The Mark of the Beast
When the book of Revelation was written, emperor worship was in full swing. The emperor at this time was Domitian.
Domitian demanded that he be addressed as “God” even by his wife.
Ephesus was a very important city during Domitian’s reign. It was a city in which many citizens of that era would do their shopping, and without being able to shop in Ephesus, a person and his or her family would be without many of their basic human needs. Before a person could shop, he or she was required to declare that Domitian is God at the public altar.
Once a person declared the deity of Domitian, he or she was required to participate in festivals, give an incense offering, and make sacrifices in honor of the deified emperor.
Other requirements included recognizing that the emperor was the provider of life before drinking from public water fountains.
By practicing all the requirements of paying homage to the emperor, the person was considered to have taken on the “mark” of the emperor. To accept Domitian as God and to follow his requirements was to take on the “mark of Domitian.”
The Jews of Domitian’s time nicknamed Domitian "the beast."
Domitian also had a 35-foot statue that would be presented by his representatives wherever he went. This statue would be rolled out into the street and all the people present would pay homage to it by saying in loud voices, “Our Lord, our God, you alone are worthy of praise and honor and power." The statue depicted a very muscular version of Domitian who was actually very obese.
Those who accepted Domitian as God were allowed to shop freely in the market place as they were considered to have taken the “Mark of the Beast.”
“And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no respite day or night—these who pay homage to the beast and to his image and whoever receives the stamp of his name upon him” (Revelation 14:11).
Forever learning,
Johnny
16 comments:
This dude was some serious crazy. He demanded that he be addressed as "dominus et deus" which means 'god' or 'Master' by all people and demanded that all Jews pay a tax to practice Judaism. Christians were forced to pay the tax too based on the Roman belief that they were just Jews pretending to be something else.
It's funny how some historical accounts record him as being efficient, always on top of state finances and that his strict rules caused corruption amongst city officials to be reduced.
He later tries to redeem himself in the eyes of the people by prohibited the castration of males and punishing gay senators.
It obviously didn't work because eventually he was kicked out of power (with the help and support of his wife!) and was denied a state funeral. His name was also removed from all public buildings. Crazy dude.
Whether scripture speaks of him in relevation, I'm not convinced, but it is very interesting.
Thanks for the additions.
In order to read of him in the book of Revelation, we have to have the records of Josephus and other ancient, historical writings which speak of him.
The entire book of revelation is a depiction of the Olympic Games and every role, including the Emperor, is there playing the part. John changes the roles from the emperor to Jesus and from the athletes to the followers of Jesus. The 24 elders in Revelation were a heavenly depiction of the actual 24 elders of the emperor.
Those who read Revelation in the first century would have immediately recognized the correlation between John's eschatological, heavenly signs and people in contrast to the Olympic Games where the emperor is the god of the games and Jesus is the God of the universe.
Again, we won't know this unless we read the writings of antiquity which tell us the history behind the text.
For anyone interested in more information on this subject, please go to http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=5548
Be sure to listen to the audio file on the site listed above, which is a teaching by Ray Vander Laan.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Johnny:
I just ordered "Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Jesus and the Original Church" by Ron Moseley and I cannot wait to read it!
Hey Daniel,
You are really going to appreciate the insights and knowledge of Dr. Moseley. "Yeshua" is a great tool for getting a better understanding of Jesus and his culture.
Eyes are beginning to open all over the world, thanks to great archeologists and hard working linguists who are tearing down the walls that have been put up by 1900 years of Greek propaganda and church tradition.
Happy reading!
Johnny
Johnny,
Me hears you were in Florida?
How was your Christmas?
I wish I had the energy or the desire to dive into scripture and ancient texts. Truth is it is all I can muster to just get through the day most times. Am I a bad christian for not caring enough to seek out these "truths"? To be honest I was happier when All that I knew was that JESUS is savior and that I needed him and he wanted me.
Hey Jason,
Buy one book--Yeshua by Dr. Ron Moseley. It is small and well divided by subject. Trust me on this and you'll see that no matter how much time your life takes, a few minutes a day in a great book will change your life.
Also, not to criticize, but look at your words at the end of your comment and tell me who most Christians think He's interested in. The answer is the individualistic movement of modern Christianity. The more we learn about Jesus' Jewish world the more ready we are to replace every "I" with a "we", an "us", and an "our".
I'm sure that's what you meant, that's why I began with "not to criticize", but the focus of Western Christianity is so individualized that it's hard to commit ourselves to each other with the same passion that we commit ourselves to Christ. The meaning of communion is that all people share in the same cup of joy and the same cup of sacrifice, which brings us together with Christ.
Get the book and have fun. It will be one of the best $20 you've ever spent.
The other thing you can do is check out www.followtherabbi.com. There are lots of articles and audio clips that are great when you have 5 or 10 minutes to search.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Throughout the recorded history of the West, the mindset of the people has been very self-oriented. Gods, for the Western people, were always there to benefit the people, even though the gods had to be "paid" for the benefits provided (worship, offerings, et cetera). The worship of YHWH was a matter of worshiping Him simply to honor Him.
The provisions were given by his instructions for living according to His will, which is God's way of saying, "Live this way and you will be well. Live another and you will suffer illness, hunger, thirst, et cetera." This may sound like punishment, but it is actually God simply telling His creation how to maintain itself in the best way, just as a car manufacturer gives advice for the automobile's maintenance in the manual that comes with the car.
When the Western world and the worship of those who worshiped other God's began to influence Israel, they began to desire a god who could benefit them (pay them for their honor and recognition).
This was even more prevalent in the Roman and Greek world where gods were responsible for providing fertility, rain, food, et cetera. This is the same mindset that many children have about their parents. Rather than their parents being understood as providers of wisdom, they have become providers of stuff and happiness.
This selfish philosophy has seeped into our theology and many now see God as someone who has something for me, whether it is providing my need to be needed or my desire to be loved. Though He does provide these things, the point of our worship and honor of God is to be only about Him. And our gifts and talents are to be used to benefit one another just as much as they are used to benefit God.
Jesus' prayer was that we would be one as he and the Father are one (everyone together, growing the Kingdom of Heaven in the world). This is hard to do when our first priority is self.
So, we really have to be quick about including all people in our connection with God, rather than coming to God as an individual.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
One other comment that I feel should be made has to do with the first comment on this blog from Kathy.
In Kathy's studies she discovered that one historian says that the Christians were forced to pay a tax because the Roman's believed that they were just Jews pretending to be something else.
The Christians were Jews. They were known as the "Sect of the Nazarene." All Christians were part of the Jewish people until A.D. 70 when the last two sects, the Pharisees and the Nazarenes, divided on the basis that the Nazarenes escaped to the mountains instead of fighting with the other Jews when the Temple was destroyed.
Once this happened the Nazarene sect began worshiping on Sunday as one way to separate themselves from the Pharisees, who were now their enemies. This is the beginning of a very sad division among the people of God.
Though the Nazarenes considered themselves Jews, they became more susceptible to Hellenistic influence and would eventually become a majority of non-Jewish Christians. Often people will say that this must be what God wanted. I believe that it was prophetic and a part of God's plan to scatter his people and bring the gospel to the entire world. Most Jews were very sectarian, other than the Pharisees, and would have been happy to keep God's goodness all to themselves. The non-Jews were more likely to scatter the gospel because Gentiles believed in all gods and would have been happy to add another to their list.
Now the veil is being lifted and the truth is beginning to be realized as the Jews and Christians are beginning to come back together.
I feel that this is important information and we should know that Christians were grafted into the root rather than became the root.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
I hope that the idea of God being our Father has not been misunderstood by my words.
God is our Father and our provider. But the idea of God existing for my pleasure rather than me existing for His is where we get misled.
Do I get pleasure from my dad, if he's a good one? Yes. He takes me fishing and teaches me to drive. But I'm not supposed to treat him as if that's his responsibility. I am to respect and appreciate his gifts to me and recognize that by taking me fishing, he is gaining the joy of seeing me learn to fish from my dad.
This is such a hard concept to teach, because there's a very thin line between appreciation and expectation, as we can all understand, having just gone through Christmas.
God wants us to love Him like a father because He is. At the same time, we are to love each other as siblings who respect and appreciate the fact that we are all His children and He is never my "personal" Father in the way that so many modern Christians want to see Him.
Most Americans who own a car would never give up their car to share a car with someone else. Why? Because we like having our own, even if we don't really need it.
God can quickly be treated the same way. But He won't allow it. Contrary to the mindset of too many Christians, God isn't anyone's "personal" anything.
He is always "ours."
And “we” are always His.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Hey Walker,
That is such a great question. What do you ask? That depends on the goals of the church and their desires to match those goals with a leader who has semilar passions.
When a church body has different goals, desires, and passions than the leader, there can be a problem.
Ask a pastor what his or her goals are and where they want to lead the church.
The other side of this is with the church body. Often a church body doesn't really want to be led; they just want somebody to point at when things are not going well with the church.
As one writer said, "As a leader, you have to know if you're being followed or chased by your congregation."
Grace and peace,
Johnny
First of all, believers are not required to delve into revelation, for the keys to the seals,are given only to the holders.
But, so that you learn a little..The beast that rises out of the sea, and out of the land..are one and the same- OIL: If you calculate the number:O = 15 ..I = 9..L = 12... The sum of these is 36 ..of which the 2 composites are 18 and 18 ,and herein, is hidden the 666..and 666 which let you know that the two references,are to one.
In this, you will also understand that OIL , is indeed ‘the weapon of mass destruction’ because you now see clearly the damage it causes across the nations,and leads nations to war…compared to what people tout as ‘nuclear’ the damage is much more widespread…this is not to say that nuclear power is not dangerous, or threatens the globe or that no other perceived weapons of mass destruction exist on the earth. The point to understand here is, do not confine yourself to physical, or very literal understandings.
In knowing this small detail, you will become more aware of what not being able to buy or sell without the mark is.
Well, perhaps I should explain that a bit more, seeing that many are so confined to literal.
'The right hand' ..is not physically the 'right hand'..Listen carefully.
When you say..He's my right hand man..it means 'of importance' So, to the traders ..the 'right hand' is actually the computer they work on. In everyday life today, in modern society, is not your every action guided by computer or mobile information?? So, that is your 'right hand' .
So....when it is said that all receive the mark, it really just means that NO TRADE DEAL is , or can be effected without KNOWING the OIL PRICE. Every trade commodity on this planet hinges on the daily price of oil. In knowing this , you now easily understand the mark on the forehead..this is very much simpler..Again, you have no need to hunt for a physical mark. The morons of the world, and satan's dumbest pawns, tattoo themselves etc, and cut marks of 666 into their scalps etc..and the movies and media show you all kind of fantastic illusions ( again I say..remember who the prince of the power of the air and airwaves is) The truth however, is that this serves its purpose to really redirect people's minds and take you on mindtrips of implants etc..Satan is really witty, and does have a laugh at how simple it is , to deceive even the faithful, and scare you off track. This is how every person on the planet is affected..whether believer or unbeliever..in the free world, or those under dictatorships (this is meant by 'slave'..and incidentally, the very ones that cry 'slavery' are indeed slaves, but to their own minds and they will die and be erased from the earth in that belief.) To all those I shall say..Free yourself from the crutch of blaming others for the downfall of yourselves, and take responsibility and learn to make correct judgements..or perish. For the witty : 'Slave' applies to anyone with the chip. ''What chip ?'' you'll say. Any man can be free, and still be a slave.
All sin, and do not think that even the appointed of God do not fall in ways - what is important is corrective action, guided by the power of the Spirit. The dramatics begin, when those appointees defy correction and begin to propogate their wrongs, among the others of God, to lead them astray : Here, marks the beginning of judgement on those.
To have the mark on the forehead, is now very much simpler for you to understand. No trader really goes to bed, or rises really without wondering what the oil price will be, and that is the foremost thought on the mind of ANY international or local commodity trader. Even if you are not in direct trade, that singular factor really affects whether you post a parcel, or what price you will get if you planted carrots, or what price you will pay if you buy onions.
So , don't go scaring yourself by thinking you'll get injected, or secretly chipped etc..I have to admit, people can be really silly, and really lay themselves open to delusion quite easily. When you do that..then you are swept away quite easily, over the edge of a cliff, along with many. To have the mark, can easily apply to followers of the Lord too , because really in this world, you are guided by many things that are beyond your control. To have the mark of the Lamb on your forehead, means really acknowledging Yeshuah , Son of Yahweh foremost, in mind, heart and spirit. The physical mark of the Lord, emblazoned on the sons of lightning is 'Y' and with this comes the sign of the Holy Spirit which is really recognisable to many..Yet, even then, the world accepts others. This is the nature of man, and the reason why Jesus Christ was torn to pieces, by his own. Can you believe that?? The Lord in humility asked for their forgiveness...saying 'they know not what they do'
What do you think the judgement of God is, for those that have been told, and live in an age of information, and really KNOW what they do ?? Your fate is sealed by ignorance in a time when there is no excuse. Do not think that many will be producing their gate pass at St Peter , or the will be a mass migration into heaven with what you have been told is a 'rapture'..because you will be surprised to know that the church of God, will actually experience a RUPTURE, and this means that many will actually be shed from the kingdom, instead of having their lofty ideals of being spirited away selectively by the Lord. If I tell you the Sword is among you, believe that well. Who are the 7 Swords of the Lord ? You will not know, because six remain invisible to you all, and one is cut off for a time, and 7 times that...but when the 7 are together again, you know that the Hour of the Lord, is close.
The fullness is sealed up until the end..but under the authority of the Lord, some knowledge will be given to the people of the Lord, but to the true believer, no knowledge more than knowing the Lord, is necessary. Some witty dude said ' if they were knowers, then there would be no reason to call them believers'..something to that effect, but the essence of my meaning is this: that is the height of the wit of this world, and those that seek to pierce the Lord..all such wit will perish with you.
Beware of the many that will deceive you in 'tongues'and rattling away in Hebrew terminology etc, rendering no explanation. If you cannot understand what is said to you in English, how will you understand what is said in another language? Those that have mastered the art of religious sounding gibber - to you I shall say this..Special punishments have been prepared for you from the moment you first thought to acquire the psychological skills to weaken many. Again, this is not to say that the Holy Spirit is inactive in the world..you who receive this warning will know exactly who you are.
Knowing more than that, is unimportant,and really not allowed to the general believer, whos command it is, to worship the Lord, in simplicity and humble spirit.
Woe to those that fiddled with the scriptural content in some backroom, on a computer, to declare war and the same to all that pervert religion, to spread terror - The Lord is watching. Further woes to those in positions of power that are advised by meddlers in the divine code - All they have done is unlock the fury of the Almighty, because even now, if the Lord were not there to intercede for fools , a portion of the earth would now already be dead, in fact a day has passed where the world leaders could have been swallowed up by the earth, never to be seen again if the Almighty were in a slightly more irate mood , because the foolishness of world leaders is now rising up to the heavens. There are cures for many things, but incessant stupidity has no cure, and is an irritation to the Father. All world leaders , that are charged with leading, but do otherwise seal their own fates, and many will escape here…but have no concept that they will be destroyed fully, because they refuse to stand in awe of the Lord,and do right!
In understanding this, you will also understand that the mark is not something tangible, or applied only to persons..so, do not try to involve yourselves in literal meanings to the high cryptics of Revelation, for it occurs on too many levels for man to understand.
People that think they can ‘crack ‘the bible codings, have already doomed themselves to fates they dictated by their own actions..so, be aware in your readings of Scriptures. It is given , so that you have a general synopsis of God’s Plan , but is not there for any to delve into, or to try to meddle with.
There is no command necessary, other than for you to believe in Jesus Christ, only begotten Son of the Almighty. Revelation unfolds in the lives of billions, without any really knowing..
Bible scholars,and theologians are lead, to give the best translation into languages understandable to mankind, but none should suppose to assign ‘meaning’ , for those things are given, only at their assigned times, by the Lord.
Even the seals,and holders of the keys, are only allowed access at their pre set designation in time, and not as man defines time, for man has no concept of time, as designated by the Almighty.
You have no need to worry about chips being inserted in your heads or all such physicalities. Those that propogate such explanations to things they do not know, also fall in danger of unnecessary judgements.
The command is simple..Live your life under the authority of the Lord,and obey the basic commands in simplicity, and you have the Mark of the Lamb not only on your forehead, but written in your heart. Keep yourself from senseless debates on the unknown, and prevent the loss of your tongues.
All that you see in the world, isn’t , and neither is all that you don’t see. Because you do not see the fiery anointing of the Lord across the earth, does not mean it is nonexistent.
As you see the morons,and even believers of the world deceived by ‘aliens’ and ‘ufo’s , remember who has the power to deceive,and is the master and prince of the air,and airwaves. Years and years of preparation, have allowed the minds of those that wish for delusion, to be deluded…and in fact, God will allow that as it is written, because a huge part of the earth will be deceived because of their need to see what seems ’supernatural’…to the believer, all you need do, is remain focused on the simple command given,and this will pass over you.
You , on this earth, are made in the image of the Creator of the Universe and there is no intellect given into any physical creation, more than given to mankind..but for those that wish to imagine their inferiority to other ‘beings’- then that is what they are. Yes, even the supposedly intelligent,and learned will fall prey to deception.
Have peace in your day, and remember the simple command you are given.
The iron laws of the Almighty, are not open to ‘modernistic interpretations’ to suit dysfunctional situations. The sword, goes out to all that shall meet, discuss, twist and adjust the commands of the Lord, to suit their own purposes on the earth. These have all bowed to the deceiver, and will follow in his footsteps,and share the judgements. Yes, the Sword of the Lord, is now at the church, and all that seek to redefine its purpose. The command, is given to all, that shall have questionable behaviour , as opposed to the law. The command, is not there to be questioned, or moulded to ‘modern living’. It is stated, and given by the ‘I AM’ for all. Defiance, is treated with warning first, as warning precedes judgement. So, as no correction has come from warning, the judgement of the Lord, falls upon the church and will be in full effect, soon. A Letter was sent to that Anglican Church of Australia, containing commands,and warnings and to be sent to all denominations of the globe. Perhaps they feel they are more subject to human authorities,and choose to delete the message - The judgement is nevertheless in effect against ALL , in the church that conspire to assign their contrived meanings, to the stated law, of the Almighty.
This letter was sent on 14/7/2008.
It would be safer for all those leaders,and bishops to extract themselves from their acquired status, and join the queues of the sinful, who have humility before the Lord,and ask for forgiveness, than to stand in the pulpits and purport to do the Will of God,and thereby evoke the fury of the Lord. In this time, a judgement has already been laid down for all these, which will be effected throughout all the world, for all to see in time.
Again, have peace in your day if you find correction..but worry, if you are told,and do not turn from your path.
Be careful, if you propose to render your own futile judgement against the Lord, and do not confuse what people do 'In the Name of God' with the Lord Himself. You presume to find yourself some kind of a 'wit', if the letters pertaining to doctorates and phd's etc precede or follow your given name , but its wiser to think of yourself as stripped bare, in the eyes of God , because your titles,and honors mean nothing at that level.
Do not think that because you propose to judge God, by the actions of a few, that your supposedly 'leftist'ideals absolve you from the laws of God.
If you have a problem with men, that pervert the laws of divinity, then its fine to attack those , but be careful when you begin to call the Lord, a 'myth' and some kind of nonexistence because of your own lack of spiritual integrity that you might find comfortable to expound as what you deem a 'free thinker' because like many,all that oppose the Lord, in thought and deed , will be routed , never to rise again from the dust that they all become.
You may be wiser to make decisions in things that are tangible to you,and things that you can see, rather than expounding your opinion, on things that you cannot see, or have zero inclination to understand.
Perhaps the most mystical thing, is that atheists and free thinkers that oppose the existence of the Almighty, expound on opinions from the height of social standing,and general comforts, but even these, in situations of life threatening self adversities, find themselves looking for the same God they defy.
All your human wit,and perceived intelligence, is piddly in the eyes of the Almighty God, that knows the content of every molecule known,and unknown to mankind,and even the dust that rises up to acknowledge God, is in higher esteem than all that seek to defy the existence of the supreme Almighty.
I'm interested in any sorces that you can share about Domitian's games and the wording in Revelation. My teacher does not like us to use things that are not published sorces.
Thanks - Pete
PS I've heard Rob Bell say it but I don't know where he gets it from. My paper is due in a few weeks so please post somethine soon.
thanks again - Pete
Start with this link:
http://www.followtherabbi.com/Brix?pageID=5538
Well I'd be wary of anything Rob Bell has to say considering how much New Age rubbish his books are full of.
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