day. This connects a number to the meaning of what it means to be human, the number 6. Additionally, there are three 6's in the three place number comprising the sum of the three Greek words used. This could introduces the number 3 combined with the meaning of the number 6. Some have suggested that this might refer to a counterfeit 3-part godhead competing against the true Godhead, also composed of 3 persons, but inferior to them like humans are inferior to the God who created them.

We know from many of our previous studies that the one behind all the violence and evil going on is the fallen angel Lucifer turned Satan. It might come as an awakening however to learn that God identifies this fallen cherub not as an angel but as a man, at least near the end his existence.

You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!" Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms; who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn't release his prisoners to their home?" (Isaiah 14:13-17)

Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you did set your heart as the heart of God--

Will you yet say before him who kills you, I am God? but you are man, and not God, in the hand of him who wounds you. (Ezekiel 28:2, 9)

I believe it is safe to conjecture that Satan is the 'man' who is behind all the forcing of identity and worship on all who dwell on the earth. He wants his character to be reflected in every human being, because any lingering reflection of God's true glory of selfless love is a constant source of incriminating evidence contradicting his lies that God is no different than him. Compare these verses with the following ones about other men who exhibited a spirit like that of Satan.

When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn't live in a house, but in the tombs. (Luke 8:27)

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 5:1-2)

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)

For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen, whom he gathered together, with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, you know that by this business we have our wealth. You see and hear, that not at Ephesus alone, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods, that are made with hands. (Acts 19:24-26)

His number is six hundred sixty-six [the number of a man]

I believe it is important that we keep all these things in mind while seeking wisdom to discern what God may have us to find in this key symbol. There has been endless speculation about this number ever since it was written by John. I would like to offer some further possibilities that I find congruent with the two keys we use for interpreting everything we study in this book. I do not claim to present a final or ultimate interpretation of this number, but we should remain open to exploring viable options while soliciting the Spirit Jesus promised to send us when He left this earth, who was promised to guide us into greater truth and to remind us of the words Jesus spoke while He was here.

Here are a some passages that have numbers relative to this.

King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned, and went to her own land, she and her servants. Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, besides that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country. (1 Kings 10:13-15)

In Solomon's story, the context was soon after Solomon married an Egyptian (1 Kings 9:16, 24) who began to turn his heart away from God (1 Kings 9:17-21; 11:1-11), and also after he began relying on conscripted labor to build his house and the temple (1 Kings 9:15 NRSV, NIV or NASB). This 666 number may represent the obscene level of wealth gained by exploitation of other people.

The children of Azgad, one thousand two hundred twenty-two. The children of Adonikam, six hundred sixty-six. The children of Bigvai, two thousand fifty-six. (Ezra 2:12-14)

There is a curious narrative beginning in Ezra 2:1,13 and ending with Shemaiah a priest who may be child 666 of Adonikam (Ezra 8:13; Nehemiah 7:18; 10:8; 1 Kings 12:22-24; 1 Chronicles 15:8; Jeremiah 29:31). I can unpack this thread more in another document.

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. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. (Daniel 3:1-2)

Here is what Strong's concordance says concerning this number. 666 is made up of three Greek characters, the last being a leftover obsolete character retained as a number. From various sources I find compelling insights relevant to this subject. The implications seem to resonate strongly with the spirit and motives we see transpiring in power struggles going on all around us in the world today. Here is what Strong's has to say about this number.

chi xi stigma the 22nd, 14th and an obsolete letter (4742 as a cross [X]) of the Greek alphabet, but used here as numbers. They denote respectively 600, 60 and 6.

Here are some references in Wikipedia related to these letters and their associated words. Some of the concepts connected linked with these letters/numbers are quite compelling in light of this chapter.

Chi was the 22^nd letter of the Greek alphabet in John's day and was written as X.

When used as a Greek numeral, it carried the value of 600.

Greek symbology: In Plato's Timaeus, it is explained that the two bands that form the soul of the world (Anima mundi) cross each other like the letter Χ.

The anima mundi or world soul is, according to several systems of thought, an intrinsic connection between all living beings, which relates to the world in much the same way as the soul is connected to the human body.

Plato adhered to this idea, identifying the universe as a living being:

Thus, then, in accordance with the likely account, we must declare that this Cosmos has verily come into existence as a Living Creature endowed with soul and reason ...a Living Creature, one and visible, containing within itself all the living creatures which are by nature akin to itself.— Plato, Timaeus 30b–d, translated by W.R.M. Lamb.

Plato's Timaeus describes this living cosmos as being built by the demiurge constructed as to be self-identical and intelligible to reason, according to a rational pattern expressed in mathematical principles and Pythagorean ratios describing the structure of the cosmos, and particularly the motions of the seven classical planets.

Following Plato, the anima mundi became an important component in Neoplatonic cosmology, often including its close relationship to the demiurge and the seven planets.

Demiurge: In the Platonic, Neophythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term demiurge.

The philosophical usage and the proper noun derive from Plato's Timaeus, written c. 360 BC, where the demiurge is presented as the creator of the universe.

In the arch-dualist ideology of the various Gnostic systems, the material universe is evil, while the non-material world is good. According to some strains of Gnosticism, the demiurge is malevolent, as it is linked to the material world. In others, including the teaching of Valentinus, the demiurge is simply ignorant or misguided.

Plato, as the speaker Timaeus, refers to the Demiurge frequently in the Socratic dialogue Timaeus (28a ff.), c. 360 BC. The main character refers to the Demiurge as the entity who "fashioned and shaped" the material world. Timaeus describes the Demiurge as unreservedly benevolent, and so it desires a world as good as possible.

Dualism in cosmology or dualistic cosmology is the moral or spiritual belief that two fundamental concepts exist, which often oppose each other.

Moral dualism is the belief of the great complement of, or conflict between, the benevolent and the malevolent. It simply implies that there are two moral opposites at work....

Many myths and creation motifs with dualistic cosmologies have been described in ethnographic and anthropological literature. The motifs conceive the world as being created, organized, or influenced by two demiurges, culture heroes, or other mythological beings, who compete with each other or have a complementary function in creating, arranging or influencing the world. There is a huge diversity of such cosmologies. In some cases, such as among the Chukchi, the beings collaborate rather than compete, and they contribute to the creation in a coequal way. In many other instances the two beings are not of the same importance or power (sometimes, one of them is even characterized as gullible). Sometimes they can be contrasted as good versus evil. They may be often believed to be twins or at least brothers.

Physical cosmology is the study of the observable universe's origin, its large-scale structures and dynamics, and the ultimate fate of the universe, including the laws of science that govern these areas. It is investigated by scientists, such as astronomers and physicists, as well as philosophers, such as metaphysicians, philosophers of physics, and philosophers of space and time. Because of this shared scope with philosophy, theories in physical cosmology may include both scientific and non-scientific propositions, and may depend upon assumptions that cannot be tested. Physical cosmology is a sub-branch of astronomy that is concerned with the Universe as a whole. Modern physical cosmology is dominated by the Big Bang theory....

There are interesting and sometimes controversial issues related to this.

Chi or X is often used to abbreviate the name Christ, as in the holiday Christmas (Xmas). When fused within a single typespace with the Greek letter rho, it is called the labarum and used to represent the person of Jesus Christ.

The practice of adding up the number values of Greek letters of words, names and phrases, thus connecting the meaning connecting the meaning of words, names and phrases with others with equivalent numeric sums, is called isopsephy. A similar practice adapted for the Hebrew alphabet is referred to as gematria.

Isopsephy (isos meaning "equal" and psephos meaning "pebble") or isopsephism is the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. The total number is then used as a metaphorical bridge to other words evaluating the equal number, which satisfies isos or "equal" in the term. The early Greeks used pebbles arranged in patterns to learn arithmetic and geometry, which corresponds to psephos or "pebble" and "counting" in the term.

Isopsephy is related to gematria: the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet....A gematria of Latin script languages was also popular in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and its legacy remains in code-breaking, numerology, and Masonic symbolism today.

Xi was the 14^th letter of the Greek alphabet in John's day. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 60. Xi is distinct from the letter chi, which gave its form to the Latin letter X.

What I find significantly relevant is the potential meaning of the last character in this set of 3 characters, the letter stigma. Though obsolete in the Greek alphabet, it survived as the numeral 6. Yet as a word (Strong's 4742) it meant to "stick", i.e. prick; a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), i.e. (figuratively) scar of service – a mark. (Strong's)

Greek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet.

The earliest alphabet-related system of numerals used with the Greek letters was a set of the acrophonic Attic numerals, operating much like Roman numerals... The acrophonic system was replaced by a new alphabetic system, sometimes called the Ionic numeral system, from the 4^th century BC. Each unit (1, 2, …, 9) was assigned a separate letter, each tens (10, 20, …, 90) a separate letter, and each hundreds (100, 200, …, 900) a separate letter. This requires 27 letters, so the 24-letter Greek alphabet was extended by using three obsolete letters: fau, [Sigma (letter)|sigma]...for 6, koppa for 90, and sampi for 900.

The name, stigma (στίγμα), is originally a common Greek noun meaning "a mark, dot, puncture", or generally "a sign"... The numeral symbol, originally quite unrelated to the στ ligature, developed from the letter Ϝ, which stood for the sound /w/ in early pre-classical forms of the Greek alphabet. This symbol became obsolete as a letter during the classical era but remained part of the Greek alphabet-based system of numerals, where its value of 6 corresponded to its original place in the alphabet.

Following are excerpts from what I found to be a relevant article on the history of this word Stigma.

The word “stigma” derives directly from two almost identical words in both Latin and Greek... Although the word in Latin and Greek seems less versatile than its English cousin and cognate “stick,” both words can refer to poking, puncturing and (especially) branding.

...Stigmas are actual brands, scars in an archaic use of the word, or similar, imagined or metaphorical marks, in a contemporary use of the word.

“Stigmata” in English, carries with it a very specific, religious association to the physical wounds suffered by Jesus at the crucifixion...

The word stigma may be applied in allegorical or metaphorical ways, to experiences or conditions that are not seen as physical marks but are intuited or surmised. For example, a “social stigma” is not always readily observable, one must instead be alerted to, or made aware of, its existence.

Originally, in the 17^th Century references quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), a stigma seems to have been, specifically the mark left by branding a person with a hot iron. Branding with a hot iron was a fairly common punishment in the 17^th Century; and one who bore the “stigma” or scar from that hot iron, was said to have been “stigmatized”. The word could also be used to refer to tattoos or the practice of tattooing; but this use seems to have been rare.

There are other interesting examples given in the OED entry, too: one man was branded with an “S” and an “L” one letter on either cheek, for “seditious” and “libeler”; a couple was branded, each on the forehead with the letter “A” for “adultery”; and in a third, even more curious case, a man was branded on his forehead with “a letter of his own name,” the crime in that case was not mentioned. There are 19^th century references, that seem to make even more sweeping, general associations: “Doomed to be, like the seed of Cain, a stigmatized race” (956). It is interesting to me, at least, that the crimes of sedition and libel—saying unflattering or outrageous things about someone or some institution carried with it the same penalty as adultery.

To the medieval mind, God brings men and women together in marriage; but marriage was a formal contract among the nobles and upper classes—so an affair, having sex with someone else’s wife, was a sin against God and property laws; the woman’s crime was a crime against God, man (her husband) and the State. The word “husband” means “keeper” and refers not to love, but to ownership. It is interesting to me, too, that by the 17^th Century in all the Romance languages there is a version of the word “stigmatized” with specific reference to the practice of branding as a punishment for various crimes. We might be tempted to conclude that wherever the Roman Catholic Church had enough influence to mete out punishments like branding, the practice was common and the effects on the population were widespread.

What we can conclude, with confidence, is that stigmas are imposed on people by other people; and the intent of those who stigmatize others is to cause harm. “Branding” with a red-hot iron may no longer be practiced as a punishment, but the emotional scars caused by social stigmas, are real and convincing reminders of the power of words. The emotional content of certain words is seared into us as if it could leave a scar visible to everyone; and this is true whether we use these words in reference to ourselves, or others use them to label or “brand’ us.

This is a lot of information to digest. What useful insights and clues might we distill out of all this?

In the case of Solomon, the number is closely linked with amassing opulent wealth, trading, trafficking and power through hierarchy. It is no accident these same things are listed in God's description of what transpired in the initial fall of Lucifer in heaven. In addition, this was during the time when Solomon was plunging himself into a life of excessive sex with hundreds of women and becoming deeply involved in idolatry as a result of their seductive influence over him.

In our desire to correctly discern why this number is given here, we need heavenly direction to avoid being seduced and deceived by isopsephy which appeals to dependence on fleshly versions of wisdom.

The first numeral of 666 in the Greek conveys strong overtones of very ancient pagan philosophies resonates strongly with much of what is seen today. Coordinated moves by powerful people today seek to consolidate the world into uniformity and plan to control the masses using arguments and logic identical to those developed long ago. This is no surprise given the same supernatural forces intend to assert their power over the entire world under the guise of saving the planet, viewed as our mother and now offended by our exploitation of her natural resources.

Today there is a growing convergence of various philosophies conspiring together to consolidate power and wealth, to eliminate individuality and freedom and set up a New World Order for the purpose of saving the planet. Gnosticism, so-called science, the philosophy of evolution, open attacks against morality, the family model and resurgence of feudalistic power, all conspire to enforce the principles of Satan and eliminate the image of God in mankind using an imposed artificial identity.

The last digit of this number links back to the idea of a forced mark, even with branding with a hot iron to identify ownership. We examined some of these ideas in previous studies on the mark; now we find them being reinforced in connection to the last digit in this number. Ironically, the stigma assigned initially would seem to be against those opposing reception of the mark, while those going along with it would presumably be free from stigmatization. Yet again this exposes the nature of deception itself, twisting things to appear different than how heaven views things from a higher perspective.

What does seem clear in the use of stigmatization is the heavy enforcement of the reward/punishment system to achieve control over all the world. Compelled worship and forced compliance to the agenda of those grasping for power, is becoming clearly the trend of the world today. And this, despite the objections of many who not long ago insisted it is impossible to happen in our advanced modern era.

We can be certain that this prophecy given to John will in the end be proven to be unfailingly accurate and will finish its course all the way to the end. What we must focus on now is to be properly aligned with the Spirit of truth and love so we will not be captivated by the seductive enticements of the enemy who seeks to steal, kill and destroy our most precious inheritance in Christ.

This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John. (Revelation 1:1)

I want to go back to review the concluding paragraph of the article quoted above to point out something vitally important we must not miss in our study here.

What we can conclude, with confidence, is that stigmas are imposed on people by other people; and the intent of those who stigmatize others is to cause harm. “Branding” with a red-hot iron may no longer be practiced as a punishment, but the emotional scars caused by social stigmas, are real and convincing reminders of the power of words. The emotional content of certain words is seared into us as if it could leave a scar visible to everyone; and this is true whether we use these words in reference to ourselves, or others use them to label or “brand’ us.

Here are a few insights I believe are central to understanding the nature and effect of this mark. What is important to note are the patterns involved more than the specific details.

What comes before receiving the mark is worship of the image and its beast origin.

Worship means receiving our identity from someone and authorizing them to model to us how to act like ourselves. Thus worship means absorbing the identity of the leader of one of the two supernatural sources vying for our attention.

Stigmas are imposed on people; worship of the beast and its image will be imposed on people.

This stigma mark is a reflection of the character of the false god being worshipped. Thus it initially may not appear to be a stigma because nearly everyone else reflects the same disposition. But from heaven's point of view it is a stigma on God's reputation.

Note the sequence. Compelled worship comes first, then the mark is introduced.

The intent of this mark is to cause harm.

The dragon, beast and image do not reflect the loving care of our heavenly Father. Their agenda is purely selfish, yet deceptive and manipulative, claiming they are working for the common good of all while in truth they are exploiting the masses for their own lust for power, control, wealth and self-exaltation. They steal, kill and destroy in their scramble for power and pride.

A stigma/mark is a permanent stamp of identity much like branding cattle for the purpose of marking them with a permanent brand of their owner.

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)

Seducing spirits and doctrines involve worship of the counterfeit god of this world whose power lies in fear and seductive deceptions. When lies are accepted and lying spirits are allowed to manipulate our thinking, the sensitive conscience is cauterized and incapacitated so it can no longer respond to the sweet Spirit of love. Such ones lose capacity to repent. This is the deliberate intent of harm by this mark.

Words are the primary means of branding and searing the mark into our psyche. They are far more effective than simply an outward scar or tattoo.

The war highlighted in chapter 12 is concentrated with words of slander against God, not physical altercations. This war is a direct attack on the reputation of God, the One we were created to reflect. By usurping God's reflectors to reflect Satan's lies about God's character, the character and condition of all who worship the beast version of God and who receive the identity mark of that kind of god, displaces the true identity of humans both by creation and redemption where the identity of Christ in every human being was reassigned to be in Christ who is our true representative.

Believing lies about God and rejecting a love of the truth will prove deadly in the end. When one rejects the truth about their new identity in Christ, they cling to Satan's lies about God and themselves as God's reflectors until those lies become permanent attributes defining their settled mindset and shaping their character into the likeness of the beast.

All who receive this mark imagine they will benefit from it. But when the light of truth about the nature of God's selfless love exposes their true condition and character, their reaction is continuous torment when they come into the light of heaven's perspective. They feel the intensity of stigma resulting from their false reflection of God's character in contrast with the true reflection of the presence of the Lamb and the angels.

Contrast this with those who refuse to worship the beast or its image and refuse to receive the mark, even when faced with death as the punishment for non-compliance.

They worship the Creator God (Revelation 14:6-7), choosing to reflect His attributes and be transformed into His likeness (Genesis 1:26; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

The image of God, His glory of selfless love, is reflected in their disposition and is sealed into their hearts by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

This seal never involves force, coercion or violation of their free will (John 8:32,36; Galatians 5:1; 2 Corinthians 3:17). They choose freedom in Christ over bondage to fear (Hebrews 2:14-15) no matter what threats are brought to intimidate them (Revelation 12:11).

This seal of love (Song of Solomon 8:6) never plans harm, just as the Source of love (1 John 1:5) only plans for good and never for evil (Jeremiah 29:11). True love is willing to receive harm rather than cause harm to others (Matthew 5:39), the liberating truth most explicitly revealed in the life, teachings and death of Jesus (Luke 23:34), God's Christ. He both taught (Matthew 5:44-45) and demonstrated unconditional love and forgiveness (Luke 23:33-34), not predicated on receiving payment, appeasement or even repentance (Romans 5:6-10), but because God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).

The seal of God is the imprint of God's character of love in the mind and heart (1 John 4:16; Revelation 7:3). This character is supported through the conscience (Romans 2:15; 1 Timothy 1:18-19) as the interactive access channel to God's heart by all who allow Him to dwell in them.

Love for God and for others, even enemies, becomes the defining characteristic and identity of all who have the seal of God in their forehead. This is made even more striking in contrast as the true nature of the effect of sin becomes fully developed in the lives of all who take on the likeness of the beast. Even a very small light becomes readily noticeable when in the context of intense darkness.

Calculating Wisely - Rumor notes 120

 Revelation 13

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.

Here is wisdom. He who has understanding

Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. (Revelation 17:9)

To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.' (Job 28:28)

The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever! (Psalms 111:10)

You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office. (Exodus 28:3)

Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones for setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. (Exodus 31:2-5)

Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as Yahweh my God commanded me, that you should do so in the midst of the land where you go in to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. (Deuteronomy 4:5-6)

Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands on him: and the children of Israel listened to him, and did as Yahweh commanded Moses. (Deuteronomy 34:9)

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky, when the dust runs into a mass, and the clods of earth stick together? (Job 38:36-38)

Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh. (Psalms 107:43)

Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you. (Ezekiel 28:12, 17)

You said, I shall be mistress forever; so that you did not lay these things to your heart, neither did remember the latter end of it. Now therefore hear this, you who are given to pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, I am, and there is none else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: but these two things shall come to you in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood; in their full measure shall they come on you, in the multitude of your sorceries, and the great abundance of your enchantments. For you have trusted in your wickedness; you have said, None sees me; your wisdom and your knowledge, it has perverted you, and you have said in your heart, I am, and there is none else besides me. Therefore shall evil come on you; you shall not know the dawning of it: and mischief shall fall on you; you shall not be able to put it away: and desolation shall come on you suddenly, which you don't know. (Isaiah 47:7-11)

How do you say, We are wise, and the law of Yahweh is with us? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has worked falsely. The wise men are disappointed, they are dismayed and taken: behold, they have rejected the word of Yahweh; and what manner of wisdom is in them? (Jeremiah 8:8-9)

Thus says Yahweh, Don't let the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, don't let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he has understanding, and knows me, that I am Yahweh who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says Yahweh. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. (Daniel 2:30)

I have heard of you, that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. Now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known to me the interpretation of it; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. But I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations, and dissolve doubts; now if you can read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation of it, you shall be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. (Daniel 5:14-16)

But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)

Christ Jesus is made to us the wisdom from God. This means that in order to have the kind of wisdom needed to calculate this number correctly, reliance on the wisdom and cunning available from the world simply cannot produce an answer with the power to transform and liberate the heart from fear.

A shoot will come out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of Yahweh will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Yahweh. His delight will be in the fear of Yahweh. He will not judge by the sight of his eyes, neither decide by the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the poor, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked. Righteousness will be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. (Isaiah 11:1-6)

But as it is written, "Things which an eye didn't see, and an ear didn't hear, which didn't enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him." But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God, except God's Spirit.

But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. Now the natural man doesn't receive the things of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can't know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is judged by no one. "For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Christ's mind. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16)

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:5-7)

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don't boast and don't lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13-18)

The question is raised as to why suddenly this caveat is needed at the point in the narrative. There must be an important reason we are told very specifically that wisdom and understanding is necessary before attempting to run a calculation. We touched on this in the last discussion and now we need to explore it even more.

Last time we saw that wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Part of the problem of Satan's counterfeit system is reliance on knowledge rather than wisdom. The Pharisees had this problem that led them to reject the true Messiah because they put too much emphasis on acquiring massive amounts of information, knowledge and education but were devoid of true wisdom which is far more important.

Wisdom is not something one can learn by going to school or getting any amount of education in knowledge. Wisdom to a large extent if not entirely, is received by those humble and willing to listen to the Spirit of God who is the Spirit of Wisdom and is willing to impart wisdom to any ready to receive it without resistance. Our brains were not designed to be repositories of enough wisdom to meet every situation. Rather we were created to live and function in tandem with the heart of God and maintain open communication so that whenever wisdom is needed it is available because our spirit is synchronized with the Spirit of Christ. We may over time acquire a certain amount of residual wisdom from years of experience and growth in maturity. Yet even that must be subject to updates by the Spirit from heaven so that we rely not on our own wisdom but the wisdom of God, particularly in crisis situations.

In this passage we are clearly warned that before attempting to solve a critical calculation, we need to be sure to align our spirit with the Spirit of Wisdom from above. Otherwise we are sure to come up with proposed solutions that may seem wonderful, logical and even provable, yet lacking in vital truth needed for a situation. Keep in mind that the Jews in Jesus' day based their wisdom on their deep knowledge of Scripture and the generations of wisdom passed down in their religion. Yet the accumulated wisdom of the religious elite only served to blind them to the Truth when it was living in their midst and exposing that God was not at all like they imagined Him to be. The same situation exists today, and what we are studying here in chapters 13 and 14 of Revelation is a repeat of the same crisis of wisdom as occurred in the days when Jesus walked this earth and a human.

let him calculate the number of the beast

This number translated as calculate, only shows up in one other verse in the New Testament.

Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, can't be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and wasn't able to finish.' (Luke 14:27-30)

These words of Jesus are given as a warning to all who want to follow Him as a disciple. He makes it clear that there will be a high cost involved and gives some examples, some not included in the quote above. The point is that a cheap version of religion often popular that does not involve any real change of life and heart, does not come close to what is required of a true disciple. The rewards for following the Lamb wherever He goes are of infinite value and will last for eternity. And while they cannot be purchased at any price, there is a high cost to each disciple who takes Jesus seriously. In fact, the very next verses here in Revelation will introduce us to these very disciples. In the previous chapter (12) we learn the cost they are willing to pay in order to follow the Lamb, wherever He leads them, for He is the One who has overcome the world and they are identified with Him in His victory.

I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. They overcame him because of the Lamb's blood, and because of the word of their testimony. They didn't love their life, even to death. (Revelation 12:10-11)

But there is much more to explore here. If you look for this Greek word in the Septuagint it shows up most in another story that has significant relevance with the context of what we are looking at here in Revelation 13 and 14. I cannot find this Greek word translated in any English version of this passage, so I will share the APB version and underline where this word occurs in the story of Haman, Mordecai and Haman's attempted genocide of all the Jews in the Babylonian empire.

Now Esther did not plainly tell of her fatherland, for thus Mordecai gave charge to her, to fear God, and to observe his orders, as she was with him. And Esther did not change her conduct. And the two eunuchs of the king fretted, and the chiefs of the body guards, for Mordecai advanced. And they sought to kill Artaxerxes the king. And the matter was made manifest to Mordecai, and he signaled it to Esther, and she revealed to the king the things of the plot. And the king examined the two eunuchs, and he hanged them. And the king gave order to write for a memorial in the royal library about the good-will of Mordecai with commendation.

After these things king Artaxerxes extolled Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him, and seated him first above all his friends. And all the ones in the courtyard did obeisance to him, for so the king assigned it to do. But Mordecai did not do obeisance to him.

And the ones in the courtyard of the king said to Mordecai, O Mordecai, why do you disregard the things being said by the king? Accordingly each day they spoke to him, and he did not hearken to them; and they indicated to Haman that Mordecai was rebelling against the words of the king; and Mordecai indicated to them that he is a Jew.

And Haman, realizing that Mordecai did not do obeisance to him, was enraged exceedingly. And he took counsel to remove all the Jews under the kingdom of Artaxerxes.

And he made a referendum in the twelfth year of the kingdom of Artaxerxes. And he cast lots day by day, and month by month, so as to destroy in one day the race of Mordecai. And the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month, which is Adar. (Esther 2:20–3:7 ABP+)

This last passage was recorded after this whole event turned out opposite of what Haman intended.

And Mordecai wrote these words in a scroll and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to the ones near and to the ones far; to establish these days as good days , and to celebrate both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar. For in these days the Jews gained rest from their enemies. And the month in which things turned for them, which was Adar, from mourning to joy, and from grief to good days, was to celebrate entirely for good days of wedding feasts and gladness, sending gift portions to their friends and to the poor.

And the Jews favorably received it as Mordecai wrote to them of how Haman son of Hammedatha the Macedonian waged war against them; as he ordained a referendum and the lot, to obliterate them; and how he entered to the king, telling him to hang Mordecai. But as much as he attempted to bring bad things upon the Jews, upon himself it came to pass; and he was hanged, he and his children.

On account of this they call these days Purim because of the lots, (for in their dialect they are called purim), because of the words of this letter, and as much as they suffered on account of it, and as much as happened to them and was stopped.

And the Jews favorably received it for themselves, and for their seed, and for the ones purposed unto them to observe it -- nor in fact shall they treat it otherwise. And these days were a memorial being completed according to generation and generation, and city, and family, and place. And these days were celebrated for all time, and their memorial in no way should fail unto generations.

(Esther 9:20-28 ABP+)

While this next passage does not use the exact same word in Greek, it does resonate with the idea of calculating numbers and its context involving servitude may also be helpful.

He shall reckon with him who bought him from the year that he sold himself to him to the Year of Jubilee: and the price of his sale shall be according to the number of years; according to the time of a hired servant shall he be with him. If there are yet many years, according to them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he was bought for. If there remain but a few years to the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according to his years of service he shall give back the price of his redemption. As a servant hired year by year shall he be with him: he shall not rule with harshness over him in your sight. If he isn't redeemed by these means, then he shall be released in the Year of Jubilee, he, and his children with him. For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God. (Leviticus 25:50-55)

What comes to mind in this verse in Revelation are the differences between left brain logical thinking and living, and right brain emotional thinking and living. Without going into a lengthy explanation of this, what is needed is synchronization, not separation. Yet the way we were created was to live from our heart, meaning we were never meant to take control of our own life by figuring out all the right answers and basing our decisions primarily on extensive knowledge and calculated determinations. That kind of living is what leads to malfunction, rebellion, independence from God and defines one of the reasons for the fall of Lucifer.

God created us to live in continual connection to His heart through means of a sensitized conscience tuned to be instantly responsive to the Holy Spirit. At the same time God wants us to grow in both grace and maturity, learning wisdom and skills and competency so that we become more and more like God. This is the likeness aspect of the design of humans expressed by God at creation. Yet this is not about independence from God but rather like what we hope for our children when they grow up. We don't want them to grow up so independent that they become estranged from us, but that we might become even closer friends as adults while they enjoy living their own healthy, happy life in sync with the values and goals we share together.

What does all this have to do with calculating the number of the beast? I believe it has a lot to do with it, for what this verse is urging us to do is to not imagine we can decipher the true meaning of what this is all about unless we humble ourselves and seek close counsel with the Source of all wisdom, for wisdom is urgently for this project, a wisdom beyond our own capacity to produce. Unless we are willing to confess our need for objective wisdom and divine input when coming to this task, we will arrive at conclusions that sound perfectly logical and reasonable but lack essential elements necessary to appreciate the far larger issues involved here. This is like a young adult choosing to seek the wisdom of their experienced parents for a major life decision instead of imagining they can figure everything out on their own without receiving greater perspective.

The beast that this number is linked to, is a direct agent spawned by the dragon and as such is much like the dragon in many respects. This means that it will be an expert in left brain logic, cunning and ability to readily deceive anyone who relies on their ability to figure out the right answers apart from a humble dependence on God. Lucifer was the most intelligent and capable created being in the universe, meaning his capacity to out-think everyone else apart from the Godhead was unrivaled. This is why he had such success in swaying the thinking of so many throughout the universe, retaining around a third of the entire angelic host to side with his attempted revisionist government. There was no match for his brilliant capacity to produce compelling logical explanations in support of his proposals to improve on God's government and laws. Only Michael was wiser than Lucifer, and this is because Michael was part of the Godhead and had created Lucifer originally.

What we are seeing here is part of the extreme tension between the witness of Michael who later become Jesus and is now humanity's representative in heaven – and the compelling arguments and assertions of Lucifer turned Satan whose capacity to distort truth and provide overwhelming arguments that appear irrefutable. When it comes to logical prowess and ability to expertly calculate answers, there is still no match against the massive capacity of Satan outside of tapping into the mind of Christ for guidance and divine wisdom. That is why we should be extremely careful to pay attention to the disposition of our own spirit when instructed to calculate the ID number of the key representative of the dragon, whose primary goal is to deceive the whole world just as Lucifer sought to deceive all the heavenly angelic beings previous to this world's existence.

The good news is that any person, if they are willing to humble themselves and seek God's face and pray for wisdom and insight, is equally able to receive insight and wisdom from God who shows no partiality to anyone. There is no hierarchy in God's relating to His children; that is part of what was invented by Satan and is projected back onto God by us. Wisdom is available to anyone who is willing to allow the Spirit of Wisdom and Truth to have access to rewire their thinking and perspectives about reality so they may receive discernment beyond human capacity to manufacture.

Wisdom is not something that can be purchased or acquired through education. That is knowledge, the kind of knowledge implied in the name of the Tree in the garden starting with that word. Wisdom comes from God and through life experiences and is not something that can be calculated, captured in formulas or is necessarily predictable. Wisdom has more to do with the condition of the spirit of a person combined with input from heaven to interpret the knowledge stored in God's word to apply in any situation. This wisdom is rare because so few people truly listen to the Spirit of Wisdom, partly because they fail to embrace the revelation of God's disposition exposed in the life and words of His Son Jesus Christ.

Let's accept this alert and pray for wisdom from God before we tackle the awesome task of discerning the true meaning of this number that originates with the beast and dragon. Let us humble ourselves to seek the face of Wisdom, believing without doubting that the God of all wisdom is generous and gives without grousing or stinginess when asked for wisdom. Actually this is good practice for every time we come to study and contemplate the word of God. Seeking God's Spirit of Wisdom before immersing ourselves in His word is the best way to avoid being seduced by the craftiness of diabolical minds intent on deceiving all who do not remain under the shadow of the Almighty.

Compliance or Embargo - Rumor notes 119

 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.

that no one would be able to buy or to sell

So much could be said about this that could take days to unpack. Buying and selling lie at the very root, and permeates every aspect of Satan's counterfeit design of reality he invented while still in heaven as Lucifer. This involves the mindset and practice of trading, something never imagined before the beginnings of sin. Trading and commerce is a distortion of the principle of agape love which is unconditional with no strings attached, no expectations or obligations of a return. Trading by definition expects return on investments – ROI. Heaven's principle is expressed clearly this way:

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give. (Matthew 10:8)

But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

This embargo action on the part of the collective hierarchy of this world's powers is the ultimate way to polarize and force everyone to conform to Satan's counterfeit system rooted in trading. The spirit of trading is the hallmark of Satan's handiwork, and at this point in history, participation in that system will be predicated on conformity, or at least acquiescence, to the spirit and methods of the dragon enforced by his henchmen. This is all embodied in receiving the mark, the mindset of the beast which is reflective of the mindset of the dragon who still insists he is the prince of this world.

For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury."

The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more;

The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;

They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate. (Revelation 18:3,11,14-15,19)

When your wares went forth out of the seas, you filled many peoples; you did enrich the kings of the earth with the multitude of your riches and of your merchandise. In the time that you were broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, your merchandise and all your company did fall in the midst of you. All the inhabitants of the islands are astonished at you, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their face. The merchants among the peoples hiss at you; you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being. (Ezekiel 27:33-36)

The idea of trading seems completely innocent and innocuous to us today because that is all we have known most of our lives. It may come as a shock to learn that this is part of the poison of Satan's subtle design to undermine and distort creation design. Yet as we come to understand how this is indeed the case, it becomes easier to discern how it defines so much of our thinking and interferes in our relationships, especially when it comes to God.

They joined with their brothers, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes; and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons; and if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy of them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day; and that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. (Nehemiah 10:29-31)

This is a prime example of how the subtle spirit of trading includes the spirit of legalism. Most assume God relates to us on a legal basis; blessings in exchange for obedience. Keep in mind that trading (an invention of Lucifer turned Satan) is foreign to God's design, for it opens the way to every other kind of evil. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10 KJV) It defies the existence of unconditional love, which is not based on obligations of return but a deep desire for joy-based intimacy. When we come to view God as issuing laws, statutes and regulations for others to obey before He will give favor, rather than as instructions for how to live in harmony with design principles of creation, we erode our capacity to enter into His rest, peace and joy. The result is emotional starvation. When legalism (viewing God as demanding obedience, and becoming offended and executing punishments when we are not) replaces love motivated by appreciation for His kindness, goodness and love, our heart is infected with a spirit of violence, and sooner or later it acts out in violating others. This is what happened to Lucifer and is a natural byproduct of trading, and this is inevitable in all who have this as the basis of their relationships.

By your wisdom and by your understanding you have gotten you riches, and have gotten gold and silver into your treasures; by your great wisdom and by your traffic have you increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches--

By the abundance of your traffic they filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your traffic, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of you; it has devoured you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you. (Ezekiel 28:4-5,16,18)

Here we see the spirit of violence emerges whenever the spirit of trading defines our relationships.

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)

Worship involves receiving our identity as well as learning how to act like ourselves from some source. Satan invented trading, but it is a denial of God's faithfulness and undermines trust in God's constant care and provision for all His creation. The spirit of expecting something in return sets us up for the spirit of offense and bitterness to fester in our heart whenever our expectations are unmet. As unresolved offenses accumulate, they become volatile emotions increasing tension until finally violence explodes. Violence means violating any part of God's design, and our heart is designed for unconditional love, graciousness, kindness, peace, joy and anything else reflective of God's heart. Trading contradicts who God is and thus produces dissonance in hearts never designed to live that way. The image of God becomes defaced so that the reflections of the heart become reflections of Satan's twisted view God. This is at the root of sin, not that God gets upset because people break His rules, but rather people distrusting His heart because they imagine Him to be demanding, severe and threatening punishments when He does not get paid back what He expects out of His investments in us. This is what it means to worship the beast, and the result is being transformed by the beast's version of God while rejecting the Lamb's true revelation of God's heart.

Thus says Yahweh my God: "Feed the flock of slaughter. Their buyers slaughter them, and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, 'Blessed be Yahweh, for I am rich;' and their own shepherds don't pity them. For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land," says Yahweh; "but, behold, I will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them." (Zechariah 11:4-6)

When people cling to dark views of God despite all His efforts to attract them through exposure to His unconditional love, the only thing left He can do is to respect our choices and to release us to experience the tragic consequences that result from worshiping beast-like gods. The principle of reflection and projection means that God will be perceived to be acting like us, yet in reality it is our own darkened views of God distilled from our own sordid thinking and reinforced by the father of lies that condemns and destroys us. God's wrath literally means giving us over, releasing us to the authority of the god we have chosen to serve. When the version of god we insist is accurate is actually a false twisted god perception, we project back onto Him the likeness of Satan rather than of Jesus.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' While they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. (Matthew 25:7-10)

Notice the source relied on by these foolish virgins. Their mindset was shaped by the economic system while the wise virgins were more focused on their relationship with the Bridegroom, so they had planned ahead because relationships was their highest priority.

Trading is predicated on expecting something in return in all our dealings with others. This way of thinking infects not just assets or services but becomes entangled in all our relationships. The spirit of trading and exchange under-girding our monetary systems can be summarized as the love of money, but we are told how to push back against that mindset.

But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. [the root of all evil. (KJV)] Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, "I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you." So that with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Buy the truth, and don't sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding. (Proverbs 23:23)

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

Because you say, 'I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;' and don't know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. (Revelation 3:17-18)

What we must not miss in this last passage is the currency we are to use in this transaction. Jesus says we are poor, despite the fact we think we are rich and need nothing. If we are poor, how does He expect us to pay Him when He says we must buy from Him what we lack? The currency is what He just listed as our condition; that is what He wants in exchange for the valuable things we desperately need. What He wants is our wretchedness, our misery, our poverty (blessed are the poor in spirit...), our blindness and our naked condition. In short, it is our sins, our garbage, our filth, our dark feelings of shame and condemnation and guilt – these are what we must unload onto Jesus so we can receive what we need most, His gold of faith and love, His white garments that reflect the righteousness of God, and eye salve that can remedy our spiritual blindness so we will see true reality more clearly. This is the strange currency Jesus invites us to use to become truly rich, clothed with light that liberates us from shame, and with clear thinking and hearts to experience the joy of being free and healed by love. This is the startling but powerful invitation Jesus offers all who want to experience true life.

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come you to the waters, and he who has no money; come you, buy, and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which doesn't satisfy? listen diligently to me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Turn your ear, and come to me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:1-3)

Here is a pivotal passage related to trading and exchange that exposes the core of our problem.

For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

Therefore God also gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, that their bodies should be dishonored among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions.... (Romans 1:20-26)

This cuts to the very heart of the nature of evil. Humans are created to reflect the image of God, and key to this is our freedom to choose. In Revelation we find the beast and its image demanding worship to them, using even threats of death to compel everyone to conform to their image. In Romans 1 we find the description of how this comes about.

Our original design was to glorify and reflect God's goodness and kindness, and ever express continual gratitude to Him (the essence of the New Song). But our logic has become confused and vain in the way we think and reason. Our heart has lost sensibility, capacity for sympathy, compassion, love and joy. Heavenly wisdom has been displaced with worldly wisdom, and without realizing it we have been made fools. We imagine we are rich, wise, healthy and have little need for God, but this is because we traded the truth about God for lies and false ideas that seduced us into believing we could live independent of God. By exchanging the truth of God for THE LIE, we worship and serve Satan, the creature, the most subtle, crafty and dangerous liar that ever existed. Worship means we receive our identity through his value system. We are kidnapped to be his slaves, serving him with ever-increasing fear rather than serving God in joy and freedom. We keep giving up our freedom in exchange of the truth about God, keeping us in bondage to fear or pride. Our hearts are darkened, empty and desperate inside. Yet we imagine we must participate in the trading system of this world to sustain our own life and satisfy our desires. Yet this is no different than the Israelites clamoring to go back into Egypt rather than staying in the wilderness dependent on God.

unless he has that mark

Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to me, and doesn't hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can't be my disciple. Whoever doesn't bear his own cross, and come after me, can't be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn't first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build, and wasn't able to finish.' Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy, and asks for conditions of peace. So therefore whoever of you who doesn't renounce all that he has, he can't be my disciple. (Luke 14:25-33)

People must weigh the consequences of being cut off from participation in the trading and exchange system this world uses to control the lives of all who dwell on the earth. Initially it may feel terrifying and overwhelming. Yet compare that with the rest of the story outlined in these others references to this mark in Revelation.

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)

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)

Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me."

Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign [mark] for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him. Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Genesis 4:13-16)

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 9:4-6)

How does this link to the mark in Revelation 13 and the kind of God Jesus brings into the open?

In Ezekiel the ones being marked appear to be the good guys while everyone else is in line to be killed. In Revelation the ones being marked worship the beast to avoid being killed. These passages appear to contradict each other. Are they referring to the same thing or are they opposite?

Previously in this chapter we discussed implications involved in bringing fire down out of heaven onto the earth as part of a program to deceive all who dwell on the earth. By relying on Elijah's precedent set on Mt. Carmel, the beast powers use his example of killing off the prophets of Baal as justification to kill off all who dare defy the clear evidence that God is behind the agenda being promoted by the beast.

How might this be repeated here in relation to the mark? In Ezekiel it appears clear that those who are on the side of God and have His favor and protection, are the ones who receive the mark on their forehead. Thus a strong argument could be advanced that in order to avoid punishment and death, people need to get with the program to save the planet for the good of mankind. To receive the mark can be portrayed as taking God's side who supports the agenda promoted by the beast powers. They are simply promoting the common good of humanity and portray dissenters and resistors as deserving of punishment and eventually death should they continue to resist compliance with the requirements for unifying a solid front to existential threats on the planet, and to restore and secure law and order in all the earth. What we learn here is that it all depends on the perspective one has about an issue that determines the meaning and interpretations of the symbols involved.

As previously discussed, this mark is more about disposition and perceived identity than anything. In Revelation the mark is located in two specific places – the right hand and/or the forehead. This sentence we are analyzing refers to 1 mark with 2 location options along with 3 different ways of identifying with the mindset of the beast and its image. What are the implications of this?

the name of the beast

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)

And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:5)

They said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)

Clearly here in chapter 13, none of the beasts have been identified with names like we think of them, so to suddenly bring up the issue of the name of the beast highlights that this is about character and disposition. The name or character of the beast is being exposed increasingly throughout this chapter and reflects the methods and motives of the dragon, the arch opponent and mortal enemy of the Lamb, the real hero of this book. So a good way to identity the name of the beast, the dragon and those with them is to get to know the Lamb who brings the light that exposes everything hidden in our darkness of lies and superstition that induces animosity against goodness and truth.

Because one of the locations for the mark is in the forehead, this corresponds to our chosen identity and character, share mindset with the spirit of compulsion and force exhibited by the beastly powers. When one has the name of the beast, it means they have not just chosen compliance to the intimidating demands of the beast powers, but they have come to embrace their spirit until they reflect them and form permanent characters in the likeness of the beast. This is different from those who have the mark on their hand which we discussed previously. This is willingly choosing to embrace an identity in opposition to those who choose to follow and reflect the Lamb.

the number of his name

These are people identified by a number relating to the name just discussed. What does this mean? Why are there three distinct categories as highlighted by the word 'or' in this sentence?

I believe it is helpful to contemplate the counterparts of these symbols we will study in the next chapter. When comparing truth with counterfeits, the true that is being counterfeited can sometimes be uncovered by noting why or how the counterfeit has power.

That mark on their right hand or forehead	Lamb and Father's name on their foreheads
The name of the beast	Name of the Lamb and his Father
The number of his name (666)	With the Lamb a number,144,000

This is part of a chart comparing Revelation 13 with the first half of Revelation 14. Here we see the counterparts on each side of the war and how their identity is located on their forehead as is the name they are associated with. Closely linked is a number by which they are also identified.

There appears to be a progression of ID here beginning with a mark, then connection with a name and finally a number. If the mark is primarily about a disposition, a mindset shaped by how we perceive God relating to us, this would indicate an internal condition of the heart and mind witnessed in how we express our thoughts, attitudes and character externally. Those who receive the mark of the beast will either embrace it enthusiastically with their mind and join the beast in its agenda to unify the world through means of compulsion and enforced laws (relying on the reward punishment system invented by the dragon), or at the least they will succumb to the pressure of threats of severe economic boycotts and conform to the demands and agenda of the beast even while not believing it internally but mainly out of fear.

The second ID relates to which source is allowed to shape our character, influence our choices and determine what direction each moves toward as far as worship. Keep in mind that worship is primarily about who we permit to define our identity, our sense of worth, and who we rely on to provide for our needs and satisfy our cravings. Those who worship the beast, its image and ultimately the dragon behind all of them, are squeezed into the world's mold while simultaneously becoming less like the image of the One who created them. They perceive their identity by how the world defines them, and their character absorbs the attributes of the name/character of who they identify with as their master. This is what it means to have the name of the beast. It means a person chooses to embrace, or at least comply with the ways and motives and agenda of the beast rather than resist it and thus incur the wrath of the dragon over them.

The last ID is more external, the number of the name of the beast. We will focus on this in our study of the next verse, but most important is heavenly wisdom and divinely assisted discernment to calculate what that number means. Note that having one's name displaced by a number is intentional dehumanization. Being identified only by a number diminishes our perceived sense of value, being merely a digit among many with no rights, little respect and buried in the psyche of the trading system which is about mind control.

By contrast, the number identifying the followers of the true Lamb denotes a perfect cube. This is found in Revelation in the dimensions of the New Jerusalem which is really a symbol of God's people. 144,000 is the product of 12 cubed times 1000, the latter being the symbolic number of God's presence (the cubic volume of the Most Holy room of the sanctuary where the literal presence of God's Shekina glory dwelt).

In contrast, those who dwell on the earth are identified by a number of fallen humanity, different from their counterpart group who identify with the Lamb. Freed from fear of death, they can no longer manipulated by fear or threats, for the Lamb overcame the power of death and has neutralized the enemy whose only power is fear. They live in freedom from fear for they live by faith in the Christ revealing that God is love and light with no darkness in Him. They receive His love freely and give love freely without resistance. They no longer love their own lives above others. They are motivated by the Spirit of the One who is love and they derive their identity from Him.