The mark would be the negative read out for a high temperature

Honestly

Why look for the beast and just point to the solution.


People can twist the mark and beast to no end,

Ie: bill gates came from Seattle, rising from the sea, www is often attributed as 666, he's pushing the mark through vaccines...


I just pulled that out of thin air.

I'll get worried when the mindset that allows the one world system, and the thought people need something to buy and sell.


Either way, it's been the end since the cross, and people mistake the forest for the trees, its always an error.


But, when these things start to occur, look up, not search for the beast or the mark.
reply to: DISRAELI

a reply to: benrl
I still don't see Bill Gates (or anybody else, yet), organising the world into a persecution of Chrsitians.
The whole point of the book of Revelation is to be a manual to the Chrsitian church on maintaining faith in a time of general persecution. Until that actually starts happening, the book has no relevance.
Why not just wait until it actually starts happening. All this self=induced anxiety may be exciting, in its own way, like getting onto a roller-coaster, but its quite unnecessary at this stage.
We don't need to react to it until it starts happening.

a reply to: DISRAELI

That's my point,

The church is to act as if every day was the last day, sense his death.

People do mentle gymnastics pointing to a mark or a beast, who cares, it changes nothing of the goal of the church.


Spreading the news on how to be safe, not in the now, but forever, by always pointing to the gospel.


From Ssn, to credit cards, to rfid,

From numerous despots, politicians and popular figures,


It's to be aware, and the point of prophecy is two fold yes to warn, but also so when it happens, it's proof who God is.


I think we agree, my point on gates was I pulled it out of my butt and matched it with precieved events.


We should always be reacting, as the only reaction should and always has been the same.

Get working casting those seeds so there can be a harvest.

originally posted by: benrl
The church is to act as if every day was the last day, sense his death.

But we're not expected to do anything about that possibility except cling firmly to Christ.
If there's going to be a persecuting auhtority fugure, we don't need to know his identity in advance, because we're not expected to do anything about it in advance.

Let me quote from the foreword of a book on Revelation which hasn't been published yet;
"One factor is the difference in situation. Let me offer an analogy. In the days when I was commuting into London, I frequently found myself standing near a notice which began with the unsettling words “It is usually safer to remain on the train.” If I had taken that warning literally, keeping still and waiting for further advice from railway staff, I would never have reached my destination. Reading between the lines, though (and remembering other notices on other trains), I could recognise the suppressed opening clause; “In the event of an accident or other emergency…” In other words, the message was not really meant for me. It was meant for future passengers in different circumstances."

Or if you are on a plane, do you spend your time lokking out for "signs" that an accident is taking place and you need to start following the emergency procedures? Like doing numerology on the name of a passing stewardess? Or do you wait for the accident to happen, visibly, before you start reacting to it?

Until it starts happening, the obsessive "mark" hunter is like the passenger who starts screaming and demanding his parachute every five minutes.
We have not been given any detailed warning signs. The only ones being used are those being created by people's own imaginative interpretations.

a reply to: benrl

Thanks for a demonstration of the attitude(s) I was trying to describe at the start of my first comment in this thread. Sort of, cause I wasn't entirely happy with the various descriptions I came up with. What I wanted to describe was better demonstrated by you and DISRAELI. But I wasn't sure how to put it (so I just ended up quoting DISRAELI directly).

The endresult being that because of all these far-fetched and sometimes even crazy-sounding "private interpretations", some people will no longer 'pay attention to it [the related prophecies] as to a lamp shining in a dark place'. Remember, the book of Revelation is all about prophecy, events that had not yet occurred at the time it was written.

2 Peter 1:19-21

So we have the prophetic word made more sure, and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place (until day dawns and a daystar rises) in your hearts. 20 For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. 21 For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were moved* [Lit., “carried along; borne along.”] by holy spirit.

The book of Revelation is particularly relevant and important to those living in the period described in the Bible as "the last days" (of this system of things, making way for a new system of rulership, a theocracy with Jesus Christ as King, appointed by his Father, Jehovah. This is what God's Kingdom, a.k.a. "the Kingdom of the heavens"/"Kingdom of heaven" because it rules from heaven, is all about).

2 Timothy 3:1-7

But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away. 6 From among these arise men who slyly work their way into households and captivate weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7 always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.

2 Timothy 4:3,4

For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the wholesome* [Or “healthful; beneficial.”] teaching, but according to their own desires, they will surround themselves with teachers to have their ears tickled.* [Or “to tell them what they want to hear.”] 4 They will turn away from listening to the truth and give attention to false stories.

I suspect a lack of understanding for those trained and educated by these "teachers" in "Babylon the Great" (false religion, including Christendom; see Revelation ch.17 and 18) also contributes to no longer "paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place in your hearts". I guess it could be or get embarrassing otherwise. They might have to consider (or other people who hear their explanations for these prophecies if they were to express those, might realize) that Isaiah's prophecy referred to below by Jesus perhaps also applies to them.

Matthew 13:10,11,13-17

So the disciples came and said to him: “Why do you speak to them by the use of illustrations?” 11 In reply he said: “To you it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the Kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not granted. . . . 13 That is why I speak to them by the use of illustrations; for looking, they look in vain, and hearing, they hear in vain, nor do they get the sense of it. 14 And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in their case. It says: ‘You will indeed hear but by no means get the sense of it, and you will indeed look but by no means see. 15 For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive,* [Lit., “was made thick (fat).”] and with their ears they have heard without response,* [Or “heard unwillingly.”] and they have shut their eyes, so that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back and I heal them.’

16 “However, happy are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things you are observing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.

Isaiah 6:9, 10

9 And he replied, “Go, and say to this people:

‘You will hear again and again,

But you will not understand;

You will see again and again,

But you will not get any knowledge.’

10 Make the heart of this people unreceptive,

Make their ears unresponsive,

And paste their eyes together,

So that they may not see with their eyes

And hear with their ears,

So that their heart may not understand

And they may not turn back and be healed.”

Matthew 11:25

At that time Jesus said in response: “I publicly praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to young children.

Compare with what is said in the video below concerning "a great chasm has been fixed between us and you" (Luke 16:26), keypoint at the start of part 2, but the sentence crosses over from part 1:


In context:

JW ARCHIVES DIVINE NAME JHWH YHWH JEHOVAH NWT NIV COMPARE. (playlist)

Summary of the prophecies concerning God's Kingdom and everything related to it (the main topic of the book of Revelation, the other stuff about the beasts, "Babylon the Great", the mark of the beast, etc. is related to it; the 1st quote in the 1st video is from Revelation and the pictures used at 0:39 and 1:08 - 1:30 are based on what's described in Revelation):




Context:

Jehovah Equips Us! (playlist)

Don't miss this one in that playlist (about "Babylon the Great"):

originally posted by: whereislogic
a reply to: benrl

...

I actually wanted to use this one there:

It's right after it now in the playlist. That's the one with most of the pictures relevant to Revelation. Of course, the details of which are discussed in the other videos in the playlist, most notably the documentary entitled "the bible-accurate history reliable prophecy" (3 parts), although that one doesn't get into Babylon the Great much.