At Issue – Page 10 – Scripture Thoughts

Category: At Issue (page 10 of 14)

How Do We Know We’ve Really Forgiven Someone?

We often say we have forgiven someone. But have we really? How can we be sure? It is crucial to us that we forgive people who have wronged us, and the forgiveness must be from our heart (complete). God says to us, “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:26). Ouch!

If we wonder whether or not we have really forgiven someone, we can allow the Holy Spirit to ask us the
following insightful questions:
1) Are we willing to pray for that person’s welfare?
2) Are we willing to help and do good for that person?
3) Are we willing not to gossip about that person, especially when their name comes up in a conversation?
4) Are we willing to ask God not to punish them or hold anything against them for what they did to us?
5) Do we have inner peace about it?
6) Are we still “grinding an ax” against them in our thought life?

We can forgive someone and yet still not want to be around them due to what they stand for or what they do. Forgiving someone also does not mean that we trust them either. Some people will not repent or change for the better. I don’t see the Bible telling us we have to yoke ourselves with them. I guess I would call this “forgiving from a distance.” In most cases, however, we will be side-by-side with those who have offended us from time to time and we must be willing to forgive.

Are there levels of forgiveness? My initial thought is that we either we do it or we don’t. I guess I still stand by that, but I also realize that there are degrees of “aftermath” from an incident. Trust, for example, may take a long time to be restored, if ever. God never tells us to trust in any human, however. There may be long-lasting repercussions resulting from the offense and the forgiver must work through those things.

If we struggle with forgiving someone, it may reflect some problems with RECEIVING God’s forgiveness for ourselves. This does not involve us forgiving ourselves. Surprisingly, the Bible never tells us to do this. If we are in Christ, our sin as been resolved (Romans 8:1). The closer we are to Him, and the more we realize how much we have been forgiven, the more love and ability to forgive others we have (Luke 7:47). Therefore, the solution to this problem may be repenting, getting into His Word, and allow His love to flood us. When we love Him, we love others (1 John 2:9-12).

If any of you readers feel you have not forgiven someone as you think about this topic, I strongly urge
you to go to God in prayer and ask Him to help you, if you think you just cannot forgive someone. I’ve
had to do this on two occasions. It worked both times. Thank God, I am free. No unforgiveness or
bitterness is chaining me down.

Feedback:
P.T. – This is a tough one, Dave. I recently have been visiting an Urban church that has just gone through a split. The pastor is trying to salvage what is left of the church and is preaching on forgiving one another and going to them and reconcile. Looks like pride is the problem, and I say that because it is what “I” do, a lot. I don’t want to carry the burden of someone who differs from me and yet I know that if I separate from them I am no better than the pagan who readily writes someone off they don’t agree with. I tried to mention the beatitudes of loving one’s enemies to a group at this church and was readily put in my place and told boundaries were violated and separation is called for sometimes. Yes, if violence or abuse is the problem, but I will continue to do good and remember that it cost God a lot to forgive me–His own Son. God did not give up on me, neither will I others and bear the burden, a cross, to love others as God loved me.

Dave to P.T. – Thanks for your comments. I cannot comment about that church split and the so-called
“boundaries that were violated” because I do not know enough about that situation, but it seems to me that you have the right attitude and solution. First, you see and admit to wrong attitudes that you can have.
Most people do not. Second, you have tried to make peace. Jesus calls you blessed for that. Third,
“violating boundaries” is not up there with blaspheming the Holy Spirit, so I hope they can seek God and
ask His help to make things right.

Patricia P. – This is an issue I’ve been struggling with for the last few months. A very good friend has been stealing from me. She’s been a friend for years and we had this same problem 2 years ago. We didn’t see or speak to each other for several months back then. I read my Bible a lot, especially about forgiving, and finally went to see her. She admitted what she’d done and promised it would never happen again. I forgave her, we talked, cried, and became really close again. She spends a lot of time in my home and, many times she’s inside my house while I’m outside doing yard work. I started noticing a few things missing but nothing too big or important to me so I kind of let it slide. I began getting nervous and uptight, telling myself that it couldn’t possibly be happening again. A couple of weeks later, I purposely left a few things out in the open while I went outside. After she left, I went to see if my things were still where I left them and they were gone. I was shocked, saddened, and heartbroken. I talked about it with my sister, who was surprised I forgave her the first time. I told my sis that I have again forgiven my old friend, but I can no longer be friends with her. She’s no longer welcome in my home. I miss her terribly but am getting used to not having her around. I don’t trust her at all now and just can’t be her friend and welcome her in my home. I feel terrible about it but it has to be this way. Do you think I’m doing the right thing? The whole thing really bothers me a lot but I just can’t see her or be around her anymore.

Dave – Thanks for the great question. Overall, I think you’ve done well with your situation. My first question is what did you talk about when confronting her that first time? Do you know why she stole from you. Friends don’t steal from friends unless drug abuse is involved. Your friend obviously has a serious problem and needs help. It doesn’t sound like she steals money from you but, of course she could be selling them for money. Is she willing to get help? Pray that she gets it.

As far as allowing her in your home is concerned, I agree with what you have made clear to her. As I’ve said, forgiving is not necessarily equated with trusting. If you’re concerned about not having a close friend, ask God to provide one. He loves His kids, and you are one of His kids.

In His Love,
Dave

Patricia P. – She was stealing my pain medication and once in a while loose change from my change bank. The drugs were the big thing though. I guess I didn’t help though since there a few times when I could see she was in a lot of pain, I’d give her one of my pills. Then, she started asking me for them and I asked her to stop asking and that I shouldn’t have given her any since I short myself. She seemed to understand and said she wouldn’t ask anymore. That’s when I started noticing my supply was dwindling. I actually caught her one day and told her to leave my house and not to come back.

Months later I went to see her and she cried, we talked and she admitted to taking the pills. he apologized up and down and said it would never happen again. Again, I gave her a pill every now and then since I knew she was in pain. She’s been to the emergency room many times for severe neck and back pain, had MRI’s and was told she had serious problems in her neck. She’s never gone to see doctors because she doesn’t have a primary care doctor who could refer her to specialists.

Long story short, she began taking my pills again, and even coming to my house when I wasn’t home and using my back door to get in. I caught her again and this time just had to make a final break and not see her anymore. I still miss her company a lot but have to get over it. I pray for her a lot and ask God if I’m doing the right thing. She was beginning to come to church with me and we talked about reading the Bible. She knows I read mine every day and she started asking me questions. I’m sad about not being able to bring her to church anymore but if I do that, I’ll start things up all over again and I just can’t do that. I tried to get her to go to a doctor and get some help with her pain but she doesn’t want to spend the money. I guess it’s her choice. I have forgiven her but can’t be around her anymore.

Dave – If she is willing to go to church with you, and if she is asking questions about our faith, I suggest going to your pastor and see if he could organize some folks to give money for your friend’s doctor appointment. If money is collected for her, I would not give her the cash. Someone can hold it for her, go with her to the appointment, and pay the doctor for her. This would be a good witness to the love and care Christians have for others. It also may cause your friend to come to church more and read the Bible for herself. Our church has a separate fund for these kinds of cases, maybe yours does too. It’s worth finding out.

Knowing the Times in Which We Live Will Move Us to Action

October 5, 2017 / dscheer / 0 Comments

While fishing in Canada one summer, I had caught some bass and put them in a metal cage in the water by the dock. They stayed in there a couple of days. Finally, I decided to set them free. When I opened the cage, those bass just stayed there. They would not swim away. They had been conditioned to stay put. I had to stir them a bit so they could act on their new freedom, and away they went.

The New Testament makes it clear that Jesus defeated Satan and that Satan will be bound for many years. But why is there so much evil on this planet today? When the Bible states that Satan is bound, it does not mean he is totally out of action. The Bible states clearly that it meant he could no longer deceive nations like he did for centuries during the Old Testament times. How then could Jesus tell 12 men to go into the world and preach the Gospel, and within a span of 100 years nations were converted? Because Satan was bound SO THAT HE COULD NO LONGER DECEIVE THE NATIONS. This fulfilled Revelation 20:2-3. Many think this binding of Satan has not yet occurred in history. I think it has. Our trouble is what we think of when someone is bound it means total incapacity. I don’t think this is what the Scripture means, or says. In OT times, missionaries wouldn’t have a chance. Now they do. Therefore, some drastic change had to have taken place in the spirit world that in turn affected earth.

The other problem is that too many Christians interpret Revelation literally whereas it should be approached using the consistent symbolic language that God has used in both the Old and New Testaments. Some Bible scholars believe that the millennium is not a literal 1,000 year period, but rather an extended period of time. I favor this interpretation. However, make no mistake…Satan is no wimp! He cast nations into hell for centuries and gave our Lord and Savior a very rough time when He was on earth. Today, we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11). This means he still is scheming! He still sets traps for us to fall into and still tries to keep souls from the Truth. So all the more reason for us to walk humbly in Christ relying upon His grace for our safety, discernment, and service to Him.

Some theologians have compared Satan’s binding and downfall after Christ’s victory to the Allied forces landing on Normandy Beach in France during WWII. It was a huge death blow to the Nazi Regime, therefore it was just a matter of time for the final victory to occur. Before that invasion, the Nazis had their way with Europe. The time between the Allied landing and Nazi unconditional surrender may represent the Church Age in which we find ourselves. Christ has all authority, we are seated with Him in the spirit places, Satan has been defeated (stripped of power and cannot trick nations any longer), we have power over Satan through Christ, but all Christ’s enemies are not under His feet yet (1 Corinthians 15:25). This is why Paul wrote to the believers in Rome that God would soon crush Satan under their feet (Romans 16:20). Rome was cruel to Christians, but God would judge that power, and by 476 AD it was destroyed. This is just one peek we get today about the Church Age and Christians reigning with Christ causing these big changes in history. Notice how the Islamic people have been ramping up attacks on Christians, especially throughout Africa and the Middle East. God will eventually judge this. Maybe this is why there is so much upheaval and violence breaking out in Muslim countries. God and His Bride (The Church) will win in the end when all His enemies are put under His feet.

When Jesus ascended to heaven following His resurrection, He sat down at the right hand of God which began His rule over the earth. “Right hand” always signifies power. Mark 16:19 says, “….He was received up into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” In Psalm 110:1, it says, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet. The Lord will stretch forth Thy strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Thine enemies.’ The people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power….” Notice the word “until.“ This reveals that there will be some time between when Jesus took His throne in Heaven and when He has the final or complete victory. I maintain that these verses are referring to this Church Age. Jesus is ruling from heaven and there are enemies still lurking about on earth, but He is still ruling in the midst of them as the psalmist said. “Zion” in that verse can easily represent “The Church” (true believers all over the world) as millions of Christians in NT times have volunteered to do many exploits for Jesus’ sake. These volunteers flowed out of the world-wide church that started in Zion. At present, there is a nation within the nations, and it is this nation (the kingdom of God) that will be the only one standing forever (Daniel 2:44). All others will crumble because they were formed by fallen man. God’s nation is based upon the One who willingly gave up all His power (Matthew 26:53). Matthew 13:31-32 states that the “mustard seed” (Jesus buried) has become the biggest of all plants (kingdoms).

Acts 2:17 and Hebrews 1:2 reveals that the coming of the Messiah marked the beginning of “the last days” or “end times.” The Old Testament talked about this era several times in different books. This present time between Messianic comings is this “Church Age.” I believe that this is when Jesus starts putting His enemies under His feet (Romans 16:20). The degree to which God has spread His truth throughout the world had never been done on such a grand scale as this! The spread of Christianity exploded on the planet like no other religion in history, and it is still expanding worldwide. Many Christians, however, may not understand why this explosion could happen.

In Matthew 12:29 Jesus said, “Or how can anyone entering the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” I believe that Jesus was referring to what He did to Satan and that would usher in the Church Age where Christ’s sons and daughters would plunder Satan’s house which is this world. Furthermore, because of our sin, we once were property of Satan. He had us in his snare, but Jesus was able to “carry us out” because He was able to bind Satan, the strong man of this world. During our time, Jesus is still using us to plunder Satan’s house. Because Jesus bound Satan so that he could not deceive the nations any longer, that evangelical explosion could happen. What an awesome thing to be able to do to use frail flesh and blood creatures to overthrow high supernatural powers!

This time period just may not be limited to a literal 1,000 years. The Millennium may simply represent a long period of time, i.e., the Church Age. More to a major point, the Book of Revelation is not consisting mostly of future events but rather an account of the unfolding of church history, starting with that first century church. This would mean that most of Revelation has been fulfilled and dispensationalism has missed a huge perspective while adopting a Jesuit belief that emerged from the Counter Reformation (Catholic attempt to quell the Protestant Reformation) that an Anti-Christ is still on his way to earth rather than already “been there, done that.” This erroneous method of interpreting the Book of Revelation may have misguided many believers and has served to take the heat off the Roman Catholic Church and all its horrific, hateful, anti-Christian history, and current blasphemous doctrines. One huge one is the continual insistence that the reigning Pope is God on the earth and should be addressed as The Holy Father as well as be bowed down to in his presence. Every godly man and angel in the Scriptures refused to be treated in this way, including Peter whom they day was the first pope. Ironic, eh?

What does all this mean for us today? Those fish in the water cage were like people in Old Testament times. They were preserved but really were not free like we are under the New Covenant. When I opened that cage, it was like what Jesus did for us. Many believers today, however, do not realize how free they are and what kind of power into which they can tap. We can conquer much “territory” and many souls by destroying satanic strongholds through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Every believer has been given some sphere of influence. Some may have large spheres while others have small ones. That does not matter. What matters is that we flow in the Spirit through whatever sphere God has given us (see Luke 16:10).

We can either choose to utilize His power or not. Our time is an exciting time in which to dwell. We have
so much to live for and so much power into which we can tap. Let us take full advantage of what the Lord
has given us. He has “opened our cage.“ The Gospel that Christ has given us is powerful. Through the
fervent prayers and blood of true believers, it eventually prevailed over the Roman Empire, a tyrannical
Roman Church, formed our nation, caused numerous wars in Europe during the Reformation as the
persecutors of the true Church were being judged by God, and toppled the Berlin Wall. Other domains
will be yet conquered by our ruling Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through people who truly follow and
obey His Voice. This conquering is not done with worldly weapons. God says, “Not by power nor by
might, but by My Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

In Daniel Chapter 2, God showed King Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel a vision of four kingdoms of history in the order they would rule. The first was Babylon, second Medea-Persia, third Greece, and fourth Rome. Verses 34 and 35 speak of a “stone cut without hands” that would destroy kingdoms and be the only kingdom standing at the end and would fill the whole earth. Jesus is that stone and His kingdom has toppled many governments and will continue to do so until His Kingdom alone is left standing, and it will last forever. Right now, you and I are an important part of that kingdom development and we can do much more for God than people living in Old Testament times. The revelation and power just weren’t there yet. So let us plug into that power source and let us not waste time, for our days are numbered and we really do not have much time left. Let us “volunteer freely” as the psalmist prophesied about you and I in Psalms 110:3. If you purpose to do this, then God will open doors that no one can shut (Rev.3:8)…and He will accomplish more than you would think through you. It all starts with humility and sincere prayer. Then God will stir you and you will swim away from that opened cage.

Feedback:
NF – Very good word–Dave!

Mickey L – Dave all of your message here is based on your belief that Revelation cannot be taken literally. You are looking at Scripture with a biased opinion that you have on the way Scripture, especially the way Revelation, should be interpreted. The Bible states that Satan is the prince of this world. Satan is alive and well. Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking who to devour. Eph. 6:11-12 talks about us having to put on the full armour of God, we fight Satan with Gods power. Where does it say that Satan cannot deceive nations anymore? Look at the rise of the Muslim faith, its demonic. Satan wasn’t bound when Christianity began. The Holy Spirit indwelt believers giving them power and protection, and them individually or as a body binding Satan at a specific time. God is the same God in the OT and the new He protected Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, etc. The danger of replacing Zion and replacing it with the church is we start down the road of replacement theology. Respectfully the danger of looking at Scripture through opinion changes our thought process leading us to interpret the rest of the Scripture differently. You as a leader have a huge responsibility don’t let opinion cloud what you teach. Sorry I’m a little harsh first thing in the morning,

Dave to Mickey – Thanks for expressing yourself, and yeah, you were a bit harsh, but you are too lovable for me to hold anything against you. I absolutely love your passion for Jesus and to get others saved and your approach to all your family members. But MOST of all, I still love you even though you are a Montreal Canadiens fan!

Actually both you and I approach our interpretation in the same way. You believe the Book of Revelation should be interpreted literally in places where I do not. There is no difference between you and I. We both allow our assumptions to direct our interpretations. This is not necessarily bad. But the assumptions should follow a regimented course rather than a random one. The short essay I wrote psyches me up in the spirit much more than a dispensational view. It just increases my love and excitement for Jesus and His people.

You asked, “Where does it say that Satan was bound so that he cannot deceive the nations?” Revelation 20:3. Once this occurred, the Gospel was able to spread like wildfire for centuries, even to this day. This “binding” did not render Satan powerless as you conintue to accuse me of believing. Yes, he is alive and powerful, but severely wounded (limited further). A strong implication of when this binding happened is found in Matthew 12:29. Jesus was saying that He could cast out demons because He first bound Satan. At first, I had a problem with this part. I thought that if Satan was bound, then he could do nothing. But this I have come to discover is not what the Bible says. I put my own way of thinking onto the Scriptures and allowed that to cloud my mind as to what God’s Word is saying. So certainly the devil, along with his demons, can still inspire bad things to happen. They just cannot stop the Gospel from going forward (Matthew 16:18).

I do not understand how “replacement theology” (i.e., Israel representing the Church) is such a horrible thing. If true, I still love and support Israel and as a nation (Romans 11) and am willing to pray for those people. I still love and respect a Jewish person and am willing to pray for their salvation. How, then, is this such a demonic force? If it leads to anti-semitism, then, yes, that is bad. But this bad result does not have anything to do with the merits of the approach to End-Time prophecy. It simply is a failure on individual’s parts not to maintain the love of the Spirit of God.

The Book of Revelation starts out in such an obvious symbolic manner, that I am surprised that you do not see it. In fact, Revelation 1:20 even explains some of the symbolism. The chain that binds Satan is not a literal metallic chain that could have any effect on a spiritual being. God uses language so we can understand the effect of what is being portrayed. The two-edged sword coming out is Jesus’ mouth is not a literal metallic sword. It represents the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12), and it is this that ultimately defeats the Anti-Christ, which is most likely the papacy. Jesus also uses it (His Word) to “smite the nations.” The Protestant Reformation was empowered by the Bible getting out to the common people. The spread of the Gospel caused many horrible wars in Europe and beyond. In the meantime, the Catholic Church forbade the Scriptures to be read by anyone but the priests for about a thousand years and popes murdered at least 50 million Christians! This is what the Anti-Christ was to do – overpower the saints for a season (Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:7). “Anti-Christ” is a spirit behind evil people. John said there were anti-christs in the world at the time of his writing (1 John 2:18). The notion that it is one man in history clouds the reality. The papacy was a position of world power that opposed the True Church. Its power to cause “fire to come down from the sky” and to perform miracles may refer to the Catholic Church’s attesting miracles – visions of Mary, bleeding or crying statues, Lourdes healing, stigmatas, worship of saints, Papal infallibility, etc. All these were/are affirmed by every Pope and served to hold captive those who are deceived. Ultimately, it was the spread of God’s Word that stripped the papal power over the civilized world in 1798. This power was revived in 1929 via Lateran Concordat signed by Bonito Mussolini. This may fulfill the prophecy of the “seemingly fatal wound being healed” because it returned political and diplomatic power to the Papacy and the Vatican became a sovereign state.

In short, the Book of Revelation is a symbolic glimpse into what the Church Age would experience. Jesus knew it would be very tough for early believers, so He wanted to comfort them by letting them know that all this must happen, but they will triumph in the end. Jesus knew there was going to be a big gap between His ascension and His Second Coming so He needed to fill in that gap for the sake of believers going through this Age, especially those in the early church. Jesus knew that once civil Roman power crumbled, a religious power would then, and only then, be able to take over, and this power would be the work of Satan leading to the, or an, Anti-Christ. The early church leaders thought that the “restrainer” mentioned in 2 Thess. 2:7 was Roman civil power, not the Holy Spirit as the dispensationalists have believed. This could be the reason why Paul did not mention it by name in that verse because if it fell into Roman hands, he would be executed for “preaching Rome’s demise.”

It should not shock you to realize that God has consistently used symbolism throughout the Old and New Testaments. One clear example is when He says things like “the sun will be darkened and the moon shall not give its light.” Ezekiel 32:7 and Amos 8:9 used this symbolic language code to reveal judgments against Israel that were fulfilled in that time period, and neither orb stopped shedding light. Jesus said He is the “bread of life.” He is not a loaf of rye bread. He said that if we do not drink His blood and eat His flesh, we cannot be saved. If this is literal, then only Roman Catholics are going to heaven, not you or me. So do not spurn the idea that the Bible contains much symbolism. I think God uses it heavily when making predictions because He may not want fallen humans to figure out EVERYTHING before it happens, but rather perceive it all after it happens in order to reinforce the idea that His Word is true and that God is in control. This is always reassuring in light of this dark and troubled world. God certainly allowed the Jews of Jesus’ day to misinterpret the role of the Messiah’s first coming. They were looking for a earthly deliverer much like Moses delivered the Jews from Egypt. This misinterpretation allowed the real prophecies to be fulfilled without any human interference.

Don’t get me wrong, Christians who agree with me on End-Times readily admit that we do not know all the answers, and some tough questions still remain. But just like I believe the Creation Model works better than the Evolution Model to explain history, the amillennial approach makes more sense to me than dispensationalism (plus I have a hard time approving of the spirit in John Darby who started this approach in the 1800s – arrogant and self-righteous, and Cyrus Scofield may have been a worse character).

One major problem is that I find, as was true for me at one point, dispensationalists are ignorant of church history which allows them to jump to conclusions when reading the daily newspaper headlines concerning world affairs. Before we do this, we should first eliminate the possibility that something has already been fulfilled. The only way we can do this is to research what has actually happened in the past.

Another huge point dispensationalists miss is when the Last Days began. Peter, in Acts 2:16, states clearly that the Last Days began at Pentecost. And even says the “sun will be dark and the moon turn into blood” in verse 20. Has the moon ever turned into blood? No, and it never will. It simply is the symbolic language that God has consistently used throughout His Word meaning judgment was coming. Dispensationalist consistently disregard this important part of our Father.

I know this is difficult for you to accept, and it was for me because I was raised as a dispensationalist without even realizing it. And I, like many others, was ignorant of history. I certainly do not want it to cause any bad feelings between us. We are both sons of the Most High and are dearly loved by Him. We are both allowing God to flow through us to others in order to build the Kingdom. And if you never agree with me on this matter, we will both spend eternity in awe of Jesus. Neither point of view teaches heresy or blocks the ability for others to get saved or even baptized in the Holy Spirit. There are even other approaches to End-Time prophecies that I do not agree with – Preterism is one. But even the Preterists know the real Jesus and are saved. So we will still be one big happy family in the eternity, and hopefully in our present time. 🙂

Mickey to Dave – David your very first sentence speaks volumes when you say that Satan is bound and, if so, why is there so much evil in the world? Through your view that Revelation is current it doesn’t make sense, but if we look at it as a future event it makes all the sense in the world. When Revelation says that Satan was bound for a thousand years and we make it current, then we say things like the Gospel progressed in the first hundred years because Satan was bound. My beef is that as a teacher with a large number of people following you they may come to believe that this is fact. Which it may turn out to be, but it also may be totally wrong.

I get a magazine every month called Israel my glory. It is written by Messianic Jews and every month. One of there biggest concerns is how Christians have embraced replacement theology to their detriment. How whole denominations are divesting their money and taking it out on Israel. They back the Palestinians and call Israel occupiers. They say Israel has no claim to the land and God is finished with Israel. They must rip out Romans 9 and 11 and just about every book in the Old Testament. To sanitize it, they say they are not against Jews but against Zionism. They may not like it but the Jews are the apple of God’s eye and the 144 thousand witnesses are men from the 12 tribes of Israel (taken literally).

One other thing that is pretty cool on your subject of the moon turned into blood. Do you know that in 2014 and 2015 there will be four blood red total lunar eclipses that will fall on Passover and Sukkot in 2014 and 2015? The same back-to-back occurrences occurred in 1492 when Spain gave the Jews the choice to convert or get out of Spain, in 1948 when Israel became a nation and 1967 the six day war. Each blood moon has been a bad omen for Israel. During this century the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God’s holy days of Passover in the spring and autumn’s Feast of Tabernacles, also called Sukkoth, occur in 2014 and 2015. What does that mean? I have no idea. We will have to wait.

Hey, like you I have strong opinions but this makes no difference in our relationship I will still show you where the big fish are and am so looking forward to our fishing week where we can banter face-to-face. You can swim can’t you?

Dave to Mickey – When you ask, “if Satan is bound, then why is there so much evil in the world?” it reveals that you continue to ignore what I have plainly said about this “binding of Satan.” I am also no fan of the Palestinian cause regarding their claim to territory in Israel, and yes I can swim :-). BTW – When I teach, I do not make End-Time prophecy the main topic all the time. If it does emerge, I make sure people realize there is more than one view. I have met very few Christians who realize this. That is sad and not fair. I am sure of one thing, not one approach knows everything and has everything right. PS – I’ve read the rebuttal to that info on “blood moons” and the entire teaching is flawed.

The Mark of the Beast – 666

October 4, 2017 / dscheer / 0 Comments

I have studied this issue for a number of years. Some of the theories may surprise or offend some people. The purpose is not to offend. Please do not interpret any statement from this essay as a condemnation of people from a certain faith. I find that many Christians are not that familiar with church history, so some of the information may come as a shock. So please give all statements an open-minded chance. There is much more I could say to support my beliefs on the topic of Anti-Christ, but I felt it would distract from the main topic which is the mark of 666 mentioned in Revelation 13:18. However, since this mark is closely related to Anti-Christ, I felt I needed to deal with that issue at least a bit.

The mark of the beast will indicate a person’s allegiance to the Anti-Christ (or, an anti-Christ). First, we must realize that the word “anti” can mean “against” or “in place of.” Since 1 John 2:18 reveals that there were many antichrists in his day, and since there are other Bible Books and verses predicting future anti-Christs (or one Anti-Christ), I think both meanings might apply depending on the person fulfilling that role. This is a key concept when interpreting End-Time Scriptures.

There was a time between the Testaments when Jews were forced to be branded with the symbol of the god Dionysius. Was this some kind of forerunner to what Revelation reveals? There are three viewpoints concerning the mark of the beast mentioned in Revelation 13:16-18.

Dispensationalists believe that God has made more than one covenant at different times in history. The one with the Jews is somewhat different than the one with Gentiles. Their tendency is toward literal interpretations of end-time prophecies rather than symbolic. They assert that most end-time prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. Therefore they say this mark has not yet occurred in history, and it will be a stamp on foreheads or right hands, meaning it will have physical substance. Due to the modern technology boom, they have speculated that the mark may be a computer chip embedded under the skin. When scanned, it will enable people to buy or sell things much like our use of plastic money today.

Historicists, on the other hand, believe that most end-time prophecies have been fulfilled by events in the past. They see a consistent use of symbolic phrases used in OT repeated in the NT and they try to let the Bible interpret itself rather than imposing a theory about end-times and trying to make verses fit that theory. They therefore think the mark is not literal and has been already occurred in history (and may be still occurring today). They tend to look at the Old Testament for clues for interpreting prophecies about end-times. For example, in Exodus 13:16 God commanded His people to be sure to remember their redemption by placing the memory of it on their hand and between their eyes. Perhaps this meant he wanted that memory to be part of their thoughts (between eyes, mind) as well as their actions (hands). If this is precedence, then the mark of the beast would not be a literal mark but rather something that would align a person to the (or an) anti-Christ’s power. In John’s day, it meant worshiping the Emperor of Rome. Certain cities, especially Thyratira and Pergamum, had powerful trade guilds that demanded anyone who buys or sells to participate in some unholy practices in the name of the Emperor. Needless to say, Christians had a difficult time with this.

Preterists believe that all end-time prophecy has been fulfilled by 70 AD, except Christ’s Second Coming. They are similar to historicists in that they perceive much end-time fulfillment in history, but believe the mark is the stamped image of the Nero’s head on every coin of the Roman Empire – the stamp on the hand or in the mind of all, without which no one could buy or sell. New Testament scholar Craig C. Hill says, “It is far more probable that the mark symbolizes the all-embracing economic power of Rome, whose very coinage bore the emperor’s image and conveyed his claims to divinity. It had become increasingly difficult for Christians to function in a world in which public life, including the economic life of the trade guilds, required participation in idolatry.”

A similar view is offered by Craig R. Koester:

As sales were made, people used coins that bore the images of Roman gods and emperors. Thus each
transaction that used such coins was a reminder that people were advancing themselves economically by
relying on political powers that didn’t recognize the true God. (Source)

Update from “Studying the Book of Revelation” by David Riggs in Bookmarks:

Also, the beast sought to cause all (no exceptions–from the highest official to the lowest slave) to receive the mark of the beast (again, he imitates God’s action, Rev. 7:3; 9:4;14:1). As God’s seal placed on the foreheads of the saints was not literal but figurative of His recognition of His own, so the mark of the beast is symbolic of those officially belonging to Satan. Later, those with the mark of the beast receive the wrath of God (14:9-10;16:2;19:20). Those who did not receive the mark of the beast were refused the privileges of buying and selling (Rev.13:17). This is a well-known fact in Roman history in the time of Domitian (81-96A.D.). Images were set up to make worship of the emperor easier and those who refused to worship the image were refused the privileges of buying and selling in the market places. Thus, those with the mark of the beast were those who yielded to the idolatrous edicts of the Roman emperor.

In any case, the content of this mark will contain the name of the beast or the number of his name, and the number is 666 (some manuscripts say 616). A popular method of associating a number with a name is using the number equivalents to letters of the alphabet in certain languages. The first letter also represents the number 1. The second letter = 2, 11th letter = 20 and the 12th letter = 30 etc. So it is possible to add the letters up to get a final number total from a name. This process was known as “gematria.” Unfortunately there have been many ridiculous applications of this method over the years in an attempt to identify Anti-Christ, but this does not mean that we should scrap the whole method. Jesus’ name is calculated as 888. I’m not sure if this means anything. The Pope is crowned with these words as they are inscribed on his mitre (headgear): “Vicar of the Son of God.” This phrase IN LATIN equals 666: V=5, I=1, C=100, A=0, R=0, I= 1, U=5, S=0, F=0, I=1 L=50 I=1, I=1, D=500, E=0, I=1. Total = 666. The word “vicar” means “substitute.” Therefore any Pope is “in place of” Christ.

The prophecies in Daniel 2 and 7 clearly point to Rome being the place from where the man of sin would arise. In Chapter 2 God shows him a vision of 4 earthly kingdoms in the order of their times. The first was Babylon, then Medes-Persia, then Greece, and then Rome. Verse 44 pinpoints when God would set up His Kingdom that will never end. It would be during that 4th kingdom – Rome. Since Christ’s triumphant ascension (marking the beginning His eternal reign from the Throne of God in Heaven) occurred during Rome’s rule which was the 4th kingdom prophesied by Daniel, we know that the Anti-Christ and the 666 number will arise out of that city.

Then later in Chapter 7, God shows Daniel those same 4 kingdoms, and describes the nature of each. Verse 7 refers to the Roman Empire. Verses 8 and 20-26 describe an (or the) anti-Christ. Verse 25 even says this reign would last for 1260 days (42 months). Many theologians believe “days” means “years” because if the number of days mentioned in Daniel 9:25-26 are converted to years, that accurately pinpoints the timing of Jesus’ appearance as Messiah. The Papal State did rule for 1260 years which poses an eerie connection. Only the King James Version makes verse 26 clearly state that this Anti-Christ power would be overthrown BY THE SAINTS (true believers). As a result of the Protestant Reformation, the gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ began to spread rapidly throughout the world. The Papal State had this truth locked up for all those years by banning Bible reading and claiming salvation was only through their rituals. There were small pockets of true believers who were under constant persecution by the Popes such as the Waldenseans and the Moravians, but they were never stamped out. Thank God. So the saints during the Reformation found Biblical Truth and spread it to nations thus weakening and eventually toppling Papal world power. The Papal tyrannical, bloody rule, which murdered and tortured millions of Christians throughout its history, was indeed beastly.

The Reformation played a major role in defeating papal world power. More specifically, it was the Word of God getting into the hands of the public domain that was the source of power that did this. Jesus, in the Book of Revelation, appears to the Apostle John with a sword coming out of His mouth. Clearly, Jesus was donned with symbolic meanings. He really does not have a metal sword coming out of His mouth. But the Bible makes clear that this sword represents the “Word of God” both in Hebrews 4:12 and Revelation 1:16; 19:15. The “war” that Jesus wages with His “sword” is figurative language describing how the Bible changed lives and nations throughout the Church Age.

The Preterists believe that Nero was the Anti-Christ because he killed believers and the letters of his name add up to 666 if “Nero Caesar” is written in Hebrew. When his Latin name is written in Hebrew, it adds to 616. If not the Anti-Christ, perhaps he was a prototype for someone else who was or is to come. He certainly fits an anti-Christ profile from the Scriptures.

Is there any significance to 666? Some speculate that since those 6s are one short of 7, which is God’s perfect number of completion, an Anti-Christ would be someone striving to take God’s place but comes up short. The fact that there are 3 sixes leads some to think that it is a false Trinity.

Conclusion – I do not believe this mark is physical and therefore can somehow be detected or seen by humans. There is enough precedence in OT and NT showing that various seals and marks are seen by the spirit realm only (see Ezekiel Chapter 9). Besides, if 666 was literal and visible, how could an Anti-Christ con people into following him? Wouldn’t that be just a tad too obvious?! Many dispensational books and movies have been produced in the last 40 years in America proclaiming these interpretations. So if a world leader emerged and entered a rebuilt Jewish Temple, claimed to be God, and stamped a 666 on people’s bodies, I just don’t see how that could fool anyone since those interpretations have been so widely publicized. We must always bear in mind that Satan is a master deceiver. Therefore, I believe the mark of the beast is spiritual and the people who have it could even be from different centuries. I think a person would receive this mark if their heart is devoted to an, or the Anti-Christ – someone who arrogantly claims to be in place of Christ or God, and history can cite several. 1 John 2:18; 4:3 states that there have been several and the spirit of Antichrist was already in the world at his writing.

I think it is safe to say, as John did in his second epistle, that there were and are many anti-Christs in the world. In my opinion, the position of the Papacy fulfills the specific predictions that Anti-Christ or the man of sin would do. Therefore, the man of sin is not just one man but many men. It was the position of the Papacy that claimed to be “in place of” Christ on earth (and still does), and this authority raged against God’s people for 1260 years – the longest of any one governmental authority in the history of the world. The Book of Revelation chronicles the Papal State’s activities. The Pope’s tiara (beehive-shaped hat) has three gold bands proclaiming that he is “Lord of Heaven, Lord of Earth, and Lord of Under the Earth.” The words that were used when popes were crowned were: “Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art father of princes and kings, the ruler of the world on earth, the vicar of our Savior Jesus Christ, to whom is honor and glory through all ages.” This position also claims to be “The Holy Father” and accepts that title from others. No man should ever be addressed as “Holy Father.” The pope is definitely “in place of Christ.”

Roman Catholicism is a whole system of “in place ofs”

Papacy – claims to be Christ on earth
Priests – mediators between God/man (violates Book of Hebrews)
Mary – mediator between God/man
Saints – mediators between God/man
Statues – mediators between God/man
Mass/Eucharist Transubstantiation – mediator between God/man

Truth = Only one mediator between God/man – Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). If I lived between 538-1798 AD, I would be burned at the stake for writing this, or for simply reading the Bible to others.

About Catholic people today – I love them, but many have a difficult time perceiving the need to be born-again for two reasons: 1) they believe the Catholic rituals save their souls, and 2) their religion contains so many “in place-ofs” that they miss the real Jesus. Some know Jesus and want to do what is right. Some couldn’t care less about God (just like some Protestants). Some have become close friends of mine despite our differences. Some have hated me and tried to get me fired from my teaching job back in the 1980s, and not because I said anything against their church. They just hated Jesus in me. Some barred me from teaching Catholic teens even though I never taught anything against that Church back in my early days as a Christian. There are some Catholic beliefs I agree with, especially their strong and admirable Pro-Life stance. Many Roman Catholic scholars helped preserve the Bible centuries ago. There are also some beliefs they hold that are in serious error and may have them in bondage to the doctrines of a system that is the false church. One of my favorite aunts was devoted to that Church. She was very kind-hearted, but very deceived when it came to Christianity. Let us all heed 1 Corinthians 3:11 – “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” May we all keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith and the only mediator between man and God (1 Timothy 2:5 and Hebrews 12:2).

Feedback:
JG – Great stuff, Dave! As for your conclusion: born and raised a Catholic, in my late 20’s I finally set out to read the Book we supposedly follow. The Lord opened my eyes in that so much of the Word was contrary to Catholic teaching. The verses hit me between the eyes (my Bible is filled with lines from a particular verse to an open space on the page where I write “Catholics: READ”- I do the same for those verses that contradict evolution (Evolutionists: READ), abortion rights, condoning homosexual behavior, etc.).

A great book on this is Dave Hunt’s “A Woman Rides the Beast.” It is thoroughly researched and takes the position that Rome and Roman Catholicism is a key player in the Tribulation period. I gave the book to my mother-in-law (a VERY devout Catholic) many years ago and never got it back. Maybe she burned it or threw it in the trash J. Anyways, great stuff again – all your “At Issue” topics are great. God Bless you!

Dave to JG – Thanks. While Mr. Hunt has some great research and convictions on certain issues, he is a dispensationalist, so I would not embrace all that he asserts. I think he has some good insights but I believe his time-line is off base due to his dispensational “glasses” he wears to interpret the Bible. I believe that approach to end-time prophecy is in error and leads to conclusions that are off the mark. You said he believes the RC Church is a key player in “THE Tribulation.” This phrase does not come from the Bible, unless you read Cyrus Scofield’s version (or some others influenced by this bias). Scripture speaks of “tribulation” not THE tribulation. When Jesus spoke of this He most likely meant what happened to Jerusalem and Israel in 70 AD with the destruction of the Temple. This was a 3-year siege by the Romans so the Jews suffered horribly for a long time before being slaughtered. Because Scofield was a dispensationalist, he put the word “the” in front of “tribulation” in Revelation 7:14. His bias influenced his translating which is a no-no. So this whole notion of THE great tribulation, as a single futuristic event, is most likely a fantasy. I prefer the historical approach because it knows, appreciates, and connects history with the Scriptures in a most accurate manner and yields tremendous insights into Ezekiel, Daniel, 2 Thessalonians 2, and Revelation.

Unfortunately, many Christians today in America have been exposed only to dispensational views and are not even aware of other interpretations. There are actually four approaches. But the other three don’t sell as many books :-). One of my arguments against dispensationalism is that IF their interpretations are correct, this means that in the near future 1) one man will take over the whole world, 2) he will walk into a rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and claim to be God, 3) he will stamp all followers with a literal 666 on or in their bodies. Now think about this…the Anti-Christ is supposed to be filled with Satanic power and ultimate deception, right? Well, aren’t those signs just a tad too obvious for anyone to be conned by this guy?? Check out my commentaries on the historical approach to Daniel and Revelation and I think you will be blessed by it.

LT (a Roman Catholic) – Amazing. And to think that the only church established by Christ would turn out to be the Anti-Christ. I don’t know who inspired you to write this nonsense but the Holy Spirit is not present.

Dave to LT – History is not on your side. Christ never established the Roman Catholic Church. If you are willing to listen to me sometime, I can tell you what happened. You’ve been taught that Jesus made Peter the first Pope, but He simply was saying that the faith to which Peter just confessed would be the rock of His Church, not the man Peter. That first confession of faith said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We also see throughout Scripture that Peter was not the only man in charge of everything. In other words, he did not act like a pope. No one bowed to him as they do to popes. In fact, Peter stopped a man from doing that very thing in Acts 10:26. Also, Catholicism maintains that Jesus gave Peter the “keys of the Kingdom” which, in their minds, meant Peter had power over Christ’s Church. But later in Scripture (Matthew 18:18), Jesus said these same words to ALL of the disciples, not just to Peter. Therefore, the very genesis of Roman Catholic mindset started in gross error.

LT to Dave – Dear Saul, you know I was going to use the Satan thing but felt I didn’t need it. Satan smiles when anyone attacks Christ’s church. He even enjoys attacks about any church that Loves Christ. I will not attack the Protestant Churches or anyone who Loves the Lord. I just don’t think that you needed to do that. Glad to hear Mike accepted the job. Even though I am Catholic, God heard my prayers.

Dave to LT – I understand your anger. You have been raised to believe as you do. I hope we can just agree to disagree for now. I also hope that this disagreement does not become a part of our men’s group talk. As I’ve said before, my Bible Sessions are apart from the men’s group. About addressing me as Saul, he attacked people physically and hated them while I simply challenge man-made doctrine by God’s Word and love people. I assume you agree with this difference.

LT – Dave, I just concluded a wonderful discussion with a Lady that loves the Lord as we. She said that we must continue to pray together with love and understanding. “We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God’s friends how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life! But that is not all; we rejoice because of what God has done through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has made us God’s friends.” Rom. 5:10-11. Let us remain friends in and through Jesus Christ.

Dave to LT – Amen to remaining friends, but I noticed that you capitalized the “L” in lady, which
indicates you are claiming that the lady you got that advice from was Mary. Is that what you were saying?

[No further response from LT]. Error culminating in spiritual bondage is a tragic thing.

Scripture Thoughts

Category: At Issue (page 10 of 14)

How Do We Know We’ve Really Forgiven Someone?

Knowing the Times in Which We Live Will Move Us to Action

The Mark of the Beast – 666

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts