WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST and what is the Mark of the Beast?

WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST and what is the Mark of the Beast


Revelation chapter 14:6-12

6: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7: Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8: And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10: The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12: Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.


What is the difference between those who have the mark of the beast and those who do not and are God's people? the keeping of the commandments is the difference. Which commandment does the angel plainly speak about here?

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." [verse 7]

THOSE WERE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF THE 4TH COMMANDMENT, ... the 7th day Sabbath commandment.


Why do you suppose the angels does this?

The angel does this, because THE SABBATH is a SIGN that we worship the Creator/God who creates/recreates a clean heart in us. He has the power. We do not. The 7th day Sabbath is the SIGN of this; a sign that God the Creator, sanctifies us and makes us holy...

Go back to the beginning of things, and read about the mark of the beast. The angel tells us exactly what it is, right there in Revelation 14. We do not have to guess. We do not have to read things into it. It is not a mystery that only the chosen few can figure out. God's word is plain.

In addition , to show you just how plain God has made it in Revelation about what the mark of the beast is... please read from Deuteronomy chapter 6, where the TEN COMMANDMENT LAW is being referred do. Do you see anything familiar there? -something that we just read in Revelation chapter 14 about the mark of the beast?

Read...

Deuteronomy chapter 6:

1: Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
3: Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6: And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8: And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

God's commandments would be as a SIGN, on the FOREHEAD and IN THE HAND. The mark of the beast, in contrast, would also be in the FOREHEAD and IN THE HAND.

Revelation 14:
9: And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,


Once again, it is plain. No mystery that the only the chosen few will be able to figure out.

as I said before...

What is the difference between those who have the mark of the beast and those who do not and are God's people? the keeping of the commandments is the difference. Which commandment does the angel plainly speak about here?

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." [verse 7]

THOSE WERE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF THE 4TH COMMANDMENT, ... the 7th day Sabbath commandment. Those in their stubbornness are not willing to heed this call of the Three Angel's sent by God Himself to warn the world are they who will also receive the Mark of the Beast and thus the terrible wrath of God.

And now, in the post below you may read a short book concerning the Mark of the Beast and Bible prophecy. Very simple, very concise and should be read by all.

 

WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?
by Lawrence M. Nelson

Chapter 1

The Beast of Revelation 13
You are holding in your hands the most concise, simple to understand information concerning the Antichrist! These pages will alert you with unquestioned proof as to who is the coming Antichrist! You may rest in absolute assurance of this knowledge, because the facts presented are backed with a "Thus saith the Word of God".

But, spiritual truth is only discerned by the help of the Holy Spirit. So may I be so bold as to suggest that you make the following your personal prayer: "God help me to understand this amazing truth concerning the Antichrist as found in Thy Holy Word-Amen."

The knowledge of the Antichrist is like a jigsaw puzzle. Every piece of information found throughout the Bible must be placed in its proper position. When this is accomplished, behold the Antichrist will stand before you so clearly and so simple to understand that you will praise God for revealing this truth to you.

Let's begin by discovering who this mystery beast of Revelation 13 represents by reading God's description of the beast.

"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed and all the world wondered after the beast. " Revelation 13:1-3.

The beast of Revelation 13 is made up of parts. Every part or act of this beast must be determined by Bible interpretation so that we can intelligently make our decision. There must be no guessing. We must know beyond a doubt. Since there is only one unquestioned authority, we must turn to the Word of God for clarification.

First of all, before beginning this discovery, I would like to share with you a secret of all Bible students. In the Holy Word the book of Daniel helps us to understand the book of Revelation. Likewise, the book of Revelation helps to explain the book of Daniel. So, naturally, in looking for our answer concerning the beast of Revelation 13, we shall turn to Daniel 7, where God gives us a full explanation. It's amazing that the answers we are looking for in our day were given by God to Daniel 550 years before Christ was born on this earth. This, of course, only goes to prove that God knows the beginning to the end of time. Now let us listen to the prophet speak, as recorded in Daniel 7:2:

"Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea."Daniel 7:2

Will you join me in using your imagination to visualize the events exactly as Daniel saw them. Picture this great sea the prophet was looking at. The four winds of heaven are blowing upon the waters, causing the waves to beat against one another like a sea frenzied by a hurricane.

Now what does this stand for? No guessing, remember, we want only a Bible answer.

First, let's take the waters. Remember our secret? Revelation should explain. So we turn to chapter 17 and read:

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. " Revelation 1 7.15.

God made this simple to understand. Waters represent peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. How often we have used the expression "a great sea of faces" when describing a crowd of people.

The second fact we need to know concerns the wind. In the Scriptures the designation of wind has always been used as a symbol of war. Please note:

"Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind .... Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets." Jeremiah 51:1,4.

So this is the setting. The sea of waters represents the peoples of the earth. The wind blowing upon the waters reveals the people to be in a state of war. From such a condition we would expect the political climate of the people to change, and this is exactly what happens. 'And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. " Daniel 7.3.

See how easy it is to understand prophecy? The Bible explains itself!

We are ready to examine this first beast. The prophet describes him as follows:

"The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. " Daniel 7.-4. (See Figure #2).

Who is this lion? God supplies information through His prophet. We read:

"The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail. Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong." Jeremiah 50:43,44.

Thus the Babylonian Empire arose in the year 606 B.C. But what of the wings? In the British Museum you will find a great stone taken from the ancient city of Babylon-which portrays a lion with wings! This was actually the symbol of the old city of Babylon.

The phrase "the man's heart" denotes a coming time and experience of weakness when Babylon would be overcome and destroyed, thus opening the way for a second world kingdom.

"and behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it. and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh." Daniel 7.5.

The bear is God's caricature of the next world power. (See Figure #3). Persia conquered the world in the year 538 B.C. You observed the bear, that it was devouring three ribs in its mouth. Old Babylon was composed of exactly three provinces, namely, Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. The conquering power of Persia destroyed all three. But what is so amazing is that God gives such details. He says the bear raised himself on one side. When Medo-Persia became strong, the Persians overthrew the Medes. Let us continue.

"After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl, the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. Daniel 7.6.

Everyone knows that the next universal power in world history was that of Greece, (See Figure #4) which developed in the year 331 B.C. This beast had four wings to indicate that it would swiftly conquer the world.

Alexander the Great conquered the world in only twelve years, without the aid of anything like our modern methods of warfare or travel. This was considered a miracle in that day.

Now look closely. This beast had four heads. God never leaves any reason for doubt. History reveals that Alexander died at the early age of 33. He conquered the world but could not conquer his own temper. He died of fatigue and disease, without leaving any posterity to carry on the kingdom. So his realm was divided among the four generals-Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemy-who continued to rule the world under the fourth beast. Isn't it amazing how God foretells the future? Then God said another world power would soon arise.

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:7.

This fourth beast represents old pagan Rome (See Figure #5) which began its reign in the year 168 B.C. It was a dreadful power-as God described it-having great iron teeth. The historian Edward Gibbon, in writing of its history, describes the Roman enemies as broken by the iron monarchy of Rome.

We have now come in history to the time of the cross. Pagan Rome was ruling the world when Jesus was born, and it was under pagan rule that He was so cruelly crucified in A.D. 31. At this time world affairs had reached their lowest ebb, and men were about to be swallowed up in pagan philosophy. They were dying without a hope for the future, but Jesus came to deliver men and women and to show them the way of life. How wonderful God is. He never fails us.

Now the Scripture describes this beast as having ten horns. They represent the ten kingdoms that pagan Rome was divided into in the year A.D. 476.

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise." Daniel 7:24

Now it is time for us to discover what we have been learning concerning the beast of Revelation 13. Perhaps you are unaware that while we have been studying Daniel 7 we have actually been discovering all about the beast of Revelation 13. To refresh our memory, let's read it once more.

'And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. " Revelation 13:1,2.

Now get ready for the surprise. God is a great caricaturist. He simply took a part of each of these four beasts that we have been studying in Daniel and put them all together, thus making the beast of Revelation 13. He took the "mouth" from the lion representing Babylon. He took the "feet" from the bear-MedoPersia. He took the "body" of a leopard from the leopard-Greece. The "ten horns" He took from the divided kingdoms of old Rome. Putting these all together, we now see clearly a picture of what is represented in this beast of Revelation 13. (See Figure #6).

See how simple prophecy is? This is no guess work. God has revealed every detail. The beast of Revelation 13 is a definite part of all these pagan nations. We must go on. There is much more to be revealed. Let us continue in our study of this ten-horn caricature of Daniel 7.

"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. " Daniel 7.8.

Who is this little horn? (See Figure #7). In prophecy a horn stands for a king.

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise." Daniel 7:24.

We must abide by the word of God. Before we go further, we would like to stress this observation: We are presenting God's final warning message that is so vital to the people of all churches, whether they be Catholics, Protestants, or Jews. What we are discussing is a part of this last warning. It has come to us from the lips of Jesus, Who desires that all men might be saved. He wants every one of us to be ready to go to heaven when He comes the second time. We are only revealing what God has already written in the Book. You will soon see that it is necessary for God to point out a certain organization in our world as a means to give us guidance in how to heed His last warning message.

Now back to the question-What of this little horn? We will follow these simple methods in our discussions, which we believe you will find acceptable. (1) We will permit God to give the clue. (2) Authoritative history will substantiate God's claim. (3) The church will declare its position from its authoritative statements. With these objectives in mind, let us closely study the following seven points of identification concerning the little horn.

To begin with, let us make the following statement, then back it up with these proofs. We will discover that the little horn represents the organization in the world called the Papacy. (See figure #8).

1. Let us note proof of this fact because of the time of its appearance. it must appear after the division of the Roman Empire.

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them;" Daniel 7:24.

The Papacy was established in A.D. 538 when it subdued the Ostrogoths. The ten horns, or the divided kingdom, was established in A.D. 476. Thus you can see at a glance that the Papacy arose after the ten kingdoms, exactly as the prophecy states, "and another shall rise after them. "

2. This little horn would differ in its nature of authority.

"And he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings." Daniel 7:24. (See Figure #8).

The Papacy has always been a religious power. The other ten kingdoms were of a temporal nature, dealing in matters of state only. Thus this point is substantiated-the Papacy is different.

3. The little horn would destroy three kings.

"And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings." Daniel 7:24.

History reveals that the Papacy destroyed three of the ten kingdoms, which were as follows. (1) The Heruli in A.D. 493, (2) the Vandals in A.D. 534, (3) the Ostrogoths in A.D. 538. From The Question Box, by Conway, on page 166, we read that the church admits destroying three powers in securing her temporal sovereign. I quote:

"The distance from Constantinople, the interrupted communications with the Exarch of Ravenna, the constant fighting against the Goths, the Huns and the Lombards, the putting down of rebellions against the Emperor in Rome itself-all tended to turn the Pope willingly or unwillingly, into a temporal sovereign (Hodgkin, Italy, v., 355)."

Please note that seven out of the original ten nations are still in existence today-Germany, England, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Switzerland. This is just as God declared. What a marvelous fulfillment of prophecy!

4. The little horn would have eyes like a man.

'I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." Daniel 7:8. This great organization is headed by a man. All the world today recognizes him as the Pope.

5. The little horn would speak against God.

"And he shall speak great words against the most High " Daniel 7:25.

Again we quote from authentic Catholic writings:

"All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that he is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope."-R.F. Bellarmine, On the Authority of Councils, vol. II, book 2, chap. 17, p. 266 (ed. 1619).

"The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God."-P.F.L. Ferraris, Ecclesiastical Dictionary, art. On the Pope.

You have discovered five amazing predictions. Now permit me to bring you the last two. These are likewise based upon the Word of God.

6. The little horn would persecute.

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High." Daniel 7:25.

How true these words have proved in history. There are many sources to choose from, but let us read just one.

"That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no

Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history. The memorials, indeed, of many of her persecutions are now so scanty, that it is impossible to form a complete conception of the multitude of her victims, and it is quite certain that no powers of imagination can adequately realize their suffering."-William Edward Hartpole Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, vol. 2 (London: Longmans, Green, and Company, 1904), p. 32.

Perhaps it would be well here to read something from the church. She admits freely that she has persecuted. Notice this carefully.

"The church has persecuted. Only a tyro in church history will deny that .... One hundred and fifty years after Constantine the Donatists were persecuted and sometimes put to death ... Protestants were persecuted in France and Spain with the full approval of the church authorities. We have always defended the persecution of the Huguenots, and the Spanish Inquisition. Wherever and whenever there is honest Catholicity, there will be a clear distinction drawn between truth and error, and Catholicity and all forms of heresy. When she thinks it good to use physical force, she will use it .... But will the Catholic Church give bond that she will not persecute at all? Will she guarantee absolute freedom and equality of all churches and all faiths? The Catholic Church gives no bonds for her good behavior."-The Western Watchman, December 24, 1908.

7. The little horn would attempt to change God's law.

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws." Daniel 7:25.

I think it only needful that we read one more quotation from the Ecclesiastical Dictionary of the Roman Catholic Church, article on the pope, and see how this answers the prediction of God.

"The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws. The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth with most ample power of binding and loosing his sheep."-P.F.L. Ferraris, Ecclesiastical Dictionary, art. On the Pope.

We can see clearly how this power has attempted to change the divine law of God today. Every one is acquainted with the Ten Commandments as found in Exodus 20 of the Old Testament. If you will turn to any catechism published by the church of Rome, you will discover that the Ten Commandments have been changed. The second commandment is completely left out. This is the commandment that states, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. " But you will also quickly note that they do have ten commandments. This was accomplished by dividing the last commandment and making two out of it. Again we see that the predictions of God are fulfilled in this little horn.

Here are seven points of identity, proving beyond any doubt that the Papacy indeed is the little horn of Daniel 7. Now we have discovered another link in our chain of understanding concerning the beast of Revelation 13, for it is indeed identical with the little horn of Daniel 7. There is no doubt that the little horn and the beast of Revelation 13 are the same. (See Figure #9).

Can you behold the earnestness of Christ this very hour as He looks down upon us to see how we will receive His warning message? After all, the book of Revelation is His personal message to each of us. We read from its very first verse:

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass, and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John. " Revelation 1:1.

We have been studying a portion of Revelation very vital to you and to me. Jesus declares in Revelation 14:9:

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his 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. Revelation 14:9, 10.

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Continue reading the next 5 chapters of WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST, by clicking on the link below:


http://www.religiouscounterfeits.org/antichrist2.htm

in addition, you may go to this website http://www.religiouscounterfeits.org

and when you get there, scroll down till on the right of the page you see a downloadable free book called "National Sunday Law" by Jan Marcussen. Please download this book as well and read. It is very enlightening.

 

Personally, I have it on very good authority (see link below) that David Hasselhoff of "Baywatch" fame is the antichrist.

David Hasselhoff is the Antichrist Site

Mark

 

But wait -- I hear David Hasselhoff has "666" embroidered on the backflap of his Dr. Dentons.

Mark