The whole world has prostituted itself, by letting money (rather than love for God and others) be its motive in what it does. The Apostle Paul said the love of money is the root of every form of evil that exists in the world today. (1 Timothy 6:10)
Jesus said that we cannot work for God and money at the same time. (Luke 16:13) He said that if we would stop worrying about how we are going to feed and clothe ourselves, and concentrate on building God's kingdom of faith and love instead, then our heavenly Father will take care of all our material needs. (Matthew 6:25-33)
We miss the very purpose for which we were created when we chase after money. The Babylonians invented money. And with it the devil has gained control of the entire human race.
When asked about paying taxes Jesus said, "Give Caesar that which is Caesar's and God that which is God's." (Matthew 22:17-21)
Start by giving God what belongs to him, and there is little left for the Beast. But put the Beast first (as the whole world does), and there is nothing but leftovers (evenings and weekends) for God. Along with those who crucified the King of the Jews, the church today seems to say, "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:12-15)
God vs Caesar
Loyalty to the system is based on the lie that the kings of the earth own the world and so have a right to dictate what people can do with it. But the kings robbed the world from our Father, the true Owner and Creator of it.
When asked about paying taxes Jesus said, "Give Caesar that which is Caesar's and God that which is God's." (Matthew 22:17-21) Start by giving God what belongs to him, and there is little left for the Beast. But put the Beast first (as the whole world does), and there is nothing but leftovers (evenings and weekends) for God. Along with those who crucified the King of the Jews, the church today seems to say, "We have no king but Caesar!" (John 19:12-15)
Jesus says we have no king but God. Peter was rebuked by Jesus for assuming he owed it to the kings of the earth to pay taxes. Jesus said that children of God (the King of kings) don't owe tribute to anyone. If we choose to pay taxes, we do so only to be gracious toward the System. (Matthew 17:24-27 & Romans 13:7-8)
This is the message that has been left out of most teaching on The Revelation, yet it is the message that makes it all fit together. It is hidden in symbols and allegories simply because it is such a threat to the System.
The Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ to his servants. (Revelation 1:1) Because God is invisible and Jesus is away, and his 'children' are home alone, they have stopped being obedient servants. So when they read The Revelation, they end up in confusion (i.e. 'babylon'). But we seek to obey Christ, and for us the message is clear and simple.
This is the message that has been left out of most teaching on The Revelation, yet it is the message that makes it all fit together. It is hidden in symbols and allegories simply because it is such a threat to the System.
The Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ to his servants. (Revelation 1:1) Because God is invisible and Jesus is away, and his 'children' are home alone, they have stopped being obedient servants. So when they read The Revelation, they end up in confusion (i.e. 'babylon'). But we seek to obey Christ, and for us the message is clear and simple.
God vs Money
The choice is easy: God or money. Babylon invented money; and the Beast has improved on it over the years, from coins, to currency, to cheques, to stocks and bonds, to credit cards, and one day soon it will take its final form: a 'mark' on the right hand, or on the forehead.It says in The Revelation: "He (the Beast) causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, so that no one can buy or sell except those who have the mark or the name of the Beast or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:16-7)
Banks now have the technology to implant a microchip the size of a grain of rice under the skin of your hand. By passing your hand under a scanner like those used in supermarkets to read barcodes, a computer will be able to electronically transfer funds from your account to cover the cost of whatever you are buying.
It will improve efficiency everywhere. There will be no more worries about lost or stolen credit cards. Drug trafficking and other illegal transactions which rely on cash will no longer be able to operate without leaving a trail behind them in computer records. Government mints will be a thing of the past. Only a handful of bank tellers will be needed. Robberies will be limited to merchandise and not to cash.
But the Bible says anyone who accepts this mark will be eternally cursed: "If anyone worships the Beast and his image, and receives his mark in their forehead or in their hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. They shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment ascends up forever, and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the Beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:9-11)
There is a link between this mark and the number 666. "Here is wisdom. Let anyone who understands count the number of the Beast; for it is the number of a man." (Revelation 13:18) Over the years there have been many attempts to link the number with particular individuals. There'll one day be someone whose name has a definite link with the number 666, but it seems that the number represents a principle as much as a name (Revelation 15:2); and we must gain "victory over the number" itself (or what it represents) and not just decode someone's name.
The number appears one other time in the Bible, in 1 Kings 10:14, where it refers to the amount of gold that King Solomon received in one year. Solomon's wealth has become the justification for what is quickly becoming the most popular teaching in the church world today - the "prosperity gospel".
The prosperity teaching is that Christ suffered so that anyone who claims to be his follower can have unlimited wealth and health. Poverty and sickness are curses from the devil, and wealth is a sign of God's blessing. Paul warned Timothy about such teaching: "If anyone consents not to the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, they are proud, knowing nothing, supposing that wealth is a sign of godliness. From such people withdraw yourself." (1 Timothy 6:3-5)
Knowledge vs Wisdom
Paradoxically, some of these same people publish warnings about the mark of the Beast. They provide information about how things like the number 666 keep appearing in bankcard symbols, barcodes, etc. They warn people about conspiracies in big government, big business, and big religion.
There is truth in all of it. But there is a lot of paranoia too. Nowhere do they encourage people to live by faith. They and their readers have a lot of knowledge about the Mark of the Beast, but they lack the wisdom to find true victory over the number.
Only a tiny minority of them will actually refuse to take the mark. Traditional church teaching is that Christians will never have to make an all or nothing choice between God and money. They will be whisked away to heaven before the mark is ever implemented. So no one is being prepared to actually live through the troublous times that lie ahead.
The church world has already shown that each time it must make a choice between money and God, the Creator of the universe gets the leftovers. The Apostle John warned that there would be many smaller antichrists before the final, ultimate Antichrist appears. (1 John 2:18) And there have been many smaller 'marks' leading up to the ultimate Mark. (What does Germany call her money now?) But the church has always succumbed to the temptation offered by each new form of money.
Jesus says, "If anyone wants to be my disciple, they must forsake everything that they own." (Luke 14:33) Does any church teach this? Jesus says,"Sell everything that you have, and give it to the poor." (Luke 12:33; Luke 18:22) Does any church teach this?
He said this even before paper currency or credit cards (much less microchip implants) were invented! If you won't forsake your possessions for Christ, you'll never forsake the mark for him.
God will "seal" his servants on their forehead. (Revelation 7:3) Jesus refers to this seal in John 6:27: "Don't work for the food that perishes. Work for the food that lasts forever, which the Son of man shall give you. For he is the one whom God the Father has sealed."
You won't get your seal from the prosperity gurus, the Apostle Paul, or King Solomon. You can only get it from the Son of God. And he won't give it until you stop working for money and start working for him. He says, "Come to me, all you labourers, who are burdened with care, and I will give you rest. Start working for me and learning from me. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Jesus referred to the chapter where the number 666 appears when he said, "The Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet one greater than Solomon is here." (Matthew 12:42)
The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon 120 talents of gold because she was so impressed with his wisdom. (1 Kings 10:10) But how much will people give for the wisdom of Christ today?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that Solomon with all his wealth was not dressed as beautifully as God dresses the flowers. "Flowers don't have jobs," he argued, "Nor do they make cloth. But if God can clothe plants so beautifully, which are here one day and gone the next, can't he do the same for you? Don't worry, saying, What'll we eat? What'll we drink? How will we be clothed? Everyone in the System seeks these things. But your heavenly Father knows you need them. Seek to do his will and to build his kingdom, and he will give you these other things." (Matthew 6:28-32)
He said this even before paper currency or credit cards (much less microchip implants) were invented! If you won't forsake your possessions for Christ, you'll never forsake the mark for him.
God will "seal" his servants on their forehead. (Revelation 7:3) Jesus refers to this seal in John 6:27: "Don't work for the food that perishes. Work for the food that lasts forever, which the Son of man shall give you. For he is the one whom God the Father has sealed."
You won't get your seal from the prosperity gurus, the Apostle Paul, or King Solomon. You can only get it from the Son of God. And he won't give it until you stop working for money and start working for him. He says, "Come to me, all you labourers, who are burdened with care, and I will give you rest. Start working for me and learning from me. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Jesus referred to the chapter where the number 666 appears when he said, "The Queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and yet one greater than Solomon is here." (Matthew 12:42)
The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon 120 talents of gold because she was so impressed with his wisdom. (1 Kings 10:10) But how much will people give for the wisdom of Christ today?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that Solomon with all his wealth was not dressed as beautifully as God dresses the flowers. "Flowers don't have jobs," he argued, "Nor do they make cloth. But if God can clothe plants so beautifully, which are here one day and gone the next, can't he do the same for you? Don't worry, saying, What'll we eat? What'll we drink? How will we be clothed? Everyone in the System seeks these things. But your heavenly Father knows you need them. Seek to do his will and to build his kingdom, and he will give you these other things." (Matthew 6:28-32)The Solid Rock vs Shifting Sand
The Hebrew prophet Daniel saw the kingdom of God coming out of nowhere like a stone, and it destroyed all the systems of man. (Daniel 2:44-45)Christ taught the principles of that spiritual kingdom; and if his followers would forsake all that we own and start living by faith in God alone today, as those first followers did (Acts 2:44-45; Acts 4:32-35; Matthew 4:18-22), we could break the spiritual strangle hold that the System has on the souls of people today.
Jesus said his teachings are like a great rock; anyone who listens to them and obeys them will be like a wise person building on a rock. And anyone who listens to them and then chooses not to obey him (as the church has done), will be like a foolish person who tried to build a house on sand. (Matthew 7:24-27)
Jesus said the religious "builders" would throw out his teachings because they are difficult. He admitted that any who try to build on his teachings will be "broken" by them; but he said such a breaking now is far better than waiting until he returns, because he will "grind us to powder" if we've not obeyed him then. (Matthew 21:42-44)
